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

12:40 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, Refinery29, The Root, Mediaite, Independent Journal Review, AOL, Outside the Beltway 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: RedState, Mashable, New York Magazine, CBS Los Angeles, WSPA-TV, FOX6Now.com, Jezebel, Mediaite, Deadline, The Jawa Report and Infowars

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: Washington Post, Deadline, RedState, Mediaite, Page Six, Mashable, Independent Journal Review, AOL, CBS Chicago, alan.com and New York Magazine

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: New Urban Legends and Liberty Unyielding

Steve Almasy / CNN:
Report: Debbie Reynolds hospitalized

Discussion: The Last Refuge and TheBlaze

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, The Economic Collapse and USA Today

Bloomberg:

Obama's Betrayal of Israel at the UN Must Not Stand — President Barack Obama's ill-advised decision to order the U.S. to abstain on a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements breaks with past U.S. policy, undermines a vital ally and sets back the cause of Middle East peace.

Discussion: neo-neocon and Instapundit

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:

John Kerry's Final, Harmful Insult to Israel — A shameful end to the Obama foreign policy. — In the Obama administration's waning days, global challenges to American interests abound. In Syria, which will be a bloody stain on the reputations of Barack Obama and John Kerry, the killing continues.

Discussion: Power Line, The Times of Israel and Washington Free Beacon

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

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

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Kerry Rebukes Israel, Calling Settlements a Threat to Peace

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Political Wire, Associated Press, Al Jazeera English, Common Dreams, Liberal Values, NPR, New York Magazine, CNN, Josh Blackman's Blog, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, twitchy.com, BizPac Review and Politico

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Inside the coming war between the United States and the United Nations

Discussion: Hot Air, TheBlaze, Business Insider, NPR, The Atlantic, ThinkProgress, Associated Press, BizPac Review, Political Wire, New York Times, Independent Journal Review, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sputnik International and The Week

Marissa Newman / The Times of Israel:
Erekat: Leaked transcript with Kerry, Rice ‘lies and half-truths’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Hot Air, The Resurgent, RedState and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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

Discussion: Power Line, Jerusalem Post and Politicus USA

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Leaked Document: U.S. Colluded With Palestinians 10 Days Before UN Settlements Vote

Discussion: New York Times, Ya Libnan, TheBlaze, Townhall.com, BizPac Review, Common Dreams, The Times of Israel and The Daily Caller

The White House:

Statement by the President on the Designation of Bears Ears National Monument and Gold Butte National Monument — Today, I am designating two new national monuments in the desert landscapes of southeastern Utah and southern Nevada to protect some of our country's most important cultural treasures …

Discussion: The Verge, Politicus USA and twitchy.com

Russell Begaye / The White House:
How President Obama Has Protected Our Sacred Land for Future Generations

Discussion: KTLA and The Daily Caller

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

Discussion: Mother Jones and New York Magazine

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:

Trump says Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs back to the US; OneWeb will create 3,000 jobs — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States from overseas, while another company OneWeb will add 3,000 jobs in the U.S.

Discussion: Post On Politics and The Gateway Pundit

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

Discussion: ABC News, Engadget, Politico and Talking Points Memo

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

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

Michael Moore / Facebook:

5 Things You Can Do Right Now About Donald J. Trump - from Michael Moore — It's been seven weeks since Hillary beat Trump by nearly 3 million votes but lost the presidency to him. So if your head is still spinning from that mindf***, or you can't quite believe a malignant narcissist …

Discussion: Raw Story, BizPac Review, twitchy.com, Independent Journal Review, Mediaite and Fox News Insider

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 and Raw Story

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: 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: The Root, The Hill, The Guardian, Recode, The Week, Fox News Insider, AOL and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: Infowars, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Sabrina Siddiqui / The Guardian:

Reporting while Muslim: how I covered the US presidential election — “We should exterminate them.” — The words rolled off the voter's tongue as though he was merely discussing a pest invasion in his home. He was talking about Muslims. — I froze as I became suddenly aware of my own Muslim identity …

Discussion: Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Ryan Cooper / The Week:

The Republican plot to devour retirees' nest eggs — Perhaps the most monstrous thing about the American medical system — and the bar for that title is high indeed — is predatory billing. — A great many medical providers adjust their prices based on how defenseless the patient is …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Hullabaloo

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump makes last-minute push to add Hispanic to Cabinet — President-elect Donald Trump, who repeatedly lashed out at Mexican immigrants during the campaign, is scrambling to appoint a Hispanic official to serve in his Cabinet amid criticism that his incoming administration lacks diversity at the highest levels.

Los Angeles Times: Former California lieutenant governor will meet with Trump to discuss running Agriculture department

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Obama Bests Trump as Most Admired Man in 2016 — PRINCETON, N.J. — Americans are most likely to name President Barack Obama as the man they admire most in 2016. Twenty-two percent mentioned Obama in response to the open-ended question. President-elect Donald Trump was second at 15%.

Discussion: Slate, CNBC, ABC News, Refinery29, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Mashable, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Politicus USA, Washington Post, twitchy.com and Washington Times

Lindsey Ellefson / Mediaite:

After Backlash, Steve Martin Deletes His Twitter Tribute to Carrie Fisher — Earlier today, iconic actress Carrie Fisher died, prompting reactions from all around the entertainment industry and beyond. One reaction was from Steve Martin, who reportedly tweeted, “When I was a young man …