Facebook fake-news writer: ‘I think Donald Trump is in the White House because of me’  —  What do the Amish lobby, gay wedding vans and the ban of the national anthem have in common?  For starters, they're all make-believe — and invented by the same man.  —  Paul Horner, the 38-year-old impresario …

Hoekstra: I'd take CIA director job if offered  —  Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, an ex-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Thursday that he would accept the job of CIA director if it were offered to him by President-elect Donald Trump.  —  “I'd take the job if Mr. Trump decided …

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Resigns  —  Director of National Intelligence James Clapper submitted his resignation Wednesday evening.  —  Clapper has said in interviews with NBC News over the last year that he was counting down the days to stepping down at the end of President Obama's final term in office.

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.  Avoid sharing in places where this will attract the wrong kind of attention, as per your best judgment.

The Great ‘Normalization’ Debate of 2016  —  First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  Who is Jared Kushner?  Donald Trump's son-in-law could play a key role 2:53  —  The Great “Normalization” Debate of 2016

FBI's decision to reopen Clinton email probe enabled Donald Trump to win election, says former aide Corey Lewandowski  —  The FBI's controversial decision to re-examine Hillary Clinton's emails enabled Donald Trump to win the election, his former campaign manager has claimed.

Video: Miami Man Screams “Trump!” at Black Starbucks Employee, Claims “White Discrimination”  —  Around 4:30 p.m. today, Jorge de Cárdenas was getting some work done in a Starbucks on South Dixie Highway near the University of Miami.  A group of people stood waiting in line at the counter for their coffee and snacks.

Bankers celebrate dawn of Trump era  —  NEW YORK — Christmas has arrived early for Wall Street in the early days of the Donald Trump era.  —  A populist candidate who railed against shady financial interests on the campaign trail is now putting together an administration that looks like an investment banker's dream.

Tom Hanks Hopes Donald Trump “Does Such a Great Job That I Vote for His Re-Election”  —  The actor was honored by the Museum of Modern Art at a gala also attended by Steve Martin, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, Emma Watson and Meg Ryan, among others.  —  A week after the election …

Sanders won't join Democratic Party  —  (I-Vt.) won't officially join the Democratic Party even though he was appointed to a leadership position within the Senate Democratic caucus this week.  —  “I was elected as an Independent and I will finish this term as an Independent,” …

Sen. Sasse, here are some answers to your questions about ‘paid rioting’  —  Sen. Ben Sasse, a freshman Republican senator from Nebraska, earned accolades from many in his party (and elsewhere) over the course of the 2016 cycle thanks to his principled opposition to Donald Trump's candidacy.

Trump Favorability Up, but Trails Other Presidents-Elect  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Donald Trump's favorable rating has improved from 34% to 42% after his election as president.  While a majority in the U.S. still have an unfavorable view of him, his image is the best it has been since March 2011 when 43% viewed him positively.

Hillary Clinton Makes First Public Appearance Since Conceding the Election  —  Hillary Clinton urges supporters to ‘stay engaged’ in first speech since election 2:35  —  Hillary Clinton, making an emotional plea, urged supporters “not to give up” and to “stay engaged” in politics at a charity gala in Washington D.C. Wednesday night.

GOP learning wrong lessons from Trump win, Republicans fear  —  Republican operatives spent four years warning that the party needed to diversify — or risk a blowout at the ballot box.  Donald Trump spent the campaign trafficking in divisive racial rhetoric — and he won anyway.

Jon Stewart on why Donald Trump is a “repudiation of Republicans”  —  After Jon Stewart left “The Daily Show” last summer, much of the presidential campaign went on without his unique and satirical point of view.  —  He spoke with “CBS This Morning” co-host Charlie Rose Wednesday to discuss …

Rep. Tom Price Reveals Republicans Eyeing Medicare Overhaul In 2017  —  Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), the chairman of the budget committee, told reporters on Thursday that Republicans are eyeing major changes to Medicare in 2017.  —  Price, who is being floated as a possible Health …

The only reason I have taken so much time away from work to address this personally is because you are Mr. Shultz's grandson.  —  Tyler Shultz, now 26 years old, was among several Theranos employees who tried to voice concerns inside the company about what they saw as troubling practices …

Washington girds for role reversal on executive power  —  Washington's massive about-face on executive power is underway.  —  Donald Trump's election has triggered a whiplash-inducing role reversal in D.C. legal circles, as liberals who spent the past eight years defending President Barack Obama's use …

Apple could make iPhones in US in future: sources  —  TAIPEI — iPhones might one day soon carry “Made in America” labels.  —  Key Apple assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn Technology Group, has been studying the possibility of moving iPhone production to the U.S., sources told the Nikkei Asian Review.

Sanctuary-City Mayors Gird for Fight as Trump Threatens Budgets  —  President-elect has $650 billion in federally funded leverage  —  ‘We will do everything we know how to do to resist that’  —  Municipalities that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation stand to lose billions …

Obama urges Trump to stand up to Russia  —  President Barack Obama urged his successor Thursday to stand up for American values in his dealings with Russia and avoid taking a more practical, “realpolitik approach.”  —  “I've sought a constructive relationship with Russia …

The Daily 202: Democrats angry that Clinton had no economic message  —  THE BIG IDEA: The economy is Donald Trump's strongest issue, and the post-election conversation has given short shrift to how significant of a factor it was in his unexpected victory.  —  A new Washington Post poll finds …

Why Democrats need to fight Donald Trump from the moment he takes office  —  Democrats face a profound question right now: What's the most effective way to oppose the Trump administration and the Republican Congress?  How energetic should their opposition be?  Should they support Republican bills they find somewhat worthwhile?

Washington GOPer Proposes Charging Protesters With ‘Economic Terrorism’  —  A Republican Washington state senator who supported Donald Trump is proposing a bill that would slap an “economic terrorism” label on protest activities already prohibited by law and dramatically intensify their penalties.

The Democrats Won't Autopsy Their Own Corpse  —  The Democrats already know the cause of their utter electoral humiliation: all those flyover people who had voted for Obama last time were actually racists who demonstrated their racism by not voting for the tired old white lady too.

Trump Surrogate: Japanese Internment Camps A ‘Precedent’ For Muslim Registry (VIDEO)  —  One of Donald Trump surrogate's claimed Wednesday that the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II provided a “precedent” for the next administration creating a registry of Muslims living in the United States.