by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, January 8.
- Trump quits pivotal 1992 climate treaty, in massive hit to global warming effort (“The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change underpins global efforts to address rising temperatures.”)
- Trump moves to pull US out of bedrock global climate treaty, becoming first country to do so
- Trump withdraws from global groups on climate and more in sweeping move (Trump really wants the United States to commit national suicide…and to drag the rest of the world down with us. The question, as always, is why anyone in their right mind voted for this evil, insanity, etc.)
- US will exit 66 international organizations as it further retreats from global cooperation
- Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations
- Household burning of plastic waste in developing world is hidden health threat, study shows (“The practice is ‘much more widespread’ than previously realised, researchers say, with serious environmental impact”)
- Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can a new way of planting save them?
- Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” sets U.S. on great-power collision course
- Trump has ‘greenlit’ Russia sanctions bill, Lindsey Graham says (“The South Carolina Republican said the Senate could vote as soon as next week…The legislation would place secondary sanctions on countries such as China and India that buy oil and gas from Russia in a bid to cut off the cash flow for President Vladimir Putin’s war machine.”)
- Russia says any western troops in Ukraine would be deemed ‘legitimate combat targets’
- When It Comes to Russia, Trump Navigates Conflicting Goals (“President Trump’s efforts to court President Vladimir Putin of Russia are rife with contradictions about stability and displays of American power.”)
- Trump Opens New Front Against China With Brazen Arrest of Maduro
- China Deprives Japan of Rare-Earths Supply, Escalating Dispute
- Trump’s Plan to Run the Hemisphere Scares Friends and Puzzles Foes
- Republicans push back on White House military threat toward Greenland
- Trump Team Races to Come Up With Deals for His Greenland Vision
- Europe draws red line on Greenland after a year of trying to pacify Trump
- GOP lawmakers denounce Trump’s threats to seize Greenland (“‘This is a topic that should be dropped,’ said Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker.”)
- Kennedy says military action on Greenland would be ‘weapons-grade stupid’ as GOP resists force (“GOP lawmakers acknowledge strategic importance but favor diplomacy over force against Danish territory”)
- Marco Rubio says he will meet Danish officials to discuss Greenland next week (“Remarks by US secretary of state come after Greenland and Denmark request urgent meeting over Trump threats”)
- ‘We are not for sale’: Greenlanders express fear and indignation as Trump eyes territory
- Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Could Last for Years
- Venezuela open to oil deal, says Rodríguez, as Vance claims US ‘controls’ country’s resources (Vance is deranged.)
- Trump Team Works Up Sweeping Plan to Control Venezuelan Oil for Years to Come
- US Senate to vote on bid to stop Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela
- Venezuelans hopeful of regime change dismayed as government appears to remain the same
- Oil Industry Will Eye Venezuela Warily, Experts Say (“Given Venezuela’s murky political future, few analysts expect a rush to invest the billions needed to pump more oil from the world’s largest reserves.”)
- ‘Jackassery’: Former Senior National Security Officials Rip Trump’s Attack On Venezuela (“‘The worry that we all have … is the president, the man himself, who is sinking deeper into a dementia of some sort,’ said a former senior CIA executive.”)
- Analysis: Why Trump chose Maduro’s VP over Nobel winner
- Trump agrees to meet Colombian president after exchange of public threats
- President Petro’s clash with Trump over Venezuela backs Colombia into a corner
- Cuba Is Already on the Brink. Maduro’s Ouster Brings It Closer to Collapse.
- Deadly Minneapolis Encounter Is the 9th ICE Shooting Since September
- Can Minnesota prosecute the federal immigration officer who just killed a woman? (“The short answer is that it is unclear.”)
- Renee Good’s killer can and must be prosecuted (“Doing nothing is not an option.”)
- ICE Agent Kills Woman, DHS Tells Obvious, Insane Lies About It
- DHS Is Lying To You
- Distraught woman says ICE killed her wife in video after deadly Minneapolis shooting
- Eyewitnesses say Renee Good posed ‘no threat’ to ICE agents
- ICE agent shoots, kills unarmed protestor in Minneapolis: Trump administration spins
- Minnesota leaders call for ICE to leave the state after agent shoots, kills woman
- Furious Democrats threaten government shutdown after Minneapolis shooting
- Woman in Minnesota fatally shot by ICE agent during raid, video shows
- Video Blows Up ICE’s Version of Deadly Minneapolis Shooting (“Statements from the Trump administration do not line up with videos taken at the scene.”)
- Minnesota governor says he is preparing National Guard amid furor over fatal ICE shooting
- Key airline used by Trump for deportations cuts ties with ICE
- Trump Cornered on ICE Shooting Evidence After His Jaw-Dropping Insult to Slain Mom (“The president couldn’t back up his claim that Renee Nicole Good ‘willfully’ and ‘viciously’ ran over an ICE agent.”)
- Minnesota Has Become the Trump Administration’s Deadly Test Case (“Draconian immigration policies. Retribution against the state’s Democratic politicians. And now, a fatal shooting perpetrated by ICE in Minneapolis. We’re trapped in the meat grinder of modern politics.”)
- Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum blames Minnesota ICE shooting on victim “buying into the narrative” about ICE agents
- The Trump Doctrine: Violence Is Us (“The message is clear—be afraid.”)
- What We Know About the Minneapolis ICE Shooting (“‘I have a message for ICE: Get the fuck out of Minneapolis,’ the city’s mayor said after an agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good”)
- Trump Isn’t Just Defending ICE for Killing a Woman. He’s Taking It a Chilling Step Further. (“The president is blaming his political rivals—and possibly opening the door to more repression.”)
