Thursday News: “World’s renewable energy capacity grew at record pace in 2023”; “Trump claims credit for ‘miracle’ of overturning right to abortion”; “Johnson risks same fate as McCarthy with spending deal”; “Youngkin’s proposal to ditch the car tax is ‘dead on arrival'”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, January 11.

• ‘Astounding’ ocean temperatures in 2023 intensified extreme weather, data shows (“Record levels of heat were absorbed last year by Earth’s seas, which have been warming year-on-year for the past decade”)
• Climate Change Is Driving a Sharp Drop in Snow Levels, Study Finds
• ‘We can’t pretend the ecological crisis is separate’: the economist thinking differently about climate breakdown
• World’s renewable energy capacity grew at record pace in 2023 (“IEA report says 50% growth last year keeps hope of achieving Cop28 climate target of tripling clean energy capacity”)
• World’s two largest coal consumers won’t be weaning off the fossil fuel anytime soon (Disastrous.)
• Bird flu confirmed among mass sub-Antarctic seal deaths as virus continues global spread (UGH.)
• World Trying to Quit Fossil Fuels Gets Flood of Gas Instead (“The biggest wave ever of liquefied natural gas megaprojects is about to ramp up as the sector bets on its place in the clean-energy transition.” Huge mistake.)
• McConnell steps up personal effort to win Ukraine, border deal
• How Russian officials and their collaborators spirit away Ukraine’s children
• Ron DeSantis Gives a Green Light to Ethnic Cleansing (“The Florida governor suggests he wouldn’t ‘second-guess’ expelling Palestinians from Gaza.”)
• Israeli women and girls have suffered horrific sexual violence from Hamas. Where is the outrage?
• South Africa tells the UN top court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as a landmark case begins
• Israelis are increasingly questioning what war in Gaza can achieve
• Israeli military says traces of hostages found in an underground tunnel in Gaza
• Hard choices for the West in Red Sea stand-off
• Oil Tanker Hijacked Off Oman Forced to Alter Course to Iran
• Beijing Won’t Allow Taiwan’s Democracy to Survive (“The very prospect of a free election is a threat.”)
• China’s Solar Dominance Faces New Rival: An Ultrathin Film (“As renewable energy becomes a geopolitical tool, Japan looks to recover its technological edge.”)
• Can Guatemala’s new president turn the tide on years of corruption? (“Bernardo Arévalo, an unassuming academic, will offer hope when he is sworn in on Sunday – despite the best efforts of the previous ruling cabal to stop him”)
• ‘The wildlife that has come is phenomenal’: the UK farmers holding off floods the natural way
• UK government sets out plans for ‘biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years’
• Mexico’s heroic journalists are increasingly under mortal threat
• More than 100 wild animals trapped by border wall killed in Texas wildfire (Horrifying. Yet another reason why walls, fences, etc. are a bad idea.)
• Preliminary US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimates for 2023
• Record 20M sign up for ACA coverage
• US CPI Report to Show Soft Core Inflation as Goods Prices Slide (What next, Republicans fear monger about DISinflation? LOL)
• Will Inflation’s Rapid Downturn Stabilize?
• U.S. Inflation Report Is Expected to Show Continued Cooling
• White House unveils $623m in funding to boost electric vehicle charging points
• The Supreme Court cases asking the justices to put themselves in charge of everything, explained (“The justices are threatening to put themselves in charge of every single federal agency. They should resist that temptation.”)
• Johnson risks same fate as McCarthy with spending deal
• Mike Johnson urges fellow Republicans to leave him alone on social media
• House members begin to game out a Mike Johnson ouster attempt
• Speaker Mike Johnson Better Watch His Back. That’s Rep. Chip Roy Behind Him.
• GOP rebels plunge House into chaos amid mutiny over government shutdown deal
• ‘You have no balls’: Hunter Biden derails GOP vote to hold him in contempt
• Republicans Lost Their Minds Over Hunter Biden’s Surprise Visit
• Why Hunter Biden showed up at the Capitol
• The Manhattan courtroom judge is arguably a more formidable adversary to Trump than his GOP rivals
• Trump New York fraud trial draws to an end with closing arguments
• Judge reverses on allowing Trump to give his own closing argument at NY fraud trial
• ‘A spiritual battle’: Pastors embrace Trump’s grievances in prayers at his rallies (Sick. And definitely not consistent with anything in the Gospels.)
• Trump lawyer goes on defense after assassination comment: ‘He didn’t kill anyone’ (But he very much WANTS to and WOULD if he gets the chance!)
• Ex-Trump Aide Reveals ‘Scary’ Moments He Wanted People Killed (“Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin described a frightening behind-the-scenes incident.”)
• Trump’s Lawyer Walked Into a Trap (“By the end of the argument, everyone knew it.”)
• Donald Trump claims credit for ‘miracle’ of overturning right to abortion (“Ex-president tries to walk fine line on issue, saying Republicans with extreme positions have been ‘decimated’ in elections”)
• Trump’s Bizarre Immunity Claims Are a Warning (“What might be the most disturbing aspect of the oral arguments is how unsettled the law actually is in the area of Presidential powers and accountability.”)
