First Draft on Politics: Inauguration Week

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. Tuesday, January 17, 2017 [The New York Times] [NYTimes.com/Politics »] [The New York Times] Tuesday, January 17, 2017 [President-elect Donald J. Trump in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday.] President-elect Donald J. Trump in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday. Hilary Swift for The New York Times Good Tuesday morning. • Donald Trump met with Martin Luther King III to try to smooth tensions. The president-elect [eschewed public appearances] and met privately on Monday with the eldest son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday devoted to the civil rights icon. It was a tentative show of outreach by Mr. Trump to African-Americans who have been alarmed by the president-elect’s rhetoric and policy positions. But African-Americans are far from alone in being angry and anxious about Mr. Trump’s ascension; the president-elect [has many nations wondering] about his policies, too. • Opposition to Republicans’ plan to repeal Obamacare is heating up. Thousands of people around the United States [attended rallies over the weekend] to save the Affordable Care Act, which [Republicans moved last week]to repeal with a first, but crucial, legislative step. Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans appear to have accomplished a feat that President Obama, with all the power at his disposal, could not in the past seven years: They have galvanized outspoken support for the Affordable Care Act. • A long history of chasing deals in Russia. Mr. Trump [repeatedly sought business in Russia] as far back as 1987, when he traveled there to explore building a hotel, an investigation by The Times found. He applied for his trademark in the country as early as 1996. And his children and associates have appeared in Moscow over and over in search of joint ventures, meeting with developers and government officials. • Pick for interior secretary plays down “glitch” from his Navy days. Representative Ryan Zinke, Mr. Trump’s [nominee for secretary of the interior], has portrayed his accomplishments in the Navy in glowing terms, but he has acknowledged one “glitch.” Two retired admirals under whom Mr. Zinke served, however, say [his account understates the damage that his abuse of travel expenses] did to his military career. — NICHOLAS FANDOS  Got a confidential news tip? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn more »]  What We’re Watching • Mr. Trump will be in New York for meetings on Tuesday, though his attention is likely to start turning toward Washington and his inauguration as the week progresses. • Inauguration festivities get underway quietly on Tuesday, with an invitation-only Washington dinner for foreign diplomats to mingle with congressional leaders and members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle. • Confirmation fights continue: Mr. Zinke and Betsy DeVos, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Education, will both testify on Capitol Hill. • Will Republicans reveal more about their plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act? • President Obama is rushing to put the [finishing touches] on his administration. Will he issue additional commutations, announce any foreign policy decisions or introduce any final regulations?  ADVERTISEMENT  [Stand-ins for President-elect Donald J. Trump and his wife, Melania, during an inauguration dress rehearsal on Sunday in Washington.] Stand-ins for President-elect Donald J. Trump and his wife, Melania, during an inauguration dress rehearsal on Sunday in Washington. Doug Mills/The New York Times [How Much Will the Inauguration Cost, and Who’s Paying?] By NICHOLAS FANDOS Officials are putting the final touches on what will be nearly a week of celebrations for [More articles about Donald J. Trump.]’s inauguration as president on Friday. But all the pomp and circumstance does not come cheap. How much will it cost? The price of Inauguration Day and the week leading up to it could top $200 million, based on the cost of inaugurations past and on estimates by officials planning this week’s events. Costs could fluctuate depending on the weather on Inauguration Day and the size of the crowd. Who foots the bill? In bureaucratic terms, the costs are shared by the [Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies], the [Presidential Inaugural Committee], the federal government, and state and local governments. Put more simply: Private donors and taxpayers split the bill. [Read more »] [President-elect Donald J. Trump in the Trump Tower lobby on Monday. His remarks in a string of interviews have escalated tensions with China and infuriated allies.] Hilary Swift for The New York Times [As Trump Era Arrives, a Sense of Uncertainty Grips the World] By STEVEN ERLANGER Having made contradictory comments, President-elect Donald J. Trump has many nations wondering about his policies. But there’s also a sense that his words should not be taken too literally. [President Obama in the Oval Office during an interview with Michiko Kakutani on Friday.] Doug Mills/The New York Times Critic’s Notebook [Obama’s Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books] By MICHIKO KAKUTANI In an interview seven days before leaving office, Mr. Obama talked about the role books have played during his presidency and throughout his life. [President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York. He has recently criticized NATO, the European Union and the One China policy.] Hilary Swift for The New York Times [As Inauguration Nears, Trump Keeps World Leaders on Edge] By ROGENE JACQUETTE The president-elect drew global responses after an interview with The Wall Street Journal and with two European newspapers, Bild and The Times of London.  