Manchin sank Build Back Better. Or did he?

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Sentences will be off next week to observe the holidays.

Senator Joe Manchin sheds some light on why he pulled support for Build Back Better; leftist Gabriel Boric, 35, will become Chile’s youngest leader.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Joe Manchin pulls support for Build Back Better

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

• Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Monday that there was no one moment that led to him pulling support for President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better social spending and climate change plan, but added that White House staff “put some things out that were absolutely inexcusable.” [CNN / Devan Cole and David Wright]
• Manchin made that statement while on West Virginia radio, and said that after nearly six months of negotiations he arrived at his “wit’s end.” The senator, who has pushed for cuts to the bill for months, also suggested that an agreement was unlikely all along, saying, "We’ve been way far apart philosophically. ... It was never going to change." [NBC / Rebecca Shabad]
• Manchin had been in negotiations on the bill with Biden, and Sunday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a scathing statement accusing Manchin of “a breach of his commitments to the President.” [Washington Post / Sean Sullivan and Seung Min Kim]
• Last week, Manchin offered the White House a $1.8 trillion package that included a few of the provisions Democrats hoped to have in the bill, including universal pre-K for 10 years, money to fight climate change, and an expansion of the Affordable Care Act. But he ultimately refused to extend the Biden administration’s child tax care credit. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Tyler Pager]
• The fallout from failing to pass Build Back Better could be worst felt among Manchin’s moderate colleagues, many of whom were hoping to bring home another legislative victory for their constituents ahead of the 2022 midterms. [NBC/ Steve Benen]
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a letter on Monday promising to hold a vote on Build Back Better with or without Manchin's approval and that the Senate “will keep voting on it until we get something done.” Given the bill needs a majority in the Senate to pass, Schumer will need Manchin to sign on — or a Republican defector — for it to succeed. [Politico / Anthony Adragna]

Leftist Gabriel Boric will become Chile's youngest leader

• Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old former student activist, will be Chile’s youngest leader after a decisive victory against far-right opponent José Antonio Kast in a runoff election Sunday. [AP / Patricia Luna and Joshua Goodman]
• “I want to begin this historical moment which is tremendously exciting, and that the eyes of Chile and the world are watching, thanking all Chileans who went to vote, honoring their commitment to democracy,” Boric said during a Sunday evening address to his supporters at his campaign headquarters. [CNN]
• Boric campaigned on promises to implement a social safety net in Chile and dramatically alter the free market economy established during former dictator General Augusto Pinochet’s reign, which many blame for the country’s persisting inequalities. [Washington Post / John Bartlett]
• Progressive allies in the region celebrated Boric’s win. Brazil’s former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — who is expected to face Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil’s upcoming elections — tweeted a picture of himself wearing a Boric hat and said he’s “happy for another victory of a democratic and progressive candidate in our Latin America.” [Guardian / Laurence Blair]

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Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai told a Singapore news outlet on Sunday that her sexual assault allegations against a top Communist Party official were a “misunderstanding.” Her statement has been met with some skepticism due to the party’s past history of forcing retractions from detractors. [Daily Beast / Barbie Latza Nadeau]

• At least 375 people have been killed after Super Typhoon Rai hit the southern islands of the Philippines with 120 mph winds on Thursday. [BBC]
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• Donald Trump sued New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, arguing her civil investigation into his business practices violates his civil rights. [Axios]

“I’m from West Virginia. I’m not from where they’re from, and they can just beat the living crap out of people and think they’ll be submissive, period.”

Manchin defends his decision not to support Biden’s Build Back Better plan on West Virginia radio

Sean Illing talks with political commentator and author David French about modern conservatism and masculinity. [Spotify]

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