by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, January 9.
- European imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia at ‘record levels’ (That’s bonkers.)
- Grey seals, minke whales and bluefin tuna: is the North Sea bouncing back to its glory days? (“Hollywood stars once came for the big-game fishing, but the return of a host of species to the depleted waters around Britain’s coast is a cause for quiet optimism”)
- Meta’s changes to policing will lead to clash with EU and UK, say experts (“Politicians criticise Mark Zuckerberg’s choice to scrap factcheckers, affecting Facebook, Instagram and Threads”)
- Body of hostage Youssef Ziyadne found in Gaza
- Trump shares inflammatory video with crude reference to Netanyahu (“Donald Trump has shared inflammatory video content calling Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘deep, dark son of a bitch’ just weeks after the Israeli leader claimed the two had a ‘very friendly, warm’ discussion about hostage negotiations and Syria policy.”)
- More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, officials say
- Panama Canal CEO Says Meeting Trump’s Demands ‘Will Lead to Chaos’
- House Republican bill would pave way for Trump to acquire Panama Canal for US
- Danish officials fear Trump is much more serious about acquiring Greenland than in first term
- Trump, the ‘America First’ candidate, has a new preoccupation: Imperialism
- Canadian leaders say Trump’s talk about Canada becoming the 51st state isn’t funny anymore (It never was funny.)
- Germany and France warn Trump over threat to take over Greenland
- Trump’s Threat to Take Over Greenland Bewilders the Island’s Population
- Biden nixes trip to meet the pope because of LA fires
- Meet the influencer who has Elon Musk’s ear on Germany’s far-right
- Poking Fun at Trump, Mexico’s President Suggests Renaming the U.S.
- Trump team resurfaces plans to designate Mexican cartels as terror organizations
- Venezuela tumbles deeper into dictatorship with Nicolás Maduro set to extend 12-year rule
- Trump’s tariffs will be costly, but that’s not the worst part
- The Supreme Court Faces a Major Question About Trump’s Second Term
- TikTok Case Before Supreme Court Pits National Security Against Free Speech
- Alito spoke with Trump hours before court filing on hush-money sentencing
- Trump asks the Supreme Court to place him even further above the law
- Trump speaks with Justice Alito amid push to halt criminal sentencing (Totally corrupt; Alito should recuse, or preferably resign.)
- Alito Spoke With Trump Shortly Before Supreme Court Filing
- AG Merrick Garland intends to release special counsel report on Trump’s Jan. 6 case, DOJ says
- Biden Has Presidential Immunity. He Should Use It. (“Merrick Garland still doesn’t know what time it is.” Garland is PATHETIC.)
- Justice Dept. to Hold Off Releasing Report on Trump Documents Case
- Pre-election leaks from the Justice Department have also aided Trump (“A new report from Reuters shows that Trump and Republicans were the likely intended beneficiaries of leaks in 2020, as they were in 2016.”)
- Can the Justice Department Survive a Trump Wrecking Ball?
- Powerful Labor Group Joins A.F.L.-C.I.O. Ahead of New Trump Era
- Trump Inauguration, Awash in Cash, Runs Out of Perks for Big Donors
- Johnson: Reconciliation path likely decided by Thursday
- Trump reportedly got advance town hall questions from a Fox insider (Everything Republicans falsely accuse Democrats of is stuff they either have done or want to do.)
- Trump Allegedly Did a Town Hall That Was “Rigged”—in His Favor (“A new book claims Team Trump was fed questions in advance of a Fox News town hall last year. That would be rich considering Trump’s long history of claiming every debate is rigged against him.”)
- Facebook Is Censoring 404 Media Stories About Facebook’s Censorship (Facebook has been randomly censoring Blue Virginia stories, including press releases by members of Congress like Gerry Connolly, for months now!)
- No more fact-checking for Meta. How will this change media — and the pursuit of truth?
- Which Party Benefits From Zuckerberg’s Move? The One That Lies a Lot.
- He’s No Elon Musk (“But Mark Zuckerberg sure is trying to be.”)
