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Correction: This article has been updated to correct which states Joe Biden won in 2020 that Donald Trump won in 2016.

WASHINGTONShortly after meeting at the White House on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., sent an aggressive fundraising text signaling a renewed effort to target his host, the president.

"I just met with Corrupt Joe Biden and hes STILL planning to push his radical Socialist agenda onto the American people," the text said.

McCarthy and other Republicans said intraparty squabbles, including the drama surrounding Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.,distracted them from presenting a unified front against Biden and his big spending plans.

Now that Cheney's been expelled from Republican congressional leadership, the GOP and its allies are renewing attacks on Biden on issues such as immigration, taxing the wealthy, foreign policyand the ability of a 78-year-old man to handle the political world's toughest jobs.

A number of factors, analysts said, have foiled those Republican attempts and could keep Republicans from landing a lasting punch.

Biden hosts 'big four' Congressional leaders at WH

President Joe Biden hosts the first formal gathering of the "big four" congressional leaders on Wednesday. Biden's sit-down Oval Office meeting comes as the White House accelerates its efforts to reach a bipartisan infrastructure agreement. (May 12)

AP

After more than three months in office, Biden enjoys approval ratings of more than 50%, and polling showssupport for his ambitious spending plans that include $1.9 trillion approved for COVID-19 relief and $2.3 trillion proposed for jobs and infrastructure.

'I don't understand the Republicans': Joe Biden says GOP in middle of 'mini-revolution' amid Cheney dustup

'Stop the Spending Spree': Fiscal conservatives mobilize to block Biden's jobs and families plans

The Republicans' success or failure in tarnishing Biden and his team could determine whether they win back Congress in 2022 and the White House in 2024. History is on their side: Midterm electionsfrequently see control of Congress change hands.

Ex-President Donald Trump, deprived of Twitter and other social mediabut still viewed by many as the most powerful Republican voice in the country, increased his outputof written statements, many of them attacking his successor over a variety of issues.

Stepped-up Republican attacks may not resonate, analysts said,especially if more people get back to work, inflation is checked, and the economy rebounds after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, said most Americans "approve of the job President Biden is doing and believe that the country is on the right track."

"It is difficult for the Republicans to raise a ruckus and rile the public," she said, "when most are either satisfied or feeling optimistic about the future.

Republicans have had little success demonizing Biden with independent voters because so many people feel they know him, analysts said.

The president has been a fixture in American politics for more than a half-century. A senator from Delaware for more than three decades, Biden participated in many high-profile hearings and congressional debates. He served eight years as vice president to President Barack Obama.

After winning the Democratic nomination for president last year, Bidenracked up more than 80 million votes to unseat Trump despite Trump and his Republican allies lobbing constant allegations of malfeasance against Biden and his sonHunter, as well as attacks on Biden's fitness to hold office.

Some of those attacks have continued into the Biden presidencybutto little avail.

An average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics gives Biden an average job approval rating of 54.2%.

The underlying data in those polls shows a common theme: Republicans tend not to like Biden, and Democrats support him strongly, including those who backed more liberal candidates such as Bernie Sanders in last year's primaries.

Americans have a generally positive view of the president who casts himself as the product of a working-class environment in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a practical politician willing to work with Republicans on legislation to help Americans.

"There's nothing new (Republicans) can say that's going to change anybody's mind," saidPatrickMurray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., head opposition to President Joe Biden's big spending plans.Evan Vucci, AP

Many Republicans expect Americans will become dissatisfied with record levels of government spending and debt, an increasingly crowded U.S.-Mexican borderand new rules and regulations promulgated by the Democratic Congress and the Biden administration.

Pledging to work with the Biden administration on an infrastructure bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is "hopeful" that "we may be able to do some things on a bipartisan basis but they got off to a pretty hard left-wing start."

"We don't intend to participate in turning America into a left-wing,kind of Bernie Sanders vision of what this country ought to be like," McConnell told Fox News after the meeting between Biden and congressional leaders.

Conservative groups are stepping up campaigns against Biden and his spending proposals.

The organization Americans For Prosperity is preparing ads for competitive House elections in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia. Biden wrested those states from Trump in the 2020 election, providing him his margin of victory in the Electoral College.

Some Republican criticism plays off Biden's age and his occasionally mangled syntax, but that strategy has met limited success. Some of the attacks mirror the ones Trump made in 2020 against "Sleepy Joe."

"Trump never found a salient way to brand Biden, and Republicans continue to struggle after the election," Republican strategist Alex Conant said.

"Conservatives main angle of criticism is Bidens age," he said, "but nobody is afraid of their grandfather."

