Heavy Weather: A violent storm system swept across Gulf Coast states yesterday bringing tornadoes and flooding. Four people died when a tree fell on a mobile home in Alabama. Some of the heaviest rains are expected tonight in Georgia. Nation: …

Happy New Year: Hundreds of thousands of revelers in New York’s Times Square tonight will have to pass through screening and be hemmed in by 65 sand trucks positioned as blast blockers. New York’s Finest is getting the backing of …

Promised Land: Just days after the UN Security Council denounced Israel for building settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, the government said it is moving ahead to build thousands more homes on disputed land. The city of Jerusalem said it plans …

Christmas Day: Pope Francis said during a service last night that Christmas has been “taken hostage” by materialism, and that the season needs more humility. Francis said we live in a time “when the lights of commerce cast the light …

Sarajevo: The Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot and killed last night while delivering a speech at a photographic exhibition in Ankara. Three other people were wounded. The gunman, a 22-year-old Turkish police officer who was wearing a suit …

No personal slight is too small for the next President of the United States. Donald Trump reopened an old feud this week, tweeting, “Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFair Magazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, …

Dealmaker: President-elect Trump has named Rex Tillerson, the chief of Exxon Mobil, to be Secretary of State. He has no government or foreign policy experience other than doing business overseas, but appears to be friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. …

In Denial: Donald Trump has chosen Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate change skeptic and ally of the fossil fuel industry, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.  Pruitt has been a leader in the fight against President Obama’s climate …

Earthquake: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the Aceh province on the island of Sumatra, burying an unknown number of people in homes and buildings. Indonesian authorities say up to 100 people are already known to be dead. Aceh was …

In Transition: Breaking with his campaign threat and the chant of supporters who said “Lock her up!” Donald Trump said he will not push for further investigations of his former opponent. Trump told a meeting of reporters and editors at …