- Elon Musk is a monster bully on the loose, but he can only get his way if we let him
- Elon Musk’s rage-fests on X make it clear that he wants something. I think I know what it is (“The billionaire appears to have a David Brent-like desire to be seen as an entertainer. Please let him get back to conquering Mars”)
- Trump transition considering D.C.-area showcase immigration raid in first days of administration
- Hawaii Gov: RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vax Misinformation Left Dozens Of Kids Dead In Samoa
- Watchdog Complaint: RFK Jr. May Have Committed Felonies By Voting in New York After Courts Ruled He Did Not Reside There
- Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos granted 3-month delay in sentencing for fraud and ID theft
- As Los Angeles Burns, We’re Seeing a Conflagration of Lies and Disinformation (“Bad-faith actors, including Donald Trump, are blaming the outcome on ‘diversity’ in the fire department and a nonexistent ‘water declaration resolution.'”)
- The Los Angeles wildfires are climate disasters compounded (“Conditions for a January LA firestorm have not existed before now, writes a meteorologist and climate journalist”)
- Noted Environmental Experts Donald Trump and Elon Musk Know What Caused The California Fires: Democrats!! (“You will note that nobody, and especially not the conservative Republican nuisances, are addressing the very big elephant taking up most of the room.”)
- Trump wastes no time assigning blame as fires sweep through LA (Yes, 100% falsely.)
- Trump Cares More About Starting Fights Than Fire Victims
- With Bass abroad, even Democrats are slamming LA mayor over wildfires
- Lack of water from hydrants in Palisades fire is hurting firefighters, Caruso says
- Wildfire response threatens to end Karen Bass’ extended honeymoon
- 5 dead, more than 2,000 structures burned as new fire hits Hollywood Hills
- Newly ignited L.A. fire triggers evacuation orders for 100,000 in Hollywood
- Los Angeles wildfires approach Hollywood sign, with Sunset Boulevard ‘in ruins’
- Trump’s Ugly, Hateful Eruptions Over CA Wildfires Hint at Darker Story (“As Trump unleashes vile attacks on Democrats over the Los Angeles horrors, a leading historian of conservatism explains how this fits into the right’s broader project of degrading public life.”)
- How Jimmy Carter’s so-called betrayal of evangelicals led to MAGA
- Jimmy Carter to receive state funeral in Washington DC before burial in Georgia
- Capitol Police arrest man with machete at entrance for Jimmy Carter viewing
- Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight
- The gravity of a GOP election challenge in N.C.: ‘Invites incredible mischief’
- Are North Carolina Republicans trying to steal a state Supreme Court seat? (Yes, obviously – duh.)
- D.C.-area school closings and delays for Jan. 9 as snow cleanup continues
- Virginia governor race tight; Spanberger leads Earle-Sears by 1%, DC News Now poll finds
- Virginia 2025 Poll: Spanberger (D) 42%, Earle-Sears (R) 41%
- Virginia special elections suggest no major political shift since November (“Fall elections may offer better pulse check on how voters feel about Trump”)
- Legislators tough it out without water in Richmond
- Amid Richmond water crisis, Virginia lawmakers convene. Some even showered.
- Lawmakers gavel in, gavel out as Richmond’s water crisis drags on
- Boil advisories and budget battles: Water crisis looms over start of 2025 legislative session
- Youngkin’s update on storms and Richmond water
- Governor, Richmond mayor address city’s second day without water
- Richmond water: Some pumps coming online, conservation and boiling still needed
- Richmond water boil advisory ‘unlikely’ to lift before Friday (“Mayor Danny Avula stresses water conservation as reservoir levels continue to rise; water woes continue in Henrico, Hanover”)
- Richmond schools closed all week, distributing food to students
- Boil water advisory in effect in Henrico ‘until further notice’
- The people moving into rural Virginia since the pandemic make a lot more money than those who moved in before
- Advocates rally for investigation into Red Onion State prison, press for reforms
- Red Onion official suggested making inmates pay for burn treatment
- Nor’easter could dump meaningful snow on Hampton Roads this weekend
- CWG Live updates: Bitter winds today with light snow late Friday night (“A coating to an inch or two of snow is most probable between Friday night and Saturday morning.”)
********************************************************