The Hill’s 12:30 Report

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The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump wants investigation into intel leaks | Pelosi says hacking report could be released today | Congress to certify Electoral College votes | Warren running for reelection | Earmarks face tough comeback

BREAKING — TRUMP CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO INTEL LEAKS: President-elect Donald Trump on Friday called for lawmakers to investigate U.S. intelligence leaks to NBC about information on Russian interference in the election. “I am asking the chairs of the House and Senate committees to investigate top secret intelligence shared with NBC prior to me seeing it,” Trump tweeted Friday. http://bit.ly/2jjHZP9

BACK STORY: NBC’s William Arkin, Ken Dilanian and Hallie Jackson reported last night that top Russians celebrated when Trump won the election. “Highly classified intercepts illustrate Russian government planning and direction of a multifaceted campaign by Moscow to undermine the integrity of the American political system,” said the official. http://nbcnews.to/2jjN36v

THE HACK DEBATE IS BEING COMPARED TO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS. GREAT. FANTASTIC.: President-elect Donald Trump on Friday dismissed the firestorm surrounding allegations Russia intervened in the presidential election as a “witch hunt” carried out by bitter political opponents. “They got beaten very badly in the election,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times. Oh the timing!: Trump’s interview came out just before he was scheduled to receive a classified briefing from top intelligence and national security officials on the extent of Russian hacking tied to U.S. elections. Next up: Trump’s 12:30 p.m. intelligence briefing!  http://bit.ly/2jjwEin

STIRRING THE POT: Trump’s top aide Kellyanne Conway repeatedly clashed Friday with CNN’s Chris Cuomo over Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that the intelligence community has concluded Russia interfered with the election. “We had a president of the United States, in October, who could have … pushed back harder, but he did not. Because what was he doing? He and Hillary Clinton, and all of their teams were out there, absolutely believing that she was going to be the next president,” Conway said during the heated exchange. Full back-and-forth: http://bit.ly/2hYTRRu

WHAT TO WATCH LATER TODAY — YIPES: A declassified report on the Russian hacking intel will reportedly be released on Friday afternoon. “Pelosi calls Gang of 8 intel briefing on Russia today ‘stunning’ & says later in the day some of the report will be released to the public.” (From NBC’s Alex Moe) http://bit.ly/2i0Dvex

Happy Friday! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.

DID ANYONE GIVE TRUMP A HEADS UP SO HE CAN COME UP WITH MORE POCAHONTAS JOKES?: Via The Boston Globe’s Matt Viser, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced this morning that she is running for reelection in 2018. Why this race could be epic: Warren could face a challenge from former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who has become a conservative firebrand. http://bit.ly/2ijGDjq

AND FOUR DAYS INTO THE 115th CONGRESS, WE HAVE A RETIREMENT: Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) announced that he will not be seeking reelection. What this means: Johnson’s departure will open up a spot on the influential tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs a subcommittee overseeing Social Security. http://bit.ly/2iJN1DG

SPEAKER PAUL RYAN’S REACTION: “Sam Johnson is more than a dear friend and colleague. He is my hero.” (From The Hill’s Scott Wong) http://bit.ly/2jjEoAD

I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN A FLY ON THAT WALL…: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on Friday personally removed a controversial painting that depicts police officers as feral pigs from a hallway connecting to the Capitol. Back-story: It was displayed as part of an annual art competition sponsored by House member offices. Rep. Lacy Clay’s (D-Mo.) office awarded it a first-place prize last summer, which grants it a spot in the Capitol complex that hundreds of lawmakers, staff and visitors pass by each day. What Hunter did with the painting: Hunter returned the painting to Clay’s office on Friday morning. http://bit.ly/2iMv5pK

HERE’S WHAT COULD GO DOWN AT TODAY’S ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE: A group of House Democrats is considering a challenge to Donald Trump’s election at Friday’s joint session to certify the Electoral College tally. How they can do it: Members are allowed to protest when Congress officially counts the electoral votes, and Reps. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) may take advantage of that opportunity. But keep in mind: There’s virtually nothing they can do to prevent Trump’s win. It’s just symbolic. http://bit.ly/2iJztrW

