Tuesday News: “‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’”; “Kushner and Saudis back hostile takeover of Hollywood giant”; “America Has Become a Digital Narco-State”; “Mike Johnson’s downward spiral”; US Civic Health Downgraded to “obstructed”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, December 9.

• UN environment report ‘hijacked’ by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
• Caribbean reefs have lost 48% of hard coral since 1980, study finds (“‘Destructive’ marine heatwaves driving loss of microalgae that feed coral, says Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network”)
• 2025 ‘virtually certain’ to be second- or third-hottest year on record, EU data shows (“Copernicus deputy director says three-year average for 2023 to 2025 on track to exceed 1.5C of heating for first time” At this point, we should be emitting ZERO greenhouse gases…but that’s not happening!)
• Climate change threatens Asia’s water and power systems, reports warn
• Days After COP30, Brazil Weakened Amazon Safeguards
• ‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’ (“UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’”)
• A struggle to survive in Ukraine’s east, with Russia at the gates (“Russian troops are bearing down on the city of Kostiantynivka, once a key hub for Ukraine’s eastern forces, in a bid to seize more land.”)
• Ukraine at ‘critical moment’ in war as European allies ramp up pressure on Russia
• Ukraine prepares new peace plan as Zelensky rules out giving up land
• America Has Become a Digital Narco-State (“Social media giants have bought our government, and are trying to bully Europe”)
• New National Security Strategy Is Heavy on Rhetoric, Light on Detail (“Without explaining how national means can be used to achieve desired ends, the strategy is just empty rhetoric.”)
• Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: ‘I think they’re weak’ (“In an interview with POLITICO, the president offered no reassurance to America’s allies about Russia and vowed to reshape their politics.”)
• Trump has declared civilisational war on Europe. It won’t be easy – but here’s how to fight back (“With democratic values under attack from populists within and former allies without, there are no simple solutions”)
• Parts of US national security strategy ‘unacceptable’ for Europe, says Merz (“German leader says there is ‘no need for the Americans to want to save democracy in Europe’”)
• European Council president warns US not to interfere in Europe’s affairs (“New US national security strategy codifies a seismic shift in transatlantic relations under Donald Trump, say experts”)
• A Trump Doctrine of Contradictions (“His Administration’s new security document is notably soft on Russia and China.”)
• Trump is sending a clear message to the free world (“Trump’s national security strategy slams Europe, not Russia.”)
• In a Batty National Security Document, Trump Is Actually Calling Himself the President of Peace (“Meanwhile, the document discusses the abject surrender of NATO to the ambitions of China and to the hegemonic desires of the Russian thugocracy.”)
• Trump’s Nvidia Shift Hands Xi Opening on National Security Curbs (“Trump’s move gives China access to semiconductors at least a generation ahead of its best technology.”)
• Trump Clears Sale of More Powerful Nvidia A.I. Chips to China (“Approval for the H200 chip followed months of haggling between tech industry backers and defense hawks.”)
• China’s Manufacturing Is Booming Despite Trump’s Tariffs (“U.S. pressure has only cemented its rival’s status as the world’s indispensable factory floor, sending its trade surplus above $1 trillion”)
• We asked activists from authoritarian regimes what they wish they’d known sooner. Here’s what they said (“Activists from Hungary, El Salvador and Turkey offer advice to the US about what they’ve learned about authoritarians”)
• Powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocks Japan’s northeast
• Australia launches youth social media ban it says will be the world’s ‘first domino’
• Trump says Hegseth will decide whether to release boat strike video
• Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos
• Defense policy bill includes provision to limit defense secretary’s travel budget unless unedited boat strike video is released
• Trump appears not to know the difference between making a deal and making peace (“US president’s efforts under harsh spotlight as Rwanda-DRC deal and Thailand-Cambodia mediations waver”)
• ‘Yellow line’ that divides Gaza under Trump plan is ‘new border’ for Israel, says military chief (“Eyal Zamir said Israel would hold on to current positions, giving it control of more than half of the territory”)
• Gaza Sits Under 68 Million Tons of Rubble. A Look at the Daunting Task Ahead.
