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'Devastating': Coroner Identifies 14-Year-Old Girl Killed By Los Angeles Police In Burlington Store LA Police Kill Teen Girl While Firing At Suspect Los Angeles Police Fatally Shot A 14-Year-Old Girl Who Was Inside A Clothing Store Dressing Room Thursday As They Fired At A Suspect Who Had Assaulted A Woman Earlier, Authorities Said. The Los Angeles Coroner On Friday Identified The 14-Year-Old Girl Who Was Shot And Killed By Police Inside A Burlington Dressing Room. Valentina Orellana-Peralta Died When Police Opened Fire On A Suspect Just Before Noon Thursday On The Second Floor Of The Clothing Store In North Hollywood, According To The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. The Suspect, A Man Who Allegedly Assaulted A Woman, Also Died In The Shooting. “This Chaotic Incident Resulting In The Death Of An Innocent Child Is Tragic And Devastating For Everyone Involved,” Police Chief Michel Moore Said In A Statement Late Thursday Night. “I Am Profoundly Sorry For The Loss Of This Young Girl’s Life And I Know There Are No Words That Can Relieve The Unimaginable Pain For The Family.” Officers Were Responding To A Report Of Someone Being Assaulted With A Deadly Weapon And Of Shots Fired, Said LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell On Thursday. Investigators Have Not Found A Gun At The Scene. Witnesses Told KCBS-TV That The Suspect, Who Has Not Been Identified, Began Acting Erratically, Threatening To Throw Items From The Upper Floor And Attacked A Woman With A Bicycle Lock Shortly In The Store Crowded With Holiday Shoppers. More: Los Angeles Police Kill 14-Year-Old Girl While Firing At Suspect In Burlington Store Police Fatally Shot The Suspect But One Of The Bullets Went Through Drywall Behind The Man And Killed Valentina, Who Was In A Changing Room With Her Mother, Police Said. The Woman Who Had Been Assaulted By The Suspect Was Taken To A Hospital With Injuries To Her Head, Face And Arms, Officials Said Thursday. It Wasn't Immediately Known If She'd Been Shot. The California Department Of Justice Is Investigating The Incident And Will Turn Over Its Findings To The Special Prosecutions Section For Independent Review, According To Attorney General Rob Bonta. Meanwhile, The Los Angeles Police Department Plans To Release Footage From The Store's Closed-Circuit Cameras And Police Body-Worn Cameras, As Well As Radio Calls And Other Information Before Monday, Moore Told The Los Angeles Times. Moore Said Although The Investigation Will Determine What Happened, It Did Not Appear The Officer Who Fired The Shots Would Have Known There Was Anyone Behind The Wall. “There’s Not A Police Officer In America Who Would Ever Want This Type Of Circumstance To Occur,” Moore Told The Outlet. In 2021, Los Angeles Police Have Shot At Least 36 People — 12 Fatally — A Substantial Increase From The Last Two Years, According To The Times. Before The Uptick, Police Shootings Reached A 30-Year Low In 2019 After Declining From A High Of More Than 100 Per Year In The 1990s. A Similar Confrontation Happened In July 2018 When LAPD Officers Accidentally Shot And Killed A Woman At A Trader Joe’s Store. Authorities Said Gene Evin Atkins Shot His Grandmother And Girlfriend Before Leading Police On A Chase That Ended When He Crashed His Car Outside The Store. The Ensuing Gunfight Killed Melyda Corado, 27, The Assistant Store Manager. Atkins Took Employees And Shoppers Hostage For Three Hours Before Surrendering, Authorities Said. Atkins Has Pleaded Not Guilty To The Killing. Prosecutors Found Two Police Officers Acted Lawfully When They Returned Atkins’ Gunfire. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

US Delays Intelligence Center Targeting Foreign Influence FILE - Director Of National Intelligence Avril Haines Introduces President Joe Biden During A Visit To The Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence In Mclean, FILE - Director Of National Intelligence Avril Haines Introduces President Joe Biden During A Visit To The Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence In Mclean, As Russia Was Working To Subvert U.S. Elections And Sow Discord Among Americans, Congress Directed The Creation Of An Intelligence Center To Lead Efforts To Stop Interference By Foreign Adversaries. But Two Years Later, That Center Still Is Not Close To Opening. Experts And Intelligence Officials Broadly Agree The Proposed Foreign Malign Influence Center Is A Good Idea. The U.S. Has Lacked A Cohesive Strategy To Fight Influence Operations, They Say, With Not Enough Coordination