Trump, Digging in on DAPL, May Privatize Tribal Lands: A day after the Obama administration legally blocked the completion of the Dakota Access pipeline, two Trump advisors on Native American issues told Reuters that they would look for ways to put tribal lands into private ownership to encourage fossil fuel development. Native lands sit on an estimated 20 percent of the nation’s oil and gas reserves. Privatization of tribal lands, a hotly contested issue among Native leaders, would fit with Trump’s possible larger plan to reduce regulations on large areas of land nationwide. In a transition call with reporters Monday morning, the Trump camp confirmed their continued support for construction of the DAPL and that they intended to “review the full situation” after the inauguration. (DAPL: Reuters, Greenwire $, Wired. Privatization: Reuters, EcoWatch, International Business Times. Commentary: Grist, Rebecca Leber column)

Two Trumps and a Gore: On Monday, former VP Al Gore made a surprise visit to Trump Tower to discuss climate change with Ivanka Trump, who is reportedly interested in the issue. Gore told reporters afterwards that he also met with Donald Trump and had a “productive” conversation. After the Gore meeting, Trump checked in with his energy adviser Rep. Kevin Cramer, a climate change denier and possible pick for energy secretary, and will meet with Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobil and rumored candidate for Secretary of State, on Tuesday. Gore wasn’t Ivanka’s only high-profile climate advocate visitor: Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly gave her a copy of his climate change documentary Before the Flood at a recent meeting. Gore: AP, Reuters,Washington Post $, New York Times $, NPR, The Hill, Politico, Bloomberg, Mashable,CNN, VICE E&E, Wall Street Journal $, New York Magazine. Tillerson: Politico, Bloomberg. Commentary: Vox, Brad Plumer column; Slate, Ben Mathis-Lilley analysis; Observer, Andrew Eil op-ed; The Hill, Brent Budowsky column; ThinkProgress, Natasha Geiling column)

Climate Change Intensifies Thunderstorms: A new study finds that parts of the US could see “huge increases” in extreme rainfall due to warming temperatures. The study shows that overall, the contiguous US will experience extreme storms three times more often, while storms in the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Coast and the Southwest could increase fivefold. These regions, which include areas in Louisiana and North Carolina devastated by flash flooding earlier this year, could also see more intense storms with up to 70 percent more rainfall. (AP, Washington Post $, Time, The Guardian, Denver Post, Climate Central)

Exxon Won’t Attend AGU Party: Following an intense campaign from over 60,000 scientists and activists, the American Geophysical Union announced that ExxonMobil has pulled funding from its annual conference. The AGU conference, the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world, has included an Exxon-funded student breakfast since 2001. Exxon’s involvement came under fire following last year’s investigations into the energy company’s efforts to undermine climate science. (ClimateWire $, InsideClimate News)