The Interpreter [What the U.S. Gets for Defending Its Allies and Interests Abroad] By MAX FISHER AND SERGIO PEÇANHA Donald J. Trump will enter office inheriting a vast system of global alliances and commitments. While he has characterized them as a series of separate deals, they make more sense if viewed as investments in a global order that serves American interests in several ways. What We’re Reading • Welcome to [TrumpWorld], a database of the president-elect’s personal and business connections compiled by BuzzFeed News and available for online search or download. • President Obama’s term ends on Friday and with it the era of a black commander in chief. The Los Angeles Times talked to black Americans across the country about [what the last eight years have meant] to them.  [Donald J. Trump, a co-owner of the Miss Universe contest at the time, at an after-party for the 2013 pageant in Moscow. He also used the visit to Moscow to discuss development deals.] [For Trump, Three Decades of Chasing Deals in Russia] By MEGAN TWOHEY AND STEVE EDER Donald J. Trump, and eventually his children, repeatedly sought business in Russia as far back as 1987, in a variety of ventures. But no deals got off the ground. [President-elect Donald J. Trump met with Martin Luther King III at Trump Tower in New York on Monday.] [Trump Meets With Eldest Son of Martin Luther King Jr.] By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS The plan was announced after a weekend of escalating tensions between the president-elect and Representative John Lewis, who fought for civil rights alongside Dr. King. [Representative Tom Price, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary, in Washington last week.] [Foes of Health Secretary Pick: Big Government and Insurance Firms] By ABBY GOODNOUGH Over a long political career, Tom Price, a doctor, never swerved from his policy mission to protect his former profession from what he views as heavy-handed government intrusion. [Thousands of people showed up on Sunday in Warren, Mich., to hear Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, denounce Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Rallies were held across the country over the weekend.] [Fear Spurs Support for Health Law as Republicans Work to Repeal It] By ROBERT PEAR Thousands of people are speaking out in support of the Affordable Care Act by sharing testimonials with Congress and holding rallies across the country. [Representative Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana, in 2015.] [Choice for Interior Promotes SEAL Career, Despite One ‘Glitch’] By CHRISTOPHER DREW AND SEAN D. NAYLOR Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana abused travel expenses in the Navy, but has denied that it derailed his military career. [Monica Crowley, who had been chosen by President-elect Donald J. Trump for a role at the National Security Council, in the lobby of Trump Tower in December.] [After Plagiarism Reports, Monica Crowley Won’t Take White House Job] By MAGGIE HABERMAN Ms. Crowley, who had been chosen to serve on Donald Trump’s National Security Council, was dogged in recent weeks by allegations of plagiarism.  [Rachel McCormick and her husband, Irvi Cruz, with their daughters Ana, 2 and Sara, 4 at their apartment in Harlem. Rachel is an American citizen; Irvi is not. They are struggling with where to live.] Hilary Swift for The New York Times [A Couple, One of Them Undocumented, Weigh the Risks of Where to Live] By CAITLIN DICKERSON A family in Harlem struggles with whether to stay in the United States or go to Mexico after vowing to leave in a Trump administration. [The latest transfers reduced the remaining population at the prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to 45.] Ben Fox/Associated Press [10 More Detainees Are Transferred From Guantánamo Prison] By CHARLIE SAVAGE The government of Oman said that it had resettled the men, who were on a list of those approved for transfer, many after about 15 years of detention without trial. [President Obama with the World Series champion Chicago Cubs on Monday. Among them, at right, was Theo Epstein, the team’s president for baseball operations.] Stephen Crowley/The New York Times [President Obama, a White Sox Fan, Welcomes the Cubs to the White House] By NOAH WEILAND Mr. Obama celebrated a team that produced one of the more extraordinary sports moments in his time in office, a World Series triumph that ended a 108-year title drought. [A BMW at the New York International Auto Show in 2016. After praising German manufacturing prowess in an interview with Bild, President-elect Donald J. Trump threatened to impose a 35 percent tariff on every car that BMW imported to the United States.] Sam Hodgson for The New York Times [Trump Attacks BMW and Mercedes, but Auto Trade Is a Complex Target] By KEITH BRADSHER AND JACK EWING The globalized vehicle industry, in which Detroit owns European brands and German cars come from Alabama, could make it hard to raise barriers. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [washington-newsletter@nytimes.com].  FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK] [Twitter] [@NYTPolitics] Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »] | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »] ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's First Draft newsletter. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Subscriptions] | [Change Your Email] | [Privacy Policy] | [Contact] | [Advertise] Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company | 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018