Monday News: “Australia to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre”; “America has tragically changed, but journalism is still stuck in old ways”; “Democrats’ Redistricting Efforts Must Focus on January 2029 to Avoid a Trump Coup”; “Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Were Killed by Their Son”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, December 15.

• One Big, Shining Beacon for Climate Hope (““Here Comes the Sun” author and activist Bill McKibben on his newfound optimism, harnessing energy from heaven vs. energy from hell and how there are no (good) songs written about fracking.”)
• Weather tracker: Bushfires ravage Western Australia as temperatures soar (“Extreme heat follows blazes in New South Wales, while winds plunge Brazil’s largest city into darkness”)
• Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. (Absolute evil.)
• Ukraine gives up joining NATO in bid to shift the dial in Russia peace talks (“Ukrainian membership of NATO, whose members are obliged to defend one another, was always unlikely due to Russian opposition.”)
• Ukraine and US to Resume Peace-Plan Talks, Focus on Security
• European leaders expected to cement support for Ukraine amid US pressure to accept peace deal
• Pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted in high-profile national security trial
• Trump Vows ‘Big Damage’ After Attack on US Troops in Syria
• Trump on Brown University Shooting, Australia Shooting, and Syria attack
• Around the world, anti-Jewish hate is growing. In Bondi, we see the tragic results
• Australia to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre (We should have done the same in this country…but noooooooo.)
• Bondi Beach Massacre: Australia’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack (“Twelve people are dead after gunmen opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah festival on one of Sydney’s most iconic beaches.”)
• Australia’s Jewish community saw an attack coming but no one expected the Bondi Beach horror
• In the Wake of Australia’s Hanukkah Beach Massacre (“A conversation about the country’s unique Jewish community and rising levels of antisemitism.”)
• ‘This felt inevitable’: Australian Jews react to Bondi attack with grief and anger
• The Intifada Comes to Bondi Beach (“A Hanukkah massacre of Australian Jews”)
• Bystander shown in videos disarming gunman during Australian beach shooting commended for bravery
• Bondi Massacre Sparks Anger Over Missed Antisemitism Warnings
• Holocaust survivor, London-born rabbi and 10-year-old girl among victims of Bondi beach terror attack
• Netanyahu Says Australia Failed to Protect Jews Despite Warning
• ‘It was a matter of conscience’: Ahmed al-Ahmed’s family reveal why he risked his life to disarm alleged Bondi shooter (“Family say al-Ahmed ‘doesn’t discriminate’ and would have done anything to save lives during the attack”)
• U.S. Military Plane and JetBlue Flight Nearly Collided Over Caribbean, Radio Traffic Shows
• Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’ (Disgusting.)
• Rep. Ilhan Omar says her son was pulled over by ICE agents in Minnesota (“The Minnesota Democrat, an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s immigration operations around Minneapolis, said her son was let go after showing his U.S. passport.”)
• Rep. Ilhan Omar: Trump is weaponizing fear against me and other immigrants (“ICE activity in Minnesota is state-sanctioned racial profiling used as a tool of political intimidation.”)
• Stop criticizing Trump’s bad economy. You’re making him sad. | Opinion (“You think you’ve got it hard trying to put food on the table? Try being President Donald Trump, the billionaire saint of perpetual grievance.”)
• Inside Stephen Miller’s Dark Plot to Build a MAGA Terror State (“He is descended from Russian Jews—you know, the kind of people who were once denounced as alien and unassimilable. Today, his project is to unleash government persecution of those he deems alien and unassimilable. How far will Miller’s sadistic designs go?”)
• MAGA leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen? (“The president is taking criticism from supporters for not addressing cost-of-living issues while focusing too much on foreign policy and billionaires.”)
• MAGA, the Broligarchs and the Media (“This isn’t just about business; it’s about democracy”)
• Democrats’ Redistricting Efforts Must Focus on January 2029 to Avoid a Trump Coup
• America has tragically changed, but journalism is still stuck in old ways (“The swift slide into authoritarianism should have been a five-alarm fire for the media”)
• Obamacare expiration will have ‘death spiral’ effect on US healthcare – experts (“End of subsidies after failed legislation will have serious and damaging impact on entire sector, policy experts say”)
• 15 years into Obamacare, the GOP health care message is as muddled as ever
• Harris stepping toward another White House run
• Nancy Pelosi calls female US president in her lifetime unlikely: ‘Marble ceiling’ (“Former House speaker, 85, expects woman to assume Oval Office this generation but concedes she may not live to see it”)
• Trump says building DC triumphal arch is domestic policy chief’s ‘primary thing’ (Deranged. Also, the next administration needs to tear that shit down.)
• The Erika Kirk and Candace Owens feud is tearing MAGA apart
• Erika Kirk to address assassination claims privately with Candace Owens
• Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Were Killed by Their Son (Exclusive Sources) (“Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home, and their son Nick is now being questioned by police”)
• Rob Reiner, Legendary Director and Actor, and Wife Found Dead in Apparent Homicide (“The beloved and outspoken auteur died alongside his wife Michele Singer on Sunday”)
• Live updates: Former person of interest in Brown shooting released
• Critics ‘Horrified’ By Donald Trump’s 3 Words About Brown University Shooting (Trump is a f’ing disgrace on every level.)
• Keystone Kash Suffers New Fiasco in Ivy League Shooter Hunt
• Wintry weather freezes DC region, leaving slick, icy roads for AM commute
• Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says About the Boat Strikes, “I think General [Dan] Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, wants to provide that information; I’m not sure Pete Hegseth wants that out.” (“I want to get all the documentation. I think the strike is extraordinarily chilling.”)
• Who’s running in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in 2026?
• Video: At Del. Marcus Simon’s “Latkepalooza” Event, Speaker Don Scott Talks About Building an ENDURING Democratic Majority in Virginia (On the redistricting constitutional amendment, Speaker Scott vows, “If we can 10-1 this thing, we’ll 10-1 this thing…We’re going to fight back.”)
• Legislators cue up last year’s vetoed energy bills for a new session, but leave us wanting more (“The bills are back in town, but if legislators aren’t more aggressive this year, next year they will find themselves further behind than ever, writes columnist Ivy Main”)
• Virginia Regulators Weigh Expanded Use of Data Center’s Polluting Generators (“The state’s Department of Environmental Quality would expand permissible uses during emergencies to include “planned outages” by grid operators, presumably for power line upgrades. Environmentalists say that with expanded use of diesel generators comes more harmful air pollutants and more greenhouse gases.”)
• Video, Highlights: Fairfax County/City Dems Hold Candidates Forum for HD11 Special Election (Firehouse Primary This Tuesday)
• [UPDATED 12/14 – Charlie Schmidt wins HD77 Democratic nomination] Following VA State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi Winning the LG Race, the Chain Reaction of Virginia Special Elections Continues…Now HD77 Set for 1/6/26, Dem “Firehouse Primary” This Sunday
• Progressive Democrat Schmidt wins HD-77 nomination
• Charlie Schmidt edges Michelle Mosby in firehouse primary
• Schmidt beats Mosby in primary, will seek Jones’ House seat
• Va. considers nearly $700 million rail and trail plan in Shenandoah Valley
• Richmond community prepares to celebrate Hanukkah, responds to Bondi Beach terror attack
• Appalachian School of Law considers merger with Roanoke College amid financial challenges
• Rawls says he’ll release details about Martinsville city manager report as early as January
• CWG Live: In the icebox today and tonight, then a gradual thaw (“Highs are in the 40s and 50s after Tuesday.”)