Wednesday's Headlines: Key figures purged from Trump transition team

Poll finds tempered optimism after Trump victory, but doubts about mandate; Defiant LAPD chief says department won't aid Trump's deportation efforts; These Republicans said they’d never tolerate Trump — but then he won; Justice Sotomayor's carefully worded reaction to the election; How Stephen Bannon flattered and coaxed Trump on policies key to the alt-right; Democrats move to more aggressive stance against Trump ; W.Va. mayor resigns after comments about first lady; Sanders: Trump is breaking promise to 'drain the swamp'; Handful of NBA teams reportedly avoiding Trump hotels ;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Key figures purged from Trump transition team Donald Trump appeared to be increasingly uncomfortable with outsiders and suspicious of those considered part of what one insider called the "bicoastal elite." About his Cabinet decisions, Trump tweeted: "I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!" By Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller  •  Read more » Poll finds tempered optimism after Trump victory, but doubts about mandate Nationally, just 3 in 10 Americans — 29 percent — say he has a mandate to carry out the agenda he presented during the campaign, while 59 percent say he should compromise with Democrats when they strongly disagree with the specifics of his policy proposals. By Scott Clement and Dan Balz  •  Read more »   Defiant LAPD chief says department won't aid Trump's deportation efforts "If the federal government takes a more aggressive role on deportation, then they'll have to do that on their own," Charlie Beck said. By Peter Holley  •  Read more »   These Republicans said they’d never tolerate Trump — but then he won Never Trumpers and other GOP skeptics are now bargaining with the president-elect — and themselves. By Ben Terris  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Justice Sotomayor's carefully worded reaction to the election "I'm going to continue doing what I think is the right thing. That's the challenge we all have to face." By Robert Barnes  •  Read more »   How Stephen Bannon flattered and coaxed Trump on policies key to the alt-right The former Breitbart News chief who helped guide Donald Trump's victorious campaign is set to be one of the new president's most influential advisers. The clearest public sense of how the two will work together — and what policies Bannon may try to push — can be gleaned from a series of one-on-one interviews on Bannon's radio show. By David A. Fahrenthold and Frances Stead Sellers  •  Read more »   Democrats move to more aggressive stance against Trump A growing chorus of Democrats plan to focus on the immediate challenge of contesting Trump's appointments to key roles, especially those that require Senate confirmation. By Abby Phillip and John Wagner  •  Read more »   W.Va. mayor resigns after comments about first lady Mayor Beverly Whaling, who had commented approvingly on a Facebook post comparing the first lady to an ape, turned in her letter of resignation Tuesday. By Lexi Browning and Lindsey Bever  •  Read more »   Sanders: Trump is breaking promise to 'drain the swamp' Sens. Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse take aim at Donald Trump's inclusion of lobbyists and industry executives on his transition team. By Catherine Ho  •  Read more »   Handful of NBA teams reportedly avoiding Trump hotels It is not clear if all the teams are doing so for political reasons, but two are owned by well-known Hillary Clinton supporters, including the Mavericks' Mark Cuban. By Des Bieler  •  Read more »   Opinions   I told conservatives to work for Trump. One talk with his team changed my mind. By Eliot A. Cohen  •  Read more »   Give Steve Bannon a chance. It’s not like he’s literally Joseph Goebbels. By Alexandra Petri  •  Read more »   Is Steve Bannon really as bad as all that? By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Why Mike Rogers’s departure from the Trump team is alarming By David Ignatius  •  Read more »   Trump's campaign made it safe to hate again. Will he turn that around? By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   Michael Steele: Donald Trump is ‘the freest president we’ve had in a generation’ By Jonathan Capehart  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Trump administration could upend the Middle East President-elect Donald Trump's comments on the campaign trail suggested he would seek a recalibration of the existing order in the region — in favor of Russia, away from Shiite Iran and to the benefit of the Sunni gulf states and Turkey. By Liz Sly  •  Read more » House passes two sanctions bills, sending foreign policy message on Iran and Syria The Obama administration had sought to delay both measures, though the president never threatened a veto, and President-elect Donald Trump has yet to weigh in on either bill. By Karoun Demirjian  •  Read more » Ivy League students ask schools to be sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants In the wake of the election, petitions challenge university officials to provide a safe haven for students who aren't legally U.S. residents. By Susan Svrluga and Nick Anderson  •  Read more » Unswayed by extraordinary public outcry, China executes nail-gun killer Villager Jia Jinglong had exacted revenge on a local official for bulldozing his house just 18 days before his wedding. By Simon Denyer  •  Read more » Why Facebook and Google are struggling to get rid of fake news As criticism grows over the spread of phony stories online, the tech giants are seeking to exert financial leverage that could prompt sites to clean up their act. The move raises new questions about the companies' roles in exerting editorial control on the platforms. By Elizabeth Dwoskin, Caitlin Dewey and Craig Timberg  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Headlines. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071