Friday News: “Bidenomics Is as American as Apple Pie”; “GOP Has a Dream: Back to Jim Crow”; “Chauvin’s supervisor says his force against George Floyd was unnecessary”; “Virginia, the Old Confederacy’s Heart, Becomes a Voting Rights Bastion”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, April 2.

• Red-Hot U.S. Economy a Mixed Blessing For Rest of World
• India’s Covid-19 cases are rising again. One state is getting hit especially hard
• Europe’s stumbling vaccine rollout provides a lesson in EU politics (“Despite several issues so far, the EU is confident that the next three months will prove to be a turning point in the vaccine program.”)
• U.N. Official Warns Of ‘Bloodbath’ In Myanmar If Coup Isn’t Reversed
• Myanmar protesters urge ‘guerrilla strikes’ as internet blackout widens
• Iran Deal Talks Spark Hope of U.S. Return (“The surprise talks come as the clock ticks toward Iran’s presidential contest.”)
• Why Alexei Navalny’s hunger strike should raise alarms worldwide
• Train crash kills 48 in Taiwan’s deadliest rail tragedy for decades
• ‘We’re in a really good place’: is Israel nearing the Covid endgame?
• Russia and China are beating the U.S. at vaccine diplomacy, experts say (“Although Beijing and Moscow deny it, experts say they are beginning to see how the strategy of selling or donating their vaccines abroad is allowing them to expand their influence.”)
• Epidemiologist Who Helped Wipe Out Smallpox Issues Stark Warning About COVID-19 Variants
• Can Vaccinated People Spread the Virus? We Don’t Know, Scientists Say.
• U.S. Jobs Growth Is Set to Take Off as Economy Recovers
• Vaccine Trickle Becomes Torrent as U.S. Eligibility Rules Widen
• How the coming war over infrastructure will reveal even deeper divisions
• Why Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Is a Green Jobs Plan
• Pelosi ‘Sympathetic’ to Move to Lift SALT Cap in Biden Bill
• Biden’s Biggest-Ever Investment Plan for U.S. Still Trails China
• This isn’t your ex-president’s ‘Infrastructure Week.’ Biden plan is big, serious and paid for.
• ‘Green New Deal’ Leaders See Biden Climate Plans As A Victory, Kind Of (“For Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and progressive climate activists, the Biden infrastructure plan shows the influence of the Green New Deal. But they think it’s nowhere near big enough.”)
• Biden’s most important climate promise hinges on how his next big bill gets through Congress (“A clean energy standard could rest in Joe Manchin’s hands.”)
• Biden might just understand public opinion better than his critics
• Is Biden Really the Second Coming of F.D.R. and L.B.J.? (“Proposing historic legislation is not transformative; passing it is.”)
• Joe Biden Just Might be the Democrats’ Ronald Reagan
• Bidenomics Is as American as Apple Pie (“Big spending on infrastructure goes back to the Erie Canal.”)
• Old Tunnels and Rusting Bridges: America’s Creaking Infrastructure (“The Biden administration has pledged a $2 trillion investment in the nation’s infrastructure. With century-old water systems and schools vulnerable to earthquakes, there is no shortage of need.”)
• Biden would use $80 billion to boost rail. It could transform passenger travel.
• Plant that ruined vaccine doses had prior FDA violations
• The Strange New Doctrine of the Republican Party
• Republicans are so weak that they can barely fight a tax increase
• Republicans have a dream: The end of democracy and the return of Jim Crow (“Republicans can’t win elections without a crackdown on voting. But their real vision is about rolling back history”)
• Texas GOP moves to “gerrymander” state courts after Democrats sweep key judicial elections (“After 2020 defeats, Republican legislators across the country are trying to reconfigure or undermine state courts” Very, very dangerous and anti-democracy.)
• Exclusive: Nearly 7 million uninsured Americans qualify for free health insurance
• New York attorney general probes finances of key Trump aide
• Trump and his advisors are shrugging off DOJ’s Capitol riot probe. But they see danger in the Georgia and New York investigations.
• Oath Keepers founder, associates exchanged 19 calls from start of Jan. 6 riot through breach, prosecutors allege
• Sidney Powell Gets $100,000 Bill From Wisconsin: Governor Demands Legal Fees Over Election Lawsuit
• Fox News tries to tell you that infrastructure isn’t really infrastructure (Far-right propaganda network, definitely NOT news!)
