Top Items:

Obama orders ‘deep dive’ of election-related hacking — President Barack Obama has ordered a “deep dive” into the cyberattacks that plagued this year's election, the White House said Friday. — Obama has asked the intelligence community to deliver its final report before he leaves office.
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Learn from His Mistakes — Shortly after his inauguration in 2009, President Obama invited Republican leaders in Congress to a White House meeting. The House members brought a proposal with ideas for stimulating the economy, then suffering through the Great Recession.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page and Sabato's Crystal Ball

Obama orders review of Russian hacking during presidential campaign
Discussion:
Political Wire and Towleroad


Trump Expected to Pick Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to Run Interior — If confirmed by the Senate, she would lead administration's efforts to open up federal lands and waters to fossil-fuel development — WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Hot Air, Politico, Morning Consult and RedState
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Oil drilling advocate to be Trump pick for Interior Department
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Guardian and Washington Free Beacon

Donald Trump's Cabinet Selections Signal Deregulation Moves Are Coming
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics, New York Times, Occupy Democrats, Instapundit and Investor's Business Daily


Trump to pick Rep. McMorris Rodgers for Interior secretary
Discussion:
TheBlaze

GOP Plans Major Social Security Cuts — We'll have a story coming shortly on what I just mentioned a short time ago: that Republicans are now planning to pass major cuts to Social Security this year. Specifically, this bill is being introduced by Rep. Sam Johnson, Chairman of the House Ways …
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla …
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Going for the Big Enchilada — Republicans apparently aren't going to be satisfied with phasing out Medicare. They're going to try to pass huge cuts to Social Security this year too. Not Bush-style partial phaseout but just big, big cuts. And you're out of luck even if you're a current beneficiary.

Key GOP lawmaker introduces Social Security reform plan
Discussion:
Johnson, Sam, Politicus USA and Mother Jones

Trump Team's Memo Hints at Broad Shake-Up of U.S. Energy Policy — Advisers seeking to identify staff involved in climate policy — Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump are developing plans to reshape Energy Department programs, help keep aging nuclear plants online and identify staff …
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Trump transition team for Energy Department seeks names of employees involved in climate meetings
Discussion:
Mashable, Jezebel, ThinkProgress and The Week

McConnell, Cramer met to discuss potential Senate run — Senate Major Leader Mitch McConnell met with North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer this week to discuss a potential open Senate seat. — The Tuesday meeting at the National Republican Senatorial Committee offices comes as President-elect …
Discussion:
Say Anything, Political Wire and Hot Air
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Senate Dems facing likely defeat in shutdown fight — Senate Democrats are fighting a legislative battle they appear unlikely to win, demanding new negotiations on a critical spending bill after Senate Republicans have already closed off talks and the House has gone home for the holidays.
Discussion:
Washington Post, TheBlaze, Hot Air and The Resurgent

Paul Ryan: I had a ‘very exciting meeting’ with Trump today — Speaker Paul Ryan said he had a “very exciting meeting” with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Friday. — “I really enjoyed coming up here and meeting with the president-elect. We had a great meeting.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and ABC News
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Giuliani won't serve in Trump administration — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a longtime Donald Trump — ally, will not be serving in the president-elect's administration. — Giuliani has removed himself from consideration for any position in the new administration, the Trump transition team announced Friday.
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Rudy Giuliani won't be Trump's secretary of state — More On: — Rudy Giuliani will not be secretary of state, according to a new report. — The former New York City mayor, a loyalist to Donald Trump during the worst moments of the campaign, will not be named the nation's top diplomat, according to CNN.

Carrier says it will spend millions automating Indiana plant, plans to lay off workers Trump ‘saved’ — The deal keeps getting worse. — As part of the deal President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence struck with Carrier, the company has promised to make a $16 million investment …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Common Dreams, Jezebel, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, NBC News and Mediaite
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Carrier to ultimately lose some jobs Trump saved: report
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, Washington Monthly, The Week, New York Magazine, TheBlaze and KTLA


COULD BREITBART BREAK WITH TRUMP? — The front page of Breitbart right now seems surprisingly critical of the Trump transition: — From that lead story: … Wow — the Trump News Network is linking a Trump appointee to the hated rootless cosmopolitan gun-grabber Mike Bloomberg. Them's fightin' words.
Discussion:
The Hill, Salon, Breitbart and Washington Monthly
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Trump gets one presidential intelligence briefing a week: sources — President-elect Donald Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, far fewer than most of his recent predecessors.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Common Dreams, Mediaite, Hullabaloo, Jezebel, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, CBS News and Hot Air
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Let's relocate a bunch of government agencies to the Midwest — Time to shift economic activity from the overcrowded coasts to places that need more of it. — America's post-industrial Midwest is far from being the country's poorest region. To find the direst economic conditions in the United States …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money


T.J. Miller — Arrested for Uber Fight Over Trump ... 'Tis the Season?? — “Silicon Valley” star T.J. Miller got arrested in Hollywood for allegedly making his Uber driver see stars, and not the good rating kind either. — Law enforcement sources tell us T.J.'s driver picked him up from the GQ Men …
Discussion:
LAist, Washington Times, East Bay Times and SFist


Could a Last-Minute Suitor Woo Megyn Kelly Away from Fox News? — Despite an offer of more than $20 million from Fox, Kelly appears to be listening to some surprising suitors. — On Wednesday morning, Megyn Kelly was once again promoting her new memoir, Settle for More …
Discussion:
The Hill, AOL, USA Today, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Mediaite, RedState, FTVLive and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »


This is what happens when Donald Trump attacks a private citizen on Twitter — About a year ago, 18-year-old college student Lauren Batchelder stood up at a political forum in New Hampshire and told Donald Trump that she didn't think he was “a friend to women.”
Discussion:
BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, Occupy Democrats and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »


Balloon Pilot Who Killed 16 Was on Drugs and Had Five DWI Raps — NTSB documents on July crash reveal loopholes in oversight — Accident was worst fatal U.S. aviation accident since 2009 — The pilot of a hot-air balloon that crashed last summer in Texas, killing himself and 15 sight-seeing passengers …


Conway on Trump ‘Apprentice’ role: He'll do it in his spare time — (CNN)Kellyanne Conway on Friday defended President-elect Donald Trump's decision to remain an executive producer on NBC's “Celebrity Apprentice” even as he takes office, arguing that “presidents have a right to do things in their spare time.”
Discussion:
RedState, The Hill, NPR, Jezebel, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, NBC News and Variety, more at Mediagazer »

Main Line woman, 62, gets jail for selling heroin out of home — A 62-year-old Main Line woman who sold heroin out of her home, near an elementary school, to undercover police officers last year was sentenced Friday to 90 days in prison and seven years' probation, almost a year of which she will spend on house arrest.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly


Trump just offered yet another Goldman veteran a spot in his administration — Goldman's Cohn offered NEC director job - NBC — Donald Trump has offered Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn a key economic post, which would add to the administration another veteran of the powerful firm …
Discussion:
The Intercept, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Common Dreams, Raw Story, Morning Consult, The Week, Mediaite, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and New York Magazine