Trump's Russia claims drive this week in politics

President-elect Donald Trump claims to have inside information on Russia's meddling in the United States' election -- and promises to reveal it "Tuesday or Wednesday."

At a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-A-Lago estate, a tuxedoed Trump maintained that another culprit aside from Russia could have been behind the election intrusion."It could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation," he said.

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Asked to describe what undisclosed information he knew, Trump said: "You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

The latest developments in Trump's denial of the American intelligence community's assessment -- widely accepted by both Democrats and Republicans -- that Russia hacked Democratic operatives' emails in a bid to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton will be among the leading political stories this week, as Trump's transition efforts resume and a new Congress is sworn in.

Here are five other political stories to watch this week:

Trump vs. the GOP on Russia

The Russia hacks aren't just driving a wedge between Trump and the Obama administration.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are backing Obama's moves last week to sanction Russia, and are calling for legislation to add even more sanctions on top of those announced by the White House.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, will hold a hearing on cyberthreats and the election-related hacking Thursday.

The issue could set the tone for relations between Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

New Congress kicks off

The newly elected Congress will begin its work Tuesday at noon with a vote to officially re-elect Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as House speaker.

Several new faces will appear in Congress, including Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and former Republican Florida governor and Senate candidate Charlie Crist, who is set to become a Democratic congressman. So will Florida's Brian Mast, a Republican and Army veteran who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan.

An old face, meanwhile, will appear in the Senate. Vice President Joe Biden will be back in the body where he spent more than three decades to swear in new senators, including California's Kamala Harris and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto, who replaces retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

Hill Republicans eye busy first 100 days of 2017

The Senate will quickly move toward confirmation battles over Trump's nominees -- with Democrats complaining that nominees aren't submitting materials they've requested, including their financial information and shouldn't get hearings and votes until those are provided.

House Republicans, meanwhile, will condemn the Obama administration's handling of a United Nations vote on Israeli settlements on the West Bank. And House Democrats are opposing a GOP-backed rule change that would impose new fines for members who break rules of decorum. It's an effort to stop Democrats from using platforms such as Periscope and Meerkat to live-stream sit-ins on the House floor, as they did last year.

Obamacare strategy session

President Barack Obama will make an unusual trip for a lame-duck president -- visiting Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to meet with congressional Democrats and discuss how to fight Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is set to push the repeal of Obama's signature domestic achievement in the first week of the new Congress.

Democrats, meanwhile, face a defining moment in the early stages of the Trump era: If party members pledge not to help the GOP pass any replacement, it would place enormous pressure on Trump and congressional Republicans to come up with a way to keep 20 million Americans insured -- and get Congress to approve such a program.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will hold a conference call with House Democrats Monday on Obamacare.

What else can Obama get done before leaving office? He's still working toward closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and could make additional pardons. His farewell speech will also be formally announced Monday.

Filling out the Cabinet

After a holiday getaway at his Mar-A-Lago estate, Trump has several cabinet positions left to fill.

He's expected to soon announce his choices for secretary of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture.

Other key roles remain unfilled, as well -- including solicitor general, where top aide Kellyanne Conway's husband George Conway is reportedly a candidate, as well as Director of National Intelligence and deputy secretary of state.

Trump to give deposition

Trump will attempt to conclude a piece of older business this week with a deposition at Trump Tower this week.

The deposition comes as part of Trump's legal battle with the chef Jose Andres.

Andres was supposed to launch a restaurant in the new Trump International Hotel in Washington. But after Trump's attacks on Mexicans as he began his presidential campaign in June 2015, Andres withdrew, and Trump sued him for breach of contract.

State Dept. 'surprised' by UK backlash to Kerry speech

The State Department was "surprised" Friday after UK Prime Minister Theresa May's office criticized Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on the two-state solution, a State Department spokesperson said.

Earlier Friday, a spokesman for May said Kerry, who delivered a major address on Middle East peace earlier in the week, focused too heavily on settlements in disputed territory and not enough on terrorism.

