Changes Coming to White House Press Room: Who, Where, When and How  —  With the naming of Sean Spicer as White House press secretary, Donald J. Trump has selected a Republican Party insider and communications veteran.  —  But that doesn't mean it will be business as usual for the press corps that covers the next administration.

Internet ridicules Trump's narcissistic Christmas tweet: ‘No family, no warmth, just a tiny fist and a tree’  —  President-elect Donald Trump extended Merry Christmas wishes to his Twitter followers on Sunday morning — with a proper Christmas tree emoji — only to have detractors notice it wasn't the warmest of greetings.

Ex-Wham singer George Michael dies  —  The star, who launched his career with Wham in the 1980s and later continued his success as a solo performer, is said to have “passed away peacefully at home”.  —  Thames Valley Police said South Central Ambulance Service attended a property in Goring in Oxfordshire at 13:42 GMT.

Obama pulls a bait-and-switch on anti-Israel Security Council vote  —  The Obama administration pulled a bait and switch in refusing to veto the recent Security Council resolution against Israel.  In attempting to justify its abstention - which under Security Council rules has the same effect …

Trump to inherit more than 100 court vacancies, plans to reshape judiciary  —  Donald Trump is set to inherit an uncommon number of vacancies in the federal courts in addition to the open Supreme Court seat, giving the president-elect a monumental opportunity to reshape the judiciary after taking office.

Sorry, But Our Fight Against Liberal Fascism Has Only Just Begun  —  I wish I could tell you that, having dodged the naggy bullet that was Felonia Milhous von Pantsuit, we can now spend the next four years being left alone.  But that's not in the cards.  Liberals won't - because they can't …

Five races to watch in 2017  —  After 2016's bruising election cycle, 2017 might seem like a break for Republicans and Democrats to gear up for 2018's midterms.  —  But a handful of 2017 contests could serve as an indicator of the mood of the electorate in the early months of Donald Trump

At Least 27 Shot, 7 Fatally, in Chicago Over Christmas Weekend  —  At least 27 people were shot, seven fatally, in a 48-hour period in Chicago over Christmas weekend, according to the Chicago Police Department.  It was the latest bloody chapter in a city besieged by gun violence.

Suddenly hot smart home devices are ripe for hacking, experts warn  —  Will 2017 be the year your home becomes under attack from cyber criminals?  —  Experts expect the number of attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) will likely increase in 2017.  IoT includes devices like webcams …

Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea, killing 92  —  A Russian military plane with 92 people on board has crashed into the Black Sea, Russia's defence ministry says.  —  The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Sochi at 05:25 (02:25 GMT), heading for Latakia in Syria.