In Trump's Washington, rival powers and whispers in the president's ear  —  The transformation of power in Washington begins at President-elect Donald Trump's ear.  —  There are the intimates: Steven K. Bannon, the controversial provocateur and keeper of Trump's populist, nationalist flame …

Dems recruiting New York rep to challenge Pelosi  —  A small group of frustrated House Democrats is agitating for big changes, trying to draft Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) to challenge Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the top leadership spot in the next Congress, a handful of lawmakers familiar with the campaign told The Hill.

The Clinton Campaign Was Undone By Its Own Neglect And A Touch Of Arrogance, Staffers Say  —  In key battleground states, calls for help weren't taken seriously enough.  —  WASHINGTON In the closing weeks of the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton's staff in key Midwest states sent out alarms to their headquarters in Brooklyn.

President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom  —  WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Barack Obama named 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation's highest civilian honor, presented to individuals …

Viral Fake Election News Outperformed Real News On Facebook In Final Months Of The US Election  —  A BuzzFeed News analysis found that top fake election news stories generated more total engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined.  —  BuzzFeed Founding Editor, Canada

Trump Transition: Getting Set to Kick Ass  —  RUSH: I told the Snerdley, he had not heard — have you heard that Ted Cruz met with Trump for a full hour?  Ted Cruz was at Trump Tower for five hours meeting with various people, a full hour with Donald Trump, and the word is he's …

Hillary Clinton, in first formal talk since conceding: ‘There is common ground to build upon’  —  Hillary Clinton, in her first formal appearance since conceding the presidential election, acknowledged Wednesday that the experience has been terribly painful but urged a gathering of child advocates …

Man wearing Donald Trump hat choked, pinned on subway train  —  Corey Cataldo, 24, of the Bronx, said he was riding the uptown 5 train from Union Square to Morris Park Friday, when another rider on the subway spotted his “Make America Great Again” hat and apparently didn't like it.

Want to keep fake news out of your newsfeed?  College professor creates list of sites to avoid  —  During the election, many people fell prey to fake news stories on social media — even the president-elect ended up retweeting fake statistics.  A professor of communication has created a list …

Literally Shaking  —  Until the nationwide protests of the last few days, I had no idea how bad the problem was, but our nation is drowning in drama queenery.  —  The immediate reaction of most celebrities to Trump's victory was: “THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR MY TAKE ON THE ELECTION!”

Is Trump's Man Steve Bannon Too Shady to Handle Secrets?  —  Donald Trump recently named Steve Bannon to be a White House chief strategist and senior counselor to the president.  It's a position that could give Bannon, the former chief of the alt-right Breitbart media outlet, access to the nation's most sensitive secrets.

Trump's Muslim registry wouldn't be illegal, constitutional law experts say  —  The day after Donald Trump won the White House last week, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote on Twitter that if the president-elect attempts “to implement his unconstitutional campaign promises, we'll see him in court.”

Senate Democrats' Surprising Strategy: Trying to Align With Trump  —  WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats, divided and struggling for a path from the electoral wilderness, are constructing an agenda to align with many proposals of President-elect Donald J. Trump that put him at odds with his own party.

Jesse Jackson: Obama should pardon Hillary Clinton  —  Speaking at President Gerald Ford's alma mater, The Rev. Jesse Jackson called for President Obama to issue a blanket pardon to Hillary Clinton before he leaves office, just like Ford did for Richard Nixon.

Man killed, woman injured in shooting outside popular Atlanta bar  —  ATLANTA - A woman says it was “senseless and horrible” that she was shot and the man she was on a first date with was killed outside a popular Atlanta bar.  —  The shooting outside Church bar left 32-year-old Mitchell Mormon Jr. dead.

The NSA's Spy Hub in New York, Hidden in Plain Sight … They called it Project X. It was an unusually audacious, highly sensitive assignment: to build a massive skyscraper, capable of withstanding an atomic blast, in the middle of New York City.  It would have no windows …

China Tells Trump That Climate Change Is No Hoax It Invented  —  Top official urges U.S. to stick with Paris Agreement pledges  —  China cites U.S. Republican leadership against climate change  —  China couldn't have invented global warming as a hoax to harm U.S. competitiveness …

Megyn Kelly Gets Candid: “Dangerous” Roger Ailes, Her Trump Saga, That Offer and Why She Won't Call Herself a Feminist  —  Fox News' superstar won't reveal whom she voted for ("Who the hell cares?") but just about everything else as she weighs the Murdochs' offer of a new $20 million contract: “I am trying to not confine myself.”

You Are Still Crying Wolf  —  [Content warning: hate crimes, Trump, racism.  I have turned off comments to keep out bad people who might be attracted by this sort of thing.  Regular blog readers know where they can go to discuss this if they want.  Avoid sharing in places where this will attract …

A bill to restrict the wearing of Muslim burqa and veil in Georgia  —  We received word earlier this week of a potential bill that would reflect the new Donald Trump era, one aimed at illegal immigrants that would slap a new tax on cash wired to foreign destinations.  —  Looks like we've got another.

Lindsey Graham Calls For Senate Investigation Into Whether Russia Hacked DNC  —  A congressional probe may cool Donald Trump's enthusiasm for warmer Russian relations.  —  Associate Politics Editor, The Huffington Post  —  WASHINGTON Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday …

Permian's Wolfcamp formation called biggest shale oil field in U.S.  —  In a troubled oil world, the Permian Basin is the gift that keeps on giving.  —  One portion of the giant field, known as the Wolfcamp formation, was found to hold 20 billion barrels of oil trapped in four layers of shale beneath West Texas.