Politics Biden goes alone on guns -- for now: The Note

What are ghost guns?: Biden executive action targets 'dangerous' and 'untraceable' firearms

President Joe Biden will target "ghost guns" with executive actions on Thursday. Here's what to know about the "dangerous" and "untraceable" firearms.Among the actions Biden will announce is directing the Department of Justice to propose a rule within 30 days to stop the proliferation of "ghost guns," a sort of untraceable weapon often made from a kit that currently does not require a background check.

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It's rolling out as what President Joe Biden can get done now -- an attempt by the new administration to do what it can to address gun violence, while waiting on what Congress seemingly can't.

But for a range of reasons, this might not be the last action to come on the topic of gun safety this year. There are dynamics that suggest further steps are possible -- including some, yes, that would require congressional approval.

"This is an initial set of actions," a senior administration official said in outlining executive orders that will, among other things, attempt to regulate "ghost guns" built from kits in addition to braces used to make firearms more deadly. "It is long past time for Congress to act."

Derek Chauvin trial, COVID-19 vaccine side effects, FLOTUS agenda: 5 things to know Wednesday

The Derek Chauvin trial will continue with more expert testimony, a study on COVID-19 vaccine side effects is out and more news to start your Wednesday.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

© Alex Wong/Getty Images President Joe Biden speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris listens during an event at the South Court Auditorium at Eisenhower Executive Office Building, April 7, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

A series of mass shootings have, sadly, kept the topic in the news. Some of the actions the Biden administration is taking Thursday could serve to keep it there, with federal agencies tasked with advising communities and putting out additional data on gun violence.

© Alex Wong/Getty Images

Concepts like universal background checks and an assault-weapons ban have long had broad public support, which a still-popular Biden is promising to marshal.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association is a vastly diminished force in politics. The organization is actually on trial this week in federal bankruptcy proceedings, with top executive Wayne LaPierre accused of trying to duck a probe into the group's finances.

Biden action on guns draws praise, skepticism

President Biden on Thursday rolled out a series of executive actions aimed at addressing gun violence that earned plaudits from advocacy groups and Democrats, but skepticism remains about whether they will lead to meaningful change.Anti-gun-violence groups, lawmakers and people who have lost loved ones in mass shootings were overwhelmingly supportive of Biden's six-pronged approach to curbing gun violence, saying it was long overdue for a president to take matters into their own hands."President Biden's actions and the agenda that he outlined will tangibly affect gun violence in all of its forms.

Debates over guns have gotten close but not quite there in recent years, and Congress is hardly a model of bipartisanship these days. But across-the-aisle talks have continued, and the president and his new attorney general are now lending their voices.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and Biden's chief science officer for COVID-19 response Dr. David Kessler are slated to testify in a congressional hearing next Thursday on the progress of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the spread of coronavirus variants driving an uptick in cases across the country.

Although more than 63 million Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of COVID-19 cases has steadily increased since March 20. Fauci said Wednesday there is no precise vaccine milestone that will guarantee a return to normalcy.

In new memoir, Hunter Biden reframes some political scandals but omits others

After a year of withering attacks, Hunter Biden has emerged with a new memoir that seeks to reframe some of the scandals that nearly derailed his dad's presidential bid. In "Beautiful Things," out next week, Hunter Biden charts a life defined by tragedy, addiction and scandal -- all in the shadow of a doting and concerned father, Joe Biden, whose ascent to the White House came during some of his son's darkest moments.

© Erin Clark/Pool via Getty Images CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky speaks to the press after visiting the Hynes Convention Center FEMA mass vaccination site, March 30, 2021 in Boston.

"I don't know what that number is. I can't say it's going to be this percent, but we'll know it when we see it," said Fauci during a White House coronavirus briefing. "It'll be obvious as the numbers come down rather dramatically."

States and localities aren't waiting for a dramatic drop in cases to return to a post-pandemic sort of normal. Several states, including Arkansas, Iowa and Mississippi, have lifted mask mandates in clear defiance of CDC guidance. States like Texas and Arizona have ended capacity restrictions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing recall efforts at least in part because of strict COVID-19 precautions, now has plans to "fully open" the nation's most populated state by June 15, though the criteria for reopening is unclear.

