Did Trump Use Kanye to Distract the Media?

The confirmation many Americans were waiting for came Sunday: Russia interfered with the presidential election.

That's not to say we didn't get warnings from before the election. Clips of Hillary Clinton bringing up the issue during the second presidential debate have resurfaced. Clinton accuses Russia of intervening, but Donald Trump speaks over her, dismissing her concerns.

Trump's transition hunt has been a circus. Politicians and entertainers are swinging through the doors of Trump Tower every day to meet with the president-elect.

The latest? Kanye West. West visited Trump the same day the president-elect announced Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of State. This is one of the rapper's first public appearances since his release from the hospital. In a surreal video, West stares blankly at reporters who ask questions of him and Trump. Trump answers while West simply says, "I just want to take a picture right now."

Isn't that all Trump wants in the end? Attention from the press to feed his Trump Tower-size ego?

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So what's happening in The Resistance this week?

DAY 31:Trump Attacks a Union Leader
(To distract us from the fact that he is staying on as executive producer for The Apprentice?)

* It looks like California is going to be leading the Trump resistance. The legislature is pushing through bills that will protect the rights of immigrants. (The New York Times)

* The National Park Service is denying organizers of the Women's March on Washington, D.C., access to the Lincoln Memorial for a peaceful protest the day after Trump's inauguration. (The Guardian)

* Republican leaders such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham are publicly opposing Trump by asking for an investigation into the Russian cyberattacks that may have helped him get elected. (The Washington Post)

DAY 32: It's Confirmed That Russia Meddled With the Election
(And it was trying to swing the vote in Trump's favor.)

* A gay Mike Pence look-alike is raising money for LGBT organizations in New York City. "Isn't it nice to imagine a bizarre through-the-looking-glass alternate reality where there's a Mike Pence who champions women's health and LGBTQ rights and the environment?" said the doppelganger.(The Huffington Post)

* Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a bill to protect "dreamers" from being deported under Trump. (The Huffington Post)

* The White House ordered an intelligence report on Russia's interference in the election. (The Hill)

THE WEEKEND: DAY 33 & DAY 34: Saturday Night Live Continues to go After Trump
(While Trump continues his Thank-You Tour across the country.)

* Carl Bernstein, the reporter famous for breaking the Watergate scandal, says Trump's lies are worse than President Nixon's.(The Hill)

* Nate Silver, who predicted Hillary Clinton would win the presidency, says that Clinton would have "almost certainly" won if it wasn't for FBI director James Comey's letter. (The Hill)

* A former ambassador to Russia claims that President Vladimir Putin was out for revenge against Clinton and that is why he meddled with the election.(The Hill)

DAY 35: Trump Denies Russia's Involvement in the Election
(But several Republican leaders do not agree with him.)

* In an open letter addressed to National Intelligence Director James Clapper, 10 electors are requesting an intelligence briefing on Russia's involvement in the election before they cast their votes December 19. (Politico)

* At least 4,500 women are considering a run for public office after Clinton's presidential defeat. An organization called She Should Run is helping women realize these dreams.(The Huffington Post)

* California Sen.-elect Kamala Harris vows that her stayr will "provide national leadership" on immigration under Trump. (Los Angeles Times)

* Jill Stein's recount efforts are over. She plans to donate any remaining funds she raised to election reform and voting rights groups. (Fortune)

DAY 36: Kanye West Meets With Trump
(But is it to distract from Trump's secretary of State pick?)

* President Obama says he will not "vanish" during Trump's presidency. Obama is planning to speak out on several issues if Trump follows through with his campaign promises. (Rolling Stone)

* Check out this list of 13 women who should consider running for the presidency in 2020.(The New Yorker)

* While Trump is dismissing concerns that Russia interfered with the election, several Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are speaking out in opposition to him. "This simply cannot be a partisan issue," said McConnell.(The Washington Post)

DAY 37: Time Is Running Out Before the Electoral College Makes Its Decision
(Will electors get the briefing they are requesting in time?)

* White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Trump may have been aware of Russia's efforts to sway the election in his favor and indeed may have encouraged them. (Politico)

* Lesbian Russian journalist writes that the struggle for LGBT rights under Trump will be "like the early days of AIDS all over again." (Out)

* There are now one in four Democratic electoral voters who are demanding an intelligence briefing on Russia's involvement in the election. Members of the Electoral College are expected to cast their vote December 19. (Politico)

It's OK to Laugh
(Don't let Trump take that away too.)

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