by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, December 10.
- Small island nations face climate-induced ‘catastrophe’, warn experts (“First comprehensive study on health and climate change in small island developing states lays bare impact of the crisis and calls for action from richer countries”)
- A ‘doom loop’ of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning
- Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says (“An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research shows” HUGE problem.)
- BP shifts offshore wind to joint venture amid retreat from renewables (F*** BP and its relentless propaganda.)
- Plunging cost of big batteries: Latest gigawatt scale project may set new price benchmark
- The World Is on Fire. And Trump’s About to Be President. Feel Better? (“The president-elect’s affection for the worst despots and dictators should worry us all.”)
- China Stages Largest Show of Force in Decades After U.S. Visit by Taiwan’s Lai
- In China’s Rapidly Aging Cities, Young People Flee and Few Babies Are Born (“Fushun, where roughly a third of the population is 60 or above, offers a snapshot of nation’s future.”)
- U.S. charges Assad officials with war crimes in Syria
- Shaken by Assad’s sudden fall, Syria faces seismic turning point (“The worst scenario for Syrians is that their country will spin into violent chaos, writes the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen.”)
- Syrian rebels to name Assad officials wanted for torture as fighters say 40 bodies found
- Recovery of journalist Austin Tice top priority in Syria, White House says (“Former US marine was abducted in August 2012 while reporting on uprising against Bashar al-Assad”)
- Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, Syria’s ‘human slaughterhouse’ (“According to Amnesty International, up to 20,000 prisoners were held at Sednaya, most of them imprisoned after secret sham trials that lasted no more than a few minutes. Survivors of the prison recounted brutal daily beatings and torture by prison guards that included rape, electric shocks and more. Many were tortured to death.”)
- Gabbard, Trump Intel pick who visited Assad, meets with senators after dictator’s fall
- Assad’s Opponents Are Building a New Order (“What comes next won’t be easy, but it could be extraordinary.”)
- Assad joins list of toppled leaders 13 years after Arab Spring
- Assad regime’s collapse is a devastating defeat for Iran (Good – Iran should be next!)
- Iran Suffers Blow of ‘Historic Proportions’ With Assad’s Fall (Excellent!)
- U.S. scrambles to contain Syrian chaos
- How Assad’s Regime Crumbled (“Iran’s weakness, a faltering economy, and new political fissures led to the stunning end of a dynasty.” And Russia being distracted/decimated in Ukraine!)
- Israel warned over Syria airstrikes as it denies its tanks are near Damascus
- Israel pounds Syrian army bases, denies deeper incursion
- Exclusive: In Assad’s Alawite hometown, Syrian rebels win statement of support
- Brazil’s Lula ‘well’ after brain bleed surgery (“The 79-year-old was taken to hospital in the capital, Brasília, on Monday after he had complained of a severe headache.”)
- Brazil’s Lula in Intensive Care After Brain Surgery
- Maga on the River Plate as global populist right descends on Argentina
- Netanyahu takes the stand amid Middle East chaos
- Netanyahu Finally Takes the Stand in His Corruption Trial (“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a trial that began four years ago. He has denied the charges.”)
- Trump’s fingerprints are all over France’s government crisis
- Trudeau Says Canada ‘Will Respond’ If Trump Imposes Tariffs
- Federal court blocks ACA coverage for Dreamers (Trump-appointed judge, of course.)
- Trump Says He Would Let ‘Dreamers’ Stay. But He Once Tried to Gut the Program.
- House Republican eyes Medicare, Social Security for DOGE cuts
- Jan. 6 investigators say Trump trying to ‘send a message’ with calls for their imprisonment
- The Bizarre Normalcy of Trump 2.0 (“In postelection Washington, the mood is calm—and the developments are disturbing.”)
- Elon Musk’s Stunning $250 Million Favor to Trump Should Wake Up Dems (“Wikler says he’d invest substantial resources in training armies of surrogates to carry out that mission in all these mediums…Perhaps most interestingly, Wikler says the party must invest much more in building an “independent, progressive media ecosystem.” That idea is often bandied about, but critically, Wikler says the Democratic Party should actively ‘accelerate the success’ of that ecosystem, by breaking news via those outlets and doing high-profile interviews there, with the express goal of elevating and empowering it, something the GOP does with Fox News. Also essential: marketing these outlets to voters who don’t follow political news at all.”)
