Biden says nation weary from COVID but rising with him in WH

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledges that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans in his first year in office. Yet Biden is defending his administration’s efforts on the pandemic and noting the economy is actually surging despite concerns about inflation. He says he may well have to settle for “big chunks” of his stalled economic agenda being passed into law before the 2022 midterm elections. And he says voters will back Democrats in those elections — and support his efforts in the White House — so long as they are well informed. At a news conference marking his first year in office, Biden insisted he has “outperformed” expectations in dealing with the crises he’s faced.