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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, January 8.
- EU warns of ‘serious blow’ from Trump on climate change
- A Nickel Rush Threatens Indonesia’s Last Nomadic Tribes and Its Forests, Fishermen and Farmers
- The maps that show how China’s military is squeezing Taiwan (“China has increased its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace over the last year, part of strategic harassment that is taking a toll on the island’s resources”)
- Trump Warns ‘All Hell Will Break Out’ if Hostages in Gaza Are Not Freed (What on earth is THAT supposed to mean?)
- Israel, Hezbollah Fighting Stretches a Cease-Fire Deal to the Limit
- Trudeau says ‘not a snowball’s chance in hell’ Canada joins U.S.
- Trump Floats Using Force to Take Greenland and the Panama Canal (Trump is completely insane…and he’s going to be PRESIDENT! We are so screwed.)
- Trump Imagines New Sphere of U.S. Influence From Panama to Greenland
- Trump Appears To Blame Hezbollah For Pro-Trump Violence On Jan. 6 (Yes, Trump is completely insane.)
- In sum: Trump just left open using military force against a NATO ally
- Trump’s Panama, Greenland Threats Signal Unchained Second Term
- Trump refuses to rule out use of military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal (The US military should never obey illegal orders from any president.)
- Trump’s threats to Greenland, Canada and Panama explain everything about America First
- EU will not tolerate attacks on its borders, France says after Trump Greenland comment
- France warns Donald Trump against threatening EU ‘sovereign borders’
- Elon Musk, king of Europe? (“Can the billionaire bend European nations to his will? Keep an eye on upcoming elections in Germany.”)
- South Korea’s Yoon faces new arrest attempt in fortified compound (“South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a new and potentially more robust attempt to arrest him for insurrection after a top investigator vowed to do whatever it takes to break a security blockade and take in the embattled leader.”)
- The Anti-Social Century (“Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.” Really, really bad.)
- Biden Administration Moves to Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports
- What banning medical debt from your credit score actually means
- Biden administration withdraws old-growth forest plan after getting pushback from industry and GOP
- Zuckerberg and Meta are done pretending to care about mitigating the harms their platforms cause (“With policy rollbacks ahead of the inauguration, Meta capitulates to Trump and MAGA media’s false claims of censorship”)
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Eternal Apology Tour</a (“Like clockwork, he bends the knee and promises to change his — and his company’s — ways.”)
- Zuckerberg and Meta say good riddance to fact-checking
- Mark Zuckerberg’s MAGA makeover will reshape the entire internet
- Meta surrenders to the right on speech
- Zuckerberg Achieves Trump Lap Monkey Badge And Other Platform News
- Here are some of the horrible things that you can now say on Instagram and Facebook
- Meta Now Lets Users Say Gay and Trans People Have ‘Mental Illness’
- Zuckerberg wears $900,000 watch to announce end of Meta fact checks
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta makeover: MAGA grandpa is about to get much worse (“Facebook ditches its fact-checking program in favor of Elon Musk’s army of disinformation zombies”)
- Facebook Deletes Internal Employee Criticism of New Board Member Dana White
- Trump is considering a national economic emergency declaration to allow for new tariff program, sources say (In no way/shape/form are we in an “economic emergency”)
- Trump Again Hints at Jan. 6 Pardons, Including for Attacks on Police (Evil.)
- Trump says he will rename the Gulf of Mexico. Can he do that?
- Greenland, Panama and Faucets: Trump Conference Shows Hints of Chaos to Come
- The normalizers are exuding calm – but Trump 2.0 is anything but normal (“Trump’s repeated threats to US allies mark a new and alarming departure, indicating he’ll top his first term by going more extreme”)
- Senate Republicans prepare blitzkrieg on Biden regulations
- Trump to meet with congressional Republicans as lawmakers joust over his agenda
- Judge Cannon Blocks Release of Special Counsel’s Final Report on Trump Documents Investigation (She has no authority to do that. Biden should order release of the report IMMEDIATELY.)
- Trump Escaped Consequences. Now He’s Running From the Truth. (“Silencing former Special Counsel Jack Smith is part of a larger effort.”)
