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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 20.
- The top energy stories of 2024
- Q&A: How the U.S.–China rivalry is holding back the world’s climate progress
- Things Aren’t Looking Great for Global Democracy. But Autocrats Are Suffering Too.
- Trump-Putin relations enter a new chapter and the world is at stake (“Putin wants a sit down with Trump as equals in which they divide the world into spheres of influence.” In no way/shape/form – economically, militarily, you name it – is Russia the equal of the United States.)
- Ukraine collects vast war data trove to train AI models
- Too Little Too Late: US Allies Say Biden Strategy Cost Ukraine Chance of Victory (“US slow-walked key weapons over fears of Russia’s nuclear arms; Some officials say the choice gave Zelenskiy no chance to win”)
- Exclusive: US to announce final package of new arms for Ukraine in coming days
- Israel vs. Turkey: The Intensifying Middle-East Power Struggle (“Turkey and Israel are the main strategic beneficiaries of the collapse of the Syrian regime, but now they are on a collision course of their own.”)
- Middle East crisis live: mediators push on with Gaza ceasefire talks amid fresh strikes
- For thousands of Jews, Israel still doesn’t feel safe after the Oct. 7 attacks. So they’re leaving (“Migration experts say it’s possible people leaving Israel will surpass the number of immigrants to Israel in 2024…And this is quite unique in the existence of the State of Israel”)
- Scoop: Top State Dept. official to visit Syria in sign of U.S. reengagement
- ‘Danger of IS resurgence has doubled’ – Syria’s Kurds warn of group’s comeback
- The Remarkable Collapse of Iran’s Powerful Alliances (“The Islamic Republic is weaker—on multiple fronts—than it’s been in nearly half a century.” Good!)
- Iran has been weakened. Is the time right for a Trump-Tehran deal?
- Macron heckled during visit to cyclone-hit Mayotte
- Macron thanks Gisèle Pelicot for courage and dignity in mass rape trial
- Canada’s Justin Trudeau will shuffle his Cabinet as he faces calls to resign and rising discontent
- America’s Bird-Flu Luck Has Officially Run Out
- You’re being lied to about “ultra-processed” foods (“Coverage of the latest nutrition buzzword is overly broad, arbitrary, and wildly misleading. The problem goes deeper.”)
- The Supreme Court’s new abortion case should be an easy win for Planned Parenthood (“Although nothing is ever certain in this Supreme Court.”)
- The US supreme court’s TikTok case will put free expression on the line
- Can the Constitution Curb Trump’s “Frightening” Payback Plans?
- How Mike Johnson’s Misfires Ignited Republican Rebellion
- Republicans fail to pass spending bill in House in setback for Trump
- A farce before Christmas could send the government into a Trump-Musk shutdown
- 24 hours that exposed a schism between Trump and Johnson and sent the government hurtling toward a shutdown
- House rejects Trump-backed plan on government shutdown, leaving next steps uncertain
- Trump team affirms he’s leader of GOP amid ‘President Musk’ barbs
- ‘President-elect Musk’: Elon’s influence on display in government spending fight
- Republican Plan to Avoid Shutdown Fails in the House
- Musk floods X with spending bill misinformation
- The GOP Is Treating Musk Like He’s in Charge
- Republicans Cut Child Cancer Research From Funding Bill After Musk’s Meddling
- Republicans scramble for a path forward after spending plan collapse
- House GOP drops PBM reforms in scaled-down spending bill
- Elon Musk is the ultimate chaos agent
- 38 House Republicans Give Trump the Finger in Shutdown Vote (“Speaker Mike Johnson ‘is f—ed,’ one Republican lawmaker told the Beast earlier on Thursday.”)
- Elon Musk showcases grip on Washington by impeding spending bill (“The world’s richest man flexed his muscles to tank lawmakers’ first pass at a spending bill – will they fare better in round two?”)
- Elon Musk is becoming a one-man rogue state – it’s time we reined him in
- Hakeem Jeffries Slams GOP For Bending To The Will Of Billionaire ‘Puppeteers’ (“They are simply doing the bidding of their wealthy donors and puppeteers”)
- New GOP Spending Plan Bombs In House Vote After Musk, Trump Torched Original Plan
- Spending Deal Debacle Threatens Johnson’s Tenuous Hold on His Job (“A Republican backlash to the speaker’s plan to temporarily fund the government has sparked new talk of ousting him, and highlighted the challenges he will face if he manages to keep his job.”)
- The Chaos Monkeys Have Already Taken Over the Zoo (“We’ll have to see how much damage this does, but it’s already clear that assuming the worst happens — and it’s hard to see how it won’t — this will be the dumbest shutdown ever. I’d say that the incoming Musk administration (so far Musk, not Trump, appears to be calling the shots) is trying to hold itself up for ransom, but it doesn’t even rise to that level”)
- Shutdown threatens ‘chaos’ for Trump’s transition and inauguration
- Closures, Social Security checks, furloughs: What a government shutdown might mean
- How every House member voted on the failed attempt to avoid a shutdown
- Musk flexes influence over Congress in shutdown drama
- Johnson on shaky ground with Trump after spending fiasco (“Months of working to get the president-elect on his side didn’t fully protect the speaker from the president’s wrath over a funding bill.”)
