The Hill's Morning Report - Biden-Putin meeting to dominate the week | TheHill

As of today, 52.4 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 43.4 percent is fully vaccinated, according to the Bloomberg News global vaccine tracker.President Biden’s summit with Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinBiden prepares to confront Putin Ukrainian president thanks G-7 nations for statement of support Biden aims to bolster troubled Turkey ties in first Erdoğan meeting MORE on Wednesday is expected to replay a consistently adversarial relationship between the two men, both veterans of the rise of nuclear superpowers and decades of shifting politics inside their respective governments. Bush’s that he got a “sense of [Putin’s] soul.” This year, Biden affirmed during an interview that he views Putin as a “killer.”  Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenTop nuclear watchdog: Lack of Iran deal leaves agency 'flying blind' Biden aims to bolster troubled Turkey ties in first Erdoğan meeting Biden meets with foreign leaders as ambassadorships sit vacant MORE says the United States seeks a “more stable and predictable” relationship with Russia, arguing that Biden wanted to meet with Putin to be candid face to face while calling for an end to Russia’s malign conduct, including hostilities with Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, and the cyber thefts and ransomware attacks aimed at the United States. Biden on Sunday said he agrees with Putin that relations between the U.S. and Russia are “at a low point.” He defended his decision to skip a joint press conference with the Russian president at the end of their summit in Geneva, arguing he and his counterpart can separately describe their conversation and make their views known (CNN and The Hill). LEADING THE DAYMORE ADMINISTRATION: The Justice Department during the Trump years not only secretly sought the email and phone logs of U.S. journalists and at least two Democratic lawmakers who were investigating Trump but also subpoenaed from Apple in 2018 information about Trump’s first White House counsel, Don McGahn, and barred Apple from disclosing that fact to McGahn, the West Wing attorney who represented the presidency, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The New York Times: McGahn was a source for The Washington Post in 2018 while explaining a nuance of a 2017 encounter with Trump, also disclosed by The New York Times and denied by the president, in which Trump sought McGahn’s help to oust former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE. The drip, drip, drip of disclosures about the Trump administration’s efforts to obtain information in secret about a wide range of targets has sparked a new internal inspector general investigation at the Biden-led Justice Department, prompted an emergency meeting with Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandMedia leaders to meet with Garland to discuss leak investigations Garland sparks anger with willingness to side with Trump Garland vows fight against voting limits that violate law MORE and news media executives today, and inspired demands in Congress for sworn testimony from former attorneys general. Former Attorney General William BarrBill BarrMedia leaders to meet with Garland to discuss leak investigations Trump DOJ subpoenaed Apple for records of White House lawyer: report Pelosi: Trump DOJ seizure of House Democrats' data ' goes even beyond Richard Nixon' MORE told Politico during an interview on Friday that while he was attorney general, he was “not aware of any congressman’s records being sought in a leak case.” He added that Trump never encouraged him to zero in on the Democratic lawmakers. Former Deputy Attorney General Rod RosensteinRod RosensteinMedia leaders to meet with Garland to discuss leak investigations Pelosi: Trump DOJ seizure of House Democrats' data ' goes even beyond Richard Nixon' Ex-DOJ official Rosenstein says he was not aware of subpoena targeting Democrats: report MORE has said something similar about being unaware of the moves (CNN). “If you’re a wealthy cheat in a partnership, your odds of getting audited are slightly higher than your odds of getting hit by a meteorite,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenNew Alzheimer's drug sparks backlash over FDA, pricing The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Bipartisan group reaches infrastructure deal; many questions remain Senate panel advances nominations for key Treasury positions MORE (D-Ore.) said during a hearing last week. > Lobbying & ethics: White House counselor Steve RicchettiSteve RicchettiThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Bipartisan group reaches infrastructure deal; many questions remain Al Gore lobbied Biden to not scale back climate plans in infrastructure deal Ricchetti, brother of Biden counselor, lobbied the White House on health care issues in first quarter MORE and his brother, Jeff Ricchetti, a Washington lobbyist for various corporate interests, serve as an early test of how far Biden will go to make good on his promise to untangle the murky ethics practices often associated with the Trump administration. “Yes the Republicans are obstructionists, but I think so much of Biden’s legacy in the White House is tied to whether or not he can strike these kinds of deals,” one Democratic strategist told The Hill. The British Embassy in Washington plans to distribute reports to every member of Congress detailing how the U.S.-U.K. trade relationship impacts their constituents amid an effort to secure a new trade accord (The Hill).IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKESCORONAVIRUS: G-7 leaders on Sunday called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and pledged to deliver and distribute 1 billion vaccine doses to countries in need to conclude the weekend of meetings. The Hill: Biden: Vaccination efforts will be “constant project for a long time.” The Hill: Blinken calls on China to be transparent, share information for probe into COVID-19 origins. The Washington Post: “I didn’t take an oath to defend Donald Trump”: Rep. Tom RiceHugh (Tom) Thompson RiceProgressives nearly tank House Democrats' Capitol security bill The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Senate path uncertain after House approves Jan. 6 panel Tom Rice gains new primary challenger over impeachment vote MORE (R-S.C.) tests whether Republican voters will support a conservative who crossed Trump.The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. Garland will meet today with top executives from The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN after disclosures that the Justice Department secretly sought journalists’ email logs and phone records without their knowledge, beginning during the Trump administration and continuing under Biden.