Republicans said they were distracted in making the case against Biden by a lack of cohesion, including internal disagreements over what to do about Trump.

Some blamed Cheney, the now-former House Republican Conference chair who argued that the party should move past Trump and stop echoing his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him. She said those claims triggered the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, an incident Democrats would surely use against Republicans when elections roll around.

'Just the Trump party':Liz Cheney's demotion proves Trump still rules Republican politics, experts say

'I will not sit back': In fiery speech, Rep. Liz Cheney calls Trump a 'threat'

House Republicans voted Wednesday to demote Cheney from her role as third-ranking Republican. She responded that the GOP would struggle against Biden and his agenda if it continues to embrace Trump and his conspiracy theories.

"To be as effective as we can be to fight against those things, our party has to be based on truth," Cheney told NBC News.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who supported demoting Cheney, said voters are disenchanted with Biden and the Democrats. Scalise told Fox News he sees "a lot of really serious concern about the direction that the socialist Democrats are taking us," and "Biden has embraced that far-left Bernie Sandersagenda."

"People don't want this to become a socialist nation, yet you see how far theyre moving," Scalise said.

Republicans had success taking control of Congress in the elections of 1994 and 2010, the first midterms for Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and BarackObama.

Both of those presidents were more polarizing than Biden, analysts said, and Republicans made great use of hot-button issues, such asDemocratic health care proposals.

The success of attacks on Biden may depend on overarching factors, particularly the state of the economy, analysts said. A massive event could also shake politics, as 9/11 did in the run-up to the 2002 elections.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Republicans is they lack the megaphone of the White House to promote themselves and denigratetheir opponents.

"It's always difficult to generate a unifying message when you're the party out of power," GOP pollster Whit Ayres said.

Published9:30 am UTC May. 15, 2021Updated9:01 pm UTC May. 18, 2021

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Joe Biden proves an elusive target for Republicans. After Cheney fight, their focus is back on the president - USA TODAY

There is an awful lot going on in the State Capitol in these waning days of the elongated 2021 session yes kids, we are just over three weeks away from a legislative hard stop and much of it is horrifying to one degree or another, depending on your particular ox and how much of a priority has been made of goring it. Meanwhile, there is also an awful lot going on beyond our shores, and the new administrations reactions to those could ultimately prove at least as consequential, and probably more so, as what transpires under the local dome.

The middle east is as good a place to start as anywhere, given that it cannot quite give up its hold over dominating the center of the world stage.

The primary concern, on the foreign policy front, of a Biden administration was that it adumbrated a return to the chronically feckless foreign policy meandering of the Obama administration. That fear is on the verge of being realized in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. First, while it is unreasonable to suggest that Biden and his policies were in any way directly responsible for Hamas and Islamic Jihads attack of Israel, the concurrent circumstances cannot be ignored. The Iranian government is nothing if not opportunistic well, brutal too and is fully cognizant of how eager Biden is to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Tehran sees the change in administrations as a chance to fray the Abraham Accords struck last year between Israel and several Arab states, gauge the commitment of the United States to Israeli security, and maximize their bargaining position when America comes running back to the table.

So far, the Biden administration hasnt exactly shown the steadfastness of Rolands defense of Roncevaux, but hasnt caved to demands from the left to pressure Israel into an unwise cease-fire either. Those mistakes have come from Congress, where the fringier types have denounced Israel as an undemocratic, apartheid state, betraying a profound confusion over the meaning of both of those words Israel is among the only functioning democracies in the region, one in which Arab-Israelis can and do fully participate; while Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian State, is 15 years into a four-year term and are, among other things, demanding an end to arms sales to Israel and blocking sanctions against foreign supporters of Hamas. So the question is how long the Biden administration can hold off the pressure from the left to condemn Israel for defending herself? If I were living under the Iron Dome in Tel Aviv, I would not place an exorbitant amount of hope in the fortitude of Joe Biden.

Turning north, we see this week a hint of how the Biden administration will interact with Putins Russia. One of the bewildering ironies of the Trump years was the overnight flip-flop by both parties concerning Russia before 2016, the Democrats were the party of Russian (decades earlier, Soviet) appeasement, the Republicans Cold War-nostalgic hardliners. After attempts by Russia to interfere with the 2016 election (which, incidentally, they had been doing since at least 1917), the narrative mysteriously flipped, and Biden tried sounding absolutely Nixonian in his jingoistic denunciations of Putin and Russia.

At least before the election. Now he is again looking as though he is prepared to pick up right where Obama left off. His decision to not levy sanctions against the company running the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will pour Russian natural gas into Europe, is riddled with ironies, not the least of which is that it demonstrates a greater commitment by this administration to a pipeline that would benefit Russia, than to one the Keystone XL that would benefit the U.S. But it also demonstrates a disconcerting weakness and a misunderstanding of the weight of geopolitics.

