by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, January 9.
- Australia’s Wildfire Catastrophe Isn’t the “New Normal.” It’s Much Worse Than That. (“‘These are the things that keep us up at night as climate scientists,’ says Michael Mann.”)
- Australia’s catastrophic and relentless battle with bushfires
- Arson Misinformation Undermines Link Between Australia Fires And Climate Change (“Conservatives including Donald Trump Jr. and Sean Hannity have shared misleading figures about arsonists igniting wildfires.” Disgusting.)
- Trump pulls back for now but game of chicken with Tehran far from over
- Iran Attacks U.S. Forces, Then Both Sides Stand Down
- What Trump missed when he saw Iran blink (“Analysis: The U.S. and Iran may have averted a war, but Tehran’s influence in Iraq has grown and Washington has again alienated allies.”)
- EU leaders relieved as Trump steps away from Iran conflict
- Ukraine investigators considering possibility missile brought down passenger plane over Tehran
- Timing of Boeing Crash in Iran Raises Suspicions, but Little Is Known
- Dialled down: Iran’s phoned-in attack just enough to ease tensions
- Much Of The World Doesn’t Trust President Trump, Pew Survey Finds
- How Germany’s Energy Transition Could Get Its Mojo Back (“Germany’s 2030 climate bill doesn’t clear the logjam for wind and solar. But a surge in support for the Green Party offers hope for Europe’s one-time renewable juggernaut.”)
- China’s Vice Premier Liu to sign U.S. trade deal in Washington next week
- U.S. and Iran back away from imminent confli (“Trump says he is ready for peace ‘with all who seek it’”)
- U.S. officials knew Iranian missiles were coming hours in advance
- Trump Is No Closer to Solving America’s Iran Problem (“The president declared victory today, but he still hasn’t laid out how he intends to keep Iran from gaining nuclear weapons.”)
- Why Trump’s Iran Blunder Is a Turning Point (“Trolled by Iran’s leaders and captured by the hawks around him, the president clumsily took the U.S. to the brink of the Middle East war he’d pledged to avoid. For some supporters, it could be the last straw.”)
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to ‘step back as senior members of the Royal Family’
- Trump Has a Bizarre Idea of Winning (“the basic rule in international security, as in medicine, is ‘first, do no harm,’ and President Trump has violated that.”)
- One Speech Can’t Clean Up Trump’s Iran Mess
- Trump’s Iran Strategy: A Cease-Fire Wrapped in a Strategic Muddle (“President Trump opened a small window for diplomacy with Iran on Wednesday, but combined his words with threats, our reporter writes in an analysis. Mr. Trump has yet to resolve the conflicting instincts on national security that emerge from his speeches and his Twitter feed: bellicosity and disengagement.”)
- Americans Aren’t Rallying to Trump
- We Took a Step Back From the Brink, But Not Because the President* Knows Where He Took Us
- The Strategy Behind Trump’s Incoherent Iran Address (“Trump’s remarks were about sweet-talking his base and reclaiming his narrative”)
- GOP leaders spar over adding House members to Trump’s impeachment defense team
- Hey Republicans, demagoguery won’t hide Trump’s incoherence
- My Journey to Radical Environmentalism
- The Republican clown car runs out of gas
- Don’t allow McConnell to swear a false oath
- Fake News Might Have Just Stopped a War (“By the end, the standoff felt like a stage-managed event concocted to give both sides enough to claim victory and step back from the precipice. The idea that, in order to resolve an escalating crisis, both sides need to be able to save face and claim partial victory is certainly not new. But it’s a lot easier when both sides are so comfortable misleading their publics.”)
- GOP rebellion breaks out on Iran as Senate inches toward impeachment
- Paul fires back at Graham over Iran criticism: ‘He insults the Constitution’
- House Vote Is Unlikely to Curb Trump’s War Powers on Iran
- A Furious Sen. Mike Lee Announces He’s Supporting Dem War Powers Resolution: Iran Briefing Was ‘Completely Unacceptable’
- ‘Insulting and demeaning’: Two GOP lawmakers rip Trump administration after Iran briefing
- “Probably the worst briefing I’ve seen”: Inside the disastrous congressional Iran meeting (“At one point, the CIA director told lawmakers to read an intelligence report instead of just briefing them.”)
