Report Suggests a Crack in Biden's I-Won't-Quit Stance

The pressure continues to build on President Biden from Democrats worried he will hurt the party in November, but at least one report suggests the president is growing "more receptive" to the pleas. New developments:

• A shift? The New York Times has the "more receptive" angle after talking to multiple Democrats briefed on the president's conversations. "The accounts suggest that Mr. Biden, privately at least, is striking a more open-minded posture than he did last week," per the story. It's nuanced, however. A Biden associate says that "receptive" is too strong a word but that Biden is "willing to listen."

• Pelosi, too: The influential Nancy Pelosi told the president in private last week that he is likely to hurt the party, reports CNN. It is unclear, however, whether she explicitly called on him to withdraw. This comes after Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made similar cases separately to Biden. And Rep. Adam Schiff became the highest-ranking Democrat to publicly urge Biden to step aside. Politico reports Pelosi might go public soon if Biden continues to resist.
• The money: Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, a top Biden adviser, warned the president that money from big donors is drying up quickly as he remains on the ticket, reports Semafor.
• Roll call: Consider as well that the Democratic National Committee delayed a move to affirm Biden as the nominee ahead of the convention. The Hill reports that worried Senate Democrats have been pushing against early certification in public and private.
• Big picture: For Politico Playbook, it adds up to this: "The walls are closing in, and his position leading the Democratic ticket appears increasingly unsustainable." With Pelosi, Schumer, and Jeffries against him, his path looks all but impossible.

(Biden remains on the sidelines after testing positive for COVID. He has said a medical diagnosis would be one reason he would withdraw.)