“Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is launching the Independent Leadership Council, a new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress that will focus first on competitive seats this election cycle,” Semafor reports.Said Manchin: “We’re trying to build a true independent network. Not a third party, but a movement of people that will bring our country and the people who are participating in politics today more towards the center.”CNN: Joe Manchin reenters the political orbit with a new independent experiment.