Biden all but concedes defeat on voting, election bills

By BRIAN SLODYSKO, LISA MASCARO and ALEXANDRA JAFFE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is all but conceding defeat for this year on the Democrats’ big elections and voting rights legislation. He says he’s not giving up, but he’s now talking more about future efforts. Biden spoke at the Capitol Thursday after a key fellow Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, dramatically announced her refusal to go along with changing Senate rules to muscle past a Republican filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is still hoping to use Senate procedural rules to bypass the blockade and force a floor debate. But the Democrats still lack the support within their own party to overhaul the rules and pass the bill with a simple majority.