Putin says he won't deport U.S. diplomats as he looks to cultivate relations with Trump  —  MOSCOW — In a rare break from the diplomatic tradition of reciprocal punishment, Russian President Vladi­mir Putin said Friday he would not deport U.S. diplomats in a tit-for-tat response …

Dear Family and Friends,  —  This is the message I have sent to Choir:  —  Dear President Jarrett and Choir,  —  Today is my birthday.  (Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...........)  —  It is with a sad and heavy heart that I submit my resignation to you and to Choir.

Judge halts North Carolina law stripping incoming Dem governor's power  —  A North Carolina judge has temporarily blocked a law passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature that limits the incoming governor's powers over election boards.  —  A superior court judge ruled Friday …

DC restaurants to donate part of Trump inauguration profits: report  —  A coalition of Washington, D.C., restaurants is promising to donate part of its inauguration weekend profits to charity, according to a new report.  —  A group of 14 restaurants is planning to make donations to various groups after Donald Trump

What Chuck Todd gets about Trump  —  Chuck Todd has interviewed Donald Trump many times, and he's noticed something somewhat disquieting about the unquiet president-elect.  —  The man doesn't laugh — not in a normal, spontaneous, regular-human kind of way.  —  “[It] drives me crazy.  Do you know what?

Something About This Russia Story Stinks  —  Nearly a decade and a half after the Iraq-WMD faceplant, the American press is again asked to co-sign a dubious intelligence assessment  —  In an extraordinary development Thursday, the Obama administration announced a series of sanctions against Russia.

Obama to huddle with Hill Democrats on saving Obamacare  —  President Barack Obama will head to Capitol Hill Wednesday to meet with congressional Democrats about how to shield Obamacare from Republican efforts to dismantle it, a Capitol Hill source told POLITICO.

Fired Miami cops joked about using black neighborhoods for target practice  —  Three rookie Miami police officers fired two days before Christmas joked in a group chat with other cops about using predominately black neighborhoods for target practice, an internal affairs investigation found this month.

Self-Driving Cars Will Make Organ Shortages Even Worse  —  We need to prepare for that now.  —  Much has been said about the ways we expect our oncoming fleet of driverless cars to change the way we live—remaking us all into passengers, rewiring our economy, retooling our views of ownership, and reshaping our cities and roads.

Trump's Border Wall, Deportation Plans Face Pushback From GOP  —  Republican critics in Congress chafe at his deportation calls  —  GOP leaders in House, Senate want fencing, not a ‘wall’  —  Donald Trump's pledges to deport undocumented immigrants and build a U.S.-Mexico border wall …

Mar-a-Lago sold tickets to New Year's Eve party with Trump  —  Mar-a-Lago, the pricey private resort in Palm Beach, Florida, sold hundreds of tickets to an annual New Year's Eve extravaganza planned for Saturday night that will feature a very special guest: the president-elect of the United States of America and his family.

Rep. Meadows targets campus rape rule as unfair to ‘often-innocent accused’  —  Incoming Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows recommended that the Trump administration roll back 2011 campus sexual assault guidelines that “deny the often-innocent accused basic due process rights.”

Skeptical Climate Scientists Coming In From the Cold  —  In the world of climate science, the skeptics are coming in from the cold.  —  Researchers who see global warming as something less than a planet-ending calamity believe the incoming Trump administration may allow their views to be developed and heard.

Apple to slice iPhone production 10%  —  Sluggish sales spur January-March cuts for second year  —  TOKYO — Apple will trim production of its iPhone family around 10% on the year in the first quarter of 2017, according to calculations by The Nikkei based on data from suppliers.

Senate moves to condemn U.N. over Israel  —  Congressional Republicans are moving swiftly to denounce the United Nations' recent action toward Israel, with GOP lawmakers in both chambers preparing to introduce disapproval resolutions aimed at the United Nations as soon as the new Congress convenes.