"He trimmed the trees away from his house, and covered his yard in gravel to stop flames rushing in from the forest near his property. In case that buffer zone failed, he sheathed his house in fire-resistant stucco, and topped it with a noncombustible steel roof. None of it mattered." While certain politicians and their followers continue to deny the threat of climate change, for many Americans its stark reality lands too close to home to ignore. If it doesn't arrive via fire or flood, it comes via a letter. These unwelcome messages sent to millions of homeowners in recent years come from their home insurance companies and inform them that their insurance contracts have been nonrenewed. That's insurance-speak that roughly translates to: Sorry, you're f--ked. "Without insurance, you can’t get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home. Communities that are deemed too dangerous to insure face the risk of falling property values, which means less tax revenue for schools, police and other basic services. As insurers pull back, they can destabilize the communities left behind, making their decisions a predictor of the disruption to come." NYT (Gift Article): Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen. Insurance companies that rely on math and science to secure their bottom lines don't have time for climate change denial. They know where there's smoke, there's fire.

2

Mission Creep

"The new police chief quickly impressed the small Texas community he’d sworn to protect. He started a Christmas charity event. He checked on elderly neighbors. He seemed especially good, residents noted, with troubled teenagers. The people of Maypearl trusted Police Chief Kevin Coffey. Few were aware that Maypearl was the eighth law enforcement agency that Coffey had worked at in 11 years. Fewer knew that there was a trail of accusations and secrets in his past. And none could have predicted the destruction he would wreak in their town." A WaPo(Gift Article) investigation: The ‘Perfect’ Predator. "The kids would eventually call him The Creeper. The adults would denounce him as a monster. The prosecutors who put him away for child sexual abuse would describe him as a master manipulator 'who groomed the community.'"

3

Stick to the Vax

"Globally, there were 20 percent more measles cases in 2023 than in the year before, according to the World Health Organization, for a total of 10.3 million, and more than 107,000 people died. Fifty-seven countries had 'large or disruptive' outbreaks, the W.H.O. said, nearly 60 percent more than in 2022." The outbreaks come in two kinds of places. Those that can't get enough vaccine no matter how desperately they want it. And those that turn down vaccines even though they are readily available. The latter group really should learn the terrible lessons from the former group's plight. NYT (Gift Article): Tiny Coffins: Measles Is Killing Thousands of Children in Congo. "President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for federal health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has fought vaccine mandates and said parents should have the right to choose not to vaccinate their children."

4

Map Trap

You'd think it would be easier to get away with murder in a tiny town. And you'd likely be right. But timing is everything. Google Street View catches Spanish murder suspect moving body. "As the man bent down to put a large bundle, thought to be a body, in the boot of his car the Google Maps vehicle passed by — for the first time in 15 years."

5

Extra, Extra

Photo Finish: From devastating war scenes to Swift/Kelce midfield hugs, the NYT (Gift Article) captures the year that was. 2024 The Year in Pictures.

+ All Bets Are Off: Heather Cox Richardson: "It seems increasingly clear that the wealthy leaders who backed Trump’s reelection are not terribly concerned about his threats: they seem to see him as a figurehead rather than a policy leader. They are counting on him to deliver more tax cuts and deregulation but apparently are dismissing his campaign vows to raise tariffs and deport immigrants as mere rhetoric." (I hope they're right. But given Trump's rhetoric, lawsuits, and cabinet picks, it sure sounds like a bad bet.) Related: After investigating January 6, House GOP sides with Trump and goes after Liz Cheney.

+ Glitchy Rich: "Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders, according to people with knowledge of the company and internal documents." This probably won't be much of an issue after Jan 20. Meanwhile, Musk is now strong-arming Republicans to block the against the gov spending bill. (This is just the beginning.)

+ Tiking Timebomb: "The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether a bill that could ban TikTok violates the First Amendment. The arguments will take place on January 10th, just over a week before a potential ban could take effect."

+ Fortune Favors the Gold: "War has shattered Sudan’s economy, collapsed its health system and turned much of the once-proud capital into piles of rubble. Fighting has also set off one of the world’s worst famines in decades, with 26 million people facing acute hunger or starvation. But the gold trade is humming. The production and trade of gold, which lies in rich deposits across the vast nation, has actually surpassed prewar levels — and that’s just the official figure in a country rife with smuggling ... But instead of using the windfall to help the legions of hungry and homeless people, Sudan’s warring sides are wielding the gold to bankroll their fight, deploying what U.N. experts call 'starvation tactics' against tens of millions of people." Declan Walsh in the NYT (Gift Article): The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War.

+ Crash the Gaetz: In reversal, key House panel votes to release Matt Gaetz ethics report. Does it really matter now that he's out of office and out of consideration for a cabinet post?

+ Abahamanation: Trump nominates ex-NFL star Herschel Walker as ambassador to Bahamas.

6

Bottom of the News

"'Has anyone ever told you that you have a Jesus look to you?' the man asked, according to Sagers, a 25-year-old who works as a cheesemonger at a grocery store. It wasn’t a pickup line—the man’s wife was an artist looking for religious models. 'I didn’t really get that a lot,' says Sagers, who is 6-foot-5 with dirty-blonde, shoulder-length hair and a beard he says gives Irish and Scandinavian vibes. 'I make for a pretty tall Jesus.' And so it was that Sagers began a side hustle as a savior." (That sounds a hell of lot less stressful than a side hustle as a news curator.) It Pays to Have Long Hair and a Beard in Utah—Jesus Models Are in Demand.