From ProPublica, Jessica Huseman and Rob Weychert on who Trump is putting in power. Trump aide Michael Flynn partnered with firm run by man with alleged KGB ties. Robin Wright on Trump team’s holy war and the remaking of the world order. How Rex Tillerson changed his tune on Russia and came to court its rulers. Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn is a rising power in Trumpworld. Donald Trump’s new regulation czar is a conflict-of-interest disaster: Carl Icahn will be writing rules while doing business deals. Care for the vulnerable vs. cash for the powerful: Sherry Glied and Richard Frank on Tom Price, Trump’s Pick for HHS. Schooled on Benghazi and Pizzagate, Trump team is heavy on conspiracy theorists.
Meet Mike Pence, America's new prime minister: Trump mostly seems to be the guy tasked with distracting everyone while Pence fills the cabinet and chats with Paul Ryan about how to run the country. Mitch McConnell, a modern-day Machiavelli: The Kentucky senator stood to be a big loser in the 2016 elections — instead, he emerged more powerful than ever. Washington is governed by fear now: Trump and Republicans in Congress have good reason to be scared of each other — and that might hold the party together, despite conflicting agendas. Partisanship is a helluva drug: Much of what Republicans stood for during Obama’s presidency looks likely to be abandoned under Trump.
Josh Blackman (South Texas): Presidential Maladministration (“As the Federal Register turns the page from Obama to Trump, this article provides a timely analysis of how courts react to unpresidented approaches to maladministration”). Michael J. Glennon on Trump’s looming showdown with the “double government”. Democracy is dying as technocrats watch: Assaults on democracy are working because our current political elites have no idea how to defend it. As Trump builds his oligarchy, America goes to sleep: The nation is weary from a hellish campaign and fear of its outcome — but if there was ever a time to wake up, it’s now.
