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

By Diane Bartz and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a presidential rival-turned-supporter, has accepted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nomination to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Trump's transition team said on Monday. Carson, a popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, has been a close adviser to Trump since he dropped out of the 2016 Republican presidential primary contest and he is a vice chairman of Trump's transition