• Tony Blair reportedly dropped from Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’ shortlist (“Former UK leader loses out on key role in transitional authority after objections from Arab and Muslim nations”)
• Honduras Issues Warrant for Juan Orlando Hernández (“The country’s attorney general said he had issued an international arrest warrant for Juan Orlando Hernández.”)
• Honduras seeks arrest of ex-President Hernández after Trump pardon
• Trump threatens to raise tariffs on Mexico over Rio Grande water deliveries
• Judge calls for Justice Dept. whistleblower to testify in migrant planes case
• Boasberg escalates contempt inquiry over Alien Enemies Act deportations
• ICE arrests of Afghans are on the rise in the wake of National Guard attack, immigration lawyers say
• Judge orders the release of an immigrant with ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt
• Mother of Karoline Leavitt’s Nephew Released From ICE Custody on Bond
• Wrenching Pain, a Severe Infection: An ICE Detainee Is Ordered Released
• Exclusive: Migrant families paint grim picture of life in Texas ICE detention facility, new court documents show
• Is the Supreme Court Unsure About Birthright Citizenship? (“Maybe the Justices simply want to reiterate what the Court has already said—or maybe not.”)
• SCOTUS appears ready to give Trump greater firing powers, over sharp liberal warnings (“The Republican appointees are almost certain to overturn a 90-year precedent, as Trump wants. Pushing back, Sotomayor told DOJ: ‘You’re asking us to destroy the structure of government.'”)
• Supreme Court seems ready to let Trump fire independent commissioners
• The Supreme Court Is Set to Pick Financial Predators Over the People (“The Roberts court is about to hand the president—and an untold number of financial predators—a massive win.”)
• Supreme Court Is Asked to Take Another Ax to Campaign Finance Limits
• A Key Question for the Supreme Court: What About the Fed? (“On Monday, the justices seemed poised to allow President Trump to remove officials but appeared to struggle with how to insulate the Federal Reserve”)
• Trump Ban on Wind Energy Projects Ruled Illegal by US Judge
• FDA Slow Walking a Long-Awaited Abortion Pill Safety Study
• White House to announce $12 billion farmer bailout package (So they screw the farmers with their moronic trade war, then take some of the money they’ve raised FROM AMERICAN CONSUMERS to help compensate the farmers for the Trump administration’s own idiocy. Brilliant, huh?)
• US civic health rating downgraded after year of ‘restrictive‘ Trump actions (“Civicus, a non-profit that monitors global civic freedoms, moved the US from the ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’ category”…”The group cited a “sharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country … following a year of sweeping executive actions, restrictive laws and aggressive crackdowns on free speech and dissent.”)
• Trump Insists Tariffs Will Buoy the Economy. For Now, He’s on Damage Control.
• Vulnerable Republicans sweat amid GOP divisions on health care
• Why Senate Republicans aren’t uniting behind a health care plan
• Why The Republican House Isn’t Working (By Republican Rep. Nancy Mace)
• The Ultimate Holiday Gift? Mike Johnson Losing the House Majority. (“Reports point to a handful of Republicans exiting the House in the coming weeks.”)
• Mike Johnson’s downward spiral (“Speaker of the House is a tough job. But he’s particularly bad at it.”)
• Trump, 79, Freaks Over ‘Sinister’ Forces in Late-Night Rant
• A Dozen F.B.I. Agents Sue Patel After Being Fired Over Kneeling at Protest
• Dr. Oz Tells His Federal Employees to Eat Less (“You don’t have to try every cookie on the holiday table”)
• Trump is remodeling Washington to fit his twisted vision of America (“The administration is offloading gems of US architecture while redesigning the city to match the president’s values”)
• McMahon’s first year has decimated the Education Department, but full elimination hovers out of reach
• Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
• Team Oligarch Suits Up to Torpedo Netflix/WBD Merger (“… it’s not just Jared: the Saudis, Qataris and Emiratis are also in on the deal. Backstopping the deal is a fund, RedBird Capital, seen by many as a stalking horse for China.”)