"We are surprised by the UK Prime Minister's office statement given that Secretary Kerry's remarks -- which covered the full range of threats to a two-state solution, including terrorism, violence, incitement and settlements -- were in-line with the UK's own longstanding policy and its vote at the United Nations last week," a spokesperson told CNN.

In his speech, Kerry described the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as being the "most right-wing" in the country's history, with an "agenda driven by the most extreme elements."

May's office said it was "not appropriate to attack the composition of a Democratically-elected ally."

Secretary of State John Kerry: Two-state solution in 'serious jeopardy'

"The British government continues to believe that the only way to a lasting peace in the Middle East is through a two-state solution. We continue to believe that the construction of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is illegal, which is why we supported UN Security Council Resolution 2334 last week," May's office said in a statement.

The statement continued, "We do not, therefore, believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only one issue, in this case the construction of settlements, when clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so deeply complex. And we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically-elected government of an ally."

May's criticism of Kerry's speech is highly unusual given the close relationship between Britain and the US. But her office's remarks align closely with President-elect Donald Trump's criticism of the Obama administration's recent handling of Israel matters, and could be seen as a public attempt to grow closer with the incoming US president. Both May and Trump were swept into office earlier this year by populist waves.

In his speech, Kerry defended the US decision last week to abstain from a vote on -- and not veto -- a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as one aimed at "preserving the two-state solution," which he called "the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

He added, "Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy."

WH says it would veto UN resolution recognizing Palestinian state

The Obama administration would veto any UN resolution that dictated a peace solution or recognized a Palestinian state, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Wednesday.

Rhodes was speaking hours after Secretary of State John Kerry strongly criticized Israel's decision to build settlements in the West Bank, saying it was ruining the prospect of a Palestinian state.

"So just to be clear here, when (Kerry) says, 'These are not the choices we will make,' which is kind of vague, is he saying that the US would veto any resolution in the UN which might dictate a peace solution or might recognize a Palestinian state?" CNN's Jake Tapper asked Rhodes on "The Lead."

"Yes," Rhodes responded. "We've made that clear over and over, Jake."

Rhodes continued, "We are focused on this one because the current trends on the ground, particularly the current Israeli settlement activity, is making a two-state solution potentially impossible and creating a reality where essentially what you have is a one-state solution where the West Bank is repeatedly occupied by Israeli settlements."

Earlier on Wednesday, Kerry warned that a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is "now in serious jeopardy." He also defended the US decision last week to abstain from a vote on a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israelis are worried about a UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state or codifying a peace process that the US would allow. He's also said the US was behind last week's UN resolution, an accusation Rhodes called a "distraction" on Wednesday.

"Was there any prior contact between White House officials or State Department officials and either senior Egyptian or senior Palestinian officials separately regarding the resolution that the Egyptians put forward at the Security Council last week?" Tapper asked Rhodes.

"I think it's absurd that we are even talking about a report in an Egyptian tabloid of a meeting that never took place," Rhodes responded. "What I can tell you with certainty is that we did not draft the resolution and put this resolution forward. This was something the Palestinians and Egyptians were working on for some time now."

He continued, "We own the fact that we abstained from this resolution because we believe that was the right thing ... I think it is the Israeli government that is trying to have this distraction from the real debate."

Mexican president: 'Of course' we won't pay for Trump's wall

Mexico's president reiterated his nation will not pay for a wall along the US-Mexico border just hours after President-elect Donald Trump doubled-down on his campaign pledge to force the country to do so.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto made his comments at the end of a speech at an annual gathering of senior Mexican diplomats at the National Palace Wednesday. While stressing his desire for a positive relationship between the two countries and naming several issues on which he said they could cooperate, Peña Nieto assured his nation they would not be footing the bill for Trump's wall.

"It is evident that we have some differences with the new government of the United States, like the topic of the wall, that Mexico of course will not pay," Peña Nieto said in the address.

Trump's new line: Mexico will reimburse US for wall

In the days following Congress coming back into session, reports have emerged saying Trump has moved to break with part of his signature campaign pledge -- telling members of Congress that US taxpayers would pay for the border wall and not Mexico. But at his news conference on Wednesday, Trump vociferously denied these reports in part.

