N.J. aunt of Ft. Lauderdale airport shooting suspect: ‘He lost his mind’ in Iraq  —  Esteban Santiago with his newborn son.  (Family photo)  —  UNION CITY — The suspect in the Fort Lauderdale shooting was a U.S. military veteran who “lost his mind” after a tour of duty in Iraq, his aunt said Friday.

Trump, Putin, and the Big Hack  —  Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's foreign minister, once remarked while on a trip to Berlin in the early days of the Cold War, “The trouble with free elections is that you never know how they will turn out.”  —  On the morning of November 9th, Molotov's grandson …

New York City needs Hillary Clinton to run for mayor  —  It seems unlikely — but the idea's been floating around for several days now, and so far she's not rejecting it.  For what it's worth, Secretary Clinton, we'd love to see you run for mayor.  New York City needs you.

U.S. Ethics Office Struggled to Gain Access to Trump Team, Emails Show  —  The office tasked with overseeing ethics and conflicts in the federal government struggled to gain access to leaders of the Trump transition team, and warned Trump aides about making decisions on nominees …

Jared Kushner, a Trump In-Law and Adviser, Chases a Chinese Deal  —  On the night of Nov. 16, a group of executives gathered in a private dining room of the restaurant La Chine at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown Manhattan.  The table was laden with Chinese delicacies and $2,100 bottles of Château Lafite Rothschild.

Paul Ryan Busts Out Laughing As Democrats Protest Trump's Election Certification [VIDEO]  —  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan couldn't hide his smile when Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly told protesting Democrats to sit down and shut up.  —  A joint session of Congress met Friday to certify …

Freddie Gray case: Judge allows malicious prosecution lawsuit against Mosby to proceed  —  (Baltimore Sun video) … A federal judge is allowing key parts of a lawsuit against Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, brought by five of the six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, to move forward.

Obamas host final star-studded White House bash  —  The Obamas are going out in style.  —  President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama  —  , just two weeks before turning over the White House to President-elect Donald Trump  —  , held a star-studded party on Friday night …

EPA: 540 Tons of Metals Entered River in Colo. Mine Spill  —  Nearly 540 tons of metals — mostly iron and aluminum — contaminated the Animas River over nine hours during a massive wastewater spill from an abandoned Colorado gold mine, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday …

US DESIGNATES ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE AS ‘CRITICAL’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing increasingly sophisticated cyber bad actors and an election infrastructure that's “vital to our national interests,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced Friday that he's designating U.S. election …

German police quash Breitbart story of mob setting fire to Dortmund church  —  Country's politicians warn against fake news after Breitbart website said group chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ vandalised church on New Year's Eve  —  German media and politicians have warned against an election-year spike …

Opinion: The rest of the story: What Obama won't tell you about his legacy  —  From the economy to race relations, the president failed to deliver on his promise of hope and change  —  Donald Trump didn't wait until Inauguration Day to insert himself into U.S. foreign policy.

Today's Intelligence Report Proves Nothing [Updated]  —  Today the U.S. intelligence community-i.e., the CIA, the FBI and the NSA-released a report titled “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.”  This is the declassified version of a longer report that was delivered …