Manchin sank Build Back Better. Or did he?

Plus, Chile elects its youngest leader. 2022 will be a monumental year. We’re aiming to add 6,000 financial contributions from readers by December 31 to prepare, and to keep Vox free for all. Recurring monthly or annual gifts, in particular, help us plan, and weather a notoriously unpredictable industry. [Will you help us reach our goal by making a contribution to Vox today?]( 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. TOP NEWS 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](]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( 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](] We write for the people Help keep Vox free by making your first-time contribution today to help us keep Vox free for all. [Give]( MISCELLANEOUS 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](] - Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen has died at age 52. Though his cause of death was not immediately released, the senator contracted Covid-19 a few weeks ago during a trip to El Salvador. [[CBS/AP](] - Donald Trump sued New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, arguing her civil investigation into his business practices violates his civil rights. [[Axios](] VERBATIM “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]( LISTEN TO THIS Sean Illing talks with political commentator and author David French about modern conservatism and masculinity. [[Spotify](] Read more from Vox [Omicron is here. What are your treatment options if you get Covid-19?]( [Why The Matrix never stopped being relevant]( [Progressives’ biggest fear about the Build Back Better Act has come to pass]( [Trump wants the courts to help him sabotage the January 6 investigation]( [5 big questions about Spider-Man: No Way Home’s game-changing ending](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=sentences). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.