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.

Seduced and Betrayed by Donald Trump  —  Donald Trump won the Electoral College (though not the popular vote) on the strength of overwhelming support from working-class whites, who feel left behind by a changing economy and society.  And they're about to get their reward — the same reward that …

Even elite campaign aides still aren't sure why Donald Trump succeeded  —  Baffled at times and often bitter, more than two dozen of the country's top political operatives grappled with questions that have dominated American politics for 18 months: What explains Donald Trump's astonishing political success …

Lewandowski: Times editor Dean Baquet ‘should be in jail’ for publishing Trump tax docs  —  Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's first campaign manager, said Thursday that New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet “should be in jail” because the newspaper published parts of the president-elect's tax returns during the race.

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.

Employment Situation Summary  —  Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until USDL-16-2233 8:30 a.m. (EST) Friday, December 2, 2016  —  Technical information:  —  Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps

Democrats could block Mattis nomination  —  Gen. James Mattis will need a supermajority to win confirmation from the Senate.  —  Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will require a vote at a 60-vote threshold to allow Mattis to become the defense secretary, an aide said.

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.

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.

CNN Crew Jokes about Donald Trump's Plane Crashing  —  CNN Correspondent Suzanne Malveauxjoke 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.

Dead man found inside SUV with pile of parking tickets on windshield  —  Sun Sentinel … For four days, city parking officers slapped tickets on an SUV parked three blocks from the Broward County Courthouse.  When Carolyn White noticed the pile of citations, she wondered what was going on.

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.

Trump's Breezy Calls to World Leaders Leave Diplomats Aghast  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump inherited a complicated world when he won the election last month.  And that was before a series of freewheeling phone calls with foreign leaders that has unnerved diplomats at home and abroad.

What's the most Instagrammed place in every state?  —  In a new world of photo sharing and filters, and as 2016 nears its end, USA Today put together a list of the most photographed places in every state pulled from Instagram data thanks to the app's 500 million users.  Angeli Kakade (@angelikakade) has the story.

Wahlberg: Celebs should stop talking about politics  —  Mark Wahlberg has a message for Hollywood stars who get political: Zip it.  —  “A lot of celebrities did, do, and shouldn't,” Wahlberg said in an interview published this week on the military veterans news site Task & Purpose.

Young cancer victim's wish to ‘blow stuff up’ comes true  —  Boy with cancer granted ‘blow stuff up’ wish  —  (CNN)The Make-A-Wish Foundation is in the business of making dreams come true — even when the dream is to blow stuff up.  —  And that was great news for Declan McLean-Pauley, a 12-year-old who is in remission from lukemia.

The Economic Stupidity of the Carrier Bailout  —  It's not conservative, but rather a rejection of economic reality.  —  One particularly tough and indigestible nugget of talk-radio stupidity afflicting the guts of conservatism is the idea that there is some sort of fundamental difference between bribing …

A Better Way to Help U.S. Victims of Free Trade  —  If Donald Trump was consistent about one thing on the campaign trail, it was his rejection of the prevailing Washington consensus in favor of globalization and free trade.  Now, weeks before taking office, he has pledged to tear …

What Is the Future of the Office for Civil Rights?  —  In the days after the presidential election, news outlets and thousands of educators reported increases in harassment, bullying, and intimidation of students based on race, ethnicity, religion, and gender identity.

A Question Of Prerogative  —  Next week the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom will hear arguments in the most important constitutional case in modern European history.  At issue is whether Prime Minister Theresa May has authority to exercise Britain's right to exit the European Union (EU) without a vote of Parliament.

Virginia schools ban ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Huckleberry Finn’ for racial slurs  —  A Virginia school has temporarily banned two American classics after a parent said her high school-age son was negatively impacted by the racial slurs they contain.  —  The decision to remove …

Advent, explained  —  From chocolate calendars to wreaths in church, the season is all about anticipation.  —  Most Christmas customs in the US share two characteristics.  First, it's usually hard to pin down their origins to a single source.  And second, their roots almost always reach …