by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, January 17.
- More than 160 elephants die in Zimbabwe, with many more at risk (“Drought in Hwange national park was the cause of most of the deaths, and wildlife experts fear the climate crisis could make such events look normal” Ugh.)
- Former NATO chief to Democrats: Cut a border deal to help Ukraine and beat Trump
- Morning Report — An urgent new push for Ukraine aid
- Israel’s far-right wants to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Its ideas are gaining attention (The far-right sucks, no matter where it is.)
- Israel in heavy south Gaza strikes as hostages sent medicine
- Qatar, France strike deal to supply medicine to Israeli hostages, Gazans
- Israel’s War in Gaza Enters Its Most Perilous Phase Yet (“The military aims to take control of the vast maze of tunnels under Khan Younis as refugees crowd into the south and the international outcry grows over the death toll.”)
- The Houthis sink an arrow into the West’s Achilles’ heel
- U.S. to Return Yemen’s Houthi Militia to Terrorism List
- China Growth Rate Slows to One of Lowest in Decades
- China’s Economic Growth Disappoints, Fueling Stimulus Calls
- China’s economy expanded 5.2% last year, hitting the government’s target despite an uneven recovery
- China’s population falls for a 2nd straight year as births drop even after end of one-child policy
- China Told Women to Have Babies. Its Population Shrank Again. (“Faced with falling births, China’s efforts to stabilize a shrinking population and maintain economic growth are failing.”)
- China population decline accelerates as birthrate hits record low
- Analysis: North Korea’s rejection of the South is both a shock, and inevitable
- Taiwan’s New Leader Says He’ll Stick to the Status Quo—but His Past Makes the U.S. Nervous
- Iran says strikes targeted militant group in Pakistan
- Tax our wealth, super-rich tell politicians at Davos
- Migration to Europe will increase in 2024, thinktank says
- The Only Question About Sales Growth for Electric Vehicles in 2024 Is, How Big? (“As more models qualify for tax credits and automakers work on battery technology, consumers can test drive a bevy of models.”)
- Biden administration unveils proposed changes to big banks’ overdraft fees (“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a highly anticipated rule proposal targeting big banks’ overdraft fee practices.”)
- The Supreme Court’s Relentless Corruption (The headline should read, “The Supreme Court’s Conservatives’ Relentless Corruption”)
- Federal power is on the chopping block at SCOTUS
- Neil Gorsuch has a grudge against federal agencies. He holds their fate in his hands
- Senate Republicans forge ahead on border bill over Speaker Johnson’s opposition
- Speaker Johnson rejects hard-line tactics in move to avoid shutdown
- The Ruin That a Trump Presidency Would Mean
- Donald Trump Isn’t Going Anywhere (“Iowa Republicans gave Trump a blowout victory, as GOP leaders and Fox News fall in line.”)
- Opinion: Trump’s dangerous echoes of the eugenics movement
- Donald Trump beat his opponents. But can he beat the courts?
- For Biden, Another Trump Nomination Presents Opportunity, and Great Risk
- Rapist Republican Front-Runner Heads Straight to Court After Iowa Win
- With Trump’s win, Liz Cheney and anti-MAGA GOP voters face a choice
- Let’s Look at the Iowa Results With a Cold Eye (“It was a huge win for Trump. Don’t tell me it’s all going to work out fine in November.”)
- Donald Trump won evangelicals’ votes through ‘transactional politics’
- Trump goes back to court as E. Jean Carroll’s defamation trial begins
- Trump signals intent to block testimony in Jeff Clark disciplinary proceedings
- Judge Aileen Cannon Is Quietly Sabotaging the Trump Classified Documents Case (Cannon should be disbarred/kicked off the bench, if at all possible.)
