News Reporter: The Daily 202: Americans yearn for reassurances from Donald Trump at today’s press conference

Americans yearn for reassurances from Donald Trump at today's press conference

Donald Trump acknowledges supporters during his thank-you rally in Michigan last month. (Paul Sancya/AP)

BY JAMES HOHMANN

with Breanne Deppisch

THE BIG IDEA: Always eager to portray himself as a victim, Donald Trump proved (or violated) Godwin's Law Wednesday by invoking the specter of Nazi Germany as he stepped up his attacks on the intelligence community.

The president-elect's latest early-morning tweetstorm came in response to the news that he was presented last week with a classified report which summarized unsubstantiated allegations that Russian intelligence services have compromising material and information on his personal life and finances. (Keep reading for all the latest developments.)

Trump called it a "witch hunt" last night and then, after sleeping on it, doubled down:

Then he cited Russia's own denials as validation:

-- The flurry of tweets coincides with a new Quinnipiac University poll that shows two in three American voters believe Trump should close his personal Twitter account when he takes office next week. Even 45 percent of registered Republicans think this. Voters in every gender, age and racial group want him to close the account. "140 characters may not be enough to tell Donald Trump just how much Americans want him to knock off the tweeting," said Tim Malloy, the assistant director of the Q-poll.

Whatever post-election honeymoon Trump had with the American people is coming to an early and abrupt end. The Quinnipiac survey, which was in the field from Thursday through Monday night, finds perceptions of Trump taking a hit over the past six weeks. Just 37 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president-elect. Narrow majorities say that Trump is not honest and does not care about average Americans, while 62 percent agree that he is not level-headed. Just one-third of voters believe that he is. Only 12 percent believe Trump will be a "great" president, while 30 percent say he will be a "good" president, 20 percent say he will be "not so good" and 32 percent say he will be "bad." A plurality says Trump's election has made them feel "less safe."

-- This is why the often-postponed press conference Trump will finally hold in New York today is so important. It really could set the stage for the opening weeks of his presidency. He is scheduled to appear before hundreds of reporters at 11 a.m. in the lobby of Trump Tower. It has been six months since Trump gave a formal news conference, during which he made headlines by inviting Russian hackers to release Hillary Clinton's private emails. The ostensible purpose is to announce how he intends to disentangle himself from his businesses to avoid possible conflicts of interest. (Robert Costa and Philip Rucker preview what's sure to be a chaotic event.)

Trump reads from a teleprompter in Cincinnati. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg)

-- Yesterday's 202 asked readers to email ideas for questions that could be posed to Trump at the presser. Collectively, you sent thousands of suggestions. Some were extraordinarily thoughtful, even moving. (Thanks for being so engaged and so woke.)

Naturally, most of the questions pertained to what the Russians might have on Trump. But what was most striking was the number of folks from across the ideological spectrum who wonder whether the incoming president will ever start behaving in a way that could even nominally be described as presidential. Many of you recalled Trump's promise on election night to be a president for all Americans. You wondered why he is not following the one-president-at-a-time tradition that every previous president-elect has honored.

Robert G. Kaiser, a former managing editor of The Post, spoke for many when he said he'd like to ask Trump: "Could you give us your definition of 'presidential' behavior? Does it include personal score-settling such as your angry tweets this week about Meryl Streep? Do you think your personal behavior should be in any way constrained by the fact that you will soon sit in the office that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln, the Roosevelts and Dwight David Eisenhower?"

"Isn't it beneath your dignity and the dignity of your office?" echoed Richard H. Kohn, a professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Maybe this is a lame question," Peter Haeussler emailed, "but why doesn't he act presidential? Why does he take all criticism so personally and not reflect on policies and direction?"

"Not since the Vietnam era has the country appeared to be so divided," added Luke Popovich of the District. "How would your presidency breach this divide and will you make this a priority?"

Fifty-four percent of the electorate voted for someone else in November, Katherine Whiteside noted. She wants to know what policies Trump will pursue to reassure these folks or maybe even demonstrate that they made a mistake.

People hold up signs before marching to Trump Tower during a protest last month. (Darren Ornitz/Reuters)

-- I received many poignant emails from readers who are deeply concerned about what will happen to people they care deeply about. James Paul Hunter, who teaches at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois, relayed that one of his students, an American citizen who is of Jordanian descent, came to him concerned that Trump will have him deported. "I asked him why he believed he would be deported, knowing full well that the student was a citizen," Hunter recounted. "My student answered, 'Mr. Trump's lack of respect for rules scares me. I believe Trump will throw all the Muslim people out of the country because he thinks he can.' Mr. Trump, how do you convince this high school senior that you are going to be his president and defend his rights as an American Muslim?"

A group of students at Mounds Park Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota, sent a list of questions they came up with. At the top: "How will you use your 'bully pulpit' to combat the apparent rise in hate in the United States?"

Lynda Tran, a Democrat who works at 270Strategies, is the daughter of immigrants and has two young children. "My darling five-year-old daughter is not a partisan -- but she's a proud young American and a remarkably observant and empathetic soul," Tran wrote. "While she was brought up in an Obama household and hit the doors for our current president as a toddler, she did so with the sense that the Commander-in-Chief is someone to be respected, admired, and honored -- much like the American flag she loves so much. … In all seriousness, if I could ask Trump one question, it would be: On and now off the campaign trail, you have, not infrequently, resorted to name-calling … Our children have literally been watching. How do you suggest we explain that behavior to our youngest Americans, and how do you intend to be a better role model for them, and for all of us?"

-- Many 202 readers are current and former diplomats from both parties. They are deeply troubled by the Trump transition's decision to tell all non-career ambassadors that they must resign on Jan. 20. Traditionally, an ambassador stays in the post until his or her successor arrives. By custom, many ambassadors also stick around until the end of the school year so that their children's education does not get messed up.

