Saturday News: “U.S. Can Neither Ignore nor Solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”; “The CDC’s Big Mask Surprise Came Out of Nowhere”; “Another Video Of Greene Trying To Harass Ocasio-Cortez Has Emerged”; “Fox News is a loaded gun aimed at American democracy”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 15.

• Merkel Urges EU Partners to Match More Ambitious Climate Goal
• We’re Not Ready for the Next Big Climate Disasters
• Third of global food production at risk from climate crisis (We’d better fix this, ASAP!)
• What 2050 could look like if we don’t do anything about climate change: Hot, a constant cough, regular mask-wearing
• India’s daily COVID-19 deaths near 4,000 as police sent to halt dumping of bodies
• Trudeau Government Begins Work on Reopening U.S.-Canada Border
• China Lands on Mars, Closing Gap With U.S. in Space Exploration
• China lands Zhu Rong Mars rover after ‘nine minutes of terror’
• The U.S. Can Neither Ignore nor Solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• With strikes targeting rockets and tunnels, the Israeli tactic of ‘mowing the grass’ returns to Gaza
• Weary Israelis endure more Hamas rocket barrages
• Israel’s New Challenge: Violence Among Its Own Citizens (“Arab and Jewish Israelis are increasingly clashing with one another; ‘an existential threat’”)
• Israeli-Palestinian Strife Widens As Frantic Calls for Calm Go Unheeded
• Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Home Kills 10, Mostly Children
• Netanyahu Vows Israel Isn’t Done As Rockets And Clashes Ramp Up
• As Arab world rallies around Palestinians and bloodshed mounts, Trump-era peace deals fade from view
• A Press Corps Deceived, and the Gaza Invasion That Wasn’t (“A spokesman led the international media to believe that Israeli forces had entered Gaza. They hadn’t. But the army wanted Hamas to think they had.”)
• The Approach the Israel-Palestine Conflict Needs (By Senator Bernie Sanders)
• Still buddies? Mideast violence tests Biden and Netanyahu’s friendship (“The U.S. and Israeli leaders have worked together for decades despite deep disagreements.”)
• Federal Mask Retreat Sets Off Confusing Scramble for States and Cities (“Some governors and mayors quickly rolled back their mask mandates, while others said local restrictions would stay in place for now.”)
• The CDC’s Big Mask Surprise Came Out of Nowhere (“The agency’s communication strategy has lagged so consistently behind the research that it’s brought new meaning to the concept of ‘following the science.'”)
• Some retailers will still require masks in stores, despite new CDC guidelines
• Trader Joe’s will no longer require customers to wear masks
• Walmart to Stop Requiring Masks for Vaccinated Workers and Shoppers
• Political ideology is real reason people remain unvaccinated, says Dr. Peter Hotez (In fact, conservatism should mean that you DO get the vaccine, because it is about personal responsibility and also because it gives you more freedom to do stuff. But clearly, there’s no consistency among right wingers, Trumpsters, etc.)
• The Future of COVID in America (“The virus becomes a seasonal nuisance sooner rather than later”)
• Pelosi keeps mask mandate on House floor despite CDC change, sparking GOP backlash: ‘It’s about control’ (Republican members of Congressw should get vaccinated instead of complaining about everything.)
• Democrats can’t defeat the pandemic alone. It’s time for Republicans to step up. (“Why are so many Republicans treating their own vaccinations like a shameful secret?”)
• Biden Dissolves Controversial Trump Orders On Race And Culture
• House Dems and Republicans Strike a Deal on a 1/6 Commission—But There’s One Big Catch (“Though this commission will have the power to subpoena witnesses, subpoenas must be approved by either the chair and vice-chair or by a majority of the commissioners. That means the Republicans on the commission will have the power to block any subpoena.”)
• A cop’s anger at GOP lies about Jan. 6 should put Republicans on the defensive
• Bitter anger over Jan. 6 riots lingers in the House, prompting a week of stalemate, tense standoffs (“Four and a half months after insurrectionists supporting Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, the House is still consumed by the fallout.”)
• The Jan. 6 commission should make it harder for Republicans to twist the truth
• Cheney seen as merely first victim of Trump election attacks
• Liz Cheney’s Case Against Trump Is Resolutely Conservative (“She believes in standing up to tyrants, including the one in her own country.”)
• Cheney says she ‘regrets’ voting for Trump
• Cheney says some GOP members voted against impeachment out of fear for their lives
• Liz Cheney: McCarthy should testify about Trump’s views on Capitol attack
• Can ‘Never Trump’ Republicans gain party control – or is it a lost cause?
• A Breakaway Third Party of Ex-Republicans? Don’t Count on It. (“The idea of a conservative anti-Trump party gained publicity this week — but the threat remains hollow.”)
• After ousting Liz Cheney, Republicans prove they’re a bigger threat than 9/11 hijackers
• ‘You left us’: Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean slams Trump in expletive-laden message
• Trump killed the old GOP — and he’s getting away with the murder
• Why a GOP House majority would imperil democracy
• Liz Cheney doesn’t go far enough (“She may not be the savior of democracy some would like her to become.”)
