What to Know
- Donald Trump holds his first news conference since being elected to the presidency Wednesday morning
- Russia firmly denied that it has damaging information about Trump, calling the allegations "total hoax"
- President Obama delivered his farewell address in Chicago on Tuesday night, telling America "you made me a better man"
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Trump Holds Long-Awaited News Conference
Nearly six months and a presidential campaign victory later, President-elect Donald Trump will finally step before reporters again Wednesday to face questions about what role he believes Russia played in the election year hacking of Democratic groups. At a late morning news conference in the Trump Tower lobby, the president-elect is also expected to face questions about how he plans to disentangle himself from his family-owned international real estate development, property management and licensing business.
Moscow Denies It Has Dirt on Trump
The Russian government denied unverified reports Wednesday that it has compromising information about Trump, dismissing the claims as a "total hoax." Two U.S. officials told NBC News that briefing materials prepared for Trump included damaging allegations, which have not been verified by American intelligence agencies, about his dealings with Russians. A Kremlin spokesman said of the allegations: "It's a total hoax, absolute fabrication and utter nonsense.” Seth Meyers asked former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway about the allegations on his show. Watch the full interview here.
Rex Tillerson Confirmation Hearing
Local
Friend of Russia and foe of sanctions in his corporate life, Trump's pick for secretary of state, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is likely to face pointed questions from both sides of the aisle at his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. Tillerson represents a break in a longstanding tradition of secretaries of state with extensive military, legislative, political or diplomatic experience. His supporters point to his lengthy career as a senior executive at a mammoth multinational company. At a hearing on Tuesday, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions said he’d be a fair attorney general and would defy Trump if necessary. Protesters, some in KKK hoods, interrupted him.
President Obama Bids Farewell
In his parting message to the nation, President Barack Obama reaffirmed his faith in the ability of all Americans to bring about national change, despite the trials that so often stood between him and his goals during his time in office. With just ten days left in his second term as president, Obama returned to Chicago to reflect on his unlikely path to the Oval Office and share his gratitude with the nation. Obama gave an emotional thank-you to First Lady Michelle Obama and told his daughters: “of all that I have done in my life, I am most proud to be your dad.” Read excerpts from Obama’s farewell speech and the reactions of celebrities on social media.
Deaths “off the Charts” in Heroin-Plagued Town
Fentanyl use is on the rise in the United States, and William Lisman, the longtime coroner in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is seeing the effects of the deadly drug first-hand. Last year there were 137 fatal drug overdoses — more than half of them the result of heroin laced with fentanyl — in the county of just 318,000 people, a death rate four times higher than New York City. The deadly tale of one Pennsylvania town.
Woman Who Broke News of WWII Dies
Clare Hollingworth, a British war correspondent who was the first to report the Nazi invasion of Poland that marked the beginning of World War II, died in Hong Kong on Tuesday. She was 105. She was remembered as a determined journalist who narrowly escaped death multiple times.
