EDITORIAL: Is Trump’s vow to refrain from meddling with Medicare to be trusted?

One of the great challenges experienced by both the press and at least some of the public in understanding Donald Trump is caught up in what his defenders often cite: The press during the long campaign made the mistake of taking Trump literally but not seriously, while Trump's many followers took him seriously but not literally. So how does all that work out regarding the president-elect's stand on Medicare? During the campaign, Trump made a point of vowing that he would keep his hands off both Medicare and Social Security.

Timeline of planned Carrier factory closing in Indiana

President-elect Donald Trump is set on Thursday to trumpet a deal with furnace and air conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corp. that would reduce the planned 1,400 job cuts at an Indianapolis factory that became a political cause during the presidential campaign. Feb. 10: Company officials announce plans to shutter the Indianapolis factory, along with a 700-worker factory in the northeastern Indiana city of Huntington that is also owned by Carrier parent company United Technologies Corp. of Hartford, Connecticut.

US ambassador highlights links between airbase and community

The outgoing US ambassador urged people to focus on today's "inspiring" links between airbases such as RAF Lakenheath and their communities as he highlighted their important role in the UK's relationship with his country. Matthew Barzun, who was speaking to journalists just over five weeks before he returns to the US following the election of Donald Trump, highlighted the community bonds between US men and women in uniform and the communities they live in.

Steven Mnuchin will be the next Treasury secretary. Photo: Bloomberg

Mnuchin had long been considered a top contender for the Treasury post but his selection runs counter to the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Trump campaign US president-elect Donald Trump's naming of veteran Wall Street banker and hedge-fund manager Steve Mnuchin to be the next Treasury secretary quickly turned into a polarising appointment as financiers cheered the selection while watchdog groups warned that it could lead to roll-backs of crucial post-crisis regulations. Mnuchin, who was a Goldman Sachs partner before starting Dune Capital Management and later running Pasadena lender OneWest Bank, confirmed the appointment in an early morning appearance on CNBC.

Supreme Court weighs jailed immigrants’ right to periodic hearings

In this Nov. 15 file photo, the Supreme Court building is seen from the Capitol in Washington. The Supreme Court on Wednesday considered the rights of people held in immigration detention, whose numbers are likely to swell if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants.

Graham Writing Bill to Protect Dreamers

Sen. Lindsey Graham is readying legislation that would extend legal protections for previously undocumented immigrants who came here as children -- benefits granted under a 2012 directive from President Barack Obama that are at risk with the incoming Trump administration. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed to revoke Obama's executive actions on immigration, including one that has shielded more than 740,000 young undocumented immigrants from being deported and gave them permits to work legally.

Just one Trump transition aide for U.S. spy agencies: officials

Only one member of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is dealing with the CIA and the 16 other offices and agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, four U.S. officials said Wednesday. Geoffrey Kahn, a former House intelligence committee staffer, is the only person named so far to Trump's intelligence community "landing team," they said.

Huffpost Hill – What It’s Like To Be 16 And Retweeted By The President-Elect

Nancy Pelosi has lead House Democrats so long she remembers when Virginia Foxx was the craziest member of the opposition. Senate Republicans are looking to sync better with Donald Trump, so OF COURSE they're begging an octogenarian Mormon from Utah to stay in the upper chamber.

FILE – In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 file photo, former President…

In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 file photo, former President Bill Clinton applauds as his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, where she conceded her defeat to Republican Donald Trump after the hard-fought presidential election. Hillary Clinton's aides and supporters are urging dispirited Democrats to channel their frustrations about the election results into political causes - just not into efforts to recount ballots in three battleground states.

Unforgettable quotes from 11 of the most powerful leaders in the world

It's no coincidence that the most powerful leaders in the world - from Barack Obama to Bill Gates to Vladimir Putin - are gifted speakers who win support, shape minds, and even stir controversy with their words. Though his speaking habits are unconventional - and often contentious - US President-Elect Donald Trump now joins the same ranks as these powerful leaders.

REPORT: Trump is considering Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn…

President-elect Donald Trump is thinking about naming Gary Cohn, the president and COO of Goldman Sachs, to a role in his administration, Politico's Ben White and Jake Sherman reported Wednesday. The role could be director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to the report.

Jeh Johnson gives Michael McCaul vote of confidence on border security

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson gave one of his potential successors a stamp of approval on Wednesday, saying Rep. Michael McCaul is the strongest member of Congress when it comes to border security. Mr. Johnson and Mr. McCaul were responding to criticisms reported in The Washington Times from advocates for stricter enforcement of immigration laws who said they hoped President-elect Donald Trump picked someone else to be homeland security chief.

Fannie, Freddie should exit government grip, Mnuchin says

Steven Mnuchin, president-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be treasury secretary, said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should leave government control and that the incoming administration "will get it done reasonably fast." The comments, which came in an interview on Fox Business, sent shares of the mortgage-finance giants soaring Wednesday.