Friday News: “Ignoring climate change hasn’t made it go away”; “Hamas and Netanyahu’s Dangerous Gamble”; “Vax to Normal”; “Pandemic’s end looks to be in sight, though virus will persist”; “Glenn Youngkin STILL Won’t Say the 2020 Election Was Legitimate”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 14.

• Ignoring climate change hasn’t made it go away
• Another Group of Scientists Calls for Further Inquiry Into Origins of the Coronavirus
• The Gaza doom loop (“What’s happening in Israel and Gaza is the near-inevitable result of a grim status quo.”)
• Biden wants to avoid another Israeli-Palestinian war. It will be even harder this time.
• Israel begins firing artillery and tank shells into Gaza
• Israeli forces escalate campaign in Gaza with tanks, artillery, planes; Hamas launches rockets
• Why Hamas Starts Wars It Always Loses
• Violence and mayhem offer Benjamin Netanyahu refuge (“Analysis: The Israeli PM seemed to be on the way out, until the eruption of conflict with the Palestinians”)
• The vicious cycle gets worse for the Israelis and Palestinians
• Israeli forces hit Hamas tunnels in Gaza as all-out war looms; more rockets rain down
• Hamas and Netanyahu’s Dangerous Gamble (“Forces in Israel and in Gaza are seeking to exploit the polarizing violence.”)
• Trump’s signature Israel policy had a key flaw. We’re seeing it now. (“The Abraham Accords didn’t resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thursday’s deadly violence makes that clear.”)
• Israelis and Palestinians can’t go on like this. Weep for us.
• Canada Declares Plastics Toxic, Paving the Way for Restrictions (Every country, including ours, should do that.)
• Pandemic’s end looks to be in sight, though virus will persist
• Is This the End? (“The CDC’s surprising mask announcement was not just a public-health milestone.”)
• CDC says fully vaccinated Americans no longer need masks indoors or outdoors in most cases
• Vaccinated Americans now may go without masks in most places, the C.D.C. said.
• Many Unvaccinated Latinos in the U.S. Want the Shot, New Survey Finds
• The vaccination slowdown has slowed down
• Most states have reopened. Here’s where new COVID outbreaks happened.
• CDC’s U-Turn Puts Business in ‘Damned If You Do’ (Or Don’t) Bind
• Unmasking brings liberation and trepidation (“The CDC’s decision immediately raised a flurry of questions and consequences, including a debate over whether it had suddenly gone too far”)
• ‘The Situation Has Changed’: Fauci Explains CDC’s Shift In Mask Mandates
• Here’s the science that convinced the CDC to lift mask mandates (“The decision was guided by scientific evidence that the vaccines have played a major role in curbing both infections and transmission of the virus.”)
• The Racial Gap in U.S. Vaccinations Is Shrinking, but Work Remains
• The CDC embraces the power of the vaccines (“Why the agency now says vaccinated people can mostly shed their masks.”)
• ‘Better days are ahead’: Maskless Biden marks milestone in virus battle
• Herd immunity is not a helpful concept for covid-19. It’s time to retire it. (“We don’t need to reach it to defeat this pandemic.”)
• The CDC shouldn’t have removed restrictions without requiring proof of vaccination
• Democrats must not chip away at Biden’s tax plans
• As pipeline recovers from cyberattack, U.S. leaders see ‘wake-up call’ for energy infrastructure
• Colonial Pipeline ramps up as U.S. seeks to emerge from fuel crunch
• Biden’s Pipeline Dilemma: How to Build a Clean Energy Future While Shoring Up the Present’s Carbon-Intensive Infrastructure (“After Colonial’s cyber-attack and shutdown, he can’t ignore pipelines’ problems, but environmental groups want more aggressive action.”)
• From Denial to Ambiguity: A New Study Charts the Trajectory of ExxonMobil’s Climate Messaging (Evil company.)
• ExxonMobil wants you to feel responsible for climate change so it doesn’t have to shoulder the blame (In fact, some of these people should be in prison.)
• Vineyard Wind approval injects fresh optimism into offshore wind industry (“Offshore wind developers were reviewing the 100-page decision as they consider adjustments to their projects — including the possibility of accelerated timelines under the Biden administration.” Crank it up!)
• EPA revokes Trump policy that made it easier for companies to pollute
• Republicans care more about tribal loyalty than conservative principles
• The GOP has lost its way. Fellow Americans, join our new alliance.
• The stampede away from the GOP begins (“The center right may have issued its declaration of independence from the Republican Party.” We’ll see…)
• Trump Is Still Lying About the Election (“What House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s role in ousting Liz Cheney tells us about the troubled future of the Republic.”)
• How Republicans Could Steal the 2024 Election
• While Republicans Cry About Cancel Culture, They’re Canceling Democracy (“Being criticized is not the same level of harm as having your vote stripped away.”)
• Democrats say it’s up to GOP to stop Trump 2024
• Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell have blown up the GOP’s ‘working class’ messaging stunt (“They have made clear they will go to the mat for corporate scofflaws.”)