All of this is compounded by Bidens earlier decision to suspend already weak intellectual property protections for U.S. vaccine makers, which sets a terrifying precedent would the same administration be as willing to share details of, say, the Joint Strike Fighter, in the name of an international security emergency?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, the Chinese Communist Party has all but solidified its takeover of Hong Kong, this week seizing the equity assets of an owner in a publicly traded company under the aegis of the new national security law. One can safely assume that the Chinese rulers are closely watching how the new American administration responds to Iran and Russia as their gaze turns over the South China Sea towards Taiwan.

Kelly Sloan is a political and public affairs consultant and a recovering journalist based in Denver.

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SLOAN | Will Biden abroad be Obama in redux? - coloradopolitics.com

As recently as May 2019, just two years ago, Texas Republicans and their allies were not at all eager to approve a sweeping abortion ban. It wasn't because they preferred moderation on reproductive rights, but rather, because they didn't think it would work out well -- legally or politically.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said at the time that he considered Texas "clearly the most pro-life state in the country," but added that major abortion restrictions simply weren't "the highest priority" for GOP officials. Patrick concluded that other states could take the lead.

A lot can change in two years.

Texas became the largest state Wednesday with a law that bans abortions before many women even know they are pregnant, but with a unique provision that essentially leaves enforcement to private citizens through lawsuits against doctors or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion.

As abortion bans go, this one's a doozy. Texas has approved a so-called "heartbeat" bill, which bans abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. As the Associated Press' report noted, there are real, practical problems with such a timeline: many Texas women, at least those who can't afford to travel to Democratic-led states to terminate unwanted pregnancies, will be required to seek abortions before they know they're pregnant.

But while other Republican-led states have approved related measures, the new abortion ban in the Lone Star State goes a little further.

The Texas Tribune reported, "Instead of having the government enforce the law, the bill turns the reins over to private citizens who are newly empowered to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps someone get an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected. The person would not have to be connected to someone who had an abortion or to a provider to sue."

In other words, if a Texan learns that a neighbor had an abortion seven weeks after getting pregnant, he could file suit against the physician who performed the procedure. And the nurse who was in the room. And the friend who drove the neighbor to the health clinic.

Whether that litigious Texan has anything to do with the neighbor or her family is, under the state's new law, irrelevant. The AP report added, "Critics say that provision would allow abortion opponents to flood the courts with lawsuits to harass doctors, patients, nurses, domestic violence counselors, a friend who drove a woman to a clinic, or even a parent who paid for a procedure."

Critics say that, of course, because it's true.

MSNBC's Laura Bassett noted an ironic twist: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the abortion ban just one day after the Republican governor signed a measure banning local government entities, including public schools, from enforcing COVID-19 mask mandates.

After signing the executive order, Abbott wrote on twitter, "Texans, not [government], should decide their best health practices."

So much for that idea.

Ordinarily, the state's new abortion ban would face immediate trouble in the courts, but let's not forget that the U.S. Supreme Court announced this week that it will hear a Mississippi case that threatens to undo Roe v. Wade protections, and perhaps even allow the kind of abortion ban signed into law in Texas yesterday. Watch this space.

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Why Texas Republicans' new abortion ban is different than most - MSNBC

Some of the 175 Republicans who voted against establishing an independent commission to investigate the Capitol riot supported a commission in January.

In the days after the Jan. 6 attack, 30 Republicans co-sponsored a commission bill introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.). This week, even more Republicans endorsed the idea Davis was one of the 35 Republicans who broke with party leaders and voted in favor of a commission on Wednesday.

After all, it is common for Congress to establish an advisory commission in the wake of a disaster or to help with some complicated policy problem. Congress has established dozens and dozens of commissions in recent decades.

But 16 of the Republicans who co-sponsored the Davis bill in January voted against the newer bill to establish a commission, which was written by House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and the committees top Republican, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.).

One of them, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), had such a strong change of heart that he urged his colleagues to vote against the commission bill Wednesday during a Republican Study Committee meeting before the vote. Banks refused to speak to HuffPost about the commission.

The Davis bill from January envisioned a similar commission to the one in the Thompson-Katko bill, with five expert members appointed by each party, the same power to issue subpoenas, and a final report with recommendations for corrective measures. Both bills are modeled on the legislation that established the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks commission.

Tom Williams via Getty ImagesRep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) co-sponsored a Republican bill to establish a Jan. 6 commission soon after the Capitol attack, but voted against the bipartisan bill passed by the House this week.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who co-sponsored the Davis bill but voted against the Thompson-Katko bill, insisted the two measures are very different.

