Shit I Read Yesterday - Jan. 17, 2025
Good morning! Here is the free-to-read list of all the news I read yesterday in case you missed anything.
US/POLITICS
CNN - Los Angeles residents grapple with long recovery as firefighters make gains in wildfire battle
The Los Angeles wildfires are still burning 10 days later. Here's what to know.
SF Gate - In LA, a circulating spreadsheet of rent gouging allegations gains steam
Inside the ad hoc network of volunteers trying to even the rental score. View the spreadsheet here.
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I don't blame her one bit. Fuck that shit.
ABC - Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi won't attend Trump's inauguration
A spokesman did not disclose a reason why she is skipping the event.
Pushy!
AP - Georgia senator arrested after he tried to defy a ban on entering the House chamber
State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, is among the chamber’s most right-wing members. He signaled Wednesday that he would seek a showdown when he called House Speaker Jon Burns, a fellow Republican, a “tyrant” on social media. The arrest is one of several examples of state officials trying to restrain lawmakers or onlookers as legislative sessions begin in 2025.
Reuters - Trump team asks three US senior career diplomats to resign, sources say
The team overseeing the State Department's transition to the new administration, the Agency Review Team, has requested that Dereck Hogan, Marcia Bernicat and Alaina Teplitz leave their posts, the sources said.
AP - Speaker Johnson appoints new Intelligence chairman after surprise shakeup
House Speaker Mike Johnson appointed Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., as the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday after asserting that the panel needed a fresh start.
AP - Supreme Court’s decision on a looming TikTok ban could come Friday
During courtroom arguments, most of the justices seemed likely to uphold the law.
KOMO - FBI releases new information on devices used in Portland, Vancouver ballot box arsons
The devices used to spark three ballot drop box fires in Portland and Vancouver, Washington, during the 2024 election were made of a “very volatile mix” of thermite and scrap metal, FBI agents said Thursday.
ABC - DOJ pushing to keep Trump from blocking release of classified docs report on immunity grounds
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is set to hear arguments on Friday.
NBC - Merrick Garland rebukes 'unfounded attacks' on Justice Department officials in farewell speech
Garland on Thursday appeared to take on President-elect Donald Trump and his allies who have “wrongly criticized” the department as politically motivated.
Independent - Biden urges troops to ‘remember your oath’ at Defense Department farewell ceremony
Biden urges service members to uphold pledge to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic’.
Gross, but not unexpected since they're both fond of criming.
Axios - NYC mayor will meet with Trump on Friday, his office says
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) will meet with President-elect Trump on Friday, his office announced.
NPR - ICE estimates it would need $26.9 billion to enforce GOP deportation bill
The Homeland Security Department is warning lawmakers in Congress that a proposed immigration enforcement bill would cost $26.9 billion to implement in its first year and "would be impossible for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to execute within existing resources."
CNN - Nazi flag-bearing man gets 8 years in prison for truck crashing near White House
A Missouri man who crashed a rental truck into barriers protecting the White House was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for an attack that prosecutors said was inspired by his fascination with Nazi ideology, court records show.
Thank you, Joe!
NBC - Biden sets record for most pardons and commutations with new round of clemency for nonviolent drug offenders
The president is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses in the biggest single-day act of clemency.
NBC - Medicare announces 15 new drugs up for price negotiations, including Ozempic
Ozempic has faced public backlash over its high price, fueling demand for cheaper alternatives.
CNN - Biden says Equal Rights Amendment is ratified, kicking off expected legal battle as he pushes through final executive actions
The amendment, which was passed by Congress in 1972, enshrines equal rights for women.
CNN - Supreme Court says TikTok can be banned in the US, leaving its future in limbo
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that a controversial ban on TikTok may take effect this weekend, rejecting an appeal from the popular app’s owners that claimed the ban violated the First Amendment. The court handed down an unsigned opinion and there were no noted dissents.
::snicker::
CNN - Trump’s inauguration expected to be moved indoors
President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is expected to be moved indoors Monday due to dangerously cold temperatures projected in the nation’s capital, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the plans told CNN.
Because of the source, take it with a grain of salt. Still not entirely farfetched.
NY Post - CNN wants to exile Jim Acosta’s show to the ‘Siberia of television news’ to stop him annoying Trump
The network’s boss, Mark Thompson, this week called in Acosta to propose shifting his show, “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta,” from 10 a.m. to the graveyard midnight slot, ex-CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy reported in his Status News newsletter.
Fuck that shit!
WAPO - Antiabortion advocates look for men to report their partners’ abortions
Boyfriends and husbands can have uniquely personal and specific information necessary to help surface new lawsuits in states with abortion bans.
