President Biden acknowledged Thursday that the centerpiece of his agenda, a nearly-two trillion dollar social programs package known as the Build Back Better Act, won't pass the Senate before Christmas as Democrats had hoped. West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin is a key holdout. But Congress was able to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling, despite doubts that they could reach consensus.

And: is there a rising workers' and unionization movement in the United States? Many low-income workers have seen a sharp increase in their pay during the pandemic, though an increase in the cost of goods stemming from an overloaded supply chain has softened the impact of the pay jump.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and business correspondent Alina Selyukh.

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