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By Julia Rock

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“We can’t restore the soul of the nation with Rahm Emanuel in public office.” — U.S. Rep-Elect Jamaal Bowman

TODAY’S READS:

  1. Blue Horseshoe Loves GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler
  2. Meet the New Boss: Biden Adviser Lobbied For The Trump Tax Cut
  3. $1 Million Corporate Checks For A Zoom-Call Inauguration

TODAY’S STAT:

More than $1 billion: The amount of money that defense contractors and the U.S. government’s national security and defense agencies contributed to 50 of the nation’s most influential think tanks between 2014 and 2019.

TODAY’S GOOD NEWS:

GOP Senate incumbents in Georgia are behind in a new survey from the same polling firm that accurately predicted Biden’s win in the state.

TODAY’S FLASHBACK:

In 2015, Potential HHS Secretary Gina Raimondo stripped abortion access from 9,000 families in her state.

TODAY’S CLICKS:

  • BETSY DEVOS GOES FULL MARIE ANTOINETTE: As students get crushed by college debt, outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has a let-them-eat-debt message –– this week she slammed new proposals to cancel college debt as “the truly insidious notion of government gift giving.” Left unmentioned: Her billionaire family has benefited from lots of government gift giving.
  • FARMWORKERS SUING TRUMP: A group of farmworker advocacy organizations are suing the Trump administration over a wage freeze for essential workers, which we first reported last month.
  • BIG VOTE ON FOREIGN POLICY: The showdown between Reps. Joaquin Castro and Gregory Meeks for chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is coming to a vote today, with progressive groups backing Castro (and his willingness to investigate the Trump administration) against the more senior (and scandal-ridden) Meeks.
  • BLUE STATE APPROVES NEW OIL PIPELINE: Construction began this week on an oil pipeline that will cut through northern Minnesota, after regulators approved the final permit for the project, which has faced years of resistance from Indigeneous groups, activists and scientists. But it’s not over: Protests will continue, and environmental and Indigenous groups have filed a new lawsuit to delay the project.
  • THIS ISN’T A "PURITY TEST": Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo (the top contender for Health and Human Services Secretary) shielded nursing homes from liability just after lobbyists asked her to –– that record indicates how she will behave as the nation’s top health care official. Still wondering why cabinet picks matter? Our David Sirota dove in on NPR last weekend.

TODAY’S OWN:

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