The Note: Russia Redux
— -- NOTABLES
--TRUMP GOES AFTER OBAMA PRESS SECRETARY IN SPEECH: President-elect Donald Trump took new jabs at White House press secretary Josh Earnest last night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, ABC’s ALEXANDER MALLIN and VERONICA STRACQUALURSI report. "This foolish guy, Josh Earnest, I don't know," Trump told the crowd. "You know, having the right press secretary is so important because he's so bad the way he delivers a message. He can deliver a positive message and it sounds bad. He could say ladies and gentlemen, today we have totally defeated ISIS, and it wouldn't sound good, OK?" Trump then added, "Maybe he is getting his orders from somebody else?" The jabs follow an escalating feud between the Trump transition team and the White House over Russian involvement in the U.S. election. Earnest doubled down on his statements that Trump knowingly benefited and even encouraged Russian hacking in his victory over Hillary Clinton. http://abcn.ws/2hChmks
--CLINTON SAYS PUTIN'S ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN DEMOCRATIC HACK STEMS FROM LONG-TIME GRUDGE: Hillary Clinton has an explanation for Vladimir Putin's alleged involvement in the hacking of Democratic organizations during the 2016 presidential election: The Russian leader has a long-time grudge against her, dating back to 2011 when she made comments that were critical of Russia's parliamentary elections. Two high-level Clinton donors tell ABC News that Clinton made the claim Thursday night at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel during an event dubbed a "thank you" party, at which she expressed her gratitude to donors. More from ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN and JOSH HASKELL: http://abcn.ws/2hBP508
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: How much of President Obama’s legacy gets determined on this frigid Friday in Washington? The outgoing president’s traditional pre-holidays news conference fills a press void, since there’s nothing similar from the president-elect, still. It also sets a critical tone for the balance of the transition. The non-aggression pact between Obama and President-elect Donald Trump got called off this week, owing to revelations surrounding the extent of Russian interference with the election. Now, the White House is pressuring Trump to acknowledge Vladimir Putin’s involvement, Hillary Clinton is blaming Putin, Trump is mocking Josh Earnest at rallies, and Trump aides are talking again about Clinton’s email arrangement. Does Obama return to a high-minded tone about the importance of an orderly transition? Does he endorse efforts to get intelligence briefings for members of the Electoral College? Does he effectively declare war on Putin, or Trump, or both?
THIS WEEK ON 'THIS WEEK': With just five weeks until Inauguration Day, the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with ABC News contributor LZ Granderson, Bloomberg Politics national political reporter Jennifer Jacobs, ABC News’ Cokie Roberts, and ABC News contributor and Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson.
ABC NEWS LAUNCHES 'THE REAL NEWS ABOUT FAKE NEWS' POWERED BY FACEBOOK DATA. ABC News is launching "The Real News About Fake News" powered by Facebook data to identify fake news stories circulating on the platform and help social media users sort fact from fiction. Facebook users will be able to report potentially false content by clicking the upper right corner of a post and reporting it as a fake news story. We will investigate selected stories that have been identified by Facebook users as potentially fake news. Stories examined will undergo rigorous reporting to determine if the claims made are false. Stories that ABC News have debunked as “false” will then appear flagged in your News Feed. http://abcn.ws/2hFj7O7
FIRST INSTALLMENT -- FLORIDA SEEKING FULL RECOUNT? HERE'S THE REAL STORY. You may have seen the headline that Florida is looking to have a full recount after the presidential election. The story was flagged by Facebook users as being potentially false. Here's what we have found. The story was originally posted December 6 on bipartisanreport.com with the headline 'Breaking: Florida Moves for Full Recount of State Over Massive Voter Fraud (Details)' The headline is false. The story has some questionable reporting. More from ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON: http://abcn.ws/2gQu2HK
SPEED READ with ABC’s ADAM KELSEY and VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
VA SECRETARY 'MOST DIFFICULT' POSITION TO FILL IN TRUMP CABINET, TRANSITION TEAM OFFICIAL SAYS. President-elect Donald Trump made veterans’ issues a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. But selecting a leader for the Department of Veterans Affairs will be one of the final decisions to round out his cabinet. Transition sources say Trump is still considering a number of different candidates, from Trump loyalists to retired military officials, ahead of a self-imposed goal of the end of the week to finalize his cabinet. Contenders for the VA job include former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin; former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown; Pete Hegseth, the former chief executive of the conservative Concerned Veterans for America; and Adm. Michelle Howard, the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship. More from ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, BENJAMIN SIEGEL, CANDACE SMITH and KATHERINE FAULDERS: http://abcn.ws/2hCHOuc
LOOKING AHEAD -- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION. The countdown clock on the White House transition is winding down as specifics about Donald Trump's inauguration are being finalized. Here's a rundown of what is known about the schedule so far, courtesy of ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS, ALEXANDER MALLIN, MEGHAN KENEALLY and LUCHINA FISHER: http://abcn.ws/2hBL63P
CABINET WATCH -- TRUMP PICKS MONTANA CONGRESSMAN RYAN ZINKE FOR INTERIOR SECRETARY. President-elect Trump made official Thursday that he intends to nominate Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, a retired Navy SEAL, for the Cabinet position of secretary of the interior. "He has built one of the strongest track records on championing regulatory relief, forest management, responsible energy development and public land issues," Trump said in a statement today. "As a former Navy SEAL, he has incredible leadership skills and an attitude of doing whatever it takes to win. America is the most beautiful country in the world, and he is going to help keep it that way with smart management of our federal lands." ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI has more: http://abcn.ws/2hwcVZ5
‘POWERHOUSE POLITICS’ PODCAST -- MANCHIN SEEMS OPEN TO CROSSOVER VOTE FOR TRUMP'S SECRETARY OF STATE PICK. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who knows secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson from his work in the state, suggested he has not ruled out a crossover vote for Tillerson on the Senate floor, ABC’s ALI ROGIN notes. Tillerson’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his ExxonMobil career doesn’t bother him, Manchin said, but he does have other concerns. “That doesn’t bother me on who he knows, as long as we can work for what’s best for our country,” Manchin, who got to know Tillerson when the CEO headed of the Boy Scouts of America and helped the organization build a new facility in West Virginia. http://abcn.ws/2gRxpfV AUDIO: http://apple.co/1RbmlrI
WHO’S TWEETING?
@JesseFFerguson: Who represents the country in next Congress? 87% of House GOP will be white men, compared to just 41% of House Dems. (by @CookPolitical)
@stevenportnoy: In NPR interview, Obama uses war language -- "time and place of our choosing" -- to describe how US will retaliate for Russian hacking.
@meridithmcgraw: Schmidt then suggested to Trump that he be the “software president,” a phrase Trump misheard as “soft” president. http://on.recode.net/2hCbHLE
@TimAlberta: .@ShaneGoldmacher named @politico's chief White House correspondent. Well deserved for one of Washington's great reporters.
@seungminkim: Inbox: "Senate Democrats Roll Out New Website Inviting Personal Stories from Americans Hurt by Foreclosure King Steve Mnuchin"
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