- Someone on Donald Trump [1]'s team spoke too soon. Anthony Scaramucci, a member of Trump's transition team, said that Sir Elton John would be performing at the inauguration, but the iconic pianist denied the claim [2] on Wednesday. "There is no truth in this at all," John's representative told the BBC. John has been an outspoken critic of Trump and also performed at fundraisers for Hillary Clinton [3].
- In other Trump news, the president-elect officially offered a United Nations ambassador position to current South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley [4]. Despite previously criticizing Trump's campaign for its dangerous rhetoric, Haley — who is a child of Indian immigrants — accepted the position pending congressional approval. Her nomination drew sharp criticism for her lack of international experience.
- Speaking of international relationships, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over Trump's promise to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership [5] trade deal. Speaking candidly to the German parliament, Merkel said, "I am not happy that the Trans-Pacific agreement now will probably not become reality."
- One more gold for Laurie Hernandez. The Olympian gymnast was crowned the winner of Dancing With the Stars [6] on Tuesday evening. Sixteen-year-old Hernandez and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, won with a perfect score, making her the show's youngest winner (and competitor) in 23 seasons.
- Going against the tide, Tommy Hilfiger has some words [7] for fashion designers who refuse to dress Melania Trump. In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, Hilfiger said, "I think any designer should be proud to dress her." It's worth noting that Hilfiger has known the Trump family for some time.
- Someone else who's speaking up? George Soros, a billionaire and former Holocaust survivor from Hungary, who has pledged $10 million to fund grants that help organizations combat hate crimes in America. Soros has been an outspoken critic of Trump's "incendiary rhetoric" and told The New York Times [8] he believed the recent uptick in attacks are directly correlated to Trump's comments about minority groups.