- Appeals court won’t revisit Twitter’s fight against Trump probe warrant
- Fox News declines to fact-check false claims from Iowa voters about the 2020 election
- Far-right figures are spreading antisemitism and conspiracy theories in response to news of a tunnel under a New York synagogue
- How Donald Trump Destroyed Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley
- DeSantis Tries to Shrug Off Trump Win as New Hampshire Nears
- Ron DeSantis got the Republican Party wrong
- Meghan McCain’s sexist comment shows why Nikki Haley has no chance of winning the GOP nomination (“Republicans may say they’re be okay with a female president, but they always find an excuse to not vote for a woman”)
- Laura Ingraham tells Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to “step aside and endorse Trump”
- House Republicans hit pause on effort to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress
- Ron DeSantis is in survival mode as Nikki Haley battles Trump in New Hampshire
- ABC cancels New Hampshire debate after Haley, Trump decline to participate
- Haley’s politically useful denial of America’s racist past
- Nikki Haley Follows Up Cringey Civil War Remarks by Declaring the US Has “Never” Been a Racist Country (“Reminder: It was once legal in the US to own Black people.”)
- Nikki Haley Insists That America’s ‘Never Been a Racist Country’ (Haley will say ANYTHING for power.)
- Nikki Haley Makes Jaw-Dropping Claim About Racism In America
- Why AP called Iowa for Trump: Race call explained (The problem is, they called the race while people were still voting. In stark contrast, they took days to call the 2020 presidential race.)
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson ends his 2024 campaign after sixth-place finish in Iowa caucuses
- NEW: Capitol Police Investigating Roger Stone Remarks About Assassinating Members of Congress (LOCK HIM UP.)
- After previously dining with Trump, Nick Fuentes gives Nazi salute and discusses his willingness to commit violence for Trump
- Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, oldest member of Senate, hospitalized with infection
- Tom Keen flips HD 35 from red to blue in critical Special Election
- Audio: Rep. Bob Good (R-VA05) Basically Writes Off Ron DeSantis, Pledges Fealty to Donald Trump, Rips His Trump-Loving Challenger John McGuire as Cantor/McCarthy-Backed “Swamp” Candidate
- Republican primary battle between McGuire and Good heats up (“Trump campaign manager puts the congressman on notice over DeSantis endorsement: ‘Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him.'”)
- After Donald Trump’s Iowa Win, Former VA Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) Plaintively Asks, “whatever happened to the GOP I knew and served for more than twenty years?” (Bolling argues it started in 2009 with the “Tea Party,” which “brought a philosophical rigidity with it, as well as a more mean spirited approach to politics and policy.”)
- Stoney trails Spanberger in Virginia governor’s race fundraising (“In her campaign’s first 48 days, Spanberger reported more than $3.6 million in funds compared to the $760,000 Stoney brought in as of Dec. 31, reports the Times-Dispatch.”)
- Virginia Senate elections panel debates toughening rules on ‘sore losers’
- Senate Dems delay consideration of proposed constitutional amendments
- Virginia legislators in both parties push for improved youth mental health policies
- One in four Virginia transit agencies operate fare-free, perhaps permanently
- Virginia school enrollment projected to drop faster than expected, with biggest declines in Northern Virginia
- In Senate, Va. Democrats kill Republican attempts to roll back vehicle emissions law (Republicans are either completely ignorant or being disigenuous/in bad faith on this. Or both.)
- Medical marijuana dispensaries could be headed to the Shenandoah Valley
- Richmond council aims to offer benefits to city employees in domestic partnerships (“The state not recognizing that kind of civil union presents a hurdle.”)
- Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard Argues “This stunning lack of transparency calls for the utmost of skepticism and scrutiny.” (Calls on General Assembly “to delay or stop passage of the Authority’s enabling legislation until resident concerns are adequately addressed and an independent analysis…can be conducted.”)
- Editorial: Action needed to mitigate cost of tunnel tolls on Hampton Roads
- After Lynchburg’s school board rejected a grant from an LGBTQ+ group, private donations will fund a quiet room
- Why about 30,000 Chesapeake customers have had higher water bills, according to the city
- D.C.-area forecast: Frigid into early Thursday. Snow possible Thursday night and Friday.
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