• We’re trapped by the GOP’s commitment to lying. There may be no way out.
• Joe Manchin’s surprisingly bold proposal to fix America’s voting rights problem
• Republican Voters Say They Don’t Mind Trump Critics, But Liz Cheney’s Ouster Says Otherwise
• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s verbal assault on AOC reflects deranged anti-leftism (It is completely insane.)
• The Trump Camp Was Machiavelli Meets the Three Stooges
• House Republicans Confirm That Jan. 6 Is Ancient History, and Also It Was Good (This entire party needs to go the f*** away.)
• Republicans Rewrite History of the Capitol Riot, Hampering an Inquiry (Completely unacceptable.)
• Rep. Chip Roy says he’ll challenge Stefanik for Republican conference chair
• Stefanik and Roy make their pitches for House GOP No. 3
• Trump waves off ‘loser’ Cheney’s vow to keep him out of office
• Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country
• Activists and Ex-Spy Said to Have Plotted to Discredit Trump ‘Enemies’ in Government (“The campaign included planned operations against President Trump’s national security adviser at the time, H.R. McMaster, and F.B.I. employees, according to documents and interviews.”)
• Company: Ex-Trump lawyer raiding nonprofit for personal use (Sidney Powell again…ugh.)
• Gaetz associate signals he will plead guilty in federal case, which could hint at trouble for congressman
• Cracked Memphis bridge may reopen soon but highlights supply chain vulnerabilities (We need to invest in our infrastructure.)
• Active Duty U.S. Marine Corps Officer Arrested for Assault on Federal Law Enforcement Officer During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
• Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows
• NFL accused of ‘systemic racism’ in handling Black ex-players’ brain injuries
• Former Staffer Sues US Congressman Alleging ‘Reckless’ Approach to COVID-19
• QAnon followers are working with Arizona senators and audit officials to overturn 2020 election results (Completely unhinged.)
• Missouri governor nixes voter-approved Medicaid expansion plan (Republicans seem to love overriding the will of the voters, don’t they?)
• Winners and Losers of New York’s Mayoral Debate
• Who Won the First NYC Mayoral Debate?
• Former Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA02), Denver Riggleman (R-VA05), Barbara Comstock (R-VA10) Sign “A Call For American Renewal” in Defense of Democracy, Rule of Law, the Constitution, etc.
• Sen. Kaine calls pipeline hack ‘one of most damaging’ of its type
• Sen. Tim Kaine introduces bill to prevent the use of tear gas against peaceful civilians
• Warner says U.S. needs better cyber protections
• Sen. Warner pushing to support Veterans Affairs legal clinics
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Statement on Bipartisan Postal Reform Passing the Oversight and Reform Committee (“Despite the Postal Service’s essential role, its very existence is in peril…With the Postal Service Reform Act before us today, we place the Postal Service on firm financial ground.”)
• In Letter, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Urges President Joe Biden to Recognize Severity of DarkSide Attack against Colonial Pipeline, Hold Cyber Criminals to Account
• Video: At Richmond Press Conference, Virginia Democratic Leaders Highlight Glenn Youngkin’s Extreme Pro-Trump Agenda
• FWIW Virginia: About Last Weekend’s VA GOP Convention Sh*tshow; Plus, McAuliffe Leads Virginia Dems’ Digital Spending By Huge Margin
• After chaotic Virginia GOP convention, Democrats see extreme ticket while Republicans feel ‘relief’ (Gotta love this framing. Also, why “Democrats see,” instead of determining whether or not the Republican ticket is, or is not, objectively extreme?)
• Glenn Youngkin STILL Won’t Say the 2020 Election Was Legitimate (“Youngkin – attempting to split the difference between truth and lies – couldn’t bring himself to answer, ‘yes.’ Just to ensure the dog-whistle is heard loud and clear, he’s been ’emphasizing election integrity.'”)
• GOP nominees for top Virginia offices have long histories of attacking LGBTQ equality
• “Billion for the Bay”: Governors in the Chesapeake watershed seek federal aid for restoration, cleanup
• Virginia leaders to review new CDC guidelines on masks for vaccinated people
• Attorney General Mark Herring wins in lawsuit filed by Amanda Chase
• BREAKING: Far-Right VA State Sen. Amanda “Trump in Heels” Chase (R)’s Censure Lawsuit Thrown Out Of US District Court (“Sen. Chase’s claims were outlandish and contradictory to her own words.”)
• Defeated Va. gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase loses bid to overturn state Senate censure
• Virginia Must Perform a Water Quality Review on MVP’s FERC Proposal Another Chance to Ensure Protection of State Waters
• Editorial: Recent supply chain crises are an opportunity for Virginia to lead
• Thursday (5/14) Virginia Data on COVID-19: Lowest 10-Day New COVID Cases Since 7/11/20; Lowest COVID-Related Hospitalizations Since March 2020
• Governor Northam Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney declares gun violence a public health crisis
• Editorial: Time to prepare for storm season
• Hurricane season is approaching. Here’s how the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel keeps the storm surge out.
• D.C.-area forecast: Comfortable springtime temperatures through the weekend