TRUMP TRANSITION WATCH: Carson to HUD is official
Trump has formally tapped Ben Carson to be the next Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, NBCNews.com reports.
More, from the Washington Post: “If confirmed by the Senate, Carson will be enlisted to serve as Trump’s unofficial envoy to African Americans and to lead the charge to reform what Trump has described as America’s blighted and dangerous inner cities, a dystopian, racially-charged image criticized as frequently at odds with the facts. He will also lead Trump’s efforts in an arena where Trump and members of his family have been accused of flouting the law in their own business.”
From the New York Times: “Tom Price Is Eager to Lead H.H.S., and Reduce Its Clout”
A new wrinkle to Ivanka Trump’s sit-in on her father’s meeting with the Japanese prime minister, from the New York Times: “Ms. Trump is nearing a licensing deal with the Japanese apparel giant Sanei International, both parties told The New York Times. The largest shareholder of Sanei’s parent company is the Development Bank of Japan, which is wholly owned by the Japanese government.”
From POLITICO: “President-elect Donald Trump’s unwillingness to give up his far-flung real estate empire by selling it off or giving it outright to his children may be driven by a factor he has yet to mention publicly: a potentially staggering tax bill triggered by such a transaction.”
“Top candidates for one of the nation’s most powerful financial-regulatory jobs include two people who are skeptical of the Dodd-Frank law and a third who believes the 2010 measure didn’t go far enough in clamping down on big banks,” writes the Wall Street Journal. “Donald Trump’s transition team has placed a priority on nominating a Federal Reserve vice chairman in charge of bank oversight, and there are three early contenders, according to people briefed on the matter: John Allison, a former banker; Paul Atkins, a consultant and a former member of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Vice Chairman Thomas Hoenig.”
Possible Secretary of State pick David Petraeus says he made a “serious mistake” in mishandling classified information.
From the Washington Post: “A North Carolina man was arrested Sunday after he walked into a popular pizza restaurant in Northwest Washington carrying an assault rifle and fired one or more shots, D.C. police said. The man told police he had come to the restaurant to “self-investigate” a false election-related conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton that spread online during her presidential campaign.”
TRUMP AGENDA: Breaking protocol
World leaders see Trump as “inexperienced.” Andrea Mitchell and Amy Walter discuss the ramifications in today’s Post Game.
A briefer, from NBCNews.com: “When President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, he not only broke decades of U.S. protocol, he also opened the door to potential trouble with China — which has long refused to recognize the controversial island as a separate nation. The phone call, described by Taiwan's presidential spokesperson as a "friendly talk," is believed to be the first time a U.S. president or president-elect has had contact with a Taiwanese leader since before the U.S. cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979.”
The Wall Street Journal: “A range of global issues requiring cooperation between Beijing and Washington—including management of the global economy and climate change—stand to become more complicated if Friday’s call results in a policy shift once Mr. Trump takes office… Beijing has been in a quandary over how to view Mr. Trump’s election. Some analysts in both countries believe a Trump presidency will focus on America’s economic problems, giving China an opportunity to advance its strategic interests in East Asia. Others see Mr. Trump as a pragmatic deal-maker and discount his rhetoric on trade.”
DEM WATCH: Pipeline protesters declare victory
“Protesters celebrated a major victory in their push to reroute the Dakota Access oil pipeline away from a tribal water source but pledged to remain camped on federal land in North Dakota anyway, despite Monday's government deadline to leave,” writes the AP.
And from the New York Times: “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe won a major victory on Sunday in its battle to block an oil pipeline being built near its reservation when the Department of the Army announced that it would not allow the pipeline to be drilled under a dammed section of the Missouri River. The Army said it would look for alternative routes for the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline. Construction of the route a half-mile from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation has become a global flash point for environmental and indigenous activism, drawing thousands of people out here to a sprawling prairie camp of tents, tepees and yurts.”
“Senate Democrats are preparing to put Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks through a grinding confirmation process, weighing delay tactics that could eat up weeks of the Senate calendar and hamper his first 100 days in office,” POLITICO reports.
The AP has the latest on the Jill Stein-backed recounts.