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President Joe Biden seemed to bow Friday to Sen. Joe Manchin’s demand for a slimmed-down economic package, telling Democrats to quickly push the election-year measure through Congress so families could “sleep easier” and enjoy the health care savings it proposes. (Fram, 7/16)

With his long-stalled economic agenda in political peril, President Biden on Friday called on congressional Democrats to refocus their once-sweeping spending ambitions — and adopt a package soon that aims to lower Americans’ health-care costs. (Romm, 7/15)

Sen. Joe Manchin’s insistence on a skinny reconciliation bill is infuriating Democrats but forcing them to consider the power of running on health costs and coverage heading into the midterms. (Bettelheim, 7/18)

GenBioPro, which sells the generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, hired its own team of lobbyists for the first time this summer, according to new federal disclosures. (Florko, 7/15)

Voters will directly weigh in on the future of abortion in at least five states, with a record number of measures on midterm ballots this year that would either limit or expand abortion protections. (Rodriguez, 7/15)

Rep. Jim Himes says he’s tried the Democratic Party’s main talking points on abortion rights — elect more of us so we can push the Senate to act. As he tells it, they only frustrated voters more. “The plan of attack right now is not terribly good, at least in my district,” Himes said of the Democrats’ strategy for a post-Roe v. Wade world. (Ferris and Levine, 7/15)

The most famous scientist in America is facing retirement. After more than five decades of federal service under seven presidents, Anthony Fauci says he’s leaving by the end of President Joe Biden’s term. In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO, he spoke of his legacy, the hard truths about the country’s pandemic response and his desire to calm the politicization wracking the country. (Owermohle, 7/18)

Backed by a group of bipartisan lawmakers, the Keep Kids Fed Act alleviates child food insecurity by keeping some of the expansions introduced in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. It could offer a summer lifeline for those in rural areas who rely on school-served meals during the vacation season. (Melotte, 7/16)