Just as President Biden got done telling reporters he's not going anywhere, another Democratic congressman publicly pleaded with him to quit the race.

Why it matters: Biden will only reconsider his decision to stay in the race if his staff shows him evidence that he can't win, he said tonight.

• That's even if there's data showing Vice President Kamala Harris faring better in polls against former President Trump, Biden said.
• The president said he made a "stupid mistake" in the debate that followed a busy schedule, and claimed he'll do better at pacing himself.
• He added there's "no indication" yet that he's slowing down or can't get the job done.

The big picture: Biden acknowledged the pressure to move past the debate, saying "it's important I allay fears by letting them see me out there."

• The president will attend a rally tomorrow in Detroit, then face NBC News anchor Lester Holt in an interview on Monday.

Between the lines: In some moments tonight, Biden flexed his foreign policy passion and know-how on Israel, China and Russia.

• But before the press conference, he mistakenly called the president of a U.S. ally by the name of the strongman who invaded their country — and toward the start of his appearance in front of reporters, he flubbed the name of his own vice president by referring to Harris as "Vice President Trump."

What's next: Democrats told Axios ahead of the press conference that they expected a "deluge" of defections, Axios' Andrew Solender reported earlier today.

• A statement from Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) hit inboxes almost as soon as the press conference was over, saying it was time for Biden to step aside.

A chorus of damaging new leaks about President Biden suggest that parts of his inner circle have been compromised by the same deep-seated anxieties roiling the Democratic Party.

Why it matters: The intense leaks are typically the product of a demoralized staff.

Driving the news: A small group of longtime Biden aides and advisers have in recent days discussed how to convince the president that he must drop out of the race, the New York Times reported, citing three people briefed on the matter.

• Spokespeople for the White House and the Biden campaign vehemently denied the reporting.
• Separately, NBC News reported that some of Biden's closest allies, including three people directly involved in his re-election effort, now believe he has no chance of winning.
• The Biden campaign is quietly conducting a survey this week assessing Harris' polling strength against former President Trump, the N.Y. Times also reported today.

The other side: Biden's campaign conceded in an internal memo today that the polling "movement" since the debate is "real" but argued it does not represent "a sea-change in the state of the race."

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A pair of ill-timed floor fumbles has House Republicans frustrated over what they see as unforced errors when Democrats are suffering a terrible news cycle.

Why it matters: Back-to-back failed floor votes today complicated Speaker Mike Johnson's effort to paint the picture of a unified GOP conference.

• The two losses: A resolution fining Attorney General Merrick Garland for flouting a congressional subpoena, pushed by Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), and a spending bill to fund Congress' own operations both went down amid GOP absences.

The bottom line: "Why does the timing now have to happen before the convention and while the Democrats are lighting themselves on fire in the public square?" Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) told Axios.

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Florida swing voters are open to Harris as the Democratic nominee, even though they had some doubts about her, according to our latest focus group with Engagious/Sago.

Why it matters: Some of the voters' willingness to accept Harris as the nominee underscores the degree to which they have concerns about President Biden. 

• While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
• The Florida focus group of 13 voters — who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 — included five Democrats, three Republicans and five independents.

Driving the news: Nine participants said they would vote for Harris if she became the Democratic presidential nominee in a six-way race with Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, Jill Stein and Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver.

• Six said they would vote for Biden if he were the Democratic nominee in a six-way race.

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