Donald Trump Won’t Meet the Press Just Yet

President-elect Donald Trump is postponing a planned announcement as to how he will try to mitigate his extensive potential conflicts of interest once he is sworn in. The press conference, set for Thursday, will be postponed into the new year, aides said. Trump tweeted late Monday that he will hand off control to his two adult sons and his business executives, and that “No new deals will be done during my term(s) in office.” But by maintaining ownership, Trump will continue to face tough questions about his business dealings over the course of his administration.

The press conference was set to be Trump’s first since July, when he called on Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. Now, Trump is facing more pressure over his refusal to acknowledge Russian-backed hacking during the 2016 election. While the intelligence community is split over whether there is sufficient proof that Russia intended to help Trump’s candidacy, there is broad consensus that Russia was responsible for the DNC hack, as well as the breach of Clinton aide John Podesta’s Gmail account. The issue is set to take center stage as Trump’s newly-announced intended nominee for Secretary of State, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, faces the Senate.

Clinton’s team is calling on the intelligence community to hold briefings for presidential electors, as they continue to cast the legitimacy of Trump’s election into doubt. Labor Secretary Tom Perez is set to run for DNC chair with the backing of the White House. And Obama swipes at Trump over intelligence briefings.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Hillary Clinton’s Camp Wants the Electoral College to Get an Intelligence Briefing

Amid questions about Russia’s influence in Donald Trump’s win [TIME]

Top U.S. spy agency has not embraced CIA assessment on Russia hacking

Divisions over whether the spy agency can prove intent [Reuters]

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez Is Said to Plan Run to Lead D.N.C.

Ready to give the Warren-wing a run for its money [New York Times]

Donald Trump Just Fired a Heat-Seeking Tweet at the Pentagon’s Fattest Target

President-elect says F-35 costs are out of control [TIME]

White House rails against Trump for not accepting evidence of Russia hacking

Rare rebuke of the President-elect [Politico]

Sound Off

“It doesn’t matter how smart you are, you have to have the best information possible to make the best decision possible. If you’re not getting their perspective, their detailed perspective, then you are flying blind.” —President Barack Obama on The Daily Show on President-elect Donald Trump’s refusal to partake in daily intelligence briefings.

“I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.” —Donald Trump to Fox News Sunday

Bits and Bites

Obama: President without briefings ‘flying blind’ [TIME]

Donald Trump Postpones Announcement on Future of His Businesses to January [TIME]

Yes, Donald Trump Just Met With Kanye West [TIME]

RNC keeps close tabs on Electoral College vote [Politico]

Trump team working to remove top NATO official [Washington Post]