| | | | Congress returns -- with a House GOP stumble | | President-elect Donald Trump flexed his social media muscles. Voters who called their congressional offices showed their lasting influence. And less than 16 hours after springing the surprise move -- revealed in a closed-door meeting -- of gutting the independent ethics office that watches over Congress, House Republicans were pressured into abandoning the idea.
The Office of Congressional Ethics lives to watchdog another day, though some lawmakers -- including Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa -- say they plan to continue trying to kill it. CNN's Gregory Krieg runs through the brief history of Republicans' political misstep.
Lawmakers were already hearing from their constituents -- and a press storm was engulfing the very first day of the 115th Congress -- when Trump tweeted this, prompting a House GOP meeting where members unanimously agreed to reverse course: | | Trump was walking a fine line here -- and it's important to notice this difference: He wasn't criticizing the substance of the GOP move. Just the timing. This isn't a war with House Speaker Paul Ryan, even though it does reveal Trump's influence over Ryan's conference.
Republicans walked themselves into a buzzsaw by making this move -- in a closed-door meeting, with no warning, weeks before their own party's president-elect who's pledged to "drain the swamp" (note the #DTS acronym in Trump's second tweet) takes office. And Democrats, realizing they'd been handed a political gift, teed off. "Is there any American out there who thinks Congress is too ethical?" Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, asked on CNN's "New Day." | | When will Trump hold his first news conference? | | | President-elect Donald Trump answered that question a little earlier tonight: January 11. Top aide Kellyanne Conway said the same earlier in the day. | | "Too many of his Cabinet picks support the same, hard-right, doctrinaire positions that many in the Republican Party have held for years." -- Chuck Schumer, D-New York, criticizing President-elect Donald Trump's nominees in his first speech on the Senate floor as the chamber's top-ranking Democrat. | | | | Vice President Joe Biden's swearing-in ceremonies for new senators are always must-watch affairs. Today, he was blown off by a baby, kissed Sen. Chuck Grassley's wife and more. CNN's Brenna Williams rounds up the best moments on video. | | Obama, Pence meetings on tap on Capitol Hill | | Two big meetings are set for Wednesday morning: President Barack Obama will huddle with Democrats for an Obamacare defense strategy session, while Vice President-elect Mike Pence will meet with Republicans to talk legislative priorities.
What will Pence talk about? Here's what he said today: "We will focus on repealing and replacing Obamacare, we will look forward to legislation that will give us the tools to roll back the avalanche of red tape and regulation that have been stifling American jobs." Worth noting: Pence plans to regularly attend Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunches.
About that Obamacare repeal ... don't miss CNN's MJ Lee on the GOP's complicated political and policy conundrum. She writes: "Even if Republican lawmakers delay the repeal from going into effect for some years, as they are currently discussing, the initial vote will trigger a years-long, contentious fight over how to replace the law, and unleash widespread uncertainty for patients and the insurance market. In other words, Republicans could suddenly find themselves fielding the very kind of criticism and blame that they've been throwing at Democrats for years -- that of having created an untenable and unpopular healthcare system. And the question over how to fill the new gaps in healthcare coverage will expose ideological divisions among conservatives." | | | Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton will attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration later this month, CNN's Dan Merica and Theodore Schleifer report.
Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush also will attend. Previously, Jimmy Carter was the only former commander in chief who had publicly said he would attend Trump's inauguration. Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, will not be attending due to his health. | | New neighbors: Ivanka and the Obamas | | | Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have settled on a property in Washington, D.C.'s upscale Kalorama neighborhood-- the same area where the Obamas will move after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, CNN's Betsy Klein reports. While it's still unclear what precise role Trump's eldest daughter will play in the administration, she and Kushner are slated to be key advisers. | | Obama administration moves to protect Dreamers | | | Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is warning lawmakers that personal information collected by his agency for applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or so-called Dreamers, should not be used in the future to deport them, CNN's Evan Perez and Theodore Schleifer report.
This is about Donald Trump. His veiled warning to the President-elect and his administration could be useful in upcoming court cases if Trump revokes an executive order signed by President Barack Obama that stops deporting young undocumented immigrants who entered the US as children so long as they meet certain requirements. | | | 2017: The year when politicians can have their family members video chat their presence at swearing-in ceremonies for the 115th Congress. | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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