Even elite campaign aides still aren't sure why Donald Trump succeeded  —  Baffled at times and often bitter, more than two dozen of the country's top political operatives grappled with questions that have dominated American politics for 18 months: What explains Donald Trump's astonishing political success …

Trump allies try to freeze recount efforts  —  Allies of Donald Trump are trying to freeze recount efforts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — three states in which the president-elect narrowly beat Hillary Clinton — as they seek to preserve the legitimacy of Trump's win.

Obama considering post-presidential digital media career, sources say  —  President Barack Obama has been discussing a post-presidential career in digital media and is considering launching his own media company, according to multiple sources who spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak for the president.

The letter from Carrier to its employees that Donald Trump doesn't want you to read  —  “It is not good news for everyone.”  —  On Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump traveled to the Carrier factory in Indianapolis, Indiana to tout the deal he helped orchestrate to keep about 800 manufacturing jobs …

CNN Crew Jokes about Donald Trump's Plane Crashing  —  CNN Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was covering the Carrier press conference, that featured both Donald Trump and Mike Pence.  —  Carrier was able to negotiate huge tax breaks for their company, if they promised not to move all their jobs to Mexico.

The 2016 Election Is a Disaster Without a Moral  —  Marge: The moral of the story is that a good deed is its own reward!  —  Bart: But we got a reward, the head is cool!  —  Marge: Well, then maybe the moral is, no good deed goes unrewarded.  —  Homer: Wait a minute! … Homer: Exactly!

Democrats could block Mattis nomination  —  Gen. James Mattis will need a supermajority to win confirmation from the Senate.  —  Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will require a vote at a 60-vote threshold to allow Mattis to become the defense secretary, an aide said.

I Served With James Mattis.  Here's What I Learned From Him  —  This article is slightly amended and reprinted, with permission, from The Strategy Bridge.  —  America knows Gen. James Mattis as a character, Mad Dog Mattis, the font of funny quotes and Chuck Norris-caliber memes.

Seduced and Betrayed by Donald Trump  —  Donald Trump won the Electoral College (though not the popular vote) on the strength of overwhelming support from working-class whites, who feel left behind by a changing economy and society.  And they're about to get their reward — the same reward that …

Amy Schumer Playing ‘Barbie’  —  Amy Schumer will play the title role in Barbie, the live action Sony Pictures film based on the venerable Mattel toyline.  The PG movie will begin production in the spring for a global summer 2018 tent pole bow, after Schumer puts her imprint on the script by Hillary Winston.

Donald Trump's Pollster Says the Election Came Down to Five Counties  —  Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, referred to her candidate's electoral win as a “landslide” earlier this week.  But the campaign's top pollster, veteran Tony Fabrizio said just five counties made the difference …

Employment Situation Summary  —  Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until USDL-16-2233 8:30 a.m. (EST) Friday, December 2, 2016  —  Technical information:  —  Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps

In nearly every swing state, voters preferred Hillary Clinton on the economy  —  Anonymous Twitter dog @nycsouthpaw made an interesting observation on Friday. … The driving narrative for the results of the November election has run contrary to that.  According to a broad swath …

Police: Men Screaming ‘Trump’ Try To Rip Off Woman's Hijab On NYC Subway  —  Three men physically attacked a Muslim teenager at a Manhattan subway stop on Thursday night while shouting the name of the President-elect, police told the New York Daily News.  —  Police said the unidentified 18 …

Dead man found inside SUV with pile of parking tickets on windshield  —  Sun Sentinel … For four days, city parking officers slapped tickets on an SUV parked three blocks from the Broward County Courthouse.  When Carolyn White noticed the pile of citations, she wondered what was going on.

Philippines' Duterte gets Trump White House invite during ‘animated’ call  —  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during a “very engaging, animated” phone conversation, a Duterte aide said on Friday, amid rocky relations between their two countries.

What's the most Instagrammed place in every state?  —  In a new world of photo sharing and filters, and as 2016 nears its end, USA Today put together a list of the most photographed places in every state pulled from Instagram data thanks to the app's 500 million users.  Angeli Kakade (@angelikakade) has the story.

Former Special Forces Officer: Gen. ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis Left ‘My Men to Die’  —  A former Army Special Forces officer is accusing retired Marine General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary, of “leaving my men to die” after they were hit by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2001.

The post-truth world of the Trump administration is scarier than you think  —  You may think you are prepared for a post-truth world, in which political appeals to emotion count for more than statements of verifiable fact.  —  But now it's time to cross another bridge — into a world without facts.

Wahlberg: Celebs should stop talking about politics  —  Mark Wahlberg has a message for Hollywood stars who get political: Zip it.  —  “A lot of celebrities did, do, and shouldn't,” Wahlberg said in an interview published this week on the military veterans news site Task & Purpose.

Trump Calls Taiwan Leader in Move Likely to Offend China  —  China considers island nation to be a renegade province  —  Move comes as Trump continues seeking a secretary of state  —  President-elect Donald Trump spoke Friday by phone with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen …

Trump's Breezy Calls to World Leaders Leave Diplomats Aghast  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump inherited a complicated world when he won the election last month.  And that was before a series of freewheeling phone calls with foreign leaders that has unnerved diplomats at home and abroad.

Snoop Dogg slams Colin Kaepernick for Castro praise, says choose between football, revolution  —  Snoop Dogg (left) and Colin Kaepernick ( right).  —  Snoop Dogg just put Colin Kaepernick in his dog house, calling the San Francisco 49ers quarterback a hypocrite for protesting social injustice …

What Is the Future of the Office for Civil Rights?  —  In the days after the presidential election, news outlets and thousands of educators reported increases in harassment, bullying, and intimidation of students based on race, ethnicity, religion, and gender identity.