by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 7.
- World’s climate fight needs fundamental reform, UN expert says: ‘Some states are not acting in good faith’
- Climate Models Can’t Explain What’s Happening to Earth (“Global warming is moving faster than the best models can keep a handle on.”)
- Ukraine risks losing the war. A Trump-imposed bad deal would be worse.
- Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says nearly 15,000 Russian troops have died in Kursk
- Azerbaijan’s leader accuses Russia of passenger jet crash ‘cover up’ in blistering new attack on neighbor
- Investigators receive black box data from plane that crashed in Kazakhstan (“Authorities now have access to cockpit dialogue from Azerbaijan Airlines plane that went down on Christmas Day”)
- At least 95 people were killed after a powerful 7.1-magnitude quake struck Tibet
- Exclusive: UAE in talks with US, Israel about provisional government for post-war Gaza
- Three Palestinians killed in the West Bank as Israeli military operations intensify
- Inside Bashar Assad’s detention centers, where ‘death was the least bad thing’
- Iran Pulls Most Forces From Syria, in Blow to Tehran’s Regional Ambitions
- Musk plays politics abroad as world leaders brace for Trump’s return (“Musk’s comments have sparked outrage among the leaders of some of America’s closest allies”)
- Elon Musk Is Roiling European Politics
- Elon Musk’s Dishonest Demagogy on Grooming Gangs
- Danish king changes coat of arms amid row with Trump over Greenland
- Donald Trump Jr. to visit Greenland as his father muses anew about the US taking control of it
- How will replacing Trudeau work? Breaking down a Liberal leadership contest
- Justin Trudeau’s reluctant departure will leave his Liberal party in freefall
- Mark Carney Says He’s Considering Running to Succeed Trudeau
- Canada Tilts Right: Inflation Claims Trudeau as Its Latest Victim (“The prime minister’s resignation marks both the end of a political era and the beginning of a potentially dramatic reshaping of the nation’s economy. “)
- U.S. Sends 11 Guantánamo Prisoners to Oman to Start New Lives
- The Bogus Case Against Birthright Citizenship for the Children of Undocumented Immigrants
- Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one?
- The next round of bitter cold and snow will hit the southern US
- Biden Moves To Seal Environmental Legacy With Major Conservation Announcement (“Biden has protected more federal land and water than any president in history, the White House said.”)
- Biden creates 2 new national monuments, setting a conservation record
- No, John Roberts, You Are Not a Civil Rights Hero (Nope, Roberts is a disgrace.)
- Fewer than 1 in 1,000 US adolescents receive gender-affirming medications, researchers find (It’s a miniscule number, in other words, and in the vast majority of cases it’s because of decisions made by medical professionals, yet Republicans have blown it up into a huge issue.)
- The Internet Is Worse Than a Brainwashing Machine (“A rationale is always just a scroll or a click away.” It’s a disaster, no doubt.)
- Do Not Downplay How Bad Trump 2.0 Will Be
- Trump Won the Presidency—and the Narrative About January 6
- Trump urges Garland to block release of Jack Smith’s final report
- Trump’s attorneys have reviewed draft of Smith’s final special counsel report and want it blocked from public release (It should be released – immediately.)
- He Got Away With It (“Donald Trump instigated a violent attack on the Capitol. In two weeks, he’ll be sworn in as president at the very same building”)
- Why we should remember Jan. 6, 2025
- Don’t Mention the Coup! (“The memory of January 6 vanishes from Trump’s new Washington.”)
