by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, November 24.
- Covid-19 Shutdowns Were Just a Blip in the Upward Trajectory of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions (“Emissions will drop by 4 to 7 percent for 2020, but carbon dioxide will continue to increase, the annual World Meteorological Association bulletin finds.” We need to turn this around immediately…CO2 emissions need to be plummeting, certainly not rising.)
- While the U.S. deals with Trump’s attacks on democracy, the E.U. faces a threat of its own
- Ethiopia’s Tigray forces claim battle win, global alarm grows
- John Kerry’s Appointment as Climate Envoy Shows the World We’re Back in the Game
- When will the world reach ‘herd immunity’? Citi weighs in (“Overall, the bank has forecast that Covid-19 vaccination could raise global economic growth by 0.7 percentage points in 2021, and 3 percentage points in 2022 as activity returns to normal.”)
- Netanyahu and MBS Have Good Reason to Meet
- Vaccines are coming. Fasten your seat belts, and be patient.
- Why the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is different (“At around $3 to $4 per dose, the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot is the cheapest of the three current options and should be easier to distribute globally”)
- COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time – but these game-changers appear safe
- Face masks protect wearers about as well as others, Virginia Tech study finds (“Face masks are about as effective at protecting the wearer from COVID-19 exposure as they are at protecting others, a new study from Virginia Tech researchers finds.”)
- Small Gatherings Spread the Virus, but Are They Causing the Surge?
- More than 85,700 patients hospitalized nationwide, shattering records
- Reality Forecloses on the Trump Presidency (“A fading campaign collapses under the weight of finally having to back up big talk with actual substance.”)
- Avril Haines Nominated As First Female Director Of National Intelligence
- Biden prioritizes climate crisis by naming John Kerry special envoy
- This Isn’t Just a Line on John Kerry’s Resumé
- 5 takeaways from Biden’s first wave of nominations and appointments (“The picks are a fundamental rejection of Trumpism…Biden is trying to stay in the center … of the Democratic party…He’s moving fast”)
- Biden names diplomatic chiefs, aiming to convey momentum and avoid fights
- President-Elect Biden Announces Members of WH Senior Staff, Key Members of Foreign Policy & National Security Team
- Trump transition order follows chorus of GOP criticism
- Biden transition formally begins as Trump’s firewall crumbles (“After weeks of absurd legal claims from Trump, the General Services Administrator finally switched on the administrative machinery to transfer power to Biden”)
- Trump Administration Approves Start of Formal Transition to Biden
- Trump administration officially authorizes Biden transition
- General Motors’ parting shot at Trump bodes well for the Biden presidency
- Biden’s choice for secretary of Defense still in flux
- Biden Will Nominate First Women to Lead Treasury and Intelligence, and First Latino to Run Homeland Security
- Janet Yellen Is Biden’s Pick for Treasury Secretary
- Janet Yellen Has Excelled at Big Jobs. This Will Be the Hardest One Yet. (“The nominee for Treasury secretary will face the tricky politics of generating a strong recovery out of the pandemic.”)
- Markets cheer Yellen pick for Treasury, seeing her focus on fixing the economy and not politics
- Michigan board certifies Nov. 3 election, cementing Biden victory —
- Aaron Van Langevelde Has More Spine Than the Entire Republican Caucus in Congress
- Trump Lost. Republican Leaders Need to Say So.
- Behind the scenes, Trump frustrated with his legal team’s maneuvers
- Trump’s bizarro-world ‘elite strike force’ legal challenge is about to implode
- Trump fears Giuliani, other lawyers in Biden vote challenge are ‘fools that are making him look bad’
- An OAN Host Has Been Helping Rudy With Trump’s Legal Efforts
- Rush Limbaugh Slams Trump Legal Team: ‘They Promised Blockbuster Stuff and Then Nothing Happened’
- Trump came in promising so much winning. He’s going out with so much whining.
- ‘Wreckage everywhere’: can Biden undo Trump’s harsh immigration policies?
- How Misinformation ‘Superspreaders’ Seed False Election Theories
- Trump’s legacy may be an increasingly authoritarian Republican Party
- The Memo: Trump election loss roils right (“The split is between those who are maintaining loyalty toward Trump as he fights on, and those who are becoming more assertive about saying it’s all over.”)
