WHAT'S BREWING
SCOTUS SEEMS SKEPTICAL OF TRUMP'S CENSUS PLAN The Supreme Court sounded skeptical that Trump could categorically exclude people living in the country illegally from the population count used to allot seats among the states in the House of Representatives. But it also appeared possible that the justices could avoid a final ruling on the issue until they know how broadly the Trump administration acts in its final days in office and whether the division of House seats is affected. [AP]
PARTY LEADERS KEEP PRETENDING A VIRUS DEAL IS IN REACH As coronavirus cases continue to spike, and as a number of economic relief provisions expire in the coming weeks, congressional leaders are hard at work assuring voters that a stimulus deal is right around the corner ― any day now, maybe, hopefully, probably not. Without congressional action, nearly 12 million people will lose federal unemployment benefits the day after Christmas. [HuffPost]
REPUBLICANS SLAM BIDEN'S 'RADIOACTIVE' CABINET PICK Senate Republicans are sharpening their knives for Neera Tanden, Biden’s announced pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, in what is quickly shaping up to be the first congressional fight of his presidency. Tanden, 50, previously served as an adviser to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama. [HuffPost]
SUNDAY WAS BUSIEST FOR U.S. AIR TRAVEL SINCE MARCH Sunday was the busiest day of air travel in the U.S. since mid-March, around the time world health officials declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration screened 1.18 million individuals at security checkpoints on Sunday, the highest number since March 16, when 1,26 million were screened. [HuffPost]
ANTI-VAX COMMUNITIES PIPELINE FOR QANON RADICALIZATION Last week, Facebook axed the biggest anti-vaccine group on its platform. “Stop Mandatory Vaccination,” which at one point had more than 200,000 followers, was a cesspool of anti-vaccine propaganda, where members regularly peddled and profited off “natural remedies” while discouraging each other from seeking traditional medical care. Facebook doesn't have a policy against spreading dangerous health misinformation. It was shut down for promoting QAnon. [HuffPost] | 
