Axios

Beto O’Rourke is "supportive of the concept" of a Green New Deal and "is looking forward to engaging more on the issue," a spokesperson told HuffPost.

Why it matters: O’Rourke is the latest potential presidential candidate to back the general concept of a progressive climate proposal that aims for zero carbon emissions and more green jobs. An aide for Sen. Elizabeth Warren told Axios earlier this week that she also supports the "idea" of a Green New Deal.

Go deeper: Democrats debate how to face "the existential threat of our time"

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in a 60 Minutes interview scheduled to air Sunday that it may be necessary to impose tax rates as high as 70% on the wealthiest Americans in order to fund the climate change policies proposed in the Green New Deal.

The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez admitted this is an "ambitious" goal, and her spokesperson, Corbin Trent, told Axios she was referring to "more of a general, progressive taxation policy" than any concrete tax proposal. Progressive wealth taxes are likely dead-on-arrival in the Senate, where Republicans control the agenda.

A D.C. district judge has extended the federal grand jury being used by special counsel Robert Mueller up to another 6 months, as its 18-month term was set to expire in the coming days, reports CNN's Katelyn Polantz.

Why it matters: Media outlets have speculated throughout the investigation of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia that the special counsel may soon be wrapping up his probe. The extension of the grand jury suggests otherwise.

Go deeper: What we now know about Trump and Russia

Dan and Axios' Amy Harder discuss The Green New Deal, a proposal by progressive Democrats that would simultaneously address climate change and income inequality. What it is, its prospects and how it will play into the 2020 presidential race.

Go deeper: Democrats turn left on climate change

Democrats still have almost no power to make policy in Washington, but what they do next matters a lot.

The big picture: Two overlapping events — the soft launch of the 2020 White House race and Democrats assuming House control this week — open a crucial period in deciding what kind of policy they will push if they regain White House and perhaps Senate control.

For the first time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected declining coal demand from 2021 to 2022 as well as overall flat consumption through 2023. The IEA also found that, despite recent small increases in both 2017 and 2018, world consumption still likely peaked in 2014.

The big picture: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report, OECD countries must eliminate coal by 2030 in order to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. Now that global coal consumption may have peaked, the question is how fast OECD countries will move from this plateau to absolute declines.

Nancy Pelosi is once more the most powerful Democrat in the country, assuming the task of leading her caucus through a generational change as the Democratic Party increasingly looks like the people it represents.

The big picture: After becoming the first female speaker of the House in 2007, she became the second one today by reclaiming the gavel.

Former oil industry lobbyist David Bernhardt became acting secretary of the Interior on Wednesday following the departure of Ryan Zinke.

Why it matters: President Trump campaigned on the promise of "draining the swamp." But Bernhardt is just the latest in a revolving door of special interests to take over key positions in the president's Cabinet. The New York Times’ Eric Lipton notes that as of Thursday, the Defense Department will be run by a former Boeing executive, the Department of Health and Human Services will be run by a former pharmaceutical lobbyist and the Environmental Protection Agency will be run by a former coal lobbyist.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Kevin McIntyre has died at 57.

The big picture: McIntyre, a Republican, had stepped aside as chairman of the commission last fall after announcing a "serious health setback." E&E News, which first reported on his passing, notes that McIntyre's brief time heading FERC was nonetheless consequential. He led the unanimous rejection of Energy Secretary Rick Perry's request for sweeping changes in power market rules to benefit coal-fired and nuclear plants, and he launched a review of how FERC vets gas pipeline proposals.

President Trump finally has a top science official in place after veteran meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote Wednesday to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Why it matters: Trump took longer to name a science adviser than any other president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Trump administration has been grappling with complex science topics with a depleted science staff and no OSTP director.

Apple's big reveal yesterday that China's economic slowdown will dampen revenues shows one reason why oil prices face headwinds despite OPEC's move to dial back production.

Why it matters: The tech giant's warning points to economic clouds that could also affect other sectors — including oil, which is already under pressure from rising U.S. supplies.

Scientists are seeing signs that global weather patterns toward the latter half of January and into February may shift significantly to usher in severe winter weather for parts of the U.S. and Europe.

How it works: The possible changes are being triggered by a sudden and drastic warming of the air in the stratosphere, some 100,000 feet above the Arctic, and by a resulting disruption of the polar vortex — an area of low pressure at high altitudes near the pole that, when disrupted, can wobble like a spinning top and send cold air to the south. In this case, it could split into three pieces, and those pieces would determine who gets hit the hardest.