Business Matters: Donald Trump announced via Twitter this morning that he is separating himself from his businesses to run the country. “Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!” he said. He wrote, “I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses.”

The president-elect has been the target of withering criticism that he has conflicts of interest with foreign and economic policy all over the world. Trump said he would make a formal announcement of his arrangements on Dec. 15.

On the Job: In what appears to be his first major coup in saving American jobs, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce tomorrow that he has convinced Carrier Air Conditioning to keep more than 1,000 jobs in Indiana, rather than move them to Mexico. Many of Carrier’s 2,000 jobs in Indiana will go to Mexico, but the majority will stay.

In return, Trump is expected to deliver campaign promises to ease business regulations and lower the corporate tax. Carrier is owned by United Technologies, which gets about 10 percent of its business from the US government.

In Transition: Donald Trump ate dinner in New York last night with Mitt Romney, a clear signal that the two are trying to figure out whether they get past their campaign bitterness and work together in the new administration. With the dinner date, Romney is looking like the prime candidate for Secretary of State. Romney said after the dinner, “He continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together.” He must want the job badly.

Trump is expected to announce several appointments today.

-Steve Mnuchin, a financier and Hollywood producer — that means he put up the money — to be Secretary of the Treasury. He was Trump’s campaign finance chairman.

– Elaine Chao, Transportation Secretary. She’s been around Washington for 20 years and knows how things work. She was Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush. This is a big one. She’ll be in charge of Trump’s promise to rebuild the transportation system. She’s married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

-Wilbur Ross, Commerce. Ross is a billionaire who says the US has been victim to bad trade agreements and he has caked for steep tariffs on goods from China.

Nation: Evidence suggests that the Somali-born student who drove his car into pedestrians Monday, then attacked people with a knife, was inspired by ISIS but not a member. Abdul Razak Ali Artan had complained online about the treatment of Muslims in the US and around the world. Still, the Islamic State took credit for his actions and called him a “soldier of the Islamic State.” — Three people are dead in late-season wildfires burning near Gatlinburg, Tenn. in the Smoky Mountains. About 14,000 have been evacuated. The fires have destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around the resort area that is home to Dolly Parton’s “Dollywood.”

Black Lives: North Charleston, SC police officer Michael Slager testified in court yesterday that he feared for his life when he shot and killed an unarmed black motorist he had pulled over in a traffic stop. Slager said the motorist, Walter Scott, had grabbed his Taser. “I saw that Taser coming at me,” he said. “I fired until the threat was stopped, like I’m trained to do.”

Video taken by a bystander shows Scott turning and running away, and Slager firing eight times at his back. When Scott was down, Slager picked up a small black object at his feet then walked over and dropped it by Scott’s body.

Small Screen: Today Show host Matt Lauer, who delivered the weakest performance as a presidential debate moderator, is reported to have agreed to a $20 million a year contract that will keep him on the show at least two more years. That’s what NBC pays for poor performance.

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