"As a pediatrician and a parent, I believe deeply that 'leading by example' is crucial, both in terms of personal behavior and in terms of creating financial and professional success in your life," Karen Lewis emailed. "I am not sure if you are looking through this lens. For example, having lived overseas, I know how hard it is to move mid-year with children in school. How do you justify your personal decision for your family to remain in New York City as much as possible until Barron finishes his school year, while demanding the immediate return of U.S. ambassadors with their families prior to the inauguration, with no exceptions?"

-- The sense that Trump does not believe the rules apply to him – that he's the living, breathing personification of a double standard – is pervasive. One reader who asked to stay anonymous emailed: "I have recently gone through a security clearance as a requirement for employment with the federal government. Among the many questions that I was asked for a Public Trust security clearance, which is pretty low level, were the following: 1) Had I had any contact with foreign nationals? 2) Did I have any outstanding debts that I was in arrears on? 3) Have I paid my taxes in the past seven years? 4) Have I ever left the country and where did I go? I went to Canada in 2004 and was questioned on the following: a) What did I do in Canada while I was there? b) Did I meet or befriend any foreign nationals while I was on the trip? c) Was I convicted of a crime while I was in Canada? 5) I was asked about my employment history for the last 15 years. There are more questions that were asked, but I wanted to point out that, at a Public Trust clearance level, I don't handle classified documents. And yet, my clearance questions/requirements seem way more rigorous than President-elect Trump's clearance requirements."

Trump and boxing promoter Don King speak to reporters outside the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach on Dec. 28. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

-- Here are other suggested questions for Trump that came up again and again—

On his self-dealing: In November, you told the IRS that the Trump Foundation had broken laws against "self-dealing" in the past. What, specifically, were the violations you were admitting to? Have you paid any penalties or penalty taxes to the IRS or the state of New York because of legal violations by your foundation? (David Fahrenthold)

On his personal finances: How can you assure American citizens that you will not use the office of the president for financial gain -- for you and/or your family? (Benjamin Sparks)

On his taxes: The question of releasing your tax returns has hung over your campaign and now the transition. In order to dissipate the cloud while giving the American people a chance to better understand your achievements, why don't you release your tax returns from the years prior to any years currently under audit by the IRS? (Paul Levit of Arlington)

On his cabinet picks: Since "draining the swamp" was a central theme of your campaign, why have you tapped six major campaign donors and fundraisers to serve in senior positions in your administration, including the top donor to your private foundation? Aren't these exactly the kind of appointments you warned that Hillary Clinton would make if she were elected? (Matea Gold has written more on this.)

We can debate the accuracy of your claims that you opposed the war in Iraq, but let's accept your stated opposition as fact. This really separated you from your primary challengers, and you claimed it showed your judgment in foreign affairs was superior. So how come your cabinet does not include any advisors who also were against the 2003 invasion? (Andy Hill)

You have not appointed any Hispanics to your cabinet, and you've put a relatively small number of women in top positions. Hillary Clinton promised that half her cabinet would be women. Is your administration going to be diverse enough?

Please describe the vetting process that your transition team has had in place for evaluating potential appointees and nominees. (Greg Belcamino of New York City)

On replacing Obamacare: You have a gift for breaking down complicated issues into simple solutions, like "build a wall." When you repeal Obamacare, can you explain in a simple but justifiable way how your replacement will be better and cheaper for Americans? (John Ringstad of Woodstock, Md.)

What will happen to the millions of people insured under expanded Medicaid programs when Obamacare is repealed? (Mary Hoffman of New Mexico)

Other agenda items: What current agreements exist with the Mexican government that provide assurances to the American taxpayer that we will get reimbursed for constructing the border wall? (Ron Tollefson)

Your economic team and congressional leaders have begun negotiating tax reform. Will any acceptable tax plan be revenue neutral? If the new law cuts current revenues in the expectation of higher economic growth and tax collections in the future, for the near-term will you require dollar-for-dollar cuts in federal spending or will you support increased deficits? (Larry Kahn)

Finally, on Russia: Is there any indication that your representatives were communicating with Russian officials during the campaign? Have you or staff been questioned about it by federal agents?

Vladimir Putin feared Hillary Clinton more than you. Why? (Bradford Lyerla)

Yes or no, do you either personally or through any of your business interests owe any financial debt to any Russian financial institution or Russian individual? (Chris Tobkin of Vancouver, Wash.)

As president, will you maintain sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and trying to influence our election? (Dan Tkach of Centennial, CO)

Have you seen "The Manchurian Candidate"? Do you play solitaire? (Richard Cohen)

Welcome to the Daily 202, PowerPost's morning newsletter.

With contributions from Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck).

THE LATEST ON THE RUSSIA BOMBSHELL:

Trump briefed on unsubstantiated claims that Russia has compromising information on him

-- A classified report delivered to Trump and Obama last week by top U.S. intelligence officials contained unverified allegations that Russia has "compromising" information about the personal life and finances of the president-elect. Greg Miller reports: "If true, the information suggests that Moscow has assembled damaging information — known in espionage circles by the Russian term 'kompromat' — that conceivably could be used to coerce the next occupant of the White House. U.S. officials said that while the FBI had so far not confirmed the accuracy of the claims, U.S. officials had evaluated the sources relied upon by the private firm, considered them credible, and determined that it was plausible that they would have first-hand knowledge of Russia's alleged dossier on Trump." The allegation adds a disturbing new dimension to ongoing concerns about Moscow's efforts to undermine American democracy.

