‘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 …

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.

Hard-Luck Hillary Clinton's Second Case of the Inaugural Blues  —  How hard it must be for Hillary Clinton to sit next to Bill on the inaugural platform for the second time as an also-ran.  She's a good soldier, and she'll carry it off with the grace of a former First Lady …

Caitlyn Jenner is attending the inauguration  —  President-elect Donald Trump is being urged by some advisers to save at least one dance, as he celebrates his inauguration on Friday night, for a very special Republican lady — Caitlyn Jenner.  —  “It's a brilliant idea,” a member of the incoming administration told me.

At Dinner Honoring Mike Pence, Donald Trump Touches Many Bases  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump, in a free-flowing speech Wednesday evening at a dinner honoring his running mate, Mike Pence, jabbed at his new Republican allies and his critics alike, questioned the ethics of …

Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Nominee, Failed to Disclose $100 Million in Assets  —  WASHINGTON — Steven Mnuchin, President-elect Donald J. Trump's pick to be Treasury secretary, failed to disclose nearly $100 million of his assets on Senate Finance Committee disclosure documents and forgot …

Obama's biggest whoppers … The Fact Checker started during the 2008 campaign and then went on hiatus for the first two years of President Obama's presidency before becoming a permanent Washington Post feature in 2011.  All told, we've fact-checked more than 250 statements by Obama.

Army: Manning to lose transgender benefits  —  The Army says former Pvt. Chelsea Manning will lose her military healthcare benefits following President Obama's commutation of her prison sentence.  —  “If Pvt. Manning is discharged with a dishonorable discharge, she will lose her entitlement to benefits …

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.

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 …

As soon as he is inaugurated, Trump will move to clamp down on immigration  —  Trump could easily boost deportations by more than 75% in his first year in office by giving more authority to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

Trump's nuclear wake-up call  —  By the time he is sworn in tomorrow, Donald Trump will have undergone a haunting rite of passage: the classified briefing given to every incoming president that explains how he can order a nuclear attack.  —  While neither U.S. nor Trump officials would confirm …

Democrats Could Help Confirm Up to Four Trump Nominees Friday  —  Leaders complain Republicans are rushing process for others  —  National security picks among those facing least opposition  —  Senate Democrats say a handful of Cabinet nominees could get confirmed on the day President-elect Donald Trump …

Democrats in the Wilderness  —  Standing with some 30,000 people in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia the night before the election watching Hillary Clinton speak, exhausted aides were already worrying about what would come next.  They expected her to win, of course …

We Are the Last Defense Against Trump  —  America's institutions weren't designed to resist a modern strongman.  That leaves civil society.  —  In the second half of the 20th century, the main threat to democracy came from the men in uniform.  Fledgling democracies such as Argentina …

CNN/ORC Poll shows last-minute love for Obamacare  —  Washington (CNN)Americans views of Obamacare tilt narrowly positive, according to a new CNN/ORC poll, marking the first time more have favored than opposed the law since its passage in 2010.  The shift comes at the same time more than 8-in-10 …

Meet Ben Swann, the Republican Pizzagate Truther Hosting Atlanta's CBS Nightly News  —  News anchor Ben Swann aired a six-minute “investigation” into Pizzagate in America's ninth-largest TV market on Tuesday night.  —  “Media is telling you the entire story is a hoax or fake news, but what does that even mean?”

$1.9 billion error adds to California deficit projection  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown's administration miscalculated costs for the state Medi-Cal program by $1.9 billion last year, an oversight that contributed to Brown's projection of a deficit in the upcoming budget, officials acknowledged this week.

Why liberals just love to set terrorists free  —  What is it about progressives like President Obama — and even pretend progressives like Gov. Cuomo — that makes them so forgiving of terrorists?  —  Obama, on his way out the door, Tuesday commuted the effective life sentence …

Le Pen Moves Into Lead in French Race, Le Monde Poll Shows  —  Republican candidate Fillon slips since December survey  —  Former Hollande minister Macron in third place, climbing  —  Marine Le Pen is gaining support in France and has taken the lead in a major survey of voters' intentions …