‘WE WANT PENCE. WE WANT PENCE!’: Via The Hill’s Jordain Carney, Vice President-elect Mike Pence is poised to become the administration’s point man on Capitol Hill. Pence has already signaled a strong presence in legislation — and has more than a decade of experience with Congress. Who this is reminiscent of: Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a former lawmaker who frequently went to Capitol Hill during the George W. Bush administration. http://bit.ly/2hY9RUc 

BREAKING THIS A.M. — OBAAAMER’S FINAL JOBS REPORT: Employers added 156,000 jobs in December, slightly below expectations, in President Obama’s final jobs report in office. The unemployment rate rose to 4.7 percent as the labor market inches closer to full employment. Context: When President Obama took office in January 2009, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. Labor markets have been cranking out modest gains in the first full month since Trump won the election. http://bit.ly/2ijrizs

THE OPPO TALKING POINTS WRITE THEMSELVES: Via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan, Republican leaders are refusing to commit to their replacement plan covering as many people as ObamaCare does now. But here’s the thing: Congressional Republicans are moving quickly to repeal, but a replacement won’t come until later this year. Twenty million people gained coverage under ObamaCare, leading to worries some could be left behind. http://bit.ly/2jiTEh8

WHAT, YOU THINK YOU CAN GET A DRINK UNDER $20? IN THIS ECONOMY?!: Via Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman, the Trump D.C. hotel has raised the prices of cocktails again. Now: The cheapest cocktail is $24; the most expensive is $100. When they opened in September 2016: Cocktails ranged from $16 to $20, then hiked to $20–$24 in October and now are in the $24–29 range. http://bit.ly/2jiTEh8

TRUMP’S TWITTERPLOMACY DU JOUR — THAT’S ONE BIG “LITTLE WORD” TO ADD: President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to address a controversy over who will pay for his proposed border wall with Mexico. During the campaign, Trump said Mexico would pay for it, but reports Thursday claimed Trump would ask Congress for the money. On Friday, Trump claimed Mexico would eventually pay the U.S. back. He tweeted: “The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!” That means: American taxpayers, we’re looking at you! http://bit.ly/2i0kwRy 

BAD TIME FOR EARMARKS: Via The Hill’s Scott Wong, House Republicans’ push to bring back earmarks this year faces a much tougher road after the GOP’s disastrous and unsuccessful effort this week to weaken a congressional ethics watchdog. The GOP conference, senior lawmakers said, has little appetite for a public fight over an unpopular political issue derided by critics as “pork-barrel spending” and seemingly at odds with Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to “drain the swamp.” http://bit.ly/2ijGJaR

 

NOTABLE TWEETS:

​The New York Times’s Lance Booth
The difference between these alerts tho http://bit.ly/2ik5ILg 

 

ON TAP:

Noon: The House meets.

12:30 p.m. EST: President-elect Donald Trump‘s intelligence briefing is expected to begin.

12:45 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Josh Earnest gives the daily press briefing.

1 p.m. EST: The House and Senate meet for a joint session to count the Electoral College ballots for president and vice president.

3:10 p.m. EST: Vice President Biden meets with electronic health record companies for his cancer “moonshot” initiative.

 

WHAT TO WATCH:

Noon: MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell sits down with outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry.

5 p.m. EST: An excerpt of Chuck Todd’s interview with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will air on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” as well as reaction from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) The full interview will air Sunday.

Sunday: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Defense Secretary Ash Carter will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

Sunday: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

10 a.m. EST Sunday: The Hill’s Scott Wong interviews the new Republican Study Committee Chairman, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers.” 

 

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…:

Today is National Shortbread Day!

*HARD CLICK*: Headline in The Atlantic: “Is NASA Paving the Way for Asteroid Mining? The agency just green-lit a robotic mission to the most metal-rich space rock in the solar system.” http://theatln.tc/2jbCEWc

AMERICA’S EXPENSIVE HABIT: The Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham mapped out America’s $6.7 billion marijuana habit by percentage of users 12 and over by state. Hint: Washington, D.C., has one of the highest usage rates in the country. Map: http://wapo.st/2i0evEt

THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE: Via Mashable, the Seinfeld theme song was completely improvised. “Jonathan Wolff, the man responsible for writing the riff, improvised the sounds using his mouth, hands and a simple bass line that could be rearranged according to the timing of Jerry’s ever-changing monologues.” http://on.mash.to/2ijM2qB

And because you read this far, here’s the best dog smile: http://bit.ly/2hYBrQS

 

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