by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, January 18.
- Climate misinformation is rife on social media – and poised to get worse
- Prominent climate scientist argues it’s time to ditch the ‘myth of neutrality’
- Fed pulls out of global climate change group before Trump inauguration
- How ‘Mild Bill’ Burns led a covert CIA campaign in Ukraine (“Burns’s steadfast efforts mark a key chapter in his decades-long intelligence duel with Putin.”)
- Three killed in strike on central Kyiv, Ukraine says (Putin’s Russia is a terrorist nation.)
- Trump had a call with China’s Xi about TikTok and trade
- Israeli cabinet approves Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal
- Qatar says ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday
- How the Oct. 7 Attacks Transformed the Middle East (“With an Israel-Hamas cease-fire set to begin, the shock waves from their war have reshaped the region in unexpected ways.”)
- Palestinians Dare to Hope the Fighting Really Stops This Time
- Israel’s approval of the Gaza deal unmasks deep schisms that could threaten the ceasefire and Netanyahu’s political future (“The deal to which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed is remarkably similar to a proposal he railed against for almost a year…Netanyahu’s extremist allies in government are confused by his sudden about-face.”)
- Relief at this Gaza deal should be tempered by rage at Hamas and Netanyahu. How dare they take so long? (“The agreement reached this week is basically the plan Joe Biden unveiled in May. So much pain and death could have been avoided”)
- What the Cease-Fire Deal Really Means
- What changed since the Gaza ceasefire deal was rejected months ago? Trump, some officials say
- Impeached South Korean president argues for his release as court reviews his formal arrest
- ‘A watershed moment’: how will Labour play Trump 2.0? (“Starmer open to second state visit for Donald Trump, amid worries about tariffs and recent setbacks to political relationship”)
- Fate of Mexico’s industrial Chinatown is on the line (“Many Chinese companies moved production to Mexico to have tariff-free access to the US market. Trump’s tariffs could put them out of business.”)
- Since Donald Trump last entered the White House, the Supreme Court created a more powerful president (This Supreme Court is a DISASTER.)
- Trump’s planning a flood of immigration executive orders on Day 1 (“The president-elect will aggressively crack down on the border, with a slow start to his mass deportations agenda.”)
- Trump to Begin Large-Scale Deportations Tuesday (“Chicago will be early target and the government will send as many as 200 officers to carry out the operation, according to people familiar with the planning “)
- A Trump-Voting Farmer’s Warning: Mass Deportations Would Be a Disaster
- Homeland Security Hearing Previews Immigrant Fearmongering To Come (“Major statistics cited in Kristi Noem’s confirmation hearing were just plain false.”)
- Democrats Help Clear Way For Donald Trump’s First Legislative Victory (“He hasn’t even been sworn into office yet and he’s already finding support from Democrats for his immigration agenda in Congress.” Brilliant, huh?)
- U.S. electricity demand is set to explode. That will make it harder to cut climate pollution
- Yellen: Debt limit will be hit day after Trump’s inauguration (“Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday said the nation will hit its debt ceiling the day after President Trump is inaugurated, and that the agency will begin ‘extraordinary measures’ to stave off the threat of a national default.”)
- Biden Gives $27 Billion for Clean-Energy Deals in Final Days
- Judge Cannon skeptical of Garland’s plan to show Smith report on classified docs case to lawmakers
- Has Trump promised too much on US economy? (That’s not even a question. Of course the answer is YES, and soon we’ll see a ton of Trump’s promises broken.)
- It’s Time to Check Back in, Liberals—Trump 2.0 Will Be Far, Far Worse (“Most people I know—even me, to an extent—have been avoiding it. Well, we don’t have that luxury anymore.”)
- Resistance to Trump may look different in his second administration
- Shove the Presidency Down Trump’s Throat (“Liberals spent the president-elect’s first term trying and failing to kick him out of office. This time out, they need to turn the White House into a prison.”)
- Voters Want MAGA Lite From Trump, WSJ Poll Finds
- Leo Terrell was nominated to serve in the civil rights division of the DOJ. Here’s what he’s said about the DOJ and racism in America. (“Terrell made a career at Fox News arguing that systemic racism doesn’t exist”)
- Kennedy Sought to Stop Covid Vaccinations 6 Months After Rollout (WILDLY irresponsible.)
- That’s Not How Constitutional Amendments Work (“The president’s declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment is ‘the law of the land’ doesn’t make it so.”)
- Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment is law. What happens next is unclear
- Biden just announced there’s a new constitutional amendment. Huh?
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the Equal Rights Amendment
- How Biden Destroyed His Legacy (“The president’s accomplishments are considerable, but on his signature issue of preserving democracy, he failed spectacularly.”)
- How Trump plans to cement control of government by dismantling the ‘deep state’ (“The goal is to inject political loyalists deep into the workings of government, perhaps more so than any other recent president.”)
