U.S. Allows U.N. Security Council to Condemn Israeli Settlements and More You Missed in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. "U.N. Security Council demands end to Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains"

"The Obama administration on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from President-elect Donald Trump as well as Israel and several U.S. senators who urged Washington to use its veto. The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and Trump, who called the United States to veto the measure. It was adopted with 14 votes in favor, to a round of applause. It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years. The U.S. decision to abstain was a relatively rare step by Washington, which usually shields Israel from such action."

Read more at Reuters.

2. "Putin to Democratic Party: You lost, get over it"

"Russian President Vladi­mir Putin has a message for the White House and Democratic leaders who accuse him of stealing their candidate’s victory: Don’t be sore losers. That was how Putin answered a question Friday at his annual news conference about whether Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. The Democrats “are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame," he told more than 1,000 journalists packed into a Moscow convention hall for the nearly four-hour event. “In my view, this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.””

Read more at the Washington Post.

3. "Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri killed in Milan"

"Anis Amri, accused of a deadly strike on a Christmas market in Berlin that prompted a manhut across Europe, was has been shot dead by police in Milan. Amri, a Tunisian national,l fired on police who asked him for ID during a routine patrol early Friday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "relieved" that the attacker had been neutralized but added that Islamist terrorism was "a recurring threat to us." Her government's main priority was to protect German citizens, she told journalists, adding that this case had raised "many questions.””

Read more at the BBC.

4. "Hijacking of Libyan airliner to Malta ends peacefully"

"The hijacking of a Libyan airliner and diversion to the Mediterranean island of Malta ended without bloodshed on Friday, after the jet’s passengers and crew were released unharmed and the hijackers surrendered to authorities. All 111 passengers and six crew members were released and the two Libyan hijackers had been taken into custody. Ashraf Tulty, spokesman for the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, said the hijackers, who had threatened to blow up the plane with grenades, were seeking political asylum in Europe."

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

5. "Senator looks to expand protections for whistle-blowers"

"Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, responding to what she has called troubling weaknesses in protections for whistle-blowers, has asked federal agencies to provide information on senior managers who may have retaliated against employees who reported wrongdoing. The Democratic senator’s request was prompted by a statement in June from the Transportation Security Administration that said that despite a number of documented cases of such reprisals, neither the courts nor government agencies had confirmed whistle-blower retaliation by any senior manager at the agency."

Read more at the New York Times.

— Erin Wright

(Photo by Michael Jacobsen / Creative Commons)