Trump picks climate sceptic Pruitt

ELECT Donald Trump has tapped Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, criticised as a climate change denier and a staunch fossil fuel ally, to head the Environmental Protection Agency. The announcement on Thursday morning comes after Leonardo DiCaprio met with Mr Trump on Wednesday to discuss how jobs centring on preserving the environment can boost the economy.

8 iconic photos, videos and memes that best sum up 2016

The year 2016 seemed packed with unthinkable events, such as Brexit and US President-elect Donald Trump's shock victory at the polls. And while the world-changing events were met with grim humour, everyday life was peppered with light-hearted moments to keep things interesting.

Donald Trump is Time’s ‘Person of the Year’

Donald Trump is Time's 'Person of the Year' President-elect complained about being passed over last year Check out this story on pal-item.com: http://usat.ly/2gT3eW8 The magazine named the president-elect the year's most significant person a year after passing him over for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, drawing complains from the then-candidate. Accepting what he called the "great honor" for this year on NBC's Today show, Trump said he will wait a few more days to make his own announcement: His choice for secretary of State.

Peter Lucas: Romney couldn’t read us. How will he read the world?

U.S. foreign-policy sage Henry Kissinger used to tell Harvard students that the test of a good statesman was his ability to sense the evolution of an event before it happened. What President Richard Nixon's secretary of state meant was that a successful diplomat had to be able to read the character of his foreign counterpart as well as have the ability to take the pulse of the country he was dealing with.

Recount’s leader visits Trump Tower

Jill Stein went to Trump Tower on Monday to press her case for recounts in three closely contested states in last month's presidential election. Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee and now the leader of the recount campaign, made her appearance hours after a federal court ruling early Monday that ordered Michigan elections officials -- over the protests of President-elect Donald Trump and his allies -- to begin a recount by noon Monday.

Shutdown averted, Senate backs stop-gap spending bill

With less than hour to spare, the Senate late Friday backed legislation averting a government shutdown as coal-state Democrats retreated on long-term health care benefits for retired miners and promised a renewed fight for the working class next year. The 63-36 vote sent the stop-gap spending bill to President Barack Obama, who signed the measure early Saturday morning.

The Latest: Biden warns fiscal plans reminiscent of 2008

Vice-President Joe Biden says that some of the economic proposals under discussion as a new administration prepares to enter the White House are the same ones that led to "this God-awful recession of eight years ago." Speaking at Georgetown University on financial regulation, Biden says banks and other financial institutions knew they had a backstop in the form of the American taxpayer, so they took excessive risks.

Philippines VP vows to take on Duterte after cabinet exit

Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo resigned from the cabinet on Monday but vowed to lead the opposition and challenge the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte, including his deadly war on drugs and moves to reinstate the death penalty. Robredo, who will remain vice president, had clashed frequently with Duterte and decided to resign from her ministerial role after being instructed via a text message to stay away from his cabinet meetings.

Judge orders immediate start of Michigan recount

A federal judge early Monday morning ordered a recount of Michigan's presidential ballots to begin at noon on Monday, and for the state to "assemble necessary staff to work sufficient hours" to complete the recount by a Dec. 13 federal deadline. Judge orders immediate start of Michigan recount A federal judge early Monday morning ordered a recount of Michigan's presidential ballots to begin at noon on Monday, and for the state to "assemble necessary staff to work sufficient hours" to complete the recount by a Dec. 13 federal deadline.

Syrian government steps up attacks on Idlib province

Teenagers, the son of a local sheriff's deputy and young artists who loved music are among the dozens of people who died when a fire broke out at an underground dance party in a warehouse that visitors called a... Teenagers, the son of a local sheriff's deputy and young artists who loved music are among the dozens of people who died when a fire broke out at an underground dance party in a warehouse that visitors called a death... As investigators searched for signs of a crime in the fire that killed at least 33 in an Oakland warehouse during a late-night dance party, survivors and teary-eyed friends of those who perished viewed the charred... As investigators searched for signs of a crime in the fire that killed at least 33 in an Oakland warehouse during a late-night dance party, survivors and teary-eyed friends of those who perished viewed the charred building... The longest, loudest ... (more)

Mexican ambassador does victory lap following defeat of Arizona Sheriff Arpaio

The Mexican ambassador to the United States, Carlos Sada Solana, told reporters in Phoenix that Mexico shall remain firm in refusing to provide funds for President-elect Donald Trump proposed border wall to address illegal immigration emanating from Mexico. Speaking to reporters at the Arizona Republic , Sada said "We have said time and again Mexico is not paying for the wall," and added, "That is something that has been said several times by the president of Mexico, the secretary of foreign affairs, secretary of economy, the secretary of finance.

Right from Wrong: Note to Israelis: The US is not racist

Since Donald Trump won the US presidential election last month, Israelis have been engaged in a heated debate about how the victory of the billionaire businessman who gets into fights on Twitter will affect the Jewish state. The Left, which has been fawning over Barack Obama for eight years, has been attributing all the ills of his country and the world during this period to a combination of piggish capitalism and racism ostensibly so indigenous to America that even the Great Black Hope was unable to stomp them out.

Trump faces pushback from base, allies over Romney musings

When U.S. Forest Ranger Jody Bandy confronted the man in the Pisgah National Forest, he said he'd been at the nearby wildfire and "couldn't take it anymore." When U.S. Forest Ranger Jody Bandy confronted the man in the Pisgah National Forest, he said he'd been at the nearby wildfire and "couldn't take it anymore."

In Trump’s ‘global interests’ ad, echoes of overtly …

An ad aired by the Donald Trump campaign in the lead-up to the US presidential election last month appears to bear striking resemblance to a spot released by a white nationalist group days earlier featuring overt anti-Semitic references. Richard Spencer, the leading ideologue of the alt-right movement, said the ad released by the Trump campaign may have been inspired by one created by his National Policy Institute and released just a few days earlier.

The Latest: Renzi votes in Italy with future on the line

A man casts his ballot as a map of Italy is seen in background at a polling station in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.Italians are voting in a referendum on constitutional reforms that is being closely watched abroad to see if ... . Ballots are being put on a table at a polling station in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.

Uzbekistan votes in first election since Karimov’s death

The converted warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" where a deadly fire ripped through a late-night dance party was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more residents, those who... The converted warehouse known as the "Ghost Ship" where a deadly fire ripped through a late-night dance party was an artist workspace and illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more residents, those who lived there... A graduate student arrested on suspicion of killing the professor who oversaw his work at the University of California was described by some of his fellow classmates as a quiet but seemingly normal young man while others... The Green Party is dropping its court case seeking a statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election.

How worried should immigrants be?

The day after the presidential election, I stood in front of a class of foreign graduate students who had come to the United States to study U.S. and international law, trying to reassure them that they were not in danger of being deported. "You are all here legally on student visas," I reminded them.

No. 8 Penn St. rallies to beat No. 6 Wisconsin 38-31

California authorities say a fire has broken out at an Oakland warehouse where people were having a party and police say there are "casualties." Firefighters struggled to get to bodies in the rubble Saturday after a fire tore through a converted Oakland warehouse during a late-night electronic music party, killing at least 9 people and making the charred structure... The warehouse gutted by a blaze that killed at least nine people was home to musicians, painters, woodworkers, dancers and other artists who came together to make art and hold dance performances and parties.