The “variant of interest” edition. Omicron has arrived. But we don’t yet know how infectious it is, how deadly, or how well current vaccines protect us against it. We don’t even know how it will fare on a COVID-19 playing field that has been thoroughly dominated by the delta variant for roughly the past five months. What we do know is this: until all parts of the world are largely vaccinated, variants will continue to emerge, some harmless, others deadly.

For proponents of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a challenging obstacle recently has emerged. That obstacle is not Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), although McConnell certainly is challenging. It’s not even Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), although Manchin definitely represents an obstacle. No; the most recent and perhaps the greatest impediment to Build Back Better’s passage in the Senate is the fear of inflation – and fears stoked by opponents  that more government investment will simply make things worse. 

CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on the Build Back Better Act, the infrastructure bill, FY22 spending bills, a blocked effort to protect voting rights, and more.

Giving Thanks Edition. Thanksgiving is coming. So instead of our usual statfest, we’ve listed out ten things/people we’re thankful for. Really, our thankfulness for the House vote to pass Build Back Better is overflowing. We are grateful for President Biden’s and Speaker Pelosi’s vision and leadership. And we are unendingly grateful to all the advocates whose tireless work has gotten us this far – and grateful for what we’ll all being doing together next. Some items didn’t make the big 10 – but we remain grateful for caffeine and chocolate. We hope you can enjoy what and who you’re most grateful for this holiday – Happy Thanksgiving!