"Reports went out last week, 'Oh, Mexico is not going to pay for the wall because of a reimbursement.' What's the difference? I want to get the wall started," Trump said.

He said the US would move to build the wall quickly, using US money to fund the project at first before getting Mexico to reimburse the US. As for the mechanism he would use to force Mexico's hand, Trump was noncommittal outside of pledging it would indeed occur.

"We're going to build a wall. I could wait about a year-and-a-half until we finish our negotiations with Mexico, which we'll start immediately after we get to office, but I don't want to wait," Trump said.

Trump doubles down on Mexico 'border tax' threat

He also recalled the earnestness and popularity of the wall at his campaign rallies, where he regularly did a call and response with his supporters over the promise to have the US' southern neighbor pay for a border wall.

"I would say, 'We are going to build a wall,' and people would go crazy," Trump said. "I say, "Who's going to pay for the wall,' and they will scream out, 'Mexico.'"

During the campaign, Trump visited Mexico to meet with Peña Nieto. And although Nieto did not agree to fund Trump's wall at the time, afterward, Trump told supporters stateside that even though people in Mexico "don't know it yet," Mexico would pay for the border wall.

The stark difference between Wednesday's comments from the two North American politicians showed the disagreement remained as wide just days before Trump takes office as it was when Trump's victory was regarded as a longshot.

Trump, Palin break with GOP, warm up to Assange

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday used comments from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to continue raising questions about the allegation that Russian hackers attempted to influence American politics -- a charge the US intelligence community and the Obama administration has defended with increasing vigor.

Trump tweeted Wednesday morning, hours after the broadcast of an interview Assange gave Fox News' Sean Hannity, to blame Democrats for not having tighter cybersecurity.

"Somebody hacked the DNC but why did they not have 'hacking defense' like the RNC has and why have they not responded to the terrible things they did and said (like giving the questions to the debate to H). A total double standard! Media, as usual, gave them a pass."

Trump's comments again put him at odds with Republican leaders on the Hill -- including Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan -- who have shown support for the Intelligence Community's uniform assessment that Russia hacked American political targets with the intent of disrupting US elections.

The Vice President-elect said Wednesday at a press conference that Trump has a "healthy American skepticism" about the conclusions made by the intelligence community.

"I think that the President-elect has expressed his very sincere and healthy American skepticism about intelligence conclusions," said Mike Pence, who said he's received regular intelligence briefings.

When asked about Assange on Hugh Hewitt's radio show Wednesday morning, Ryan responded, "I have really nothing (to say) other than the guy is a sycophant for Russia. He leaks. He steals data and compromises national security."Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that Americans -- including the President-elect -- should stay away from giving Assange much credibility considering his views of the United States.

"I don't believe any American should give a whole lot of credibility to what Mr. Assange says," the South Carolina Republican said on CNN's "At this Hour."

"In Julian Assange's world, we're the bad guys -- not the Iranians, not the Russians, not the North Koreans. You gotta remember who this guy is."

US intelligence agencies are a far more reliable source on foreign involvement in an American election than Assange, Graham said.

"Mr. Assange is a fugitive from the law, hiding in an embassy, who has a history of undermining American interest. I hope no American will be duped by him," he said.

"I hope the President-elect will get his information and trust the American patriots who work in the Intelligence Community who swear oaths of allegiance to the Constitution and not some guy hiding from the law who has a record of undercutting and undermining American democracy."

The DNC responded to Trump's message Wednesday, saying the President-elect is " is putting his own insecurities ahead of national security because he is sensitive about how he won."

"It's nothing short of terrifying that Trump has chosen to take the word of an enemy of our country over the word of 17 United States intelligence agencies including the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA," Adrienne Watson, DNC national press secretary, said in a statement. "Trump is jeopardizing America's future with his fear of offending Vladimir Putin."

