| | | | FBI to be investigated over handling of Clinton probe | | The Justice Department's internal watchdog has launched a probe into the department and the FBI's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server -- a decision that comes after Democrats howled that the FBI cost them the presidency. Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said the decision to initiate a review was prompted by requests from numerous members of Congress and public inquiries.
Flashback: Democrats were furious when days before the election, FBI Director James Comey wrote to lawmakers about the discovery of emails that could be relevant -- but turned out not to be -- to the department's investigation into Clinton's emails. The emails were unearthed as part of a probe into sexting allegations against Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of the Democratic candidate's aide Huma Abedin.
Keep this in mind: Horowitz is a political appointee, and his term ends when Obama's does. Will he be allowed to remain? | | "I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance." | | | President Barack Obama surprised an emotional Vice President Joe Biden Thursday by presenting him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a White House ceremony.
"For your faith in your fellow Americans, for your love of country and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations, I'd like to ask the military aide to join us on stage," Obama said in the ceremony. "For my final time as President, I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
Biden, who appeared extremely emotional during the tribute, accepted the award but said he did not deserve it. "This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it's a reflection of the extent and generosity of your spirit," Biden said. "I don't deserve this but I know it came from the President's heart." | | GOP still working on Obamacare strategy | | TUNE IN TONIGHT: House Speaker Paul Ryan is participating in a live town hall at 9 p.m. ET on CNN, moderated by Jake Tapper.
First up: Republican leaders are still working to figure out how they'll lock down the votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act -- ahead of a Friday vote on the resolution that starts rolling back the law, CNN's Deirdre Walsh and MJ Lee report.
So what's next: Ryan told reporters today that Republicans have a responsibility to repeal and replace Obamacare as quickly as possible. "We've got to intervene to prevent this from getting worse," Ryan said.
But, but, but: He wouldn't offer details on a timeline for when a final repeal bill would land on President-elect Donald Trump's desk. "We're not holding hard deadlines only because we want to get it right." | | Your confirmation hearing catchup | | Three of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks -- retired Gen. James Mattis, the nominee for defense secretary; Rep. Mike Pompeo, who would head the CIA; and Ben Carson, who would lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- were grilled in their confirmation hearings today.
The highlights:
Pompeo said he would not restart the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" -- including waterboarding -- if he were approved for the position. "Moreover, I can't imagine I would be asked that by the President-elect," he told Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein when she questioned him on the issue.
Meanwhile, Carson, the renowned neurosurgeon and former GOP presidential candidate, used his hearing to highlight his impoverished upbringing in inner-city Detroit and the rags-to-riches success story that he has detailed in books and public appearances in recent years. He has no government experience or expertise in housing and urban development policy.
And Mattis emerged from his confirmation hearing with seemingly broad support, after he took a strong posture against Russian President Vladimir Putin and answered tough questions on women and gays in combat, CNN's Tal Kopan reports.
| | US ending 'wet foot, dry foot' policy for Cubans | | | From CNN's Elise Labott, Kevin Liptak and Patrick Oppmann: President Barack Obama is ending the longstanding "wet foot, dry foot" policy that allows Cubans who arrive in the United States without a visa to become permanent residents, the administration announced Thursday. The move, which wasn't previously outlined and is likely one of the final foreign policy decisions of Obama's term, terminates a decadeslong policy that many argued amounted to preferential treatment for a single group of migrants. "By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries," Obama wrote in a statement. | | | The leader of France's far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, was spotted at Trump Tower in Manhattan. ... A Washington Post homepage editor wrote about how fake news affected her life this week. ... Amazon's Jeff Bezos is the anonymous buyer of the biggest house in Washington. | | | 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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