Thursday News: “Pfizer, BioNTech Say Covid-19 Vaccine Protects for Six Months”; “3 Quick Takes on Biden’s Infrastructure Plan”; “Investigaetz”; “In Virginia governor’s race, Trump’s false stolen-election claim looms large”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, April 1.

• Pfizer, BioNTech Say Covid-19 Vaccine Protects for Six Months (“New analysis of the vaccine’s performance in 46,307 people enrolled in the Phase 3 trial found efficacy of 91.3% up to six months after getting the second dose.”)
• Myanmar protesters burn military’s constitution, UN envoy warns of ‘imminent bloodbath’
• What Alexey Navalny Is Experiencing in Prison (“As the Russian opposition leader’s health appears to deteriorate, plans are under way for more mass protests demanding his release.”)
• Navalny goes on hunger strike in protest at prison treatment
• Is Canada turning the corner with Covid?
• Covid: Europe’s vaccine rollout ‘unacceptably slow’ – WHO
• China’s Commodities Binge Makes America’s Future More Expensive
• U.S. and China’s next economic battle will be over climate change, experts say
• Even Suez Canal Blockage Can’t Hold Back Red-Hot Global Trade
• U.S.-Saudis Discuss Energy Affordability Before OPEC+ Talks
• Boris Johnson’s Government Is Built on Cruelty (“Determined to make good on the nativist promise of Brexit, it has embraced anti-migrant authoritarianism.”)
• FDA Approves 2 Rapid, At-Home COVID Tests
• The next vaccine challenge: Building a workable ‘passport’ app
• Inside The CDC’s Battle To Defeat The Virus
• Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is delayed by a U.S. factory mixup.
• Company at the heart of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine woes has a series of citations
• ‘Mom Is Really Different’: Nursing Homes Reopen to Joy and Grief
• These are the states with the highest cases of worrying Covid variants
• Janet Yellen: Climate change poses ‘existential threat’ to financial markets
• Biden’s Big Bet: Tackling Climate Change Will Create Jobs, Not Kill Them (Correct. But even if it weren’t true, we HAVE TO tackle the climate crisis with urgency. Period.)
• Biden’s Push for Electric Cars: $174 Billion, 10 Years and a Bit of Luck (“The president is hoping to make electric vehicles more affordable to turn a niche product into one with mass appeal.”)
• AP-NORC poll: Biden bolstered by strong marks on pandemic
• Biden to hold first Cabinet meeting amid infrastructure push
• The Biden Boom (“The president has a chance to supercharge the economy.”)
• Analysis: Can Joe Biden recreate the U.S. economy he grew up with?
• Democrat drops election contest in Iowa House race
• Northeast governors need Biden to deliver on offshore wind (“States built their climate plans on hopes the new industry will thrive. But they’ll need Washington to make it happen.”)
• Why The Recent Violence Against Asian Americans May Solidify Their Support Of Democrats
• What Biden’s judicial picks tell us (“The president shows that he meant what he said during the campaign.”)
• Lebanese-Nigerian Billionaire and Two Associates Resolve Federal Probe into Alleged Violations of Campaign Finance Laws
• Can Democrats Stop Democracy From Crumbling? (“Divisions in the party could torpedo their best chance at passing a sweeping bill to protect voting rights. And the cracks have already begun to show.”)
• On the filibuster, ‘stop being afraid of Mitch McConnell ’cause he’s not afraid of you’
• 40 Years After Reagan, a Bet Big Government Can Get Something Done (“President Biden feels a burning sense of competition, his aides say, to prove that democratic capitalism can work.”)
• 3 Quick Takes on Biden’s Infrastructure Plan (“Biden’s infrastructure bill doubles as his climate bill. Add up the cost of every provision that is at least tangentially related to promoting clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing sustainability and you get a number larger than the price-tag of Barack Obama’s entire stimulus in 2009. Which is impressive in historical context, but still rather small considering that we will be exponentially better off erring on the side of doing too much to keep the planet fit for decent civilization.”)
• First Thing: Biden sets sights on history books with infrastructure overhaul plan
• The infrastructure plan is Exhibit A in the paradox of Bidenism
• Infrastructure Year: Dems brace for brutal slog to pass Biden’s $2.5T plan
• Biden’s infrastructure plan aims to turbocharge U.S. shift from fossil fuels (“The president plans to use the vast resources of the federal government to intervene in electricity markets, speed the growth of solar and wind energy, and foster technological breakthroughs in clean power.”)
