Russian Ambassador to Turkey Is Assassinated in Ankara  —  ISTANBUL — Russia's ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit on Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting “God is great!” and “don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!” in what Russia called a terrorist attack.

Love it or hate it, here's the statement I'll issue after the Electoral college vote today.  —  Statement by Democratic Elector David Bright  —  Dec. 19, 2016  —  If my vote today could have helped Secretary Clinton win the presidency, I would have voted for her.

Trump private security force ‘playing with fire’  —  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — President-elect Donald Trump has continued employing a private security and intelligence team at his victory rallies, and he is expected to keep at least some members of the team after he becomes president, according to people familiar with the plans.

Transcript And Video: NPR's Exit Interview With President Obama  —  In a wide-ranging exit interview, NPR's Steve Inskeep asks President Obama about Russian interference in the U.S. election, executive power, the future of the Democratic party and his future role.

Bill Clinton: Trump knows how to get ‘angry, white men to vote for him’  —  President-elect Donald Trump “doesn't know much,” former President Bill Clinton told a local newspaper earlier this month, but “one thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him.”

Gov. Pat McCrory calls for special legislative session to repeal HB2  —  Following a surprise move by the Charlotte City Council, Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday he would call a special session to consider repeal of House Bill 2.  —  The governor's statement came in a rapidly unfolding series …

UK prof: Singing a Beach Boys' tune got me punished for ‘sexual misconduct’  —  The University of Kentucky has punished me in a “sexual misconduct” case, in part, for singing a Beach Boys tune covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks.  —  Under Administrative Regulation 6:1, Discrimination and Harassment …

Chief Justice John Roberts Denies Plea To Force Senate Action On Merrick Garland  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts has denied a lawyer's bid to get the Supreme Court to force the Senate to consider the high court nomination of Judge Merrick Garland.

How Republics End  —  Many people are reacting to the rise of Trumpism and nativist movements in Europe by reading history — specifically, the history of the 1930s.  And they are right to do so.  It takes willful blindness not to see the parallels between the rise of fascism and our current political nightmare.

Lorry ploughs into German market, killing one person  —  One person has died and several have been injured as a lorry ploughed into a Christmas market in central Berlin, police say.  —  Police now say they suspect it was a deliberate attack.  Video footage from the scene shows stalls knocked …

Trump's Budget Director Pick Spoke at a John Birch Society Event  —  Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), the ultra-conservative congressman tapped by Donald Trump to run the Office of Management and Budget, recently accepted a speaking invitation from the notorious John Birch Society …

In Poland, a window on what happens when populists come to power  —  WARSAW — The Law and Justice Party rode to power on a pledge to drain the swamp of Polish politics and roll back the legacy of the previous administration.  One year later, its patriotic revolution, the party proclaims …

“Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays”: Republicans and Democrats are Polar Opposites  —  “MERRY CHRISTMAS” VS. “HAPPY HOLIDAYS”  —  As the country becomes more diverse and less religiously affiliated, Americans are divided over whether it is more appropriate for stores and businesses …

A dad was awakened by his toddler's crying.  He found a stranger holding her in the living room.  —  Around 2:30 a.m. last Thursday, a father in Tempe, Ariz., awoke to the sounds of his 2-year-old daughter crying, so he left his bedroom to check on her.  —  In his living room …