by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, December 28.
- The Year in Climate: Attacks on Science, the Start of Trump’s Second Term and Surging Electricity Demand Foreshadow a Future Filled with Uncertainty (“Global inaction on fossil fuel and plastic treaties, the dismantling of federal agencies and regulations and the rapid rise of data centers were just a few of the consequential stories that Inside Climate News tracked in 2025.”)
- Climate Goals Are Becoming More Realistic. That’s Good News. (Not sure what to make of this one. UPDATE – According to climate scientist Michael Mann, this is “more of the same from the @NYTimes playing down renewables/decarbonization and playing up nuclear and natural gas (w/ mythical “capture). This time via David Victor, whom I identified as a problematic actor in the climate space in ‘The #NewClimateWar'”)
- More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds (“Low-quality AI-generated content is now saturating social media – and generating about $117m a year, data shows”)
- Why A.I. Didn’t Transform Our Lives in 2025 (“This was supposed to be the year when autonomous agents took over everyday tasks. The tech industry overpromised and underdelivered.”)
- Russia’s Lavrov Assails Europe as Trump, Zelenskiy to Meet
- Zelensky and Trump to meet in Florida after weeks of intensive peace talks
- Zelenskyy to meet with Trump as efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war remain elusive (They’re only “elusive” because: a) Putin invaded Ukraine; b) Putin won’t stop his invasion of Ukraine; c) Putin is a war criminal; etc. The headline might want to point that out, but…nah.)
- Zelensky says Russia ‘doesn’t want peace’, ahead of Florida meeting with Trump (100% accurate.)
- Rich and voiceless: How Putin has kept Russia’s billionaires on side in the war
- Putin says Russia will achieve its Ukraine aims by force if Kyiv doesn’t want peace (Up is down, black is white, hot is cold, war is peace…etc.)
- Canada to provide $2.5 billion in economic aid for Ukraine, prime minister says
- Poland preparing €2bn anti-drone fortifications along its eastern border amid Russian threat (“Deputy defence minister says new air defence systems will be completed in 24 months”)
- China expands nuclear warhead manufacturing capacity, research finds (“Satellite images suggest China is growing the sites where it makes warheads, while also preparing to retaliate faster — signs of its nuclear ambitions.”)
- Polls close on first day of Myanmar’s widely criticised ‘sham’ election (“Observers say the vote, accompanied by a renewed crackdown on dissent, is meant to entrench the junta’s power.”)
- Myanmar elections: voting begins under junta stranglehold with Aung San Suu Kyi banned (“War with opposition groups means large areas are excluded from poll, while recent law prohibits criticising a process regarded internationally as a sham”)
- Zero Hour for the Middle East (“After more than a decade of wars, in Syria, Gaza and elsewhere, the region is exhausted by conflict. Is it ready to find another way?”)
- Iran at war with the West and Israel, says Iran’s president
- How Oil, Drugs and Immigration Fueled Trump’s Venezuela Campaign
- Fearing deportation, Hondurans in the US send more cash home than ever before
- What America Might Look Like With Zero Immigration (“The Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the foreign-born population are being felt in hospitals and soccer leagues and on Main Streets.”)
- ICE shift in tactics leads to soaring number of at-large arrests, data shows (“The agency has moved away from focusing on arresting migrants at local jails to tracking them down in communities, a Washington Post analysis found.”)
- Companies Are Outlining Plans for 2026. Hiring Isn’t One of Them. (“Large employers indicate that they either want to maintain the size of their teams next year or let go of workers.”)
- Analysis: Donald Trump’s top 25 lies of 2025
- Through the lens of history, Trump’s legacy will be more of a blotch than a Maga masterpiece (“Take this hopeful thought into 2026: the tyrants we endure always falter, and their ‘seismic’ upheavals are usually false dawns”)
- He Looks Like A Witness To Me (“No one should be surprised by Donald Trump‘s Christmas day social media post. It’s completely in character.”)
- How Trump Became the Unlikely Champion of Easing Marijuana Restrictions (“Concerted lobbying push by a cannabis CEO, a Florida sheriff and a Mar-a-Lago member helped persuade the president” Of course.)
- From A.I. to Chips, Big Tech Is Getting What It Wants From Trump
- 2025’s Biggest Political Losers (Jen Kiggan’s BFF Elise Stefanik is #1 on this list.)
- ‘Brilliant James’: How James Blair took Washington by storm (“He’s running the White House’s 2026 midterm strategy. The outcome will shape Trump’s final two years in office, and Blair’s reputation ahead of a potential 2028 JD Vance presidential campaign.”)
- Get Ready to Start Hearing About Aileen Cannon Again (“The Florida-based judge is likely to once again play a central role in politics in the new year.” VOMIT.)
- Brigitte Bardot, 1960s sultry sex symbol turned militant animal rights activist dies at 91
- Elon Musk: The FDNY Veteran Who Worked 9/11 and Covid Isn’t Qualified to Lead the Department (Musk is a bigot, also deranged.)
- Climate change brings new species, new challenges to the Bay
- Poll: Virginia residents want Republican lawmakers to extend healthcare tax credits
- Here’s who Virginia’s next governor has chosen for her Cabinet so far (“Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) is assembling the team to help her run state government, including three Democratic delegates and a former FBI agent.”)
- Editorial: Trump undermines our energy future with reckless wind power pause (“Pausing Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is lunacy. It is an indefensible, destructive decision that must be reversed at once. “)
- HD17 Democratic Candidates’ Responses to Blue Virginia Questionnaire (Posted as They’re Received)
- Williams: Cold as ICE: Carytown shop owners shown the door
- No dog left behind: Norfolk SPCA found every dog a home for Christmas
- CWG Live: Seasonably chilly today; warmer early Monday with a few showers
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