memeorandum: Trump Names Jason Greenblatt Representative for International Negotiations (Peter Grant/Wall Street Journal)

10:40 PM ET, December 23, 2016

Top Items:

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Why Obama broke with Israel at UN — The White House's decision to break with decades of U.S. policy and allow the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements is the culmination of years of bad blood between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com and RedState

New York Times:

Rebuffing Israel, U.S. Allows Censure Over Settlements — UNITED NATIONS — Defying extraordinary pressure from President-elect Donald J. Trump and furious lobbying by Israel, the Obama administration on Friday allowed the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemned Israeli settlement construction.

Discussion: CNN, The New Americana, Washington Post, New York Magazine, RT, The Resurgent, The Times of Israel, Vocativ, Hot Air, The Week, Althouse, Instapundit, The Talking Dog and Power Line

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Trump warns UN after Israel vote: ‘Things will be different’ soon — slammed the Obama administration for its decision not to veto a U.N. resolution critical of Israel's settlements, promising that it would be “different” under his presidency. — “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” Trump tweeted Friday.

Discussion: RedState, Fox News, USA Today, Power Line, The Times of Israel, New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, CBS New York, The Gateway Pundit, KTLA, TheBlaze and The Right Scoop

Uri Friedman / The Atlantic:

It's Official: America Has Two Presidents at One Time — What happens when the most powerful country in the world effectively has two presidents at once? Its policy regarding one of the most complex conflicts on the planet collapses into a muddled mess. — Or, more precisely …

Discussion: CNN, New York Times and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

J Street:

J Street Welcomes US Abstention on UNSC Resolution — J Street welcomes the decision today by the Obama administration to abstain from voting on a United Nations Security Council resolution, which reaffirms the need for a two-state solution and calls for a halt to actions by both sides that serve to undermine the prospects for peace.

Discussion: New York Times, Business Insider and Donald J. Trump

Josef Federman / Associated Press:
ISRAEL ACCUSES OBAMA OF ANTI-ISRAELI ‘SHAMEFUL MOVE’ AT UN

Discussion: Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review and ABC News

Carol Morello / Washington Post:
U.S. declines to veto U.N. Security Council resolution for Israel to stop Jewish settlement activity

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Booman Tribune

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
Obama marks start of Hanukkah

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Michelle Nichols / Reuters:
U.N. Security Council denounces Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera English, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, PoliPundit.com, Common Dreams, Wall Street Journal and CNN

Richard Winton / Los Angeles Times:

Actress Carrie Fisher is in critical condition after a ‘cardiac episode’ on flight from London to L.A. — Actress Carrie Fisher, shown in 2007, was taken to a hospital Friday after a “cardiac episode” on a flight from London to Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Discussion: The Guardian, WATE-TV, KTLA, Deadline, Washington Post, TheBlaze, Gizmodo, FOX40, FOX31 Denver, Scared Monkeys, The Root, NPR, New Urban Legends, abc7.com, GuideLive, Refinery29, New York's PIX11, CBS Philly, WJTV and Balloon Juice

Jennifer Smith / Daily Mail:

Carrie Fisher, 60, suffers heart attack on transatlantic flight where fellow passengers resorted to giving the star CPR — The 60-year-old was rushed to hospital immediately after landing and is said to be in critical condition — Carrie Fisher suffered a massive heart attack on board …

Discussion: Raw Story, TMZ.com, FOX6Now.com, Jezebel and Independent Journal Review

The Buffalo News:

On Paladino's ‘wish list’ for 2017: Obama dead of mad cow disease — When Artvoice asked Buffalo developer and School Board member Carl Paladino what he wanted to see happen in 2017, he didn't filter his responses — and the controversial, crude answers are causing a firestorm on social media.

Discussion: Mediaite, artvoice.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Occupy Democrats, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog and AOL

Jamie Moses / artvoice.com:

WHAT DO WE WANT FOR 2017? We have a Lot of Different Opinions — THE QUESTIONS WE POSED: — 1. What would you most like to happen in 2017? — 2. What would you like to see go away in 2017? — 3. Who would you like to see run for mayor of Buffalo in next year's election?

