Joe Biden tames Democrats but new health mystery –

US President Joe Biden has strengthened his candidacy for re-election and averted further defections among Democratic members of Congress. The Washington Post reports that, upon the resumption of activities on Capitol Hill, Biden has received the support of several party leaders, thus managing to put aside (at least for the moment) the growing voices among the Dems who are calling for him to withdraw from the race due to doubts regarding his cognitive abilities and the drop in the polls. For the newspaper, this might be a crucial week for his political survival, but in the meantime Biden – who yesterday in a letter to his party colleagues reiterated that he has no intention of taking any steps back – has received the public support of a series of ‘big’ Democrats such as, among others, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Representative Ilhan Omar as well as that of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). That’s a marked reversal from the past few days, the Washington Post noted, as reports circulated Sunday of an impending wave of official calls from party leaders for him to abandon his reelection bid. “He’s been the best president of my lifetime, and we support him,” said Omar, who has previously been highly critical of Biden over his Middle East policy. Sen. Mark Kelly, a centrist, said Biden should remain the Democratic nominee, calling him “a president who has delivered significant results for the American people.”

Reps. Nanette Barragan and Adriano Espaillat, the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the 39-member Congressional Hispanic Caucus, also issued statements of support for Biden and Vice President Harris. Many of the 60 members of the CBC, a crucial group given the importance of black voters to the Democratic Party, are also said to still be siding with Biden. The president’s difficulties were made clear during the June 27 debate, when his faltering performance shocked the party, prompting many Democrats to suggest he should step aside and make way for his vice president. Biden’s camp has been hesitating for several days, but the president’s recent flurry of activity — attending rallies, making phone calls to lawmakers and giving interviews — appears to have at least slowed the escalation.

There are still some critics, however, such as Senator Patty Murray, a senior member of the Democratic Senate leadership, who says Biden must do more to prove he is the best possible challenger to Trump. “We need to see a much stronger and more energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the near future so that he can convince voters that he is up to the task,” Murray said. But unlike in recent days, Biden has also managed to secure the support of key circles, including influential members of “The Squad,” the left-wing group of congressmen. Ocasio-Cortez said she spoke with Biden over the weekend and assured that she is not looking for a replacement. “He has made it clear that he is in this race,” she said.

But in the meantime, new doubts are emerging regarding the health of US President Joe Biden. A Parkinson’s expert has been to the White House eight times in recent months, the New York Times writes. The presidency has clarified that Biden is not undergoing treatment for Parkinson’s and has disclosed the name of the neurologist who visited President Joe Biden, despite – during the last briefing – spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre having denied this possibility. Jean-Pierre herself is the recipient of a memo, sent to her by Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, where Kevin Cannard’s name is mentioned. But it says that he has “numerous patients” at the White House. And that “President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual medical checkup.”