After hesitation, Carson accepts Trump's offer to head U.S. housing department

By Doina Chiacu and Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a rival-turned-supporter of Donald Trump, overcame his stated qualms about a lack of government experience on Monday to accept the president-elect's nomination to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carson, a popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, has been a close adviser to Trump since dropping out of the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest. Trump's Cabinet picks so fa