Donald Trump Will Have The Richest Administration, Big Mac's Creator Dies, Netflix Is Now Offline and More

After Donald Trump named former Goldman Sachs executive Steve Mnuchin as his pick to head the Treasury Department, critics accused the New York businessman of going against his campaign promise of moving away from Wall Street and "draining the swamp."

However, another pattern is emerging: President-elect Trump is assembling the wealthiest administration in modern American history.

By comparison, when George W. Bush put together his first Cabinet in 2001, government watchdogs were concerned whether his team of millionaires — a combined worth of about $250 million — could relate to the problems of most Americans.

Reality check: Their combined worth is just one-tenth of Trump's commerce secretary nominee alone.

Top Stories

Donald Trump Is Assembling The Richest Administration in Modern American History: "Trump is putting together what will be the wealthiest administration in modern American history. His announced nominees for top positions include several multimillionaires, an heir to a family mega-fortune and two Forbes-certified billionaires, one of whose family is worth as much as industrial tycoon Andrew Mellon was when he served as treasury secretary nearly a century ago. Rumored candidates for other positions suggest Trump could add more ultra-rich appointees soon." (The Washington Post)

Trump Saved Jobs at Carrier, But More Midwest Jobs Are in Jeopardy: "In tiny Sellersburg, Ind., just across the border from Kentucky, Manitowoc Foodservice is in the final stages of closing a factory that makes beverage dispensers and ice machines and is laying off 84 workers. The company is moving production to Mexico. Just 100 miles away, President-elect Donald J. Trump will appear on Thursday with workers at Carrier’s Indianapolis plant to boast of his success in saving at least 1,000 jobs from moving to Mexico." (The New York Times)

Inventor of McDonald's Big Mac Dies at 98: "When Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee Michael 'Jim' Delligatti spent weeks nearly 50 years ago tinkering like a gastronomical mad scientist on a new sandwich creation for the fast-food chain, his intent was simply to put a bigger burger on the menu. In the end, his double-decker wasn't just a bigger burger. The Big Mac's impact on American and even global pop culture proved to be huge." (Patch)

Netflix Update Allows for Offline Viewing: "Good news for binge viewers with spotty internet connections. Netflix announced Wednesday that subscribers can now download select shows and movies for offline viewing." (Patch)

Ivanka Trump, Climate Czar?: "The ambitious daughter, who once plotted her career around international brand domination, is planning to take on an even heavier lift. Ivanka wants to make climate change — which her father has called a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese — one of her signature issues, a source close to her told Politico. The source said Ivanka is in the early stages of exploring how to use her spotlight to speak out on the issue." (Politico)

From the Twitterverse

The thing about repealing Obamacare...

Today's Numbers

• Hillary Clinton now leads Donald Trump by 2.5 million in the popular vote, according to the Cook Political Report.
• Only one member of Donald Trump’s transition team is dealing with the CIA and the 16 other offices and agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community.
• GOP leaders are preparing, once again, to repeal Obamacare before Day One of the Trump administration.
• Donald Trump has four finalists for secretary of state.

Quote of the Day

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Donald Trump's choice of Steve Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, to lead the Treasury Department:

“Donald Trump promised that he was not going to have a government that was going to work for Wall Street. He promised that he was not going to have a revolving door. And then he turns around in his first big economic appointment is to appoint a Wall Street insider.”

Allen McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons