Politics: Trump hires a third general, raising concerns about heavy military influence

Clash over patent office fraud a sign of what’s to come for federal workers; Trump’s 35 percent tariff wouldn’t keep jobs in the U.S. Here’s why.; The dubious claims about SoftBank’s investments in the U.S.; Clinton thank-you event for top donors leaves some grumbling they didn’t make the cut; Joe Biden, on valedictory tour, mixes emotional farewell with lingering ambition; House spending bill would limit visas for workers at places like Trump’s golf courses; Congress passes 21st Century Cures Act, boosting research and easing drug approvals; In Louisiana's election for U.S. Senate, one final defeat awaits Democrats; Trump picks Kelly for homeland security, Pruitt for EPA; Trump said to pick Scott Pruitt to head EPA, an agency he is suing as Oklahoma attorney general; Trump raises millions for transition while swiping at Boeing and joking about ‘Apprentice’-style inaugural stunts; Trump picks Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad — a 'friend' of China’s leader — as Beijing ambassador; Trump says stock ownership presents conflict of interest, but remains silent on his own business; The Daily 202: How Trump has zigged and zagged on the Muslim ban since proposing it one year ago today;   The most important politics stories today   Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post Trump hires a third general, raising concerns about heavy military influence Trump picks Kelly for homeland security, the third general tapped for his administration. By Philip Rucker and Mike DeBonis  •  Read more » Clash over patent office fraud a sign of what’s to come for federal workers President-elect Donald J. Trump and conservatives on Capitol Hill have vowed to target the federal bureaucracy, By Lisa Rein  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   Trump’s 35 percent tariff wouldn’t keep jobs in the U.S. Here’s why. An international tax law expert explains: The choice is between protecting jobs or protecting a market economy. By Joshua Tucker  •  Monkey Cage  •  Read more »   The dubious claims about SoftBank’s investments in the U.S. There are a lot of fishy aspects to Trump's claim about SoftBank's investment in the United States, based on the facts available at the moment. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Fact Checker  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Clinton thank-you event for top donors leaves some grumbling they didn’t make the cut The Dec. 15 evening gala at the Plaza Hotel will be held in the iconic "grand ballroom," which is apparently too small to accommodate the entire group of Clinton campaign "bundlers." By Anne Gearan  •  Post Politics  •  Read more »   Joe Biden, on valedictory tour, mixes emotional farewell with lingering ambition "That's Joe Biden right there," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during his Senate floor tribute. "Unbowed … unbroken … unable to stop talking." By Paul Kane  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   House spending bill would limit visas for workers at places like Trump’s golf courses Trump has said that he has used the H2B program to hire workers during the busy season at his Mar-a-Lago resort. By Kelsey Snell and Karoun Demirjian  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   Congress passes 21st Century Cures Act, boosting research and easing drug approvals The 94 to 5 Senate vote Wednesday followed a 392 to 26 House vote last week. The bill now heads to the desk of President Obama, who praised it Wednesday and said he would sign it. By Mike DeBonis  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   In Louisiana's election for U.S. Senate, one final defeat awaits Democrats The GOP's John N. Kennedy is favored to win against Foster Campbell in a runoff vote. By Tyler Bridges  •  Read more »   Trump picks Kelly for homeland security, Pruitt for EPA Kelly, a retired general, is known for clashing with Obama. Pruitt, as Oklahoma's attorney general, is suing the agency he could soon be running. By Jerry Markon, Jenna Johnson and Elise Viebeck  •  Read more »   Trump said to pick Scott Pruitt to head EPA, an agency he is suing as Oklahoma attorney general The nomination of Pruitt, confirmed by a transition official, signals Trump's intention to dismantle President Obama's chief climate change policy. Pruitt, who has written that the debate on climate change is "far from settled," is part of a coalition of state attorneys general suing the agency over the administration's Clean Power Plan. This is a […] By Washington Post Staff  •  Post Politics  •  Read more » Trump raises millions for transition while swiping at Boeing and joking about ‘Apprentice’-style inaugural stunts He appears cool to a suggestion that he kick off his inauguration with a Fifth Avenue parade, then board a helicopter atop Trump Tower and fly to Washington. By Matea Gold  •  Post Politics  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Trump picks Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad — a 'friend' of China’s leader — as Beijing ambassador The move could help ease worries among China's leaders about dealings with the Trump White House. By Philip Rucker and Simon Denyer  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   Trump says stock ownership presents conflict of interest, but remains silent on his own business In "Today" show interview, the president-elect said he sold his shares because he felt he was likely to win the presidential election and didn't want such conflicts. By Rosalind S. Helderman and Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »   The Daily 202: How Trump has zigged and zagged on the Muslim ban since proposing it one year ago today A timeline with 14 variations of his position – and what it says about the president-elect's governing style By James Hohmann  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   Recommended for you   WorldViews Important stories from around the world, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Politics:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Politics PM. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071