Former Bush spokesman on Trump's Taiwan call: ‘China will go nuts’  —  Former George W. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer tweeted that “China will go nuts” after President-elect Donald Trump  —  made a historic phone call to Taiwan on Friday.  —  “Uh-oh.  I wasn't even allowed to refer to the gvt ‘of’ Taiwan.

Sarah Palin: But... Wait... The Good Guys Won't Win With More Crony Capitalism  —  I am ecstatic for Carrier employees!  Their bosses just decided to keep shop onshore.  What a relief for hundreds of workers.  Merry Christmas Indiana!  We don't yet know terms of the public/private deal …

Trump allies try to freeze recount efforts  —  Allies of Donald Trump are trying to freeze recount efforts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — three states in which the president-elect narrowly beat Hillary Clinton — as they seek to preserve the legitimacy of Trump's win.

Former Special Forces Officer: Gen. ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis Left ‘My Men to Die’  —  A former Army Special Forces officer is accusing retired Marine General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary, of “leaving my men to die” after they were hit by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2001.

Obama considering post-presidential digital media career, sources say  —  President Barack Obama has been discussing a post-presidential career in digital media and is considering launching his own media company, according to multiple sources who spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak for the president.

CNN Crew Jokes about Donald Trump's Plane Crashing  —  CNN Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was covering the Carrier press conference, that featured both Donald Trump and Mike Pence.  —  Carrier was able to negotiate huge tax breaks for their company, if they promised not to move all their jobs to Mexico.

Donald Trump's Pollster Says the Election Came Down to Five Counties  —  Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, referred to her candidate's electoral win as a “landslide” earlier this week.  But the campaign's top pollster, veteran Tony Fabrizio said just five counties made the difference …

Trump inherits Obama boom  —  NEW YORK — On the campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly described the U.S. economy as a hollowed-out disaster of high unemployment and stagnant growth.  —  But the latest numbers show the president-elect will in fact inherit a fairly robust economy …

Philly Clout: Turnpike manager rips his bosses in email minutes before retirement  —  FILE THIS ONE under: “Well, You Asked.”  —  Michael Stuban, a midlevel manager at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, retired on Thanksgiving after a 35-year career that started in a tollbooth.

The 2016 Election Is a Disaster Without a Moral  —  Marge: The moral of the story is that a good deed is its own reward!  —  Bart: But we got a reward, the head is cool!  —  Marge: Well, then maybe the moral is, no good deed goes unrewarded.  —  Homer: Wait a minute! … Homer: Exactly!

Hampshire College returns US flag to full staff; president denies playing politics  —  Hampshire College in Massachusetts raised the American flag back to full staff Friday after outraged veterans protested the school's decision to stop flying all flags across campus.

Make Kellogg's Gr-rr-rr-rr-rreat Again  —  Last weekend's Castro droologies reminded us that, for Justin Trudeau and too many others, mass-murdering dictators are kind of a turn-on, a geopolitical S&M fetish - as long as it's millions of distant, disposable Third World types making up the M end of the deal.

Amy Schumer Playing ‘Barbie’  —  Amy Schumer will play the title role in Barbie, the live action Sony Pictures film based on the venerable Mattel toyline.  The PG movie will begin production in the spring for a global summer 2018 tent pole bow, after Schumer puts her imprint on the script by Hillary Winston.

The post-truth world of the Trump administration is scarier than you think  —  You may think you are prepared for a post-truth world, in which political appeals to emotion count for more than statements of verifiable fact.  —  But now it's time to cross another bridge — into a world without facts.

I Served With James Mattis.  Here's What I Learned From Him  —  This article is slightly amended and reprinted, with permission, from The Strategy Bridge.  —  America knows Gen. James Mattis as a character, Mad Dog Mattis, the font of funny quotes and Chuck Norris-caliber memes.

Philippines' Duterte gets Trump White House invite during ‘animated’ call  —  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during a “very engaging, animated” phone conversation, a Duterte aide said on Friday, amid rocky relations between their two countries.