“Since Donald Trump’s election, his organization has steadily announced withdrawals from contracts in countries where the deals could conflict with his presidency,” Bloomberg reports.

“The truth is, though, that all were troubled projects and combined to generate a mere $323,150 in revenue for 2015 and the first part of 2016. For a $3-billion company, that’s not much.”

James Hohmann: “The Congressional Review Act is such an incredibly powerful tool that it has only been used once in the two decades it has been on the books. In the next couple months, it will probably be used about half a dozen times… Somewhere around 150 rules finalized by the Obama administration – going as far back as last June – could be overturned under the CRA, if Congress passes a ‘joint resolution of disapproval’ and the new president signs off.”

“High on the chopping block: Regulations which would curb methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, prohibit coal-mining companies from engaging in activities that permanently pollute streams used for drinking water and increasing the salary threshold below which employees are entitled to overtime pay…”

“But here’s the rub: the executive branch may never again be allowed to regulate on these subjects if the Congressional Review Act is employed. It is hard to overstate what a big deal that is and how much it raises the stakes. If the overtime rule gets rescinded, for example, any new overtime requirements would need to pass Congress. If you know anything about the Hill, you know that will happen – when pigs fly…”

Rick Klein: “Don’t look now, but it might actually be a smooth one, at least on the Trump scale. The chaos around Donald Trump largely hasn’t visited his choices to join his Cabinet. It’s even possible that all of his selections wind up getting confirmed – thanks to Democrats’ changes to confirmation thresholds, and a team that’s been deliberate in providing cover for each of them.”

“You can also thank Trump’s personally run noise machine: Attacking Meryl Streep, just to pick one morning’s Twitter battle, makes a fight against Tom Price less compelling. The fact remains, though, that the crush of hearings and stirrings of legislative action this week will go a long way toward determining the success of the Trump agenda. So far, it’s a strong start.”

Mike Allen: “Trump’s nominees face an unusual hurdle: They don’t just have to defend themselves — they’ll be barraged with questions about their boss’s tweets and campaign statements. The hearings are the highest profile chance Democrats have had to bash the president-elect, and they plan to take advantage.”

“People prepping the nominees tell me that the strategy is to answer the topic not the question, and let Trump fight his own fights. On the border wall, for example, nominees are coached to say they understand the role Congress has to play, ‘and we look forward to working with you.'”

“The one absolute rule: Don’t say anything bad about Trump.”

“President-elect Donald Trump plans to give his Cabinet secretaries and top aides significant latitude to run their federal agencies, marking a sharp departure from Barack Obama’s tightly controlled management style, according to people involved in and close to the transition,” Politico reports.

“Trump, they say, doesn’t usually like getting into day-to-day minutiae or taking lengthy briefings on issues. He doesn’t have particularly strong feelings on the intricacies of some government issues and agencies, these people say, and would rather focus on high-profile issues, publicity and his brand.”

“And he’s expected to grant his Cabinet lots of autonomy — at least until he sees something as a problem or an issue involves significant publicity or money.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rebuffed Democratic calls to slow down rapid confirmation of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, even after a nonpartisan federal watchdog raised “great” concerns about moving ahead with hearings for nominees without their ethics reviews completed, Politico reports.

Said McConnell: “I know how it feels when you’re coming into a new situation and the other guy’s won the election. What did we do? We confirmed seven Cabinet appointments the day President Obama was sworn in. We didn’t like most of them either. But he won the election. So all of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustrations.”

Doyle McManus: “To outward appearances, Donald Trump’s transition has been humming steadily toward his inauguration on Jan. 20. The president-elect has named all but a few members of his prospective Cabinet, and some will begin confirmation hearings this week. Meanwhile, Trump Tower has issued a torrent of White House staff announcements, from a new chief of staff, Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus, to a reality TV star, Omarosa Manigault.”

“Yet there are signs of trouble, and veterans of past administrations from both parties have warned that chaos almost surely lies ahead.”

Politico: “Seated beneath bright lights that mimic the conditions of a camera-packed hearing room, President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are being put through hours-long mock confirmation hearings this weekend to prepare for the Senate grillings that may decide their fates. Numerous murder board sessions are being run in anticipation of one of the most consequential weeks for the Trump transition: Nine of the president-elect’s Cabinet picks, many of whom have no federal government experience, will face Senate questioning this week — including hostile Democrats eager to score points on everything from the president-elect’s admiration of Vladimir Putin to the candidate’s wealth and potential conflicts-of-interest.”

“The idea is to replicate the high-pressure environment of a televised hearing where senators may lob questions in rapid succession about arcane and awkward topics in an effort to trip them up.”

“Jared Kushner, President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law and one of his closest advisers, is taking steps to distance himself from his sprawling New York real estate business in what is the clearest sign yet he is planning to take a position in the new administration,” the AP reports.

“Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, must clear a series of hurdles before he takes any post in Washington. He will need to argue that a federal anti-nepotism law that bar officials from appointing relatives to government positions does not apply to him as well as eliminate potential conflicts of interest between his family’s multi-billion dollar real estate empire and his government duties.”

“As Senate Republicans embark on a flurry of confirmation hearings this week, several of Donald J. Trump’s appointees have yet to complete the background checks and ethics clearances customarily required before the Senate begins to consider cabinet-level nominees,” the New York Times reports.

For members: Republicans Plan Confirmation Blitz Next Week