• Neera Tanden joins White House as a senior adviser after withdrawing Cabinet nomination
• Biden administration gives House panel documents related to Trump hotel
• Trump voter in Colorado faces stunning voter fraud allegations (So basically, voter fraud is almost nonexistent, and in the miniscule cases where it occurs, it usually seems to be Trumpsters and right wingnuts.)
• Massive replenishment begins to ease U.S. fuel shortages
• Ex-Defense Secretary Delivers Damning Takedown Of GOP Spin On U.S. Capitol Riot (“‘They’re trying to perform a frontal lobotomy on the American people,’ warned William Cohen, the Republican former senator for Maine.”)
• Can Horse Racing Survive? (Hopefully not.)
• Fox News uses obscure outrages and local oddities to fuel its culture wars (“Just as the annual ‘War on Christmas’ is a fraud, so too is the latest ‘cancel culture’ obsession”)
• Lachlan Murdoch continues to lie to the advertising industry
• Fox News is a loaded gun aimed at American democracy (“Fox spent decades stoking the right’s antidemocratic attitudes. Its commentators relentlessly highlighted and exaggerated extremely rare instances of voter fraud, priming their audiences to believe that Democrats were constantly trying to steal elections. They traditionally used those conspiracy theories to promote policies that make it more difficult to vote — particularly for core Democratic demographics. But Trump’s authoritarian drive shifted that coverage in a more dangerous direction. “)
• Another Video Of Greene Trying To Harass Ocasio-Cortez Has Emerged (Greene is dangerously deranged.)
• Investigation: Marjorie Taylor Greene filed homestead exemptions on 2 homes, violating state law
• Former Gaetz Confidant Pleads Guilty and Agrees to Cooperate
• Rep. Matt Gaetz Snorted Cocaine With Escort Who Had ‘No Show’ Gov’t Job
• RFK Jr.: The Anti-vaxxer Icon of America’s Nightmares (“The political scion has deployed a race-baiting ‘documentary’ and disinformation to seed anti-vaccine sentiment.” Disgraceful.)
• Kid reporter who interviewed Obama dies at 23 (That sucks.)
• Senators Warner, Kaine announce more than $10M in federal funding for Va. airports
• VA Legislative Black Caucus Chair Lamont Bagby Urges U.S. Senate Support “For the People Act” to Combat States’ Efforts to Restrict Voting Rights
• Video: Gov. Northam Lifts Mask Mandate to Align with CDC Guidance, Announces Virginia to End COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on May 28 (“Commonwealth has administered nearly 7 million vaccines, 63 percent of Virginia adults have received at least one dose”)
• Virginia, Maryland lifting mask mandates Saturday
• Va. removing mask mandate for fully vaccinated people, lifting most COVID restrictions May 28
• Virginia lifts mask mandate for fully vaccinated people, signaling a return to pre-pandemic life
• Friday (5/14) Virginia Data on COVID-19: Lowest 10-Day New COVID Cases Since 7/10/20; Lowest COVID-Related Hospitalizations Since March 2020
• Glenn Youngkin is no moderate. He’s a staunch right-winger.
• WaPo Columnist Jennifer Rubin Nails It: “Glenn Youngkin is No Moderate. He’s a Staunch Right-Winger”
• FWIW Virginia: About Last Weekend’s VA GOP Convention Sh*tshow; Plus, McAuliffe Leads Virginia Dems’ Digital Spending By Huge Margin
• There Are Now Democrats Running For *All 100* Virginia House of Delegates Seats. Here Are Six Reasons Why That’s a Very Good Thing.
• State Senators Jennifer Boysko and Ghazala Hashmi, As Well As Former Lt. Gov. Candidate Susan Platt, Wonder: “When Will ‘The Two Women’ Get Enough Respect To Be Referred To By Their Names?”
• Video: Terry McAuliffe Discusses His Plans to Rebuild the Post-COVID Virginia Economy, Makes Contrast with Trump’s Hand-Picked Candidate Glenn Youngkin
• In a shift, GOP nominee for Va. governor admits Biden ‘legitimately’ elected (“Glenn Youngkin had sidestepped the question and pushed ‘election integrity’ in his bid for Republican nod.”)
• Schapiro: Fifty years ago, the awakening of woke (“…it was at the Shad Planking in 1971 when an ambitious young Democrat, Lt. Gov. J. Sargeant Reynolds — whose promise would be cut short two months later by an inoperable brain tumor — dramatically challenged the old guard on the issue that continues to roil Virginia: racial equity. April 21 was the 50th anniversary of a speech by Reynolds in which he declared that Virginia could never again turn its back on its Black citizens as it had over its long history”)
• OP-ED: Jennifer McClellan is Virginia’s Next Governor
• Virginia’s Northam copes with what could be permanent loss of smell nearly eight months after coming down with covid-19 (“The governor offers his experience as a cautionary tale to urge people to get vaccinated.”)
• Virginia Beach officers who shot at mass shooter in 2019 named in commonwealth attorney’s report (“In a Friday letter, Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle said he completed his review of the shooting and determined the officers were justified in their use of deadly force.”)
• VCU will keep tuition cost flat this fall, joining other Virginia colleges
• First woman takes command of VMI’s Corps of Cadets (“Kasey Meredith made history Friday.” Wow, that’s very cool!)
• D.C.-area forecast: A splendid Saturday ahead of a somewhat unsettled Sunday