FBI, 5 other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump  —  WASHINGTON  —  The FBI and five other law enforcement and intelligence agencies have collaborated for months in an investigation into Russian attempts to influence the November election, including whether money …

Trump to announce Sonny Perdue for Agriculture  —  President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to be the next Agriculture secretary, transition officials have informed POLITICO, making a pick that's likely to please farm groups while angering those who have called for more diversity in his Cabinet.

Is Donald Trump Writing His Inaugural Address from a Mar-a-Lago Receptionist's Desk?  An Investigation … As tends to be the case with the president-elect's social-media statements, there is much to discuss.  First, there's the fact that Trump seems to be drafting his first speech as POTUS with a ... Sharpie.

‘Learning Curve’ as Rick Perry Pursues a Job He Initially Misunderstood  —  WASHINGTON — When President-elect Donald J. Trump offered Rick Perry the job of energy secretary five weeks ago, Mr. Perry gladly accepted, believing he was taking on a role as a global ambassador for the American oil …

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.

The Betsy DeVos Hearing Was an Insult to Democracy  —  Who are the real grizzlies?  —  WASHINGTON, D.C.—It was not a hearing.  It was the mere burlesque of a hearing, rendered meaningless by a preposterously accelerated process that rendered all questioning perfunctory and that left …

From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece  —  ANNAPOLIS, Md. — It was early fall, and Donald J. Trump, behind in the polls, seemed to be preparing a rationale in case a winner like him somehow managed to lose.  “I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest …

Trump pays out $25 million to settle Trump University litigation  —  Days before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take the oath to uphold the Constitution, he has followed through on a more painful obligation: coughing up $25 million to settle litigation over his defunct Trump University real estate seminar program.

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.

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 aide: Dems are trying to humiliate Cabinet nominees  —  's close aide Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday blasted Democrats for “trying to embarrass” the incoming administration's Cabinet nominees.  —  “This idea of humiliating and trying to embarrass qualified men and women who just wish …

President Bush moved to ICU; Mrs. Bush also hospitalized  —  Former President George H.W. Bush has been at Houston Methodist Hospital for treatment of pneumonia.  Mrs. Bush has also been admitted to the hospital due to “fatigue and coughing”. … HOUSTON - Former President George H.W. Bush …

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 …

Christie: Mary Pat refused to move to D.C. for Trump White House job  —  TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday disclosed that first lady Mary Pat Christie had refused to move with the governor to Washington D.C. should he take a job in the Trump cabinet, and that this informed …

An Empty Trump Administration  —  Jonathan Bernstein: “We're two days away from having a new president.  But we're apparently a lot longer than that from having a Trump administration with even a minimally functional ability to govern.”  —  “Overall, out of 690 positions requiring Senate …

Comey ‘enthusiastic’ about Bill Clinton probe in 2001, FBI memo says  —  FBI Director James Comey—blamed by many Democrats for costing Hillary Clinton the presidential election last year—was excited about pursuing a criminal investigation into President Bill Clinton's most controversial pardons …

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.

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.