WORLD
Politico - Greenland’s PM stands firm on independence: ‘We want to be Greenlanders’
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede insisted Thursday that the island wants close ties to the U.S. and Denmark. But only to a point. His remarks risk frustrating President-elect Donald Trump.
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Because of course...
AP - Chinese President Xi Jinping will send a special representative to Trump’s inauguration
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, but he is sending Vice President Han Zheng as his special representative.
Ha! Loser.
AP - Brazilian court denies Bolsonaro’s request to travel to Trump’s inauguration
Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday denied a request by former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily restore his passport so that he could attend the inauguration in Washington of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump next week.
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Go ahead and quit, ya loser.
Reuters - Hardline Israeli minister Ben-Gvir threatens to quit over Gaza deal
Israel's hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Thursday he would resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if it ratifies the ceasefire deal in Gaza, which he has strongly opposed.
I knew they were drawing it out to "gift" it to The Orange Felon on his big day.
NBC - Israel-Hamas ceasefire live updates: Israeli security cabinet to vote on deal
The deal must be approved by both the security cabinet and full cabinet, which is due to meet Saturday. That would most likely see the ceasefire take effect Monday.
Guardian - Israel security cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire agreement
Ratification comes after delay led to fears that deal would come unstuck. It now passes to full cabinet for signoff.
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NBC - South Korea investigators to file request to extend President Yoon’s detention
Investigators must obtain court approval to continue holding impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has refused to be questioned over his failed martial law declaration last month.
SCIENCE
Guardian - Biden administration allocates $306m in its final days for bird flu response
‘Critical’ funding comes as H5N1 outbreak intensifies and will go toward developing a response to the virus.
It was inevitable.
NBC - Childhood vaccination rates, a health bright spot in struggling states, are slipping
Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. Experts worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those bright spots to dim.
What a stupid waste of money and a really dumb idea.
Chron - Texas company raises $200 million to make Jurassic Park happen
Colossal Biosciences wants to resurrect the woolly mammoth, the dodo bird, and the Tasmanian tiger.
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Ha!
NPR - SpaceX launches its Starship rocket on latest test flight but spacecraft is destroyed
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight Thursday, catching the booster back at the pad but losing contact with the ascending spacecraft as engines went out.
Rapid, unscheduled, disassembly
Space Dot Com - Watch SpaceX Starship explode over Atlantic Ocean on Flight Test 7 (videos)
Starship's Flight 7 ended with a bang.
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NBC - CDC urges faster testing to find human bird flu cases
The agency says labs should accelerate testing on patients hospitalized with the flu within 24 hours of their admission.
TEXAS
Ha! No way!
NBC - 'Drug-addicted rats' infesting Houston police evidence room
Law enforcement will begin to destroy seized drugs that some Houston police have stored for more than a decade and that no longer have evidentiary value, authorities said.
Fuck all these fuckers!
AP - Texas judge says states can revive challenge to abortion pill access nationwide
The Texas judge who previously halted approval of the nation’s most common method of abortion ruled Thursday that three states can move ahead with another attempt to roll back federal rules and make it harder for people across the U.S. to access the abortion drug mifepristone.
RANDOM
WAPO - David Lynch, who brought surrealism into the cineplex, dies at 78
The renowned filmmaker mixed melodrama and horror in movies such as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive.” He also co-created “Twin Peaks,” which ushered in a TV revolution in the 1990s.
What a pussified man-baby he is.
Futurism - Elon Musk Throws Tantrum After Being Exposed by Gamers, Leaks YouTuber's DMs and Seemingly Takes Away His Checkmark
Professional manchild and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk is deeply unhappy that he's been caught faking clout — and now he's throwing a tantrum, taking away the toys of other tykes who were mean to him.
EFF Org - Mad at Meta? Don't Let Them Collect and Monetize Your Personal Data
Fed up with Meta? Avoiding Instagram or Facebook isn’t enough to stop Meta from harvesting and profiting from your private information. Here’s how to limit Meta’s ability to monetize your personal data.
INDEPENDENT JOURNOS/OPINION
Mike Luckovich Cartoon: Don’t tread on me while I’m treading on others
Maddow Blog - Trump’s Treasury pick rejects minimum wage hike, champions tax breaks, Bye Steve Benen
Scott Bessent summarized the incoming administration's perspective perfectly: Yes to tax breaks for the wealthy, no to increasing the minimum wage.
“Over a year ago, I submitted a book proposal about the failures of corporate media. No one wanted to touch it because corporate media would promote it. So I'm releasing chapters here for free.”
