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Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are known as the moderates of the Senate Democratic Caucus. There are problems with that designation, of course, such as the fact that Manchin's and Sinema's lifetime ACU ratings are 27% and 15%, respectively - not exactly the definition of "moderation." But the universe of Democratic Party officeholders has moved so far left that they now officially regard Josef Stalin as "squishy," so the definition of "moderate" has had to be softened a bit as well, in recent years. Since the Democrats usurped complete control of both the national executive and legislative branches in 2020,...

Every Republican Senator voted for this bill. West Virginians should never send another Democrat to the Senate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats scored a major policy victory when the U.S. Senate passed a $430 billion climate change, healthcare and tax bill that will help reduce the carbon emissions that drive climate change while also cutting drug costs for the elderly. President Joe Biden's congressional allies hope the bill, which they pushed through the Senate over united Republican opposition, will boost their chances in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans are favored to recapture the majority in at least one chamber of Congress. The package, called the Inflation Reduction Act, is a dramatically scaled-back version of a prior...

ndiana's legislature became the first in the nation on Friday to pass new legislation restricting access to abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Other states have already banned abortion, thanks to pre-existing 'trigger laws' that went into effect when Roe was repealed, but Indiana is the first to usher in a new law. The measure now goes to Republican Governor Eric Holcomb, who has not indicated whether he will sign it. The ban includes limited exceptions, including in cases of rape and incest, and to protect the life and physical health of the mother. The exceptions...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has been in politics since 1982, so he knows a thing or two about wheeling and dealing. Manchin was sitting pretty, holding the fate of the entire Democratic Party in the palm of his hand because it was his vote that was absolutely necessary to keep Joe Biden’s agenda alive. When Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer doggedly pursued Manchin’s vote for the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” he didn’t arrive at the negotiations empty-handed. Schumer came to the table bearing gifts — the kind of gifts that a politician like Manchin couldn’t refuse. Schumer and Manchin crafted...

Vulnerable House Democrats will not say if they support the Manchin-Schumer Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or if it is wise to raise billions in new taxes during an economic recession. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) revealed in an analysis last week that the Manchin bill, which would spend $433 billion on climate change initiatives, would increase taxes by billions of dollars, including on middle-class earners. According to the JCT, Americans making less than $200K per year would have their taxes increased by $16.7 billion. For taxpayers earning between $200,000 and $500,000, the bill would increase taxes by...

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) had a message for her Democratic colleagues before she flew home to Arizona for the weekend: She's preserving her options.Why it matters: Sinema has leverage and she knows it. Any potential modification to the Democrat's climate and deficit reduction package — like knocking out the $14 billion provision on carried interest — could cause the fragile deal to collapse.

Arizonans face rising prices and empty store shelves, and they deserve to keep more of their hard earned money in their pockets.We passed the Chips and Science Act to help lower costs and improve supply chain challenges by increasing American semiconductor manufacturing. pic.twitter.com/0BN07jI8YJ— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) July 29, 2022

Few people in America were following the passage of the $280 billion handout for huge chip manufactures and the 5G industry, but the politics surrounding the bill, as well as the bill itself, perfectly exemplify the “uniparty” dynamic. To begin with, GOP leadership had no problem with this corporate welfare bill and worked together to craft it. However, McConnell promised to hold up the bill unless the Democrats committed to forgoing budget reconciliation, a process through which they can pass liberal priorities without the need for 60 votes. Well, McConnell and 17 other Republican senators eagerly provided the votes for...

(CNN)It was the middle of the night in Saudi Arabia when word emerged from Washington that President Joe Biden's long-stalled domestic agenda was dead. Again. The culprit was familiar. Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate West Virginia Democrat, was balking at what effect the massive climate, tax and social safety net plan might have on inflation. In Jeddah, where Biden was convening fraught meetings with Saudi leaders, the news was met with frustration and anger but not surprise. Thirteen days, two Covid infections and a few bitter arguments later, fortunes have shifted. Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer shocked most...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) called a last-minute audible and struck a deal with Chuck Schumer on a new spending bill. The legislation's core will raise taxes as the nation braces for an economic recession. It's a compromise bill. It's shaky. Manchin could back out if the energy and climate change provisions are too insane (via Associated Press):In a startling turnabout, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday they had reached an expansive agreement that had eluded them for months on health care, energy and climate issues, taxes on higher earners and corporations and federal debt reduction.The...