In the Fox News interview, Assange denied that Russia was the source of leaked Democratic emails that roiled the 2016 election to the detriment of Trump's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Instead, Assange said the documents -- which were stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email -- were easily obtained through a "phishing" solicitation, whereby Podesta mistakenly gave up his password.

"We published several emails which show Podesta responding to a phishing email," Assange said during the interview. "Podesta gave out that his password was the word password. His own staff said this email that you've received, this is totally legitimate. So this is something ... a 14-year-old kid could have hacked Podesta that way."

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- an early Trump supporter -- responded to Assange's interview with an apology and a reversal.

Palin lavished praise on Assange in a Facebook post after watching Assange on Fox. She wrote that Podesta's emails contained "important information that finally opened people's eyes to democrat candidates and operatives" and which "would not have been exposed were it not for Julian Assange."

"I apologize for condemning Assange when he published my infamous (and proven noncontroversial, relatively boring) emails years ago," she wrote.

Palin had previously been a strident critic of Assange and WikiLeaks: The site had published some of Palin's personal emails in 2008, which were hacked while she was a candidate for vice president, and Palin accused Assange of endangering US military personnel by publishing a raft of State Department cables containing highly sensitive information.

In a 2010 Facebook post, she had written, "Assange is not a 'journalist,' any more than the 'editor' of al Qaeda's new English-language magazine Inspire is a 'journalist.' He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands."

A former Pentagon and CIA spokesman on Wednesday slammed Trump for giving credit to Assange, warning that he thought America will be less safe when the President-elect takes office later this month.

"Let's stare this reality square in the face: PEOTUS is pro-Putin and believes Julian Assange over the @CIA. On Jan. 20 we will be less safe," tweeted George Little, who served under former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

Trump: 'I think it was Russia'

President-elect Donald Trump said for the first time Wednesday he believes Russia was responsible for hacking ahead of the election but contemptuously rejected allegations that Moscow mounted a campaign to compromise him.

In his first news conference since winning the election, a combative Trump made clear he will not mute his style when he is inaugurated in nine days. He lashed out at media and political foes alike in a bravura performance.The Trump Tower press conference confirmed the President-elect's deep desire to quickly assert power once he's sworn in. He insisted on moving speedily -- too speedily for some Republicans in Congress -- to replace Obamacare. He also pledged swift action on building a wall along the border with Mexico and nominating a new Supreme Court justice.

But it's also clear Trump will take office amid persistent questions about his relationship with Russia. While Trump was at the podium, his nominee to become secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, faced tough questions on Capitol Hill about whether the incoming administration will view Russia with sufficient skepticism. At the news conference, Trump finally conceded he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's intelligence agencies were behind hacks on Democratic computers ahead of the election but argued that wouldn't happen again.

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"I think it was Russia," Trump said. Putin "should not be doing it. He won't be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I am leading it than when other people have led it."

Trump, who has vowed to improve relations with Russia despite some Republican opposition, said he did not know if he would get along with Putin and noted it's possible he won't. But he could not resist a swipe at his defeated Democratic election rival, Hillary Clinton.

"Do you honestly believe Hillary would be tougher on Putin than me?" he asked.

He added that Russia is not the only nation that hacks US targets and accused Democrats of not having sufficient cybersecurity programs.The news conference opened with the incoming White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, slamming a "political witch hunt" following reports that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Trump.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence also criticized the media before introducing Trump, who kept up his criticism of US intelligence.

"I must say that I want to thank a lot of the news organizations here today because they looked at that nonsense that was released by maybe the intelligence agencies," Trump said.

He said any such move by the agencies would be a "tremendous blot on their record."

"A thing like that should never have been written, it should never have been had and it certainly should have never been released," Trump said.

The news conference follows exclusive reporting by CNN on Tuesday that classified documents presented last week to President Barack Obama and Trump included the allegations about Russia. The allegations were presented in a two-page synopsis that was appended to a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and drew in part from memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative, whose past work US intelligence officials consider credible.

