Aug. 18, 2021: Biden’s approval rating drops below 50

President Joe Biden's average approval rating is below 50% for the first time this year. 538: 49.8% … RCP: 49.4%

The dip has been driven by a slow erosion among independents that seems tied to the Delta surge and predates the problems in Afghanistan.

It also may be inevitable. FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley: “We don’t know the range in which Biden’s approval will ultimately settle, but if the past two presidents are any indication, it’ll be a narrow one: Donald Trump’s approval mostly hovered between 40 and 45 percent during his presidency, while Barack Obama’s approval tended to fall between 45 and 50 percent.”

And, in the coming days we’re going to be picking out the most consequential proposals in the infrastructure plan and digging into the politics of these policies. But first we want to hear from you. What policies do you most want to see unpacked? What are the political crosscurrents that you’re witnessing from your perch at, say, a House committee, Cabinet agency or outside interest group? What policies are the most vulnerable and unlikely to survive the sausage-making process? What are the hidden land mines in Build Back Better?

Send us your scoops, insights, requests and tips at playbook@politico.com. We’ll keep it all confidential, and it will help us cover this unprecedented period of legislating in Washington.

Raghu Manavalan is the host of POLITICO's Playbook.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. 
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.