Thursday News: “Now Is Not The Time To Stop Wearing A Mask”; “House Passes Landmark Voting Rights Bill, Setting Up First Major Filibuster Fight”; “Did the Pentagon wait for Trump’s approval before defending the Capitol?”; “Why Republicans are screeching about Dr. Seuss”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 4.

📺WATCH! We’re seeing an avalanche of voter suppression laws coming out of Republican legislatures. #HR1 is the bulwark against these cynical attacks and ensures everyone not only has a right to cast a ballot—but to have it count.@chrislhayes @allinwithchris pic.twitter.com/dioqu6XxGY

— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) March 3, 2021

• U.S. Wants to Insulate Climate Talks From Tensions With China (“Making progress on global warming will be tougher as the superpowers wrangle over Taiwan, trade, and other issues.”)
• US-China Tensions Threaten Global Climate Change Efforts
• China Plays Up Ascendancy Over West as It Sets Economic Path (“Leader Xi Jinping to lay out plan to ensure nation’s rise and his authority at annual legislative session”)
• Dozens killed in Myanmar’s worst day of violence since coup
• ‘She Is a Hero’: In Myanmar’s Protests, Women Are on the Front Lines
• US decision not to punish crown prince puts us in grave danger, Saudi exiles say
• Biden Secretly Limits Counterterrorism Drone Strikes Away From War Zones
• Major oil producers to review supply cuts in critical OPEC meeting (“OPEC and its non-OPEC partners, an energy alliance sometimes referred to as OPEC+, will convene via videoconference from 1 p.m. London time.”)
• The Keystone XL pipeline is officially dead. Here’s what Biden and Trudeau should do next.
• The Shift to Renewable Energy Can Give More Power to the People
• Jobless Claims Have Eased Along With Other Signs of Slow Recovery (“February’s employment report, to be released Friday, is expected to show jobs gains”)
• ‘Now Is Not The Time To Stop Wearing A Mask,’ Says CDC Director Rochelle Walensky
• First Thing: Biden slams ‘Neanderthal’ easing of state Covid restrictions (That’s an insult to good Neanderthals everywhere, lol.)
• We Expect 300,000 Fewer Births Than Usual This Year
• The crisis Biden can’t duck (“This is a choice between obstruction and majority rule — in the Senate, yes, but also in our elections. If Biden wants to build on the success he has enjoyed so far, he needs to defuse the crisis that awaits him.”)
• House passes bill on voting rights as GOP legislatures push restrictions (Showdown over the Senate filibuster coming…)
• House Passes Landmark Voting Rights Bill, Setting Up First Major Filibuster Fight (“The sweeping reform bill would nullify the new wave of voter restrictions that Republicans are pushing at the state level.”)
• Democrats’ Only Chance to Stop the GOP Assault on Voting Rights (“If the party doesn’t pass new protections, it could lose the House, Senate, and White House within the next four years.”)
• House Democrats pass sweeping elections bill as GOP legislatures push to restrict voting
• The House Is Poised to Pass a Major Voting Rights Bill—and Create a Helluva Battle in the Senate
• House passes expansive policing overhaul bill named in honor of George Floyd
• Poll: People favor expansive Covid-19 relief over a targeted bipartisan package
• Democrats cut deals to bolster support for relief bill
• Republicans and Democrats tear new divides as Senate debates Covid-19 deal and states are reopening
• Democrats Negotiated With Themselves Again
• Biden limits eligibility for stimulus payments under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats
• Senate Final Vote on Stimulus Likely Pushed Into Weekend
• Inspector General’s Report Cites Elaine Chao for Using Office to Help Family
• Elaine Chao Used DOT Resources For Personal Errands, Family Business, IG Report Says
• Alarming threat prompts early exit, underscoring security fears
• QAnon believers think Trump will be inaugurated again on March 4
• Capitol Police Warn of Threat on Thursday, and House Cancels the Day’s Session
• Extremists discussed plans to ‘remove Democratic lawmakers’: FBI-Homeland Security bulletin
• D.C. Guard chief says ‘unusual’ restrictions slowed deployment of backup during Capitol riot
• The Pentagon delayed three hours in sending troops on Jan. 6. It still hasn’t given a good reason.
• Did the Pentagon wait for Trump’s approval before defending the Capitol?
• U.S. suspends federal agent who joined crowd outside Capitol during rampage, lawyer says
