The Trouble Surrounding Trump's Senate Confirmation Hearings and 4 Other Stories to Know Jan. 9
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- Donald Trump's cabinet senate confirmation hearings will begin tomorrow amid controversy. Many of his nominees have not completed mandatory background checks, which is concerning and historically unprecedented. Two of Trump's picks are likely to face particular scrutiny during their hearings: Jeff Sessions, who is being considered for Attorney General, and Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. As a federal prosecutor in Alabama, Sessions was accused of racial discrimination. Tillerson is a former CEO from Exxon Mobil with close ties to Russia.
- La La Land and Moonlight swept the Golden Globes last night, but Meryl Streep's speech was certainly a highlight. Accepting her Cecil B. DeMille Award for her career achievements, Streep took the airtime to criticize the incoming president without once mentioning his name. While condemning Trump's disrespectful rhetoric in her prepared speech, Streep also applauded America's diversity.
- The Pope encouraged mothers to breastfeed at a baptism held at the Vatican on Sunday. Presiding over a service for 28 infants, the Pope acknowledged the babies crying and told the mothers to breastfeed if their children were hungry. "Then go ahead and feed them, just as Mary breastfed Jesus," Pope Francis said. The Pope previously expressed support for women to breast-feed regardless of location at the same baptism ceremony two years ago.
- CNBC is reporting that Trump's son-in-law will be named senior advisor to the president. Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, has already played a pivotal role in Trump's transition team and is a real estate mogul himself. Kushner's appointment could prove difficult since it theoretically breaks an anti-nepotism law, though Kushner has pursued legal routes around the clause.
- Hidden Figures beat out Star Wars Rogue One for the top box office spot over the weekend, bringing in $22.8 million. The historic story chronicles the three black female mathematician whose roles at NASA helped send the first men to the moon. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae star in the film.