• Behind Paramount’s Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump (“David Ellison has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Discovery, taking his case directly to shareholders after Netflix clinched a deal”)
• Kushner and Saudis back hostile takeover of Hollywood giant (“Jared Kushner is funneling $24 billion from Middle Eastern governments to back a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery—all while advising President Trump on foreign policy.”)
• Inside the Warner Bros. lobbying bonanza (“Competing bids by Netflix and Paramount Skydance have set the stage for a major Washington showdown.”)
• Kushner role in bid for Warner Bros raises ethical questions, experts say
• Takeover bid of parent company means limbo for CNN, some fellow cable networks
• Paramount Mounts Hostile Takeover of Warner Brothers. Is Trump Even Listening? (“As David Ellison made his big move Monday, Donald Trump was busy lashing out at Paramount over Lesley Stahl’s 60 Minutes interview Sunday night with Marjorie Taylor Greene.”)
• Trump’s Very Weird Night at the Kennedy Center Honors
• Former Trump personal lawyer Alina Habba resigns as acting US attorney for New Jersey
• The J6 Pipe Bomber Arrest Only Made the Conspiracy Theories Worse (“MAGA has had the most predictable response to learning the suspect is an election truther.”)
• Dan Bongino lays bare the right-wing media grift
• Texas launches plan to open Turning Point USA chapters in every high school (That’s insane.)
• Jasmine Crockett launches campaign for Texas Democratic Senate primary after Colin Allred drops out
• Allred switches from Texas Senate race to a House comeback bid. Crockett’s Senate decision looms
• Texas Rep. Marc Veasey to drop his reelection bid (“The Democrat had been expected to run for seat held by Rep. Jasmine Crockett.”)
• Miami Hasn’t Had a Democratic Mayor in Almost 30 Years. Is That About to Change? (“Democrats see their voters energized in a county that President Trump won. Republicans fear the runoff could add to recent losses.”)
• Police investigation faults Nancy Mace for profanity-laced airport tirade
• Tim Kaine believes Venezuela strikes are ‘illegal’
• Sam Rasoul thinking over run for congressional seat in 2026 midterm cycle (“The question of the day: which seat?” Probably VA05?)
• What would it take for Democrats to win the 5th, 6th and 9th districts as currently drawn? Here’s the math.
• Trump weighing Noem’s ouster at Homeland Security
• A Few Thoughts on Reports That Glenn Youngkin Could Replace Kristi Noem as Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security (Just the latest in the breathtakingly steep far-right radicalization of Youngkin, who – out of the governor’s mansion in 40 days – is desperate to stay politically relevant in MAGA world.)
• Four issues that will challenge Democrats as they take the reins in Virginia
• Spanberger names Nick Donohue as transportation secretary
• Spanberger won on clean energy–now the real work begins
• Democrats revive clean-energy bills as Spanberger prepares to take office (“Carroll Foy renews push for solar canopies and offshore-wind workforce training after Youngkin vetoes.”)
• Democrats spent record sums in November’s campaign. The big winners were broadcasters.
• Candidates in Virginia Senate special election target redistricting, constitutional amendments and affordability
• Katie Choe named new CEO as Virginia Railway Express pushes into next phase of expansions
• Justice Department sues Loudoun Co. School Board, citing religious discrimination in bathroom policy (The “pee-and-poop” people, as VA Speaker Don Scott calls Republicans obsessed with where kids pee and poop, strikes again!)
• Del. Barry Knight in hospital after cancer setback
• Roanoke City Council to vote in coming weeks on new school funding policy, in an effort to rein in the schools’ budget
• Virginia inspector general audit validates areas of concern at Bon Air JCC
• CWG Live: Cold stretch continues with a couple of snow shower chances