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 …

Transcript claims to show US worked with Palestinians on UN resolution  —  Report published in Egypt has Kerry and Rice advising senior Palestinians on strategy at UN and after Trump takes power  —  An Egyptian paper has published what it claims are the transcripts of meetings between top US …

Belief in conspiracies largely depends on political identity  —  Belief in conspiracy theories depends largely on which side of the spectrum you fall on … Sometimes it seems that Americans will believe anything.  And what we know as true or not true these days can depend on our political point of view.

A Rockette Speaks Out  —  Amidst the media storm about the pressure to perform at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, one dancer breaks rank for an exclusive MarieClaire.com interview about the turmoil behind the scenes.  —  The dancer next to Mary was crying.

‘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 …

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 …

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.”

Obama's other DNC moment: His credit card got declined  — President Barack Obama lost the Democratic primary for Illinois' 1st congressional district in 2000  —  The Axe Files, featuring David Axelrod, is a podcast distributed by CNN and produced at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

Obama administration is close to announcing measures to punish Russia for election interference  —  The Obama administration is close to announcing a series of measures to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 presidential election, including economic sanctions and diplomatic censure, according to U.S. officials.

Alt-Right in Civil War After Prominent Leader Disinvited From Pro-Trump ‘DeploraBall’  —  The “alt-right” erupted in a civil war Monday after one of the movement's leaders banned another from appearing at the pro-Donald Trump “DepolaBall” for his history of flirting with Nazism.

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 …

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 …

Fraser sinkhole forces shutdown of 15 Mile for ‘several months’  —  Residents of Fraser and elsewhere in Macomb County heard updates about the sinkhole at 15 Mile Road on Monday  —  The massive sinkhole threatening a Fraser neighborhood will force the shutdown of 15 Mile Road for months …

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 …

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.

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.

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.