by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 2.
- Cop30, Trump and the fragile future of climate cooperation (“In this week’s newsletter: From geopolitics to populism, multilateralism is under pressure – but climate action cannot succeed in a fractured world”)
- Quest for a drug that lowers an artery-clogging particle nears finish line (“High levels of lipoprotein(a) often go undetected and can afflict seemingly healthy people. A clinical trial will show whether lowering levels can reduce risk of heart disease.”)
- In New Year’s Speech to Russia, Putin Says Little About Ukraine War or Peace Talks With US
- Ukrainians remember broken 1994 security promises as it negotiates with Russia
- Russia Asks United States to Stop Pursuit of Fleeing Oil Tanker (“The tanker, which had been sailing to Venezuela to pick up oil, has claimed Russian protection, although the U.S. authorities say it is a stateless vessel.”)
- Venezuelan Exiles Root for U.S. Military Action. Those Left Behind Oppose It. (“Millions who fled Nicolás Maduro’s repressive rule see U.S.-led military action as the only hope for a return to democracy”)
- European factory activity ends 2025 in deeper contraction but Asia shines on improved demand
- Trump Says US Ready to ‘Rescue’ Iran Protesters If Attacked (Wuuuut? How?)
- Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces as Iran unrest grows
- Sleepless Trump, 79, Threatens New War in 3AM Rage Post (Against Iran this time.)
- Trump warns Iranian authorities against killing protesters
- Trump and top Iranian officials exchange threats over protests roiling Iran
- Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ if Iran Kills Protesters
- Swiss ski resort fire: many of injured in life-threatening condition, say officials (“I think a large number of the injured, maybe between 80 and 100, are in a life-threatening condition”)
- One of Switzerland’s worst tragedies leaves about 40 people dead (“Investigators are probing what caused a fire in a bar at an Alpine ski resort. The blaze also injured about 115 people, many of them in their teens to mid-20s, police said.”)
- Israeli hostage released from 2 years of captivity in Gaza struggles to rebuild his life
- Yemen’s Saudi-backed government launches operation against UAE-backed separatists
- ‘We are always living in fear’: inside Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election (“Myanmar’s military rulers are holding the first elections since the 2021 coup, and life in the country’s biggest city is fraught with anxiety”)
- Kim Jong-un’s daughter visits state mausoleum, fuelling speculation she will be next North Korean ruler (“Kim Ju-ae has been making increasingly prominent appearances in state media over the past three years”)
- Venezuela open to talks on drug trafficking, says Maduro, but refuses to comment on reported US strike on land (“President Nicolás Maduro reiterated his belief that the US wants to force a change of government in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves”)
- Another Trump Tariff Retreat (“This time it’s a delay for a year on higher taxes on upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets.”)
- The Supreme Court cases that could shape 2026
- Orsted files legal challenge over Trump’s halt to $5 billion offshore wind project (What Trump did is 100%, wildly ILLEGAL!)
- The Five Most Unhinged Climate Lies Trump Told in 2025
- Trump says the job market is booming for U.S.-born. The data doesn’t show it.
- Charted: The sharp decline in federal employment
- Trump Is the Jan. 6 President
- House Republicans Buried the Jack Smith Transcript on New Year’s Eve. I Read It So You Don’t Have To. (“Smith says Trump is guilty; Trump’s tweet ‘endangered the life of his own vice president’; The case was built on Republicans;; Trump rejected any information that threatened his power; Trump’s team said fake electors who pushed back ‘should be shot’; Smith wanted to testify publicly, but was denied; Smith is ‘saddened and angered’ over retaliation against his staff; ‘Smith warns DOJ may lose ability to prosecute public corruption'”)
- Jack Smith says Trump acknowledged to others that he lost 2020 election
- Jim Jordan Buries His Own Cowardice in a Cowardly Document Dump (“Gym” Jordan is one of the biggest disgraces to Congress.)
- Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent (The media SHOULD – but won’t – point out that Trump is a pathological liar, so take literally every word he says with a massive grain of salt. So why won’t the media say that? Same thing with Youngkin, by the way…)
- Trump says he takes higher daily dose of aspirin than doctors recommend (That’s f’ing stupid.)
- With few Epstein files released, conspiracy theories flourish and questions remain
- Why Trump Is Quickly Losing Hispanic Support (“His harsh immigration approach pushes away a population that gave him 48% backing in 2024.”)
