It’s Wednesday, so go out and grab a copy of the INDY.The graphic in Triangulator alone is worth it. Let’s check out some headlines:

1) Clinton talks about Russia, Comey, and Trump.

The decisive winner of the presidential popular vote said a whole lot yesterday about Russia, Wikileaks, and why she thinks she lost the White House. From The New York Times:

“The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days,” she said, arguing that based on the available data: “If the election had been on Oct. 27, I’d be your president.”

Tell us more, Hillary.

Pressed by Ms. Amanpour to reflect on the campaign, Mrs. Clinton said she took “absolute personal responsibility” for her defeat. But she said she believed she would have won if not for the actions of Russia and a surprise announcement in late October by James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, that the agency was conducting an additional review of emails linked to Mrs. Clinton.

In pointed language, Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Trump seemed to be tightly aligned with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, whom American intelligence agencies believe ordered an extensive campaign aimed at influencing the 2016 race.

“He certainly interfered in our election,” Mrs. Clinton said of Mr. Putin. “And clearly interfered to hurt me and to help my opponent.”

Mrs. Clinton said that if you “chart my opponent and his campaign’s statements,” they appear “quite coordinated with the goals of that leader, who shall remain nameless.”

Fair enough. But how is the guy who won doing? Say, on North Korea?

North Korea, Mrs. Clinton said, has long tried to lure American leaders into direct contact “to elevate their status and their position, and we should be very careful about giving that away.”

“You should not offer that in the absence of a broader strategic framework to try to get China, Japan, Russia, South Korea to put the kind of pressure on the regime that will finally bring them to the negotiating table,” she said, adding of direct talks: “They have to be part of a broader strategy, not just thrown up on a tweet some morning: ‘Hey, let’s get together, see if we can’t get along.’”

Trump wasn’t pleased. He took to Twitter, speaking of himself in the third person.


2) The Republicans struggle again with Obamacare repeal, and a North Carolina politician puts his foot in his mouth.

U.S. Representative Robert Pittenger decided to weigh in on health care—and consequently put the Old North State back in the headlines. From the INDY‘s Erica Hellerstein:

“People can go to the state that they want to live in,” he said in response to questions about whether the bill would increase coverage costs for people with pre-existing conditions, according to Talking Points Memo. “States have all kinds of different policies and there are disparities among states for many things: driving restrictions, alcohol, whatever. We’re putting choices back in the hands of the states.”

In other words, if you have a pre-existing condition, you can always move.

3) Raleigh votes to create a Community Engagement Board.

From the INDY‘s Tommy Goldsmith:

After vigorous discussion, Raleigh City Council members agreed Tuesday to form a community engagement board but punted on how it would work and exactly what it would do.

The proposal for the community engagement board ran into opposition from council members who preferred the existing, sometimes freewheeling citizens advisory committees that were established in the 1970s. Raleigh has nineteen CACs that represent geographic areas of the city.

“We’re not trying to dis the CACs,” Mayor Nancy McFarlane said after the meeting. “None of this is set in stone. Fundamentally, we are trying to empower people.”

4) FBI Director James Comey to be grilled today on the Hill.

Popcorn! From the NYT:

The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, is expected to be grilled Wednesday by lawmakers in both parties who have sharply questioned his judgment on the investigations into both Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and Russian meddling in the presidential election.

Unlike the House Intelligence Committee hearing in March in which Mr. Comey took the extraordinary step of confirming the existence of the Russia investigation, Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee proceeding is a more routine congressional oversight hearing — but notable because Mr. Comey has not publicly discussed his role in the Clinton investigation.

The warm reception he once received on Capitol Hill, where he was applauded for his efforts to keep the country safe, has cooled considerably in recent months.

That’s it for now. Have a good one.