- January 6th was Successful (“A Slow-Motion Coup”)
- Trump’s one-bill pronouncement settles nothing: ‘We still need a plan’
- Trump, Who Incited Insurrection, Accuses Biden Of Making Transition ‘As Difficult As Possible’
- Donald Trump’s “Shock and Awe” Campaign
(“With the president-elect having made dozens of day-one promises, his second term is poised to move at breakneck speed. The media will need to cut through the noise to capture what’s really going on.”) - January 6 and the people who knew better
- Donald Trump’s MAGA Reconciliation Bill Will Feature the Worst of His Unpopular Project 2025 Agenda (“Donald Trump’s Reckless Agenda Will “Reignite Inflation and Dampen Economic Growth” Under Biden-Harris Administration”)
- Why Mike Johnson’s fake “Jefferson prayer” matters (“Replacing facts with phony history is a linchpin of the Christian nationalist movement”)
- Trump Gets the Peaceful Transfer of Power His Supporters Violently Refused Four Years Ago
- Four years after mob violence, Kamala Harris hands power – peacefully – to Trump
- With an intent stare, a wide smile and a simple declaration, Harris certifies her loss to Trump
- The oppressive goal at the top of Speaker Mike Johnson’s to-do list
- Proud Boys leader serving 22 years for Jan. 6 conviction asks Trump for a pardon
- UFC boss Dana White joining Meta’s board of directors (“White was caught on video released by TMZ slapping his wife while the two were on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on New Year’s Eve [2022].”)
- Rudy Giuliani is in contempt of court in $148 million defamation case
- Ford and Musk. They Made Cars. They Backed Fascists. (“Each age’s premier industrialist has had appalling politics.”)
- McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back diversity goals
- Sen. Tim Kaine: VP Kamala Harris “conceded when she lost…did not lie about the result…did not file baseless lawsuits…did not inspire a violent attack on the Capitol” (Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03): “the public should recognize those who lie and attempt to rewrite history for partisan political gain as a real threat to our enduring democracy.”)
- Democrats underperformed in Virginia in 2024. Spanberger isn’t worried. (I’d definitely be worried these days – about everything, really.)
- Why hundreds of bills the General Assembly continued met quiet deaths
- Youngkin wants to walk back earned sentence credit expansions in state budget
- Commission recommends bill that would give state more say in big solar projects
- Video: DLCC Spotlight Candidates in Virginia Join MSNBC’s The Last Word to Discuss Majority-Making Special Elections TOMORROW (1/7/25) (“The stakes are very high. It is a thin majority that we have in the General Assembly…People are concerned about many things, including the new administration.”)
- Virginia Holds the First Elections of the New Trump Era (Actually, given the snowstorm, I wouldn’t read too much into these elections at this point…)
- Virginia’s statehouse control hinges on 3 key special elections
- Three special elections could tip control of General Assembly, or keep things as they are (Two of the districts are deep-blue, one is deep-red, but with the snowstorm, turnout will ikely be VERY low, so who knows…)
- Virginia Senate Republicans announce 2025 legislative priorities
- Virginia Senate GOP calls for stiffer firearms penalty, tax breaks
- Video: Virginia NAACP Announces Its 2025 Legislative Priorities (“Our agenda is centered on advancing equity and justice for all Virginians.”)
- Editorial: In debate about menhaden, lawmakers can do something helpful (“Virginia lawmakers shouldn’t further delay passage of a law that promises to shine light on the state of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.”)
- Commentary: A nursing shortage threatens to upend health care in Virginia
- Officials: 24 to 48 hours before Richmond water is safe to drink
- Richmond’s under a boil water advisory, and some residents don’t have water at all
- City of Richmond under boil water advisory until further notice (“Officials issued the advisory after a pump failure at a water treatment facility.”)
- Richmond issues boil water advisory after storm disrupts water system
- Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin Announces Campaign for Re-Election (‘During my tenure crime rates have fallen significantly, including murders, shootings, robberies of individuals and the level of gun violence.”)
- Hanover prioritizing authority over boards, land use for 2025 legislative session
- Bristol council member apologizes for ‘publicly criticizing and lying’ about city manager
- Closings, delays and cancellations in Hampton Roads for Tuesday
- CWG Live: Biting cold through Friday. Another winter storm Friday night-Saturday? (“Our snowiest event in three years is behind us. But lots of sun, wind and cold are ahead of us.”)
