Iconic Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Dies at 60: ‘She Was Loved by the World and She Will Be Missed Profoundly’  —  Carrie Fisher, the actress best known as Star Wars' Princess Leia Organa, has died after suffering a heart attack.  She was 60.  —  Family spokesman Simon Halls released …

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 …

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.”

SC GOP lawmaker pulls gun and punches woman in head because she caught him cheating: police  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  South Carolina Republican state Rep. Chris Corley was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly beating a woman who reportedly caught him “cheating.”

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.

Farewell for 12/27/2016  —  Even the best things come to an end.  After enjoying a quarter of a century of writing this column for Creators Syndicate, I have decided to stop.  Age 86 is well past the usual retirement age, so the question is not why I am quitting, but why I kept at it so long.

‘Abandoned’ in New Jersey, Chris Christie Returns to a Changed Landscape  —  Chris Christie's job approval is at a career low.  —  Nearly three-quarters of New Jersey voters, and half his fellow Republicans, said in a recent poll that he should have been a defendant in the trial …

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.

Obama labor chief: Trump team's agency inquiries ‘illegal’  —  Labor Secretary Tom Perez says President-elect Donald Trump  —  's transition team's inquiries into government agencies are against the law.  —  “Those questions have no place in a transition.

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.

How Analytical Models Failed Clinton  —  Her campaign was so confident in its data that it opted not to do tracking polls in states that decided the election.  —  The Novem­ber elec­tions pit­ted Demo­crats against Re­pub­lic­ans, con­ser­vat­ives …

Police seek Amazon Echo data in murder case (updated)  —  Amazon's Echo devices and its virtual assistant are meant to help find answers by listening for your voice commands.  However, police in Arkansas want to know if one of the gadgets overheard something that can help with a murder case.

SWAT teams dispatched, families flee from ‘gunfire’ and dozens are arrested... all for the sake of a few holiday bargains: Massive brawls break out as shoppers descend on malls across the country  — Incidents all occurred later afternoon and evening Monday in at least a dozen malls, with police called in

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 …

It's Not About the Economy  —  ELKHART, Ind.—This city once had the highest unemployment rate in the nation.  Now, though, it's booming.  The once-shuttered factories of the recreational vehicle industry, which is concentrated here, are full of workers, their parking lots packed …

Lin-Manuel Miranda on President Trump: 'I Know What I'm Going to Fight for in the Years to Come'  —  Should Lin-Manuel Miranda take home an Oscar this year for one of his eligible songs from the Disney animated film Moana, “How Far I'll Go” and “We Know the Way,” he'll achieve what only 12 …

Lindsey Graham: Donald Trump disagrees with the entire US Senate on Russia  —  Graham: Trump disagrees with US Senate on Russia  —  Watch Jim Sciutto's full interview with Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain on CNN's “The Situation Room” at 5 p.m. ET.  —  (CNN)Two of the Senate's …

GOP eyes 2018 Senate race against Tammy Baldwin  —  Emboldened by last month's triumphs in Wisconsin, Republicans are already sizing up their next big target, taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2018.  —  The race against Baldwin is expected to be among the fiercest in the next election cycle.