Among National Security Agencies. Adversaries That Tried To Interfere In The Last Two Presidential Elections Continue To Bombard Americans With Disinformation And Conspiracy Theories At A Time Of Peril For Democracy In The U.S. And Around The World. But The Intelligence Community And Congress Remain Divided Over The Center’s Mission, Budget And Size, According To Current And Former Officials. While Separate Efforts To Counter Interference Continue, A Person Identified This Year As A Potential Director Has Since Been Assigned Elsewhere And The Center Likely Will Not Open Anytime Soon. “It Really Is Just Giving A Gift To Russia And China And Others Who Clearly Have Their Sights Set Not Only On The Midterm Elections But On Ongoing Campaigns To Destabilize American Society,” Said David Salvo, Deputy Director Of The Alliance For Securing Democracy And A Senior Fellow At The German Marshall Fund. The Nation’s Top Intelligence Official Had Advocated For The Center Before Taking Office. Director Of National Intelligence Avril Haines Last Year Co-Chaired A German Marshall Fund Task Force Supporting It. In A Statement, Spokeswoman Nicole De Haay Said The Director’s Office “Is Focused On Creating A Center To Facilitate And Integrate The Intelligence Community’s Efforts To Address Foreign Malign Influence.” But Some Lawmakers Are Concerned About Further Expanding The Mission Of The Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence. ODNI Was Originally Envisioned As A Small Coordinating Body To Address The Intelligence-Sharing Failures Preceding The Sept. 11 Attacks. It Has Several Centers That Critics Say Are Well-Meaning Attempts To Solve Problems But End Up Causing Unnecessary Duplication. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner Said That While He Supports The Center, There Were “Legitimate Questions About How Large Such An Organization Should Be And Even About Where It Would Fit” With Existing Government Efforts To Fight Foreign Interference. “We Want To Be Sure That This Center Enhances Those Efforts Rather Than Duplicating Them Or Miring Them In Unnecessary Bureaucracy,” The Virginia Democrat Said In A Statement. “I Don’t Have Any Real Doubt That We Will Ultimately Stand The Center Up In The Relatively Near Future, But We Need To Be Sure We Get It Right.” It’s Unclear Who Would Lead The Center. Separately, There Is Also A Vacancy For A New Election Threats Executive After The Previous Executive, Shelby Pierson, Ended Her Term And Returned To Another Intelligence Post. Pierson Had Been In The Spotlight Last Year After Giving Lawmakers A Closed-Door Briefing On Russia’s Efforts To Intervene In The 2020 Election In Favor Of President Donald Trump. That Angered Trump, Who Berated The Then-Director Of National Intelligence And Later Replaced Him. Trump Has Promoted Falsehoods About Elections And Pushed Republicans To Follow His Lead . Experts On Democracy Have Long Warned That What The Government Refers To As “Malign Influence” Is A National Security Threat. Social Media Has Helped Make Disinformation A Cheap And Powerful Tactic For Adversaries Who Can Push False Or Altered Stories, Videos And Images, And Amplify Falsehoods Already Circulating Among Americans To Promote Their Own Interests And Create Chaos. U.S. And Other Western Authorities Have Accused Russia Of Spreading Disinformation About The Coronavirus And Vaccines, Stealing Data From Local And State Election Servers , And Pushing False Stories Intended To Exploit Divisions Over Race And Civil Rights. Intelligence Agencies Have Found That Russia Used Influence Operations To Interfere With The 2016 Presidential Election In Favor Of Trump’s Campaign And Conducted Operations In Trump’s Favor In 2020 . The U.S. Assessed China Ultimately Did Not Interfere In The 2020 Election, But Beijing Has Been Accused Of Promoting False Theories About The COVID-19 Pandemic And Trying To Sway Businesses And All Levels Of Government . Iran Was Accused Of Sponsoring Emails Intended To Intimidate Democratic-Leaning Voters Into Supporting Trump. Experts Say The New Center Can Warn Americans About Interference And Produce Better Information For Policymakers. While The FBI, The National Security Agency And Several Other Government Agencies Have Long Worked On Foreign Interference, “We Are Not Organized In A Way Where We Are Building A Coherent Threat Picture,” Said Jessica Brandt, An Expert On Foreign Interference And Disinformation At The Brookings Institution. But There Are Risks In The Intelligence Community Ramping Up Its Monitoring Of What Americans See And Read. The FBI And