DEMOCRATS RACE FOR DRUG PRICING DEAL — Democrats are zeroing in on a deal to lower prescription drug prices that the party hopes it could add to President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending bill as soon as today. The conversations involve a group of Senate Democrats, including Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, along with House leadership and rank-and-file and the White House, sources familiar with the effort told Burgess Everett, Alice Miranda Ollstein and Heather Caygle. Party leaders have redoubled their efforts after drug pricing reform was dropped from last week’s draft spending proposal, dealing a blow to many Democrats who have pledged action to lower drug costs, a broad priority for voters. Lawmakers including Rep. Frank Pallone and Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) have discussed the matter all weekend and “much progress” has been made, said one source familiar, who added there is “optimism that something can be added before House votes.” What’s in play: The latest draft effort includes a redesign of Medicare Part D, drug negotiation and rebates, said a source with direct knowledge of the effort. It’s not as expansive as the House’s landmark HR 3 drug bill, but based on the same parameters. What’s next: No deal was final as of Sunday, but there was some hope in the party of clinching one within the next 24 to 48 hours, Burgess, Alice and Heather write. But the same problems exist. Biden previously cut a limited deal with Sinema and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) that progressives have resisted, saying they would rather leave drug pricing out of the package altogether than pass what they see as a weak version that will sap motivation for future action. At the same time, Democrats could miss their one viable opportunity to pass drug pricing action — through reconciliation. MODERNA DELAYING BID FOR KIDS’ COVID SHOT — Moderna will delay seeking Food and Drug Administration authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 6-11 until the agency completes a review of the shot's myocarditis risk in teens, the company announced Sunday. The expected delay means the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine is likely to be the only option for young children in the near term, Lauren Gardner writes. FDA granted emergency use authorization to that vaccine on Friday, and the CDC is expected to sign off on guidelines for its use this week. Some international data shows a heightened risk of myocarditis in younger people who receive messenger RNA vaccines, though incidence is still rare. Moderna maintains that its vaccine is safe in teens, and that the observed rate of myocarditis reported in people under 18 in the company's global safety database "does not suggest an increased risk of myocarditis in this population." COVID FADING IN VOTERS’ MINDS — Polls say that the pandemic isn’t top of mind for voters anymore. As a result: Covid-related political advertising has fallen off sharply and strategists are advising political candidates to shift their focus. It’s evident from recent polls in the off-year New Jersey and Virginia elections, where pre-pandemic concerns like taxes, the economy and schools now rank as the top voter priorities, David Siders writes. Strategists of both parties are advising candidates to shift their focus ahead of the midterm elections in 2022. In the closing days of a bitterly contested gubernatorial race in Virginia, 23 percent of voters ranked Covid as one of their top two voting issues, according to a recent Monmouth University poll. That’s down nearly 10 percentage points from the previous month. “Everybody’s just ready to move on,” said Julie Roginsky, a former top adviser to Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Democrat who is favored to win reelection on Tuesday. “It’s been 18 months, and whether the science merits it or not, the public’s ready to move on. … They’ve reverted back to the issues they’ve always cared about, which had been put on pause for the past 18 months.” Read more: Meanwhile, most House Republicans aren’t feeling compelled to help Democrats out of their infrastructure jam, believing the stall helps their midterm prospects — particularly because other legislative priorities opposed by the GOP are languishing, Olivia Beavers writes. | 
