WHAT'S BREWING
BARR SHIELDS HIS PROBE INTO THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, giving him the authority of a special counsel to complete his work without being easily fired. Barr said U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane. [AP]
JUDGE REJECTS TRUMP RULES LIMITING FOREIGN WORKER VISAS A federal judge struck down two Trump administration rules designed to drastically curtail the number of visas issued each year to skilled foreign workers. The changes applying to the H-1B visa program announced in October include imposing salary requirements on companies employing skilled overseas workers and limits on specialty occupations. [AP]
TRUMP'S 'SAVE AMERICA' PAC IS A BAIT-AND-SWITCH SCAM Trump has raised many tens of millions of dollars with the promise of overturning his election loss, but his donors are actually pouring money into a fund he could use for Big Macs, golf equipment and, if he wants, even more hush money payments. Unlike political campaign and party committees, Trump’s “Save America” is a so-called leadership PAC with far less stringent rules regulating its spending. [HuffPost]
A FORMER PRINCIPAL HAS SOME THOUGHTS FOR BIDEN Before he ousted longtime Democrat Rep. Eliot Engel in a stunning primary win earlier this year, Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman was a public middle school principal in New York City. Now, as he prepares to enter the House, Bowman hopes to push Biden to choose a secretary of education who would understand the struggles faced by public school educators. [HuffPost]
OBAMA: 'DEFUND THE POLICE' ALIENATES VOTERS Former President Barack Obama drew criticism from progressive Democrats this week for suggesting that “snappy” slogans like “defund the police” are alienating voters and making it harder from a political standpoint to enact “changes you want done.” Obama’s remarks — particularly his use of the term “slogan” — were lambasted by several progressive Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Kentucky state Rep. Charles Booker and Cori Bush. [HuffPost]
GREGORY MEEKS TAPPED FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIR Top House Democrats tapped Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee, effectively ending a surprisingly competitive race for the chief foreign policy job in the lower chamber that highlighted shifts in thinking on global affairs within the party. Meeks is running against Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.). The full Democratic caucus will choose the winner on Thursday. [HuffPost] | 