- GOP leaders still giving conflicting guidance on reconciliation plans
- GOP roadblocks start to emerge on big Trump agenda bill
- CNN defamation trial comes at a rough time for legacy media — and for the struggling network
- Scoop: Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors (That’s seriously f’ed up.)
- Susan Platt: At Times Like These, We Need to Recharge, Regroup…and Then Keep Doing Those Scary Things
- GOP-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court blocks certification of Democrat as winner of close high court race (WILDLY anti-democracy and 100% unacceptable!)
- Carter Carried Into Capitol to Lie in State
- California governor says Pacific Palisades wildfire has destroyed many structures as winds kick up
- Warner & Kaine Announce Over $46 Million to Support Virginia’s Recovery Following Hurricane Helene
- Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07) Casts First Vote as Congressman Against the Laken Riley Act (The bill “would require undocumented immigrants who, without due process, have been merely accused of low-level nonviolent offenses be immediately detained by [ICE]”)
- Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11): “The public’s right to know about Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified material is paramount. The Department of Justice must release the report by January 20.”
- Democrats Kannan Srinivasan and JJ Singh Win Virginia Special Elections in SD32, HD26; Republican Luther Cifers Wins SD10 (Democrats hold their majorities in the VA Senate, House of Delegates)
- Democrats retain control of Virginia legislature in special elections
- Virginia Democrats keep control of Statehouse in first elections after Trump win
- Virginia special elections add new faces, but leave General Assembly balance intact
- Republican Cifers wins special election; two Northern Virginia seats stay in Democratic hands
- Democrats Srinivasan, Singh Win in Loudoun’s General Assembly Special Elections
- Feds approve amendments to Virginia’s K-12 accountability and support plan
- Old and new ambitions at 2025’s Virginia General Assembly
- Virginia legislature prepares for session as Gov. Youngkin enters final year
- Youngkin wants his legacy to be tax relief, but Democrats have other ideas (No, it’s NOT that Democrats don’t want “tax relief,” it’s that the two parties have vastly different priorities on the tax code, education funnding, etc, etc.)
- Editorial: As legislative session begins, public has options to follow the debate
- Bipartisan lawmakers introduce Save Local Pharmacies Act
- As lawmakers converge on Richmond, a winter surprise: No water (“By 6 p.m. Tuesday, water still had not been restored in the city and even some surrounding counties were reporting problems.”)
- Broken water system forces closure of Virginia capitol ahead of 2025 legislative session
- Richmond water crisis deepens after storm damage forces delay (“Restoration efforts hindered by equipment failures, as state legislature plans to meet briefly Wednesday and recess until Monday”)
- Richmond water woes force General Assembly to delay most work until Monday
- Richmond water crisis forces delay of General Assembly session
- Nice Thread by “Speedster Max” on the Upcoming 2025 Virginia House of Delegates Elections (Bottom line: he has 6 tossups, 5 leaning either D or R, and 14 likely D or R out of all 100 seats on the ballot this November.)
- Taxes on tips will be a big subject of debate in Richmond this session
- New Poll of Virginia Voters Shows Support for Enhanced Consumer Transparency on Health Insurance Prior Authorization Practices (88% support legislation to “establish standards for prior authorization decisions by health insurance companies”)
- Dem education leaders pledge to push back on Youngkin’s voucher plan
- Women in state prison suffer when heat and water go out
- Newborn babies at a Virginia hospital have been suffering mysterious injuries. A nurse now faces abuse charges
- Editorial: Water crisis in Richmond needs a regional solution
- Richmond residents vent frustration, confusion over another day without water
- Richmond extends water restoration timeline after setback (“Boil advisory remains in effect”)
- Water distribution sites announced in Richmond
- Richmond restores water production, but related issues expand to Henrico, Hanover counties
- More federal funding headed to Southwest Va. for disaster relief
- CWG Live updates: Frozen chill is here to stay. Snow possible Friday night into Saturday. (“This is quite the cold stretch we’re in, and it looks to last through at least the end of next week.”)
