The Highs and Lows After Biden’s One Year in the White House (1)

Joe Biden limps into his second year facing a cascade of perils, at home and overseas, as well as the prospect his party will lose control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

On the eve of the anniversary of his inauguration, the president will defend his record so far in the White House at a 4 p.m. news conference in Washington on Wednesday. On the same day his approval rating hit a new all-time low of 40.9%, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.

Biden inherited the pandemic, and in his first months accelerated the U.S. vaccination campaign while spending ...