Tipsheet: Controversies pile up for White House, alarming GOP

View in your browser     Controversies pile up for White House, alarming GOP By Jonathan Easley   President Trump's White House is consumed by controversies on several fronts, putting the administration on the defensive at a time when Republicans are increasingly worried about their electoral prospects. Republicans would be content to spend every day between now and Election Day focused on the GOP’s tax-cut bill and the economy. But those efforts are complicated by the sheer volume of controversies the White House is juggling. Read the full story here     Listen: House Republicans shun top role on Oversight panel By Alexis Simendinger   The Hill’s Scott Wong explains why House Republicans are leery of taking the top job on a powerful investigatory committee during President Trump’s rollercoaster White House tenure. Listen to The Hill's podcast here     House Oversight a gavel no one wants By Scott Wong It’s the gavel that no one wants. Not a single GOP lawmaker has launched a bid to replace retiring Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the panel with investigatory powers over the Trump administration. Read the full story here       Lawmakers feel pressure on guns By Melanie Zanona, Cristina Marcos and Mike Lillis Lawmakers say they are feeling more pressure than ever to act on gun control after the latest deadly mass shooting at a public high school. Read the full story here     Trump to take steps to ban bump stocks By Brandon Carter and Lydia Wheeler President Trump said Tuesday he has directed the Department of Justice to propose regulations that would ban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic guns to be modified to shoot hundreds of rounds per minute. Read the full story here     Under pressure, Trump shifts blame for Russia intrusion By Jordan Fabian President Trump on Tuesday sought to deflect criticism of his handling of Russia by blaming former President Obama’s administration for not doing more to stop Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election. Read the full story here     How long will truce between Romney, Trump really last? By Niall Stanage Few political observers think a truce between Donald Trump and Mitt Romney will hold forever, despite the president’s endorsement of Romney’s bid to win a U.S. Senate seat in Utah. Read the full story here     10 governors shaping the future of politics By Reid Wilson The Trump administration is dramatically reshaping the relationship between the federal government and states. Read the full story here     Pennsylvania Democrats set to win big with new district map By Ben Kamisar and Vicki Needham The Democratic push to retake the House received a major boost from Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, which released a new district map Monday that’s poised to improve the party’s chances in about a half-dozen seats. Read the full story here     Wisconsin welfare reform could be model for GOP By Reid Wilson Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is a handful of votes away from implementing one of the most sweeping overhauls to a state welfare system in decades. Read the full story here     What is the FBI hiding in its war to protect Comey? By Tom Fitton OPINION | As the James Comey saga continues to unfold, the James Comey legend continues to unravel. Read the full story here     Did Mueller withhold evidence in striking the Michael Flynn deal? By Jonathan Turley OPINION | Last Friday, the media was in a frenzy over the indictment of 13 Russians and a couple Russian entities by special counsel Robert Mueller. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Associate of Gates pleads guilty to lying to Mueller team By Aruna Viswanatha and Del Quentin Wilber Alex van der Zwaan admits he misled officials about his contact with Gates. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Kushner locks horns with Kelly over his access to intelligence By Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Maggie Haberman Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, is said to be resisting limitations to his security clearance and is clashing with John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump Jr: ‘Nonsense’ that family’s profiting from presidency By Muneeza Naqvi Donald Trump Jr. said Wednesday any talk that his family is profiting from his father’s presidency is “nonsense” as he embarked on a highly publicized visit to India to promote real estate deals that bear his family’s name. Read the full story here     Reuters: FCC reversal of net neutrality rules expected to be published Thursday: sources By David Shepardson   The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to publish on Thursday its December order overturning the landmark Obama-era net neutrality rules, two sources briefed on the matter said. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Pence planned to meet secretly with North Korean officials before last-minute cancellation By Ashley Parker   Vice President Pence was set to meet with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the regime’s nominal head of state. But the North Koreans pulled out less than two hours before the scheduled time, according to Pence’s office. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.