NSA Have Been Accused Of Unlawfully Spying On Americans. That History Contributes To Many Americans’ Distrust Of The Intelligence Community, As Do Trump’s Attacks On Intelligence Professionals And What He Has Derided As The “Deep State.” Opponents Note The U.S. Also Has A History Of Covert Interference In Other Countries And Has Helped Overthrow Governments Seen As Anti-American. A Column Published By The Kremlin-Backed RT.Com Alleged The Proposed Center “Is Just Official Cover For American Intelligence Interference In Domestic Politics.” The Intelligence Community Also Risks Being Seen As Political Or Infringing On First Amendment Rights If It Takes The Same Untruths Spread By Americans And Labels Them As Foreign Interference When They’re Spread By An Adversary. The Center “Is Going To Have To Figure Out This Enormous Challenge To Convey Threats To American Elections, American Democracy, At A Time When There Seem To Be Two Completely Different Realities,” Said Salvo Of The German Marshall Fund. Congress Authorized The Center In Late 2019 And Directed ODNI To Create It. Several People Who Worked In Intelligence Matters At That Time, Speaking On Condition Of Anonymity To Describe Confidential Discussions, Say They Didn’t Know Of Any Effort By The Trump White House To Stop The Center. Instead, Leaders Within ODNI Disagreed On How To Structure The New Center Or Whether It Should Be A “Virtual Center” Without An Office. According To One Of The People, William Evanina, The Former Chief Of ODNI’s Counterintelligence Center, Offered To Take The Malign Influence Center Under His Authority, But The Office Ultimately Did Not Choose That Option. Evanina Declined To Comment. After Biden Took Office, ODNI Presented A Plan For A Small Center With A Few Dozen Staff Members To The Intelligence And Appropriations Committees In The House And Senate. But Even As Congress Required The Center’s Creation, Key Lawmakers From Both Parties Have Expressed Concerns About The Plan. A Proposal To Fund The Center This Summer Failed And It Is Unlikely To Be Completed While The Government Is Operating With Temporary Funding. The Center May Now Be Included If A Full Spending Plan Is Approved In Early 2022. Suzanne Spaulding, An Election Security Expert At The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Called For The U.S. Government To Act Quickly. “Time Is Not On Our Side,” Spaulding Said. “Disinformation Is A National Security Threat And Should Be Treated With The Urgency That A National Security Threat Engenders.”

Live Updates: Israeli Death Due To Delta, Not Omicron Commuters Wearing Face Masks To Protect Against COVID-19 Walk Across A Pedestrian Bridge In The Central Business District In Beijing, China Has Ordered The Lockdown Of As Many As 13 Million People In Neighborhoods And Workplaces In The Northern City Of Xi'an Following A Spike In Coronavirus Cases, Setting Off Panic Buying Just Weeks Before The Country Hosts The Winter Olympics. Commuters Wearing Face Masks To Protect Against COVID-19 Walk Across A Pedestrian Bridge In The Central Business District In Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. China Has Ordered The Lockdown Of As Many As 13 Million People In Neighborhoods And Workplaces In The Northern City Of Xi'an Following A Spike In Coronavirus Cases, Setting Off Panic Buying Just Weeks Before The Country Hosts The Winter Olympics. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli Hospital Says A Man Who Was Reported To Have Died From The Omicron Variant Of The Coronavirus Was Found To Have The Delta Variant. Israeli Health Officials Reported The Death Earlier This Week. It Would Have Been The Country’s First Omicron Casualty. Soroka Hospital, Located In The Southern City Of Beersheba, Said Thursday That Final Test Results From The Israeli Health Ministry Indicated The Man Was Infected With Delta. Israel Has Identified 341 Cases Of Omicron. It Has Greatly Restricted Air Traffic In And Out Of The Country And Is Imposing A Series Of Public Restrictions To Prevent The Spread Of The Highly Contagious Variant. The Health Ministry Director Is Also Considering Whether To Administer A Second Booster Shot To At-Risk Groups, Following A Recommendation By A Medical Advisory Group. Israel, A Country Of 9.3 Million People, Has Reported Over 8,200 COVID-19 Deaths During The Pandemic. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: — Ever-Morphing Coronavirus Requires Holiday Calculus For 2nd Winter — Omicron Less Likely To Put You In The Hospital, British Studies Say — US Supreme Court To Hold Special Session On Worker Vaccine Requirements ___ HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY: BEIJING — China Is Redoubling Efforts To Control New Virus Outbreaks With A Lockdown Of The 13 Million Residents Of The Northern City Of Xi’an Following A Spike In Coronavirus Cases. The Measure Comes Just Weeks Before The Country Hosts The Winter Olympics In Beijing, Roughly 1,000 Kilometers (6210 Miles) To The West. There Was No Word On Whether The Virus Was The Newly Surging Omicron Variant Or The Far More Common Delta. China Has Recorded Just Seven Omicron Cases — Four In The Southern Manufacturing Center Of Guangzhou, Two In The Southern City Of Changsha And One In The Northern Port Of Tianjin. China Has Also Been Dealing With A Substantial Outbreak In Several Cities In The Eastern Province Of Zhejiang Near Shanghai, Although Isolation Measures There Have Been More Narrowly Targeted. Authorities Have Adopted Strict Pandemic Control Measures Under Their Policy Of Seeking To Drive New Transmissions To Zero, Leading To Frequent Lockdowns, Universal Masking And Mass Testing. While The Policy Has Not Been Entirely Successful While Leading To Massive Disruptions In Travel And Trade, Beijing Credits It With Largely Containing The Spread Of The Virus. SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea Has Set A New Record For Daily COVID-19 Deaths As It Struggles To Resolve A Shortage Of Hospital Beds Amid Weeks Of Surging Cases. The Korea Disease Control And Prevention Agency Said Thursday That 109 People Died In The Latest 24-Hour Period. That Raised The Country’s Total Number Of Pandemic Fatalities To 5,015. The Agency Reported 6,919 New Coronavirus Cases, The Vast Majority Of Them Involving The Delta Variant. Infections Surged After South Korea Significantly Relaxed Its Pandemic Restrictions In Early November As Part Of Its Efforts To Restore Pre-Pandemic Normalcy. Alarmed By The Spike, Health Authorities On Saturday Restored The Country’s Toughest Distancing Rules Such As A Four-Person Cap On Private Gatherings And A 9 P.M. Curfew For Restaurants And Cafes. SYDNEY — Australia Is Reporting A Major Spike In Coronavirus Infections A Day After Prime Minister Scott Morrison Rejected Lockdowns Or Mask Mandates To Slow The Spread Of The Omicron Variant. The Country’s Most Populous State, New South Wales, Listed 5,715 New Cases Thursday. That Was Up From 3,763 A Day Earlier And Almost As Many As Were Recorded Across All Of Australia On Wednesday. There Were 347 People In New South Wales Hospitals, Up From 302 The Previous Day, And 45 In Intensive Care Units, Up From 40. Victoria State Also Saw A Sharp Increase, Reporting 2,005 New Infections Thursday. Morrison On Wednesday Convened A Cabinet Meeting With Leaders Of Australia’s States And Territories But Ruled Out Lockdowns. The U.S. Supreme Court Says It Will Hold A Special Session To Weigh Challenges To Two Biden Administration Policies Covering Vaccine Requirements For Millions Of Workers, Policies That Affect Large Employers And Health Care Workers. The High Court’s Announcement That It Will Hear Arguments In The Cases On Jan. 7, An Extraordinarily Fast Timeline, Comes Amid Rising Coronavirus Infections. The Court Had Not Been Scheduled To Hear Cases Again Until Jan. 10. A Three-Judge Panel Of The 6th U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals In Cincinnati Ruled 2-1 Last Week That The Vaccine Or Testing Regime For Workers At Larger Companies Could Take Effect. The Plan, Which Was To Take Effect Jan. 4, Requires Workers At Larger Companies To Be Vaccinated Or Wear Face Masks And Get Tested Weekly. The High Court Also Will Hear Arguments Over A Rule Published Nov. 5 By The Centers For Medicare & Medicaid That Applies To A Wide Range Of Health Care Providers That Receive Federal Medicare Or Medicaid Funding. It Requires Their Workers To Be Fully Vaccinated By Jan. 4. MONTREAL — Quebec’s Premier Says Beginning The Day After Christmas, Gatherings Inside Homes Will Be Limited To Six People Or Two Family Bubbles. Restaurants Are Already Operating At Half Capacity And Have To Close At 10 P.M., And On Dec. 26 Will Also Have To Limit Groups At Tables To Six People Or Two Families. Premier Francois Legault Says The “Exponential” Increase In Coronavirus Infections Over The Past Week Is Continuing. He Says Quebec Will Report About 9,000 News Cases For Wednesday. Earlier This Week, The French-Speaking Canadian Province Abruptly Closed Bars, Gyms And Schools And Warned That Further Restrictions Could Be Coming While Awaiting Projections On The Spread Of The Virus And Its Impact On Hospitalizations.

