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Biden concentrates policy power in the White House with climate and energy picks

The incoming Joe Bidenadministration just filled in some of the biggest blanks on its energy and climate team, and the decisions say plenty about its approach.

Catch up fast: Obama-era EPA boss Gina McCarthy is slated to be named Biden's White House domestic climate policy adviser to lead a government-wide policy push.


  • Ali Zaidi, a top New York State energy and climate official, is expected to be named her deputy. Neither role requires Senate confirmation.
  • Biden is expected to nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as secretary of Energy.
  • Michael Regan, North Carolina's top environmental regulator, has emerged as a leading candidate for the nominee to run EPA.
  • Biden announced he's nominating Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation.

Quick take

1. Executive experience is at a premium. That makes sense because the odds of steering major climate legislation through Congress are very low.

  • The New York Times reports that climate advocates see choosing McCarthy as a "signal that the administration was prepared to bypass Congress and enact measures using executive authority to begin bringing down greenhouse gases."

2. A related point: Familiarity with the federal regulatory process is important for the Biden team.

  • McCarthy has that. So does Zaidi, who was a senior official in President Obama's White House Office of Management and Budget.
  • And Regan was at EPA during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

3. It's top-heavy. The Biden team is concentrating a lot of policy power in the White House.

  • McCarthy, a prominent name in the climate world, will be the domestic counterpart to special climate envoy John Kerry, the highest-profile name on Biden's climate and energy team.
  • Kerry's job, while under the State Department's purview, includes a seat on the National Security Council.

4. Cars — Granholm is very familiar with the auto sector. That matters because Biden hopes to greatly speed up adoption of electric vehicles as part of his energy and climate agenda.

5. The new picks have avoided inflaming intra-Democratic tensions. Groups on the left flank of the green movement last night applauded the choices of McCarthy and Granholm.

  • New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, reportedly a leading candidate for the Interior Department, is a top choice for progressives, so keep an eye on that one.

6. It's a diverse slate. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary, while Haaland, if selected, would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary.

  • Regan would be the first Black man to lead EPA, while Granholm would be the second woman to run the Energy Department.

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Mark Warner emerges as moderates' dealmaker-in-chief

As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain navigate the legislative minefield of the next few months, they'll often turn to a moderate Democrat who gets far less ink than Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) or Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).

The big picture: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) has become a pivotal player in the multi-trillion-dollar negotiations that will shape the Democrats' electoral prospects, Joe Biden's presidency and the future of the country.

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Affirmative action on college campuses is endangered

Data: National Center for Education Statistics; Chart: Connor Rothschild/Axios

Affirmative action, which for 60 years has increased the number of students of color at American universities, is on the chopping block. A case accusing Harvard of discriminating against Asian applicants has made it to the Supreme Court, and the court could elect to get rid of the 60-year-old policy.

Why it matters: While that's an unlikely outcome, it could push colleges to come up with better ways of promoting diversity on campus rather than just looking at race, says Mitchell Chang, an education professor at UCLA.

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