Last week, the big news was that Joe Manchin, the conservative Dem from WV, had walked away from passing the scraps of Build Back Better--Biden's social spending agenda. It's as if Joe Manchin is president instead of Joe Biden. How did he get this much power? When the infrastructure bill was announced, progressive Dems linked it to BBB to ensure passage of the latter. Biden urged them to delink the 2 bills, imperiling his own agenda, because he was desperate to get infrastructure passed so that it looked like he'd achieved something. The truth is, conservative Dems like Biden and Manchin didn't want to pass a social spending anything. Last week's push to pass a few remnants of BBB would provide $ for cheaper meds & climate change. Do you think a coal baron from WV whose daughter runs a pharmaceutical company is interested in either? And Dem leadership supported Manchin over his progressive challenger, Paula Jean Swearingen. Because Dem leaders are more in line with conservative Dems and Republicans than they are progressives. Which is why we see so little change regardless of which party's elected. Manchin agreed to support a $1.5 trillion BBB package, but progressives did what Biden asked & unlinked it from infrastructure, so Dems could singlehandedly nix Dem plans themselves without a single GOP no vote needed. Social spending sounds vague, but it's housing assistance, help for seniors, cheaper meds, immigration reform, $ for the climate, modernizing drinking &n storm water systems. Basically, it would take our tax $ and spend them on us, not Ukraine. Not subsidizing spaceships for billionaires like Bezos. Not continuing to allow, no matter which party is in charge, the lowest tax rates on the wealthiest in decades. And all the corporate media has to do is sensationally cover Ukraine or 1/6 every day, and many seem to forget longstanding injustices in this country. Which neither party has addressed in decades. Hello--I'll bet women would like abortion rights AND equal pay.