THURSDAY’S MINI-REPORT…. Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Trying to give the Copenhagen talks a shot in the arm: “With time running out, the United States sought Thursday to inject new momentum into talks here aimed at reaching a global agreement to control greenhouse gases, backing a proposal to create an international pot of money for developing countries that could be worth more than $100 billion a year by the end of the next decade.”
* In addition, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the talks, reminded China that it must agree to monitoring if a deal is to be reached. An international agreement, Clinton added, would be impossible “in the absence of transparency from the second-biggest emitter” in the world — in other words, China.
* China doesn’t sound like it’s ready to strike a deal.
* At least one right-wing member of Congress is on China’s side on this.
* House passes jobs bill, 217 to 212: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) muscled a $154 billion jobs bill through the House on Wednesday evening just before Congress departed for a holiday recess. With the vote in serious doubt until seconds before it was gaveled to a close, Pelosi worked the floor furiously, imploring her caucus to stick with her and move the measure through.” It received zero GOP votes.
* The AFL-CIO is really unsatisfied with the Senate health care bill. SEIU President Andy Stern doesn’t like the bill, but nevertheless believes “it is time for the Senate to send this bill on to conference.”
* Perhaps today’s single most gratifying moment was watching Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) cut off Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), not letting him finish a speech.
* The Senate Banking Committee approved Ben Bernanke’s Federal Reserve nomination, 16 to 7.
* Paul Krugman wants the reform bill to pass: “By all means criticize the administration. But don’t take it out on the tens of millions of Americans who will have health insurance if this bill passes, but will be out of luck — and, in some cases, dead — if it doesn’t.”
* John Podesta makes the progressive case for the reform bill.
* David Plouffe is weighing in, too.
* I’ve seen some commenters ask how the Senate bill controls health care costs without a public option. Ezra offers five good examples.
* Lee Fang raises a compelling point about Howard Dean’s evolving standards on what constitutes “real” reform.
* Taking the gamble out of student loans.
* Some on the right are calling for an immigration moratorium. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis slammed the idea.
* Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was asked about his former friendship with Al Gore. Perry said he’d personally seen the light on carbon emissions, while the former vice president has “gone to hell.”
* And for some in the political media establishment, it will always, always be 1998.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
