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.

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 …

GOP Readies Swift Obamacare Repeal With No Replacement in Place  —  Senate will start in early January to repeal health-care law  —  Republicans split over how long to delay replacement plan  —  The first major act of the unified Republican government in 2017 will be a vote in Congress to begin tearing down Obamacare.

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.

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 …

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.

Trump on Russian hacking: ‘Computers have complicated lives very greatly’  —  on Wednesday said he thinks computers have made people's lives much more complex when asked about Russian hacking.  —  “I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly,” the president-elect said Wednesday …

Nevada's voter-OK'ed gun background checks blocked  —  Final update  —  The expansion of gun background checks approved by Nevada voters last month will not happen as expected, based on an opinion released Wednesday by the Nevada Attorney General's Office.

Syrian Government Announces Truce Backed by Russia and Turkey  —  MOSCOW — The Syrian government and its most important ally, Russia, announced on Thursday that they had reached a cease-fire agreement with Syrian rebels and with Turkey — a potential turning point in a civil war …

Americans — especially but not exclusively Trump voters — believe crazy, wrong things  —  Many Americans believe a lot of dumb, crazy, destructive, provably wrong stuff.  Lately this is especially (though not exclusively) true of Donald Trump voters, according to a new survey.

David Fahrenthold tells the behind-the-scenes story of his year covering Trump  —  “Arnold and Tim, if you'd come up, we're going to give you a nice, beautiful check,” Donald Trump said.  He held up an oversize check, the kind they give to people who win golf tournaments.  It was for $100,000.

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 …

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 …

Hawaii restaurant tells Trump voters to eat someplace else  —  Café 8 ½ in Honolulu, Hawaii, is facing harsh criticism for hanging a sign on its front door that tells voters who cast their ballot for President-elect Donald Trump  —  to eat elsewhere.  —  “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here!