Defying U.N., Israel Prepares to Build More Settlements  —  JERUSALEM — Undeterred by a resounding defeat at the United Nations, Israel's government said Monday that it would move ahead with thousands of new homes in disputed areas and warned nations against further action, declaring that Israel does not “turn the other cheek.”

Who Will Do What Harry Reid Did Now That Harry Reid Is Gone?  —  Nevada's departing senator would have fought Trump with a ruthlessness perhaps no other Democratic leader has.  —  Harry Reid was searching for someone to take a stand.  It was a Tuesday morning in early December …

Trump picks Tom Bossert as homeland security adviser  —  President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Tom Bossert, a former national security aide to President George W. Bush, will serve as his homeland security adviser in the White House.  —  Bossert, currently a fellow …

Sorry, Liberals.  Bigotry Didn't Elect Donald Trump.  —  Donald J. Trump won the white working-class vote over Hillary Clinton by a larger margin than any major-party nominee since World War II.  Instead of this considerable achievement inspiring introspection, figures from the heights of journalism …

Trump adviser on lack of star power at inauguration: ‘This is not Woodstock’  —  Donald Trump's inaugural committee is having no problems finding celebrities to attend his inauguration because that's not who the committee is looking for, Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn said Tuesday.

Thanks to no-drama Obama, American leadership is gone  —  If Dec. 7, 1941, is the day that Franklin D. Roosevelt said “will live in infamy,” then Dec. 20, 2016, has got to be a close second.  No Americans died that day as they did at Pearl Harbor, but the American Century …

Trump rewards big donors with jobs and access  —  More than a third of the almost 200 people who have met with President-elect Donald Trump since his election last month, including those interviewing for administration jobs, gave large amounts of money to support his campaign and other Republicans this election cycle.

Comedian Ricky Harris, known for roles in ‘Dope’ and ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ dies at 54  —  Ricky Harris at the BET Comedy Icon Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in 2005.  (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)  —  Ricky Harris, a comedian known for both his racy stand-up act …

My farewell column  —  Thomas Sowell looks back at quarter century of writing syndicated commentary  —  Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, Calif. He is the author of 28 books, including “Dismantling America” and “Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy.”

In North Carolina, Some Democrats See Their Grim Future  —  In the end, even Phil Berger, the powerful Republican leader of North Carolina's Senate, couldn't stop the debacle.  A state law that effectively banned legal protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people …

These coal country voters backed Trump.  Now they're worried about losing Obamacare.  —  Last night, CNN aired a terrific segment on people from coal country who voted for Donald Trump — but are now worried that his vow to repeal Obamacare will deprive them of crucial protections that enable them to stay afloat financially.

US Government Can Legally Access Your Facebook Data (And Now We Know How)  —  The end of the year is approaching, and data concerning government abuses of power has begun pouring in.  —  According to Facebook's Global Government Requests Report, government's requests for Facebook account data rose 27 percent in the first half of 2016.

Full interview: Incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Last week it was announced that Barrington native Sean Spicer was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be the new White House press secretary and communications director.

Progressives Have Let Inner Cities Fail for Decades.  President Trump Could Change That.  —  When Donald Trump described the “devastating” conditions in America's inner cities, emphasizing poor schools and lack of jobs, he was widely denounced for portraying our urban centers in a demeaning …

Seven migrants arrested after a sleeping homeless man was set on fire on Christmas Eve at a Berlin subway station  —  Seven migrants have been arrested after a homeless man was set on fire on Christmas Eve at a Berlin subway station.  —  The men, aged 15 to 21, are suspected of torching …

Fight at Beachwood Place mall ends with officers using pepper spray to disperse crowd  —  Shoppers stand outside the Beachwood Place mall on Monday evening after officers were called to the scene for a disturbance.  (Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)  —  BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Officers used pepper spray …

Senior Facebook Employee Arrested For Allegedly Soliciting Unprotected Sex From Underage Girl  —  Dov Katz, the head of computer vision at Oculus VR, was arrested near Seattle on December 21 for allegedly soliciting sex from an underage girl.  According to charging records …