U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Wife Are Divorcing U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn And His Wife Are Divorcing, The North Carolina Republican Announced In A Statement Wednesday, Citing Irreconcilable Differences. Cawthorn, 26, Who Was Elected To Congress Last November, Said That He And His Wife Cristina “Mutually Decided To Divorce.” He Shared The News Of Their Marriage In An April Tweet. Cawthorn Said Wednesday That They Were Engaged Before He Was In Congress, That After He Took Office Their Lives Changed, And That They Tried “Balancing The Enormity Of Such A Transition In Life.” “Together, We Realized That Balance Was Not Attainable, And That We Had Irreconcilable Differences Between Us,” He Said In The Statement Distributed By His Spokesman. Cawthorn, The Youngest Member Of Congress, Is A Member Of The Conservative House Freedom Caucus And An Ally Of Former President Donald Trump. He Has Promoted False Claims About Election Fraud And In August Warned About The Possibility Of "Bloodshed." His Spokesman Said He Was Not Advocating For Violence.

5 In Custody After Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon Carjacked At Gunpoint In Philadelphia Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., Was Carjacked At Gunpoint In A Park In Philadelphia On Wednesday Afternoon, Her Spokeswoman Said In A Statement. The Incident Occurred Around 2:45 P.M. At FDR Park In South Philadelphia, Where Scanlon Had Been Attending A Meeting Earlier, Said The Spokeswoman, Lauren Cox. Scanlon Was Unharmed, Cox Said In A Statement. "She Thanks The Philadelphia Police Department For Their Swift Response, And Appreciates The Efforts Of Both The Sergeant At Arms In D.C. And Her Local Police Department For Coordinating With Philly PD To Ensure Her Continued Safety," The Statement Said. Two Armed Men Approached Scanlon And Demanded The Keys To Her Vehicle — A Blue 2017 Acura MDX. Scanlon Surrendered The Keys, And One Of The Two Men Drove Off With Her Car. The Second Man Entered A Separate Vehicle And Followed The First Man, Philadelphia Police Said. Scanlon's Acura Was Found At A Shopping Center In Newark, Delaware, Around 9 P.M., And Five People Inside It Were Taken Into Custody, Delaware State Police Said. They Were Not Immediately Identified. The Investigation Is Ongoing, And Additional Details Will Be Released Once They Are Available, State Police Said. During The Robbery In Philadelphia, Several Personal And Work Items Were Also Taken With The Vehicle. “I Am Relieved That Congresswoman Scanlon Was Not Physically Injured, And My Thoughts Are With Her During This Difficult Time,” Said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. Philadephia District Attorney Larry Krasner Said Earlier That His Office Was Working With Police To Find The Robbers. "I Am Extremely Grateful That Congresswoman Scanlon And An Aide Who Was Accompanying Her Were Not Physically Harmed Today," Krasner Said. Scanlon, Who Is In Her Second Term, Represents Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District, Covering Delaware County, Parts Of South And Southwest Philadelphia And Small Parts Of Chester And Montgomery Counties.

