ON JANUARY 8th:

TODAY IS “THE KING’s” BIRTHDAY. And while Elvis Presley would have been 85 years old today, “kingmaker” John Podesto is a mere 70. Following stints in the Clinton and Obama White Houses, Podesto started The Center for American Progress (CAP), a public policy research group whose efforts include the youth-engagement organization, Generation Progress.

NEW LAWS ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS THE COUNTRY—including a minimum wage increase to $15/hour (or more) in 72 jurisdictions; California’s Consumer Privacy Act, allows residents to demand that companies disclose and delete personal data; and The Crown Act (also in CA) which now makes it illegal to enforce grooming codes that don’t allow African-Americans employees to wear afros, braids, twists or locks.

“PARTY OF FIVE” PREMIERES ON FREEFORM (9:00 PM). This perfectly-timed reboot has the five Acosta siblings not losing their Mexican parents to an automobile accident—but deportation. Like the One Day at a Time reboot, it offers a rare glimpse of Latino life. And producers are hoping the show’s name recognition will bring a built-in audience to this moving look at our nation’s immigration struggles.