December 17, 2021

20 Dec December 17, 2021

Top News

• Biden signs debt limit increase, averting potential economic disaster. CNN
• Joe Manchin cancels Build Back Better’s Christmas party. Vox
• South Africa Daily Covid Cases Hit Record; Hospitalizations Muted. Bloomberg
• Senate parliamentarian rejects ‘Plan C’ immigration plan. Roll Call
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics. Politico

Energy & Natural Resources

• Democrats push forward with EV tax credits. Roll Call
• Biden orders U.S. to stop financing new carbon-intense projects abroad. Reuters
• Coal shrugs off climate goals. Axios
• The world is burning the most coal ever to keep the lights on. The Business Standard

Indian Affairs

• Native American communities lashed by Covid, worsening chronic inequities. Guardian
• Native American leaders on Long Island seek unmarked burial sites law. Newsday
• Oregonian Chuck Sams sworn in as 1st Native American director of National Park Service. Oregonian
• Inside the US push to uncover Indigenous boarding school graves. Al Jazeera

Labor 

• OSHA opens probe into deadly Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois. CNBC
• U.S. economy poised for strong end to 2021; labor market tightening. Reuters
• California’s Revised Covid-19 Worker Safety Rule Nears Approval. Bloomberg Law
• SCOTUS to decide if stopped train is ‘in use’ under labor law. Reuters

Taxation & Trade

• U.S. Pitches Truce to Japan Over Trump-Era Steel, Aluminum Tariffs. Bloomberg
• A Wonky Tax Break for the Well-Off Is a Bigger Problem for Democrats Than You’d Think. Time
• Key House Ag Dem wants to hear from Tai as ag worries about Biden trade approach. AgriPulse
• Guam, America’s Forgotten Territory, Is New Front Line Against China. Wall Street Journal

Technology 

• Americans want tighter government regulation of social media. Axios
• States and Localities Seek Unified Front Against Ransomware Threats. RouteFifty
• Internet outages point to web’s concentration of power. NBC
• Silicon Valley’s voice in Washington dissolves. Politico

Transportation & Infrastructure 

• Biden administration to announce plans to recruit truck drivers. Roll Call
• A Congressman’s Parting Message to Transit Supporters: Get Excited. Bloomberg CityLab
• Amtrak’s New $22 Billion Man: Meet the CEO Who Will Manage Its Federal Infusion of Cash. Wall Street Journal
• Seattle’s regional transit system adopts plans for more equitable service. Smart Cities Dive

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