The Note: Trump Transition Weekend -- Working on Cabinet, Tweeting at Critics
— -- NOTABLES
--REINCE PRIEBUS DISMISSES CONTROVERSY OVER SESSIONS: ‘HE WILL BE CONFIRMED’: Donald Trump’s incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus is confident President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, will be confirmed despite opposition to his nomination from civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups. “He’s a good man. He will be confirmed and he deserves it," Priebus told ABC's Martha Raddatz in an interview on "This Week" Sunday, ABC’s NICKI ROSSOLL reports. In 1986, Sessions was denied a federal judgeship following allegations that he had called the ACLU and the NAACP "un-American" and made racist remarks directed at colleagues. The NAACP released a statement calling Sessions' nomination "deeply troubling." http://abcn.ws/2gaRvje
--TRUMP HOLDS MEETINGS WITH MITT ROMNEY, MICHELLE RHEE AND OTHERS: President-elect Donald Trump is at his estate and golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, this weekend for a string of appointments with high-profile figures, including the former GOP presidential nominee and governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney. Romney arrived for his meeting with Trump and members of his transition team at the Trump National Golf Club about 1 p.m. and left shortly before 2:30 p.m. As he and Trump emerged from the meeting, the president-elect did not approach the press, but, responding to shouted questions, told reporters the meeting "went great." But a readout released by the transition team late Saturday said Trump and Romney "had a substantive and in-depth conversation about world affairs, national security and the future of America. It was an extremely positive and productive conversation." Romney made a brief statement to the media, saying the meeting focused on foreign affairs. He said he "looks forward" to a Trump administration, but would not comment on whether he wants to be a part of it. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS, ALEXANDER MALLIN, CANDACE SMITH and MORGAN WINSOR have more: http://abcn.ws/2feSgZU
--WHAT TRUMP IS TWEETING:
@realDonaldTrump: I have always had a good relationship with Chuck Schumer. He is far smarter than Harry R and has the ability to get things done. Good news!
@realDonaldTrump: General James "Mad Dog" Mattis, who is being considered for Secretary of Defense, was very impressive yesterday. A true General's General!
@realDonaldTrump: I watched parts of @nbcsnl Saturday Night Live last night. It is a totally one-sided, biased show - nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?
@realDonaldTrump: Numerous patriots will be coming to Bedminster today as I continue to fill out the various positions necessary to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
@realDonaldTrump: The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior
--CLINTON’S POPULAR VOTE LEAD OVER TRUMP EXCEEDS 1.5 MIL. VOTES: It's been nearly two weeks since the November 8 general election, but the results have not remained static as ballots continue to be counted. While the number of votes for both president-elect Donald Trump and his former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton continue to increase, the gap is widening, with Clinton expanding her popular vote lead over Trump. According to new figures released by The Associated Press on Saturday, Clinton received more than 1.5 million votes than her Republican rival. As of Saturday, Clinton had received 63,390,669 votes, while Trump received 61,820,845 votes -- a difference of 1,569,824, according to The AP. Rounded off to whole numbers, that translates to 48 percent vs. 47 percent, ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN reports. http://abcn.ws/2eTACfx
--CHUCK SCHUMER SAYS DONALD TRUMP’S VICTORY IS ‘NOT A MANDATE’: Incoming Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says that President-elect Donald Trump’s victory is "not a mandate," vowing to oppose the policy agenda of the Republican-controlled White House and Congress where he and his fellow Democrats disagree. “What Trump talked about was against the establishment of both parties," the New York Democrat told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. ABC’s RYAN STRUYK has more. http://abcn.ws/2gaOSOI