• Biden $2.25 Trillion Jobs Plan Squeezed By All Sides in Congress
• The infrastructure plan is Exhibit A in the paradox of Bidenism
• For Climate Progressives, Biden’s $2.25 Trillion Isn’t Enough
• Biden unveils ‘once-in-a generation’ $2tn infrastructure investment plan (“American Jobs Plan would rebuild roads, highways and bridges; confront the climate crisis and curb wealth inequality”)
• Biden’s big bet: He’s found the kryptonite that will defeat Trumpism (“Biden’s ambitious new economic plan could contain the seeds of an answer to reactionary nationalism.”)
• Critics will talk about the cost of infrastructure. Biden should stress its value.
• Biden’s new plan has united Democrats. Here’s why it probably won’t last.
• Biden’s infrastructure plan is a big bet on big government
• Biden’s $2tn infrastructure plan aims to ‘finally address climate crisis as a nation’ (“President says new plan will allow ‘transformational progress’ by bolstering investments in clean energy and electric vehicles”)
• Biden’s Big Jobs Plan Is Really a Climate Bill. But It Left Out Farming. (“There’s no slowing climate change without reforming the way we grow food.” And stop eating meat, or at least cut meat consumption by like 90% or whatever.)
• Biden Infrastructure Plan Aims to Boost Economy’s Productivity Over Time
• Supreme Court justices grill NCAA, calling arguments ‘entirely circular’ and ‘somewhat disturbing’
• DHS IG should investigate Ken Cuccinelli’s invalid immigration enforcement agreements
• Inside the ‘Lord of the Flies’ factionalism now plaguing Trumpland (“Distrust, whisper campaigns and a bit of backstabbing are rampant as aides scramble for access and power.” Yuck.)
• Ex-DOJ Official Says Trump’s In ‘Serious Trouble’ After New Legal Filings (I’ll believe it if and only if we see Trump under arrest and/or in prison.)
• Donald Trump’s Odds of Staying Out of Prison Are Rapidly Dwindling (“The ex-president’s legal troubles are escalating.”)
• Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules to Reward Politically Connected and Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts
• Ivanka Trump’s flagship policy program slammed by government auditors
• Facebook removes video interview with Trump, citing his ban from the platform
• Facebook Disputes Claims It Fuels Political Polarization And Extremism (Hmmmm…sure seems like Facebook fuels political polarization and extremism.)
• Trumpers on the rehab trail: Does America just want to forget this happened? (“Instead of facing disgrace, Trump regime officials are now deemed respectable. That’s no way to defeat fascism”)
• Facebook Built the Perfect Platform for Covid Vaccine Conspiracies
• Facebook is defending its algorithms. Critics aren’t buying it. (“The company is on a mission to convince users that it’s listening.”)
• NRA’s grassroots clout still formidable with Republicans despite legal setbacks
• N.Y. Seeks Trump Insider’s Records, in Apparent Bid to Gain Cooperation
• Joe Biden Backs Moving MLB All-Star Game Out Of Georgia Over Voting Law (“The president told ESPN he would support the athletes if they pushed to have the baseball game relocated.”)
• Corporate backlash came too late to stop Georgia’s new election law
• Leading state companies, sports teams condemn new Ga. voting law (“Voting-rights advocates say that statements from Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola and other companies come too late unless they’re backed up by action.”)
• Four dead, 2 wounded, including suspect, in shooting near Los Angeles
• Sarah Palin Reveals COVID Diagnosis and ‘Bizarre’ Symptoms, Urges Others to Continue Wearing Masks
• Bystanders could not save Floyd’s life, but their testimony can shape his legacy
• The Myth of the Supernegro Comes to Derek Chauvin’s Defense (“George Floyd was the one with all the power, his killer’s attorney argues.”)
• Derek Chauvin trial: New footage shows George Floyd pleading with officers
• Republicans Have Been Waiting for a Matt Gaetz Scandal to Break (“The Florida congressman’s less-than-sterling reputation among his colleagues has many Republicans questioning the wisdom of jumping to his defense.”)
