Donald Trump

Donald Trump praised the Electoral College Tuesday, after previously criticizing the system after the 2012 presidential election.

(Evan Vucci, Associated Press)

As Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote exceeds 1 million, some Democrats work to abolish the Electoral College, while Donald Trump reverses his position on the system. Read more in today's Politics Extra.

Clinton's lead in popular vote: Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote over President-elect Donald Trump has surpassed 1 million, according to Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Politico reports that as vote counts continue to trickle in days after Election Day, Wasserman's tally had Clinton with about 61,964,263 votes to Trump's 60,961,967 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Clashes over the Electoral College: Outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer of California filed legislation Tuesday to abolish the Electoral College in light of Clinton winning the popular vote but still losing the election, reports the Los Angeles Times. The bill is unlikely to gain traction with Republicans holding control of both chambers of Congress in a lame duck session. "The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately," Boxer said in a statement. "Every American should be guaranteed that their vote counts."

From "disaster" to "genius:" In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, Trump praised the Electoral College, which he had previously criticized on social media after the 2012 presidential election, reports The Washington Post. "The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!" Trump tweeted, along with claiming that he would have won "even bigger and more easily" if the results depended solely on the popular vote.

This is a reversal from a number of tweets he posted four years ago, in which he called the Electoral College a "disaster for a democracy," a "total sham and a travesty" and a "great and disgusting injustice."

Knife fight: Trump's transition is being marked by sharp internal disagreements over key cabinet appointments and direction, both for internal West Wing positions and important national security posts, sources involved in the transition team told CNN. One source described the transition as a "knife fight," with another calling it "buffoonery." The shift has put traditional GOP operatives such as Reince Priebus - named Trump's chief of staff - against more non-traditional influences such as Steve Bannon - the alt-right leader of Breitbart News who will be Trump's chief strategist.

Carson isn't interested: Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told Trump that he isn't interested in serving as secretary of Health and Human Services, a Carson ally confirmed to the Hill Tuesday. Business manager and close friend Armstrong Williams said Carson won't join the incoming Trump administration and would only serve as an unofficial adviser. "Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he's never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency," Williams said.

Ryan's return: House Republicans renominated Speaker Paul Ryan as their leader Tuesday, quieting rumors of an initial revolt in the GOP after the feud between Ryan and Trump leading up to the election, reports The New York Times. To retain the speaker's job, Ryan will still have to clear a vote by the full House when the new Congress assembles in January, when he must win at least 218 votes. With the results of a few contests outstanding, Republicans will hold at least 239 seats. House Republicans said on Twitter that Ryan's selection was unanimous.

Pelosi could be in trouble: House Democrats decided Tuesday to delay their leadership elections until after Thanksgiving, reports CNN. The move will give Democrats time to nurse their wounds and could spell trouble for longtime leader Nancy Pelosi. After a closed-door meeting, some of Pelosi's supporters said it was time for some serious soul-searching in the Democratic Party. The vote is now scheduled for Nov. 30.

McCain's warning to Trump: Sen. John McCain of Arizona issued a blunt warning to Trump and his emerging foreign policy team Tuesday: Don't try another "reset" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports The New York Times. "The Obama administration's last attempt at resetting relations with Russia culminated in Putin's invasion of Ukraine and military intervention in the Middle East," McCain said in a statement. "At the very least, the price of another 'reset' would be complicity in Putin and Assad's butchery of the Syrian people."

Obama says he's not responsible for Trump: Before the election, President Barack Obama was so confident Trump wouldn't be elected that he scoffed at questions about whether he was partly responsible for Trump's rise to prominence, reports USA Today. "You know, talk to me if he wins. Then we'll have a conversation about how responsible I feel about it," he told Matt Lauer in January.

Tuesday, NBC's Chris Jansing asked Obama that question again. "I think it's fair to say that I was surprised by the election results," he said at a news conference in Athens. "I still don't feel responsible for what the president-elect says or does. But I do feel a responsibility as president of the United States to make sure that I facilitate a good transition."

Bush 43 weighs in: Former President George W. Bush lamented the role of "anger" in politics, expressing a worry that the emotional response could unfortunately "drive policy," reports CNN. Speaking for the first time since Trump won the election, Bush did not directly critique the president-elect, but seemed to praise free trade and rebuke Trump's protectionist message. "I don't think it's helpful for a former president to criticize successors," Bush said Tuesday.

In happier news, Bush and his wife, Laura, adopted a puppy from an animal shelter on Election Day. "Freddy Bush" seems to be getting along well with the family's cats, Bob and Bernadette.