Week In The News: Trump Transition, Obama Abroad, Gwen Ifill Dies

Trump in transition. The President’s final trip abroad. Southeast wildfires. Steve Bannon. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

Transition days at Trump Tower this week. Apparent turmoil at first. Now the names are flowing.  Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. Kansas U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo at CIA. General Michael Flynn for National Security Advisor. A very different crew. And Steve Bannon, with his alt-right ties, at the president-elect’s elbow  On Capitol Hill, a Democratic challenge to Nancy Pelosi. And abroad, President Obama works to explain it all. This hour On Point, our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. — Tom Ashbrook

Robert Costa, national political reporter for the Washington Post. (@costareports)

Kathy Gilsinan, senior editor at the Atlantic, where she oversees the magazine's global news section. (@kgilsinan)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

Washington Post: In Trump’s Washington, rival powers and whispers in the president’s ear — "The turbulent first week of Trump’s transition has revealed a tendency in the president-elect — one that was evident throughout his business career and during his campaign — to reject rigid chains of command."

The Atlantic: Trump Doesn't Understand Jihad — "President-elect Trump believes the religion of Islam is the root of the problem. Ancient Islamic scripture encourages violence against the infidel, the argument goes, so modern jihadist violence won’t end until Muslims disavow or reinterpret scripture. In contrast, Presidents Bush and Obama believed that the lack of good governance and political freedom were the root cause of jihadism, not religion."

Charlotte Observer: Mountain blazes claim over 47,000 acres — "Some 15 wildfires, burning roughly 47,000 acres, are racing across the foothills and western North Carolina mountains, U.S. Geological Survey data show. About 2,000 firefighters are trying to contain them."