| | | | Inauguration eve: 45th President set for swearing-in | | A new era in Washington is now just hours away as Donald Trump gets set to take the oath of office and become the nation's 45th president. The celebrity businessman took the political world by storm and delivered the most stunning upset in memory in the 2016 election. Now, he'll begin at least four years as the leader of the free world with a speech aides say Trump wrote himself -- and then a parade, inaugural balls (Trump and wife Melania will dance first to Frank Sinatra's "My Way") and a weekend of parties, as Washington waits to see what executive actions Trump will take first, and when.
In DC for inauguration? Here's everything you need to know -- including parade and protest maps, concert schedules and events, courtesy of CNN's Eli Watkins and Sophie Tatum.
Supreme Court nominee already chosen? Trump suggested to an audience on Thursday that he has a good sense of who he plans to nominate to the Supreme Court, per CNN's Ariane de Vogue. "I think in my mind I know who it is," he said at a leadership luncheon at his hotel in downtown Washington, according to cell phone video of the event obtained by CNN. "I think you're going to be very, very excited."
A controversial figure: The Rev. Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist pastor with a long history of inflammatory remarks about Muslims, Mormons (including Mitt Romney), Catholics and gays, is scheduled to preach at a private service for Trump and his family on Friday, shortly before Trump takes the oath of office, per CNN's Daniel Burke.
The Oval Office power struggle: Trump has anointed his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, with the same authority and access as senior adviser and counselor Steve Bannon. They'll be joined in the White House by Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. All four will have easy access to Trump in the Oval Office, writes CNN's Sara Murray, and they're all but certain to take opposing views on major issues -- a dynamic that played out during Trump's presidential campaign and is expected to carry over to his administration.
RNC maneuvering: With six-year chairman Reince Priebus departing to become White House chief of staff, the Republican National Committee made it official today: Ronna Romney McDaniel is the party's new chairwoman.
Programming note: We'll have special weekend editions of Nightcap recapping Trump's inauguration and any initial White House maneuvers. Keep an eye out! | | Cornyn: 'Nobody's going to lose their coverage' | | GOP governors descended on Capitol Hill today to meet with Republican lawmakers and discuss health care. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said the governors are concerned their constituents would lose coverage with the repeal of President Barack Obama's health care law and its expansion of Medicaid.
Cornyn made a big promise. He was adamant that won't happen, saying: "Sure, we're all concerned. But it ain't going to happen. Will you write that down? Nobody's going to lose their coverage. People covered today will continue to be covered because we will expand access." | | Obama commutes 330 sentences; plans post-presidency | | President Barack Obama granted 330 commutations, the White House announced Thursday, the most commutations given in a single day by a US president. A White House official told CNN this is Obama's final batch of clemency.
The Obama-as-citizen staff takes shape: Politico's Edward-Isaac Dovere reports Eric Schultz, the principal deputy press secretary in Obama's White House, will be his senior adviser, and has much more on how Obama's post-presidency staff is taking shape. | | "I hope you are as much fun on that dais as you were on your couch." -- Rick Perry, Donald Trump's nominee for energy secretary, to Minnesota Sen. Al Franken during Perry's confirmation hearing today. The entire room -- including Perry and Franken -- burst into laughter as Perry realized how what was supposed to be an innocuous reference to their one-on-one meeting had come across. | | | | President Barack Obama's small group of remaining aides posted their goodbye messages today. Eric Schultz tweeted a picture of his walk into the White House. Later, Josh Earnest -- Obama's last press secretary -- offered a parting message of his own: | | Perry regrets calling for end of the Energy Department | | | Meanwhile, on the Hill: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry once famously forgot the Energy Department was on the list of government agencies he would like to shut down. But on Thursday at his confirmation hearing to lead the agency, he said he regrets his past remarks. "My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking," Perry said. More from CNN's Dan Merica. | | Trump Treasury pick: 'I have been maligned' | | | Steven Mnuchin defended his record running a California bank at his confirmation hearing for treasury secretary, saying foreclosure practices that have been questioned were not his choice but the fault of regulators. CNNMoney's Chris Isidore has the story. | | | Outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise appearance in the State Department briefing room today, bringing along a special guest: his dog Ben. Ben was met with a flurry of excitement from reporters, many of whom reached for their smartphones to snap pictures as Kerry cajoled him into sitting still. "He's gotten really good," said Kerry, joking, "he's actually getting disciplined." | | Losing levers of power, Democrats seek a path forward | | Dozens of Democrats will skip Donald Trump's inauguration. Then, on Saturday, many liberals will participate in the Women's March. For out-of-power Democrats, it's the beginning of their Trump resistance -- and an era in which the party must confront the reality that the GOP has full control of the federal government, plus nearly two-thirds of the states.
About last night: The seven candidates for Democratic National Committee chairman debated at George Washington University. The highlights: Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison called on Bernie Sanders to hand his massive supporter list over to the DNC. And Labor Secretary Tom Perez said Democrats in Congress should treat Trump "like Mitch McConnell treated Barack Obama." In other words: Oppose absolutely everything. Here's my wrap.
Could moderate Dems help Trump's picks? The Washington Post's Paul Kane writes: "Trump and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill may have an extra cushion if GOP support wavers for any of Trump's Cabinet nominees: moderate Democrats up for re-election in 2018. On Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, possibly the most conservative member of his caucus, happily introduced former Texas Gov. Rick Perry at his confirmation hearing to be the secretary of energy. On Wednesday, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Carolina, got a meeting with the secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson." | | A Mississippi town watches its president leave and President-elect Donald Trump rise. ... Chelsea Manning thanks President Barack Obama after he commuted the sentence of the former Army soldier earlier this week. ... Trump's incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, has first face-to-face encounter with the White House press. ... Martin O'Malley, a failed 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful, is making his second post-election trip to Iowa.
Correction: Last night we mislabeled Steve Mnuchin. He is Trump's nominee for treasury secretary. We regret the error. | | | 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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