Thanksgiving Day 2023 News: “Geert Wilders is the European Union’s worst nightmare”; “Donald Trump Shares ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ Message With Unhinged Twist”; “CNN Releases Audio Of Mike Johnson Calling Abortion An ‘American Holocaust’”; “D.C. region sets new goals for solar adoption”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, November 23.

• We cannot wait for climate action — climate change will not wait for us
• Explainer: Why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change
• Companies still investing too much in fossil fuels, global energy watchdog says (“Head of International Energy Agency says the industry faces a ‘moment of truth’ as Cop28 talks approach”)
• Bearish Oil Options Hit Record Volumes as OPEC+ Delays Meeting
• Putin’s peace talk comments send a signal to the West; Kremlin says Europe poses a threat to Russia
• Nearly half of Americans think the US is spending too much on Ukraine aid, an AP-NORC poll says
• Missing Ukrainian child traced to Putin ally (“A two-year-old taken from a children’s home has been adopted by politician Sergei Mironov, BBC discovers.”)
• Democrats remain vexed by the House as Ukraine funding hits crisis point
• One Factor Behind the Gaza Cease-Fire Deal: A Massive Shift in the U.S. Relationship With Israel
• Israel’s Truce and Hostage Deal With Hamas Facing Delays (“Release of hostages won’t happen before Friday, Israel says; President Biden works phones to keep complex accord on track”)
• Top Netanyahu aide announces delay in hostage releases, which won’t start until Friday
• Israel and Hamas have reached a deal on a cease-fire and hostages. What does it look like?
• How Long Could the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Last?
• As Gaza Residents Suffer, Guilt and Fear Stalk Their Families Abroad
• Should U.S. Aid to Israel Be Contingent on Human Rights? (“Senator Ben Cardin, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argues that humanitarian concerns should not hold up funding for Israel’s war effort.”)
• The Israel-Hamas deal is not a real ceasefire (“The agreement is a pause, not a ceasefire. That distinction matters — a lot.”)
• In political shift to the far right, anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders wins big in Dutch elections (Ugh.)
• Dutch Far-Right Leader Wilders Scores Shock Election Victory (“A shock result that will resound across Europe.” Horrible news.)
• Geert Wilders is the European Union’s worst nightmare
• Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls closed after explosion of vehicle reportedly entering U.S. from Canada
• FBI investigating explosion at U.S-Canada border crossing in Niagara Falls
• ‘No Sign’ of Terrorism Seen in Car Blast at US-Canada Border
• US thwarted plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, lodged protest with India: Report
• ‘You can walk around in a T-shirt’: how Norway brought heat pumps in from the cold (“Device installed in two-thirds of households of country whose experience suggests switching to greener heating can be done”)
• In Biden’s Climate Law, a Boon for Green Energy, and Wall Street
• How America broke the turkey (“A new investigation reveals how the company behind the White House turkey pardon — and the rest of the industry — really treats its birds.”)
• CNN Releases Audio Of Mike Johnson Calling Abortion An ‘American Holocaust’
• Johnson Learns on the Job, Drawing the Ire of the Republican Right
• Why the House GOP is having a hard time passing its remaining funding bills
• Retirements Surge in Congress in Wake of GOP House Speaker Drama
• Judge and clerk in Trump civil fraud trial have received hundreds of ‘serious and credible’ threats
• Have You Listened Lately to What Trump Is Saying? (“Is anyone listening?”)
• Trump called Iowa evangelicals ‘so-called Christians’ and ‘pieces of shit’, book says
• Democracy’s last Thanksgiving: Experts imagine America in a year if Trump wins the 2024 election (“If Trump wins in 2024, it’ll be a dark Thanksgiving indeed”)
• Donald Trump Shares ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ Message With Unhinged Twist
• Chris Christie Predicts Political ‘Fallout’ for Trump’s Trials
• Chris Christie’s Campaign Is Facing an Existential Crisis
• The Head of Ron DeSantis’s Never Back Down Super PAC Resigns (Looks like he “backed down,” after all. LOL)
• Plying Voters With Free Food, Ramaswamy Struggles to Win Them Over
• Conservative Group Accidentally Reveals Its Secret Donors. Some of Them Are Liberal Orgs.
• US Lawmakers Ask SEC to Launch Fraud Investigation Into Elon Musk
• Democrats can’t quit Elon Musk’s X (“X is becoming more toxic for liberals. But they’re still posting — and it’s not clear where they’d go next.”)
• D.C. region sets new goals for solar adoption
• The federal government released its latest climate report. Here’s what it says about Virginia.
• The next step in Virginia’s abortion rights battle: a constitutional amendment
• Video: VA Speaker-Designee Don Scott Talks About His Priorities – Public Education, Mental Health, Opioid Crisis, Economic Development, Restoration of Rights for Ex-Felons, etc.
• Looking ahead to January: General Assembly bills start trickling in
• Editorial: Changes are needed in special ed funding
• Despite lingering inflation, Hampton Roads retailers and consumers expect healthy holiday spending (Actually, inflation is very close to pre-pandemic normals at this point.)
• Hanover County school board bans 70+ more books
• All Virginia wildfires except Matt’s Creek contained, say officials
• D.C.-area forecast: A sunny, breezy Thanksgiving and a chilly weekend