- Biden keeps quiet as Washington spirals into shutdown chaos (“The only public communication from the administration amid the scramble came in a statement several hours after the year-end bill had officially collapsed, in which press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Republicans for reneging on the agreement.”)
- Joe Biden is going out quietly but with trademark decency
- How Musk and Trump caused Congress’ nightmare before Christmas
- Clear as mud. (“To the extent that Musk has more power than Trump, it is because he can fund primary challengers against Republicans who do not surrender to Musk’s demands. Trump cannot make that threat credibly. And the only reason that Musk has that power is because of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Citizen’s United.”)
- ‘Co-president’ Musk? Unelected billionaire’s swift accumulation of political power sparks alarm.
- Dems Troll Trump by Calling Elon the Real President
- MTG Suddenly Calls for Elon Musk to Take Over as House Speaker
- John Bolton Warns Republicans To Take Trump’s New Threat Against Cheney Seriously
- The Worst Political Predictions of 2024
- Spanish-language conservative media downplay Trump’s mass deportation plan
- GOP lawmakers prepare to carry out Gaetz’s revenge, expose harassment settlements
- GA appeals court disqualifies DA Fani Willis from Trump election case, lets indictment stand (Total fiasco.)
- Trump threatens primary against Texas conservative Chip Roy
- U.S. Files Murder Charge Against Mangione That Could Bring Death Penalty
- Top aide to Eric Adams indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges (It’s truly astounding that anyone ever voted for Eric Adams; if they’d done a few minutes of Googling about him prior to the primary, they would NOT have voted for him!)
- Leaders of federal managers reject Trump’s plans to politicize workforce
- Alaska governor asks Trump to roll back restrictions on oil and gas drilling
- Elon Musk Demands Trump and Republicans to Shut Down Government, Would Leave Virginia Disaster Victims, Workers, and Troops Out to Dry (“This is insane”; “Absolutely outrageous this is even a possibility”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Comments on Donald Trump’s “cruel, heartless, stupid maneuver a few days before Christmas”; Elon Musk Tweeting Out “plain untruths,” “inept Keystone Cops Republican House leadership”; Hampton Roads as “Ground Zero” of Government Shutdown; TikTok; etc.
- Video: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Says Continuing Resolution Deal Was Blown Up by “President Musk…I’m sorry…that’s President Trump isn’t it?” (On debt ceiling limit increase, Connolly says that’s all about allowing Republicans to “add trillions of dollars to the national debt”)
- Warner, Kaine urge Va. disaster relief as shutdown threat looms
- Trump’s plans pose dilemma for Virginia governor (“The Governor, could, of course, propose new language in his budget to eliminate the requirement that the commonwealth abandon expansion if the match declines. Or he could speak out against any proposed cuts. To do either would likely draw the ire of the MAGA faithful, a group the governor is attempting to court as he contemplates a run for higher office.”)
- Feds giving ‘insufficient’ information on drones near military installations, Virginia lawmakers say
- Eric Bonds: Data centers and Virginia’s special kind of denialism (“We must recognize that there are limits to how much energy we can produce without fueling climate change”)
- Youngkin promises ‘no tax on tips,’ Marsden expresses dissent
- Youngkin proposes delay to foam ban, again (“Governor Glenn Youngkin released his proposed budget this week and once again, it includes language to delay Virginia’s popular, bipartisan ban on polystyrene foam cups and take out containers.”)
- Youngkin reintroduces proposal to end state-funded abortions for fetal anomalies
- Pope & Schapiro: Looking ahead to 2025 political battles
- Virginia says it will be the first in the world to produce fusion energy (“Fusion has long been heralded as the ‘Holy Grail’ of clean energy, able to potentially supply boundless electricity without producing climate-warming emissions. But it’s also proven incredibly difficult to achieve.”)
- About 2,600 state prisoners are eligible for parole. What are their chances?
- Virginia lawmakers renew push for legal cannabis marketplace
- New state ombudsman to investigate Red Onion State Prison conditions
- Former Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery in cash-for-badges scheme (“Scott Jenkins was indicted in 2023 on 16 counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.”)
- Albemarle County School Board Member Chuck Pace dies (“Pace won a special election just last month to represent the county’s Rio District on the board. He had previously been appointed to the same seat on an interim basis after Katrina Callsen resigned to run for the House of Delegates in 2023. Pace was a husband, a father of four, a veteran and a lifelong educator.”)
- FOIA Friday: Tony Bennett FOIA delay sparks transparency concerns at UVa
- Bristol building owners continue legal battle over abortion clinic
- D.C. area forecast and updates: Rain or snow showers today, then much colder this weekend
