memeorandum: With new monuments in Nevada, Utah, Obama adds to his environmental legacy (Juliet Eilperin/Washington Post)

10:10 AM ET, December 29, 2016

Top Items:

Carmel Dagan / Variety:

Debbie Reynolds, ‘Singin’ in the Rain' Star and Carrie Fisher's Mother, Dies at 84 — Debbie Reynolds, the Oscar-nominated singer-actress who was the mother of late actress Carrie Fisher, has died at Cedars-Sinai hospital. She was 84. — “She wanted to be with Carrie,” her son Todd Fisher told Variety.

Discussion: TMZ.com, Page Six, The Root, Refinery29, Mediaite, Independent Journal Review, Althouse and GuideLive

TMZ.com:

Debbie Reynolds — DEAD AT 84 — Debbie Reynolds — who rose to stardom in “Singin' in the Rain” and quickly became a staple among Hollywood royalty — died Wednesday as a result of a stroke, TMZ has learned ... just one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher passed away ... this according to her son Todd.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine, Mashable, RedState, CBS Los Angeles, WSPA-TV, FOX6Now.com, Jezebel, Mediaite and Deadline

TMZ.com:

Debbie Reynolds Rushed to Hospital for Possible Stroke (AUDIO + VIDEO) — Debbie Reynolds — Rushed to Hospital for Possible Stroke — EXCLUSIVE — 2:53 PM PT — We've learned Debbie's condition when she was taken to the hospital was listed as “fair to serious.”

Discussion: Mediaite, Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Deadline, Page Six, Mashable, RedState, Independent Journal Review, myfox8.com, TheBlaze, AOL, Telegraph, CBS Chicago and alan.com

Mike Barnes / Hollywood Reporter:
Debbie Reynolds, Mother of Carrie Fisher and Star of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,' Dies at 84

Discussion: AOL and Suburban Guerrilla …

Los Angeles Times:
Debbie Reynolds rushed to the hospital after falling ill; condition unknown

Discussion: CNN and New Urban Legends

Bloomberg:

Obama Calls Trump After Twitter Complaint About ‘Roadblocks’ — Detente strained between the outgoing and incoming presidents — Republican angered by UN resolution on Israel, election remark — U.S. President Barack Obama phoned his successor, Donald Trump, after the Republican accused Obama …

Discussion: Politico, alan.com, Political Wire, The Economic Collapse and USA Today

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

What's really bugging Trump about Obama — Donald Trump can't decide whether he thinks the transition of power is going well or not. — But he knows he doesn't like how much attention Barack Obama is getting and is also bothered by what Trump and his closest advisers see as an active effort …

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Bibi Netanyahu Makes Trump His Chump — For those of you confused over the latest fight between President Obama and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, let me make it simple: Barack Obama and John Kerry admire and want to preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state in the Land of Israel.

Peter Martin / Sydney Morning Herald:
Julie Bishop backs Israel rather than the US over UN resolution

Discussion: The Times of Israel

Bloomberg:
Obama's Betrayal of Israel at the UN Must Not Stand

Discussion: neo-neocon and Instapundit

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:
John Kerry's Final, Harmful Insult to Israel

Discussion: Power Line and Washington Free Beacon

David Remnick / New Yorker:
The Obama Administration's Final Warning on the Middle East Peace Process

Discussion: Power Line, The Week, Josh Blackman's Blog, New York Times, twitchy.com and BizPac Review

Fox News:
Kerry rips ‘settler agenda’ in speech defending UN vote, Israeli PM fires back

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Caller and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

John Kerry / US Department of State:
Remarks on Middle East Peace

Discussion: Washington Post, Power Line, Jerusalem Post, New York Times, The Times of Israel and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Trump Takes Credit for Sprint Plan to Add 5,000 Jobs in U.S. — By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ and MICHAEL J. de la MERCEDDecember 28, 2016 — President-elect Donald J. Trump took credit on Wednesday for a decision by Sprint to add 5,000 jobs in the United States, as he tried to deliver on his promise …

Discussion: RedState

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
Trump takes credit for Sprint plan to keep 5,000 jobs in the US

Discussion: Post On Politics and The Gateway Pundit

Jennifer Epstein / Bloomberg:
Trump Says Billionaire Masa Son Adds U.S. Jobs at Sprint, OneWeb

Discussion: MSNBC, ABC News, Washington Post, Engadget, The Week, Mother Jones, Politico and Talking Points Memo

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Trump takes credit for new domestic jobs at Sprint

Discussion: Politicus USA, ABC News, BizPac Review, Infowars and Washington Times

Russell Begaye / The White House:

How President Obama Has Protected Our Sacred Land for Future Generations — I am very proud to be both Navajo and American. As the President of the Navajo Nation, I've dedicated my life to ensuring that, as a Najavo, my story—and our stories—are part of our collective American history.

Discussion: Hot Air, BizPac Review, twitchy.com, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller and KTLA

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
With new monuments in Nevada, Utah, Obama adds to his environmental legacy

Discussion: Suburban Guerrilla …, The Week and Mother Jones

The White House:
Statement by the President on the Designation of Bears Ears National Monument and Gold Butte National Monument

Discussion: The Verge and Politicus USA

Richard Johnson / Page Six:

DC private schools giving Kellyanne Conway the brush-off — MORE FROM: — Kellyanne Conway is worried establishment elites in Washington, DC, are so prejudiced against President-elect Trump that she won't be able to get her kids into private school in the nation's capital.

Discussion: The Resurgent, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Trump on alleged election interference by Russia: ‘Get on with our lives’ — President-elect Donald Trump distanced himself Wednesday night from the Obama administration's plans to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, telling reporters that “I think we ought to get on with our lives.”

Discussion: Politico, The Root, The Week, New York Magazine, The Hill, Recode and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
Obama administration prepares sanctions, retaliation for Russian election meddling

Discussion: Infowars

Ryan Browne / CNN:

US military could carry out first execution in over 50 years — (CNN)A former US Army soldier who has been on death row since 1988 for raping and murdering several women could now face execution after a judge denied his bid for another stay of execution. — Judge J. Thomas Marten …

Discussion: alan.com

CNN:

Syria ceasefire deal reached between regime and rebels, Russia says — Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)The Syrian government and opposition rebels have agreed terms for a ceasefire in the country's long-running civil war, Vladimir Putin announced. — According to Russian state media TASS …

Discussion: The Hill, The Week and Althouse

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Scam Pastor to Pray With Trump At Inauguration — In 2007, TV preacher Paula White got investigated by the U.S. Senate for her shady fundraising practices. — Ten years later, she will pray at Trump's inauguration. — Yes, really. — White is a televangelist with a huge audience and a knack for stirring controversy.

Discussion: Politicus USA and Raw Story

George Soros / Project Syndicate RSS-Feed:

Open Society Needs Defending — Open societies are in crisis, and various forms of closed societies - from fascist dictatorships to mafia states - are on the rise. Because elected leaders failed to meet voters' legitimate expectations and aspirations, electorates have become disenchanted …

Discussion: Vox Popoli and Infowars

Fox News:

Steve Martin deletes Twitter tribute to Carrie Fisher after backlash — Actor Steve Martin speaks onstage at the 75th Annual Peabody Awards in New York, U.S. May 21, 2016. (Reuters) — Steve Martin received backlash for a tribute he paid to Carrie Fisher on Twitter.