by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, New Year’s Day 2024. Let’s all work for a year in which our democracy/constitution/rule of law/etc. survives for at least another four years, because if – god forbid – Trump wins, it is OVER for sure.
- 2023 will be remembered as the year climate change arrived (“The year will mark a point when humanity crossed into a new climate era — an age of ‘global boiling,’ as the U.N. secretary general called it.”)
- Shale Is Keeping the World Awash With Oil as Conflicts Abound
- The world rings in the new year, but wars cast a shadow on 2024 (And the 2024 U.S. presidential election casts a HUGE shadow.)
- 2024 could mark a watershed in the history of the 21st century (“The most foreseeable global shock of 2024 would be the election of Trump, who would become only the second US president to win a non-consecutive term. The ex-president is already openly telling us that he intends to subject US democracy and the American-led global order to its greatest test.”)
- This isn’t just an election year. It’s the year of elections.
- Russia’s deadly salvo against Ukraine calls for Congress to fire back
- Zelensky vows more Ukraine-made weapons in new year speech (This headline should read, “In New Year’s speech, Zelensky vows…”)
- Zelenskiy speaks of war, Putin makes passing reference in contrasting New Year speeches
- Zelenskiy says Ukraine has become stronger as war moves closer to second year (“New Year’s address made almost no direct reference to the situation on the 1,000-km front line or the limited success of a counteroffensive”)
- Netanyahu says ‘many more months’ of war ahead
- Senior Far-Right Israeli Official Admits Gaza Is A ‘Ghetto’ For Palestinians (Smotrich is an extremist and an all-around f’ing disgrace.)
- The Five Big Obstacles to Israel-Palestine Peace (“Hamas…Netanyahu and his far-right coalition…”)
- Half of Gazans Are at Risk of Starving, U.N. Warns (This is not an acceptable or sustainable situation.)
- In rare apology, Israeli minister says she ‘sinned’ for her role in reforms that tore country apart
- How Hostage Families Turned Up the Heat on Israel’s Leadership
- Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza as combat focuses on enclave’s main southern city
- Are There No Red Lines to U.S. Support for Israel?
- Is there a route to peace out of the Israel-Gaza conflict? Veterans of past negotiations have hope
- Xi Tells Biden That China and the US Should Strive for a Peaceful Coexistence
- Xi says China will ‘surely be reunified’ with self-ruled Taiwan in New Year’s address
- Taiwan president says ties with China must be decided by will of the people
- Xi Is Resurrecting Mao’s ‘Continuous Revolution’ With a Twist (“The Chinese leader has made his corruption purge—with millions punished—a pillar of his rule. It risks paralyzing his party.”)
- Tsunami warning in Japan after strong earthquake
- Powerful earthquake hits western Japan, triggering tsunami warnings
- Burundi’s president says gay people should be stoned (Deranged and VERY dangerous rhetoric.)
- The EU should support Ireland’s bold move to regulate Big Tech
- Ireland Could Become the Next Nation to Recognize the Rights of Nature and a Human Right to a Clean Environment (That should be a basic, fundamental right for everyone.)
- North Korea’s Kim says military should ‘thoroughly annihilate’ US and South Korea if provoked (What a f’ing clown.)
- Iran Says Prospect for Talks Over Nuclear Deal ‘Still Exists’
- U.S. oil production hit a record under Biden. He seldom mentions it. (At least three things are true here: 1) Republican claims that Biden’s waging some sort of “war on energy” are absurd, given that U.S. energy production is at record highs, and that the U.S. is a net EXPORTER of energy!; 2) we need to get off of fossil fuels ASAP for climate reasons; 3) that second point is, presumably, why Biden doesn’t mention that U.S. fossil fuel production’s up, along with clean energy production – which he DOES mention frequently)
- Year End Review: A Good Year For the Middle Class In Biden’s America (“When President Biden took office, he inherited an economy from Donald Trump that had been rigged for the ultra-rich and left in shambles.”)
- Will the Economy Help or Hurt Biden ’24? Krugman and Coy Dig Into Data. (“Oh, and my subjective sense is that for whatever reason, media coverage of the economy has turned much more positive lately. I have to think this matters, otherwise, what are we even doing? And until recently, media reports tended to emphasize the downsides; ‘Great jobs numbers, and here’s why that’s bad for Biden’ has become a sort of running joke among people I follow. These days, however, we’re starting to see reports acknowledging that we’ve had an almost miraculous combination of strong employment and falling inflation.”)
- Optimism Abounds on Wall Street This New Year
- Why 2024’s vibes are so perplexing: ‘Everybody thinks they’re losing’ (“The economy keeps posting strong numbers. So why are right-wing extremists gaining so much ground?”)
- Roberts sidesteps Supreme Court’s ethics controversies in yearly report (Pathetic.)
- The Senate Is Turning More MAGA ― And It Could Boost A 2nd Trump Presidency (“A second Trump White House term could face fewer restraints with more loyalists in the upper chamber of Congress.”)
- Former Trump White House insiders call possible 2nd term a threat to American democracy
- Jack Smith: Trump Immunity Bid a ‘License’ to Commit Crimes
- Graham backtracks on earlier Jan. 6 criticism of Trump: ‘It depends on what the conduct is’ (What dirt does Trump have on Graham? It must be REALLY nasty.)
- The 14th Amendment is the ‘most democratic’ disqualifier, Jamie Raskin says (Bottom line: we need to follow our constitution; that’s not optional.)
- Get real and read some history. The past was worse.
- Clarence Thomas must recuse himself from ruling on Trump’s 2024 eligibility, Raskin says (Yes, he MUST, but he WON’T. And that’s a huge problem.)
- 4 ways the government funding fight could play out in January
- Democrats argue Biden is underestimated
- Nikki Haley says pardoning Trump is in the country’s ‘best interest’ (Haley is horrible.)
- New State Laws on Hot-Button Issues Take Effect Today (“Many state laws take effect on the first day of 2024, including new rules on gun safety, a ban on diversity programs and a curb on telemarketing calls.”)
- The Wisconsin Supreme Court has thrown out the GOP-drawn district maps. That could be a huge change for the purple state (Bad headline; in fact, those “GOP-drawn maps” are WILD gerrymanders, TOTALLY undemocratic – and that should be mentioned IN THE HEADLINE.)
- John Fetterman: social media made battle with depression more difficult (“The first-term senator said on Meet the Press that comments about him and his family had a negative effect on his mental health”)
- California law banning most firearms in public is taking effect as the legal fight over it continues
- Former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Black Democratic trailblazer, dies at 88
- Push for campaign finance reform to return in Virginia legislative session
- The Mercury’s most read stories of 2023 (“1. Virginia Democrats triumph in statehouse elections, reducing Youngkin’s power…2. Invasive plants have spread all over Virginia. Some groups say that needs to stop…3. Ahead of new age verification law, Pornhub blocks access in Virginia…”))
- Young people leaving Hampton Roads as job growth lags behind peers, according to a new report
- Here are the biggest stories of 2023 in Hampton Roads
- Trish White-Boyd won’t seek reelection to Roanoke City Council (“With Mayor Sherman Lea not seeking reelection, this means at least two new members will join the council in 2025.”)
- Leesburg-area landowner donates historic 85-acre plot to become a park
- D.C.-area forecast: A chilly week to ring in 2024 could end with winter storm
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