John Kerry Defends U.S. Approach to 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. "Kerry Defends U.S. Approach to Israel After U.N. Vote on Settlements"

"Secretary of State John Kerry launched a forceful defense of the Obama administration’s approach to Israel, warning that a two-state solution was in jeopardy in a speech outlining the administration’s vision for finding Middle East peace. Kerry said the U.S. decision to abstain from the vote was “in accordance with our values."”

"The address unfolded against a backdrop of an unusual back-and-forth between President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as both criticized the Obama administration, which still has three weeks left in office."

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

2. "US senators call for sanctions on Russia"

"Three prominent US senators have warned that Russia and its president may face sanctions over the country's alleged interference in last month's presidential election. Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham, and Democrat Amy Klobuchar, said the move had cross-party support. But it is not yet clear what the sanctions might involve. President-elect Donald Trump has rejected claims of Russian interference."

"Outgoing President Barack Obama is expected to announce a set of retaliatory measures including sanctions and diplomatic changes as early as Thursday. Russia foreign minister Maria Zakharova responded in a statement: "If Washington really does take new hostile steps, they will be answered. “Any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the US will immediately bounce back on US diplomats in Russia."”

Read more at the BBC.

3. "Trump accuses Obama of putting up roadblocks to a smooth transition"

"After having repeatedly praised President Obama’s efforts to ensure a smooth transition, President-elect Donald Trump reversed course on Wednesday, accusing the current occupant of the Oval Office of putting “roadblocks" in his way. Trump took to Twitter shortly after 9 a.m., saying he was “doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. “Thought it was going to be a smooth transition — NOT!” the Republican president-elect wrote.”

"Trump’s assessment comes amid days of verbal sparring between the outgoing and incoming president. During a ceremony Tuesday marking the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago, Obama cautioned against “the urge to turn inward" and stressed a need to “resist the urge to demonize those who are different” — remarks some thought were aimed partly at Trump..”

Read more at the Washington Post.

4. "Sanders, Dem leaders urge day of rallies to ‘save health care’"

"Democratic leaders are calling for rallies across the country to fight Republican efforts to overhaul Medicare and repeal ObamaCare. The Democratic leaders, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), wrote a letter to colleagues Wednesday calling for a “day of action" on Jan. 15. The leaders dubbed the effort, “Our First Stand: Save Health Care.””

"The Democrats are warning against Republican plans to repeal ObamaCare, pointing to a study from the Urban Institute that found about 30 million people would lose health insurance once repeal goes into effect."

Read more at The Hill.

5. "Turkey and Russia agree on draft Syria ceasefire"

"Turkey and Russia have reportedly agreed on a draft nationwide ceasefire in Syria, the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu said Wednesday. The report cited an unnamed* *source saying that Ankara and Moscow would try to bring a ceasefire into effect at midnight."

"The Anadolu report said that unspecified "terrorist organizations" would be excluded from the deal. In past agreements, "terrorist organizations" have included ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra."

Read more at CNN.

— Erin Wright

(Photo by Center for American Progress / Flickr)