The Hill’s 12:30 Report

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The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump rejects reports tying him to Russia | Refuses to take question from CNN | Details plans for handing business to sons | Rubio grills Tillerson on Russia | Feinstein gets a pacemaker | First lady on Fallon 

BREAKING — TRUMP HOLDS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE ELECTION:  President-elect Donald Trump just finished his first press conference since the summer, with him and his team rejecting explosive media reports alleging that intelligence officials are investigating whether the Russian government has compromising personal and financial information about him. http://bit.ly/2jjqKKN 

Here are the other top moments:

On BuzzFeed’s report: Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer referred to it as a “sad, pathetic attempt to get clicks.” Trump praised the media outlets that refrained from publishing the explosive allegations about him. http://bit.ly/2jE1Okz

Most-tense moment: Trump got in a screaming match with CNN’s Jim Acosta. “I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news.” http://bit.ly/2igHBfl

On Putin: “If Putin likes Donald Trump, guess what folks. That’s called an asset! Not a liability!” http://bit.ly/2jjrWxF

On hacking: “Trump says ‘hacking is bad’ but says look at what was ‘learned’ from that hacking.” Trump also said he thinks Russia may be behind the election hacks, but will respect the U.S. more under his administration. http://bit.ly/2j87GSx 

On his tax returns: Trump said he doesn’t think the public cares about his returns and won’t release them because he’s being audited.: http://bit.ly/2j1BD47

BREAKING — SURPRISE CABINET ANNOUNCEMENT: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday also announced his selection of an Obama nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. David Shulkin has served as under secretary of health for the VA since 2015. I.e.: This should likely be an easy confirmation. http://bit.ly/2ik4SQU

{mosads}

BREAKING — ​TRUST, MAN. TRUST!: During the press conference, President-elect Trump said he will turn over his business operations to a trust controlled by his sons and an associates. A Trump lawyer laid out their plans for avoiding conflicts of interests. Donations: “He will donate to the United States government all profits from foreign government payments to his hotels, the officials said,” the lawyer said. Foreign deals?: The Trump Organization will also refrain from entering into any new deals with foreign partners. Full details from the New York Times: http://nyti.ms/2j6MZG5

What. A. Wednesday. Remember how stressed we all were for the busy week because of the confirmation hearings?! That doesn’t even begin to cover it. 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.

THE BACK STORY — SO LAST NIGHT ESCALATED QUICKLY…: CNN’s Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, Jake Tapper and Carl Bernstein (!) reported that intelligence officials have briefed Donald Trump on a dossier of unverified material alleging that the Russian government is in possession of compromising information about the president-elect. CNN said it reviewed 35 pages of memos from which the synopsis was drawn, but would not publish them. http://cnn.it/2icTKXG

Oh, but then BuzzFeed did: Shortly after the CNN report, BuzzFeed published the 35 pages of claims reporters have been unable to verify for months.

BuzzFeed’s reasoning: It was circulated through the highest levels of American government and the media, so let readers see and decide for themselves. Read the staff memo from BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith explaining the move: http://bit.ly/2j6b3ck

It’s stirred quite the debate: Should BuzzFeed have published them? Was it ethical? Was it dangerous, or does the public have a right to see the information? The New York Times has a good explainer of the debate: http://nyti.ms/2j6omsW

REACTIONS — BASICALLY A MUSHROOM CLOUD:

Trump’s initial reaction: “FAKE NEWS — A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” Full series of tweets: http://bit.ly/2jDfL2a

Trump’s next reaction — Godwin’s law strikes fast: “Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to ‘leak’ into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?” Trump tweeted. http://bit.ly/2icTLLb

Where Prague gets involved: Some of the dossier’s claims also came under scrutiny. The unverified dossier alleges contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials. In particular: “It alleges that Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump, was central to ‘the ongoing secret liaison relationship between the New York tycoon’s campaign and the Russian leadership,’ and that he met secretly with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016.” Cohen denied these claims and said he’s never been to the Czech Republic, even tweeting a photo of his passport. http://theatln.tc/2iFRQuT

The McCain connection: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that he delivered the dossier’s containing unverified claims Russia had compromising info on Trump to FBI Director James Comey. “Late last year, I received sensitive information that has since been made public,” McCain said in a statement on Wednesday. “Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the Director of the FBI. That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue.” http://bit.ly/2j6sSrF

Helpful read — what we know vs. what we don’t: From The New York Times’s Scott Shane: http://nyti.ms/2j1bt1C

 

CONFIRMATION HEARING UPDATES:

REX TILLERSON HAS SOME PUNNY PROTESTERS: Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing for secretary of State has been going on since 9:15 a.m. The Hill’s Ben Kamisar, Timothy Cama and Devin Henry have been live-blogging: http://bit.ly/2ig3trt Key moments and color from the hearing: 

Live-stream of the hearing: http://cs.pn/2j1f67D

Fireworks so far –> http://gph.is/2fvDIDv: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) grilled Tillerson on Russia. Rubio: “Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?” Tillerson: “I would not use that term.” Rubio then rattled off facts about the devastation in Aleppo, which Russian forces helped the Syrian regime retake from rebels.