Its a whole different situation, Norman told HuffPost. Their intent is just to keep the spotlight on Trump, and thats not right.

The biggest difference about the situation is that when Republicans introduced their commission bill in January, House Democrats had just introduced an impeachment resolution against Donald Trump. At the time, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested a fact-finding commission and a censure resolution as an impeachment alternative.

But Norman said its more than just a different situation today: Its two different bills, two different commissions, two different setups.

There are some small differences between the bills. The one Norman supported would give the commission 18 months to write its report, while the one that passed the House sets a Dec. 31, 2021, deadline. But the shorter deadline is probably advantageous for Republicans, since it means a big commission report wouldnt drop right before the midterm elections next year.

The House-passed bill disallows current officeholders from serving on the panel, but, in a break from the 9/11 commission model, the Republican bill would allow the appointment of two members of Congress, giving Republicans an opportunity for sabotage.

Before Thompson and Katko announced their agreement last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had her own proposal for a commission, one with more Democratic than Republican appointees and unilateral subpoena powers.

But even after she conceded to an even party split, Republican leaders complained that the commission wouldnt also look at Black Lives Matter protests that had no relevance to the Capitol attack.

And this week Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) griped that a commission would duplicate ongoing congressional and criminal investigations, even though the same was true of the 9/11 commission. The House bill faces uncertain odds in the Senate.

Normans complaint that a commission would keep the spotlight on Trump points to the real reason most Republicans oppose a special investigation. The events of Jan. 6 reflect poorly on the Republican Party because its leader, Donald Trump, incited the attack on the Capitol with his lies about the election, and most Republicans joined him in telling those lies.

The 16 Republicans who signed on to the Davis bill but voted against the Thompson-Katko bill are: Banks, Norman, James Comer (Ky.), Ashley Hinson (Iowa), Ted Budd (N.C.), Michael McCaul (Texas), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Michelle Steel (Calif.), August Pfluger (Texas), Kat Cammack (Fla.), Jake LaTurner (Kan.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Diana Harshbarger (Tenn.), Beth Van Duyne (Texas), Clay Higgins (La.) and Jackie Walorski (Ind.).

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Some Republicans Opposed To Capitol Riot Commission Supported One In January - HuffPost

In December, Donald Trump signed the coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law. This meantthat US intelligence services, from the FBI to the CIA, would later be forced to tell Congress everything they know aboutUnidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

Ok, those two sentences don't necessarily follow on from each other if you're unfamiliar with US politics, but stay with us. Within the spending bill wastheIntelligence Authorization Act for 2021, and hidden in the depths of that was a clause that calls for intelligence chiefs to submit a report "to the congressional intelligence and armed services committees on unidentified aerial phenomena(also known as "anomalous aerial vehicles''), includingobserved airborne objects that have not been identified", within 180 days.

They will also be required to identify "potential aerospace or otherthreats posed by the unidentified aerial phenomena tonational security, and an assessment of whether thisunidentified aerial phenomena activity may be attributed to one or more foreign adversaries," which all sounds quite spicy.

In the run up to the release, expected in just a few short weeks, the US has been going through UFO fever. As well as new leaked footage from the US Navy showing a strange blob moving in an unusual pattern, several high-ranking US officials have been a lot more chatty than usual about objects going whoosh in the sky, including President Obama.

In an interview with theLate Late Show,the former president was asked by band leaderReggie Watts if he had any theories about UFOs or unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAPs).

When it comes to aliens, there are some things I just cant tell you on air, he replied. The truth is that when I came into office, I asked. I was like, Is there a lab somewhere where were keeping the alien specimens and space ships?'

They did a little bit of research and the answer was no."

But what is true, and Im actually being serious here... there's footage and records of objects in the skies that we dont know exactly what they are,we cant explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern.

I think people still take seriouslytrying to investigate and figure out what [UFOs are], but I have nothing to report to you today.

Elsewhere, military intelligence officerLuis Elizondo, who spent time working at the Pentagon'sAdvanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, teased what they had found which will soon be released to congress.

"Imagine a technology that can do 6-to-700 g-forces, that can fly at 13,000 miles an hour, that can evade radar and that can fly through air and water and possibly space," he told CBS, in an interview where he said, for most cases, there are simple explanations.

"And oh, by the way, has no obvious signs of propulsion, no wings, no control surfaces and yet still can defy the natural effects of Earth's gravity. That's precisely what we're seeing."

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Obama: 'There's Footage And Records Of Objects In The Skies That We Don't Know Exactly What They Are' - IFLScience