Discussion: The Huffington Post, New Urban Legends, Associated Press, Mediaite, New York Times, The Guardian, Little Green Footballs, Jezebel, Business Insider, FOX40, alan.com and Political Wire

Evelyn Rupert / The Hill:

Trump team: NY co-chair's remarks about Obamas ‘reprehensible’ — 's team condemned the racist comments one of its former state co-chairmen made about the Obamas Thursday. — Carl Paladino, the Trump campaign's former New York co-chairman, said in an interview with a Buffalo alternative magazine …

Discussion: RedState

Jon Campbell / USA Today:
N.Y. developer Carl Paladino's ‘gorilla’ remark spurs outrage

Discussion: Mediaite

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Ally's '17 Wish List: Prez Obama ‘Dies’, Michelle ‘Set Loose’ In Africa

Discussion: Mediaite

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Trump ‘friend’ and N.Y. campaign co-chair says he wants Obama dead of ‘mad cow disease’ in 2017

Discussion: BuzzFeed

Alan Henry / Broadway World:

Rockettes Union Calls Boycotting Inauguration ‘Invalid’ — BroadwayWorld has obtained and confirmed the authenticity of an email sent from the American Guild of Variety Artists to what appears to be Rockettes in its membership as a response to the announcement that some Rockettes …

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:
Pressure grows on Mormon choir over Trump inauguration

Discussion: The Daily Caller and RedState

Itay Hod / The Wrap:
Radio City Rockettes ‘Appalled’ Over Trump Inauguration Command Performance

Discussion: Billboard, BizPac Review, Mediaite, CNBC, Maryland Scramble and Mic

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
Rockettes Parent Company Says Inauguration Participation Is ‘Voluntary’

Discussion: Mashable

Phoebe Pearl / PerezHilton:
EXCLUSIVE! The Rockettes Are Performing At Donald Trump's Inauguration — And The Dancers …

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Times, CNN, BizPac Review, The Atlantic, RT, Deadline and New Urban Legends

Andrew Reynolds / Raleigh News & Observer:

North Carolina is no longer classified as a democracy — In 2005, in the midst of a career of traveling around the world to help set up elections in some of the most challenging places on earth - Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, Lebanon, South Africa, Sudan and Yemen, among others - my Danish colleague …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, Jezebel, ThinkProgress, AOL, Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Week and Grist

David Filipov / Washington Post:

Putin to Democratic Party: You lost, get over it — MOSCOW — Russia's President Vladimir Putin has a message for the White House and Democratic leaders who accuse him of stealing their victory: Don't be sore losers. — That was how Putin answered a question Friday about whether Russia interfered …

Discussion: ABC News, Mediaite, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Occupy Democrats, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, TheBlaze, Mother Jones and No More Mister Nice Blog

Harper Neidig / The Hill:
Trump shares letter from Putin: ‘His thoughts are so correct’

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider, The Atlantic, New York Times, The Week, Hot Air and Mediaite

Yochi Dreazen / Vox:
Trump seemed to call for more nuclear weapons. His aides say he didn't mean it. He says he did.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, CNN, Telegraph, CNBC, Raw Story, Business Insider, Politico, Motherboard, WKRG-TV, Daily Kos, Sputnik International, Townhall.com and Politicus USA

Victoria Craw / NEWS.com.au:

French woman wants to marry a robot as expert predicts sex robots to become preferable to humans — French woman Lilly wants to marry her robot. Picture: Twitter. — ON THE surface, Lilly seems like a blushing young woman ready to marry the man of her dreams who makes her “totally happy.”

Discussion: Daily Mail, Raw Story, Jezebel and alan.com

Peter Grant / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Names Jason Greenblatt Representative for International Negotiations — Trump Organization's chief legal officer advised campaign on U.S.-Israel relations — President-elect Donald Trump has named Jason D. Greenblatt, the Trump Organization's chief legal officer …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Daily Kos and Political Insider blog

New York Times:

Was Barack Obama Bad for Democrats? — President Obama will be remembered as a thoughtful and dignified president who led a scrupulously honest administration that achieved major changes. — People argue over whether his impatience with politicians and Republican intransigence denied …

Discussion: EPIC JOURNEY

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Populism, Real and Phony

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michelle Goldberg / Slate:

Why Did Planned Parenthood Supporters Vote Trump? — A series of maddening focus groups suggest Clinton made it easier for voters to reconcile themselves to Trump. — Shortly before the election, Politico and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health surveyed voters on health care policy.