Tipsheet: GOP steps up flirtation with Manchin

View in your browser     GOP steps up flirtation with Manchin By ARIS FOLLEY AND JORDAIN CARNEY   Republicans are flirting with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) as he faces backlash from his own party over his opposition to Build Back Better.  GOP senators, most of whom are friendly with Manchin, are making it clear they would welcome him into their caucus, where they think he would be a good fit given West Virginia’s deep red political leanings.  Read the full story here     Biden extends student loan freeze to May 1 By SYLVAN LANE AND ALEX GANGITANO   President Biden on Wednesday extended the pandemic moratorium on federal student loan payments and interest accrual through May 1 amid surging cases of COVID-19. Read the full story here     Jan. 6 panel seeks sit-down with Jim Jordan By REBECCA BEITSCH   The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is asking Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), an ardent supporter of former President Trump, to voluntarily sit down with its investigators. In a Wednesday letter to Jordan, the committee contended that he was in regular communication with Trump leading up to the election and thereafter. Read the full story here     Biden resists shutdowns as omicron threat rises By MORGAN CHALFANT AND NATHANIEL WEIXEL   President Biden is resisting school closures and other shutdown measures in the face of the highly transmissible omicron variant as the public grows increasingly weary about a seemingly never-ending pandemic and confusion over mixed messages from health officials. Read the full story here       Biden expresses some regret for COVID-19 test shortage By MORGAN CHALFANT   President Biden said Wednesday that the current shortage of coronavirus tests is not a failure of his administration but expressed regret that he did not ramp up supplies sooner ahead of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Read the full story here     FDA authorizes Pfizer pill to treat COVID-19 in major advance By PETER SULLIVAN   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized a new COVID-19 treatment from Pfizer, the first pill to treat the virus to become available. The pill, known as Paxlovid, is seen as a major step forward in the fight against the virus, with trials showing it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent in high-risk patients. Read the full story here     Supreme Court to hear challenges to vaccine mandates in early January By HARPER NEIDIG   The Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the Biden administration's employer vaccine mandates next month, the justices announced Wednesday night, setting a rapid schedule for the cases. Read the full story here     Clyburn tests positive for COVID-19 in breakthrough case By CAROLINE VAKIL   House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced on Wednesday evening that he tested positive for COVID-19 in a breakthrough case of the virus. Read the full story here     McConnell urges Thune to run for reelection amid retirement talk By JORDAIN CARNEY   Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is urging Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a close ally and his No. 2, to run for reelection next year as Thune weighs retiring. Asked on Wednesday about the possibility that Thune retires, McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, "I certainly hope he won't." Read the full story here     Rep. Madison Cawthorn and wife to divorce By JUDY KURTZ    Rep. Madison Cawthorn and his wife are divorcing after less than a year of marriage, with the North Carolina Republican citing his job in Congress as part of the reason for the split. Read the full story here     Where are our COVID-19 tests? By CHRISTINE KEEVES, MPH, AND KRISTIN URQUIZA, MPA   OPINION | After a year of massive campaigning and infrastructure creation to get “shots in arms,” we are wondering where are our COVID-19 tests? Especially after the idea of getting “tests in hands” was laughable to White House Press Secretary Psaki, and as we head into weeks of indoor family gatherings across the country, testing is one of the most important steps we can take in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and all its variants. Read the full story here     Persuading the vaccine-reluctant: Meet people where they are By JOHN FARMER JR   OPINION | One year after vaccines to combat COVID-19 began to be administered in America, there is both good and bad news to report. The good news is that, according to Our World in Data, 201 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the disease. The bad news is that this represents only 60.9 percent of the population, the lowest vaccination rate among the world’s wealthiest democracies.   Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Omicron less likely to put you in the hospital, studies say By LAURA UNGAR AND MIKE STOBBE   Two new British studies provide some early hints that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta version. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Election officials face growing pressure campaign by Trump allies to revisit 2020 vote By AMY GARDNER, EMMA BROWN AND JOSH DAWSEY   Well-funded allies of the former president have gained audiences with top state officials to push for examinations of the vote, and local residents have bombarded election administrators with their own demands to investigate. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Heir apparent or afterthought? The frustrations of Kamala Harris. By KATIE ROGERS AND ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS   The vice president’s allies are increasingly concerned that President Biden relied on her to win but does not need her to govern. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Confronting inflation, Biden administration turns to oil industry it once shunned By CHRISTOPHER M. MATTHEWS, TIMOTHY PUKO AND COLLIN EATON   U.S. producers, chastised about climate change, balk at White House’s call for more drilling to rein in gasoline prices. Read the full story here     Reuters: Putin: We don't want conflict over Ukraine By REUTERS STAFF   Russia wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet   You Might Like       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©1998 - 2021 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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