- Democrats start 2026 with fresh momentum — and lingering challenges
- Democrats are ready to campaign on expired Obamacare subsidies (“Efforts to extend them continue, but lawmakers and strategists are already moving to turn the lapsed tax credits into a potent election-year attack on Republicans.”)
- Trump enacted dozens of Project 2025 goals. Here’s what’s left
- MAGA Voters F-Ed Around. In 2026, They’re Finding Out.
- GOP lawmakers, frustrated with dysfunctional Congress, head for the exits (“More than 50 lawmakers in both parties have announced decisions to leave their seats, scrambling the calculus on both sides of the aisle ahead of next year’s high-stakes midterms. The wave of exits could be particularly ominous for Republicans in charge of the House and Senate. The number exiting is nearly on par with 2018, a dismal midterm year for the GOP.”)
- Trump rings in 2026 at Mar-a-Lago with $2.75m auction of Jesus painting (Just imagine if Clinton, Obama, Biden, Harris, etc. had done anything like this???)
- Marjorie Taylor Greene bets the Republican troll era is over (“It’s not like she anything else to offer”)
- ‘A Directive From Above’: Former NYT Editor Lays Out How The Paper Pushes Anti-Trans Bigotry (“In this in-depth interview, former New York Times editor Billie Jean Sweeney details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, how some staff tried to stop it, how it’s directed from the very top and the damage this legitimization of bigotry has done”)
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubles down in an unapologetically progressive inauguration
- Mamdani takes office, promising sweeping change for New York City
- Ocasio-Cortez Urges New Yorkers to Celebrate Mamdani’s Inauguration as Their Own
- Zohran Mamdani Is Sworn In as Mayor of New York City
- Minnesota Families Are Rattled by Threat to Cut Federal Aid for Child Care
- MAGA’s Favorite ‘Journalist’ Caught Paying People to Make News (“The far-right YouTuber alleging Somalian welfare fraud in Minnesota has a history of manufacturing news.” Any news outlet calling this guy a “journalist” is engaging in right-wing propaganda and disinformation. In on way/shape/form is he a journalist.)
- A New Redistricting Amendment Is One of the First Items VA Dems Will Take Up Starting 1/14/26; Should They Shoot for a 10D-1R or 9D-2R Map? (Currently, Virginia’s U.S. House delegation is 6D-5R, but Spanberger won two of those GOP-held seats (VA01 and VA02) in November…)
- Trump Has Renamed the Kennedy Center, but a Satirist Owns the URL (NO, he hasn’t “renamed” it – not legally, anyway!)
- ‘Their first instinct was to loot’: how Trump’s acolytes are plundering the Kennedy Center
- South Park writer buys ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ domain name (“Toby Morton now owns trumpkennedycenter.org, which advertises new year performance by the ‘Epstein dancers’”)
- ‘No one can know’: Heated Rivalry’s gay love story exposes ice hockey’s culture of silence
- UVA Center for Politics discusses challenges facing Spanberger (“’Spanberger has a problem that Youngkin hasn’t had, which is a coming rocky economy,’ Sabato said. ‘How rocky? We don’t know. But clearly, the money isn’t going to be there to do a lot extra, and Democrats often want to do extra things. So she’s going to have it tougher than Youngkin has had it.’”)
- Virginia Democrats plan to get busy quickly on four hot-button issues (“Virginia lawmakers will take up constitutional amendments on redistricting, same-sex marriage, abortion and voting rights soon after the General Assembly returns Jan. 14.”)
- Pope & Schapiro: Youngkin’s legacy and Spanberger’s new administration
- Editorial: Spate of pharmacy closures deserve Virginia lawmakers’ attention
- Miyares makes deal with DOJ instead of taking tuition aid lawsuit to court
- Virginia voter guide: Special election to fill open seats in Virginia General Assembly
- Why Virginia’s cabinet secretaries moved from elected to appointed positions
- Stacey Carroll: Virginia needs ‘innovative ways’ to deal with federal cuts
- He exposed the myth of the South’s ‘Lost Cause.’ His death shook Richmond. (“William ‘Bill’ Martin, 71, died Sunday, Dec. 28, a day after being struck by a car near the Valentine local history museum where he had served as director more than 30 years.”)
- CWG Live: A bit less chilly today with sun possible by afternoon
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