THE DETAILS:

--The origins: "The appendix summarized opposition research memos prepared mainly by a retired British intelligence operative for a Washington political and corporate research firm. The firm was paid for its work first by Mr. Trump's Republican rivals and later by supporters of Mrs. Clinton. The Times has checked on a number of the details included in the memos but has been unable to substantiate them." (New York Times)

-- Why are they telling Trump now? "One reason the nation's intelligence chiefs took the extraordinary step of including the synopsis in the briefing documents was to make [Trump] aware that such allegations involving him are circulating among intelligence agencies, senior members of Congress and other government officials in Washington," CNN's Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, Jake Tapper and Carl Bernstein report.

-- What did Team Trump know and when did they know it? "The two-page synopsis also included allegations that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government."

-- Siren: FBI officials applied for a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance (FISA) court last summer in order to monitor four Trump team members suspected of "irregular contacts" with Russian officials, but the FISA court turned down the application, asking FBI counter-intelligence investigators to "narrow its focus," according to the Guardian's Julian Borger. "According to one report, the FBI was finally granted a warrant in October, but that has not been confirmed, and it is not clear whether any warrant led to a full investigation."

-- In July, Trump adviser Carter Page reportedly held a secret meeting with Igor Sechin, head of the Rosneft state-owned oil company and a long-serving Putin lieutenant. From Borger: "Page also allegedly met Igor Divyekin, an internal affairs official with a background in intelligence, who is said to have warned Page that Moscow had 'kompromat' (compromising material) on Trump."

-- Putin is playing the long game, via the Guardian: "One report, dated June 2016, claims that the Kremlin has been cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years, with the aim of encouraging 'splits and divisions in (the) western alliance.' It claims that Trump had declined 'various sweetener real estate deals offered him in Russia' especially in developments linked to the 2018 World Cup finals but that 'he and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals.' Most explosively, the report alleges: 'FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him.'"

-- A Putin spokesman today dismissed as an "absolute fantasy" allegations that the Kremlin collected compromising information on Trump. David Filipov reports: "The Kremlin has no compromising dossier on Trump, such information isn't consistent with reality and is nothing but an absolute fantasy,' Dmitry Peskov, who handles Putin's day-to-day communications, told journalists. Peskov, whose own alleged role in overseeing and effort to undermine [Clinton] is described in the report, on Wednesday dismissed the dossier as a 'complete fabrication' and said the Kremlin 'does not engage in collecting compromising material.'"

-- Trump continued to lash out on Twitter:

-- Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen, accused of possibly meeting with Russian operatives in Prague in one of the reports, tweeted a picture of his passport cover, saying he has "never been to Prague in my life." "The entire report is inaccurate," he told Politico. "It's just another attempt to malign Mr. Trump and I find it interesting how they released this information one day prior to Mr. Trump's press conference."

-- Trump loyalists also sprung to the president-elect's defense by dismissing the news as unsurprising:

-- As top U.S. spy chiefs testified at a rare open hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee, some GOP lawmakers appeared to side with the president-elect as they attempted to get intelligence brass to conclude that while Russia may have intervened to help Trump, it did not succeed. Karoun Demirjian reports: "This goes on constantly…on a scale of one to 10, we've seen a number of 10s, this one doesn't come close to a 10," Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) said. 'Russia is not, in my judgment, the most aggressive actor in this business …' [Meanwhile, FBI Director] James Comey told senators that though Russians had not manipulated the vote totals, they had successfully hacked their way into some voter registration data at the state level, and could thus 'potentially' manipulate voter information in the future to cause 'chaos.'"

A key moment during the hearing came when Ron Wyden asked if the FBI is investigating links between Russia and the Trump campaign. Despite arguably tipping the election to Trump with his public announcements about Clinton on the eve of the election, Comey said with a straight face: "I would never comment on investigations – whether we have one or not – in an open forum like this, so I really can't answer one way or another."

Another chilling quote: "The next worrisome trend in the cyber business will be the compromise of the fidelity of information … whether it's for a criminal purpose or political purpose," Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said. "This is well within the realm, I think, of possibility."

-- House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, a Trump loyalist, said last night that he "hadn't seen the memos," adding that the issue was not discussed in the Gang of Eight briefing. Asked how damaging the implications could be for Trump, Nunes told reporters: "I would not jump to any conclusions here. This seems maybe taken a little out of context." (Wall Street Journal)

Seth Meyers Interviews Kellyanne Conway About President-Elect Trump

-- Seth Meyers had a contentious back-and-forth with Kellyanne Conway about the news. Bethonie Butler writes up the exchange: "Well guess what hasn't happened, Seth," Conway began. "Nobody has sourced it. They're all unnamed, unspoken sources in the story and it says it was based on a Russian investigator." Meyers here interjected to note that it was a MI6 British investigator. Undeterred, Conway continued: "And I have to say as an American citizen, regardless of your party … we should be concerned that intelligence officials leak to the press and won't go and tell the president-elect or the president of the United States himself … They would rather go tell the press." "But the press report was about them going to the president," Meyers replied. "And it says that they never briefed him on it, that they appended two pages to the bottom," Conway said. "I believe it said that they did brief him on it," Meyers said. "Well, he has said that he is not aware of that," Conway replied. (Watch it here.)

Rex Tillerson arrives for a meeting with Chris Coons at the Capitol. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

THE LATEST NEWS FURTHER RAISES THE STAKES FOR REX TILLERSON TODAY:

-- Day two of Senate confirmation hearings begin today, with lawmakers gearing up to grill secretary of state nominee and CEO Rex Tillerson, Ed O'Keefe and Anne Gearan write: "The 64-year-old Texan, recommended to [Trump] as a dark horse candidate but with no government experience, will have his first chance to address concerns that the company he headed, ExxonMobil, put profits ahead of human rights, environmental and policy concerns, and that he has cozy relations with authoritarian leaders."

Hearings are expected to last most of the day. "It's going to be long," warned Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker. It is also not clear that any Democrats on the committee will vote to approve him.

