Interesting Reads for Friday, 23 December 2016: Obama Protects Atheists, Berlin Terrorist Shot Dead, How Life Began

Obama Signs Law Protecting Atheists from Religious Persecution (Snopes)

Berlin Attack Suspect Anis Amri Shot Dead In Milan, Italy (BBC)

41 Dead in Siberia After Drinking Bath Perfume as If It Were Alcohol (Seeker)

The Arctic Could End This Year With Record Breaking Heat Wave Temperatures (Think Progress)

Critical Planning for Climate-Ready Fisheries (NRDC National Resources Defense Council)

The 7km abyss deep under the ocean: Biggest fault on Earth found inside the deadly 'ring of fire' (The Daily Mail, UK)

The Secret Of How Life Began On Earth (BBC "Best Read" )

Google and Honda Team Up To Make Autonomous Cars (Wired)

Unions Make A Comeback in Vancouver, WA (KUOW 94.9 FM)

Union Wins Against Trump™ International Hotel, Las Vegas; Also, Employees Win Right To Unionize In New Trump™ International Hotel, Washington D.C. (Common Dreams)

Two More Trump Advisers Are Ditching “Drain The Swamp”; Corey Lewandowski & Barry Bennett Open Up Shop A Block From White House (Bloomberg)

How Did a Nation Crippled by Wall Street Billionaires End Up With Them Running the Country? (Wall Street On Parade)

Trumpxuberance . . . Until It’s Not! (James Kunstler)

NBC Nightly News: Unions Join Occupy Wall Street, Protests Spread Across America

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Counterpunch: When Only "Crazies" See the Bank Giveaway for What It Was

The Automatic Earth: "A Low Thunder Rolling 'Cross The Plains"

Union files for election at Ikea's first U.S. factory

Business/Economic/Housing News for Jan. 2 through Jan. 8, 2010

Government News:

Illinois Has Days to Plug $13 Billion Deficit That Took Years to Produce

Incoming New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cuts pay for himself and senior administration officials

Governor Brown says he will release a "painful" new California budget next week

Half Moon Bay, CA, fighting insolvency, might outsource its police department

New Jersey wants to seize your unused gift cards

Housing News:

Bank of America agrees to pay Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac $2.8 Billion in settlement over 12,045 bad Countrywide loans it sold the two

Florida Condos: Banks no longer making loans to condo buyers if 15% of units in a condo building are not up to date on their condo fees

Housing specialist says now is the time to sell before banks flood the market with stealth inventory

Economic News:

Gold hits all time closing high, silver close highest since 1980

Oil hits 26 week high ($92.66 a barrel) on first day of trading in 2011

Optimism riding high in Alberta oilpatch: 2011 seen as 'largest year ever' for drilling

Generation Y: the new depression generation?

European debt markets 'face second credit crisis'

Google to be your next phone company?

Layoffs/Hirings:

My Space to downsize half its employees in preparation for possible sale

Cape Canaveral to layoff 150 United Space Alliance workers this week

Dollar General plans to open 625 new stores in 2011 and hire 6,000 people

Tech, gaming support firm to add 408 jobs in western N.C

Best of the Web:

Public Workers Face Outrage as Budget Crises Grow - New York Times

Why Mortgage-Backed Securities Aren't (Backed by Securities): How MERS Toasted the Banks - L. Randall Wray, Huff Post

Hiding A Depression: How The Government Does It - Daniel Amerman, Safe Haven

Baby Boomers' Retirements In Jeopardy - Time Magazine

Dude, Where's My Job? - The Burning Platform