The FBI is investigating the credibility and accuracy of these allegations, which are based primarily on information from Russian sources, but has not confirmed many essential details in the memos about Trump.The news conference, delayed from December, was scheduled for Trump to outline how he will address questions about possible conflicts-of-interest related to his vast business empire. Trump appeared beside a large pile of files he claimed were pertinent to the companies that are going to be placed in a trust to be run by his sons.

He reiterated that he doesn't plan to release his tax returns, saying they are under audit and don't include relevant information

Trump will leave business, but won't sell

After taking a handful of questions, Trump turned the event over to Sheri Dillon, an attorney who was on hand to discuss Trump's business interests. She said Trump planned to put in place a structure that will "completely isolate him from the management of the company."

"He further instructed that we build in protections that will assure the American people that the decisions that he makes and the actions he takes as President are for their benefit and not to support his financial interests," she said.Trump will place all his financial and business assets in a trust, Dillon said. The Trump Organization, meanwhile, will not enter into any new deals abroad and all domestic deals will be subject to a heavy vetting process. The firm will also appoint a new ethics officer, she said. The President-elect has also terminated a number of deals set to close shortly, a step that had cost him millions of dollars, she said.

Dillon argued that the decision had been made not to put all Trump's assets in a blind trust or to divest of all his assets because it would be impractical. She also said that Trump should not be forced to destroy the business that he had built up.

"President Trump can't unknow he owns Trump Tower," Dillon said, explaining why a blind trust would not be a workable solution to addressing conflicts of interest issues while he is President.

Dillon said Trump would take other actions to avoid the appearance of a conflict over the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits the president from accepting gifts from foreign governments unless authorized by Congress. She said it was unfair to apply the clause to Trump's "arm's length" transactions that he had nothing to do with or was not aware of.

"Just like with conflicts of interests, he wants to do more than what the Constitution requires," she said. "President-elect Trump has decided and we are announcing today that he is going to voluntarily donate all profits from foreign government payments made to his hotels to the United States Treasury."

When he returned to the podium, Trump turned to policy, vowing to press ahead with a near simultaneous repeal and replacement of Obamacare at the same time, rejecting the approach of some Republicans on Capitol Hill who worry that rushing could create problems.

"It will be repeal and replace. It will be essentially simultaneously," he said, saying the two goals would be accomplished in the same week, day or even hour.

Trump reiterated that he will build a wall on the southern border and Mexico will pay for it, but defended his decision to ask Congress to fund it initially.

"We are going to build a wall," he said, adding that he didn't want to wait a year and a half to finish negotiating how Mexico would pay for it. "Mexico, in some form ... will reimburse us."

He added that the financing was more likely to take the form of a tax than a payment.

The President-elect also said he had been looking at the list of 20 potential Supreme Court nominees he had proposed to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia.

He said he would announce his decision "within two weeks of the 20th, probably the second week."

AKSC, GP, Union glitter in Pro 10 ties

The cricket giant, AKSC opened the showdown with a 4-wicket win over General Petroleum (GP) in the 10 overs game at Leaders Club. GP who opted to bat first, registered 91 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 10 overs onslaught. AKSC rallied to beat the score in 9.4 overs with a loss of only 3 wickets.

The second match of the marathon saw Dikdiks defeating Lions by 8 wickets at the same venue. Lions, who preferred to bat first ended their campaign with 78 runs for 6 in 10 allotted overs. Dikdiks who fought gallantly on resumption, managed to beat the score in 8.4 overs with no loss of a wicket.

The third match of the Pro 10 marathon saw Dikdiks beating DCC by 18 runs. Dikdiks, who preferred to bat first, scored 106 runs for 5 after completing all 10 overs. DCC failed to chase the score after posting 88 runs, 18 short of their target.

The fourth match of the marathon saw GP defeating Aces by four wickets. But things turned tough for GP in their match against Caravans. Who registered a 3-wicket victory over GP in the fifth match of the PRO 10 thriller. Caravans supremacy ended in the sixth match when the team lost to Boom Boom by 7 runs. Union defeated Veecom by 19 runs in the seventh game of the day