The Tap: Friday, December 16, 2016

   ← Dec 15

Dec 17 →   

---

The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #46 of The Tap, which was published on December 17, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Feeling lost in a sea of cabinet nominations and administrative appointments? That’s what we’re here for. In Friday’s edition of You’re Hired, our daily newsletter on the Trump transition, we provided a refresher on several of Trump’s key nominees. As of December 16, Trump had officially announced 13 out of 15 cabinet nominations. The remaining two are the departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs. All of these positions require confirmation from the Senate. Click here to read more.

• During his year-end news conference, President Barack Obama said that his administration will respond to Russia’s alleged interference with the 2016 presidential election “in a thoughtful, methodical way. [S]ome of it we do publicly and some of it we will do in a way they know but not everybody will.” He added, “Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us because we can do stuff to you.”
  • See also: U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration

• The Chinese Navy stole a U.S. underwater survey drone in the South China Sea. Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, demanded that the Chinese return the drone, saying, “It’s ours, it was clearly marked, we want it back, and we don’t want this to happen again.” According to The Wall Street Journal, “The seizure of the drone marks the latest and perhaps sharpest point of tension between U.S. and Chinese military forces in and around the South China Sea, a critical trade waterway where China has built artificial islands and laid claim to a vast swath of maritime territory, to the dismay of neighbors and U.S. officials.”

State

North Carolina passes bills limiting the governor’s power

• North Carolina state legislators used an additional special session to pass bills that would limit the power of the governor. Senate Bill 4, which creates a bipartisan state board of elections and ethics enforcement, was passed and signed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory. The bill ends the governor’s control over election boards. House Bill 17 also passed the legislature and moved on to the governor for signing. HB17 requires that cabinet members of the governor obtain approval from the state Senate, removes the governor’s ability to appoint University of North Carolina trustees, and reduces the number of employees allowed under the governor from 1,500 to 300. These moves come after Democrat Roy Cooper narrowly defeated McCrory in the November gubernatorial election. Both chambers of the legislature are controlled by Republican majorities. The legislature entered into the additional special session after completing a special session that allocated $200 million in state funds to aid in the Hurricane Matthew relief effort. State officials have estimated that the storm caused approximately $2 billion in “economic damage.”
  • North Carolina is a Republican trifecta, but Cooper’s victory in the gubernatorial race will result in a divided government following his swearing-in on January 1, 2017. Republicans maintained control of both state legislative chambers. Prior to the November 2016 election, there were 23 Republican trifectas. Following the election, there will be 25 Republican trifectas.
• Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) appointed Judge C. Alan Lawson to the Florida Supreme Court. This is Gov. Scott’s first appointment to the state’s seven-member high court. Judge Lawson currently sits on the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. He will succeed retiring Justice James E.C. Perry. Lawson must stand for retention by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the supreme court for a full six-year term.
• Pennsylvania State Representative Leslie Acosta (D) announced she would resign from her position, effective January 3, 2017. Acosta had quietly pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering in March 2016. The news was only made public in September after a local media outlet reported the guilty plea. Since then, Acosta has faced numerous calls to step down from other Democrats in the state, including Governor Tom Wolf (D). Acosta ran unopposed in the general election and won a second term in the legislature, but several other state representatives indicated that they would refuse to seat her in the new session. Acosta’s letter of resignation did not allude to her legal issues. House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) is required to call a special election within 10 days of any vacancy. There is a mandatory 60-day wait period that must take place between his announcement and the special election, so the seat won’t be filled until mid-March 2017 at the earliest.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #45 of The Tap, which was published on December 10, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.