Dec 8 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
- U.S. stocks posted their biggest rally since the election, sending major indexes to fresh records as investors increasingly conclude President-elect Donald Trump will be good for business and the economy. http://on.wsj.com/2h8mFLj
- The CEOs of AT&T Inc and Time Warner Inc on Wednesday defended their proposed $85 billion merger to lawmakers, trying to navigate a tricky political landscape in which President-elect Donald Trump has expressed hostility to the deal. http://on.wsj.com/2hjV7yR
- President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday chose Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a transition official, turning to a climate-change skeptic and sharp critic of the agency to take its helm. http://on.wsj.com/2gbVAae
- Rampant use of an accounting sleight of hand means Chinese banks don't have to set aside capital to cover potential losses, sowing fears of a crisis. http://on.wsj.com/2hkJhV0
- President-elect Donald Trump turned to a third retired military officer to help him run the country when he takes office in January, a move that represents an unusual level of military influence in the executive branch. http://on.wsj.com/2hlLn7r
- Passage of legislation aimed at speeding up Food and Drug Administration approvals, combined with an incoming president who has pledged to "cut red tape" at the agency, is expected to usher in a new, more industry-friendly era of drug and device regulation. http://on.wsj.com/2h7fbbb
- Syrian rebels on Wednesday proposed a civilian evacuation and negotiations over the future of Aleppo, a stark admission the opposition is all but defeated in a divided city seen as a bellwether in the country's nearly six-year war. http://on.wsj.com/2gb850P (Compiled by Aurindom Mukherjee in Bengaluru)