![Senate Democrats, including Manchin, meet about way forward on social spending bill](https://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/12/19/b5544cb4-66f3-48ef-8ac6-d92505629e09/thumbnail/1200x630/5ea059dc0501a15cea186c4b269c9a09/gettyimages-1236645798.jpg)
Senate Democrats, including Manchin, meet about way forward on social spending bill
CBSN
Two days after Senator Joe Manchin announced he would not vote for his party's ambitious social spending plan, Senate Democrats met virtually Tuesday evening to discuss the way forward on the legislation, according to Democratic source. Manchin's opposition to the bill could kill the Build Back Better Act, since all 50 Democrats must back the bill in order to secure its passage.
The West Virginia senator also joined the call, according to a source familiar with the call, who said Manchin mostly listened while others spoke. However, he did make some remarks near the beginning of the call, reiterating what he has said before about the bill.
His spokesperson said in a statement, "This evening Senator Manchin had an honest conversation with his colleagues for whom he has a great deal of respect."
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Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting at this year's Munich Security conference to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vance said the U.S. seeks a "durable" peace, while Zelenskyy expressed the desire for extensive discussions to prepare for any end to the conflict.
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Washington — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation's largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who hadn't yet gained civil service protection - potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers.
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It was Labor Day weekend 2003 when Matt Scribner, a local horse farrier and trainer who also competes in long-distance horse races, was on his usual ride in a remote part of the Sierra Nevada foothills — just a few miles northeast of Auburn, California —when he noticed a freshly dug hole along the trail that piqued his curiosity.