Case surges driven by coronavirus variants remain a persistent threat. The challenge for the nation's health experts is to get restriction-weary Americans to listen.

Why Biden is making more progress on economic than social issues

The magnitude of the economic proposals that President Joe Biden may pass through Congress this year is drawing legitimate comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society.But Biden simultaneously faces the prospect that almost all of his legislative initiatives revolving around social, cultural and racial equity issues, from immigration to gun control and LGBTQ rights, could die in the Senate.

The TIP with Meg Cunningham

As Georgia faces marketplace backlash over its new, restrictive voting law, Democrats and Republicans in Kentucky are celebrating Gov. Andy Beshear signing the state's bipartisan election reform bill into law.

Republicans across the country have turned to state legislatures in attempts to restrict access to the ballot box following record-breaking turnout in the 2020 election. But partisan politics didn't play this time around in the home state of Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, which expanded voter access due to the coronavirus ahead of November.

© Timothy D. Easley/AP Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to reporters following the signing of bills related to the American Rescue Plan Act at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., April 7, 2021.

Some of those temporary changes will stick around, thanks to the new law, including three days of early voting, vote centers, an online portal for eligible voters to request and track their absentee ballots and drop-box requirements for every county. Kentucky's Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams praised the bipartisan win in the bill's signing ceremony on Wednesday-- which makes the state the only one, so far, with a Republican-controlled legislature to expand voter access, according to the New York Times.

Hunter Biden admits laptop 'certainly’ ‘could be’ his

Hunter Biden admitted the laptop whose hard drive contents were obtained by the media in late 2020 “certainly could be” his after all, with President Joe Biden’s son suggesting the laptop could have been stolen or hacked and hinting without evidence that Russian intelligence might be behind it. © Patrick Semansky/AP President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter Biden, left, Hunter Biden's wife Melissa Cohen and son Beau, before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, March 26, 2021. The Bidens are spending the weekend at their home in Delaware.

"I'm very grateful to Gov. Beshear for signing this bill, which makes our elections both more accessible and more secure. At the same time, while other states are caught up in partisan division, here in Kentucky, we're leading the nation in making it both easier to vote and harder and cheat," Adams said Wednesday.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Thursday morning's episode features ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers, who outlines the executive actions President Joe Biden plans to take on guns. ABC News Senior National correspondent Matt Gutman tells us what we now know about Tiger Woods' Los Angeles car crash. And ABC News Senior Editorial producer John Santucci brings us the latest on embattled Congressman Matt Gaetz. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. Amid the GOP-led culture wars, Republicans have "veered" from their principle of limited government, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a staunch, longtime conservative, told ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl. He added that the GOP doesn't need to "engage in every cultural battle." https://bit.ly/3oMKdUP

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the president’s daily brief at 10:45 a.m. They join Attorney General Merrick Garland to deliver remarks on gun violence prevention in the Rose Garden at 11:45 a.m. Biden and Harris have lunch at 1 p.m. They receive a briefing from members of their COVID-19 Response Team on the pandemic and the state of vaccinations at 4:15 p.m.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm hold a press briefing at 12:30 p.m.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., will lead a congressional delegation of eight members to the southern border. The trip will include meetings with local law enforcement, border patrol leadership and a visit to the Eagle Pass DHS detention facility.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas travels to El Paso and McAllen, Texas. In El Paso, he meets with stakeholders and nongovernmental organizations working along the border, as well as sheriffs and local law enforcement partners. In McAllen, he meets with frontline Department of Homeland Security employees.

ABC News Live presents the primetime streaming news special "Hope & Desperation: Emergency at the Border" at 8 p.m. Anchored by ABC News Correspondent John Quiñones from Dallas, the special will feature the first U.S. interview with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and reporting from ABC News anchors and correspondents Juju Chang, Cecilia Vega, Martha Raddatz, Marcus Moore, Matt Gutman and Terry Moran who, for the past month, have covered all aspects of this border story.

Download the ABC News app and select "The Note" as an item of interest to receive the day's sharpest political analysis.

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.