-- The most interesting man to watch today in Tillerson's hearing? Marco Rubio. Paul Kane explains why: "The Florida Republican is likely to reveal what kind of future he wants in [Trump's] Washington, and there are two broad possibilities[:] He could play a lead role in trying to torpedo Trump's pick for the nation's top diplomat, by turning his question-and-answer sessions with Tillerson into an aggressive attack on the nominee's economic ties to Russia … Or Rubio could be, well, more diplomatic, tempering his questions about Tillerson's global philosophy … and paving the way for an easy confirmation. Rubio's fellow hawks on national security issues will be watching closely to see which path he takes. Several of them have joined Rubio in criticizing Tillerson's credentials, but Rubio is the most prominent among them on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is tasked with vetting the oil titan's qualifications. That puts equal pressure on Rubio to voice that perspective — and to be careful about his relationship with the incoming administration."

-- Texas Monthly's Loren Steffy emphasizes the Russia connection: "Tillerson's crowning achievement was negotiating Exxon's 1996 agreement to find oil around Sakhalin Island on the eastern coast of Russia. [But] by 2011, BP, Shell and most other western companies … had been kicked out by Vladimir Putin. Exxon, however, remained, and inked another deal [with] Putin himself coming to watch the signing. [Now], the challenge for Tillerson is translating his skill at negotiating business deals, which tend to be more narrow in scope and focus on specifics such as generating a return for shareholders, into the broader foreign policy negotiations required for a secretary of state."

-- In a copy of his prepared opening remarks, Tillerson does not address concerns about his business ties or relations with Putin. Josh Rogin previews: "In his first public remarks as [Trump's] nominee to be secretary of state, former ExxonMobile chief executive Rex Tillerson will say he believes Russia is "a danger" and that NATO allies are right to be alarmed by its aggression. But he makes no mention of Moscow's interference in the U.S. election campaign or the future of U.S. sanctions. Tillerson blames the Obama administration primarily for the failure of the United States so far to confront Russian aggression. He will argue that where possible, the United States should explore cooperation with Russia, such as with the fight against terrorism. But where Russian actions are threatening to the U.S. or our allies, we should push back, he will testify. [Still], those comments could go a long way to allying senators' concerns that Tillerson, who has a long business relationship with Russian leaders, including [Putin], might be too eager to pursue closer ties with Moscow."

Barack Obama wipes away tears last night. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

POTUS SAYS GOODBYE:

-- It felt like a cross between a campaign rally and a wake: President Obama used his farewell address in Chicago last night to deliver high-minded remarks in which he acknowledged the threats facing American democracy but pressed forward with a more optimistic vision for the nation's future. Juliet Eilperin and Greg Jaffe report: "The president was speaking to multiple audiences in Chicago. He sought to unite a country that has grown more cynical and divided over the course of his presidency by reminding Americans of all that they have in common. He worked to rally his supporters, who failed to back [Clinton], his chosen successor, in sufficient numbers. And he sought to make a case for historians that the last eight years had produced lasting, positive change that would not be undone by his successor. To that end, Obama's speech focused, in part, on recounting and celebrating his accomplishments for a crowd in the auditorium that included many of his most loyal staffers who had journeyed to Chicago...

"In his victory speech, Obama promised a cheering crowd of supporters that 'the best is yet to come.' [And] on Tuesday, the president, whose approval rating has surged even as his party's fortunes have suffered, tried to lay out an optimistic vision to a deeply partisan crowd fearful of a Trump presidency. "Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard, contentious and sometimes bloody," he said. "For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some."

Read the transcript of the speech here. Watch it in full:

Watch Obama's farewell speech, in full

-- Chris Cillizza calls it Obama's "pep talk for democracy": "That Obama felt compelled to give a speech that functioned as a defense of the basic principles — and enduring strengths — of our democracy speaks to the political climate in which he took the stage. The solution Obama offered was the same one he had touted since a frigid day in Springfield, Ill., in early 2007: True democracy isn't about the leaders, it's about the people. Only you can change the world you live in. I'll be there with you, but you need to do it for yourself. 'Yes we can,' he said in the speech's final moments. 'Yes we did.' The arc of that message is one no one could have foreseen. The country's first black president elected and reelected. Then the election of a man whose entire existence runs counter to the ideas Obama tried to raise up over the past eight years. What Obama seemed to be saying is that if I can do this — hand the baton to Trump — then you sure as hell can do your part to ensure the continued vibrancy our political system."

-- "Tempering the disappointment of his supporters and soothing their anxiety has become, in his waning days in office, Obama's last, unexpected campaign," David Nakamura writes. "He capped his remarks by tapping the lectern with his right hand, a superstition he started in the 2008 campaign. This time, however, it was not emphatic and urgent, but rather soft and understated, the restrained final gesture of a president who once symbolized hope but was departing the national stage at a time of unpredictable change."

-- The Obamas are good parents, cont.: Sasha skipped her dad's speech so she could stay at the White House to prepare for a test at Sidwell Friends this morning. (Boston Globe)

Dylann Roof, condemned to death, is shown in this courtroom sketch from yesterday. (Rob Maniscalco/Reuters)

GET SMART FAST:

