Reality bites: Trump's wake-up call  —  NEW YORK — On Twitter and in public, Donald Trump remains an uncompromising mix of bluster and bombast.  Behind the scenes, he's confronting, and in some cases succumbing (slightly) to, the hard truths of governing and leading a world that hangs on his every word.

How Donald Trump came up with ‘Make America Great Again’ … “Make America Great Again.”  —  The four words that would help propel Donald Trump to the White House were an inspiration born years before, when hardly anyone but Trump himself could imagine him taking the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States.

Assange lawyer: Manning commutation doesn't meet extradition offer's conditions  —  The attorney for Julian Assange said President Obama's commutation of Chelsea Manning's sentence does not meet the conditions of the WikiLeaks head's offer to be extradited to the United States if Manning were pardoned.

George H.W. Bush hospitalized in Houston  —  Former President George H.W. Bush was recently admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital after falling ill.  —  “He's there.  He's fine and he's doing really well,” Bush's chief of staff, Jean Becker, said.  —  She said the doctors have a couple …

Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year  —  Marking another milestone for a changing planet, scientists reported on Wednesday that the Earth reached its highest temperature on record in 2016 — trouncing a record set only a year earlier, which beat one set in 2014.

Trump's D.C. hotel bans press during inauguration week  —  The Trump International Hotel in Washington is banning the media from its premises during inauguration week.  —  “Media is not allowed in this week in respect of the privacy of our guests,” Patricia Tang, the hotel's director of sales and marketing wrote in an email.

Betsy DeVos Fight Demonstrates Donald Trump's Serious About Changing Washington  —  It's hard to grill something in just five minutes.  But that didn't stop Democrats from trying.  —  Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R-TN) decision as chairman of the Senate education committee to limit senators …

Price: 'Nobody's Interested in Pulling the Rug Out' on Health Coverage  —  Right Now: President Obama is addressing the press corps for the last time from the White House.  Follow our live coverage and analysis.  —  Representative Tom Price of Georgia, the nominee for health and human services secretary …

‘Tell Me What Your Real Name Is’: Tucker Carlson Confronts Guest Over Hoax in Bonkers Interview  —  The video above contains quite possibly one of the most bizarre interviews you will ever watch.  —  Here's how Tucker Carlson began the interview: … Okay, let's back up a second.

An open letter to Trump from the US press corps  —  Dear Mr. President Elect:  —  In these final days before your inauguration, we thought it might be helpful to clarify how we see the relationship between your administration and the American press corps.  —  It will come as no surprise …

Democratic Rep. Gabbard Makes Secret Trip to Syria  —  The Hawaii lawmaker, who has bucked both parties on the issue of Syria, met with government officials on a “fact finding” trip.  —  Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has just departed war-torn Damascus following a trip her aides described as a …

Trump Budget Nominee Did Not Pay Taxes for Employee  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump's choice for White House budget director failed to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for a household employee, he admitted in a statement to the Senate Budget Committee …

Trump National Security Team Gets a Slow Start  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has written 275 briefing papers for the incoming Trump administration: nearly 1,000 pages of classified material on North Korea's nuclear program, the military campaign against the Islamic State …

Democrats: Left in the Lurch  —  The curious decline and uncertain future of the Democratic Party  —  When President-elect Donald Trump replaces Barack Obama on January 20, the Democratic Party will find itself more removed from power than at almost any point since the party's creation.

Tom Price Just Contradicted Trump Team's Defense Of His Questionable Stock Trades  —  Trump's pick for HHS secretary admitted he, not an independent financial adviser, chose to buy stock in a biotech firm.  —  Money in Politics Reporter, The Huffington Post

Woodlands crowd grills Brady over ACA repeal  —  U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, faced a skeptical and at times testy crowd Tuesday as dozens of people arrived at an afternoon meeting to make sure he knew they would not let the Affordable Care Act end without a fight.