POLITICO Playbook PM: Scoop: Tears in the Oval Office  —  SCOOP: Playbook has learned that during an intense meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Rep. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) broke into tears while arguing her case to President JOE BIDEN that the reconciliation bill should include …

Pelosi signals she won't move $3.5T bill without Senate-House deal  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has signaled to colleagues in both chambers that she will not put the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package on the House floor for a vote until it's clear that it can also pass the 50-50 Senate.

The new big lie Republicans want you to believe?  That there's a puppeteer at the White House.  —  Nobody is cutting off Biden's mic or dictating his decisions.  The fictional conservative narrative contradicts what people can see for themselves.  —  Only 5% of Americans in their 70s have dementia.

Nearly half of the unvaccinated say they're willing to get a coronavirus shot.  The challenge is trying to get it to them.  —  Yolanda Orosco-Arellano decided she would get the coronavirus vaccine long before it became available.  But securing an appointment for it was less straightforward.

Some experts see signs of hope as COVID cases fall  —  New coronavirus cases are continuing to decline, and some experts are cautiously optimistic that the virus will continue to wane even into the fall and winter.  —  The big picture: The next few months are highly uncertain, and some localized outbreaks are all but guaranteed.