- There’s a very popular explanation for Trump’s win. It’s wrong. (“Democrats’ problem in 2024 was not merely that it failed to mobilize cynical, anti-Trump voters. The party also lost the arguments over inflation, immigration, and crime to the Republican Party. Trump did not convert a supermajority of Americans to conservatism. But he did convince a critical slice of voters that he was the better option on at least some of the issues that they cared about most.”)
- Trump Moves Inauguration Indoors Amid Forecast of Extreme Cold
- Trump to take oath of office in chamber Jan. 6 rioters ‘desecrated’
- Donald Trump Will Be Sworn In at a Podium In a Rotunda His Supporters Desecrated on Jan. 6
- Trump Trolled Over ‘True’ Reason for Indoor Inauguration
- Washington DC residents flee ahead of Trump inauguration: ‘I can’t be here’
- As Zuckerberg Goes Around Whining About Biden, He Made Sure To First Get His New Approach Approved By Trump (Zuckerberg is a pathetic excuse for a human being.)
- Mark Zuckerberg’s MAGAmorphosis Is Making Even More Sense Now (“The New York Times reports that the Meta CEO signaled to Stephen Miller that he wouldn’t obstruct Trump’s agenda during a December meeting, where he also blamed the company’s progressive culture on his ‘close friend’ Sheryl Sandberg.”)
- The tech bros have front-row seats at Trump’s inauguration, but what they want goes way beyond that (“The convergence of money and politics isn’t new. What’s different is the Silicon Valley right’s hostility to the nation state”)
- TikTok CEO thanks Trump for commitment to finding solution after court upholds ban
- Is the TikTok Ban a Chance to Rethink the Whole Internet? (“The billionaire Frank McCourt is launching a “people’s bid” to buy the app, replace its addictive algorithm, and give users greater control of their data. Is it a publicity stunt or a sincere attempt to reform the digital age?”)
- TikTok says it will ‘go dark’ in US on Sunday unless Biden acts
- The bright side of TikTok’s downfall (“The end of one wildly popular platform is a chance to overhaul the broken social media industry.”)
- TikTok to ‘Go Dark’ on Sunday for Its 170 Million American Users
- Some U.S. leaders and lawmakers backpedal on eve of TikTok ban
- Exclusive | CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap
- CNN settles lawsuit after $5 million defamation verdict
- Arrogance sank CNN (“In a security contractor’s defamation suit, CNN journalists struggled to defend their work.”)
- Florida jury says CNN defamed Navy veteran in story about endangered Afghans
- The Washington Post Wants to Sell You Some “Riveting Storytelling” (“As Trump prepares to return to office, Jeff Bezos’s paper is embracing corporate buzzwords.”)
- Vivek Ramaswamy plans to announce Ohio gubernatorial run
- Displaced by California fires, Angelenos anxiously search for somewhere to live
- “A troubling trend”: Experts say Republicans are continuing to undermine democracy in North Carolina
- DeWine passes over Ramaswamy, selects Jon Husted for Senate (“The senator-to-be is an institutionalist Republican similar to the Ohio governor.”)
- The Politics Hour: Regional leaders discuss inauguration security and the future of local federal workers
- Giant blue catfish gobble up other seafood in the Chesapeake Bay (“State lawmakers are looking at two bills designed to solve a big environmental problem in the Chesapeake Bay. Giant blue catfish are devouring many native species, but experts say we can fight back— by eating them.”)
- Audio: Rep. Gerry Connolly Says Trump Assault on Non-Politicized Civil Service Is “going back to the spoils system, pre 1883” (Connolly says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are “both engaged in… mindless disruption,” and that many Rs “have swallowed the Kool-Aid,…almost like dealing with a cult.”)
- Former Missy Cotter Smasal campaign staffer sues, says he wasn’t paid for work in Hampton Roads (The Virginian-Pilot says “The lawsuit was first reported by political newsletter Virginia Scope” but doesn’t link to Virginia Scope. Weird – but typical of the “mainstream media”…)
- Virginia Rep. McClellan, gearing up for Trump 2.0, reflects on MLK’s legacy
- A marijuana marketplace faces unfavorable odds again this year in Richmond
- Education advocates urge Va. lawmakers to remove school support cap (“VDOE pushes back on funding changes, leaving lawmakers frustrated by abrupt departure and lack of answers.”)
- Virginia House of Delegates 2024 Fundraising Highlights
- Legislation to bar transgender women from women’s sports in Virginia fails first test (“After a bill barring trans women from competing in women’s sports in Virginia failed in a subcommittee it is unlikely it’ll survive this legislative session.”)
- Subcommittee tables Garrett bill on local land-use decisions (“A bill from Del. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham County, would have given local governments the final say in land use decisions over renewable energy projects and data centers.”)
- Fairfax Co. leaders hopes to ease fear in immigrant community about deportation
- Blast of cold will move through Hampton Roads, along with chances for snow
- CWG Live updates: Sunday to bring snow and an Arctic blast follows (“Showers today then snow moves in early Sunday and lasts into evening. The coldest air in years arrives Monday.”)
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