--MIKE PENCE SAYS HE ‘WASN’T OFFENDED’ BY ‘HAMILTON’ CAST’S STATEMENT TO HIM: Mike Pence Says He 'Wasn't Offended' by 'Hamilton' Cast's Statement to Him: Vice President-elect Mike Pence in his first interview since the election told "Fox News Sunday" today that he "really enjoyed" watching the blockbuster musical "Hamilton" on Friday night. He also said that former GOP presidential nominee and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is under active consideration for possible nomination as secretary of state.On the controversy surrounding his attendance at "Hamilton," where a star of the cast addressed Pence from the stage after the performance, the vice president-elect said: "I really enjoyed watching Hamilton. It was a real joy to be there. I heard a few boos. I wasn't offended by what was said.” ABC’s INES DE LA CUETARA and MICHAEL HAYDEN have more. http://abcn.ws/2g8jrXB
--NSA DIRECTOR MIKE ROGERS COULD BE REMOVED IN RESTRUCTURING: President Obama is considering a recommendation by Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to separate commands at the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command that could lead to the removal of Admiral Mike Rogers who heads both commands. ABC’s LUIS MARTINEZ and BENJAMIN SIEGEL have more. http://abcn.ws/2eTPZVh
--FORMER NSA DIRECTOR QUESTIONS IF MICHAEL FLYNN WELL-SUITED TO BE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Retired four-star Gen. Michael Hayden, who served mostly under former President George W. Bush as director of the National Security Agency and then of the CIA, has doubts about whether the president-elect’s top aide, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, will succeed at the job. “By and large, he has been successful on the tactical, operational level," Hayden, who was sharply critical of Trump during the campaign, told ABC's Martha Raddatz on "This Week." But the national security adviser is a different kind of role, he argued. ABC’s MARGARET CHADBOURN has more. http://abcn.ws/2gsBPuQ
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
--TRUMP CALLS ON CAST OF HAMILTON TO APOLOGIZE, SAYING THEY HARASSED MIKE PENCE: A star and the creator of the blockbuster musical 'Hamilton' responded to President-elect Trump's call for the cast of the show to apologize because, as Trump put it, "V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater." Actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Vice President Aaron Burr in the musical and who took to the stage to acknowledge Pence's presence in the audience Friday night and address him on behalf of the cast after the show ended, tweeted a response today to Trump's claim that the vice president-elect was harassed. "The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence," the president-elect posted on Twitter Saturday morning. ABC’s MAIA DAVIS, TOM LIDDY and DAVID CAPLAN have more. http://abcn.ws/2eRH7PX
--TRUMP DEFENDS HIS $25 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF TRUMP UNIVERSITY LAWSUITS: President-elect Donald Trump, who once said he would never settle the lawsuits against Trump University, is taking to Twitter to explain why he chose to settle for $25 million. Trump tweeted this on Saturday morning that he settled “for a small fraction of the potential award” because he must now devote his attention to being the next president of the United States. He did not make clear what could have been “the potential award.” ABC’s MORGAN WINSOR has more. http://abcn.ws/2g7QnwU
--THIS MORNING on ‘THIS WEEK’: The Powerhouse Roundtable debated the week in politics, with ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, ABC News contributor LZ Granderson, NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, and Bloomberg Politics national political reporter Jennifer Jacobs.
WHO’S TWEETING?
@davidaxelrod: Striking how different-& appropriate-was @mike_pence reaction just now on Fox 2 @HamiltonMusical cast statement. Plus he said he loved show!
@PhilipRucker: When Obama attends church, press pool goes inside. When Romney attended church in 2012, press followed inside. Not so with Trump today.
@ryanbeckwith: Watch Alec Baldwin Return to Saturday Night Live to Play a Panicked Donald Trump http://ti.me/2fubsR9
@JuddLegum: Hillary Clinton now leads popular vote by 1.65 million She won't be president but a lot more people wanted her to be president than Trump.
@samsteinhp: Out: Foreign officials give $ to Clinton Fdtn for access to Clinton. In: Foreign officials give $ to Trump Hotel for access to Trump.
@GlennThrush: Trump's tweet storms aren't impulsive. He wants us to be talking about Hamilton -- and not stories like this. http://nyti.ms/2fGHlIY