1. Tillerson it is
Donald Trump nominated Rex Tillerson, the outgoing chairman of energy giant ExxonMobil, as secretary of state, praising his experience at negotiating contracts around the world. Critics raised concerns about Tillerson’s coziness with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
2. Trump waffles on business plan
Trump canceled a news conference in which he had said he would describe his plan to remove himself from his business operations to avoid potential conflicts of interests in his presidency.
Summary
Trump claimed that he is not required by law to divest from his business holdings. But the nonpartisan office of government ethics said precedent was for a president to “conduct himself ‘as if’ he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law”.
Busy times!
I will hold a press conference in the near future to discuss the business, Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest. Busy times!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2016
3. Become a Guardian member
It might take just a minute to catch up on the latest campaign news. But good journalism takes time and costs money. If you like the Guardian’s politics coverage, please consider joining us by becoming a member for only $6.99 a month. Thanks for reading!
4. Trump's Kanye summit
Trump received Kanye West at Trump Tower. When asked what they spoke about, Trump replied: “Just friends, just friends. He’s a good man.” West tweeted that the pair discussed bullying, education and violence in his hometown of Chicago.
No explanation needed
I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016
5. Podesta succumbed to typo
An aide who advised Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta to click on a seemingly Russian-based phishing attack typed the email was “legitimate”. The aide meant to type “illegitimate”, the Times reported, “an error that he said has plagued him ever since”.
... And another thing:
At Home Depot this weekend, buying a Christmas tree with the girls. Great fun.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 13, 2016
Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/6HAC8uyWfj