Daily Briefing - 1/4/07

After a lengthy and enjoyable break, the briefing is back! And what better day to restart than on the first day of the 110th Congress, where the Democrats officially take over both houses for the first time since 1994? Media outlets throughout the country are analyzing and predicting what the shift in power will portend, while those in power are doing their darndest to articulate gloriously vague, yet promising policies.

One of the major pieces of Speaker Pelosi's First 100 hours agenda will be to strip Big Oil of its superfluous subsidies and force them to pay back royalites. They will use this revenue to fund clean energy alternatives and hopefully reward consumers for efficient and clean energy usage. It will be a great step in fighting global warming.

Speaking of warming... it's 65 degrees in Washington, D.C. today... January 4th. Hmm, no wonder reports are coming out saying that 2007 could very well be the warmest recorded year EVER. Thankfully, our friends at Exxon are working ever so hard (ahem, paying lots of money) to tell us the truth (ahem, propaganda) about global warming. Since, you know, the climate trends aren't warming. Umm, right.

Lots more in the briefing. Be sure to check out your favorite conservative and liberal blogs today. Talk about wearing your emotions on your sleeve.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 1/4/07
669 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Democrats hope to take from big oil, give to green energy
- Exxon accused of trying to mislead the public … nothing like a report that screams, “duh”
- World likely to have warmest recorded year in 2007
- Pennsylvania and the fight against global warming
- Researchers say warming may change the Amazon
- Warming may out Dutch skating race on ice
- Utah ski resort studies effects
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- The 110th Congress convenes, with new leaders
o A new era
- House Democrats prepare to tighten lobbyist rules
o Barack Obama: A chance to change the game
o Pelosi walking the tightrope of ethics and politics
- Democrats tiptoe around tax cuts
- Faced with undemocratic tactics created by them, Republicans now stand righteous in opposition
- Rep.-elect pulls a political checkmate on Rep. Virgil Goode
Potential ‘08ers…
- Clinton (honing ’08 strategy), Romney (forms committee), Giuliani (the world’s mayor), Giuliani again (leaked book documents ’08 run), Thompson (pledges weekly visits to IA), McCain (Prisoner of conscience), McCain again (target for all sides), Edwards (silicon valley strategy)
Other News from the Media
- Plugging into the sun
- Wal-Mart puts its muscle behind power saving bulbs
- Looking green is looking good
- President Bush to talk tough on energy in SOTU
o Think Progress reminds us that he did that last year
…and the Blogosphere
- Dailykos: Pelosi is breaking the marble ceiling
- Grist:
o On New Year’s resolutions
o Countering The Economist’s claims on ethical food
o 20 predictions for 2007
o Questioning E85
- An NRO Symposium: Advice to the minority
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Saturn’s biggest moon has lakes
- The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
- How much trouble can one letter be?
Quotes O’ the Day
"We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true." ~ Robert Wilensky