• Most alleged Capitol rioters ‘individual believers’ unconnected to groups, analysis finds (“People unaffiliated with organized movements fuel a ‘diverse and fractured domestic extremist threat’, researchers say”)
• How Much Longer Can This Era Of Political Gridlock Last? (“Our current extended period of closely contested national elections atop stable and persistently uncontested state and local elections is truly unprecedented.”)
• Republicans Won Blue-Collar Votes. They’re Not Offering Much in Return.
• CLEAN Future Act would slash emissions, create national energy standard (“The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce introduced the far-reaching climate bill that includes sector-specific and countrywide goals aimed at reaching net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.”)
• White House weighs minimum wage negotiations with Republicans
• Murkowski emerges as focus of Biden effort to find GOP support for his agenda
• Stacey Abrams on American Idealism and American Betrayal
• Neera Tanden’s OMB nomination failed. Her fallback plan remains a mystery.
• Mike Pence’s Blueprint for Permanent Authoritarian Rule
• Fact check: Pence echoes Trump’s Big Lie in dishonest op-ed on election rules
• Trump Weighs 2024 White House Run Without Mike Pence, Allies Say
• In Trump probe, Manhattan district attorney puts pressure on his longtime chief financial officer
• David Brooks’s Side Hustle Was Funded By Facebook And Jeff Bezos’s Father
• Why Republicans are screeching about Dr. Seuss
• Dr. Seuss is a beloved icon who also drew some extremely racist stuff
• Texas doctors say Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to scrap mask mandate could result in another Covid-19 surge
• San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich slams Texas governor for lifting Covid mandates (“The highly regraded basketball guru called the move ‘mystifying,’ ‘ridiculous’ and ‘ignorant.'”)
• Senators Warner, Kaine Announce Recommendations For U.S. Attorneys For Eastern, Western Districts of Virginia
• Video, Photos: VP Kamala Harris Visits Woman-Owned Small Business in Alexandria, VA; Discusses Importance of Passing American Rescue Plan
• Wednesday (3/3) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,549 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 580,108), +96 Hospitalizations (to 24,354), +383 Deaths (to 9,326) (“1,519 reported COVID-related deaths over past week; lowest 10-day new cases since 11/17”)
• Avula: Mass Vaccination Events Featuring Johnson & Johnson Vaccine to Begin Friday (“Another COVID-19 vaccine will very soon be available to Virginians. The state will begin receiving shipments of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine no later than Thursday.”)
• The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is here, and it’s effective. But Virginia health officials worry some won’t take it.
• Graphics Show the Fate of 1,092 Bills Introduced in Virginia General Assembly This Session (e.g., More Than Two-Thirds of Dems’ Bills Passed)
• New Virginia PAC forms to diversify state’s political landscape (“The Virginia People’s PAC, founded by an Obama White House alum, aims to diversify campaign staffs across the commonwealth.”)
• VIDEO: Republican Party of Virginia’s Convention of Chaos (“The GOP primary has become a Trump litmus test”)
• DGA releases ad targeting the Virginia Republican State Central Committee
• VA GOP 2021 Gubernatorial Candidate Pete Snyder Touts Endorsement From “Radical Homosexual Pirates Invade Tampa” Guy (Delgaudio’s anti-LGBT group was designated a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Former Roanoke Sheriff Octavia Johnson Planning To Join GOP Gubernatorial Field
• Democrats have controlled Virginia government for two years. Here’s what they’ve done.
• Eli Jones and Stephanie Metherall column: Rights restoration: Giving Virginia and its citizens a second chance
• High Time for Legalization? (“Advocates call on the governor to legalize marijuana as soon as possible.”)
• Proposals for additional prison oversight fail in Virginia
• Editorial: Stop trashing Hampton Roads
• NRV Del. Nick Rush says he will not run for reelection
• Roanoke, New River Valley to host mass clinics as part of state effort to roll out new Johnson & Johnson vaccine
• Board of supervisors bans guns in Loudoun County buildings
• Virginia Tech ends regular season early due to COVID-19 issues, hopes to be clear in time for ACC tourney
• D.C.-area forecast: Sunny through the weekend but colder than normal