Saturday, December 23, 2023

News roundup, 23 Dec 2023

- Abortion rights activists are working to get a referendum question put on the ballot in Arizona for the 2024 election. This is important both for its own sake as well as for its potential to increase turnout among Democratic-leaning voters.

- Nikki Haley is polling well in the New Hampshire primary, coming within 4% of Trump. Of course this is New England, where being a Republican is somewhat different from what it is in much of the US, so it may not mean much for the national race. And while she is certainly smarter and saner than Trump, she's hardly a moderate compared to anyone except him.

- Russian journalist Yekaterina Duntsova attempted to get on the ballot for the next Russian presidential election, but her candidacy has been vetoed by the country's electoral commission, ostensibly over "errors" on the application.

- Hamas has ruled out the release of any further hostages until Israel agrees to a "full cessation of aggression". The Israelis, for their part, have stepped up their efforts to take full control of northern Gaza, and in a recent airstrike killed an aid worker along with 70 members of his extended family.

- Ukraine reports shooting down three Russian Su-34 fighters, a much needed gain as their counteroffensive has been stagnating of late, and by some estimates have suffered far more losses than Russia has. Meanwhile, Russia is warning of "serious consequences" if its seized assets in the West are handed over to Ukraine.

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