by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, December 16.
- Anxious scientists brace for Trump’s climate denialism: ‘We have a target on our backs’
- Trump 2.0 will hurt planet, open door for America’s green rivals, EU climate chief says
- Putin accuses West of pushing Russia to its “red lines” forcing it to respond
- Putin’s Weaker Than He Looks. Seize the Opportunity. (“The US and Europe should exploit Russia’s economic vulnerability to negotiate a better peace.”)
- Ukraine reports North Korean losses on Russia’s Kursk front
- As Putin presses his hybrid war, Europe presses the ‘snooze’ button
- China Will Keep Trying to Spur Consumption Without Big Stimulus
- Xi Jinping urges party to ‘turn knife inward’ to tackle corruption (“Sweeping corruption crackdown is hallmark of Chinese president’s leadership, but his party remains plagued by graft, particularly within its armed forces”)
- Why a nation of 1.45 billion wants more children (Alrighty…)
- Germany Is Unraveling Just When Europe Needs It Most
- Foreign powers jockey for control in Syria, risking new conflict
- Candid photos of Syria’s Assad expose a world beyond the carefully crafted and repressive rule
- The world failed to save Syria. Now its people must be free to chart their own path
- Why America’s Kurdish Allies Are Under Threat in a New Syria
- Death toll in Gaza Strip from Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000, Palestinians say
- Israel strikes Syria as Netanyahu approves plan to expand Golan Heights settlement (“Benjamin Netanyahu approved plan to double Israeli population in occupied Golan Heights after night of strikes that came despite Syria rebel leader’s pledge of peace”)
- Israel closes embassy in Ireland, saying Ireland has ‘crossed every red line’
- Palestinian Authority Mounts Rare, Lethal Raids in West Bank
- Hundreds feared dead after worst cyclone in 90 years slams French territory
- People starting to die of thirst and hunger in cyclone-hit Mayotte, warns French senator
- Myanmar junta intimidates aid groups in effort to hide hunger crisis
- South Korean court begins review of president’s impeachment over martial law (“President Yoon Suk Yeol and senior officials face potential charges of insurrection and abuse of authority” This is what should have happened here after 1/6/21. Why the hell didn’t it???)
- The Fed’s Game Plan on Interest-Rate Cuts Keeps Shifting
- Federal Reserve Appears Headed for Another Collision With Trump (“Interest rates may not come down as quickly as had been expected, just as Donald Trump — a self-declared ‘low-rate guy’ — returns to the White House.”)
- Will Trump Be Called On His Inflation Lie? (“I’m not holding my breath”)
- Exclusive: Trump transition team to roll back Biden EV, emissions policies (Insanity.)
- Federal hostility could delay offshore wind projects, derailing state climate goals
- Look to science, not law, for real answers on youth gender medicine
- Industrial and business groups send Trump a deregulatory wish list (“More than a hundred industrial trade groups and chambers of commerce are urging President-elect Donald Trump to weaken or eliminate numerous Biden administration regulations on energy, air pollution, recycling, worker heat protections, consumer safeguards and corporate financing, claiming that the rules are ‘strangling’ the nation’s economy.” Wildly corrupt.)
- Elon Musk put $277 million into the election. Now he’s $200 billion richer. (Unimaginably corrupt.)
- McConnell has the chutzpah to complain about Trump’s ‘America First’
- Over 120 House Democrats call on Biden to have Equal Rights Amendment ratified
- Trump claims a ‘massive’ mandate, but presidents often overread their victories (Trump had a very narrow victory – definitely not a “massive” mandate.)
- Trump and His Picks Threaten More Lawsuits Over Critical Coverage
- ABC News caved when it settled with Trump (“The Disney-owned news outlet broke Rule 1 of resisting autocracy: ‘Don’t obey in advance'”)
- The Rich, The Powerful, The Cowardly (“We are witnessing media companies, journalists and billionaires bowing down to Trump and his hostile takeover—seeking access, favors and security. They are doing us a favor.”)
- Conservatives fall in line behind Mike Johnson ahead of speaker race
- Graham Says Hegseth Plans to Release Accuser From Confidential Agreement
- RFK Jr. seeks to win over Senate GOP skeptics as he begins HHS meetings
- Trump dares GOP to challenge his playbook on RFK Jr., Gabbard and Patel
- Congress races to avoid government shutdown before the holidays
- Biden hails “historic” achievements at DNC holiday reception (Yes, but it’s all going to be undone by Trump now. We needed to win that election!)
- “Trump’s Stooge” Gets His Reward (“Former Congressman Devin Nunes, the head of Truth Social, is set to be chairman of The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.”)
- His Family Voted to Support Trump’s Deportation Plan. That Includes Him. (“His friends and family members in Rome, Ga., voted to support mass deportation. Now he’s scrambling to stay in the country.”)
- Harris debates her future: A run for California governor that would take 2028 off the table
- Progressives should defend Biden’s legacy to protect their future
- Journalists anticipate a renewed hostility toward their work under the incoming Trump administration
- Journalists anticipate a renewed hostility toward their work under the incoming Trump administration (After they played a huge role in electing Trump.)
- Romney stands by Trump criticism but says MAGA is now the Republican Party
- Sen. Bernie Sanders says Biden should ‘very seriously’ consider preemptive pardons
- Steve Bannon Is Already Claiming Trump Can Run Again in 2028
- Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg runs for Democratic committee post: ‘We can’t win without young voters’
- A long-serving Democratic senator reflects on his narrow loss and how Trump took Pennsylvania
- Trump-Supporting, Concern-Trolling Former VA Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) Claims That Bobby Scott Would Be “DEMOCRATS WORST NIGHTMARE” for Governor Next Year, Would Give Winsome Sears a Shot at Winning (In contrast, Bolling argues that Abigail Spanberger’s “an outstanding candidate” who Sears couldn’t “compete with”)
- Editorial: Youngkin sacrifices Virginia in service of Trump – again
- New Virginia investigator to streamline complaint filing for incarcerated people and their families
- Virginia legislature set to try and tackle school cell phone ban… again
- Tracking cellphone-free school policies across Central Virginia
- Virginia senator used Chesapeake address to run for office, but wasn’t listed on property’s lease (“Sen. Christie New Craig, a Republican elected in 2023 to represent Virginia Senate District 19, filed paperwork to run using an address in Chesapeake. But a copy of the property lease reviewed by The Virginian-Pilot lists New Craig’s now chief of staff as the tenant, not her.”)
- As Danville prepares to renew Averett’s contract to run the city’s airport, documents reveal months of doubt
- D.C.-area forecast and updates: Cloudy and mild today, then a big chill by the weekend
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