A jury sentenced the Charleston church shooter to death after he showed no remorse. The decision ends a federal trial, in which jurors heard hours of harrowing testimony from survivors and family members of those slain in the massacre. Often, even the sketch artist could be seen crying. (Kevin Sullivan)
New regulations issued by the Secretary of the Army provide that — except in rare circumstances — followers of the Sikh faith no longer must abandon their religious turbans, unshorn hair, or beards to serve in uniform. (Volokh Conspiracy)
The National Cancer Institute launched an effort aimed at speeding up clinical trials – working with drug companies to set up virtual "formularies" with different types of medication. The new system could be especially helpful to scientists who want to test combinations of drugs — which is where many cancer trials are headed. (Laurie McGinley)
A new Pew Research survey highlights a stark disconnect between cops and the communities they police: Two-thirds of U.S. police officers say the deaths of black Americans during police encounters are "isolated incidents," while 92 percent said protests following controversial deaths are motivated in part by an "anti-cop bias." (Scott Clement and Wesley Lowery)
Hillary Clinton made a rare, low-key return to Washington yesterday to attend a reception honoring the completion of a new State Department museum area that is partly named in her honor (and notably topped by a glass ceiling.) "I'm sure you will notice it is the most transparent part of the entire project," Clinton joked. (Anne Gearan)
Chris Christie said he will spend his final year as governor focused on New Jersey's spiraling drug-abuse epidemic, vowing to throw himself behind humbler intrastate priorities after spending much of 2016 chasing the siren song of Washington. (Reuters)
Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles and Aly Raisman will be featured prominently in this year's Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. (Marissa Payne)
Iceland ousted its prime minister last year after he was named in the massive Panama Papers document dump – but nearly a year later, it appears that the man they tapped to replace him was also implicated in the leak. (Adam Taylor)
Attractiveness might correlate with politics, according to a new study. Researchers found that right-leaning politicians are better looking than their left-leaning counterparts in Europe, the U.S., and Australia. (Ana Swanson)
Journalist Clare Hollingsworth, who broke the news about the start of World War II on her third day as a reporter, died at 105. For Hollingsworth, the once-in-a-lifetime scoop also gave rise to a prolific, 50-year career – in which the notorious adrenaline junkie strong-armed her way onto some of the world's most dangerous battlefields and into the company of top Soviet spies. (John Otis)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in Los Angeles last month. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for DEPART Foundation)

PERSONNEL IS POLICY -- YOU CAN JUDGE A MAN BY THE COMPANY HE KEEPS:

-- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of a widely discredited theory that vaccines cause autism, said yesterday that Trump asked him to chair a new commission on vaccines. From Abby Phillip, Lena H. Sun and Lenny Bernstein: "Hours later, however, a spokeswoman for Trump's transition said that while Trump would like to create a commission on autism, no final decision had been made. If Trump follows through, the stunning move would push up against established science, medicine and the government's position on the issue. It comes after Trump — who has long been critical of vaccines — met at Trump Tower with Kennedy, who has spearheaded efforts to roll back child vaccination laws. … Speaking to reporters earlier Tuesday in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Kennedy said that Trump called him to request the meeting and that he accepted the offer of a position on the commission during the meeting."

Key quote: "It's difficult to imagine anyone less qualified to serve on a commission for vaccine science," said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and the president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a nonprofit that works to control, treat and eliminate vaccine-preventable and neglected tropical diseases. "The science is clear: Massive evidence showing no link between vaccines and autism, and as both a scientist who develops vaccines for poverty-related neglected diseases and the father of an adult daughter with autism, there's not even any plausibility for a link. Autism is a genetic condition. … Our nation's public health will suffer if this nascent neo-antivaxxer movement is not stopped immediately."

Flashback: Kennedy is not just a longtime opponent of mandatory vaccination laws but a conspiracy theorist, as well. "In 2006, he wrote in Rolling Stone magazine that the Republican Party had stolen the 2004 election from Democratic candidate John F. Kerry. At a 2013 speech in Dallas, he said he doesn't believe the lone gunman theory of the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy."

The Post's health, science and environment editor -- currently serving as the president of the National Association of Science Writers -- expressed serious concern:

-- The ex-wife of labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder appeared on "Oprah" as a victim of domestic violence, taking to national television after repeatedly accusing him of physically assaulting her during the 1980s. Politico's Marianne Levine reports: "Puzder's ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, accused him of having 'assaulted and battered [her] by striking her violently about the face, chest, back, shoulders, and neck, without provocation or cause,' and that as a consequence she 'suffered severe and permanent injuries.' [Now,] she has retracted the allegations in the weeks leading up to Puzder's confirmation hearing, suggesting she made them up to bolster her divorce settlement … But women's groups are using the charges as ammunition in their fight to oppose his nomination. And Fierstein's appearance on 'Oprah,' … raises new questions, showing that she went beyond divorce-settlement tactics to portray herself on national television as an anonymous victim of domestic violence."

Monica Crowley at Trump Tower (Albin Lohr-Jones/EPA)

-- HarperCollins announced that it will stop selling a book by conservative talking head Monica Crowley, who has been tapped to by Trump to lead communications for the National Security Council. CNN's Andrew Kaczynski reported over the weekend that she plagiarized entire sections of her 2012 book. She also copied large swaths of the material in her 2000 Columbia PhD dissertation, Politico reported. Meanwhile, Trump officials continue to support her and say she will keep the job: "Any attempt to discredit Monica is nothing more than a politically motivated attack that seeks to distract from the real issues facing this country," a transition official said.

-- Can you imagine how much the right would have flipped out if Ben Rhodes, who holds the job that Crowley is about to get, had plagiarized this egregiously and repeatedly (even after getting caught red-handed in the past)? It is inconceivable that Obama, the former editor of the Harvard Law Review, would have tolerated this kind of academic fraudulence and theft of other's intellectual material. The flippant reaction of the transition team, even in the face of mounting evidence, speaks volumes about how the incoming administration plans to do business.

Key moments from John Kelly's confirmation hearing

-- AN ADULT IN THE ROOM: Homeland Security secretary nominee John Kelly diverted sharply from Trump on several key issues, calling for increased outreach to Muslims and telling colleagues that the Mexico border wall might not "be built anytime soon.'' Jerry Markon and Dan Lamothe report: "Long known for his blunt manner, the former chief of the U.S. Southern Command added several layers of uncertainty to Trump's promised crackdown on illegal immigration … which Kelly would oversee at DHS. Kelly appeared to play down the importance of Trump's promised wall, telling senators that a physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job' and that technology such as drones and sensors are also needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. He said the structure might not 'be built anytime soon' because it is such an immense project, appearing to contradict Trump, who has said building the wall is 'easy' and can be 'done inexpensively.' He also said he'd keep an open mind on DACA, or the 2012 Obama-led program that temporarily protects immigrants who came to the U.S. at a very young age."

