MORNING MESSAGE
It
might not seem so in the middle of a day’s news cycle, especially with that news
always being about Donald Trump, but 2015 marked a year of change in a
progressive direction. And the country is solidly behind this move ... The
public might be moving left, but The Money isn’t, and so far The Money talks. So
federal policies aren’t moving anywhere. If enough people walk to the polls in
2016, we can change that.
Sanders Takes On Fed
Sanders
calls for Federal Reserve reform in NYT oped: “Banking industry executives
must no longer be allowed to serve on the Fed’s boards and to handpick its
members and staff.”
Both
Sanders and Clinton camps say they might get out-fundraised. W. Post: “With
the end of the latest fundraising quarter drawing near, the campaigns of Hillary
Clinton and Bernie Sanders played the expectations game Tuesday — with both
camps suggesting the other Democratic hopeful very well might raise more
money.”
Trump’s
tax plan would cost nearly $1 trillion per year. W. Post: “‘If you wanted to
cut spending to offset these tax cuts you’d have to eliminate all of national
defense and still a bunch of discretionary spending or spending on Medicare and
Social Security to do it.’ said Tax Policy Center Director Leonard Burman…”
Cruz
pledges to scrap Paris climate deal reports The Hill.
Right-Wing Blowback
Grassroots
conservatives lash out at Speaker Ryan after spending deal. W. Post: “…the
rumblings of discontent in conservative circles should worry Ryan. We’ve learned
not to underestimate the power the outside agitator class has on much of the
Republican caucus.”
Franklin
Graham quits Republican Party over Planned Parenthood funding. Politico:
“[Graham] declared himself an independent in a lengthy Facebook post … ‘I have
no hope in the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or Tea Party to do what
is best for America.’ … Graham also announced a state-by-state tour of the
country to hold prayer rallies. His tour — which will hit every state capital —
kicks off Jan. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa.”
Solar Setback
Big
loss for rooftop solar in Nevada. Politico: “…the Nevada Public Utilities
Commission … voted to slash the payments that [Warren] Buffett-owned NV Energy
must pay to homeowners whose rooftop solar panels feed electricity into the
grid, and to hike the fees for homeowners to connect their panels to the wider
power system … payments will stop and the fees will rise even for homeowners who
had installed their panels under the previous program.”
Coal’s
decline hurts budgets in West Virginia and Wyoming. WSJ: “In West Virginia,
officials project a $250 million state budget deficit for the current fiscal
year, including $190 million from plummeting coal-tax revenue … In Wyoming, Gov.
Matt Mead, a Republican, said this month that the state is facing a $159 million
revenue shortfall for the fiscal year 2016.”
Obamacare Still Works
Obamacare
health plan signups break 8 million. The Hill: “The quicker pace likely
indicates people are seeking to avoid the higher cost of being uninsured in
2016. People without insurance by tax season will face far steeper penalties,
almost double the fee from the previous year … this year’s sign-ups include 2.1
million people under age 35 — nearly double the number of young people enrolled
during the same period last year.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
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