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.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ABC News, Townhall.com, NBC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Verge, NPR, Occupy Democrats, The Week, Washington Post and Mashable
RELATED:


Obama orders review of Russian hacking during presidential campaign — President Obama has ordered a “full review” of Russian hacking during the November election, as pressure from Congress has grown for greater public understanding of exactly what Russia did to interfere in the electoral process.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Towleroad


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 Investigation Into Election-Related Hacking
Discussion:
Politico, Talking Points Memo and Washington Free Beacon


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:
RedState, Morning Consult and Washington Free Beacon
RELATED:


Oil drilling advocate expected to be Trump pick for Interior Dept.: sources — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a climate-change skeptic and an advocate for expanded oil and gas development, to run the Interior Department …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico and The Guardian

Donald Trump's Interior Secretary Doesn't Want to Combat Climate Change — On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump has chosen Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Republican Conference, to be his Secretary of Interior.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal


Trump Eyes Goldman Sachs President for Economic Post; Millions Spent on Campaign, and Millions Made Back
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo

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

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 …
RELATED:

Trump transition team for Energy Department seeks names of employees involved in climate meetings
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and The Week


McConnell huddles with GOP rep to discuss possible ND Senate opening — (R-Ky.) and his incoming campaign chairman, Sen. Cory Gardner — (R-Colo.), huddled with Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) this week to discuss the congressman's possible future in the upper chamber, sources told The Hill.
RELATED:

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, Hot Air and The Resurgent

McConnell exploring options for potential open North Dakota Senate seat — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell met with North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer this week to discuss a potential open Senate seat, POLITICO has confirmed. — The Tuesday meeting at the National Republican Senatorial …
Discussion:
Political Wire

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
RELATED:

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, Jezebel, Common Dreams, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, NBC News, Mediaite, Raw Story and WTVR-TV
RELATED:


Carrier to ultimately lose some jobs Trump saved: report — Carrier will eventually lose some of the 800 jobs President-elect Donald Trump — fought to save at the air conditioning and heater manufacturer's Indianapolis plant, according to a new report. — United Technologies …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Resurgent, TheBlaze, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, The Week 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:
Salon, Washington Monthly, Hot Air and Politico
RELATED:

Conway On Trump Decision Not To Leave ‘The Apprentice’: Obama Played Golf! — Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, on Friday morning defended the President-elect's decision to stay on as an executive producer of NBC's “The Apprentice,” comparing the move to President Obama's time playing golf.
Discussion:
Variety and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:

Conway on Trump ‘Apprentice’ role: He'll do it in his spare time
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, NPR, The Daily Caller and NBC News


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 …


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, RedState, USA Today, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, FTVLive, Mediaite and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »


Trump's EPA pick will make Obama regret his environmental overreach — Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's nomination for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is as clear a signal as the incoming administration can send with regard to its environmental policies.
RELATED:


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:
Occupy Democrats, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »


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:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Morning Consult and The Week


Dems give high marks to CNN, Republicans rank Fox No. 1 in media credibility poll — A new poll shows a party-line split on how the public views certain media outlets. — On one ideological side of the Morning Consult poll, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and The New York Times all enjoy high credibility …


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:
Common Dreams, CBS News, Mediaite, Hullabaloo, Jezebel, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Hot Air

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 …


Foes of Russia Say Child Pornography Is Planted to Ruin Them — CAMBRIDGE, England — His indomitable will steeled by a dozen years in the Soviet gulag, decades of sparring with the K.G.B. and a bout of near fatal heart disease, Vladimir K. Bukovsky, a tireless opponent of Soviet leaders …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Politicus USA and The Daily Caller