Tuesday News: It’s Time to “tackle root cause of emerging infections – the destruction of nature”; “House prepares to pass $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill”; “Biden grasped what the media did not”; “Georgia Republicans Pass the Most Restrictive Voting Laws Since Jim Crow”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, March 9.

• Climate change: Kerry urges top polluters to cut emissions now
• Slow pace of vaccine delivery risks global COVID-19 recovery
• Inaction leaves world playing ‘Russian roulette’ with pandemics, say experts (“New coalition calls on governments to tackle root cause of emerging infections – the destruction of nature” Exactly!)
• First independent report into Xinjiang genocide allegations claims evidence of Beijing’s ‘intent to destroy’ Uyghur people
• Johnson set to unnerve allies with ‘Global Britain’ defence review
• Can Libya Put Itself Back Together Again? (“There’s a glimmer of hope.”)
• How two Black women took down whatever fantasies remained about the British monarchy
• Can the royal family survive after the Queen? Harry and Meghan’s interview reignites the debate
• Meghan and Harry’s explosive interview indicates racism lingers in the royal family
• U.S. Growth Surge Could Unbalance Fragile World Economy
• Many ‘Long Covid’ Patients Had No Symptoms From Their Initial Infection
• Vaccinated Americans allowed to taste freedom
• New CDC guidelines have grandparents turning family reunion dreams into action
• New Data Reveal Precisely How White and Male Corporate America Is
• Analysis: U.S. central bankers are mostly white men. The Fed wants to change that
• Pandemic Relief Bill Fulfills Biden’s Pledge to Expand Obamacare, for Now
• Biden Faces Challenge From Surge of Migrants at the Border
• House prepares to pass $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, and Biden is expected to sign it this week
• Why Fewer Black Americans Are Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine (*No, It’s Not Hesitancy)
• We Already Got Rid of the Filibuster Once Before
• Democrats shouldn’t wait for Republicans to come to their senses (“Right now, good policy also appears to be good politics. Democrats shouldn’t hesitate.”)
• Democrats are going big — and it’s working. There’s a lesson in that.
• Biden administration backs nation’s biggest wind farm off Martha’s Vineyard
• Man charged in Capitol riot is linked to Oath Keepers, seen with Roger Stone on Jan. 6, prosecutors say
• NAACP chief on the lawsuit against Trump: “We have to cut the head off white supremacy” (“We cannot have democracy and white supremacy”)
• Biden shows how serious he is about voting rights
• Blunt’s retirement deals blow to McConnell inner circle (“The surprise retirement of Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) means another member of GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) inner circle is leaving the Senate as the GOP shifts more toward former President Trump’s brand of conservative populism. Blunt’s announcement comes six week after another member of McConnell’s leadership team, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), said he wouldn’t be seeking reelection next year.”)
• Trump ramps up battle with Republican leadership
• The G.O.P. Isn’t Going to Split Apart Anytime Soon (“But is the party in danger of fracturing over its wavering commitment to democracy?”)
• Relief bill is most significant legislation for Black farmers since Civil Rights Act, experts say
• Will Stagnation Follow the Biden Boom? (“The relief bill is done; infrastructure may be harder.”)
• Biden grasped what the media did not (“A victory underscores Biden’s disregard of conventional wisdom.” The media’s conventional wisdom is almost always wrong.)
• Republican donations surge despite corporate boycott after Capitol riots (Ugh, that is depressing.)
• RNC brushes back Trump team on ‘cease-and-desist’ demand
• Trump vows ‘No more money for RINOS,’ instead encouraging donations to his PAC (The grift continues…)
• RNC moves portion of its spring donor retreat to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club (It’s a cult.)
• NYC prosecutors’ probe into Trump finances expands to include millions loaned for Chicago skyscraper
• What happens when the government attacks inequality (“Democrats have long talked about rising inequality. Now they are doing something about it.”)
• Judge Rejects ‘QAnon Shaman’s’ Bid For Pre-Trial Release From Jail
• How the anti-LGBTQ war on marriage turned into obsessing about girls in sports (Pete Snyder did exactly this a few days ago, with an unhinged anti-transgender rant…)
• Biden’s Pick for Justice Dept. No. 3 Wins Backing of Law Enforcement
• Jigar Shah’s Plan to Manage DOE’s $40B Loan Program (“The solar PPA pioneer and ‘infrastructure-as-a-service’ investor has been selected to revive the program that boosted Tesla and utility-scale renewables.”)
• Inside Team Trump’s New Plot to Suppress the Vote Under Biden (“Multiple state-level efforts to curb voting have made Democrats’ consideration of voting rights legislation in Congress, like H.R. 1, feel even more urgent.”)
