Christmas Eve: This morning the NORAD Santa tracker spotted Santa’s sleigh over Dili, East Timor, headed for Babelboab, Palau. He’s on his way.

It’s going to be a White Christmas in large parts of the country. Winter storm and blizzard warnings are in effect from Nevada and Colorado up through the Dakotas and into northern Minnesota. A blizzard is possible across portions of the northern plains tomorrow, Christmas Day.

Unsettled: In a back-handed slap to Israel, the US yesterday abstained on a UN resolution to condemn the building of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, thereby allowing the measure to pass. Rather than veto, the US allowed the condemnation in a departure from standard US policy shielding Israel from UN action over the settlements.

It’s a reflection of President Obama’s frustration with Israel. The resolution describes settlement building as a “major obstacle” to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Allowing the resolution to pass was also a show of defiance to President-elect Donald Trump and the man he named to be the ambassador to Israel, both of whom support settlement building. “Our position is that there is one president at a time,” said Ben Rhodes, the White House national security adviser. “President Obama is the president until Jan. 20, and we are taking this action of course as US policy.”

The Tweeter–elect: Donald Trump tweeted yesterday that, “The terrorist who killed so many people in Germany said just before crime, “‘by God’s will we will slaughter you pigs, I swear, we will…… slaughter you.’ This is a purely religious threat, which turned into reality. Such hatred! When will the U.S., and all countries, fight back?”

As usual, Trump was not clear about what he means. Fight back against whom and where?

Fact and Fiction: The hijacking of a Libyan airliner ended peacefully in Malta yesterday with the release of all passengers and the arrest of the hijackers who were supporters of the late dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

The landing in Malta interrupted the shooting of a movie called “Entebbe” about the famous 1976 Israeli commando raid to free hostages held at the Entebbe airport in Uganda. The film crew took a break while the real hijacking played out.

Hollywood: Actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, is listed in stable condition in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Fisher, 60, is the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. She’s been very public about her troubles with drug and alcohol addiction.

The Obit Page: Vesna Vulovic, a former airline stewardess who survived the crash of an airliner from 33,000 feet, was found dead in her apartment in Belgrade at age 66.

On Jan. 26, 1972, The Serbian born Vulovic was working aboard a Yugolsav airliner that was shattered by an explosion. Vulovic was trapped in the tail by a luggage cart and fell 33,000 feet with the wreckage. A woodsman heard her screaming and rescued her. All the other 27 passengers and crew were killed.

Vulovic suffered serious injuries but recovered. The Guinness Book of World Records listed her as the survivor of the greatest fall without a parachute.

Heatwave: Temperatures at the North Pole are running about 20 degrees higher than normal today, hovering just at the freezing point of 32 degrees. It’s an Arctic heat wave. A senior researcher at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute told the BBC, that in pre-industrial times “a heatwave like this would have been extremely rare – we would expect it to occur about every 1,000 years”.

Scientists believe it’s the result of manmade climate change. They theorize that climate change is causing a swap of Arctic air for somewhat warmer air over the continents. Warmer Arctic, colder continents. Santa may have to move his workshop.

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