Joyce Beatty

A number of Democratic lawmakers, governors and past leaders were quick to rally behind Vice President Harris as she pursues the Democratic Party's presidential nomination following President Biden's withdrawal from the race. Shortly after dropping out of the presidential race, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, stating it is "time to come together and beat" [...]

The Congressional Black Caucus has become a bedrock of support for President Joe Biden as he faces mounting calls to stand down. But cracks are beginning to emerge.

‘Incorrect. Keep the faith,’ a White House spokesperson wrote on X in response to a report that the president may drop out as early as this weekend.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote to President Biden in earlier this month not-so-subtly suggesting that he consider dropping his reelection bid for the good of his party. Why it matters: It is the latest in a series of private entreaties high-profile Democrats have made to the 81-year-old president that have come to light in recent days.Driving the news: In a letter to Biden dated July 6 first reported by the New York Times, the former Jan. 6 committee member compared Biden to a tiring Red Sox pitcher whose refusal to quit ultimately cost his team a championship game."There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd when your arm is tired out, and there is real danger for the team in ignoring the statistics," Raskin wrote.Raskin, now the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, urged Biden to "caucus with the team. ... Hear them out," adding, "You will make the right decision."Zoom out: In the weeks since the letter, Biden has been more or less taking Raskin's advice, calling various lawmakers and meeting with at least five congressional caucuses.In many of the meetings, he has been told to various degrees that he needed to step aside. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said it in no uncertain terms during a Hispanic Caucus call last week.It emerged on Wednesday that Biden has heard from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), all of whom conveyed lawmakers' concerns about Biden's impact down the ballot.Biden has repeatedly stressed to congressional Democrats that he is not dropping out.The other side: The Biden campaign noted the president still retains support on Capitol Hill, pointing to the dozens of House and Senate Democrats who have said they support him as the party's nominee.They also pointed to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) acting as surrogates for the Biden campaign in Milwaukee on Thursday.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy roasted Rep. Matt Gaetz on live television Thursday morning, going so far as to suggest the MAGA firebrand who orchestrated his ouster was taking drugs. "I don't know if he's on something, but I hope he gets the help that he needs," McCarthy told CNN's Manu Raju. "He looks very unhinged."Tensions mounted between the two rivals during this week's Republican National Convention after Gaetz (R-FL) heckled McCarthy (R-CA) in the middle of an interview with Raju's CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins. Gaetz had to be pulled away by bystanders as he taunted McCarthy, "If you took that stage, you would get booed off of it!"Days later, a seething McCarthy replied, "I hope that young women get the justice they deserve when it comes to him."ALSO READ: Trump and God: Religion raises the stakes at Republican convention"You're referring to the House Ethics committee investigation that is ongoing?" Raju asked. "Yeah, with his partner in jail because they paid under age women for sex and drugs," McCarthy replied.McCarthy was referring to Gaetz' former associate and friend Joel Greenberg who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department investigated Gaetz but opted not to present charges. Greenberg is now reportedly cooperating with an Ethics committee investigation into Gaetz, who denies wrongdoing. On Thursday, McCarthy doubled down on an oft-repeated accusation, which Gaetz denies, that the Florida lawmaker orchestrated the House speakership ouster. ALSO READ: Do presidents’ popularity increase after assassination attempts? History has an answerMcCarthy contends Gaetz retaliated when McCarthy refused to kill another Ethics committee investigation into Gaetz years earlier. "That's what the whole motion to vacate was about," McCarthy said. "He wanted to leverage me to try to do that, and if I didn't, he wanted to do a motion to vacate."Raju then showed McCarthy images of Gaetz' RNC speech — which spurred much debate about the limits of botox — and asked how the retired congressmen felt about Gaetz' elevated position with former President Donald Trump. "Are you concerned he's getting the platform here?" Raju asked. "Well, no, I have concerns with his actions with young women," McCarthy said. "It doesn't matter which party you're in, but if you take those types of actions, I just don't think that's safe."McCarthy suggested he was not the only one to take umbrage with Gaetz's behavior. "You see him in Congress, do you think anybody else wants to be around him?" asked McCarthy. "Do you think people want to associate? No, everybody knows his challenges."Watch the video below or click here.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, voiced support for President Joe Biden remaining in the race when she appeared in Milwaukee on Thursday to challenge the message from the Republican convention.