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

Obama orders review of Russian election-related hacking
Discussion:
MichelleMalkin.com, ThinkProgress, Morning Consult, BizPac Review, Politicus USA, New York Magazine, AOL, twitchy.com, Washington Post and The Root

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:
Political Wire, Hot Air, RedState, Politico and Morning Consult
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Oil drilling advocate to be Trump pick for Interior Department
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Guardian and Washington Free Beacon

Transition Questionnaire Raises Worries of a Purge; Dreamers Are Offered a Bridge; Goldman Sachs Adds to the Team
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 …
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Trump transition team for Energy Department seeks names of employees involved in climate meetings
Discussion:
Jezebel, ThinkProgress and The Week

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.
Discussion:
Johnson, Sam, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, alicublog and Mother Jones

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
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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


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.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Donald Trump's Cabinet Selections Signal Deregulation Moves Are Coming — Business leaders predict changes may come in everything from overtime pay to power-plant emission rules — Business leaders are predicting a dramatic unraveling of regulations on everything from overtime pay …
Discussion:
Occupy Democrats, Instapundit and Investor's Business Daily
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Trump's EPA pick will make Obama regret his environmental overreach
Discussion:
New York Magazine

Trump's Cabinet: A Conservative About Face Toward Growth and Change

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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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, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Jezebel, 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, TheBlaze, The Week, New York Magazine and KTLA


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, NPR, The Hill, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller and NBC News, more at Mediagazer »
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Conway On Trump Decision Not To Leave ‘The Apprentice’: Obama Played Golf!
Discussion:
The Week and Variety, more at Mediagazer »


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, Talking Points Memo, Jezebel, Political Wire, CBS News and Hot Air
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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:
Washington Times, East Bay Times, LAist and SFist

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 …


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 »


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:
RedState, Vox, Common Dreams, Raw Story, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Morning Consult, The Week, Mediaite and New York Magazine