Kellyanne Conway lands top WH job in Trump administration  —  Conway on terror: ‘Everything is on the table’  —  (CNN)President-elect Donald Trump tapped former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway as “counselor to the president,” the presidential transition announced Thursday morning.

Obama to Dismantle Visitor Registry Before Trump Can Revive It  —  The Obama administration is dismantling a dormant national registry program for visitors from countries with active terrorist groups — a program that President-elect Donald J. Trump has suggested he is considering resurrecting.

Trump May Have a $300 Million Conflict of Interest With Deutsche Bank  —  Concern about conflict of interest given bank's federal probes  —  Deutsche Bank faces huge potential fines from U.S. government  —  For years, Donald Trump has used a powerful tool when dealing with bankers: his personal guarantee.

North Carolina Fails to Repeal Bathroom Law That Prompted Boycotts  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — After more than nine hours of closed-door meetings, jawboning and complicated legislative stratagems, North Carolina legislators went home in frustration Wednesday after failing to repeal the state law …

Trump, Netanyahu urge Obama to veto U.N. resolution on halting settlements  —  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Obama administration on Thursday to veto a U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate halt …

Donald Trump is holding a government casting call.  He's seeking ‘the look.’  —  Donald Trump believes that those who aspire to the most visible spots in his administration should not just be able to do the job, but also look the part.  —  Given Trump's own background as a master brander …

Delta Concludes From Multiple Witnesses That YouTube Prankster Was Actually Shouting, Disruptive  —  So you know that video that went viral that allegedly showed Delta kicking off a passenger for speaking Arabic?  Well, apparently, Delta investigated the situation, and now says it's not quite what it all seemed.

USA TODAY poll: There's a clear Democratic front-runner for 2020  —  WASHINGTON — On the theory that it's never too early to launch the next campaign, the new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll has identified an overwhelming front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Facebook ‘fact checker’ who will arbitrate on ‘fake news’ is accused of defrauding website to pay for prostitutes - and its staff includes an escort-porn star and ‘Vice Vixen domme’  — Facebook has announced plans to check for ‘fake news’ using a series of organizations to assess whether stories are true

Trump's Son, Fearing ‘Quagmire,’ to Stop Soliciting for Charity  —  WASHINGTON — Eric Trump said on Wednesday that he had decided to stop directly soliciting contributions for his charitable foundation, which supports causes like the fight against childhood cancer, because he now recognizes …

Trump team floats tariffs  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump transition team is floating the possibility of an early executive action to impose tariffs on foreign imports, according to multiple sources.  —  Such a move would deliver on President-elect Donald Trump's “America First” campaign theme.

Arrest made in ‘Vote Trump’ burning of Mississippi black church  —  GREENVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi authorities have made an arrest in the burning of an African-American church spray-painted with the words, “Vote Trump.”  —  Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain …

Health Exchange Enrollment Jumps, Even as G.O.P. Pledges Repeal  —  WASHINGTON — About 6.4 million people have signed up for health insurance next year under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration said Wednesday, as people rushed to purchase plans regardless of Republican promises that the law will be repealed within months.

Exclusive: Clinton aides kept tabs on anti-Trump elector gambit  —  Hillary Clinton's top advisers never publicly backed an effort by Democrats on the Electoral College to block Donald Trump's election.  When it failed on Monday, one aide mocked it as an unserious “coup” attempt.

Trump's Tweets Are a Threat to Our National Security  —  His lies are a problem, but his belligerence is worse: It could start a war.  —  The Washington Post has created a nifty tool designed to address one of the novel problems of our political era: a president-elect who persistently uses Twitter to spread lies.

Ron Paul: 'We don't have very much room for condemning' Russian election meddling  —  Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) says America has little room for criticizing Russia's apparent meddling in the most recent U.S. presidential election.  —  “I think it is politics more than anything else,” …

Financial Vetting Goes Slowly for Trump's Wealthy Cabinet Picks  —  WASHINGTON — Moving some of President-elect Donald J. Trump's highest-profile cabinet nominees — with their millions in assets and complex business arrangements — through an arduous financial disclosure examination …

Invasion of the Agency Snatchers  —  “At first glance, everything looked the same.  It wasn't.  Something evil had taken possession of the town.”  —  Those lines are from the opening voice-over in a great midcentury American movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Bored, Broke and Armed: Clues to Chicago's Gang Violence  —  CHICAGO — The young men who call themselves Gangster Disciples skirted by an empty lot.  They marched past a “Stop the Violence” mural painted on a corner store, coming to a halt when they saw members of a rival gang, the Black Disciples.

One Problem for Democratic Leaders Is Democratic Voters  —  Leaders on the Democratic left who want to represent the have-nots face an obstacle: their own voters.  —  Keith Ellison, a congressman from Minnesota and a candidate for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee …

James Comey's year of unintended — and ruinous — consequences  —  What a year it has been for James Comey!  —  At the start of 2016, the FBI director enjoyed a reputation as a public servant of high integrity, earning bipartisan acclaim for his stewardship of the nation's preeminent law enforcement agency.

KELLYANNE going into WH —TRUMP, PENCE invited to GOP retreat — DEMS plan Miami inaugural bash — SCOOP: Clinton aides kept tabs on anti-Trump effort — RAHM's emails — B'DAY: Sen. Ted Cruz  —  Listen to Playbook in 90 Seconds http://bit.ly/2i4MbP1 ... Subscribe on iTunes http …