by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, December 6.
- COP15: Five Things to Watch at the Biggest Biodiversity Summit (“The 15th UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) aims to hammer out measures to protect the world’s ecosystems, a goal that could make a substantive difference to climate change.”)
- Renewables to overtake coal and become biggest source of electricity generation by 2025: IEA (“IEA chief Fatih Birol said the global energy crisis had kicked renewables ‘into an extraordinary new phase of even faster growth as countries seek to capitalise on their energy security benefits.'”)
- Scientists thought carbon emissions had peaked. They’ve never been higher.
- Why American Aluminum Plants Emit Far More Climate Pollution Than Some of Their Counterparts Abroad
- We can win a battle of production lines with Russia. But there’s a better way. (“The best solution would be to help Ukraine win the war faster by providing it with higher-end weapons systems such as F-16 fighters, long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), Abrams tanks and Gray Eagle drones that the Biden administration has so far refused to supply”)
- A week in the life of Vladimir Putin
- The West should do whatever it takes to help Ukrainians survive the winter
- Blinken Warns Against Phony Off-Ramp in Ukraine War (“Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia may be looking for a way to step back from Ukraine without negotiating a lasting peace agreement.”)
- Putin Grips Economy Tighter to Supply Russian War Machine
- Top US conservatives pushing Russia’s spin on Ukraine war, experts say (“Some of the Kremlin’s most blatant falsehoods aimed at undercutting US aid are promoted by major figures on the right”)
- Ukraine Targets Bases Deep in Russia, Showing Expanded Reach (“Launching drones at air bases 300 miles from its own territory, Ukraine changed the geography of the war. It said it had developed drones with a range of over 600 miles.”)
- Army plans ‘dramatic’ ammo production boost as Ukraine drains stocks
- Russian airfield hit, day after drone strikes on bases
- Emergency power shutdowns in Ukraine after attacks (“President Zelensky says Ukraine’s power grid needs to be stabilised after another wave of deadly Russian strikes.”)
- Attacks on Russian air bases put spotlight on new Ukrainian drone program
- Germany backtracks on defense spending promises made after Ukraine invasion (Pathetic.)
- China’s protests are testing the surveillance state (“Protests in China might force the government to back down from its extreme Covid-19 restrictions and ramp up its extreme surveillance.”)
- EU, Western Balkans to boost partnership amid Ukraine war
- Indonesia’s Parliament votes to ban sex outside of marriage
- Axios-Ipsos poll: Few COVID worries for the holidays
- Supreme Court Seems Ready to Back Web Designer Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage (Of course it is.)
- Justice Alito jokes about Black Santa, Ashley Madison during Supreme Court arguments
- Alito’s mentions of Ashley Madison and children wearing KKK costumes cap an awkward Supreme Court day
- Alito jokes about Black kids in KKK outfits during Supreme Court argument
- Alito’s Quip About Black Children in KKK Outfits Creates Awkward Supreme Court Moment
- Monday’s Oral Arguments at SCOTUS Were Even More Off-the-Rails Than Usual
- Sam Alito Is Prepping for a Second Act as a Canceled Comedian (Alito is a seriously f’ed-up human being who has no business being on any court, let alone the Supreme Court.)
- Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Far-Reaching Elections Case
- This dubious constitutional theory could undermine elections (“Democracy depends on the checks and balances among courts, governors and legislatures.”)
- Is Samuel Alito the Biggest Sleazebag on the Supreme Court? A Brief Investigation (“On Monday, the conservative justice joked about the KKK and about his colleague using a website that facilitates affairs.”)
- How the ‘independent legislature’ case before SCOTUS could upend elections
- Congress working to strike last-minute immigration deals
- Finally, a bipartisan deal to help the ‘dreamers’ is within reach
- The alternative-media industrial complex (“Elon Musk is the latest patron for an alternative-media ecosystem — right-leaning but not conventionally Republican — that has emerged in the last two years.”)
- Pelosi, Democrats seek string of victories in final days (“The ambitious list not only makes this year’s lame duck potentially among the most momentous in modern memory, but would also enable Pelosi to go out championing issues that have defined her long leadership career.”)
- There’s Nothing Stranger Than the Right’s Fixation With Hunter Biden (It is truly bizarre.)
- Yes, Republicans Still Pose a Threat to Democracy (“The 2022 results do not show that the GOP has given up on ruling without majority support whenever it can or must.”)
- Republicans should have booted Trump long before he threatened the Constitution (“Republicans are stuck with an insurrectionist at war with democracy.”)
- Manhattan DA Hires Ex-DOJ Official to Help Lead Trump Investigation
- Surprise: Trump Had Millions in Undisclosed Debt While President, and He Probably Would a Second Time Around Too (“We’re just now finding out that Trump had $19.8 [million] in previously unreported debt to a company with historical links to North Korea while serving as commander in chief. What else might we not know?”)
