Russia, China, Trump: Highlights from the last scheduled news conference of Barack Obama’s presidency

US president Barack Obama held his final press conference of 2016, and what will likely be the final news conference of his two terms in the White House, today (Dec. 16). He opened with observations about the improvement in the US economy over the past eight years, and the accomplishments of his administration in providing health insurance to millions of Americans who were previously uninsured. And he spoke about the escalating emergency in Aleppo, squarely pinning responsibility for the conflict and human suffering there on the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies. “This blood and these atrocities is on their hands,” he said.