• ‘I know who it’s going to be’: Trump hints he’s made up his mind about his VP pick
• The Proud Boys are collapsing: Surprise! Legal consequences do hurt authoritarian movements (“Despite fears that accountability will make MAGA more powerful, a new report shows it weakens the far-right”)
• Elise Stefanik wants to be Trump’s running mate. That’s unfortunate (“That Stefanik is a rising star – and Liz Cheney a pariah – says everything about Republican politics today”)
• At a critical moment, Nikki Haley stands to gain from Chris Christie’s exit
• Did Nikki Haley Lose Her Nerve? (“The former U.N. Ambassador has been gaining ground on Donald Trump. But, at the fifth Republican debate, she remained stuck in a race for second place.”)
• In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place (“Both candidates traded expectedly petty barbs, calling each other liars while at times even verging on serious debate. But, for the most part, the showdown just underscored why the two are still getting trounced by Donald Trump.”)
• Chris Christie ends 2024 presidential campaign
• Chris Christie caught on hot mic, says Nikki Haley will ‘get smoked’
• Republican debate: Five takeaways as Haley and DeSantis face off
• What Is Nikki Haley Even Talking About? (“Her confident performances have made her the most formidable Republican challenger to Donald Trump. But the more you listen to her, the mushier her message is.”)
• Three Candidates, Two Stages, One Alternate Economic Reality
• Trump promotes ‘totally baseless’ birther conspiracy theory against Nikki Haley
• Pro-Trump media target Nikki Haley with racist attacks on her eligibility and name
• Chris Christie to Exit 2024 Race Days Before Iowa Republican Caucus
• Biden holding private meetings at White House to reassure supporters
• Barack Obama fears close 2024 race with Trump, tries to ‘move the needle’ for Biden, closest confidants say
• PA 2024 Elections: Biden On Upside Of Too-Close-To-Call Race, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds; Casey Opens Up Double-Digit Lead In Senate Race
• Jan. 6 committee helped guide early days of Georgia Trump probe
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files complaint about Georgia prosecutor who charged Trump
• GOP AGs Urging Impeachment Of Secretary Mayorkas Squirm When Asked About Trump
• Republicans Are Grasping for a Reason to Impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (Any news outlet that portrays Republicans as acting in good faith is not a serious news outlet.)
• RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign questioned by FEC over payments to daughter-in-law
• TikTok’s manosphere problem: Violent misogyny keeps going viral (TikTok is a f’ing disaster.)
• Haters gonna hate: Pentagon pushes back against Fox News conspiracy theory involving Taylor Swift
• No matter how high he gets, Elon Musk shouldn’t be above the law (“A new report alleging illegal drug use raises questions about his key role as a government contractor.”)
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Slams GOP Contempt Resolution – “the definition of chutzpah” (“Under Republican leadership, the 118th Congress has been one of the least effective and unproductive in modern history.”)
• Rep. Elise Stefanik Refuses to Commit to Certifying the 2024 Election – Will Jen Kiggans?
• Council suggests Virginia reset subsidy payments to Metro amid budget shortfall
• Governor Youngkin’s proposal to ditch the car tax is “dead on arrival” (As it should be.)
• General Assembly Kicks Off Its 2024 Session with New Leadership, Including First African-American Speaker in VA History (VA Senate, House Dems lay out their top priorities…)
• VA House, Senate Democrats Respond to Youngkin’s State of the Commonwealth Address: “This past November, voters made it clear…that they do not subscribe to the ideals of this Governor or that of the Republican Party.”
• Virginia legislature elects first Black Speaker of the House
• Del. Don Scott is Virginia’s first Black speaker in 400-year history
• As Don Scott becomes Va. speaker, emotion and an unexpected guest
• Historic display of racial, gender diversity marks the start of 2024 General Assembly session (Gotta love how the headline fails to say that this is almost ALL ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, while Republicans in the General Assembly are overwhelmingly white males.)
• Scott makes history as first Black speaker of House of Delegates
• Scott becomes Va.’s first Black House speaker as legislative session begins
• As General Assembly begins, Youngkin asks for bipartisanship while Democrats remain skeptical of his tax proposals (Youngkin’s call for bipartisanship is a joke coming from him.)
• Youngkin renews push on tax changes
• Virginia NAACP calls rights restoration a ‘flagship’ issue in session
• Virginia districts roll on with electric school buses despite lack of state funding (“The state hasn’t offered specific funding since a 2019 allocation but still ranks fourth nationally in electric school buses thanks to resourcefulness by districts and advocates.”)
• State needs more coordination of flood resilience efforts, state group says
• Southside loses power on budget-writing committees in General Assembly
• Alexandria could rename some Confederate streets, but it’s just step one
• Virginia Beach School Board seeks ‘clean slate’ with new chair, vice chair
• Richmond hospital accused of misrepresenting staff receives approval
• D.C.-area forecast: Sunny today before another storm Friday night