Jeff Sessions resumes his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee after a bathroom break. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

-- The Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Jeff Sessions for nearly 10 hours yesterday. The longtime Alabama lawmaker sought to assure the American public that he could set aside his personal agenda in order to fairly enforce the law as U.S. attorney general. From Matt Zapotosky, Sari Horwitz and Ellen Nakashima: "Sessions said, although his politics might indicate otherwise, that he would abide by the Supreme Court decision underpinning abortion rights and that he would similarly follow the 5-to-4 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. He said he understands that the waterboarding of suspects to elicit information is 'absolutely improper and illegal.' He also vowed to recuse himself from any probes of Clinton's email practices or charitable foundation, mindful that previous comments could place his objectivity in question...

"On the first day of his two-day confirmation hearing, Sessions came under tough questioning from Democrats about his conservative, often controversial views on immigration, hate crimes legislation and national security matters. He answered politely, although often forcefully, and frequently referred to his decades of experience in the Senate. But Sessions also seemed to recognize that, if confirmed, he would have to abandon his persona as a far-right lawmaker and an unabashed Trump supporter. He said that the attorney general should enforce the law regardless of the president's views and that if the president presses for illegal action, the attorney general should resign."

A protester dressed as Klansmen disrupts the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Sessions. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

-- Senate Democrats used the bulk of their time to push Sessions on where he would break away from his own hardline record or distance himself from Trump. Politico's Matthew Nussbaum breaks down several key moments where they found daylight between Sessions and the president-elect:

Torture: Sessions spoke out harshly against the use of waterboarding, appearing to assuage Democrats as he slammed the use of such torture tactics as "absolutely illegal."
Muslims: "I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious group should be denied admission to the United States," Sessions said at the hearing. "We have great Muslim citizens who have contributed in so many different ways." When asked point-blank if he would support a law barring Muslims from the U.S., Sessions responded: No.
Russian hacking: "I am sure it was honorably reached," Sessions said of the FBI's conclusions, which Trump has repeatedly sought to discredit. When asked if he believed the report's conclusion, he said: "I have no reason to doubt that and have no evidence that would indicate otherwise."

-- First Amendment watch: At one point, Sessions declined to commit to NOT jailing journalists for doing their jobs, telling lawmakers that he has "not studied" the rules and wanted to keep the door open to putting reporters in jail for using leaked information. (HuffPost)

-- In 1986, Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King Jr., penned a letter urging Congress to block nomination of Jeff Sessions for federal judge, saying that allowing him to join the U.S. bench would "irreparably damage the work of my husband." (Her letter was made public for the first time yesterday and can be read in its entirety here.)

James Cartwright arrives at U.S. District Court in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

-- Federal prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for James Cartwright, the retired four-star Marine Corps general and once the second-highest ranking military officer, after he pleaded guilty in October to lying to the FBI. Spencer S. Hsu reports: "Cartwright, who was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before he retired in 2011, admitted to falsely telling investigators he did not confirm classified information to reporters writing about the Stuxnet computer worm and a covert U.S.-Israeli cyberattack on Iran's nuclear program." The false statements charge against Cartwright carries a maximum prison term of five years. He was scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17, but a U.S. district judge pushed the date until after Obama leaves office later this month.

Trump jokes around with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough last year. (Scott Morgan/Reuters)

HOW WILL DJT GOVERN?

-- Trump very clearly still has no earthly idea how Congress actually works. In an interview with the New York Times yesterday, he demanded that Congress repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act "very quickly" – a nearly impossible mission that would require Republicans to agree on what a new health law would look like within weeks. "Mr. Trump appeared to be unclear both about the timing of already scheduled votes in Congress and about the difficulty of his demand — a repeal vote 'probably some time next week' and a replacement 'very quickly or simultaneously, very shortly thereafter,'" Maggie Haberman and Robert Pear report. "But he was clear on one point: Plans by congressional Republicans to repeal the health law now, then take years to create and implement a replacement law are unacceptable to the incoming president. [Paul Ryan] set out a similar timetable on Tuesday … But those ambitions will be difficult to achieve and will almost certainly require Democratic cooperation."

-- The Post's national security team launched a new series exploring the foreign policy challenges Trump is inheriting – and the ways in which he might approach them. In today's first installment, Karen DeYoung wonders what a "Trump Doctrine" might look like: "The first indication of a Trump Doctrine, if such a thing yet exists, may come this week with confirmation hearings for his national security nominees, none of whom has spoken publicly about any pending issues. Among the several challenges that will require the Trump team to hit the ground running is North Korea, which conducted its fifth nuclear test, its largest ever, in September. In a New Year's speech, leader Kim Jong Un said his country was in the 'last stage' of preparations to test-fire a long-range missile …U.S. and European sanctions against Russia over Ukraine will have to be renewed before midyear, and Trump, as well as his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, have indicated they are not fans. Trump may also face early decisions on a host of what are currently considered secondary issues, from Venezuela to Libya. He has indicated he favors major revisions to Obama's policy on Cuba and has left open his views on the U.S. commitment to NATO. For those who see a strategy, virtually every issue the administration is likely to confront will be interpreted as a subset of [two main goals]: [fighting] Islamist terrorism and recapturing economic dominance perceived as lost to the Chinese."

