Politics: Why efforts to persuade the electoral college to ditch Trump probably won’t work

In Louisiana Senate election, one final defeat awaits Democrats; Democrats’ misleading claim that Concerned Veterans for America wants to ‘privatize’ VA; Trump formally introduces defense nominee James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis; Obama defends his wartime strategy and laments Trump's likely change of course; Pence claims Trump has ‘mandate’ in speech laying out conservative agenda; For GOP lawmakers, an attempt at harmony — and a potential collision course with Trump; Must-pass spending bill includes money for Flint and path for Mattis confirmation; Supreme Court makes prosecution easier of those who 'gift' insider information; House snuffs out conservatives’ IRS impeachment push; In West Virginia coal country, voters are 'thrilled' about Donald Trump; Corker, possible Trump secretary of state, aims to expand NATO; Supreme Court rules for Samsung in smartphone patent dispute; Key Republicans say they want aggressive oversight of Trump administration; The inaccuracies in Donald Trump’s Air Force One tweet;   The most important politics stories today   Kena Betancur / AFP/Getty Images Why efforts to persuade the electoral college to ditch Trump probably won't work The lobbying is aimed at giving the presidency to another Republican — or to Clinton. By Sean Sullivan and Ed O'Keefe  •  Read more » In Louisiana Senate election, 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 »   Democrats’ misleading claim that Concerned Veterans for America wants to ‘privatize’ VA We dug into a popular Democratic talking point mischaracterizing a proposal to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Fact Checker  •  Read more »   Trump formally introduces defense nominee James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis Mattis needs a waiver from Congress to serve as secretary of defense. By Abby Phillip  •  Post Politics  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Obama defends his wartime strategy and laments Trump's likely change of course The president wants to help his successor avoid "ill-considered" decisions. By Greg Jaffe and David Nakamura  •  Read more »   Pence claims Trump has ‘mandate’ in speech laying out conservative agenda In a speech inside a hotel ballroom at the new Trump International Hotel just blocks from the White House, Pence vowed that the new team will quickly embark on a to-do list that includes repealing and replacing the federal health-care law, beefing up national defense and nominating a staunchly conservative Supreme Court justice. By Sean Sullivan  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   For GOP lawmakers, an attempt at harmony — and a potential collision course with Trump On trade, deficits and other issues, many Capitol Hill Republicans disagree with the president-elect. By Mike DeBonis and Kelsey Snell  •  Read more »   Must-pass spending bill includes money for Flint and path for Mattis confirmation The stopgap measure would continue current funding levels thorough April. By Kelsey Snell  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   Supreme Court makes prosecution easier of those who 'gift' insider information Those who police Wall Street had chafed at a 2014 appeals court ruling. By Robert Barnes  •  Courts & Law  •  Read more »   House snuffs out conservatives’ IRS impeachment push The motion to refer the impeachment resolution passed 342 to 72, with 166 Republicans joining 176 Democrats to bottle up the measure. By Mike DeBonis  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   In West Virginia coal country, voters are 'thrilled' about Donald Trump Optimism is pervasive in this region that the president-elect will help revive the economy. By Marc Fisher  •  Read more »   Corker, possible Trump secretary of state, aims to expand NATO The move will likely anger Russia. By Karoun Demirjian  •  PowerPost  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Supreme Court rules for Samsung in smartphone patent dispute The justices' narrow decision gives company chance to recover some of $400 million owned to Apple. By Robert Barnes  •  Courts & Law  •  Read more »   Key Republicans say they want aggressive oversight of Trump administration Trey Gowdy offered no specific ideas on what exactly should be investigated by lawmakers. By Ed O'Keefe  •  PowerPost  •  Read more » The inaccuracies in Donald Trump’s Air Force One tweet Trump tweeted that he wanted to get the order canceled. But he was missing some critical facts. By Glenn Kessler  •  Fact Checker  •  Read more »           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