Progressive backlash on refugee cap puts Biden on notice

Joe Biden's swift reversals on raising the nation's refugee cap over the past 48 hours marked a rare moment of uncertainty for the new President within a carefully choreographed first 100 days -- one that underscored the power of progressives to force Biden to change course, even as they face legislative setbacks in a deeply divided Washington.

Biden sought to calm the uprising within his party during brief remarks to reporters Saturday after playing golf in Delaware. The firestorm followed Friday's news that Biden would sign an emergency determination keeping the current cap on refugees entering the United States at 15,000 this fiscal year, a level set by the Trump administration that is far below historical norms and the 62,500 the Biden administration had proposed earlier this year. His Saturday remarks followed various clean-up efforts from the administration on Friday, including a late conference call with refugee resettlement advocates, where White House officials signaled the President was likely to raise the cap well ahead of the May 15 deadline they'd set hours earlier, according a person familiar with the matter.