• Will Kyrsten Sinema Change Her Mind?
• Biden’s Dog Bites Man (“Most often a good boy, the German shepherd was sent to the family’s home in Delaware last week after what CNN described as a ‘biting incident.’ By solidarity, because they are a bonded pair — or because it’s one of those situations where both dogs get blamed for one action —the other Biden dog, Champ, was sent to Delaware as well. The exact status of Major’s victim is unknown.”)
• Trump’s Vandalism at the Department of Agriculture Was Classic Conservative Governance (“With the agency damaged, farmers have started to look elsewhere for information. Which was, of course, the point.”)
• Cuomo’s Last-Ditch Campaign to Avoid Impeachment
• Outrage as Georgia Republicans advance bill to restrict voting access (“Democrats decry ‘modern-day voter suppression’ as Republican-controlled senate votes to curtail no-excuse absentee voting”)
• Georgia Republicans Pass the Most Restrictive Voting Laws Since Jim Crow (Congress needs to act, ASAP. Ditch or weaken the filibuster if necessary, but GET IT DONE.)
• Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law shortening Iowa’s early and Election Day voting (This is voter suppression, plain and simple.)
• Rep. Dan Crenshaw Decided Pandemic Was Perfect Time to Buy and Not Disclose Stocks
• Say goodbye to the most effective Democratic Party in the country
• Sean Hannity lies about H.R. 1: “What are we going to have, 15-year-olds voting next?” (Does Hannity ever NOT lie?)
• COVID misinformation, racism, and propaganda: Fox News’ newest show is already a disaster
• Fox Corp. chief advances fiction that Fox News is just a mirror image of MSNBC (This is a Big Lie that you hear all the time from right wingers. Totally false, of course.)
• Inside the Lincoln Project’s Secrets, Side Deals and Scandals
• Rep. Paul Gosar Tweets White Nationalist Group’s Motto
• Federal covid relief package could lift Metro through pandemic budget problems
• Luria, Warner, Kaine advocate for offshore wind in Coastal Virginia (“Second District Congresswoman Elaine Luria and U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are urging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to expedite regulatory processes for offshore wind development in Coastal Virginia.”)
• How Do State Senate, House of Delegates Members’ 2021 VAPLAN Scores Match Up To Their Districts’ Progressive “Leans?”
• The first endorsement from a sitting member of the VA congressional delegation goes to Kirk Cox (Morgan Griffith is a seditionist and an embarrassment in general.)
• Kirk Cox “Thrilled” to Align Himself with Opposing COVID-19 Relief and Overturning 2020 Election
• Terry McAuliffe Releases Bold Plan to Ensure All Virginians Have Equitable Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care
• Watch Now: McAuliffe unveils health care priorities during local campaign stop
• Republican Nomination Woes: Electability or Ideology?
• Mountain Valley tree-cutters resume work, as tree-sitters continue their protest
• New Report: “Falling demand, legal and regulatory challenges spell financial peril” for Mountain Valley Pipeline Project
• Monday (3/8) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +892 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 586,592), +44 Hospitalizations (to 24,705), +87 Deaths (to 9,683) (Lowest 1-day new COVID cases since 10/19; lowest 10-day new COVID cases since 11/10)
• Suspended investigator sues state inspector general, claims whistleblower protections in Parole Board case
• OSIG investigator’s lawsuit alleges intimidation by Northam’s staff over Virginia Parole Board
• Mark Herring column: We can help end worker exploitation in Virginia
• Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice Commend General Assembly’s Progress On Criminal Justice Reform, Urge Further Action In Next Session
• With wind on the horizon, Virginia trade school accelerates training for homegrown workforce (“The inaugural class of recruits in Centura College’s first-of-its-kind turbine technician program is learning the tools, terminology and climbing skills that will be essential for maintaining wind farms.”)
• Carter faces a primary challenge and points to inappropriate release of voter data to challenger
• Northam stops by a Gloucester elementary school, touts reopening 1 year into pandemic
• Black man Tasered by White Fairfax County police officer files federal lawsuit (“La Monta Gladney’s case drew comparisons to George Floyd’s.”)
• Chesapeake School Board votes to raise teacher pay, with starting salary going to almost $47,000
• Restaurant Workers, More of Phase 1B Can Now Get Vaccine in Richmond, Henrico vaccine preparation
• A year after Virginia’s first COVID case, the first Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic in Richmond and Henrico takes place
• Charlottesville’s younger grades return to school after a year away
• Richmond Relaxes Regulations On Building Homeless Shelters
• D.C.-area forecast: Warm spring sunshine arrives, lasting much of the week