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.

Shouting match erupts between Clinton and Trump aides  —  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The raw, lingering emotion of the 2016 presidential campaign erupted into a shouting match here Thursday as top strategists of Hillary Clinton's campaign accused their Republican counterparts of fueling and legitimizing racism to elect Donald Trump.

Chris Christie's Hopes for R.N.C. Job Dim; Economic Numbers Give Trump-Pence a Head Start  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump is back at Trump Tower as his team takes shape.  —  He will meet with Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, a Democrat who seems interested in a job in Mr. Trump's cabinet …

Paul Ryan: I've discussed Constitution ‘extensively’ with Trump  —  House Speaker Paul Ryan and President-elect Donald Trump have discussed the Constitution “extensively” in their almost daily conversations.  —  In an excerpt of a “60 Minutes” interview to air Sunday, Ryan was asked whether …

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.

Trump's Carrier Shakedown  —  Workers don't prosper when politicians force companies to make noneconomic decisions.  —  A giant flaw in President Obama's economic policy has been the politicized allocation of capital, from green energy to housing.  Donald Trump suffers from a similar …

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 …

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 …

Philippines' Duterte gets Trump invite during ‘animated’ call: aide  —  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke on the telephone on Friday with Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte and invited him to the White House next year during a “very engaging, animated” talk, an aide to Duterte said.

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.

I Served With James Mattis.  Here's What I Learned From Him  —  America knows Gen. James Mattis as a character, Mad Dog Mattis, the font of funny quotes and Chuck Norris-caliber memes.  Those of us who served with him know that he is a caring, erudite, warfighting general.

Trump-Inspired Dating Site Gets Post-Election Membership Boost  —  TrumpSingles.com, with the slogan “Making Dating Great Again,” was created in May as a safe space for Trump supporters to find love.  —  When former reality TV coordinator Dave Goss (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) …

Decline of America's white population accelerating, study finds  —  A rapidly aging white population and fast-growing younger minority groups are speeding demographic changes across the nation, hastening a political divide likely to have long-term ramifications.

Scarborough: Trump considering Exxon CEO for secretary of State  —  is considering ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson to be secretary of State, according to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.  —  Scarborough tweeted that while Trump thought his meeting with potential nominee Mitt Romney was “great,” he's also started considering Tillerson.

The ultimate symbol of Trump Derangement Syndrome?  —  We may have found the perfect example of the madness gripping progressives and even some conservatives in the wake of Donald Trump's election as president.  If I were a screenwriter, I could not come up with a more emblematic scene …

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 …