Trump team relaxes EPA restrictions on media and contracts

The Trump administration said Friday it has thawed its temporary freeze on contract and grant approvals at the Environmental Protection Agency, with all $3.9 billion in planned spending moving forward. A media blackout at the agency also appears to have been partially lifted, as a trickle of press releases were issued by the EPA this week.

Trump education pick painted by Dems as unqualified

Democratic senators hammered Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Education Department, during Tuesday's confirmation hearing, claiming she is not qualified to lead the nation's education system. DeVos stood firm in her long held beliefs that parents - not the government - should be able to choose where to send children to school, pledging to push voucher programs should she be confirmed to lead the nation's education system.

The Strongman Problem, from Modi to Trump

At eight o'clock in the evening on November 8th, India Standard Time, just hours before American voters shocked the world by electing Donald Trump as their next President, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, went on television to address his country's more than a billion citizens. At midnight, Modi proclaimed, all of India's five-hundred-rupee and thousand-rupee notes, worth about seven dollars and fifteen dollars, respectively, and constituting about eighty-six per cent of all cash in circulation, would be banned from use, in an effort to battle corruption.

Man burned during protest outside Trump hotel in D.C.

Man burned during protest outside Trump hotel in D.C. Man burned while setting fire outside Trump International Hotel, authorities said. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2k33Pae Demonstrators carry signs during a "Love Rally" in New York on Nov. 11, 2016, to protest the election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

NFL denies it asked Lady Gaga to stay silent on Trump

Lady Gaga, a Hillary Clinton supporter who performed at the Democratic presidential candidate's final rally in North Carolina, is no stranger to making political statements, especially against President-elect Trump. Lady Gaga, a Hillary Clinton supporter who performed at the Democratic presidential candidate's final rally in North Carolina, is no stranger to making political statements, especially against President-elect Trump.

Trump shrugs off Dems’ inauguration boycott: ‘I hope they give me their tickets’

President-elect Donald Trump has told 'Fox & Friends' co-host Ainsley Earhardt that he doesn't mind Democratic members of Congress boycotting his inauguration, saying "I hope they give me their tickets." At least 60 Democratic members of the House of Representatives have opted to miss Friday's ceremonies, most notably Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who said last week that he did not consider Trump a "legitimate" president.

Woman sues Trump in New York for defamation over sexual assault denial

Attorney Gloria Allred speaks for her client Summer Zervos during a news conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 17, 2017. Summer Zervos listens as her attorney Gloria Allred speaks during a news conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 17, 2017.

Chelsea Manninga s among sentences cut by Obama; other, including Paradise man, pardoned

Washington >> President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, allowing the Army intelligence officer who leaked scores of classified documents to go free nearly three decades early. Manning, who will leave prison in May, was one of 209 inmates whose sentences Obama was shortening, a list that includes Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez-Rivera.

Report: Lady Gaga can’t talk Trump, may perform Super Bowl Halftime…

Pop star Lady Gaga is weeks away from headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but one report says she won't be able to talk about the election or President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated as president by the time of the show. "Lady Gaga was told by the NFL that she cannot say anything or bring anything up about the election, or mention Donald Trump," the source said.

Xi makes case for Chinese leadership role

Xi Jinping speech to political leaders, chief executives and bankers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was a first by a Chinese leader. Photo: Reuters Chinese President Xi Jinping offered a vigorous defence of globalisation on Tuesday, pushing back against the "America First" rhetoric of incoming US president Donald Trump and signalling Beijing's desire to play a bigger role on the global stage.

Turkey to ‘intensify diplomacy’ with US after Trump enters White House

Ankara is planning to engage in more intense diplomacy with the U.S. under Donald Trump's incoming administration, amid news that a Turkish presidential delegation is set to visit Washington D.C. in February to contact the new administration. President-elect Trump will take over the presidency from Barack Obama on Jan. 20, heralding a new and uncertain era in U.S. ties with the international community.

Putin: Obama administration trying to undermine Trump

President Vladimir Putin took a parting shot at the Obama administration Tuesday, accusing it of trying to undermine Donald Trump's legitimacy with fake allegations and "binding the president-elect hand and foot to prevent him from fulfilling his election promises." In his first public remarks about an unsubstantiated dossier outlining unverified claims that Trump engaged in sexual activities with prostitutes at a Moscow hotel, Putin dismissed the material as "nonsense."

Trump tweets about Lewis again, says he’s boycotted prior inaugurations

Donald Trump said Rep. John Lewis is "wrong" to suggest that the President-elect's inauguration is the first he will boycott such an event, citing the Georgia congressman also protested the first inauguration of George W. Bush. "John Lewis said about my inauguration, 'It will be the first one that I've missed.'

Duffy to lawmakers boycotting inauguration: ‘Put your big boy pants on’

Rep. Sean Duffy said Tuesday he is disappointed that more than three dozen Democratic lawmakers have said they are boycotting the inauguration, comparing them to children unable to accept defeat. "I'm disappointed, you know, that all these Democrats are saying they are going to stay home," he told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."

Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm named senior political commentator at CNN

Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is joining CNN as a senior political commentator, according to Adweek , a trade publication covering the media and advertising industry. Granholm, a Democrat, is one of nine political commentators and contributors added by the cable news network for 2017 as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.