Trump Picks Scott Pruitt, Climate Change Denialist, to Lead E.P.A.  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general and a close ally of the fossil fuel industry, to run the Environmental Protection Agency, signaling Mr. Trump's determination …

The Comet Ping Pong Gunman Answers Our Reporter's Questions  —  WASHINGTON — Edgar M. Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., was arrested Sunday after firing a gun inside a pizza restaurant in Washington as he investigated false claims in online articles that the pizzeria was at the center of a child sex slave ring, the police said.

Federal judge kills recount effort in Michigan  —  A federal judge has stopped the hand recount of nearly 5 million ballots in Michigan, a decision that seems to secure Donald Trump  —  's narrow victory in the traditionally blue state.  —  U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith …

John Kelly, Retired Marine General, Is Trump's Choice to Lead Homeland Security  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has settled on Gen. John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general whose son was killed in combat in Afghanistan, as his choice for secretary of homeland security …

The Last, Greatest Deal  —  For nearly 17 months on the campaign trail, Trump did what no American politician had attempted in a generation, with defiant flair.  Instead of painting a bright vision for a unified future, he magnified the divisions of the present, inspiring new levels of anger and fear within his country.

Jarrett: Trump's victory felt like ‘a punch to the stomach’  —  Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump's surprise victory on Election Day was “like a punch to the stomach” and “soul-crushing,” but that the mood inside the White House has improved since then.

Trump picks wrestling magnate Linda McMahon to lead Small Business Administration  —  Donald Trump has picked Linda McMahon, co-founder of pro wrestling company WWE, to lead his Small Business Administration, his transition team said Wednesday.  —  The 68-year-old McMahon was a major Trump backer during his campaign.

The Supreme Court oral argument that cost Democrats the presidency  —  The presidential election was so close that many factors were “but-for” causes of Donald Trump's victory.  One that's been mostly overlooked is Trump's surprising success with religious voters.

Study: Clinton-Trump coverage was a feast of false equivalency  —  U.S. media organizations are locked into such a negative mind-set that they portrayed Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as equally pernicious and scurrilous pretenders to the presidency.  That, at least, is the conclusion …

Black employees file class-action lawsuit against CNN, Turner  —  This was posted on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog  —  Former and current black employees on Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit against Atlanta-based CNN, Turner Broadcasting …

Stop Calling Everything “Fake News”  —  Journalists are blurring several problems into one—and making it impossible to solve.  —  Two months ago, almost no one was talking about fake news.  A Google Trends search for the term shows that it barely registered before October.

Donald Trump Is Said to Intend to Keep a Stake in His Business  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump is considering formally turning over the operational responsibility for his real estate company to his two adult sons, but he intends to keep a stake in the business and resist calls to divest …

Sandy Hook denier arrested after death threats made to parent of victim … A Florida woman who believes the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting was a hoax was arrested Monday on charges she threatened the parent of a child killed in the 2012 school shooting.

Denzel Washington blasts media for selling ‘BS’  —  He was at the center of a fake news story, but Denzel Washington says it's the mainstream media that's selling “BS.”  —  “If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed.  If you do read it, you're misinformed,” Washington …

At A&M, protests, big crowds and tension over white nationalist's speech  —  Richard Spencer's speech at Texas A&M drew more than a thousand protesters.  As he preached white nationalism, tension was high and police in riot gear tried to maintain calm.  —  COLLEGE STATION …

Schumer: If Republicans destroy our health system, we won't throw them a lifeline  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  The emerging GOP plan to repeal Obamacare on a delayed schedule — and then maybe kinda sorta replace it later — has raised a big question: Will Democrats help Republicans pass …

Sofía Vergara sued by her own embryos  —  MORE FROM:  —  The battle over Sofia Vergara's embryos took an extraordinary turn Tuesday — when a right-to-live lawsuit was filed on behalf of the fertilized eggs against their mom.  —  The female embryos are listed as plaintiffs “Emma” …

US Steel wants to accelerate investments, bring back jobs, CEO says  —  US Steel CEO: All we've been looking for is fairness  —  United States Steel would like to accelerate its investments and hire back laid-off employees now that Donald Trump will be occupying the Oval Office, CEO Mario Longhi told CNBC on Wednesday.

Bad Santa?  Boy claims he was body shamed by St. Nick  —  FOREST CITY, N.C. (WLOS) - It's practically straight out of a “Bad Santa” movie.  —  A North Carolina mother wants the local Santa Claus fired after saying things that put her 9-year-old son in tears.

Megyn Kelly On Trump And The Media: 'We're In A Dangerous Phase Right Now'  —  As Donald Trump continues to court controversy via Twitter, Fox News host Megyn Kelly tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that the president-elect “really does need to be aware of the power that he has when he releases these tweets.”

No, Senate Democrats Can't Use The ‘Nuclear Option’ To Confirm Merrick Garland  —  Having watched continued control of the White House slip away, progressive activists are now furiously searching for ways to rescue Merrick Garland's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.