Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
Iran–U.S. Nuclear Talks in Oman Face Major Hurdles Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
TrumpRx.gov Highlights GLP-1 Drug Discounts but Offers Limited Savings for Most Americans 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is one of the two holdouts of the caucus in an evenly divided Senate, in both the filibuster and the Build Back Better bill. Manchin continued his staunch defense of the Senate rule with a claim that many experts have refuted.
Manchin recently made a claim about the Senate filibuster according to Chad Pergram of Fox News. The West Virginia Senator was quoted as saying that the Senate tradition has continued for 232 years. Manchin said that the Senate needs to be careful on what is done about the filibuster, which currently requires 60 votes in order to pass legislation, with the exception of presidential nominees and Supreme Court justices.
To note, the 60-vote rule was implemented in 1975, and not when the US Constitution was first put in place.
Legal experts criticized Manchin’s claim. Attorney Max Kennerly took to social media to refute Manchin’s claim, noting that a simple majority was used in Senate debates back in 1790 and pointed out that the rule that Manchin is defending did not exist until the 1970s. Kennerly also pointed out that many exceptions to the filibuster have been made over time, including an exception made in December 2021.
Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine also refuted Manchin’s claim, saying that the filibuster does not exist in the US Constitution, and that “the Founders considered, rejected, a routine supermajority requirement.”
MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan also weighed in on Manchin’s claim, describing it as a “Trumpian lie.”
“Anybody notice that the filibuster rule was changed to allow the debt ceiling to be raised with just 51 votes? So why can’t the filibuster rule be changed to allow the passage of voting rights by just 51 votes? Manchin – Holdout in Chief – are you listening?” tweeted attorney, economist, and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.
Manchin has maintained his opposition to the Build Back Better bill and has previously faced backlash for his public announcement citing his opposition to the legislation. This includes his own colleagues, like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Back in December, speaking on MSNBC, Sanders criticized the West Virginia lawmaker’s arrogance, citing that his constituents in West Virginia are in need of the provisions laid out in the proposal.
