10 things you need to know today: December 18, 2020 Harold Maass 1. President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday picked Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to be his interior secretary. If confirmed, Haaland will be the first Native American to run the department, which oversees U.S. natural resources, parks, and tribal lands. Haaland is expected to shift the Interior Department from supporting fossil fuel development to promoting renewable energy. "I come from New Mexico. It's a big gas and oil state. And I care about every single job," the first-term member of Congress told The Washington Post recently. But, she added, change is needed "because that economy wasn't working for a lot of people." In another first for an increasingly diverse Cabinet, Biden also reportedly plans to nominate Michael Regan, North Carolina's top environmental regulator. He would be the first African American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. [