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NEW YORK (AP) — There are mixed signals coming from Trump Tower about the progress of the transition effort. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that the effort is proceeding "so smoothly.' There have been charges of turmoil and infighting. Eric Trump, the president-elect's son, told reporters in the morning that appointments were "likely" today. Then, other Trump aides suggested a slower pace. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said as he left Trump's transition headquarters in Washington that turmoil is "the nature of the process."
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders have halted a bid by some GOP lawmakers to restore earmarks, spending directives that steer funds to specific projects back home. Republican lawmakers were discussing the plan at a closed-door meeting today when Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the plug. Former Speaker John Boehner imposed a moratorium on earmarks several years ago after they became associated with boondoggle projects and corruption.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the public won't get to hear the evidence of whether Dylann Roof is competent to face a death penalty trial in the killings of nine black people in a Charleston, South Carolina, church. But Judge Richard Gergel will give media organizations a chance to argue against his ruling at a hearing tomorrow.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. officials say the engineer of a commuter train that slammed into a New Jersey station suffered from undiagnosed sleep apnea. One of the officials says investigators are looking at it as a potential cause. The train entered the station in Hoboken (HOH'-boh-kehn) at double the 10 mph speed limit, killing a woman. The engineer told investigators he had no memory of the crash and remembered waking up on the floor.
MARSHFIELD, Wis. (AP) — President Richard Nixon's first defense secretary, Melvin Laird, has died. Laird was 94. His family says Laird died today in Florida. The former Wisconsin congressman helped engineer the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. The Vietnam War had divided the country and killed some 58,000 U.S. troops.
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