Trump team prepares dramatic cuts  —  is ready to take an ax to government spending.  —  Staffers for the Trump transition team have been meeting with career staff at the White House ahead of Friday's presidential inauguration to outline their plans for shrinking the federal bureaucracy, The Hill has learned.

Spicer on Trump going to hotel: 'Shouldn't be a shocker'  —  President-elect Donald Trump's decision to spend time at his Washington, D.C., hotel does not represent a move to profit off the presidency and does not blur the lines between his business and his administration, incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday.

4 Recent Examples Show Why No One Trusts Media Coverage Of Trump  —  One may have hoped that the media would respond to their 2016 failures and resulting lack of credibility by reforming.  Instead, it seems that many in political media are quadrupling down on the mistakes that served …

Ivanka Trump Says She Will Not Be Filling In as First Lady in Trump Administration  —  Ivanka Trump dispelled speculation that she would be filling in as a surrogate first lady or occupying the East Wing office of the White House, traditionally reserved for the president's wife.

First on ABC: George W. Bush's Inauguration Day Letter to Barack Obama  —  Writing a letter to the next commander-in-chief has been a tradition for outgoing presidents.  —  As Barack Obama prepares to hand the baton to Donald Trump, ABC News has obtained an exclusive look at the missive …

The Reinvigoration of the Clemency Authority  —  Today, the President granted commutation to 330 individuals.  The President has now granted commutation to a total of 1,715 individuals, including 568 people who had been sentenced to life in prison.  The vast majority of these men and women …

Wyden objection to Pompeo could push vote to Monday  —  Trump CIA pick backs intel on Russian hacking  —  (CNN)Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a vocal privacy advocate, has formally objected to the Senate voting Friday on CIA director nominee …

ASSANGE LATEST WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stands by offer to be extradited to US following Chelsea Manning release  —  The creator of the secret-spilling website had previously said he would leave the Ecuadorian embassy if the former soldier was freed  —  WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange …

A Final Reminder: Here's Who ‘Owns’ the Trump Presidency and Who Will Get the Blame/Praise  —  As we all brace for the official start to a Donald Trump presidency which most of us never thought would happen, it is important to set down some markers.  Specifically, who will get the credit/blame …

El Chapo, Mexican Drug Kingpin, Extradited to the U.S.  —  Mexico City — Joaquin Guzman Loera, the notorious drug lord known as El Chapo, who twice slipped out of high-security Mexican prisons and into criminal legend, was being extradited to the United States on Thursday night, officials said …

CNN Announces Washington Correspondent Assignments  —  Washington, D.C. - Jan. 18 - Today, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker announced the following assignments for the network's Washington, D.C. based correspondents.  — Dana Bash will continue as the network's chief political correspondent.

Thank You  —  Editor's note: President Obama sent this final message to the White House email list this morning.  —  My fellow Americans,  —  It's a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place.

Democrats prepare for Trump with one of the earliest resistance movements ever to greet a new president  —  When Donald Trump takes the presidential oath of office on Friday, thousands of protesters will be marching his way from an “Occupy the Inauguration” rally at Malcolm X Park.

CNN: Assassinating Trump Could Keep Obama Administration in Power  —  As the nation prepares for the peaceful transfer of power on Inauguration Day, CNN is dreaming up scenarios whereby the Obama administration can keep power if President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence …

Trump Sought Military Equipment For Inauguration, Granted 20-Plane Flyover  —  “It's very Red Square,” said Stephen Kerrigan, who oversaw the past two inaugurations.  —  Foreign Affairs Reporter, The Huffington Post  —  WASHINGTON Part of being a great president is showing off America's …

Americans seem more interested in inauguration protests than in the inauguration  —  On Friday, an estimated 800,000 people are expected to gather around the National Mall in Washington, DC, for Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.  The following day, the Women's March on Washington …

Congress moves to give away national lands, discounting billions in revenue  —  Though recreation on federal lands creates $646bn in economic stimulus and 6.1m jobs, Republicans are setting in motion a giveaway of Americans' birthright  —  n the midst of highly publicized steps …

Facebook's Zuckerberg sues to force land sales  —  When Facebook's co-founder Mark Zuckerberg paid around $100 million for 700 acres of rural beachfront land on Kauai two years ago to create what Forbes magazine described as a secluded family sanctuary, he actually acquired a not-so-secluded property.

Russia Fears That Trump Won't Be Such a Great Deal After All  —  Top officials fret furor in U.S. over hacking could hurt thaw  —  Doubts about Trump hints that sanctions could be eased  —  Russia is giving Donald Trump the kind of fawning television coverage usually reserved for Vladimir Putin …

This is the most ominous Inauguration Day in modern history  —  Why is this inauguration different from any other?  —  Let's start with the fact that most Americans are not happy that Donald Trump is about to become president.  The Post/ABC News poll this week found that Trump enters …

North Korea may be prepping missile launch to test Trump: report  —  North Korea could be making preparations for a missile launch to test President-elect Donald Trump  —  U.S. intelligence officials said that there are indications that Pyongyang could hold a launch in the coming days or weeks.

The Troublemaker Behind Donald Trump's Words  —  Ever since he was a teenager in progressive Santa Monica, Stephen Miller was a troublemaker.  —  “If you're a conservative in a place like that, you're inevitably a contrarian,” said Mark Krikorian, a leading activist for a stricter immigration system.

Hearing derailed after senator suggests colleague needs Valium … Steven Mnuchin's confirmation hearing quickly went off the rails Thursday as Democrats and Republicans feuded over a GOP lawmaker's quip about giving antidepressants to the panel's top Democrat.  —  Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump