by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, January 15.
- Study Finds Ocean Impacts Nearly Double Economic Cost of Climate Change
- Scientists call another near-record hot year a ‘warning shot’ from a shifting climate
- From renewable to reliable: How to unlock wind power for a secure energy future
- Russia Knocks Out the Heat in Ukraine (“The Kremlin has tried for years to freeze Ukraine into submission. This winter, its attacks have been the most devastating ever.”)
- Russia Is the World’s Worst Patron (“From Syria to Venezuela, Putin Has Overpromised and Underdelivered”)
- Trump is making China – not America – great again, global survey suggests
- Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip
- Iran Postpones Execution of Protester, Family and Rights Group Say
- How ‘day zero’ water shortages in Iran are fuelling protests (“Supply failures dramatic example of how climate crisis threatens basic human need – and with it political stability”)
- Iran’s Regime Has Survived War, Sanctions and Uprising. Environmental Crises May Bring It Down. (“Decades of water depletion, dam building and repression of scientists and environmentalists have driven Iran toward ecological crises that are fueling protests rocking the country.”)
- Trump Says Iran Is Stopping Its Killings of Protesters as U.S. Moves Troops (“Nonessential personnel were moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, an American site that could be a target of Iran if President Trump ordered an attack on the country.”)
- Trump would want military action in Iran to be swift and decisive, sources say
- Trump questions Reza Pahlavi’s ability to garner support in Iran
- Iran’s nationwide protests feel smothered after a weeklong crackdown and internet outage
- Trump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado later
- A Maduro prosecution will take ‘forever’ (“Legal experts point to a number of hurdles that are likely to arise.”)
- Venezuela’s opposition leader visits Trump with her country’s future, and a Nobel prize, at stake (“María Corina Machado visits Washington in hope of persuading President Donald Trump to support elections in Venezuela. Rumor has it she may part with her Nobel prize to do it.”)
- US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar
- Republicans Block Effort to Check Trump’s Power in Venezuela
- Trump Is Risking a Global Catastrophe
- How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory (“US president’s friend Ronald Lauder – who first proposed Arctic expansion – is now making deals in the island”)
- Republicans vow to block Trump from seizing Greenland by force
- ‘Vance hates us’: Europe’s Greenland fears grow as US vice president dives into talks (“Diplomats worry there can be no compromise with the U.S. if President Donald Trump wants to ‘conquer’ the self-ruling Danish island.”)
- Denmark, Greenland failed to win the Trump team over
- Denmark and allies boost Greenland military footprint as Trump ramps up pressure
- Trump insists Greenland is crucial for national security after Denmark talks (Trump is Putin’s wishes all coming true…)
- Mitch McConnell Eviscerates Trump’s Greenland Ambitions in Scathing Floor Speech: Would Be an ‘Unprecedented Act of Strategic Self-Harm’ (McConnell had a chance to convict Trump, but of course he blew it. So…yeah, this is largely on HIM.)
- European troops arrive in Greenland as talks with US highlight ‘disagreement’ over island’s future
- NATO nations deploy to Greenland after tense White House talks
- Musk’s X to block Grok AI tool from creating sexualised images of real people (“UK government claims vindication after Keir Starmer criticised earlier decision to keep functionality as ‘horrific’”)
- X ‘acting to comply with UK law’ after outcry over sexualised images (“New polling suggests 58% of Britons think X should be banned in the UK if the social network fails to crack down on nonconsensual images” Good idea – ban it everywhere.)
- Trump administration indefinitely pauses immigrant visa processing for 75 nations
- No immediate court decision on a request to stop the immigration crackdown in Minnesota
- Federal Agent Shoots Man in Minneapolis, Prompting Tense Protests
- Democrats Unveil 3 Articles Of Impeachment Against Kristi Noem
- Joe Rogan’s Harsh New Takedown of Trump ICE Raids Hands Dems a Weapon
- Top Trump Goon Gives Bonkers Response to ICE Shooting
- Trump Is Making ‘Abolish ICE’ a Mainstream Position
- Half of Americans think ICE is making US cities less safe, CNN poll finds
- ICE Is Beyond Reform (“The incendiary combination of agents committing unprovoked violence with impunity and the Trump regime’s claiming they have “absolute immunity” puts ICE beyond the pale”)
- It’s Time to Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security
- ICE Wants 10,000 More Agents on Our Streets (“Is this the America we want?”)
- What Voters Told Democrats About ICE, Costs and Which Party Is ‘Judgy’
- ICE error meant some recruits were sent into field offices without proper training, sources say
- Trump promised a manufacturing boom. It’s a bust so far.
- H.H.S. Reverses Decision to Cut $2 Billion for Mental Health and Addiction Services
- HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health
- The Trump administration can’t stop winking at white nationalists (“The government is recruiting ICE agents with (literal) neo-Nazi propaganda.”)
- The US government seems to have a clear message for White nationalists
- Trump is something worse than a fascist (“The better definition for Trumpism is an ancient word that should nonetheless be familiar to anyone who recalls the founding ideals of this country: tyranny.”)
- With a tiny majority, House GOP leaders tell members to show up unless it’s ‘life or death’
- Embarrassing floor meltdown has House Republicans questioning their leaders (“A group of pro-labor holdouts handed the GOP its latest setback and underscored the tough path for party-line legislation this year.”)
- Abortion opponents warn Trump: Hold the line or risk midterms ‘devastation’
- 3 More Lawmakers in Video Say Federal Prosecutors Are Investigating Them (WILDLY unacceptable, especially given that the lawmakers simply stated THE LAW!)
- Federal Judges Uphold California’s New Congressional Maps
- Louisiana wants a California doctor extradited to face abortion charges. Newsom isn’t having it.
- Mother Jones Sues the Bureau of Prisons for Ghislaine Maxwell Records (“Why was Jeffrey Epstein’s procurer transferred to a cushy prison?”)
- The Post and the First Amendment (“An FBI raid won’t stop reporters from continuing their important work.”)
- Jeff Bezos Needs to Speak Up (“The raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home is deeply troubling.”)
- Media Matters Says It’s Ending Its Presence on X (“The liberal watchdog says changes to the terms of service make it impossible for them to keep posting on the platform.”)
- Warner and Kaine join effort challenging mail-in voting restrictions
- Former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02) Raises More than $1.1 Million in Q4, Continues Campaign Momentum to Flip VA-02 (“Coastal Virginia deserves better than Jen Kiggans”)
- Virginia Congressman Wittman among just 17 Republicans nationally to back ACA credits extension (The headline should add that Wittman is doing this because he’s freaked out he might lose his seat.)
- Ahead of Youngkin’s Final State of the Commonwealth Address, DNC Chair Says Trump “Bootlicking” Youngkin “will try to gaslight Virginians tonight and paper over the failures of his tenure” (With Youngkin, “Virginia has never had worse leadership”)
- State Sen. Louise Lucas gives Democratic response
- Va. Democrats flex power on redistricting as General Assembly session begins (The Bezos Post goes with “hot-button issues” as their b.s. euphemism for the day, instead of just doing actual journalism.)
- Video, Statement: VA House Democrats Complete Historic Second Passage of Constitutional Amendments Protecting Rights and Fair Elections (“With House approval secured, the amendments now advance to the Senate and, when passed, will be sent to Virginia voters for final approval.”)
- Democrats launch campaign for Virginia voters to join redistricting fight
- Virginia House Democrats advance four constitutional amendments
- House of Delegates passes 4 constitutional amendments on the first day of the 2026 General Assembly session (“The state Senate is expected to vote on the legislation on Friday.”)
- Virginia House of Delegates passes four constitutional amendments with some surprising votes
- Here’s what happened on Day 1 of the Virginia General Assembly session
- 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session Kicks Off; House Dems Release “Affordable, Secure, Resilient Virginia” Agenda; Don Scott Sworn in Again as Speaker; etc.
- After more than 600 days, Va. lawmakers adjourn 2024 special session
- Economist advises ‘prudence’ as Va. revenues swamp forecast
- Virginia’s energy imports drop; we’re no longer the No. 1 importer in the country (“However, we are No. 2. and still import nearly one-third of our power. Here’s a review of the latest statistics.”)
- Achieving affordability in Virginia requires hard choices with limited tools
- Editorial: Lawmakers should revisit transparency of judicial discipline (“Making judicial discipline records public was a great victory for transparency — until the General Assembly reversed it.”)
- Virginia legislators propose Equal Pay Act to help close the pay gap (“Legislation authored by Democratic Sen. Jennifer Boysko and Del. Michelle Maldonado would bar employers from asking about salary history and require them to post salary ranges when advertising jobs.”)
- CWG Live: Cold and gusty Thursday, then mostly chilly ahead (“Wind chills are in the teens and 20s today with temperatures in that range tonight. Lots of cold air in the days to come.”)
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