• Feds looking beyond Florida in investigation of Rep. Gaetz, sources say
• Gaetz investigation complicated by overture to his father about ex-FBI agent who went missing
• Tucker Carlson livid after Rep. Matt Gaetz tries to rope him into controversy, source says
• Matt Gaetz’s dad says he wore a wire for FBI probe into DOJ extortion claims
• As Cuomo Sought $4 Million Book Deal, Aides Hid Damaging Death Toll
• Sen. Tim Kaine holds events in Hampton Roads discussing offshore wind, gun violence prevention
• Meet the Democrat Aiming to Be Israel’s Biggest Champion in Congress (“Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia, a 20-year Navy veteran, calls Israel America’s most important ally in the Middle East and isn’t afraid to go against the party line on Iran”)
• Rep. Spanberger hosts virtual town hall to discuss mental health during COVID-19 pandemic
• The VA GOP *Could Have* Gone With a Primary; Instead, They Opted For This “Convoluted Nomination Process”
• Audio: Amanda Chase Says If Pete Snyder Wins “Rigged” Convention, She’ll Run as Independent in November (Chase: Everyone knows “it is Pete Snyder’s campaign that is running a rigged election”)
• Audio: VA GOP Gov Candidate Kirk Cox Praises Georgia’s Jim Crow Voter Suppression Law, Muses About How Virginia “Could Go Further”
• Governor Northam Acts on Budget, Remaining Bills from 2021 Special Session (“New laws require in-school learning opportunities, extend eviction protections, provide paid sick leave for home health care workers”)
• Governor Northam Approves Voting Rights Act of Virginia (“Nearly eight years after U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key provisions of the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act, new state law will protect and expand access to the ballot box”)
• In Virginia governor’s race, Trump’s false stolen-election claim looms large
• Virginia Governor Approves Expedited July 1 Enactment Date for Adult-Use Marijuana Legalization (“The legislature is set to reconvene on April 7 to accept or reject the proposed amendments.”)
• Gov. Ralph Northam advances sweeping voting rights measure, signs school reopening bill
• Video: State Board of Elections Decides NOT To Grant Extensions to Several House of Delegates Candidates (Candidates not granted extensions include Del. Ibraheem Samirah in HD86 (although we’re told he will still be on the primary ballot), Michael Jones in HD69, Matt Rogers in HD47, etc.)
• McAuliffe, Ayala and Jones win ballot-order drawing
• Several Democratic House candidates missed an important deadline to be on the primary ballot
• Wednesday (3/31) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,035 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 618,976), +88 Hospitalizations (to 26,455), +10 Deaths (to 10,252)
• Editorial: Restrictions ease in a welcome sign of progress (“Gatherings can be larger and entertainment venues can welcome back patrons, but Virginia needs to make smart decisions as it takes steps toward normalcy.”)
• More people allowed at social events in Virginia
• J. Stephen Jones and Anne M. Kress column: G3: Creating a more robust, equitable Virginia economy
• Will Marijuana Amendment Make it Through State Senate?
• Virginia teachers are going to be assessed on ‘cultural competency.’ What does that mean?
• Audit overwhelmingly confirms Virginia’s election results (“A statewide audit of Virginia’s 2020 election results verified President Joe Biden’s victory in the state, finding only a 0.00000065117 percent chance the state’s voting system could have produced an inaccurate outcome.”)
• Editorial: Three more reasons for Virginia to use stimulus for school construction
• Republicans slam Northam’s plan to investigate inspector general after agency found parole board misconduct (That’s news? LOL)
• Northam seeks outside investigation of report claiming violations by Virginia Parole Board (“Republicans have seized on the inspector general’s findings — and a steady stream of leaks — to suggest mismanagement.”)
• As Tom Farrell quietly departs from Dominion Energy, Bob Blue rises to the top job
• Richmond area moves into Phase 1c, one month before all adults will be eligible for a vaccine
• Saxman: 2021 House Races Ranked
• Federal judge rules Virginia Beach voting system is illegal
• Foot and Ankle Surgeon, Democrat Jeffrey Feld Launches Campaign for House District 81 (The district is currently MISrepresented by Republican Del. Barry Knight)
• Green Summer (“Alexandria delegation works with the governor to legalize marijuana on July 1.”)
• Not enough people registering for vaccine appointments in Hampton Roads, state health official says
• Amtrak’s 3rd daily train between Norfolk and D.C. should begin this year
• D.C.-area forecast: Rain ends and skies clear but it’s blustery and cold (“Wind chills dip into the 20s and even teens by early Friday before a weekend warm-up.”)