Lessig: 20 Trump electors could flip  —  Larry Lessig, a Harvard University constitutional law professor who made a brief run for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, claimed Tuesday that 20 Republican members of the Electoral College are considering voting against Donald Trump …

Did Donald Trump need an apology from Mitt Romney?  —  Source: Trump told Romney he won't be nominee  —  (CNN)As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.  —  Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him.

How Clinton lost Michigan — and blew the election  —  Everybody could see Hillary Clinton was cooked in Iowa.  So when, a week-and-a-half out, the Service Employees International Union started hearing anxiety out of Michigan, union officials decided to reroute their volunteers …

Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show  —  A secret U.S. military investigation in 2010 determined that Michael T. Flynn, the retired Army general tapped to serve as national security adviser in the Trump White House, “inappropriately shared” …

Trump Must Give Up Hotel Before Inauguration, Agency Tells Lawmakers  —  Major development in dispute over Donald Trump's conflicts of interest: The government agency that leases a taxpayer-owned landmark for Trump's Washington hotel has told lawmakers that the president-elect will be in breach …

Huma vs. the “Night Stalkers”  —  After a stunning election loss, the knives appear to be out in Clintonworld.  —  “Maybe I'm just pissed off, but I really don't give a s**t about what happens to Huma to be honest with you,” one close adviser to Hillary Clinton told me recently.

Don Trump Jr. involved in INTERIOR search — WAYNE BERMAN up for TRADE REP — TRUMP'S TECH SUMMIT — SPOTTED AT DAVID RUBENSTEIN'S PARTY — B'DAY: Kirsten Powers  —  By JAKE SHERMAN (sherman@politico.com; @JakeSherman) and ANNA PALMER (anna@politico.com; @apalmerdc) with DANIEL LIPPMAN …

Flynn deletes fake news tweet about Clinton's involvement in sex crimes  —  Incoming White House national security adviser Michael Flynn quietly deleted a tweet in which he shared a fake news story linking Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton  —  to sex crimes with minors, CNN reported.

N.J. trooper pulled over women to ask them out, covered it up, state says  —  TRENTON — A New Jersey state trooper has been suspended without pay after an internal investigation found he was pulling over women to ask them out on dates and falsifying police records to cover it up, authorities said.

Obama Administration Bars States From Withholding Federal Money From Planned Parenthood  —  WASHINGTON — Mindful of the clock ticking down to a Trump presidency, the Obama administration on Wednesday issued a final rule to bar states from withholding federal family-planning funds …

Donald Trump's Nominees Are In for a Rough Ride  —  Worried about the corporate gazillionaires whom Donald Trump is naming to his cabinet?  Don't fret — it could be months, if ever, before these people set foot inside the federal government.  Mr. Trump's transition team is seriously behind …

Trump says the press mangles his “beautiful flowing sentences.”  We asked linguists to weigh in.  —  This week, President-Elect Donald Trump canceled a much-anticipated press conference on his private business dealings, saying he was too busy nominating Cabinet members.

Fed Raises Rates for First Time in 2016, Anticipates 3 Increases in 2017  —  Central bank will nudge up the federal-funds rate by a quarter percentage point to between 0.50% and 0.75%  —  WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it would raise its benchmark short-term interest rate …

NFL great Brown on meeting Trump: ‘I fell in love with him’  —  Jim Brown on Trump: He has “my admiration”  —  (CNN)NFL legend Jim Brown stopped by Trump Tower Tuesday for a meeting pegged as a discussion about issues facing the African-American community, saying he “fell in love” with President-elect Donald Trump.

Philippines President Duterte admits killing suspects  —  (CNN)Controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted killing suspected criminals during his time as mayor of Davao City.  —  “In Davao, I used to do it personally.  Just to show the guys that, if I can do it, why can't you?”

Facebook says it's in talks to buy its own video shows  —  The company says it wants to “kickstart” its video efforts.  —  Facebook, which has long relied on other people to provide it with content, is going to start paying for its own stuff, too.  —  Facebook is starting to talk to TV studios …

Katrina Pierson seeking role in Trump administration  —  Katrina Pierson, a spokesperson for Donald Trump and fixture on cable news, is seeking a role in his administration, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.  —  Pierson visited Trump Tower on Tuesday for meetings with members of Trump's transition team.

Divisions deepen inside Trump Tower  —  Donald Trump's White House-in-waiting is already being roiled by divisions, with the conservative outsiders who helped power his historic victory colliding with a Republican Party establishment muscling its way in.  —  Insiders paint a picture …

Algorithms are making us small-minded  —  Your life is mapped out for you but, not in the way that you think.  How predictive algorithms narrow your perspective - and ultimately your choices.  —  We live in a world of curation.  The internet — aided by algorithms that predict what we search …