Friday News: “What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?”; Is Tulsi Gabbard “a Russian Asset or a Dupe?”; “The Most Extreme Cabinet Ever”; Gaetz Is Trump’s 1/6 “Wingman”; RFK Jr. a “Clear and Present Danger”; The “exodus from X to Bluesky”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, November 15.

• UN climate talks ‘no longer fit for purpose’ say key experts
• The world’s most polluting cities are revealed at COP29 as frustration grows at fossil fuel presence (“Shanghai’s 256 million metric tons of greenhouse gases led all cities and exceeded those from the nations of Colombia or Norway. Tokyo’s 250 million metric tons would rank in the top 40 of nations if it were a country, while New York City’s 160 million metric tons and Houston’s 150 million metric tons would be in the top 50 of countrywide emissions. Seoul, South Korea, ranks fifth among cities at 142 million metric tons.”)
• A Big Climate Goal Is Getting Farther Out of Reach
• Over 1,700 coal, oil and gas lobbyists granted access to Cop29, says report (“Fossil fuel-linked lobbyists outnumber delegations of almost every country at climate talks in Baku, analysis finds” Insanity.)
• Facing an Imminent Deadline, Nations Struggle to Agree on a Global Plastics Treaty
• What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress? (“The results of one election can’t stop the momentum of the energy transition. But they can do a lot of damage.”)
• ‘Terrifying’: Trump’s Cabinet picks trigger unease in Europe (“While some EU diplomats put a positive spin on China-hawk Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard’s intelligence role is generating greater alarm.”)
• What Russia and Ukraine Want from a Second Trump Presidency (“The Trump Administration will likely take the lead in any negotiations to end the war—a development that Vladimir Putin would welcome.”)
• Trump’s intelligence chief pick Tulsi Gabbard is ‘Russia’s girlfriend’
• The Curious Case of Tulsi Gabbard: Is She a Russian Asset or a Dupe?
• NATO jets scrambled after Russian planes seen off Norway and over Baltic Sea ‘not adhering to international norms’
• Nearly 90 lawmakers call on Biden to sanction Israeli ultranationalist ministers
• Iran Told U.S. It Wouldn’t Try to Kill Trump
• Elon Musk Met With Iran’s U.N. Ambassador, Iranian Officials Say
• Top Iranian official holds talks in Lebanon on Israel-Hezbollah war as U.S. pushes for cease-fire
• Trump meets Argentina’s Milei ahead of conservative summit
• Powell says the Fed doesn’t need to be ‘in a hurry’ to reduce interest rates
• Food prices worried most voters, but Trump’s plans likely won’t lower their grocery bills (The opposite, actually – if Trump deports the people who grow and harvest our food, prices will go UP – possibly a LOT!)
• Exclusive: Trump’s transition team aims to kill Biden EV tax credit (“President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is planning to kill the $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric-vehicle purchases as part of broader tax-reform legislation, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.”)
• Trump wants Elon Musk to overhaul the government. Here’s what could be on the chopping block
• Trump looks to bypass Senate for polarizing Cabinet picks
• Republican Leaders Are More Afraid of Trump Than Ever
• The Senate must stand up against Trump’s outrageous nominations
• Trump is casting for a reality show, not a Cabinet
• This Is the Dark, Unspoken Promise of Trump’s Return
• Trump’s pick for attorney general has long been his Jan. 6 wingman
• The Most Extreme Cabinet Ever
• Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him
• Senate Republicans squirm over Trump’s tariff plans
• Trump’s Pick to Lead U.S. Military Has Tattoos Linked to White Supremacists and Nazis
• Trump’s national security wrecking crew
• Trump’s team skips FBI background checks for some Cabinet picks (Aren’t those supposed to be mandatory???)
• Trump trolls GOP with Cabinet picks: The point is to bring Republicans to heel — but it may backfire (“Trump believes in rule by fear, but that stokes resentment and possibly even resistance”)
• Trump health secretary choice is ‘courting catastrophe’, says rights group
• Trump to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS
• How RFK Jr.’s MAHA Movement Could Radically Transform Public Health (“Donald Trump has said he’ll appoint the political scion and prominent vaccine skeptic as secretary of Health and Human Services. Here’s why the experts are concerned.”)
