US Senate leaders win over key Democratic holdout as party struggles to push through Biden’s Covid relief plan

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin brought the Senate to a standstill on Friday over a policy dispute that threatened to upend President Joe Biden’s top agenda item — a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill — and prompted a furious lobbying effort behind the scenes after Democrats thought they had party unity.West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin brought the Senate to a standstill on Friday over a policy dispute that threatened to upend President Joe Biden’s top agenda item — a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill — and prompted a furious lobbying effort behind the scenes after Democrats thought they had party unity.