December 18, 2020

21 Dec December 18, 2020

Top News

• Congress hits a new snag on Covid relief bill as shutdown deadline looms. NBC News
• Over 1.1 million ballots cast in early voting for Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs. Reuters
• 45,000 names, 130 packets of information, and gut instincts: How Biden is managing his transition. Washington Post
• Biden’s Health-Secretary Pick Becerra Would Focus on ‘Covid, Covid, Covid’. Wall Street Journal
• FDA prepares to OK a second vaccine as average daily cases and deaths hit records. CNN
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics. Politico

Energy & Natural Resources

• Biden to tap former Michigan Gov. Granholm to lead Energy Department. Politico
• How green technologies may ‘outcompete’ high carbon sectors by 2030. Greenbiz
• Biden picks top North Carolina environmental official to run EPA. Washington Post
• Biden’s Twin Climate Chiefs, McCarthy and Kerry, Face a Monumental Task. New York Times
• Inslee proposes his latest climate-change package as part of Washington budget. The Seattle Times

Indian Affairs

• Biden makes historic pick with Haaland for Interior secretary. The Hill
• First Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered In Hard Hit Indigenous Communities. NPR
• Trump’s impact on Indian Country over four years. High Country News
• Tribal leaders respond to the idea of an Indigenous Interior secretary. High Country News
• A crisis of invisibility: inside San Francisco’s planned Native American cultural center. The Guardian

Labor

• Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Plan Vote On 1st U.S. Union. NPR
• How Biden Can Move His Economic Agenda Without Congress. New York Times
• Weekly initial jobless claims rose to 885,000 last week. NBC News
• Can Your Employer Require You to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? AARP
• Panel Finds ‘Serious Concerns’ With Mexican Labor Reforms. New York Times

Taxation & Trade

• Trump asks about special counsel for Hunter Biden tax investigation. USA Today
• Government Leaders Clash Over Next Step for Trump’s Ban on Chinese Stocks. Wall Street Journal
• Talking With The Tax Court Chief Judge: A Year Of Change. Forbes
• U.S. brands Vietnam, Switzerland as currency manipulators. NBC News
• Foreign Investment Pours Into China Despite Trade War, Pandemic. Bloomberg

Technology

• Appointee who led Trump’s tech crackdown tapped for top DOJ role. Politico
• The antitrust lawsuits against Google just keep coming. CNN
• Trump Could Torpedo a Bill to Boost Funding for AI. Wired
• FTC orders Amazon, Facebook and others to explain how they collect and use personal data. CNBC
• US cyber-attack: US energy department confirms it was hit by Sunburst hack. BBC News

Transportation & Infrastructure

• Infrastructure key to balancing climate and economic goals in developing countries. Science Daily
• Strong Freight Rates Drive Up Demand for Leased Trucks. Transport Topics
• Mayor de Blasio will ride subway to prove it’s safe amid COVID-19. New York Post
• Public transit in the US is already underfunded. The pandemic has made it worse. Vox
• Study explores link between public transportation and spread of seasonal flu. Washington Post
• The Emergency Funding Ideas That Could Help Keep Transit Alive. Bloomberg City Lab

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