Tuesday News: “2023 was Earth’s warmest on record. Will this year be even hotter?”; “Iran Sends Warship to Red Sea After US Sinks Houthi Boats”; “Biden offers optimistic new year’s message as Trump lashes out”; “Bills to watch in the 2024 [VA] legislative session”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 2.

• 2023 was Earth’s warmest on record. Will this year be even hotter?
• Israel is pulling thousands of troops from Gaza as combat focuses on enclave’s main southern city
• Israel’s Supreme Court strikes down disputed law that limited court oversight
• High Court Ruling Threatens to Reopen Israel’s Divides
• Israel’s top court strikes down key part of judicial overhaul, reigniting divisions as war rages
• Oil prices rise as Iranian warship enters Red Sea after U.S. destroys Houthi boats
• Iran Sends Warship to Red Sea After US Sinks Houthi Boats
• Israel-Gaza war: will the Red Sea crisis lead to a wider Middle East conflict? (“Escalating Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea are stoking fears that the Gaza conflict could engulf the Middle East”)
• All 379 people escape burning Japan Airlines plane on Tokyo runway
• Plane catches fire on runway at Japan’s Haneda airport after collision, passengers reportedly safe
• South Korea opposition chief stabbed in neck – media
• China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No. (“The population, now around 1.4 billion, is likely to drop to around half a billion by 2100—and women are being blamed”)
• CHINA ECONOMY: BYD is set to beat Tesla for a second straight year after producing more than 3 million cars in 2023 (“BYD said Monday it produced more than 3 million new energy vehicles in 2023, putting the Chinese electric car giant on track to surpass Tesla’s production for a second-straight year.”)
• India Is Chasing China’s Economy. But Something Is Holding It Back.
• Britain’s Economy Is ‘Not Working.’ Here Are 2 Key Reasons. (“The power grid can’t keep up with demand, and local authorities can block new construction for years. Overcoming these roadblocks has gained essential support.”)
• Feeling Anxious About 2024? Mark Jacob Gives Us 10 Things *You* Can Do to Help Save Our Democracy and Head Off Fascism This Year
• 2024: The public’s priorities and expectations (The media has done a HORRIBLE job of informing people about what’s actually going on, including a VERY strong economy for instance.)
• Trump’s courtroom and campaign trail calendars are about to collide (“The ex-president rang in the New Year with a social media post filled with falsehoods about the 2020 election”)
• How Trump clawed back from distress to dominant Republican favorite
• Trump’s Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party features ’90s rapper Vanilla Ice
• Fox News Panelist Is Surprisingly OK With Trump Being ‘President From Jail’
• Trump Goes to War With Nikki Haley
• Biden offers optimistic new year’s message as Trump lashes out
• Trump rails against Liz Cheney, Jack Smith in post on immunity claim
• The GOP’s most Trump-skeptical bloc starts falling in line (Of course.)
• Republicans spend over $100 million on Iowa ads, with more to come
• Is this who we are? (“If, knowing everything Americans now know about Trump, they reelect him — or even come close— it will be time to quit lying to ourselves.” Note: this is by one of the dumbest pundits out there, so read very cautiously…)
• House Republicans stew over members who caused upheaval
• Meet the New Apostolic Reformation, cutting edge of the Christian right (“Christian nationalism has new momentum — and a new movement that openly longs for ‘dominion’ over secular America”)
• Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks Bill Clinton’s Jeffrey Epstein Ties, Ignores Trump’s
• Musk’s X Value Cut by Another Fidelity Writedown, Axios Reports
• Lots of talk, perhaps not much action in 2024 General Assembly
• How will state lawmakers handle Governor Youngkin’s behavioral health push?
• Bills to watch in the 2024 legislative session
• 24 questions for 2024
• Environmental Justice Advocates in Virginia Fear Recent Legal Gains Could Be Thwarted by Politics in Richmond (“The state’s Council on Environmental Justice needs additional funding, they say, while the Republican Youngkin administration hasn’t made community environmental concerns a priority.”)
• Editorial: Pentagon right to choose Hampton Roads for pilot climate program
• Where do Virginia lawmakers stand on the proposed arena move for the Wizards and Capitals?
• An incoming Virginia delegate wants to expand use of speed cameras
• Two years after they fled Afghanistan, a birthday celebration brings former female soldiers together in Blacksburg
• A troubled Appalachian town almost ceased to exist. Two years later, it’s coming back.
• D.C.-area forecast: Breezy and sunny as we monitor weekend storm potential