Mid-year reality checks temper Democrats' hopes: The Note

This middle part of 2021 has felt a bit like 2020, with a torrent of news leading in multiple potential directions.

The TAKE with Rick Klein A Democrat of a certain optimistic bent could emerge from this frenetic week feeling pretty good. Fourth of July celebrations will approximate normalcy. A committee examining the events of Jan. 6 is in place -- and will be bipartisan whether or not Republican leaders want to play. The Trump Organization and one of its top executives stand indicted on criminal charges. Yet that 70% vaccination target hasn't been reached, while worries about another COVID spread grow again.