Monday, Dec. 5

· The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of the Colorado graphic designer who refuses to create websites for LGTBQ customers, citing her first amendment right to free speech is being violated by the state’s law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

· The Department of Homeland Security extended the deadline for REAL ID enforcement another two years. The new deadline is May 7, 2025, due to circumstances relating to COVID-19.

Tuesday, Dec.6

· President Joe Biden released a proclamation honoring the memories of the 2403 service members who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, that led to the U.S.’ formal entry into World War II.

· Vice President Kamala Harris met President Maia Sandu of Moldova at the White House. The Vice President welcomed Moldova’s progress on its reform agenda and reaffirmed U.S. support for Moldovan energy security and self-defense.

· At the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Washington, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan delivered introductory remarks highlighting world changes since the previous Summit in 1983: “That was the year of the first mobile phone. It was the year that the actual official “Internet” came on to the scene. It was the year the United States launched our second Space Shuttle into orbit. It was a year when we glimpsed but did not fully grasp just how integrated our world was going to become.”

· Biden spoke at the TSMC semiconductor plant in Phoenix, Arizona, detailing his vision for U.S. manufacturing.

· The Biden-Harris Administration announced the first Federal Building Performance Standard, setting a goal to cut energy use and electrify equipment and appliances in 30% of the building space owned by the federal government by 2030. These actions are the latest step in pursuit of Biden’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions in all federal buildings by 2045.

· The U.S. Department of Energy announced a proposed rulemaking to cut emissions in new federal buildings and federal buildings undergoing major renovations. Because the federal government is the country’s single largest energy consumer and building manager, these new actions will save taxpayer dollars by reducing energy use while cutting millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions, increasing resilience, strengthening U.S. energy independence, and growing the jobs of the future in America.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

· Democrats secure a 51-49 Senate majority with Senator Raphael Warnock’s run-off win in Georgia.

· An auction for five off-shore wind farms off California’s coast netted $757.1 million, the funds headed for the U.S. Treasury’s general fund. The auction was the third wind lease sale this year and the first in the Pacific. The White House has committed to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

· The President signed two bills into law: the “Safe Connections Act of 2022,” which requires mobile service providers, after receiving a line separation request from a survivor of domestic violence, human trafficking, or other related crimes, to separate the line of the survivor and any individual in the care of the survivor from a shared mobile service contract with the abuser, and the “Speak Out Act,” which prohibits judicial enforcement of a nondisclosure clause or nondisparagement clause agreed to before a dispute arises involving sexual assault or sexual harassment.

· The White House concluded a two-day series of meetings with more than 50 state legislative leaders from 31 states ahead of the 2023 state legislative session. Chaired by senior administration officials the focus was on lowering costs and expanding access to health care and housing; building a cleaner, more sustainable America; preventing gun violence and supporting criminal justice reform; strengthening our democracy; and pursuing freedom for all, including civil rights, reproductive rights, gender equity, and LGBTQI+ equality.

· Biden spoke at the 10th annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence, telling attendees, “Folks, events like this are hard. They’re hard for all of you, because it brings back the very moment that everything happened, no matter how many years pass, no matter how many years go by. And it brings it back. But your voices matter. Your voices matter a great deal.”

Thursday, Dec. 8

· The House agreed to Senate amendments and passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and required the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages.

· Biden announced the release and return to the U.S. of WNBA star Brittney Griner, after his administration brokered an exchange with Russia for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner had been held in Russian prison since February, when she was arrested for carrying vape cartridges with hash oil.

· Senator Kyrsten Sinema left the Democratic Party to become an independent. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented that “Senator Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months … and we have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.”

· The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal judge Beryl A. Howell to hold Donald Trump’s office in contempt of court for failing to fully comply with a subpoena to return all government documents in his possession.

Friday, Dec. 9

· Biden authorized up to $275 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Sunday, Dec. 11

· Biden spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine to underscore ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine’s defense as Russia continues its assaults on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. 

· The Justice Department announced that Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is in custody, charged two years ago with the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988.