Saturday News: “John Lewis’s Legacy and America’s Redemption”; “‘The virus doesn’t care about excuses’: US faces terrifying autumn as Covid-19 surges”; “Fox host Chris Wallace fact-checks Trump claim Biden wants to defund police”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, July 18.

From Selma to the White House. ⁦@repjohnlewis⁩ proved the long arc of the moral universe does bend towards justice when we all push together. ⁦@BarackObama⁩ pic.twitter.com/iNwa4IxD8o

— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) July 18, 2020

• As India skyrockets past 1 million coronavirus cases, a mystery surrounds the death toll
• Most of the World May Face Covid Without a Vaccine (“There will be another wave, and it will be very serious.”)
• Dramatic footage fuels fears Amazon fires could be worse than last year (“As dry season starts campaigners sound alarm over ‘shocking’ scale of fires, as Bolsonaro doubles down on denials”)
• Netherlands’s Rutte holds out as deadlocked EU talks go into second day
• White House blocks CDC from testifying on reopening schools next week
• ‘The virus doesn’t care about excuses’: US faces terrifying autumn as Covid-19 surges (“The breathing space afforded by lockdowns in the spring has been squandered, with new cases running at five times the rate of the whole of Europe. Things will only get worse, experts warn” That’s overwhelmingly on Trump.)
• A Great Quarter for Wall Street Comes at a Very Awkward Time
• Trump says ‘I don’t agree’ with CDC director’s mask message
• With coronavirus antibodies fading fast, vaccine hopes fade, too
• Covid deaths are rising in U.S. as some states set records daily
• Rancor between scientists, Trump allies threatens virus response
• Top brick-and-mortar retailers now require coronavirus masks in U.S. stores
• Republicans eye sweeping shield from coronavirus liability
• Joe Biden, citing intelligence briefings, warns that Russia, China are engaged in election interference
• Fox host Chris Wallace fact-checks Trump claim Biden wants to defund police
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she is being treated for recurrence of cancer (“Ginsburg reports ‘positive results’ and is continuing to work”)
• John Lewis, congressman and civil-rights legend, will never lose hope.
• Barack Obama: My Statement on the Passing of Rep. John Lewis (“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”)
• Trump expected to exclude undocumented migrants from U.S. census
• The Radical Resistance of John Lewis (“Willingness to risk his life for civil rights was essential to the quest for justice.”)
• John Lewis’s Legacy and America’s Redemption
• Pelosi remembers John Lewis as ‘a titan’ whose ‘bravery transformed our nation’
• Civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis dead at 80 (“After a six-month battle with cancer, the civil rights icon and longtime congressman’s death was announced by Nancy Pelosi”)
• John R. Lewis, front-line civil rights leader and eminence of Capitol Hill, dies at 80
• Supreme Court agrees to expedite order on Trump’s tax returns
• The Trump campaign is the grift that keeps on grifting
• US attorney requests DHS investigation after video shows masked, camouflaged federal authorities arresting protesters in Portland
• What the Heck Are Federal Law Enforcement Officers Doing in Portland?
• Portland officials decry aggressive tactics of federal agents in their city
• Federal Court Orders Trump Administration To Accept New DACA Applications
• African American Museum website removes ‘whiteness’ chart after criticism from Trump Jr., conservative media
• Florida governor: I won’t close gyms over virus because people there are ‘in good shape’ (DUH-Santis?)
• Florida now has more Covid-19 cases than any other state. Here’s what went wrong. (“Florida’s governor took a victory lap on the coronavirus. Now his state has the most cases in the US.”)
• Joe Biden’s Roadmap to Reopening Schools Safely
• New York’s Massively Delayed Election Results Foreshadow a November Clusterf–k (“Meanwhile, Republicans are growing more worried that Trump’s campaign against mail-in voting will hurt them.”)
• Democrats should be blunt: Republicans are willing to endanger lives
• Right-wing media’s favorite climate contrarians go on Fox shows to bash Biden’s climate plan (“In their new books, Michael Shellenberger and Bjorn Lomborg dismiss the seriousness of climate change”)
• Fox News insiders: Fox is promoting white supremacy and hurting Black Americans
• Fox Nation’s newest show is hosted by a QAnon supporter (“Isaiah Washington has also shared conspiracy theories about 5G networks, COVID-19, and Fox News producers”)
• Tim Kaine stops at Virginia Tech for coronavirus discussion
• Sen. Kaine visits Blacksburg to discuss childcare in New River Valley amid coronavirus pandemic
• “These fundraising numbers in competitive Virginia Congressional districts are just absurd”
• Weekly UVA COVID-19 Model Update Finds 10 of 35 Local Health Districts “Experiencing Significant Surges”; “It is crucial that Virginians clamp down now”
• Governor Northam Announces General Assembly to Convene August 18
• Northam calls legislature back to tackle state budget, social justice issues
• Monsanto to pay $52 million toward contamination cleanup in the Potomac, other area waterways
• Friday (7/17) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,002 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 75,433), +67 Hospitalizations (to 7,087), +6 Deaths (to 2,013) From Yesterday
• Virginia Is At a Flashpoint in History, Time to Tackle Policing and Prison Reform
• Virginia employment commissioner defends agency’s work amid pandemic, complaints
• Online, in-person or both: Across Virginia, school reopening is the hot-button issue of the summer
• Mountain Valley Pipeline is a prime example of national permitting failure (“Without NWP 12 in hand, MVP is not able to undertake any construction activities that impact the hundreds of streams and wetlands it aims to cross in Virginia.”)
• SCOOP: Virginia’s Gun Safety Laws Haven’t Slowed Down Gun Sales at All (“Sales since laws took effect this month outpace the entire month of June 2019”)
• Video: “VOICE” Zoom Call Participants Call on Gov. Northam to Pause Evictions; Ask General Assembly for Expanded Renter Protections
• Thank You Letter to Virginia Legislators – Including Those Who “Went Above and Beyond” – Who Helped Defeat Dirty, Destructive Atlantic Coast Pipeline
• Teachers unions in Norfolk, Virginia Beach fighting for safety as leaders consider reopening
• Fairfax County Officials Exploring Police Reform Efforts
• Nearly 40% of Virginia’s child care centers closed during the pandemic — a problem for parents going back to work
• Richmond’s top prosecutor announces policy to name police officers indicted going forward
• Virginia Beach protesters march against racial injustice amid heavy police presence, arrests at Oceanfront
• Arlington Launches Review of Police Policies and Practices
• Half Of Loudoun Parents Pick 100-Percent Distance Learning Option
• Many Norfolk employees will get hazard pay for working during the pandemic. Many more will get a “thank you” bonus.
• Citizens, Arlington County Board Move Forward with Plan to Rename Lee Highway
• Snyder denounces behavior of DC football team employees; NFL to wait on penalties
• Dan Snyder has a consistently losing record. The latest allegations are more proof.
• Hot today, and turning hotter the next few days (“We’ll have a few chances to get to 100 for the first time since 2016. High humidity makes it feel even worse.” This is the climate crisis.)