Monday morning news - December 20, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Manchin is “no” on Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar spending plan » Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, a critical swing vote in the Senate, says he has reached a decision on the president’s multi-trillion-dollar spending plan.

He told Fox News Sunday host Brett Baier that he will only support legislation he can explain to his constituents…

MANCHIN: I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.
BAIER: You’re done. This is a no?
MANCHIN: This is a no … on this legislation.

The White House spent months trying to sell Manchin on the plan. But in the end, the West Virginia senator said it’s just too big and spends too much.

On the surface, the president’s social spending package, which he calls the “Build Back Better” plan, would cost nearly $2 trillion. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it may very well cost trillions more than that and add trillions to the nation’s debt.

Manchin said he’s concerned about adding to the debt and he worries the bill could further fuel rising prices in America.

MANCHIN: Inflation is real. It’s not going away anytime soon. We don’t know when the end will come.

In an evenly divided Senate, without Manchin’s vote, the bill cannot pass.

President Biden’s vaccine mandate back on track after appeals court ruling » President Biden’s nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for mid and large sized employers is once again set to take effect in January after a federal appeals court panel on Friday allowed the mandate to move ahead.

The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had halted the mandate.

The new rules would force companies with 100 or more employees to require all indoor workers to be vaccinated. The Biden administration says fines for noncompliance will begin on Jan. 10th.

But many Republican-led states continue to push back. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday…

DESANTIS: We passed substantive protections in a special session for Floridians so that they are able to have generous ability to opt out of these kinds of mandates.

Opponents of the federal mandate vowed to appeal the 6th Circuit ruling.

Former Sen. Johnny Isakson dies » Former Sen. Johnny Isakson has died.

The Republican lawmaker served two decades in Congress. He represented Georgia for six years in the House, followed by nearly 15 years in the Senate.

In the upper chamber, he was the architect of a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers. He also worked to expand programs offering more private health care choices for veterans.

Although he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, the cause of death was not immediately apparent. Johnny Isakson was 76.

Governor: No one still missing in Kentucky after tornadoes » Residents in Kentucky and parts of several other states are still picking up the pieces after tornadoes ripped through homes and businesses just over a week ago.

But over the weekend, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he finally had some good news to report.

BESHEAR: Right now, missing persons based on this tornado event are at zero.

The governor said he hoped that meant search teams would not find any more fatalities.

He called the December 10th storm the most destructive tornado event in the state’s history, killing 78 people in Kentucky alone.

In Tennessee, officials have confirmed that a fifth person in that state died from storms.

In total, at least 92 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states.

Hong Kong votes for legislature with only loyalists approved » Voters in Hong Kong cast their ballots Sunday. But this was nothing like the free elections the people there are used to.

This was the first vote since Beijing changed laws to reduce the number of lawmakers voters can directly elect. The Chinese communist government is also now vetting candidates to ensure only those loyal to Beijing can run.

After pro-democracy protests in 2019, China passed a sweeping so-called national security law. It gave the government authority to crack down on liberties in Hong Kong and silence pro-democracy activists.

Turnout in Sunday’s vote was very low. Just over 26 percent of voters cast a ballot.

Spider-Man crushes box office expectations » At the weekend box office, it was the third-biggest opening ever…

TRAILER: When you botched that spell where you wanted everyone to forget that Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, we started getting some visitors.

Spider-Man: No Way Home defied pandemic concerns and crushed expectations. Amid a rising COVID caseload, industry insiders expected it to earn no more than $150 million in its opening weekend. Instead, it hauled in $253 million in ticket sales domestically. Globally, the total was well over half a billion dollars.

In box office history, only Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War enjoyed bigger opening weekends.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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