What to know now:
1. Debbie Reynolds dies: Actress Debbie Reynolds died Wednesday, a day after her daughter, actress and author Carrie Fisher, died after suffering a heart attack. Reynolds, who sprang to stardom as a teen in the iconic "Singin' in the Rain," became ill as she planned the funeral for her daughter, sources reported. Her son, Todd Fisher, said his sister's death was just "too much" for his mother. Reynolds was 84.
2. Russian retaliation: The White House is expected to announce Thursday that it will retaliate against Russia's alleged cyberattack against the United States. According to Obama administration officials, federal authorities will explain why they feel confident it was the Russian government that had a hand in hacking the Democratic National Committee and Jon Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager. The announcement is expected to include news of economic sanctions against Russia.
3. Jobs coming: The telecommunications company Sprint will be moving 5,000 of its offshore jobs back to the United States, president-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday. According to Trump, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, a Japanese billionaire investor, made the deal possible. Softbank owns 80 percent of Sprint. "Because of what's happening and the spirit and the hope, I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they're going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States and taking them from other countries," Trump told reporters. "And OneWeb, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people and that's very exciting." Son announced earlier this month that Softbank would invest $50 billion in the United States to create 50,000 jobs. According to both Sprint and OneWeb, the 8,000 jobs Trump announced Wednesday are part of the already promised 50,000 jobs.
4. Israel scolded: Secretary of State John Kerry presented the United States' case for abstaining from a vote in the United Nations last week that declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal. Kerry defended the so-called "two-state" solution for peace in the region, saying it's "the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians." Israel's president, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned Kerry's comments shortly after the 70-minute address, saying it was "almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel U.N. resolution from last week." He went on to chide Kerry adding, "We do not need to be lectured."
5. Ramsey lawsuit: Burke Ramsey, the older brother of JonBenet Ramsey, has filed a lawsuit seeking $750 million from CBS over a television documentary that suggested he killed his 6-year-old sister in 1996. The lawsuit claims that the network, its production company and the experts interviewed in the series "The Case of JonBenet Ramsey," defamed him for publicity and profit.
And one more
A comet will be visible near the moon on New Year's Eve, astronomers say, providing a different kind of New Year's firework. The comet called 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakove will be visible if the night is clear and you look to the west. You'll need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to see it. It was first discovered in 1948. It takes a little more than five years to complete its orbit, according to NASA.
In casae you missed it
Debbie Reynolds in "Singin' in the Rain."