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - West Virginia has barred five major financial institutions, including Blackrock Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) , from new state business after determining that they were boycotting the fossil fuel industry. Goldman Sachs (GS.N) , Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo & Co are also barred on similar grounds, according to State Treasurer Riley Moore. Spokespeople for Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley said the banks disagreed with the decision, and a spokesperson for JPMorgan called it "disconnected from the facts." A BlackRock spokesperson said it also disagreed with the decision. "BlackRock does not boycott energy...

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK)—A man has been arrested for making terroristic threats over Twitter against certain West Virginia officials. The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security (WVDHS) said that 35-year-old Michael Edward Herman threatened members of the state legislature and law enforcement officials that advocate for or enforce abortion bans. WVDHS says Herman also used intimidating language against Governor Jim Justice, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Vice President Kamala Harris. The Capitol Police, the WV Fusion Center and the Romney Detachment of the West Virginia State Police worked together on this case. WVDHS along with Governor Justice’s office say that they...

A 12-year-old gave a speech at the West Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday in opposition to new legislation outlawing abortion in the state. She spoke as the House passed a bill to ban abortion in the state, where it's currently legal up to 20 weeks, allowing for limited exemptions for medical emergencies and complications but not for rape or incest. 'I play for varsity volleyball and I run track. My education is very important to me, and I plan on doing great things in life,' Buffalo Middle School student Addison Gardner told lawmakers during a special session. 'If a...

- On Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin reached a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. - They said The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 should help ease inflation and fight climate change. - It breaks a stalemate on President Joe Biden's agenda that lasted for nearly a year.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A week after a Charleston judge barred West Virginia from enforcing an abortion ban law dating to the 19th century, lawmakers in the state’s Republican majority hurried to advance similar legislation that would criminalize abortion with few exceptions. The legislation, which breezed through the House health committee Monday, closely mirrors the 1800s-era abortion ban. It bars abortion in almost all cases and makes performing the procedure a felony. Physicians who provide abortions could face three to 10 years in prison. Speaking during the committee meeting, Democratic Del. Barbara Fleischauer said passing such a bill would bring...

RALEIGH COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed a historic West Virginia church, according to court records. Braxton Allan Miller, 18, of Charleston, and James Dean Elmore, 19, of Beckley were charged for their alleged roles in an arson that leveled the Saint Colman Roman Catholic Church near Shady Spring on June 25, a criminal complaint filed in Raleigh County Magistrate Court notes. Miller was accused of lighting a fire in the church after a group of people had been partying on the premises overnight, court records said. He is charged...

An arrest has been made in connection with the arson and vandalism of both a Catholic church and a Methodist church in Bethesda, Maryland, that occurred on July 9 and July 10. Peter Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County fire department, said that charges have been filed against a juvenile and will be handled in juvenile court, the Washington Post reported. Father Samuel Giese, pastor of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church, told his parishioners the day after the vandalism at Sunday Mass, that he believed the attack was aimed at the church because of its pro-life views....

Washington, D.C.— Today, after months of bipartisan negotiations led by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), two proposals were introduced which include legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for President. In addition to Senators Collins and Manchin, the senators involved in the bipartisan negotiations include: Rob Portman (R-OH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Todd...

Charleston, W.Va. — Police say a woman's actions may have prevented a mass casualty event following an altercation about a man speeding through a neighborhood. "She did the right thing. I don't know if any other person would have done that," said Lt. Tony Hazelett with the Charleston Police Department. Charleston police said it all started when 37-year-old Dennis Butler was speeding up and down a parking lot inside the Vista View apartments. He was approached by people attending a graduation party and a birthday party, who asked him to slow down, as children were playing. Witnesses said Butler seemed...