Red-Hot Scandals, Green Lightbulbs And A Blue Christmas

Plus: The top 10 juiciest ethics scandals of the year...Conan and Leno ad lib their way through the writers’ strike...the Garden State gets rid of capital punishment...we want a turkey sandwich at Alec Baldwin’s house...say hello to Charity 2.0....what “No Country For Old Men” and “Mad Men” have in common...who’s spying on you and who’s trying to stop them...and a discovery of real-life R.O.U.S.es. It’s Tuesday, December 18 and this is Mic Check. Happy Birthday, Mr. Pitt.

Celebration Excuse

Welcome to America, pilgrims. Mayflower passengers come ashore at Plymouth Rock.

1865

Let freedom ring. Georgia ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, fulfilling the two-thirds requirement for ratification, and banning slavery in the United States.

1892

We think we ate some bad gingerbread...we’re seeing dancing candy. The first performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker is held at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

1996

The Brits have cockney, we’ve got this. The Oakland, California school board passes a resolution officially declaring “Ebonics” a language or dialect.

2006

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigns, Robert Gates is sworn in as the new Secretary of Defense. Good riddance.

Rocking, revolutionary birthdays:

  • 1863: Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria whose assassination sparked World War 1
  • 1878: Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union and father of the gulag
  • 1943: Keith Richards, perpetually doped up Rolling Stones guitarist
  • 1946: Steven Spielberg, visionary film director
  • 1963: Brad Pitt, hottie
  • 1980: Christina Aguilera, the anti-Britney

Daybook

CONGRESS

SENATE

10:00AM

Senate Armed Services: Full committee hearing on the nominations of Mary Beth Long and James Shinn, both to be an assistant secretary of the Defense Department; and Craig Duehring and John Gibson, both to be an assistant secretary of the Air Force.

Senate Judiciary: Full committee hearing on the nominations of Ondray Harris to be director of the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service; David Hagy, to be director of the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice; Scott Burns to be deputy director of National Drug Control Policy; Cynthia Dyer, to be director of the Justice Department’s Violence Against Women Office; and Nathan Hochman, to be an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

2:30AM

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing on “Oil Spills from Non-tank Vessels: Threats, Risks, and Vulnerabilities.”

HOUSE

10:00AM

House Judiciary: Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee hearing on “Oversight Hearing on the Legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.”

1:00PM

House Judiciary: Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on H.R.4175, the “Privacy and Cybercrime Enforcement Act of 2007.”

TBA

House Oversight and Government Reform: Full committee hearing on steroid use in Major League Baseball.

TV

TIVO

The View: Actor Denis Leary; author Thomas Schumacher and the Broadway production of “Mary Poppins.'’

Tyra: Tyra surprises the audience with gifts; holiday hair, makeup and entertaining; Boyz II Men perform.

Rachel Ray: Actresses Anne Hathaway and Marlo Thomas reveal their favorite holiday gifts that give back; the best Web sites for last-minute Christmas shopping; root-vegetable pasta bolognese.

Charlie Rose: Actor Brad Pitt.

Ellen: Twelve Days of Giveaways; actress Carmen Electra discusses her new aerobic striptease DVDs; Colbie Caillat performs.

Oprah: Mothers, daughters and wives spend five life-changing days at a boot camp.

STAY UP LATE

Letterman: Cher; Jerry Springer.

Leno: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio; actress Naomi Watts; the Goo Goo Dolls perform.

Craig Ferguson: Actress Katey Sagal; actor Colin Hanks; Brian McKnight performs with Craig Ferguson; Regis Philbin performs with Craig Ferguson.

Conan: Comic Bob Saget; actress Maggie Q; comic Shane Mauss.

 

Eavesdrop

STEAL THIS AUDIO

A conversation with CAROL BROWNER, the former head of the EPA (back when they remembered what the “P” stood for).

  • The News: The House of Representatives today is expected to pass the massive, long-awaited Energy Bill today, sending it along to President Bush’s desk.
  • What’s In It: The bill will increase the fuel efficiency of cars in the United States for the first time since 1995 by 40%, to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. (That alone could reduce our oil consumption by 2 million barrels a day by 2030.)
  • What’s Not: To stop the Republicans from blocking the bill, the Senate had to strip out a provision that would have revoked the $13.5 billion subsidy given to the top 5 oil companies. It also had to lose the provision requiring 15% of electricity to come from renewable energy by 2015.

Now, here’s Carol Browner

  • Will POTUS sign it? “The president said a couple of weeks ago that he would veto the bill under consideration in the House, that Speaker Pelosi had put forward. I think now that the president will sign it.”
    Former EPA head Carol Browner, on the odds Bush will veto the new energy bill — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

  • Don’t give him too much credit: “At the same time the Democratic Congress has been pushing for fuel economy standards, unfortunately the administration, their work in the international discussions in Bali this last month have really left something to be desired.”
    Carol Browner, on Congress vs White House on energy — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

  • The Bill Is Pretty Historic: “You know, there was a lot in the bill passed by the House that was really pretty remarkable. The fact that we didn’t get everything doesn’t mean we didn’t get what we need and it doesn’t mean we didn’t get something really historic.”
    Carol Browner, on even after Senate changes to bill, it’s still what we need and historic — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

  • And The Fight Isn’t Over: “I firmly believe that Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid will return to the renewable electricity standards and the oil company tax provisions.”
    Carol Browner, on whether Congress will come back to oil subsidies and renewable electricity — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

  • What Happens Next: “The good news in the work the House and Senate have been doing is that we now have a piece of our energy problem in order, and that’s our cars, but there’s still an awful lot to be done. The good news is states have been doing a lot of things, cities, municipalities, but we’re still going to need Congress. But I think with the Democratic leadership, there’s reason to be optimistic.”
    Carol Browner, on what happens next in the US with energy — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

Guest Idea: Want Carol Browner on your show to talk about this bill? Let us help — contact us at charvey@amprog.org.

Popularity Contest

What’s black and white and read all over?

NYT: Latter-Day Republicans vs. the Church of Oprah

WP: Late-Night Hosts to Return Without Writers

USAT: Singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg dies

LAT: Body is found in L.A. tow yard a day after car accident

ABC: Huck invokes Christ in new TV ad

NBC: N.J. first state in 42 years to ban death penalty

CBS: A-Rod: I’ve Never Used Steroids

CNN: Jury: Millionaire couple enslaved housekeepers

FOX: FOX TV Reporter Refuses to Give In to Skin Disorder Turning Him White

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Grant Ginder and Ben Furnas, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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