It was an honor to have been considered for Secretary of State of our great country.  My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening.  I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace.

Major Garrett: Donald Trump chooses Rick Perry to be energy secretary  —  Donald Trump has selected Rick Perry to be energy secretary, according to two sources directly involved in the transition and selection process.  —  He had been summoned to Trump Tower for a meeting Monday to discuss …

Exclusive: Top U.S. spy agency has not embraced CIA assessment on Russia hacking - sources  —  The overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks were aimed at helping Republican President-elect Donald Trump win the 2016 election, three American officials said on Monday.

Why Obamacare enrollees voted for Trump  —  In Whitley County, Kentucky, the uninsured rate declined 60 percent under Obamacare.  So why did 82 percent of voters there support Donald Trump?  —  CORBIN, Ky. — Kathy Oller is so committed to her job signing up fellow Kentuckians for Obamacare …

America is held hostage by flyover states  —  The predominant narrative coming out of the 2016 Presidential post-election analysis is: The flyover states have spoken.  —  A flyover state is the huge region between the coasts.  As opposed to the eastern seaboard, northern post-industrial states and Pacific Ocean states.

My President Was Black  —  “They're a rotten crowd,” I shouted across the lawn.  “You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.”  — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby  —  I.  —  “Love Will Make You Do Wrong”  —  In the waning days of President Barack Obama's administration …

RNC keeps close tabs on Electoral College vote  —  The Republican National Committee is overseeing an expansive whip operation designed to lock down Donald Trump's Electoral College majority and ensure that the 306 Republican electors cast their votes for the president-elect.

New York should seize Trump Tower  —  Froufrou Fifth Avenue resembles a police state.  —  Officers wielding gigantic guns guard Trump Tower, where President-elect Donald Trump conducts all transition business, and soon lots of presidential business, too.  Shoppers patronizing the stores …

Aleppo battle: UN says 82 civilians shot on the spot  —  Syrian pro-government forces have been entering homes in eastern Aleppo and killing those inside, including women and children, the UN says.  —  The UN's human rights office said it had reliable evidence that in four areas 82 civilians were shot on sight.

3 election stats liberals love that don't mean as much as they seem  —  It's been more than a month since the 2016 election.  We're nearly as close to Donald Trump's inauguration as we are to Election Day, in fact.  Yet some still can't let it go.  —  And it's not just Russia's apparent meddling …

Elizabeth Warren Condemns the Wrong Man  —  Senator Elizabeth Warren, furious about President-elect Donald J. Trump's appointments of finance industry insiders, took to Facebook a little over a week ago to fire off a message to her nearly 2.5 million followers.

73-year-old man with dementia fatally shot by Bakersfield police  —  Francisco Serna, 73, died Monday in Bakersfield.  (Courtesy of Rogelio Serna)  —  An unarmed 73-year-old man whose family said was in the initial stages of dementia was shot and killed early Monday by a Bakersfield police officer, authorities said.

Energy Dept. rejects Trump's request to name climate change workers, who remain worried  —  Global warming — “it's a hoax.”  —  Donald Trump has said that more than once.  —  So it's understandable that the request by the president-elect's transition team for the names …

Voters doubt Trump will keep business interests separate  —  President-elect Donald Trump isn't ready to disclose how he plans to unwind his intricate web of potential financial conflicts, but voters are already skeptical Trump will keep his business interests separate from his duties …

Crosses go up in Knightstown after Christmas display lawsuit … KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. - Crosses are going up all over Knightstown.  —  A group of residents in the town of 2,100 people are standing up for the town's Christmas display, despite a recent lawsuit.

Roger Stone: Trump interviewed Romney to ‘torture’ him  —  Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Donald Trump  —  , says the president-elect interviewed Mitt Romney for the secretary of State position just to “torture him” for his former criticism.  —  In an appearance on InfoWars Sunday, Stone said Trump had been toying with Romney.

Garrison Keillor says Keith Ellison, ‘lackluster black Muslim,’ is wrong for DNC chair … Garrison Keillor, the beloved “Prairie Home Companion” creator as homespun as hot dish and Christmas sweaters, has a mighty case of post-election nihilism.  —  In a recent editorial for the Washington Post …