Jan. 6 Committee Asks GOP Rep. Jim Jordan For Information On Communications With Trump Drag_Indicator WASHINGTON — The House Committee Investigating The Jan. 6 Riot At The U.S. Capitol Is Asking Rep. Jim Jordan Of Ohio For Information About His Communications With President Donald Trump On The Day Of The Attack. Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Sent Jordan, A Vocal Trump Ally, A Letter Wednesday Saying The Panel Believes Jordan Spoke "Had At Least One And Possibly Multiple Communications With President Trump On January 6th." "We Would Like To Discuss Each Such Communication With You In Detail," Thompson Said. Jordan's Office Did Not Immediately Respond To A Request For Comment From NBC News. In An Appearance On Fox News Wednesday Night, Jordan Said, "We’re Going To Review The Letter." "This Is Not What The American People Are Concerned About," Jordan Added. Thompson Said Public Reporting Suggests That "You May Also Have Information About Meetings With White House Officials And The Then-President In November And December 2020, And Early-January 2021, About Strategies For Overturning The Results Of The 2020 Election." Thompson Also Said The Panel Wants To Ask Jordan About His Involvement In Discussions Surrounding The Possibility Of Presidential Pardons For People Involved In Any Aspect Of The Attack Or The Planning For Jan. 6. Jordan, Who Was A Republican Ally Of Trump's When He Was In Office, Was One Of The 147 Lawmakers Who Took Part In The Last-Ditch Effort To Derail Joe Biden’s Legitimate Victory By Raising Objections To The Electoral College Results. The Committee Requested Information From Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., In A Similar Letter Monday, Saying The Bipartisan Panel Has Evidence Connecting Him To Events Surrounding The Attack On The Capitol. Perry Announced Tuesday That He Would Not Comply With The Committee. "I Stand With Immense Respect For Our Constitution, The Rule Of Law, And The Americans I Represent Who Know That This Entity Is Illegitimate, And Not Duly Constituted Under The Rules Of The US House Of Representatives," He Said In A Series Of Tweets. Separately, Jordan's Office Confirmed Last Week That He Was One Of The Lawmakers Whose Text Messages To Mark Meadows, Then The White House Chief Of Staff, Were Released By The Committee. The Jan. 6 Committee Has Made Public Numerous Documents, Including Text Messages, That Were Provided By Meadows. The Committee Revealed Several Text Messages To Meadows Sent By GOP Lawmakers, Whom It Did Not Name.

Manchin Joins Senate Democrats To Discuss Future Of Build Back Better Bill WASHINGTON — Joe Manchin Joined Fellow Senate Democrats For A Special Caucus Meeting Tuesday Night About Next Steps For The Build Back Better Act, Just Two Days After He Said He Could Not Support President Joe Biden’s Signature Legislation. Multiple Sources Familiar With The Call Confirmed That Manchin, D-W.Va., Attended. The Meeting, Which Took Place Virtually, Comes At A Precarious Moment For Biden. Manchin's Declaration Sunday That He Could Not Vote For The House-Passed Version Of The Bill Threw Its Prospects Into Doubt And Left The White House Scrambling To Salvage The Nearly $2 Trillion Package. “I Know We Are All Frustrated At This Outcome. However, We Are Not Giving Up On BBB. Period. We Won’t Stop Working On It Until We Pass A Bill,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Said In The Meeting, According To A Democratic Source, Who Added That The Call Lasted More Than 90 Minutes. A Source Familiar With Manchin's Thinking Said He Mostly Listened And Let Everyone Say Their Piece. Manchin Spoke In The Beginning, Largely Reiterating His Concerns With The Bill, The Source Said. Schumer Highlighted The Stakes Of The Bill In His Remarks, Noting That Some Economists Have Said They Will Downgrade Their Growth Forecasts If The Legislation Does Not Pass, The Democratic Source Said. “This Evening Senator Manchin Had An Honest Conversation With His Colleagues For Whom He Has A Great Deal Of Respect,” Said Sam Runyon, A Spokeswoman For Manchin. Schumer Said On The Call That The Senate Would Vote On A Revised Version Of The Build Back Better Act And A Potential Rules Change — If Republicans Do Not Drop The Filibuster — Early In The New Year. Both Endeavors Hinge, In Large Part, On Manchin, The Linchpin Of The 50-50 Senate. Changing The Filibuster Rules Would Allow A Vote On Sweeping Legislation To Expand Access To The Ballot Box And Safeguard Against Election Subversion. The Legislation Is A High Priority For Biden, Democratic Lawmakers And Progressive Advocates. Schumer Said In A Letter To Colleagues Monday That "The Right To Vote Is The Cornerstone Of Our Democracy," And He Accused Republicans Of Using The Filibuster To Protect "Voter Suppression And Election Nullification Laws" In GOP-Led States. "If Senate Republicans Continue To Abuse The Filibuster And Prevent The Body From Considering This Bill, The Senate Will Then Consider Changes To Any Rules Which Prevent Us From Debating And Reaching Final Conclusion On Important Legislation," He Wrote. The Remarks Were The Closest Schumer Has Come To Endorsing Changes To The Filibuster To Pass An Election Overhaul. For More Than A Year, Schumer Has Trod Carefully Around The Issue, Saying Only That All Options Are On The Table. Senate Democrats Have A Majority Of Votes To Pass The Freedom To Vote Act And The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, But Republicans Are Using The Filibuster To Prevent Both Bills From Advancing. Piercing The Filibuster, However, Would Require 50 Votes, Which Democrats Do Not Currently Have. Schumer Made It Clear This Week That The Senate Would Hold The Vote, Forcing Manchin And Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Who Also Supports The 60-Vote Threshold, To Make Their Positions Known On The Floor. "Members Will Be Given The Chance To Debate On The Senate Floor And Cast A Vote So That Their Choice On This Matter Is Clear And Available For Everyone To See," He Wrote In Monday's Letter. Schumer Reiterated His Plans For A Vote During Tuesday's Meeting, According To The Democratic Source, Saying: “We Are Now Called Upon To Act. We Alone Can Protect Our Democracy From These Attacks.” Manchin Has Been A Firm Opponent Of Invoking The So-Called Nuclear Option, Which Both Parties Have Used In The Past To Change Senate Rules With Simple Majorities. In Monday's Letter, Schumer Quoted Robert C. Byrd, The Late Senator Whose Seat Manchin Now Holds, As Saying Senate Rules That Previously Made Sense "Must Be Changed To Reflect Changed Circumstances."

Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Strikes Offshore Northern California A 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Struck Offshore In The Cape Mendocino Area Of Northern California, Followed By Aftershocks That Rattled Nerves And Caused Items To Fall From Shelves, Authorities Said Monday. No Major Damage Or Injures Were Reported. The Quake Struck At A Depth Of 5.6 Miles In The Pacific Ocean About 24 Miles West Of The Tiny Community Of Petrolia Along The Rocky Wilderness Of California’s Lost Coast Region In Humboldt County, The United States Geological Survey And The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department Said. The Quake Did Not Trigger A Tsunami Warning Because Of The Nature Of The Fault System From Which It Came, Seismologist Lucy Jones Posted On Twitter. No Injuries Were Immediately Reported After The Quake Struck At 12:10 P.M. Local Time, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman Samantha Karges Said In An Email. No Evacuations Have Been Ordered In The Sparsely Populated Region. Workers And Crews Were Deployed To Check For Damage To Roadways, And Two Roads Were Closed Due To Rock Slides Caused By The Shaking, Karges Said. In The Southern Part Of The County, Numerous Aftershocks Were Recorded Along The Coast, Her Department Said On Twitter. A Scientist In San Francisco Felt The Shaking About 200 Miles (320 Km) Away, The California Geological Survey Posted On Twitter. “Moderate To Strong Shaking Was Recorded By The Seismic Network Along The Coast,” A Posting On The Agency’s Twitter Feed Said. “The Earthquake Was Felt In San Francisco By This CGS Geologist!” In 1992, The Same Region Was Rattled By A Series Of Earthquakes That Damaged More Than 1,100 Homes And Businesses, The Los Angeles Times Reported Later That Year. The Largest Of The 1992 Quakes Measured 7.2, About 10 Times The Magnitude Of Monday’s Quake.

Democrats Pick Up The Pieces After Manchin Blows Up Build Back Better As Coronavirus Cases Surge In The Days Before Christmas, President Joe Biden Plans To Stress In A Speech The Importance Of Getting Vaccinated To Protect From The Wave Of Infections Tied To The New Omicron Variant. The World Is Confronting The Prospect Of A Second Straight Holiday Season With COVID-19 As Families And Friends Begin To Gather While The Variant Quickly Spreads. Scientists Don’t Yet Know Whether Omicron Causes More Serious Disease, But They Do Know That Vaccination Should Offer Strong Protections Against Severe Illness And Death. In A Preview Of Biden’s Speech Tuesday Afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Said At Monday’s Press Briefing That The President Doesn’t Plan To Impose Any Lockdowns And Will Instead Be Encouraging People To Get Inoculated — And, If They’re Eligible, To Get Their Booster Shot. “This Is Not A Speech About Locking The Country Down. This Is A Speech About The Benefits Of Being Vaccinated,” Psaki Told Reporters.