memeorandum: ExxonMobil helped defeat Russia sanctions bill (Elana Schor/Politico)

11:30 AM ET, December 18, 2016

Top Items:

A new poll shows an astonishing 52% of Republicans incorrectly think Trump won the popular vote — Amid the speculation on whether the electoral college will refuse to make Donald Trump president, many Trump opponents are pinning their hopes on one glaring fact: Hillary Clinton's sizable win in the popular vote.

Discussion: Political Wire

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 2.8 million. Most Republicans are convinced he won. — They are very wrong. — Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, collecting 2.8 million more votes than Donald Trump. Her margin of victory was more than five times larger than Al Gore's …

Discussion: alan.com and New York Times

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Electors under siege — On Monday, members of the Electoral College will cast their historic votes for the next president of the United States. In the meantime, they are under siege. — The nation's 538 presidential electors have been thrust into the political foreground like never before in American history.

Discussion: Political Wire, Hot Air, The Point, Vox Popoli, Vox, Business Insider and Independent Journal Review

Robert Samuels / Washington Post:

In last-shot bid, thousands urge electoral college to block Trump at Monday vote — Pressure on members of the country's electoral college to select someone other than Donald Trump has grown dramatically — and noisily — in recent weeks, causing some to waver, but yielding little evidence …

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, Victory Girls Blog, The Week, Occupy Democrats, RedState and TheBlaze

John Shattuck / BostonGlobe.com:

Donald Trump raises specter of treason — A specter of treason hovers over Donald Trump. He has brought it on himself by dismissing a bipartisan call for an investigation of Russia's hacking of the Democratic National Committee as a “ridiculous” political attack on the legitimacy of his election as president.

Discussion: RedState, Hot Air, The Reality-Based Community, CANNONFIRE, Raw Story and Scripting News

ABC News:

‘This Week’ Transcript 12-18-16: Donna Brazile — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR ‘THIS WEEK’ on December 18, 2016 and it will be updated. — MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC HOST: Let's take that straight to Donna Brazile, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, which took the brunt of Russia's cyber hack.

Discussion: Politico and Politicus USA

Elana Schor / Politico:

ExxonMobil helped defeat Russia sanctions bill — ExxonMobil successfully lobbied against a bill that would have made it harder for the next president to lift sanctions against Russia, clearing the way for the oil giant to restart a program worth billions of dollars if Donald Trump eases those restrictions as president.

The Huffington Post:

Is Donald Trump Mentally Ill? 3 Professors of Psychiatry Ask President Obama to conduct “a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation” — Communication Strategist, Author of “Words That Shook The World” — We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect.

Discussion: Raw Story, Occupy Democrats, RedState and alan.com

Nicki Rossoll / ABC News:

DNC Chair Contradicts Obama: Russian Hackers Came After Us ‘Until End of Election’ — Democratic National Chair Donna Brazile said Russian hackers persisted in trying to break into the organization's computers “daily, hourly” until after the election — contradicting President Obama's assertion …

Discussion: Political Wire

Stephanie McCrummen / Washington Post:

In the Chappaqua woods, a search for Hillary Clinton — CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. — The other day, Carol Meyer and her friend Ellen went walking in the woods of Chappaqua. For all they knew, they might see a coyote or some rare mushrooms or Hillary Clinton. — “I just have a sense — ” said Ellen, putting on her gloves.

Discussion: twitchy.com

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:

Intelligence expert: 10 years ago Trump would have faced a treason trial after being ‘co-opted’ by Putin — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Appearing on MSNBC's AM Joy, an intelligence expert flatly stated that 10 years ago President-elect Donald Trump would be facing …

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:

China says it will return US drone it seized — China said Saturday it will return the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) it seized in the South China Sea from the U.S., the Pentagon confirmed. — “We have registered our objection to China's unlawful seizure of a U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle operating …

Discussion: The New Americana, ABC News, Occupy Democrats, The Right Scoop, BizPac Review and Mediaite

Karl de Vries / CNN:
US says China will return underwater drone; Trump slams Beijing over incident

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:

On victory lap, few signs Trump focusing on unified nation — MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday wrapped up his postelection victory tour, showing few signs of turning the page from his blustery campaign to focus on uniting a divided nation a month before his inauguration.

Discussion: The Root, Power Line, alan.com and The Week