December 20—The U.S. Forest has adopted  a new forest management plan that will favor the preservation of old-growth forests, national treasures which are key to maintaining healthy bio-diversity.

December 18—Employing a phrase disturbingly reminiscent of Hitler's scapegoating of Jews, Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that illegal immigrants were "poisoning the blood" of the United States. It should be clear to all people touched by any modicum of human decency where the real poison is coming from.

December 18—In a judgement that we can hope will deter future election-deniers from making unsubstantiated claims of fraud, a federal court has ordered Rudolph Giuliani to pay $148 million in damages to Wandrea Moss and Ruby Freeman for incorrectly claiming that the Georgia election workers altered presidential vote tallies in Fulton County during the 2020 election.

December 15—President Biden has signed into law $886 billion in spending for the country's military needs over the coming year after Republicans agreed to drop provisions on abortion and transgender troops. The bill includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for America's service members.

December 13—Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has signalled that the end of high interest rates, adopted by nation's central bank to combat post-pandemic inflation, is in sight.

December 8—While Trump talked a good game on infrastructure but accomplished little, the Biden administration is putting Americans to work on major projects around the nation, including upgrades to country's rail network.

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.