Russian election interference: Recap from The Hill’s Jordan Fabian: “Tillerson says fair to assume Putin was behind Russian election interference, but noncommittal about whether to keep punishments.” http://bit.ly/2j7OuUR

To lobby or not to lobby?: “I think you called me at the time,” Sen. Bob Corker says, basically contradicting Tillerson claim he’s never personally lobbied vs. sanctions.” (From Newsweek’s Emily Cadei) http://bit.ly/2j1qkc2

Russia policy?: “Rex Tillerson says he has not yet discussed Russia policy with Trump; Sen. Menendez replies, ‘That’s pretty amazing.'” Video: http://bit.ly/2jE43Ez  

Protesters: “#ExxonKnew protesters at the Exxon station at Mass and 2nd before Rex Tillerson’s hearing” http://bit.ly/2j15ObL One protester had a pretty colorful blazer: http://bit.ly/2jiP5QP

And a few dinosaurs!: Yes, protesters in full T-Rex dinosaur costumes. Get it? Get it? http://bit.ly/2j7r0iP

If this gives you an idea of how the hearing is going…: “I’ve got 8 hours of space left on my recorder. Not sure it’s going to make it through the opening statements of this hearing.” (From The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari) http://bit.ly/2jDxLcR

 

IN OTHER NEWS…:

EVERYONE’S GONNA NEED SOME HEALTHCARE AFTER THIS FIGHT…: Via The Hill’s Scott Wong, time and again Donald Trump has pledged not to gut Medicare or Social Security. But the promise on Medicare is already getting fierce resistance from Republicans on Capitol Hill who insist these programs need an overhaul so they don’t go bankrupt. So, basically, tension is building. http://bit.ly/2j7CZgn

MEANING LOBBYISTS BETTER START STRETCHING AND WARMING UP: The Hill’s Megan R. Wilson explains why healthcare lobbying is about to shift into overdrive in Washington. Why: Lobbyists are playing catch-up to Trump’s win and on how to affect the sweeping changes coming to ObamaCare. How that’s going: http://bit.ly/2j6vNjX

OBAMA’S LAST HURRAH: In closing out his presidency, President Obama faulted corrosive political rhetoric in his farewell address in Chicago last night. How it went: http://bit.ly/2j7OpRf

Why Sasha missed her dad’s farewell: She had a big exam, so she stayed in Washington, D.C. Good luck, Sasha! http://bit.ly/2id5g5m

 

NOTABLE TWEETS:

The Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe
Notable: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, aide notes. http://bit.ly/2id4up6

BuzzFeed’s Sarah Mimms
Sen. Feinstein out today, statement says she voluntarily got a pacemaker yesterday http://bit.ly/2jDPMYh

@Neontaster (Lol, this photo.)
Hey @BuzzFeedBen – get in touch if you want another big scoop. http://bit.ly/2idduup

 

ON TAP:

The House and Senate are in today.

12:30 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Josh Earnest gives the daily press briefing.

1:15 p.m. EST: First votes in the House. Their schedule: http://bit.ly/2jiEllH

2 p.m. EST: The Brookings Institution is holding an event on the state of voting rights in America. http://brook.gs/2iXiQJt

5 p.m. EST: Last votes in the House.

5 p.m. EST: Vice President Biden speaks about nuclear security at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

6 p.m. EST: The Senate begins a vote-a-rama on amendments to the ObamaCare budget repeal legislation.

9:30 a.m. EST tomorrow: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks at a Hoover Institution event.

Noon tomorrow: The CATO Institute is holding an event on the new agenda for the 115th Congress. http://bit.ly/2jv40GN

 

WHAT TO WATCH:

5 p.m. EST: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will appear on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily”

5 p.m. EST: NH1 News interviews New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. http://bit.ly/2igcnoA

6 p.m. EST: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) will appear on MSNBC’s “For The Record with Greta,” Greta Van Susteren‘s new show (!), to respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s press conference.

11:35 p.m. EST: First lady Michelle Obama will appear on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. http://bit.ly/2iXYPjX

 

SENATE CONFIRMATION LIVE STREAMS AND SCHEDULE:

Happening now: Rex Tillerson for secretary of State. Live stream: http://cs.pn/2j1f67D

Happening now: Jeff Sessions for attorney general. Live stream: http://cs.pn/2jDrSwh

Happening now: Elaine Chao for Transportation secretary. Live stream: http://cs.pn/2ijyRst

Coming up:

9:30 a.m. EST Thursday: Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for Defense secretary. http://bit.ly/2iUGh3W

10 a.m. EST Thursday: Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) for CIA director. Note: The hearing was pushed back 24 hours from this morning. http://bit.ly/2i9NT5l

10 a.m. EST Thursday: Wilbur Ross for Commerce secretary. http://bit.ly/2jkPOQD

10 a.m. EST Thursday: Ben Carson for secretary of Housing and Urban Development. http://bit.ly/2juFMAL

Jan. 17: Betsy DeVos for Education secretary. http://bit.ly/2iZGOnN Note: This was scheduled for Wednesday, but Democrats demanded a delay because of paperwork issues. http://bit.ly/2j19QmA

Jan. 17: Andy Puzder for Labor secretary

Jan. 18: Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) for secretary of Health and Human Services

Jan. 18: Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) for United Nations ambassador

 

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…:

Today is National Milk Day!

I’M ASHAMED AT MYSELF FOR NOT KNOWING THIS SOONER: According to Refinery29, “we’ve been cutting round cakes incorrectly our whole lives.” Here’s the right (?) way to do it: http://r29.co/2j1kOGm

And because we could all use some happy thoughts, here are dogs wearing boots for the first time: http://bit.ly/2jvuM1P

 

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