- Senate Republicans turn on Trump over suspend-the-Constitution talk (Kinda sorta.)
- When Trump Promises to Be a Tyrant, Take Him at His Word
- Every Day Is Jan. 6 For Donald Trump’s 2024 Presidential Campaign (“The former president keeps complaining about his last election while vowing to help his supporters who stormed the Capitol.”)
- Top evangelicals are backing away from Donald Trump (The fact that they were ever with Trump tells you everything you need to know about them.)
- The Empty Gestures of Disillusioned Evangelicals
- Court Implodes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Defense (and the Errant Judge Who Bought It)
- Trump’s committee paying for lawyers of key Mar-a-Lago witnesses (Witness tampering?)
- Trump digs deeper hole with Constitution comments
- Trump did not disclose $19.8m loan while president, documents show (“The loan from Daewoo, a company with ties to North Korea, should have been reported in public financial disclosures” Yet ANOTHER crime, among probably hundreds by Trump?)
- Capitol Police chief: Jan. 6 failures ‘largely’ fixed but extremism threat persists
- Donald Trump Is No Lover of the Constitution (“Trump’s incoherent constitutional philosophy summed up: The Constitution provides a first option, but if for some reason he doesn’t like it, he’s happy to discard it.”)
- GOP Election Losers Are Getting Even Weirder on Twitter
- Fox has given Trump’s call for the “termination” of the Constitution one minute of coverage (Fox is a right-wing propaganda channel, definitely not news.)
- DNC faces Georgia roadblock ahead of 2024 presidential primaries
- How Trump’s legacy became ‘pure poison’ for independents
- The Far-Right Attacked Drag Events in 4 States This Weekend
- Musk’s Neuralink faces federal inquiry after killing 1,500 animals in testing (“Brain-implant company accused of causing needless suffering and deaths amid pressure from CEO”)
- Exclusive: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests (Evil, disgusting shit.)
- Rupert Murdoch to be deposed in $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox (Murdoch is one of the worst people in the world.)
- Trump faces yet another reckoning in Georgia
- High early turnout in Georgia Senate runoff: More evidence that saving democracy motivates voters
- Republicans, you can do better than Herschel Walker. Draw a line.
- Warnock or Walker? Georgia runoff to settle last Senate seat
- After 1.9 Million Votes, Warnock-Walker 2.0 Reaches Decision Day With Runoff
- Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff
- Georgia Runoff to Leans Democratic
- Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from clients
- Why Is Marjorie Taylor Greene Like This?
- Talk show host and Georgia House candidate accused of illegal voting (“Conservative North Georgia talk show host Brian K. Pritchard, a candidate for the state House who rails against election fraud, allegedly voted illegally nine times while serving a felony sentence in a $33,000 forgery and theft case”)
- How the New York State Democratic Party Lost Its Grassroots—and Then the US House (They need to get their freakin’ act together, ASAP!)
- FBI Joins Probe Into North Carolina Shootings That Caused Power Outages (“Tens of thousands of Moore County residents are still without electricity after what officials say was a targeted attack on the local power grid.” Domestic terrorists.)
- Ex-Scott Taylor consultant pleads no contest in petition fraud case
- SILENCE: Youngkin Refuses to Denounce Trump as He Calls for the Termination of Constitution (“Youngkin’s silence in the face of Trump calling for the overthrow of the Constitution speaks volumes about his character”)
- Youngkin’s Commission to Combat Antisemitism Releases Report (This one’s a mixed bag)
- Youngkin antisemitism commission issues final report
- Youngkin panel pushes to curb antisemitism, indirectly criticizes Trump
- Virginia Elections Board certifies midterm results with no drama
- Youngkin’s early shine faces test as he eyes White House bid (Youngkin’s “early shine” is, in large part, the result of the media doing a HORRIBLE job of covering him.)
- Youngkin proposes $500 million for economic development site readiness
- Lawsuit challenging Virginia’s skill game ban will continue into 2023 (“Case won’t go to trial until April or May due to state senator’s involvement”)
- Inmate challenges use of strip searches in state prisons
- Commentary: No, public schools are not to blame for learning loss
- Virginia is studying whether to open a second inland port. Here’s what inland ports are and why they matter.
- Editorial: Through another storm season (“The 2022 hurricane season spared Hampton Roads, but residents cannot trust that good fortune will ensure our future safety.”)
- Loudoun4All Statement on Grand Jury Investigation Into Sexual Assaults at Loudoun County Public Schools (“L4A remains concerned about the rate of sexual assaults in LCPS and in schools around the country.”)
- ‘They failed at every juncture’: Grand jury report on how Loudoun Co. Public Schools responded to sexual assaults
- Charlottesville City Council approves Michael Kochis as police chief
- Virginia Beach police release footage that shows officer fatally shoot man following Newtown Road traffic stop
- D.C.-area forecast: Showers arrive today, with rain chances the rest of the week
