December 18—The Biden administration's Fish and Wildlife Service has put in place new protections for the wolverine, an iconic animal of the American West endangered by global warming.

December 14—The federal trial of Donald Trump on charges of illegally interfering in the transfer of power after the 2020 election will be put on hold while the courts respond to Trump's claims that he is immune from prosecution for any acts committed while he was serving as president. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals will take up the case at the end of the month, and the Supreme Court has agreed to expeditiously determine whether it will weigh in.

December 14—A key element of dealing with global warming, which has been chiefly caused by the richest industrial nations, is the support of less developed nations which have contributed the least to global warming but are in many cases paying the greatest price in climate disruption, with the fewest resources to deal with it. Vice President Kamala Harris pledged $3 billion in American support for climate resiliency and energy transition in affected countries; Donald Trump has already announced that, if elected, he will oppose it.

December 12—For the first time, international climate negotiators at this week's Dubai-based COP28 Summit have signed off on a final accord calling for a worldwide transition away from fossil fuels. As described in this Associated Press article, the devil will be in the details: and in the capacity of the world's largest carbon emitters—including the United States—to make the tough political lifts necessary to end reliance on greenhouse gases.

December 5—The pandemic brought into stark relief U.S. dependence on foreign supply chains for computer chips, vital for everything from home computers to advanced military technology. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 earmarked $52 billion in government funds to kick start America's domestic chip manufacturing capacity; BAE of New Hampshire, which builds chips for use in U.S. military aircraft, has become the first American manufacturer to put the subsidies to use.

December 5—A major component of the transition to electric vehicles will be the provision of adequate charging stations along the nation's roadways, and the Biden administration has earmarked $7.5 billion in grants to build a 500,000-strong national network. The first of these, the administration has announced, has begun operation in Columbus, Ohio.

December 3—The Biden EPA as issued a new ruling requiring oil and natural gas extractors to sharply reduce the escape of methane, responsible for about one-third of planet-warming greenhouse gases, during their operations.

December 1—An Arizona grand jury has indicted two Republican county commissioners for their role in attempting to delay the certification of Joe Biden as president after the November, 2020, elections.

December 1—The EPA has announced a proposed rule that will require all U.S. water systems to replace toxic lead water pipes within the next 10 years. The Biden administration has already announced $15 billion in funding toward the replacement of lead pipes under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

December 1—Meta has taken down 4,800 fake social media accounts created by a Chinese source with the goal of maximizing division in the U.S. electorate approaching the November 2024 elections.

December 1—Chemical companies Chemours, Dupont and Corteva will pay the State of Ohio $110 million in compensation for the release of chemicals known as PFAS into the environment, after a similar agreement reached with the State of Delaware. The chemicals, which are used in non-stick surfaces and firefighting foams, have been shown to cause cancers, hormonal dysfunctions and other illnesses.

November 28—Donald Trump has suggested he will make another attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) if elected president next November. The program, which ensures affordable health insurance for over 18 million Americans, is only one way in which a Trump presidency would be a disaster for social democracy in America.

November 28—As world leaders agree to phase out fossil fuels in Dubai, the United States is on the verge of recording the greatest ever annual quantity of oil and gas extracted from its subsoils. The Guardian takes a look at the contradictions involved.

November 20—Or, "the more it changes, the more it's the same thing." This AP News article looks at the unruly and unrulable House of Representatives inherited by new speaker, Mike Johnson. The same radical right back benchers who ousted Kevin McCarthy are now aiming to bring Johnson to heel.

November 23—Populist politician Geert Wilders, running on an anti-immigrant platform, has ousted a coalition headed by social democrat Mark Rutte, Dutch prime minister since 2010. The Dutch election follows recent social democrat losses to populist candidates in Italy and Sweden, and highlights the fact that in Europe, as in the United States, the immigration issue is one of great potency. The Left must develop coherent immigration policies that, while maintaining social democrat values, do not alienate such large segments of the nation's electorate that governing becomes impossible.