-- Speaking extensively in public for the first time since the election, incoming White House national security adviser Michael T. Flynn said last night the Trump administration plans to "examine and potentially re-baseline" U.S. relationships around the world but will "keep in mind the sacrifices and deep commitments that many of our allies have made on behalf of our security and our prosperity." Implementing Trump's "vision . . . of making America great again," Flynn said, would be achieved "overwhelmingly" through a policy of "peace through strength." But at a U.S. Institute of Peace conference on "Passing the Baton," Flynn largely flew above specifics, with no mention of individual countries or planned policies. "His goal, one Trump transition team official said, was 'not to make news,' and he largely succeeded," DeYoung reports.

-- The New York Times looks at Flynn's longtime desire for the U.S. to work more closely with Russia to fight the Islamic State. From Matt Rosenberg, Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman: "He traveled to Moscow about a year after he took charge of the [DIA] to cultivate what he saw as natural allies in the fight against Islamist militants: Russia's spy agencies. It was June 2013, a briefly optimistic moment for both the Americans and Russians, and Mr. Flynn hoped to take advantage of it. During the trip, he met with the chief of the Russian military intelligence unit known as the G.R.U. — the same agency that has since been implicated in interference in the 2016 presidential election — and held an hourlong discussion with midranking officers at its headquarters … Relations with Moscow have soured significantly since then, yet Mr. Flynn has grown only more vehement about the need for the United States to cultivate Russia as an ally. Now, as Mr. Flynn, 58, prepares to play a leading role in setting national security priorities in the Trump White House, his pro-Russian tilt stands in striking opposition to the judgments of the intelligence agencies he will help oversee."

-- When George W. Bush became president, he tapped a chief of staff who was not a gatekeeper but a "first among equals." Meanwhile, Obama chose a veteran Washington power broker to help accommodate for his lack of experience. But Trump is following neither model. From Politico's Annie Karni: "When he enters office on Jan. 20, Trump will be surrounded by a group of top aides who have spent limited time working together and have no federal government experience among them. But in perhaps the biggest contrast … Trump's chief of staff [Reince Priebus] … will have to compete with another top adviser who will have unprecedented access to the president in the private East Wing … It may be how Trump is accustomed to running his family real estate company, with family members involved. But it's a unique way to staff the White House — and presents a singular quandary for Priebus, who instead of focusing on how to run the nerve center of the government, will also have to jockey to keep himself in the loop."

-- Outgoing trade ambassador Michael Froman sounded the alarm over potential protectionist politics under Trump, saying that the U.S. risks ceding global economic dominance if Trump follows through on promises to slap "punitive tariffs" on imports and abandon a sweeping trade deal with Asia. Ylan Q. Mui reports: "How can you be tough on China and withdraw from TPP at the same time?" Froman said in an interview ... 'TPP is how you show U.S. leadership in the region.' Meanwhile, he said, China is striking regional trade agreements of its own in hopes of establishing itself as the economic power center of Asia — and eventually, the world."

-- Preview: U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue, in his his annual "State of American Business" address later this morning, will express optimism for the year ahead. From the early excerpts: "At this moment of significant transition for our country, the American business community is optimistic about the year ahead – optimistic and also realistic about the hard work that will be required to make our optimism a reality. We see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact major reforms that could transform the American economy from a low-growth to a high-growth economy. … It's tempting, especially in politics, to put other priorities ahead of growth—priorities that may please the voters or satisfy the demands of one constituency or another. Over the past eight years we have seen the consequences and paid the price of a philosophy that often put other priorities ahead of economic growth. This must change. It's a time for choosing—choosing growth."

Trump talks with Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly after a Republican debate in Detroit last March. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

-- Just weeks after Fox News CEO Roger Ailes was ousted amid a sexual harassment scandal, top company execs were working furiously to secretly settle similar allegations against longtime anchor Bill O'Reilly. New York Times' Emily Steel and Michael Schmidt report: "The employee, Juliet Huddy, had said that Mr. O'Reilly pursued a sexual relationship with her in 2011, at a time he exerted significant influence over her career. When she rebuffed his advances, he tried to derail her career. … The letter includes allegations that Mr. O'Reilly had called Ms. Huddy repeatedly and that it sometimes sounded like he was masturbating. He invited her to his house on Long Island, tried to kiss her, took her to dinner and the theater, and after asking her to return a key to his hotel room, appeared at the door in his boxer shorts, according to the letter. In exchange for her silence and agreement not to sue, she was paid a sum in the high six figures. … In the aftermath of Mr. Ailes's departure, executives declared that such behavior would never again be tolerated. Mr. O'Reilly has continued to host his show on weekday nights at 8 p.m., and he published two more books."

WAPO HIGHLIGHTS:

-- "House battle over controversial student painting spirals out of control," by Mike DeBonis: "A young Missouri student's painting of civil unrest has sparked a proxy battle among lawmakers in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, between black Democrats concerned about what they call a legacy of unjust policing and several white Republicans who are defending law enforcement. The tiff spiraled out of control Tuesday, with House Republicans acting on two separate occasions to pull the artwork down from a tunnel in the Capitol complex, after it was rehung by Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), whose young constituent painted it. For more than two years, the national debate about the policing in African American communities has largely bypassed Capitol Hill, which has been under the control of Republican lawmakers wary of wading into the controversy. Rather, it took an 18-year-old's painting to unleash lawmakers' passions …"

-- "Almost three years after long waits for medical appointments for veterans exploded into a nationwide scandal, the Phoenix VA hospital at the center of the crisis still is not providing timely care," Lisa Rein reports: "One review, by the inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said a veteran with heart trouble died last year while waiting for cardiology tests that could have saved him. Investigators also found that on a given day, 1,100 veterans in Phoenix have a longer-than-30-day wait to see a doctor. And during the period reviewed by investigators, 215 veterans died while waiting to see a specialist. The findings are likely to present challenges for President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration, which has made improving care for veterans a priority."

SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:

A thought to start:

Evan McMullin, an alumnus of the CIA who ran for president as an independent, responded to the news this way:

From Trump spokesman Sean Spicer:

Does Trump realize what's happening? Consider this comment from Kellyanne Conway:

What goes around comes around:

Meanwhile, lots of warm-hearted tweeting from the Obama team and family:

Jeff Flake, up for reeelection in 2018 in Arizona, praised Obama's speech:

He also invoked Pokemon Go on the Senate floor:

A few scenes from the first day of hearings on Capitol Hill:

This offensive tweet from a writer at MTV News, referring to Sessions's granddaughter, drew widespread criticism:

Ted Cruz apparently has selective memory loss:

From Matt Welch, the editor of the libertarian magazine Reason:

Other moments to ponder:

GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE:

-- "[Trump] wasn't the only presidential candidate whose campaign was boosted by officials of a former Soviet bloc country," Politico's Ken Vogel and David Stern report: "Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election … And they helped Clinton's allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers … A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia."

-- A must-read on President Duterte's bloody drug war, from New York Times Magazine's Patrick Symmes: "Abundant theatricality accompanies most things in the Philippines, from religious processions to karaoke. Soap operas and melodramas rule the airwaves. The drug-war killings have taken on an edge of this performance culture. Bodies are often recovered bearing crude cardboard signs: 'I AM A PUSHER' or 'I AM A DRUG USER DON'T BE LIKE ME.' Filipinos refer to the practice as 'cardboard justice': the signs now sometimes include Twitter hashtags, or riffs on popular Facebook memes. The killing teams have become bolder, sometimes not bothering to hide their faces and exploring more baroque forms of cruelty, like covering their victims' faces with masks of packing tape, occasionally decorated with cartoon eyes and mouths."

Now, consider this: "As of October, [Duterte] enjoyed an 86 percent approval rating nationwide; his popularity was greatest among the poorest Filipinos surveyed. Family members of the drug war's casualties on several occasions told me they supported Duterte's violence, even as they insisted their sons and daughters were targeted inaccurately. The list was a promise to cleanse society, and surrendering to the police, or even being innocent, was no defense."

-- "The Truth Behind Megyn Kelly's NBC News deal," by Newsweek's Michael Wolff: "The Murdochs, father and sons, thought Kelly was going to be their way of cleansing Fox of Roger Ailes and his brand of diss-the-elites conservatism—and of letting them, after 20 years of Ailes's control, set their powerful network's agenda. Instead, the network, even without Ailes, now seems ever-more in the Ailes mold. Two things got in the way of these careful plans: Kelly herself and Donald Trump…"

HOT ON THE LEFT:

"A white police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, has been suspended without pay for 10 days following the release of a video last month showing him being violent toward three black women who were trying to report that a family member allegedly had been assaulted." From HuffPost: "Video of the arrest … appears to show Jacqueline Craig, 49, talking to Martin and alleging that a neighbor, a white man also seen in the video, had grabbed her 7-year-old son by the neck. She said the neighbor had accused her son of tossing a piece of paper on the ground and refusing to pick it up. Instead of filing a report, [the officer] dismissed Craig's complaint and questioned her parenting. 'Well, why don't you teach your son not to litter?' he asked. [He] can be heard threatening to throw Craig in jail when she protests his reaction. Then the video shows one of Craig's daughters attempting to get between her mother and the officer, leading Martin to grab her and begin making an arrest."

HOT ON THE RIGHT:

"Canadian judge bars graphic antiabortion bus ads — to prevent an 'uncomfortable environment,'" from Cleve R. Wootson Jr. "As graphic antiabortion ads go, the sign was fairly tame. The problem was the location. … [The CCBR] wanted to post the ads on buses in the Canadian city. That meant anyone glancing at a passing bus would see pictures of fetuses along with a phrase: 'ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN.' City officials rejected the ad, launching a two-year court battle that pitted the CCBR's right to freedom of expression against the city's authority to decide what's inappropriate to paste on the side of a municipal bus. Last month, an appeals court judge ruled in the city's favor — a decision that could guide other Canadian cities engaged in similar fights over controversial abortion ads."

DAYBOOK:

At the White House: Obama has no public events scheduled. Biden will deliver remarks on Nuclear Security at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace at 5 p.m.

On Capitol Hill: Tillerson, Sessions and Chao face confirmation hearings in the Senate. Senators participate in a vote-a-rama in the evening. The House meets at 12 p.m. for legislative business to consider H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 and one postponed suspension vote.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Trump's inauguration organizers are determined to make his swearing-in ceremony an event fit for the "greatest celebrity in the world" – but Abby Phillip says it's still not quite clear what they think that looks like. Instead of "trying to surround him with what people consider A-listers, we are going to surround him with the soft sensuality of the place," Trump's inaugural chairman Thomas Barrack said. So what does that mean, exactly? "It's a much more poetic cadence than having a circuslike celebration that's a coronation," Barrack added. "The cadence of it is going to be 'let me get back to work.'"

NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:

-- Finally, a break from the bitter chill! The Capital Weather Gang forecasts milder temps ahead for today: "With a light wind from the south, temperatures don't start nearly as cold as the past few days. Morning readings in the mid-30s to low 40s should reach afternoon highs in the upper 40s to low 50s under partly cloudy skies, perhaps even mid-50s with enough sun. A few showers may move in from the southwest after 3 p.m. or so."

-- The Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls, 101-99.

-- The District government agreed to pay $1 million in a federal class action lawsuit brought forth by homeowners, who were left with nothing after tax-lien investors stripped them of their homes through foreclosure for small tax debts. (Spencer S. Hsu)

-- A federal judge ended more than four decades of D.C. court supervision for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, concluding a lawsuit that city leaders said is the longest-standing U.S. class-action lawsuit of its kind. (Spencer S. Hsu)

VIDEOS OF THE DAY:

Obama described his challenges and expressed optimism in his farewell speech: