Thursday News: “Earth Is Still Sailing Into Climate Chaos, Report Says, but Its Course Could Shift”; “When the pandemic is over, will we have learned anything?”; “Disbar Ken Paxton-And Then Some”; “Facebook Breakup Would Demolish Zuckerberg’s Social Media Empire”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 10.

2020 better end soon. I’m virtually all out of righteous indignation. https://t.co/Zi9XS1MR5J

— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) December 10, 2020

• Boris Johnson and EU set Sunday deadline to decide on Brexit deal (“Significant gaps remain between PM and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen after Brussels dinner”)
• Earth Is Still Sailing Into Climate Chaos, Report Says, but Its Course Could Shift (“The biggest polluters are continuing to pollute, raising the risks of global warming. There are, however, new signs of a pivot to a green economy.”)
• Climate change: Have countries kept their promises?
• Britain warns against Pfizer vaccine for those with history of severe allergic reactions
• How Kelly Loeffler’s Firm Facilitated an Enron-Like Scandal
• When the pandemic is over, will we have learned anything? (“Looking at how we as a society handled this challenge, it’s hard to be optimistic.”)
• Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Gets Key Push, but Doubts Swirl
• U.S. Ranks Behind EU, Australia, U.K. in Vaccine Buys But Says It Will Meet Goal
• U.S. Daily Deaths Top 3,000; Japan Finds New Cases: Virus Update
• Biden must call out Putin’s secret war against the United States
• Here’s what connects Covid denial and election denial
• Vaccine meeting offers hope while Trump harps on the past (“An advisory panel will take a vote that may clear the way for the FDA to greenlight a Covid vaccine in days”)
• The Coronavirus Vaccines Were Developed in Record Speed. Now, the Hard Part.(“Don’t squander this opportunity, America.”)
• The US is starting one of the most difficult winters in the nation’s history, experts warn
• More Than 3,100 Dead In U.S. From COVID-19 In Grim Single-Day Record
• First U.S. Shipments of Pfizer Vaccine Will Be 2.9 Million Doses
• AP-NORC poll: Only half in US want shots as vaccine nears
• House votes to fund government for a week amid rush to strike spending, Covid relief deals
• Covid-19 Relief Deal Delayed With Pelosi, McConnell Holding Back
• Relief talks show GOP divisions
• Disbar Ken Paxton-And Then Some
• Texas AG Ken Paxton, Under FBI Investigation, Asks SCOTUS to Overturn the Election
• 17 states and Trump join Texas’ lawsuit. It’s still a doomed Supreme Court stunt.
• 5 glaring problems with Texas’ bid to overturn Biden’s win at the Supreme Court
• Texas can’t block votes cast in other states. Absurdly, it’s trying.
• Trump’s Republicans have gone around the bend (“Republicans pushing a coup cannot uphold their oaths.”)
• 17 Republican Attorneys General Back Trump in Far-Fetched Election Lawsuit (These Attorneys General should all be disbarred, immediately.)
• Texas’s Frivolous Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn Election in Four Other States —
• Trump pressures congressional Republicans to help in his fight to overturn the election (Encouraging sedition.)
• Supreme Court deals reality check to Trump’s post-election legal fight (“I may need to take back what I said about Rep. Kelly’s PA suit being the dumbest case I’ve ever seen filed on an emergency basis at the Supreme Court,” Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, wrote on the Election Law Blog. “This new one from the indicted Texas AG Ken Paxton … probably should win that prize.”)
• Trump warns Georgia AG not to rally other Republicans against Texas lawsuit (Is this legal?!?)
• GOP Texas senator questions ‘legal theory’ behind Trump’s lawsuit to challenge state’s election results
• A Political Obituary for Donald Trump (“The effects of his reign will linger. But democracy survived.” Not sure about that.)
• The danger is growing that Trump’s lies about the election will lead to violence
• The Real Threat of Trump’s Latest Doomed Plea to the Supreme Court (“There are 18 Republican state attorneys general endorsing this madness.”)
• Biden team explores Sen. Doug Jones for attorney general nominee as the candidate list narrows to four names
• How Joe Biden should pick his attorney general
• Here’s why the Biden health-care team was so assuring
• Joe Biden reportedly set to nominate Katherine Tai as top US trade envoy
• Lloyd Austin: retired army general nominated as Biden defense secretary
• Biden’s Pick for the Pentagon Instantly Becomes a ‘Hot Mess’
• Biden’s pick of general to lead military prompts concern across party lines
• GOP senators ready to acknowledge Biden won but struggle with Trump’s refusal to concede
• The Trumps are reportedly preparing to move out of the White House
• House GOP ready to sacrifice military bill and troop pay to appease Trump
• Trump Just Broke Through the Last Level of Neo-Fascism (“He knows that he can’t wiggle his way out of being found a loser by our democratic system. The question now is if he’ll tear the system apart rather than acknowledge its verdict.”)
• The Republican Party Is Now a Seditious Organization
• Trump and Friends Got Coronavirus Care Many Others Couldn’t
• State Legislators Live in Fear of Trump’s Base
• In Conversation With Barack Obama The former president on his advice for Biden, his critics on the left, and what he learned about the GOP.
• What Really Saved the Republic From Trump? (“It wasn’t our constitutional system of checks and balances.”)
• What Joe Biden Can (And Can’t) Do To Stimulate This Pandemic Economy On His Own
• Dianne Feinstein’s Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats
• FTC and states sue Facebook, could force it to divest Instagram and WhatsApp
• Facebook Breakup Would Demolish Zuckerberg’s Social Media Empire (Good – do it!)
• IN NEW LAWSUITS, REGULATORS TAKE A SLEDGEHAMMER TO MARK ZUCKERBERG’S EMPIRE (“Facebook is facing cases from the Federal Trade Commission and 48 states that seek to separate it from Instagram and WhatsApp.”)
• A Forbes journalist just exposed Jared Kushner’s Qatar business ties. Congress is investigating
• Democrats probe Kushners’ billion-dollar rescue deal for family-owned skyscraper
• Hunter Biden Discloses He Is Focus of Federal Tax Inquiry
• The Mood in the White House During Trump’s Frenzied Final Days
• “This F–ks Mike Pompeo. This F–ks Mike Pompeo. Still Deep in 2020 Election Denial, Trump Is Already Freezing the 2024 GOP Field
• How Biden aims to Covid-proof his administration
• SpaceX test launch ends in fiery explosion, but Elon Musk still considers it a win (“The company’s Starship prototype was seen exploding upon impact once it landed on the SpaceX test launch livestream.”)
• That Viral List of the Deadliest Days in American History Is Very Wrong (Agreed, it’s really dumb.)
• Trumpism Triumphant — Even in defeat, the GOP surrenders to the nutcases.
• Newsmax plans expansion to capitalize on Trump support, anger at Fox News
• VA watchdog told prosecutors his probe of Secretary Wilkie’s effort to discredit House staffer turned up possible criminal conduct
• Falling sales, job losses and bankruptcies: Pain spreads across coal country
• ‘Small Town, No Hospital’: Covid-19 Is Overwhelming Rural West Texas
• Lindsey Graham Says Stacey Abrams Tricked Republicans Into Helping Biden Win (Graham has completely lost his mind.)
• Tillis Pushes Prison Time for Online Streamers After Pre-Election Hollywood Cash Blitz (This guy is so, so sleazy.)
• Georgia Republicans Are Using Fake Claims of Fraud to Make It Harder to Vote (“GOP leaders who have rebutted Trump’s falsehoods are still using those claims for voter suppression.”)
• Trump supporters lobbed vile, racist threats at a Democratic official. Then right-wing media distorted her response.
• Rush Limbaugh: “There cannot be a peaceful coexistence” between liberals and conservatives (And Limbaugh is doing everything he can to make it that way. What an evil, evil person.)
• Fox & Friends goes full War on Christmas, while over 2,600 Americans died of COVID-19 yesterday (It’s astounding that there’s literally a single American who believes there’s a “war on Christmas.”)
• AG Herring Files Lawsuit to End Facebook’s Illegal Monopoly (“Bipartisan coalition of 48 attorneys general allege Facebook thwarted competition, reduced consumer privacy for profits”)
• Terry McAuliffe Launches Campaign for Governor, Announces Plan to Dramatically Raise Teacher Pay & Address Racial Disparities in Education
• McAuliffe launches campaign for governor at Richmond public school, pledges $2B per year for education
• Video: Terry McAuliffe Kicks Off His 2021 Gubernatorial Campaign in Richmond
• Terry McAuliffe Launches Bid For His Old Job Of Governor, With Call For A ‘New Virginia Way’
• Terry McAuliffe is running for governor again. Can anyone beat him?
• Terry McAuliffe, in announcing bid for Virginia governor, focuses on education while nodding to Democrats’ leftward shift (Actually, Virginia Dems are very much in the “center,” as in the majority on issue after issue. But sure, WaPo, editorialize in your “straight news” headlines.)
• State GOP leaders fear Chase might be face of the party
• New Poll: 68% of Va. Voters Support Collective Bargaining for Public Employees, 64% Satisfied with How Child’s Classes Being Handled During Pandemic
• Voters split on Virginia’s ‘direction’ and most satisfied with COVID-19 school options, poll finds
• Poll: Most Va parents worry COVID will cause children to fall behind
• New Analysis: Even with VA Clean Economy Act, We’ll Only Get to a “26 percent reduction in economywide emissions by 2050”
• Even at large employers, few frontline service workers in Virginia have access to paid sick leave
• Graphics Show “Money Behind Redistricting Amendment” Came Overwhelmingly From Out of State
• Wednesday (12/9) Virginia Data on COVID-19: 1-Day (4,398), 2-Day (8,258), 3-Day (12,075), 10-Day (31,186) New Cases All Hit Record Highs
• Northam to announce new COVID-19 restrictions Thursday after Virginia hits record high for new cases
• Editorial: To reach economic recovery, Virginia must reposition its approaches here at home
• Editorial: Apply to serve on Virginia’s new redistricting commission
• Former state Sen. Bill Carrico of Grayson County opts not to run for governor, endorses Del. Kirk Cox
• Southwest Responsible for 30% of Virginia’s New COVID-19 Cases
• Panel again hears environmental concerns about Mountain Valley Pipeline
• In search for next superintendent, VMI committee reaffirms commitment to change
• As Petersburg tries to move forward, residents want more accountability
• Newport News projects $1.2 million surplus for first quarter
• Milder sunshine today with an even warmer weekend