by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, December 1.
- Many Fighting Climate Change Worry They Are Losing the Information War (“Shifting politics, intensive lobbying and surging disinformation online have undermined international efforts to respond to the threat.”)
- A Massive, Chinese-Backed Port in Peru Could Push the Amazon Rainforest Over the Edge (“The ultra-sophisticated port north of Lima will revolutionize global trade, but it’s already sparking destructive new routes through the world’s most climate-critical ecosystem.” UGH.)
- Peeling Back the Curtain on Big Plastic’s False Solutions (“Environmental policy expert and environmental justice champion Judith Enck says in a new book that it’s possible to move beyond society’s dependence on plastics, if we each play a part.”)
- A shocking new warning about global poverty should unsettle everyone (“One of humanity’s biggest achievements may be slipping away.”)
- Zelenskyy meets with Macron, as US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner head to Moscow
- After ‘progress’ in talks to end Ukraine war, US diplomacy faces Kremlin test
- Ukraine peace talks shift to Moscow — the big unknown is whether Putin will play ball (“Talks will focus on a U.S.-backed 19-point peace plan to end the way in Ukraine. Ukraine has given its initial backing to the proposals but no final agreement has been reached.”)
- EU tells Trump: You can’t pardon Putin for war crimes in Ukraine
- Band of brothers: how the war crushed a cohort of young Ukrainians
- Ukraine fears being ignored in US plan to end Russia’s war
- Top Trump negotiator retains partnership with Ukraine-sanctioned billionaire (“Steve Witkoff coached a top Putin aide on managing Trump and created a peace plan that mirrored Russian demands”)
- Ukraine’s top negotiator resigns, but peace talks carry on.
- Rubio Says ‘Much Work’ to Be Done After Talks With Ukrainian Officials
- Ukraine Opens Up A New War At Sea (“Possibilities, Targeting and Risk”)
- Trump’s Lawless, Aimless Foreign Policy (“The 47th president is a bully unbound”)
- The New German War Machine (“After World War II, Germany embraced pacifism as a form of atonement. Now the country is arming itself again.”)
- Death toll passes 1,000 in devastating floods across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand
- Indonesians pick up the pieces after floods ravage Sumatra; death toll hits 502
- WW1 toxic compound sprayed on Georgian protesters, BBC evidence suggests
- Hong Kong arrests more suspects in fire probe as death toll hits 151
- Maduro resurfaces in Caracas, as Trump says he has spoken to Venezuelan president
- Trump’s threats bring war with Venezuela closer as contradictions and legal fears mount (“Concerns are emerging that the administration’s lethal strikes against alleged drug vessels have infringed the laws of war”)
- Trump Downplays Venezuelan Airspace Threat as US Mulls New Steps
- Trump says he believes Hegseth ‘100%’ on Venezuelan drug boat strike denial amid allegations
- Trump ‘wouldn’t have wanted’ second strike on Caribbean boat survivors
- Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime
- Why the Gulf Monarchs Shower Trump With Gifts (“Until now, no president had yielded to royal temptations from abroad.”)
- Honduras election on a knife edge as Trump-backed man slightly ahead
- Haunted by History, Japanese Americans Fight Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
- Noem says deportation operation decisions are hers amid case over flights to El Salvador
- Trump says he’s picked who he wants to lead the Fed
- Trump’s Legacy Is in the Supreme Court’s Shaky Hands (“The Court is poised to either restrain Trump’s power grabs or entrench them for years”)
- Despite Supreme Court Wins, Elite Justice Dept. Unit Has Seen Mass Turnover (“Even with an exodus of lawyers, the Office of the Solicitor General has had remarkable success. But close White House ties have raised concerns.”)
- Klobuchar says Senate ACA vote ‘will happen’ before New Year
- Congress waits on Trump as December health sprint begins
- Economist Pulls Apart Trump’s Latest Boasts: ‘My Kids Don’t Even Lie That Often’
- Do better, Big Journalism. Please do much, much better (“Low points from the New York Times, the BBC, the Washington Post and the New Yorker. And some highs.”)
- Hegseth conscripts the Pentagon for Trump’s ‘retribution campaign’
- Trump says he’ll release MRI results; he doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned (How on earth do you go for an MRI and not know what part of your body is being scanned???)
- Trump Has Never Been More Isolated (“Even Trump’s allies worry that he has become out of touch with what the public wants.”)
- Trump: Pro-crypto or Pro-crime? (“Or are they the same thing?”)
- Trump’s ugly Thanksgiving meltdown (“It’s getting so bad that even Republicans are starting to notice.”)
- Hello, 911? A Violent Man Is Holding Our Country Hostage” (“Trump’s sadism and lawless hostility were knowable before he retook office. Can America ever overcome its attraction to violent demagogues?”)
- GOP lawmakers lack confidence in Trump’s plans to tackle costs
- Blood in the Streets Is Not a Partisan Problem (“The shooting of two National Guard members allegedly by an Afghan refugee has set off a firestorm of finger-pointing. None of it solves the real problems America faces”)
- D.C. shooting suspect was part of a unit whose veterans have struggled in the U.S. (“The CIA-backed ‘Zero Unit’ was an elite squad of Afghans who have faced hardships due to visa and employment issues.”)
- Aftyn Behn’s rise challenges Tennessee’s GOP establishment (“Tennessee’s 7th District race is challenging assumptions about how Democrats win red states”)
- Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Says If Hegseth Issued a “Kill Everyone” Order, It “rises to the level of a war crime” (Also, Trump’s pardon of the former Honduran president convicted of drug trafficking suggests “Trump cares NOTHING about narcotrafficking”)
- Democrat says he’ll reintroduce war powers resolutions after report of attack on drug boat survivors (“Sen. Tim Kaine said he thinks he’ll get more support after recent developments.”)
- Soon to lead Virginia, Spanberger talks Trump, economy, hard choices (“Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger tells The Post in a wide-ranging interview that she’s prepared to act fast on a pragmatic agenda but faces tough budget decisions.”)
- Virginia’s solar trends have changed: Approvals are up, denials are down. (“In 2024, Virginia localities rejected more megawatts than they approved. So far in 2025, that trend has reversed.”)
- Data centers’ electricity needs pose a major challenge (“The 451 now running in Virginia, home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, currently use 3,583 megawatts, or enough electricity to power nearly 896,000 homes.”)
- State lawmakers eye flexible bills for AI usage in health care settings
- After months of hearings, Virginia panel set to roll out blueprint for legal cannabis market
- Krizek, Morefield and Aird: Allowing local opt-out on retail cannabis is opting into the illicit market (“For those opposed to cannabis altogether — opting out won’t somehow prohibit adults from being legally allowed to possess cannabis — but it will determine if they can do so safely.”)
- Proposed change to federal endangered species rules could impact Virginia animals
- Virginia Democrat flips seat in state legislature by taking on datacenters (“John McAuliff won against a Republican by focusing on something affecting all his constituents: the cost of energy”)
- Ham-handed politics with Virginia’s excellent universities risks ruin for them all (“Here we sit, in a state long hailed for the quality of its colleges and universities, consumed in enough contrived drama to keep reality-TV addicts glued to Bravo for months on end, writes columnist Bob Lewis.”)
- Local tax option to pay for Virginia school improvements likely to succeed in 2026
- CWG Live: Cold all week with a wintry mix late tonight before rain Tuesday (“Some of our colder areas could see a brief coating of snow and sleet by Tuesday morning. Highs are in the 40s or lower all week.”)
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