The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Democratic National Committee in September 2015 to pass along some troubling news about its computer network, he was transferred, naturally, to the help desk.

The Humbling Of Mitt Romney, By Donald J. Trump  —  “Mitt Romney is somebody I had respect for,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says.  “I have none anymore.”  —  Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post  —  When Barack Obama first decided that Hillary Clinton would make an able secretary …

Alan Thicke — Dead at 69  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  TV icon Alan Thicke has died ... TMZ has learned.  —  We're told Alan had a heart attack while he was playing hockey with his 19-year-old son, Carter.  He was transported to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center around noon today, and pronounced dead there.

IBM unveils plan to hire 25,000 in US on eve of Trump meeting  —  12k  —  US technology giant IBM said Tuesday it would hire 25,000 people in the country over the next four years, a day before President-elect Donald Trump meets with tech industry leaders.  —  About 6,000 of those hirings …

Records: Too many votes in 37% of Detroit's precincts  —  Voting machines in more than one-third of all Detroit precincts registered more votes than they should have during last month's presidential election, according to Wayne County records prepared at the request of The Detroit News.

Evacuations Set to Begin as Assad Reclaims Aleppo  —  Deal brokered by Russia and Turkey calls for civilians to leave last opposition-held areas; residents report atrocities by regime's forces  —  Tens of thousands of civilians and the remaining rebels are preparing to evacuate the decimated city of Aleppo …

Senate already bickering over Sessions  —  Jeff Sessions is still weeks away from his confirmation hearings to become Donald Trump's attorney general.  But top senators are already flinging accusations at each other, with Democrats demanding more time to review Sessions' record …

Scientists are frantically copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump  —  Alarmed that decades of crucial climate measurements could vanish under a hostile Trump administration, scientists have begun a feverish attempt to copy reams of government data onto independent servers …

Trump selects Zinke as interior secretary  —  President-elect Donald Trump has offered the interior secretary position to Montana's freshman Rep. Ryan Zinke, an ex-Navy Seal commander, according to two transition officials and someone familiar with the offer.

Why Kanye West and President-Elect Donald Trump Met  —  Kanye West and President-elect Donald Trump met at Trump Tower Tuesday morning to discuss a potential role for the rapper, E! News has learned exclusively.  —  The “Jesus Walks” rapper met with Trump to discuss becoming an …

Why do California's whites vote so differently than whites elsewhere?  —  My tribe, Caucasoid Californicus, is dwindling.  Over the last quarter century, California's non-Latino white population has plunged by 2 million as Latinos and Asians burgeoned.  In 1990, nearly six in 10 Californians were white …

Alex Jones Scrubs Pizzagate Content; Complaint Reveals New Tie Connecting Shooter To Jones  —  Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is scrubbing online content pushing the false and dangerous conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton's campaign trafficked children through a D.C. pizzeria.

Gates, Rice, Baker pushed Tillerson nomination despite ties to ExxonMobil  —  Washington (CNN)Condoleezza Rice, James Baker and Robert Gates all played a crucial role in convincing President-elect Donald Trump to pick ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state …

Labor Secretary Tom Perez will join race to run DNC  —  Labor Secretary Tom Perez will launch a campaign to be Democratic National Committee chairman this week, becoming the first serious challenger to Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) for a lead role in rebuilding a shellshocked party.

The Latest: Judge Says Colorado Electors Can't Switch Votes  —  The Latest on Colorado electors trying to stop a Trump presidency (all times local):  —  A Colorado judge is ordering the state's nine electors to vote for Hillary Clinton.  —  Two electors had sued in hopes of being freed …

Gov. John Kasich vetoes Heartbeat Bill, signs 20-week abortion ban  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich today vetoed the Heartbeat Bill forbidding abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected while signing into law a second bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Trump victory rally is a warning for Ryan  —  Donald Trump warned Paul Ryan on Tuesday night that if the speaker “ever goes against me,” the president-elect will stop defending him — although he seemed to use a lighthearted tone when he said it.  —  During a “thank you” rally in West Allis …

Al Franken Faces Donald Trump and the Next Four Years  —  The two-term Democratic senator, who once made a living satirizing politicians, envisions an unfunny future.  —  'D  —  onald Trump never laughs," Al Franken said.  —  This was the senator's first observation to me on a recent afternoon.