• RFK Jr. could have a huge impact on Americans’ lives (“Kennedy’s nomination and apparently long political leash goes far beyond a Trumpian retribution quest”)
• RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination (“Nominee for health secretary decried as ‘vaccine denier and tin foil hat conspiracy theorist … this is going to cost lives’”)
• The Sanewashing of RFK Jr. (“Let’s be clear: Many scientists consider Kennedy to be a fool, and a ludicrous pick to run HHS, because the evidence supports that assessment.”)
• Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Said to Face Previous Sexual Misconduct Allegation
• Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick Hopes for a Christian Crusade (“Fox News’ Pete Hegseth travels in TheoBro circles.”)
• Republican senators say Matt Gaetz has ‘steep’ climb to nomination
• Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
• Senators want details of Matt Gaetz ethics probe before his confirmation vote for attorney general
• Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn’t Burned All the Bridges
• Matt Gaetz is a Vile Sex Pest and Any Senator Who Votes For Him Owns That
• House Ethics chair reiterates he does not plan to release Gaetz report
• Trump picks ex-congressman Doug Collins for veterans affairs secretary
• Trump picks North Dakota governor to lead Interior (Another horrible pick.)
• Scoop: Manchin signals willingness to back Biden’s final push on judges
• Scoop: Senate Democrats caught flat-footed by GOP anti-trans attacks
• Trump Threatens New York Times, Penguin Random House over Critical Coverage
• Steve Bannon Threatens Ari Melber, Says Matt Gaetz’s DOJ Is Coming For Him And ‘All The Producers of MSNBC’
• ‘We all have our eyes wide open’: Trump critics brace for dark time of retribution
• Democrats, You Have to Do Better Than This (“They lost the House, Senate, and presidency. And this is how Democratic leadership responds?”)
• Rick Scott pushes Lara Trump for Rubio Senate seat
• The Onion wins Alex Jones’ Infowars in bankruptcy auction
• Appeals court rules Indiana’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors can remain in effect
• The exodus from X to Bluesky has happened – the era of mass social media platforms is over
• Bluesky feels more like old Twitter than X does (“As more users flee X, a clearer, sunnier social media age is dawning.”)
• Virginia senators warn of consequences of Trump’s attorney general pick
• Video: Sen. Mark Warner Pushes for Bipartisan Bill to Get Small Businesses Impacted by Hurricane Helene Immediate Relief; Sen. Rand Paul Blocks It (“If we don’t get this done soon, communities across Southwest Virginia will see businesses permanently shutter and an even longer path to recovery.”)
• Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says Trump “gets to make appointments, but then the Senate gets to advise and consent. That’s in the Constitution. Unless we’re starting to throw out the Constitution”
• Video: Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Rips Tulsi Gabbard Pick as “Extraordinarily Dangerous,” “Irresponsible”; Wonders “whether there might be any sort of effort [by foreign adversaries] at engaging or influencing her”
• Where 2024 voter turnout was highest and lowest in Virginia (“The overall 2024 turnout rate was just over 69%, the lowest for a presidential election since 2000, according to ELECT. That year George W. Bush and Al Gore were on the ballot.”)
• The role of Virginia’s permanent absentee list in special elections
• Virginia lawmakers considering regulating police use of automated license plate readers
• Millions already distributed to Virginians impacted by Helene
• Erosion problems persist for Mountain Valley Pipeline
• Appalachian Power wants to bring small modular reactors to Campbell County
• Youngkin urges Hurricane Helene survivors to contact officials, shares storm recovery update
• Will Roanoke mayor race go to a recount?
• Former Culpeper sheriff’s trial delayed again after he suffers panic attack (“Since Monday, Scott Jenkins said he has visited the ER twice for panic attacks and high blood pressure”)
• Local artisans help Richmond build ‘urban wood circular economy’
• Arlington Co. to hold final vote on whether to use sharpshooters to reduce deer population
• D.C.-area forecast: Slow, sporadic clearing today; dry, warmer weekend ahead