In the news today: Sen. Joe Manchin faced harsh statements from the White House and fellow Democrats today after he appeared on Fox News to claim he now opposed the Build Back Better framework even though he had been negotiating with Joe Biden directly on its contents less than a week ago. The omicron variant of COVID-19 is here, and both the federal government and hospitals are preparing for another winter of mass casualties. Nearly all of those casualties will be Americans who have refused to be vaccinated.

Here’s some of what you may have missed: