SEN. JOE MANCHIN (Flickr/Third Way Think Tank)/

The $2 trillion “Build Back Better” bill pushed by President Joe Biden and most Congressional Democrats suffered a potentially fatal blow Sunday when centrist Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced he would not support it.
According to the Associated Press, Manchin said on “Fox News Sunday” that he would vote against the measure because of its cost.

Manchin’s vote on the bill – aimed at extending the social safety net and battling climate change –is crucial because the U.S. Senate is evenly divided 50-50 and with Republicans expected to be unanimously opposed, Democrats cannot afford even one defection.

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” Manchin said, according to The New York Times. “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki fired back, calling his comments “a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate.”

The bill has already passed the House after being trimmed down from its original $3.5 trillion price tag.

Dr. Fauci’s warning on Omicron

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI

Sounding a warning about the potential impact of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday cautioned members of the public to get vaccinated, get a booster shot and be careful in indoor settings, which includes wearing a face covering.

The new variant is growing so fast, it’s “going to take over” as the leading threat from COVID 19, said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, according to United Press International.

Since the first case of Omicron was reported in the U.S. on Dec.1, it’s been identified in cases in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Sports: Jared really helps the Rams

JARED GOFF as a Ram.

Former Ram quarterback Jared Goff gave his former team some major help Sunday when he led the Detroit Lions to a 30-12 upset of the Arizona Cardinals in Michigan. He passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

He out-performed the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, who passed for 257 yards but just one TD and was intercepted twice. The loss drops the Cards to 10-4, giving the Rams (9-4) the chance to knot up the NFC West race if they can beat the Seattle Seahawks (5-8) at SoFi Stadium in a rare Tuesday night game.

Weather: Cloudy, then rainy

A touch of winter in otherwise summer-y weather is coming to the West Orange County area for the next few days. Monday is forecast to be cloudy with a daytime high of 65 (overnight low of 44) with Tuesday similar with a high of 66 (49). But the thermometer will drop to 63 (54) on Wednesday with a 21 percent chance of rain, followed by Thursday’s wetter weather with a 95 percent chance of rain and a high of 59 (48). Daytime temps are expected to stay in the mid- to-high 60s through Dec. 29.