- Foreign Policy Doesn’t Usually Affect Elections. Could Iran Be Different?
- How Ruth Bader Ginsburg is trying to check the conservative majority
- Bernie emerges as growing threat to Biden
- Editorial: Kaine is right. Congress must vote on war.
- Audio: Ben Tribbett Says Scott Taylor Calling Reps. Luria, Spanberger “Girls” Will Cause Him to Lose in November
- Democrats look to history as Virginia’s General Assembly opens its session (“Gov. Ralph Northam called for an ambitious agenda of change Wednesday as the state assembly opened its annual legislative session with a series of historic firsts.”)
- Northam cites a changing Virginia as Democratic majority takes charge in Richmond (“Gov. Ralph Northam described a changing Virginia that is increasingly diverse and progressive Wednesday night, vowing in his annual address to the state legislature to lead the state according to that change.”)
- Video, Prepared Remarks: Governor Northam Delivers State of the Commonwealth Address
- Video: History Is Made; Eileen Filler-Corn Elected, Sworn In as 56th Speaker – and First Woman Speaker – of the Virginia House of Delegates
- ‘Madam Speaker’: After 400 years, Filler-Corn becomes first woman to lead Virginia House
- Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn Is Virginia’s First Female, Jewish House Speaker
- ‘A new torch is being passed today,’ says Filler-Corn, first woman to serve as Virginia House speaker
- Video, Prepared Remarks: Governor Northam Delivers State of the Commonwealth Address
- Tons More Video, Photos From the Historic Day in Virginia (“Including supporters of ERA, Green New Deal, Monumental Justice…”)
- History-making new Va. House speaker cites passing of ‘new torch’ with focus on diversity, empowerment
- Democrats take the reins in Richmond, promising a safer, more inclusive Virginia (“There have been twice as many bills filed this year as last in the House of Delegates.”)
- EDITORIAL: More cracks in legislature’s glass ceiling
- Monumental Justice Virginia to Rally in Richmond for Local Control Over Confederate Monuments
- As Virginia General Assembly Opens for Business, Lots and Lots of Bills Are Filed
- Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Announces its 2020 Legislative Agenda: A Restorative and Equitable Agenda
- Capitol Police Take Extra Security Measures This General Assembly Session
- Activists rally at Capitol Square in support of bills that would enable removal of Confederate monuments
- Richmond gun rally will not be ‘armed protest,’ says organizer
- Bryn Baker column: A unique opportunity to expand renewable energy access
- Alternatives Offered to Flawed Redistricting Amendment – PROGRESS!
- Trump’s Godawful “Justice” Dept. Opposes ERA Ratification; Virginia AG Mark Herring Responds
- U.S. Justice Department says Virginia action would come too late to ratify ERA
- DOJ Says Virginia’s Push for Equal Rights Amendment Futile
- Virginia May Ratify The Equal Rights Amendment. What Would Come Next Is Murky
- Fralin: Virginia’s right-to-work law should be repealed or amended
- Richmond delegate’s bill would devote state sales tax to $1.5B Navy Hill Plan (Uh…no.)
- Swanson: Time for Virginia to end the death penalty
- COMMENTARY: Big push to designate military-friendly schools in Virginia
- DEQ’s failure on compressor station review is another sign new leadership is needed
- On environment, lawmakers to grapple with everything from small fish to global shifts
- Editorial: Protecting history from a changing climate (“As sea levels rise due to a changing climate, Virginia’s historical sites near water are at risk — and Hampton Roads communities must do what’s needed to protect them.” It’s not just “changing,” by the way, it’s a man-made crisis and the media should say so, clearly, in its headlines.)
- Virginia Beach considers a program to buy out or elevate homes in danger of flooding
- Volunteers needed to restore Virginia’s underwater grass beds
- Forecast: Cold today but warmth surges back this weekend along with a few showers
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