- Kennedy Flips Food Pyramid to Emphasize Red Meat and Whole Milk (This is INSANE – do the exact opposite!)
- RFK Jr. unveils new ‘upside down’ food pyramid (Appropriate, because in RFK Jr.’s loony-tunes world, up is down!)
- Five Years On, Democrats May Be Losing the Fight Over January 6 (“House Democrats are fighting efforts from the Trump White House to rewrite the history of the riot at the US Capitol. ‘It’s almost like trying to recreate 9/11 or Pearl Harbor with a positive spin,’ one member of Congress tells Vanity Fair.”)
- The January 6 revisionists won
- Does Congress Even Exist Anymore? (“The fast fade of a co-equal branch of government”)
- 9 Republicans back Dem effort to revive Obamacare subsidies (“House members voted 221-205 — with all Democrats voting in favor — to move forward with a Democratic-led discharge petition to force consideration of the legislation against the explicit wishes of Speaker Mike Johnson. The House is set to vote on final passage Thursday.”)
- Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’ (“The president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights”)
- Trump-linked crypto company applies for federal banking charter (“World Liberty Financial is seeking regulatory approval to issue and manage USD1, its dollar-backed stablecoin.”)
- Heritage paper on families calls for ‘marriage bootcamp,’ more babies (Heritage Foundation is Youngkin’s favorite think tank!)
- Rep. Steny Hoyer to retire, ending storied career in elected office (“Maryland’s longest serving member of Congress won’t seek reelection after having spent two decades as the No. 2 House Democrat”)
- Shapiro launches reelection bid in Pennsylvania as 2028 looms
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to shut down after losing legal battle with union
- Trump’s revenge campaign is now putting the entire Justice Department at risk (“One of Trump’s most high-profile DOJ appointments faces a rare disciplinary threat from the bench.”)
- Federal judge demands Halligan explain why she’s still listed as U.S. attorney (“A Trump-appointed judge in Virginia asked Halligan to defend her continued use of the title and ‘further explain why her identification does not constitute a false or misleading statement.'”)
- New analysis suggests Democrats could win 10 congressional seats in Virginia without gerrymandering (“Morris sent me a statistical analysis based on these numbers that showed Cline a slight favorite to win the 6th, but only giving a Republican a slight edge in the 6th is still pretty shocking.”)
- Reactions by Virginia Politicians to the Horrific, Cold-Blooded Murder by an ICE Agent in Minneapolis Today (Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04): “We need a full and independent investigation into the action by ICE that led to this tragedy.”)
- Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02), Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01), etc. Vote Against Extending ACA Tax Credits As Health Care Costs Skyrocket for Virginians (This bipartisan measure would have extended ACA tax credits for three years…)
- Trump administration wants to build ICE detention warehouse in Stafford (“The local community is saying, no, thanks, and they have the backing of Seventh District Congressman Eugene Vindman.”)
- Editorial: Trump’s DOJ sued Virginia. Our attorney general surrendered. (“There will be more empty demands, threats and bully tactics, and Virginia will need to demonstrate backbone when the circumstances demand it.”) Miyares is utterly pathetic.)
- Who has Virginia’s Governor-elect appointed to her cabinet?
- [UPDATED] VA State Sen. Adam Ebbin Named to Gov.-Elect Abigail Spanberger’s Administration Beginning in Mid-February (Ebbin will serve as Senior Advisor at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority; this means another special election coming soon…Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and fmr. Del. Mark Levine have announced candidacies)
- Political domino effect hits Alexandria as Sen. Ebbin resigns to join Spanberger administration (“Alexandria City Councilman R. Kirk McPike now says that he’s considering running for Bennett-Parker’s current seat.”)
- Challenging Trump requires discretion by upcoming Democratic governor (I’m including this just to make the point that this is a classic example of bad “framing” by Mark Rozell. So the burden is on the governor of the state under assault from the Trump insanity to show “discretion,” it seems…but no mention in the headline that much of what Trump is doing is illegal, unconstitutional, insane, etc.)
- Va. lawmakers renew push for more energy storage (“Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax County, and Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, said adding energy storage to the grid will make electric service cheaper and more reliable.”)
- Virginia Regulators Approve New Dominion Rates, Assign More Costs to Data Centers (“Provisions could cut down on speculative growth in the data center sector, but don’t go far enough in protecting residential ratepayers, consumer advocates say.”)
- Solar battery storage bills make a return after previous vetoes (“Lawmakers aim to speed up renewable energy connections and expand dispatchable solar power”)
- Democrats pitch more battery storage to support Virginia’s power grid (“The ask, according to Democratic Delegate Rip Sullivan, is easy: ‘More and better energy storage is going to be required to get Virginia where it needs to be with respect to an affordable and reliable energy grid.’ To that end, he and fellow Democratic Senator Lamont Bagby will present legislation next week that sets new targets for power companies to implement battery storage.”)
- Bills would tighten oversight on data centers in Virginia
- UVA trying hard with the PR to sell new president Scott Beardsley
- Mitchell Cornett: Southwest Virginia needs ‘wins in Richmond’ (This is so dumb: “It played a big part in this election, but state politics is totally different in Virginia. I’ve made no qualms that I was a Trump supporter and continue to be. Now, do I agree with everything? No, but it’s just kind of where we are at this point.”)
- Cancer cluster ruled out in Southwest Virginia, though more data collection is on the horizon
- State investigation determines there is not a cancer cluster in Scott County
- CWG Live: Warming up into the weekend; showers possible Friday and Saturday
********************************************************