- ‘Incredibly harmful’: why Trump’s FBI and DoJ picks scare civil liberties experts (“Ex-DoJ prosecutors fear loyalists Kash Patel and Pam Bondi will pursue Trump’s calls for revenge on ‘deep state’ foes”)
- Nobel Laureates Urge Senate to Turn Down Kennedy’s Nomination
- More than 75 Nobel laureates urge Senate to reject RFK Jr. (On the merits, this should be a no-brainer; the vote should be 100-0 against RFK Jr. But of course the vote won’t be on the merits for most Senate Republicans.)
- Ron who? How Trump allies brought Hegseth back from the brink
- Ernst Suggests She Will Not Oppose Hegseth for Defense Secretary (Appalling.)
- MAGA movement turns on Ernst in push for Trump’s tear-it-down Cabinet
- Former Trump official reportedly in the Capitol on Jan. 6 now working with the transition
- Democrats can make education a winning issue (“Sometimes, smart policy is also smart politics.”)
- Congress races toward fast-approaching government shutdown deadline
- This Race Was Decided by 734 Votes. The G.O.P. Wants to Disqualify 60,000 Ballots. (That’s today’s GOP – lawless, ruthless, anti-democracy, etc.)
- Rupert Murdoch Fails in Bid to Change Family Trust (“A Nevada commissioner ruled resoundingly against Mr. Murdoch, who was trying to give full control of his empire to his son Lachlan and lock in Fox News’s right-wing editorial slant”)
- Luigi Mangione charged with murdering healthcare CEO in New York
- Suspect in UnitedHealth Killing Was Ivy Leaguer With Anticapitalist Leanings (“Clues emerged that Luigi Mangione had become estranged from some friends—and suffered from chronic pain”)
- Mangione’s disappearing act worried his friends and family (“Luigi Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family, worked as a software engineer and had surgery for back pain”)
- Top ‘Washington Post’ editor kills article on deputy’s departure (“On Saturday, Acting Executive Editor Matt Murray told editors that the paper should not cover itself, according to four people with knowledge. This is not how the Post has handled past developments about itself or its leaders.”)
- Daniel Penny found not guilty in chokehold death of Jordan Neely in NYC (Of course…)
- Video: On U.S. House Floor, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Delivers Farewell Address (First elected in November 2018, Rep. Spanberger is stepping down to run for governor of Virginia in 2025)
- Highlights/Video: Major New Report on Data Centers in Virginia Finds Economic Benefits, Also Major Challenges, Particularly on Energy Supply (“Data centers are industrial facilities that are largely incompatible with residential uses”)
- Data center report shows high cost of Virginia’s high-tech future
- Legislative report: Development of data centers could triple energy demands if unconstrained
- Lawmakers weigh options, as new report shows broadband efforts continue to see delays
- Fighting to keep intimate images private (“Last year, a candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates made headlines when a video showing her having sex with her husband circulated online. Susanna Gibson lost that race, but early next year she’ll be heading to the General Assembly anyway.”)
- Feds end special education monitoring in Virginia as advocates question post-review process
- Editorial: Hampton Roads must act in response to spate of juvenile gun crimes
- Portsmouth councilman charged with domestic assault, police say
- In tearful meeting, City Council bids 3 members farewell (“At City Council’s last full meeting in 2024, the body honored its three outgoing members — Andreas Addison, Ann-Frances Lambert and Kristen Nye.”)
- Famed poet and Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni dies at age 81 (RIP.)
- In memoriam: Nikki Giovanni, renowned poet, activist, and Virginia Tech legend
- Federal grant enables Roanoke area seniors to get six-month ‘produce prescriptions’
- D.C. area forecast and updates: Early fog and a shower chance today. Soaking rain tonight and tomorrow. (“Rainfall totals could reach 1 to 2 inches by late Wednesday.”)
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