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Privatization Knocks Out Power Across Puerto Rico - The Wednesday AM Quickie 1/1/25

By Corey Pein —

Sorry, readers, I'm saving up my Happy New Year wishes for the Lunar New Year festivities beginning at the end of this month. As for 2025, I'm in "wait and see" mode. - Corey

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THE BIG NEWS

World Tour: How About Some Pictures of Fireworks?

  • Puerto Rico Rings in New Year with Islandwide Blackout "I blame all of it on Luma," one San Juan suburbanite says, referencing the notoriously unreliable corporate joint venture between companies from Alberta and Texas that took over the national grid in 2021. via the New York Times and NBC News.
  • 'Everything Will Be Fine,' Putin Tells Russians in New Year's Eve Speech That Neglects to Mention Ukraine "May 2025 be our year," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in speech just before midnight. "I have no doubt that the new American president wants and will be able to bring peace and end Putin's aggression." via the New York Times and the Guardian.
  • US Bombs Yemen's Capital Sanaa 2 Days in a Row "The US aggression on Yemen is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, and blatant support for Israel to encourage it to continue its crimes of genocide against the people of Gaza," Houthi rebel spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said. via the New York Times and Al Jazeera.
  • South Korean Court Approves Arrest Warrant for Impeached President Yoon Meanwhile, US investigators including representatives from Boeing examined the crash site of the Jeju airliner that crashed at Muan International Airport on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people onboard. via Reuters and the Associated Press.
  • India's Covert Assassination Program in Pakistan Looks a Lot Like Its North American Ops "The whole [Modi] tagline is, 'This is the New India,'" says Indian military historian Srinath Raghavan. "It's aimed at telling Pakistan that we're willing to come and hit hard, but it also has a domestic component." via the Washington Post.
  • Ecuadorean Judge Orders Arrest of 16 Soldiers for 'Forced Disappearance' of 4 Boys from Poor Black Neighborhood The case of the "Guayaquil Four," all aged between 11 and 15, underscores growing outrage about President Daniel Noboa's "internal armed conflict." via the Guardian and the AP.
  • Côte d'Ivoire Bids Adieu to French Troops Ivorian President Alassane "Outtara's announcement follows that of other leaders across [postcolonial] West Africa, where France's militaries are being asked to leave." via the AP and the Wall Street Journal.
  • Olaf Scholz Tells Elon Musk to Kick Rocks, in So Many Words "You, the citizens, decide what happens in Germany," the center-left Chancellor said of the far-right meddling oligarch in his New Year's speech. "It's not up to the owners of social media." via Politico.

Move Over, Bird Flu: Novovirus Breaks Out Nationwide

Novovirus, which NBC News helpfully characterizes as as "'winter vomiting disease' or 'two-bucket disease' — because it causes both vomiting and diarrhea" — is surging around the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency tracked 91 outbreaks in the first week of December, the highest number in more than 13 years. The "extraordinarily" contagious virus, often mistaken for stomach flu, spreads through direct contact, including with shared food and contaminated surfaces, and can cause dehydration. If you're unfortunate enough to catch it, stay home and stay hydrated.

Chief Justice John Roberts Asks for Respect, Help Enforcing Court Rulings

In a year-end report on the federal judiciary, conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned of threats to "the independence of judges on which the rule of law depends" – citing violent threats and "angry, profane phone calls" from the public but also elected officials who "regrettably have engaged in recent attempts to intimidate judges." Politico reports that "Roberts made no direct reference to the president-elect, but with Trump vowing to swiftly enact dozens of sweeping policy moves of questionable legality, he seemed to be on the receiving end of the chief justice's admonition." With the court's absurd "presidential immunity" ruling last year, the justices set themselves up as the only check on Donald Trump's criminal abuse of office – and now Roberts is urging "other branches" of government to remain "firm in their responsibility to enforce the court's decrees." Someone doesn't sound very confident!

QUICKEST QUICKIES

  • Trump Backs Budding Theocrat Mike Johnson's Reelection as House Speaker "Starting the year with just a 219-seat majority — following the resignation last month of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) — Johnson can lose support from only one Republican to win the speakership." via the Washington Post.
  • FBI Bust of Rural Virginia Bombmaker Puts Spotlight on Far-Right 'No Lives Matter' Subculture Brad Spafford allegedly kept a jar of volatile explosives in his freezer labeled "Dangerous" and "Do Not Touch" next to some Hot Pockets. via the New York Times and NBC News.
  • Millions of Children and Even More Adults Lost Medicaid Coverage in Post-Pandemic Eligibility Review "Some advocates wonder if even bigger Medicaid coverage losses are in store when President-elect Donald Trump takes office." via NBC News.
  • Pentagon Appeals Court Approves Plea Deals with 9/11 Plotters Tortured By CIA Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought to nullify the deals, but the US Court of Military Commission Review rejected his authority to intervene. via the Associated Press and the Washington Post.

SOME NUMBER

$10 billion

That's the total amount of penalties owed to the Securities and Exchange Commission by corporate crooks that the agency has written off as uncollectable over the past decade, according to the Wall Street Journal.

ON THE SHOW TODAY

1/1: Happy New Year! It is the 7th and FINAL day of the Majority Report's Best Ofs of 2024. Here you'll hear Sam and Emma speak with Dylan Penningroth, professor of Law and History at the University of California, Berkeley, to discuss his recent book Before The Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights.

DON'T MISS MR CLIPS‌

Did Harris Do Better Than We Realize?

Reject any claims of a Trump "mandate."

Oh What Could Have Been...

Instead of looking backward, Bernie is keeping his eyes on the prize.

PARTING WORDS

"Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump's America now! I'm a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you."

-- Taxi driver Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, of Colorado, shouting at KJCT reporter Ja-Ronn Alex, 22, in Grand Junction last month before tackling and strangling him. Alex is a Pacific Islander. Egan, who demanded to see Alex's ID during the unprovoked assault, currently occupies the Mesa County Jail and will make a court apperance tomorrow, NBC News reports.

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