memeorandum: Sen. Joe Manchin Says He Won't Vote for ‘Build Back Better’ Bill in Blow to Biden (Michael C. Bender/Wall Street Journal)

12:25 PM ET, December 19, 2021

Top Items:

Statement from Press Secretary Jen Psaki — Senator Manchin's comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington …

Discussion: National Review

Politico:

Manchin crushes Biden's megabill — Joe Manchin declared Sunday that he could not support President Joe Biden's sweeping social and climate spending bill, striking a decisive blow to Democrats' agenda. — The West Virginia Democrat bluntly said he is a “no” on the $1.7 trillion in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

Discussion: New York Magazine, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, The Hill, Washington Examiner, ABC News, National Review, The Western Journal, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times and NewsNation Now

Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Joe Manchin Says He Won't Vote for ‘Build Back Better’ Bill in Blow to Biden — The decision could doom President Biden's top domestic-policy priority — WASHINGTON—Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.V.) said he won't support his party's “Build Back Better” plan, a decision that could doom President Biden's top domestic-policy priority.

Discussion: The Hill, Twitchy and Forbes

Peter Wade / Rolling Stone:

Joe Manchin Just Tore Out the Heart of Biden's Agenda — Sen. Joe Manchin delivered a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden's legislative agenda. The conservative Democrat from West Virginia said he can no longer support the Build Back Better social spending plan …

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, CNBC, National Review, Breitbart, RedState, UPI, Lurker’s Newsletter, The Guardian and One America News Network

New York Times:

Joe Manchin Says He Can't Support Build Back Better Act — “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” Mr. Manchin said on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ citing concerns about adding to the national debt. — WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia …

Discussion: NBC News, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, CBS News, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, Deadline, Reuters, Washington Times, Raw Story, ABC13, The Moderate Voice and Althouse

Mike Allen / Axios:

Manchin tanks Biden's $1.75 trillion BBB plan — Joe Manchin will not support the president's Build Back Better legislation, he told Fox News on Sunday, all but guaranteeing the end of the $1.75 trillion spending package that is the center piece of the Biden agenda.

Discussion: Roll Call and TheBlaze

Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Manchin says he ‘cannot vote’ for Democrats' $2 trillion spending package

Discussion: NPR, BuzzFeed News, Fox News, The Hill, Insider, New York Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money and POLITICUSUSA

Tamar Hallerman / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Johnny Isakson, 76, Georgia politician respected by both sides, dies — Johnny Isakson spent his life cutting deals. — From his successful career in real estate to when Georgia's Republican Party was mostly confined to a small knot in Cobb County to Congress, Isakson learned early on what it took to get two sides to an agreement.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Bloomberg, New York Times and The Guardian

Adam Bernstein / Washington Post:
Johnny Isakson, courtly GOP Georgia senator with bipartisan approach, dies at 76

Discussion: Associated Press

The Seattle Times:

Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen dies after battle with COVID — OLYMPIA — State Sen. Doug Ericksen, a stalwart conservative voice in the Legislature, former leader of Donald Trump's campaign in Washington and an outspoken critic of COVID-19 emergency orders, has died, his family said Saturday.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Outside the Beltway and Political Wire

Associated Press:

Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen dies at 52 after Covid-19 battle — SEATTLE — Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen, a staunch conservative, has died at age 52. — Ericksen's death Friday came weeks after he said he had tested positive for the coronavirus while in El Salvador …

Discussion: Breitbart and Insider

Kay Jones / CNN: State senator dies a month after telling a local radio station he was sick with Covid-19 while in El Salvador

Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:

Most of the World's Vaccines Likely Won't Prevent Infection From Omicron — They do seem to offer significant protection against severe illness, but the consequences of rapidly spreading infection worry many public health experts. — A growing body of preliminary research suggests …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and New York Magazine

Mike Allen / Axios:

GOP maps Biden probes, prelude to 2024 culture war — House Republicans have begun mapping aggressive probes of the Biden administration if they win back the majority — including inquiries into the origins of COVID, a leak of IRS data about billionaires, and accusations the NSA spied on Tucker Carlson.

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

CNN Closes Offices as Covid-19 Cases Rise — President Jeff Zucker cited a surge of cases at the network in a memo on the decision — CNN is closing its offices to nonessential employees, network President Jeff Zucker told employees in a memo Saturday, as Covid-19 cases rise at the network and nationwide.

Discussion: New York Post, The Hill, HotAir and RedState, more at Mediagazer »

Ian Millhiser / Vox:

Trump wants the courts to help him sabotage the January 6 investigation — Trump is no longer president. Will the Supreme Court keep bending the law to protect him? — Unless the Supreme Court intervenes on former President Donald Trump's behalf, a US House committee investigating …

Discussion: Raw Story

Julia Cherner / ABC News:

Kinzinger: It's ‘possible’ some GOP colleagues are responsible for Jan. 6 attack — Rep. Adam Kinzinger appeared on ABC's “This Week” on Sunday. — Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Sunday “it's possible” some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Discussion: USA Today, Politico and Washington Post

CNN:

Biden admin eyes a potentially stark shift in messaging around ending the pandemic — Smerconish: There's a limit to my sympathy and compassion for the unvaccinated — (CNN)President Joe Biden's top health officials came to an afternoon briefing at the White House Thursday with a warning — and a request.

Discussion: Daily Mail, Breitbart, UPI and TheBlaze