President Joe Biden last week slammed two Republican senators for proposing to end Social Security and Medicare as we know it. First, Biden renewed his attacks on Florida’s Rick Scott, who has called for all government programs, including Social Security and Medicare, to be reapproved every five years. The president then ripped Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson for recently proposing a vote each year to determine if Social Security and Medicare would be funded.

Ever since we launched our election model in late June, it has moved entirely in one direction: toward Democrats. Pretty much every week, they’ve either gained ground in our forecast or held steady. 

This week has been more in the “held steady” category. In the Deluxe version of our model, Democrats’ chances of keeping the Senate are 71 percent, while their chances of holding the House are 31 percent. Neither number has meaningfully changed from a week ago.

Voters are seven weeks away from casting their ballots in the midterm elections, but House Republicans already have their sights set on what they want to achieve if they manage to recapture the House.

After weeks of weathering stiff criticism from Democrats for being tight-lipped with a comprehensive legislative agenda, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy unveiled the “Commitment to America" agenda, laying out the broad strokes of what Republicans want to do.

Here is a look at some of the objectives McCarthy rolled out.

Climate activists from as far away as Alaska, Indigenous peoples and Appalachians rallied in Washington, D.C., Thursday against the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The protest — No Sacrifice Zones! — spoke out against concessions to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin included in the Inflation Reduction Act that would expedite the pipeline slated to cut through Appalachia, as Senator Bernie Sanders gave an address on the Senate floor calling it a “disastrous side deal” to the Inflation Reduction Act that undermines climate activism.

Electronic tax filing could soon be as simple as a few clicks on a government website — free of charge.

The Internal Revenue Service will spend $15 million studying a free, government-backed tax filing system under a provision in the sweeping climate and health-care law Congress passed this summer. It’s a landmark step toward overhauling the way most Americans file their taxes and ending years of domination of tax prep by private corporations.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden claimed the “Inflation Reduction Act,” signed into law on Tuesday, gives tax credits to American consumers for electric vehicles “if those vehicles were made in America.”

VERDICT: False. The Inflation Reduction Act does provide tax credits for electric vehicles made in America — but also for those made in Mexico and Canada as well.

The big climate and health care bill signed into law by President Biden has what at first sight looks like a big incentive for those shopping for a car: a revamped $7,500 tax credit if you buy a new electric vehicle, or $4,000 if you get a used one.

Although tax credits for electric cars have been offered before, the new bill revamps those incentives. But there are so many caveats — on everything from the buyers' income level to which models can qualify — that many electric cars may actually not be eligible for the tax credit.

August has been a big month for the environment. At the national level, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates over $360 billion to help fight climate change. And more locally, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a sweeping state climate and clean energy bill into law.

The Biden administration’s push toward electric vehicles is hitting speed bumps as a new poll shows thousands of EV owners are struggling to charge their cars while away from home.

Consumer research firm J.D. Power released its second annual United States Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study last week, showing that 20% of EV owners reported “operability and maintenance a key issue” at public charging stations.

As concerns soar about climate change and gas prices, report after report shows that sales and searches for electric vehicles also continue to climb. But sticker shock, along with EV limitations and confusion over everything from rebate programs to charging, has so far kept most drivers returning to gas stations.