Sunday News: “Conflict in Middle East Draws Biden Call to Temper Hostilities”; “Mask policies across the US are rapidly changing”; “In GOP, survival means allowing Trump’s election lie to live on”; “Strap in, Virginia — the 2021 governor’s race is suddenly at full speed”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, May 16.

• After Years of Quiet, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Exploded. Why Now? (“A little-noticed police action in Jerusalem last month was one of several incidents that led to the current crisis.”)
• U.N. Security Council Is Set to Meet on Middle East Violence (“As international pressure grew to end the fighting, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza overnight was said to have killed at least two dozen people. It was the deadliest single attack of the current conflict. Here’s the latest.”)
• Explainer: How did the latest Israeli-Palestinian crisis emerge? (“Tensions in the region had been simmering for over a month but they boiled over this week.”)
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict gives Biden foreign policy headache
• Democratic Divide Over Israel Puts Pressure on Biden (“Progressives want the administration to leverage its military aid and push for an end to the intensifying clash between Israel and Hamas”)
• Secretary Blinken’s Call with Gary Pruitt, President and CEO of the Associated Press
• What Is Happening in Israel and Gaza? Here’s What to Know.
• Israel strikes Gaza home of Hamas leader, destroys AP office
• After speaking with Biden, Netanyahu suggests Israel’s assault in Gaza will persist
• Turmoil Hands Political Lifeline to Embattled Israeli Prime Minister (One of the oldest tricks in the book by Netanyahu.)
• Israel’s unraveling (“The wave of riots sweeping Israeli cities reflects the damage done by a decade of divisive right-wing government.”)
• Conflict in Middle East Draws Biden Call to Temper Hostilities
• A raid, a march, a court case: how Israel spiralled into a deadly conflict (“After a series of events combined to reignite clashes, a wave of communal violence broke out that could take years to heal”)
• Warren calls for US to support ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
• Iran Gears Up for Return to Oil Market as U.S. Talks Advance
• India’s pace of daily COVID-19 infections slows as more vaccines awaited
• The Collapse of a Once-Promising Democracy (Ugh, poor Peru…)
• Biden Aides See Political, Not Economic, Peril in Inflation Data
• ‘The right decision wrongly handled’: Inside the Biden administration’s abrupt reversal on masks
• Major U.S. Retailers Drop Mask Requirements
• The new mask guidance relies on an honor system. Do we trust each other enough to make it work?
• Mask policies across the US are rapidly changing
• The purging of Liz Cheney is about much more than the future of the GOP
• Romney: Capitol riot was ‘an insurrection against the Constitution’
• Inside the $40-billion-a-year tax ‘loophole’ Biden’s plan would eliminate (“Biden wants to end this little-known tax provision that has saved the wealthy millions and billions every year for the last 90-plus years.”)
• Making voting easier might help Democrats win. That doesn’t mean it is bad.
• Biden admin reroutes billions in emergency stockpile, Covid funds to border crunch (“The reshuffling illustrates the extraordinary financial toll that sheltering more than 20,000 unaccompanied children has taken on the department so far this year.”)
• Like the expression, ‘Only Nixon could go to China’
• Congressional Democrats Are All Vaccinated. Their Republican Colleagues, Not So Much. (“Only 95 of the 212 Republican House members confirmed having gotten the shot.” Very telling…)
• In GOP, survival means allowing Trump’s election lie to live on (Totally unacceptable.)
• Trump Is Bringing Back His Rallies
• Ignorance is the bread and butter of conservative politics
• The meat industry is doing exactly what Big Oil does to fight climate action (Both are heinous.)
• Conservatives Excommunicated the Last Republican President Who Lost (Prior to Trump, that was George HW Bush.)
• 59 Republicans condemn antisemitism after refusing to punish antisemitic congresswoman
• Why Charles Koch Wins When Our Energy System Breaks Down
• They Died in Police Custody. Their Genes Were Blamed. (“Sickle cell trait has been used to explain dozens of deaths of Black people in police custody, despite being benign on its own, a Times investigation found.” So f’ed up.)
• The Washington Post will soon have a woman as its top editor. And yes, that matters.
• Joe Biden’s Venmo account discovered in ‘less than 10 minutes’ – report (“Joe and Jill Biden accounts removed after BuzzFeed discovery; Website says app revelation raises national security questions”)
• Republican Arizona election official says Trump “unhinged”
• Arizona audit divides wobbling state GOP (This audit is completely bats***)
• ‘SNL’ tackles mask questions for vaccinated people in ridiculous scenes
• A federal program can help give Virginia’s coal-mining towns a future (by Gov. Ralph Northam)
• Ranked-choice voting would help Virginia better represent its people (by State Sen. Adam Ebbin)
• Audio: “Pod Save America” Discusses Dave Wasserman’s Tweet Saying Virginia Republicans “actually have a good chance to win the VA governor’s race this year” (“I think you can run against Glenn Youngkin as a Trumpy Mitt Romney”; Youngkin “is still a big-lie-believing, Trump-endorsed, very wealthy hedge fund executive, which is not a great profile on paper”)
• Believe It or Not, There *Still* Hasn’t Been a Single 2021 Virginia General Election Poll. Help Fund the First!
• Assembly likely to meet by early August, as House casts wider net for appeals court candidates
• Video: Second Virginia Attorney General Debate Between Mark Herring and Jay Jones
• In debate Jones hits Herring on blackface incident; Herring accuses delegate of flawed legislation (Actually, that headline is misleading; in fact, Jones hit Herring for supposedly not having a heartfelt-enough apology for the single “blackface” incident when he was 19 years old and in college.)
• With Just Over Three Weeks Until the 6/8 VA Dem Primaries, Here Are a Few Saturday Morning Endorsements…and Criteria For Endorsements in General
• Strap in, Virginia — the 2021 governor’s race is suddenly at full speed (“All I’ve seen now is what you’ve seen — that he’s aligned himself with the politics of Trump and bringing in folks like Ted Cruz into Virginia. I think he’s going to have a lot to answer for”)
• Business owners have mixed thoughts on VA and MD governors lifting mask mandates
• Opinion: Sears nomination recalls grim days for Democrats
• Opinion: Tackle regional priorities with relief money (“A federal windfall could mean big things for Hampton Roads if local officials can work together to prioritize regional needs.”)
• Rest in Peace Jim Southworth, a Superb Fairfax Democrat, Tech Guru…and a Great Guy! (If you’ve ever been to a Democratic event in Fairfax County, you almost certainly would have seen or run into Jim…)
• Richmond-area Asian Americans come together to promote peace, harmony as they face increased violence and hate speech
• Loudoun County School Board considers adding three additional holidays to calendar
• Cloudier with a shower chance today; warmer weather on the way