- Want to understand Biden voters? Here’s your reading list.
- Republicans created an anti-democratic mob
- Dianne Feinstein to step down as top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary panel (Good. It’s time.)
- The Republican Party has split in two. Let’s keep it that way. (“The two sides cannot coexist.”)
- ‘We’re in the foxhole together’: House Democrats reckon with a diminished majority
- Guess Whose Votes Trump Doesn’t Want Counted (“There’s a pattern here, and it began with ‘birtherism.'”)
- Pennsylvania counties certify election results despite isolated pushback from Trump allies
- Trump Wars II: The Loser Strikes Back (“Trashing the nation on his way out the door.”)
- Since Election Day, a Lot of Tweeting and Not Much Else for Trump (Twitter should have banned Trump a LOOONG time ago.)
- MIT’s Ernie Moniz Is On Biden’s Short List For Energy Secretary — Thrilling Energy Wonks But Disappointing Progressives
- Right-Wing Social Media Finalizes Its Divorce From Reality (“Fox News acknowledged Trump’s loss. Facebook and Twitter cracked down on election lies. But true believers can get their misinformation elsewhere.”)
- Perdue and Loeffler already betrayed voters’ trust
- Could Social Alienation Among Some Trump Supporters Help Explain Why Polls Underestimated Trump Again?
- Roger Stone-Tied Group Threatens GOP: If Trump Goes Down, So Does Your Senate Majority (Brilliant strategery, lol!)
- David N. Dinkins, New York’s First Black Mayor, Dies at 93 (R.I.P.)
- Watch Laura Ingraham Finally Tell Fox News Viewers That Biden Beat Trump (“The Fox News host tells her audience it’s time to join reality.” LOL)
- Kaine’s statement on Blinken, Mayorkas, Thomas-Greenfield, Haines, Sullivan, Kerry
- Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) to @GSAEmily: “We cannot wait yet another week to obtain basic information”; “You’ll brief us tomorrow. We’ll set up the call”
- Virginia Republicans Rip “Outlandish Statements, Public Disinformation, Blatant Racism…Inability to Legislate” of…Nope, Not Trump! (They’re going after the self-proclaimed “Trump In Heels” instead)
- Virginia Democrats, Thrilled With Biden Victory, Aren’t Looking for Carbon Copy (“Suburban women who played a huge role in Joe Biden’s victory are not convinced that they need a white man to win their governor’s race next year.” Note: the reporter doesn’t quote any Black women in this article, or anyone from outside of Northern Virginia, or any men, etc., yet it’s supposedly about “Virginia Democrats” in general? Weird.)
- Don’t Expect Big Projects in Short Session, Delegates Warn
- Editorial: How much will realignment change Virginia Republicans? (“One tenet of classical conservatism has been limited government and low taxes. However, many of the communities that now vote strongly Republican are unusually dependent on federal spending — whether they realize it or not. Right now, their representatives still adhere to the old Republican philosophy. What happens when those voters decide they want cultural conservatism — but more government spending than the traditional Republican viewpoint allows?”)
- Monday (11/23): Virginia New COVID-19 Cases Hit Record 1-Day, 2-Day, 3-Day, 10-Day Highs
- Graphs: Virginia COVID-19 Deaths as a % of Cases Has Been Cut in Half Since May; Hospitalizations/Cases Has Fallen From ~16% in April to 6.4% Now (Deaths/Hospitalizations has stayed about flat, unfortunately…)
- Loudoun County, region prepare for COVID-19 vaccine distribution; spring delivery estimated
- In a shrinking part of Southside Virginia, VDOT is still planning a highway expansion (Given our horrible environmental problems, we really shouldn’t be expanding highways but should be focused on transit-oriented development, etc.)
- Report finds Loudoun school’s admission policy discriminates
- Alexandria City schools will rename T.C. Williams High, of ‘Remember the Titans’ fame
- Alexandria City Public Schools switches back to online learning until early 2021
- Editorial: RPD wisely releases names of new panel
- Editorial: Can Portsmouth look to the future?
- Newport News shipyard wins $2.2 billion contract for Columbia-class submarine modules
- Williamsburg-James City County Schools cancels winter sports season because of coronavirus surge
- D.C.-area forecast: Mixed skies and colder, but turning warmer by Thanksgiving with showers
