memeorandum: Biden's pandemic makes more miss Donald Trump (Howie Carr/Boston Herald)

7:55 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: Washington Post, Vox, The Atlantic, NPR, Fox News, Slate, TheBlaze, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Insider, Power Line, Mediaite, The Western Journal, The Guardian, New Republic, The Hill, The Daily Wire and Third Way

Politico:

White House lights up Manchin after he crushes Biden's megabill — Joe Manchin struck a decisive blow to President Joe Biden's sweeping social and climate spending bill, igniting a bitter clash with his own party's White House. — Biden left negotiations with Manchin this week thinking …

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia:

Manchin Statement On Build Back Better Act — Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on the Build Back Better Act. — “For five and a half months, I have worked as diligently as possible meeting with President Biden, Majority Leader Schumer …

Discussion: newdemocratcoalition.house.gov, Vox, Insider, CBS News, NPR, National Review, The Daily Caller and Washington Post

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

Sen. Joe Manchin's position on Build Back Better reflects the reality of West Virginia politics — “I've always said, 'If I can't go back home and explain it, I can't vote for it.'” — That is how Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) explained his announcement Sunday that he “cannot vote” …

Discussion: The Hill, Insider, The Daily Wire and Balloon Juice

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: SCOOP: Manchin ‘refused’ a call from W.H. before killing BBB — DRIVING THE DAY — Less than 30 minutes before he killed the Democratic Party's most important piece of legislation, an aide was dispatched by Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) to give the White House and congressional leadership a heads up.

Discussion: Axios, Insider, RedState, Breitbart, National Review, Daily Mail and Political Wire

Jonathan Lemire / Politico:
Biden promised competence and order. Chaos and uncertainty are winning.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Manchin says he ‘cannot vote’ for Build Back Better: 'I've done everything humanly possible'

Discussion: Politico, Vox, KLFY-TV, Climate Depot, UPI, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, The Hill, The Western Journal, Talking Points Memo and CNN

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Did Joe Manchin Kill Joe Biden's Domestic Agenda?

Discussion: HuffPost

New York Times:
Joe Manchin Says He Can't Support Build Back Better Act

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, New Republic and Althouse

Fox News:
‘Fox News Sunday’ 12/19

Discussion: NPR and Washington Post

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

Discussion: Breitbart, Truthout, The Mahablog, BuzzFeed News, Townhall, RedState and Conservative Brief

Grace Segers / New Republic:
Does Joe Manchin Know That Build Back Better Would Extend Vital Aid for Sick Coal Miners?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Peter Wade / Rolling Stone:
Joe Manchin Just Tore Out the Heart of Biden's Agenda

Discussion: CyberDisobedience, The Gateway Pundit, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart and CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Associated Press:
Sen. Joe Manchin says no to $2T bill: 'I can't vote for it'

Discussion: The Colorado Sun, Bloomberg, RedState and Insider

Daniella Diaz / CNN:
Manchin says he won't vote for Build Back Better Act

Discussion: Insider, HuffPost, Raw Story, USA Today, Conservative Brief, Talking Points Memo, Townhall, The Daily Wire, Washington Times, Forbes and Breitbart

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

Discussion: Forbes

Mike Allen / Axios:
Manchin tanks Biden's $1.75 trillion BBB plan

Discussion: TheBlaze

Andrew Buncombe / The Independent:

Sarah Palin says ‘over my dead body’ will she have vaccine after contracting Covid — The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate revealed in March she had tested positive for Covid — Sarah Palin says ‘over my dead body’ will authorities make her have a covid vaccine shot

CNN:

Outgoing NIH director says Trump and other Republicans pressured him to endorse unproven Covid-19 remedies and to fire Fauci — Washington (CNN)The outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health said Sunday that he faced political pressure from then-President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Political Wire

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

WATCH: Sarah Palin Proudly Tells Raucous Turning Point Rally Crowd She Will Get Vaccinated ‘Over My Dead Body’ — Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin electrified a crowd of conservatives over the weekend by boasting it will be “over my dead body” before she gets vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Digby's Hullabaloo and Rolling Stone

Ashish K. Jha / The Atlantic:

Don't Panic About Omicron. But Don't Be Indifferent, Either. — The Omicron wave is upon us, and the national conversation is vacillating between panic and indifference. Those who are near panic point to rapidly rising case counts and lockdowns in several European nations.

Discussion: Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, TheBlaze and Politico

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: HuffPost, The Daily Wire, Townhall, UPI, CNN, The Guardian, Times of San Diego, East Bay Times, Raw Story, Bloomberg and The Hill

Associated Press:
Former Sen. Johnny Isakson dies at 76

Discussion: National Review

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

Discussion: New York Times

Zachary Petrizzo / The Daily Beast:

Roger Stone Stirs Up Old Feud, Suggests Steve Bannon ‘Gave The Order’ To Breach Capitol On Jan 6 — ‘CURRY FAVOR WITH TRUMP’ — Longtime Republican operative Roger Stone pleaded the Fifth earlier this week in front of the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, but Sunday morning he tossed Steven Bannon under the bus.

Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo and Raw Story

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 and TheBlaze

CNN:

Democrats walk on eggshells around Breyer as GOP plans another blockade for any Biden Supreme Court pick — (CNN)Senate Republicans are poised to deny President Joe Biden an appointment to the Supreme Court if they take the majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

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