Obama Watchdog in Congress Has New Target in Trump Era: Postal Reform  —  An Obama watchdog has changed his tune now that a Republican will be in the White House.  —  President-elect Donald J. Trump, after an intelligence report concluded that Russia tried to help him get elected, is going after ... Meryl Streep.

Trump Just Dismissed the People in Charge of Maintaining Our Nuclear Arsenal  —  Between the Trump transition team's infighting, incompetence, and high-profile resignations, any decisions that signaled even a modicum of stability for the country would come as a relief at this point.

A Troll Outside Trump Tower Is Helping To Pick Your Next Government  —  An internet troll, who was once called “the most hated man on the internet” and is banned from Twitter, is recommending candidates to serve in the Trump administration.  —  Charles “Chuck” Johnson …

Shocked waitress is left a racist note by white couple who 'don't tip black people' even after they admitted she gave them ‘great service’  —  A waitress who served a white couple at a Virginia restaurant was left a racist message instead of a tip.  —  The waitress, Kelly Carter …

Women's March on Washington Opens Contentious Dialogues About Race  —  Many thousands of women are expected to converge on the nation's capital for the Women's March on Washington the day after Donald J. Trump's inauguration.  Jennifer Willis no longer plans to be one of them.

We were ethics lawyers for Bush and Obama.  Trump's cabinet hearings must be delayed  —  The Senate plans to hold confirmation hearings before all nominees' financial disclosure reports and ethics agreements are finalized.  That's a dangerous move  —  s the former White House ethics counsels …

Trump advisers to begin tax talks with Speaker Ryan  —  One of the biggest Republican projects of the year — tax reform — will begin Monday evening at the Capitol, with several top advisers to President-elect Donald Trump scheduled to hold a lengthy meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and his team …

Changing His Tune?  Trump Praised ‘Excellent’ Meryl Streep In 2015  —  While Donald Trump may not have had kind words for 3-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep after her speech railing against him at the Golden Globes Sunday night, he was singing a different tune as recently as 2015.

Historic Pioneer Cabin Tree toppled in California storm  —  The historic Pioneer Cabin Tree, a former “drive-through” giant sequoia in Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County, was felled in California's weekend storms.  —  The tree was hollowed out in the 1880s to allow tourists …

Kerry apologizes for State Department discrimination against LGBT employees  —  Fallout from UN resolution on Israel continues  —  (CNN)The State Department on Monday formally apologized for what it describes as decades of discrimination against LGBT employees and job applicants …

The irreversible momentum of clean energy  —  Private-sector incentives help drive decoupling of emissions and economic growth.  —  The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human activity is increasing global average surface air temperatures …

House member seeks police action against fellow lawmaker  —  Missouri Rep. Lacy Clay attempted to file a police report for theft against Rep. Duncan Hunter for removing a student painting without permission, but the request was denied by Capitol police, according to an email obtained by POLITICO.

Jeff Sessions Wanted to ‘Drop the Case’ Against KKK Lynching, Attorney Testified  —  Today Jeff Sessions claims credit for prosecuting a lynching by the Ku Klux Klan as proof that he is not a racist, but an attorney working for him claimed 30 years ago his boss wanted to drop the case.

A Dairy Queen owner unleashed a racist tirade against a customer.  He no longer has a business.  —  The Dairy Queen owner shouting the n-word at Deianeira Ford told her he could say whatever he wanted at his fast-food restaurant — that any accusations and complaints she uttered would fall on deaf ears.

The Obama era is over.  Here's how the military rates his legacy  —  President Barack Obama will step down after eight years as commander in chief with one of the most influential tenures leading the U.S. military, but not necessarily the political support of service members.

ExxonMobil and Iran did business under Secretary of State nominee Tillerson  —  The transactions included $53.2 million in sales to Iran over three years.  —  ExxonMobil did business with Iran, Syria and Sudan through a European subsidiary while President-elect Donald Trump's nominee …

U.S. Poverty Policy Is Outdated and Inefficient.  Here's a Better Approach.  —  U.S. poverty policy is stuck in a rut.  In 2015, 43 million people in America were living in poverty - more than the combined populations of Texas, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska and 11 million more than in 2000.

L.A. needs to borrow millions to cover legal payouts, city report says  —  Brendon Glenn lived near the Venice boardwalk and often spent days skateboarding at the skate park before he was shot and killed during an altercation with Los Angeles police.  The L.A. City Council settled lawsuits brought by his relatives over the killing.

5 GOP Senators Propose Delay On O'Care Repeal To Work Out Replacement  —  After publicly airing some of their grievances with the GOP's current strategy of repealing Obamacare without a replacement plan, a handful of Republican senators put their concerns in legislative writing.

Trump Pick Monica Crowley Plagiarized Parts of Her Ph.D. Dissertation  —  Monica Crowley, President-Elect Donald J. Trump's pick for a top National Security Council job, plagiarized numerous passages in her Ph.D. dissertation, Politico Magazine has found.  —  An examination of the dissertation …

Andrew Cuomo Raises His Profile, Stirring Talk of a 2020 Run  —  ALBANY — It had all the trappings of a presidential campaign rollout: the cheering crowd, the flag-draped stage, an appearance and a hearty endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.  —  The topic last week was also ripped …