• Analysis reveals nearly 200 died in Texas cold storm and blackouts, almost double the official count
• Americans Oppose Many Voting Restrictions — But Not Voter ID Laws
• Share of Republicans saying ‘everything possible’ should be done to make voting easy declines sharply
• Coca-Cola CEO wants Congress to act after Georgia’s voting law
• Explaining Delta’s and Coca-Cola’s belated support for democracy (“Corporations need pressure”)
• Jim Clyburn ‘Insulted’ By Joe Manchin’s Position On Voting Rights Bill
• Corporate Criticism Of GOP-led Voting Bills Spreads To Texas (“American Airlines, which is based in Fort Worth, came out against restrictive voting measures in Texas.”)
• Backlash grows against Georgia voting rights law
• The NCAA Is Looking Silly at the Supreme Court
• Stacey Abrams: Georgia companies shouldn’t face boycott ‘yet’ over election law
• First Thing: Chauvin’s supervisor says his force against George Floyd was unnecessary
• Kneeling on George Floyd’s neck sent a message to everyone who saw it
• It is painfully clear that George Floyd wasn’t the only victim in his killing
• Derek Chauvin trial: police chief to testify against former officer in ‘remarkable move’
• Matt Gaetz built a devoted fan base, but has few friends in Washington
• Feds’ investigation of Matt Gaetz includes whether campaign funds were used to pay for travel and expenses
• Gaetz showed nude photos of women he said he’d slept with to lawmakers, sources tell CNN
• Justice Dept. Inquiry Into Matt Gaetz Said to Be Focused on Cash Paid to Women
• Joel Greenberg, Matt Gaetz visited closed Seminole tax office together on weekend, source says
• Saying Goodbye To The Kojo Nnamdi Show
• Video: On CNN, Gov. Northam Stresses, “As many states move to limit access to the ballot box, we’re expanding it.” (“To the companies who want to take a real stand against voter suppression—we’d love to welcome you to Virginia.”)
• Rep Luria Letter to President Biden on Maritime-centric National Defense Strategy
• VIDEO: Virginia Leaders Discuss Voting Rights, Virginia’s Progress, and the Stakes of the 2021 Elections
• Virginia, the Old Confederacy’s Heart, Becomes a Voting Rights Bastion (“For nearly 50 years, the state was subject to Voting Rights Act rules meant to deter racial discrimination. Those federal guidelines are now shredded, but Virginia just recreated them on its own.” Thanks to *Democrats*)
• Stricter approach to late paperwork in Va. House races could end three Democratic primaries early (“Three are Democrats looking to challenge incumbent lawmakers, meaning, if the decision stands, Dels. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, Betsy Carr, D-Richmond, and Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, may not face primary challengers after all. Because they represent strongly Democratic districts, their primary opponents being disqualified on technical grounds all but guarantees the incumbents will win re-election.”)
• Virginia’s HIV transmission penalty will remain on the books
• Groups Commit to Future Advocacy as Governor Northam Signs Bill Modernizing HIV Laws
• Terry McAuliffe Releases “Lifting Black Virginians” Agenda; Also, Is Endorsed By Civil Rights Leader, Former State Senator & First Black Richmond Mayor Henry L. Marsh
• BREAKING: Governor Northam Announces Virginia to Expand Vaccine Eligibility to All Adults by April 18 as Vaccinations Continue Rising (“Virginia nears end of Phase 1 waiting list, begins moving to Phase 2”)
• Virginia will expand vaccine eligibility to all over age 16 by April 18, Northam says
• Thursday (4/1) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,825 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 620,801), +81 Hospitalizations (to 26,536), +16 Deaths (to 10,268)
• Rasoul Announces COVID Recovery Plan With Public Option Proposal, Support For Small Businesses
• Judge weighing motion to dismiss Sen. Amanda Chase’s lawsuit over censure
• Ruling clears way for removal of Charlottesville’s Confederate statues
• Virginia Supreme Court rules that Confederate statues can be removed
• Virginia Supreme Court clears the way for Charlottesville to take down statue of Robert E. Lee (“Ruling appears to make it easier for localities around the state to remove Civil War memorials.”)
• Virginia Asian communities, lawmakers react to rise in targeted violence
• Sen. Tim Kaine, Reb. Bobby Scott celebrate Hindu temple expansion in Newport News
• Loudoun County Leaders Push New Metro Development
• Virginia Beach opens up phase 1c vaccine appointments, could move to general public shortly after
• Roanoke Valley community is hopeful as they head into Phase 1c
• Clean Virginia endorses Jay Jones in attorney general race and spends $250K
• Most of Hampton Roads’ trash is burned for energy. In a few years, it could head to a landfill instead.
• Gov. Ralph Northam encourages directing coal tax credit savings to UVa-Wise
• D.C.-area forecast: Wind-chilled today, but warm again by Sunday