by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, Thanksgiving Day 2020.
- As Americans prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, the world watches with dread and disbelief
- In China, nearly 1 million people have reportedly already gotten a coronavirus vaccine (“China’s emergency vaccine program is a risky proof of concept for large-scale Covid-19 vaccine deployment.”)
- An abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan undermines the fragile peace
- Saudi Activist Who Fought For Women’s Right to Drive Is Sent to Terrorism Court
- Israeli military instructed to prepare for Trump strike on Iran: report
- Volleyball star becomes surprising voice of anti-Bolsonaro Brazil (“Carol Solberg faced backlash after shouting ‘Bolsonaro out!’ in a post-match interview but then an even bigger surge of support”)
- At Sea and in Court, the Fight to Save the World’s Rarest Whales Intensifies (“The next five years are critical.”)
- Covid Combat Fatigue: Doctors and Nurses Are Running on Empty
- U.S. Unemployment Claims Jump for Second Straight Week
- America celebrates scaled-back Thanksgiving as COVID-19 surges
- Pentagon Purges Leading Advisors From Defense Policy Board
- Trump Administration Targets Banks Divesting From Fossil Fuels In New Anti-Climate Rule (WTF?!?)
- Biden Urges Unity: ‘We’re at War With the Virus, Not With One Another’ (“In an emotional address, he pleaded with Americans to ‘hang on’ and cited the death of his son to say that he understood the loss in the nation.”)
- Biden And Trump Offer Jarring Contrast Minutes Apart On Thanksgiving Eve
- Washington Post Editorial Board Tears Into Donald Trump: ‘A Total Disgrace’ (“The newspaper’s board slammed the president over his pardoning of former adviser Michael Flynn.”)
- Trump calls into Pennsylvania hearing, rambles about voter fraud on speakerphone (Trump is completely unhinged.)
- Trump pardons former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI
- Trump’s Pardon of Flynn Signals Prospect of a Wave in His Final Weeks in Office
- Trump wages war on our country and the rule of law one last time
- Trump Pardoned Flynn to Save Himself
- The Flynn Pardon Is a Despicable Use of an Awesome Power (“The president’s abuse of his clemency power is an assault on one of the few truly humane aspects of the American legal system.”)
- Biden leans toward Tom Donilon as CIA chief
- DOJ files appeal in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit against President Trump
- Trump Literally Phones It in for Voter Fraud ‘Hearing’ as He Frets Privately About Prosecutors Ready to Pounce (“While Trump publicly tries to get momentum for his push to ‘turn the election over,’ he has fretted privately about prosecutors wanting to ‘f*ck with’ him post-presidency.”)
- Major shift at Supreme Court on Covid-19 orders
- Splitting 5 to 4, Supreme Court Backs Religious Challenge to Cuomo’s Virus Shutdown Order (Yep, this Court is going to suck…very badly.)
- As Biden administration ramps up, Trump legal effort drags on
- Brian Deese likely pick for top White House economic post
- Flournoy gets progressive boost in Biden’s search for Pentagon chief
- Trump administration races to finish environmental rules, actions
- GOP effort to invalidate more than 2.5 million votes in Pennsylvania dealt another setback
- Pennsylvania Slams Judge’s ‘Overreach’ in Certification Ruling
- Stock Trades by Senator Perdue Said to Have Prompted Justice Dept. Inquiry
- Sen. Perdue Insisted He Had No Input At All On Stock Buys. New Evidence Shows He Did.
- Bidens: We’re letting go of traditions we can’t do safely
- Fox News staffers thought Newsmax was a joke. But they’re not laughing anymore
- Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon tests positive for coronavirus
- NRA reports alleged misspending by current and former executives to IRS
- Qasim Rashid: “There was in fact mass voter suppression and fraud this election and it was designed to flip the election results—except it was perpetrated by Trump and the GOP.”
- Examining the Future of the Republican Party Post Trump? Look No Further than Virginia
- The New Virginia Redistricting Process Kicked Off Today. Here’s the (Mostly) Good News and the (Very) Bad News.
- Reasons Terry McAuliffe and Kirk Cox should give thanks (“McAuliffe might also have reason to give thanks for the increasingly bizarre and, for Republicans, profoundly disturbing presence of state Sen. Amanda F. Chase (Chesterfield). Chase may have only the longest of longshot chances to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination. But like former Sen. Russ Potts before her, Chase’s bid isn’t about winning. It’s all about her.”)
- Fairfax-Based Defense Attorney James Abrenio: If You’re Conflicted about “Defund the Police,” That’s a Good Thing. (“The reality is Progressive Policing will likely lead to increased funding for the police – mental health professionals are not free”)
- New law reforms early sentence credit program in Virginia
- AG Mark Herring’s Office Honored for Work Fighting Animal Cruelty (“Herring’s first-in-the-nation Animal law Unit honored with Humane Society’s 2019 ‘Humane Law Enforcement’ Award”)
- Wednesday (11/25): Virginia New COVID-19 Cases Hit Record 3-Day (8,504), 10-Day (24,340) Highs
- What % of Virginians Plan to Restrict Their Thanksgiving Celebration to Just Their Own Immediate Household?
- Chesterfield schools to reverse course on school reopening plan, sending students home until Jan. 29 because of COVID-19
- Northam hosts 343rd Annual Indian Tax Tribute Ceremony
- Hampton Roads’ COVID-19 cases are surging heading into Thanksgiving
- EVMS leaders fear Sentara is trying to force the school to merge with ODU, emails show
- Albemarle County school division sets thresholds for returning to all-virtual classes
- Alexandria power plant along the Potomac to become mixed-use project
- Letters of gratitude pour into UVa’s COVID unit
- Fairfax County approves next phase for snow sports facility in former Lorton landfill
- D.C.-area forecast: Showers fade ahead of a mild Thanksgiving afternoon
