Wednesday News: “Exxon is facing a climate rebellion it may be unable to put down”; “Memo to Biden’s DOJ: Time to open the books on the Trump-Russia scandal”; VA Dems Hold LG Debate on Sinclair-Owned WJLA…Predictably, Sinclair Moderator Asks Bigoted Question

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, May 26.

Wow — moderator asks Va. LG candidate @Sam_Rasoul about his reliance Muslim donors from out of state (before adding that there’s nothing wrong with that).

“Can you assure Virginians that if you’re elected, you’ll represent all of them regardless of faith or beliefs?” https://t.co/Nyf1Rtir8t

— Daniel Marans (@danielmarans) May 26, 2021

• Climate crisis inflicting huge ‘hidden costs’ on mental health
• Biden-Putin summit: Awkward conversation looms in Geneva (“When Biden and Putin meet, they’ll have plenty to talk about. A short list of subjects includes arms control, climate change, Russian military involvement in Ukraine, Russia’s cyber-hacking activities, including the 2020 SolarWinds attack on US government and private computer networks, and the attempted poisoning and jailing of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.”)
• Vaccine Makers Press Countries to Block Patent Waiver
• Pentagon Accelerates Withdrawal From Afghanistan
• ‘Mob boss’ Assad’s dynasty tightens grip over husk of Syria (“Country’s emergence as a mafia state leaves today’s election result in little doubt”)
• Russian student arrested alongside Belarus activist, appears in ‘confession’ video
• Families in anguish over pair held in Belarus
• ‘Please save him’: Belarus blogger’s parents urge action as Biden mulls sanctions (“Parents of Raman Pratasevich fear for his life, as mother of girlfriend Sofia Sapega says she was not involved in politics”)
• Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko accuses ill-wishers of crossing ‘red lines’ and waging a ‘hybrid war’
• The barrier of fear is breaking in Belarus
• The steps the West must take to save Myanmar
• Belarus journalist Roman Protasevich’s colleagues fear for their lives
• Poets in Myanmar Are Killed After the Coup (Appalling.)
• Slowly But Surely, Central Banks Are Signaling Policy Shifts
• Seeking to Restore Palestinian Links, Blinken Risks Friction With Israel (“Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic outreach toward the Palestinians was a sharp turnabout from the policies of former President Trump. His efforts and a White House pledge to help finance rebuilding in the Gaza Strip could anger Israel, the most reliable U.S. ally in the Middle East.”)
• Chinese state media is turning on Fauci amid Wuhan lab controversy (“The anger is centered on Fauci’s remarks this month that he is no longer convinced the Covid-19 pandemic originated naturally”)
• UK government failed public on Covid response, says Dominic Cummings (“Boris Johnson’s former aide says ministers ‘fell disastrously short’ of standards public had right to expect”)
• Airships for city hops could cut flying’s CO2 emissions by 90% (“Bedford-based blimp maker unveils short-haul routes such as Liverpool-Belfast that it hopes to serve by 2025”)
• Republicans Quiet During Trump’s Praise Of China Demand Answers On Virus Now (“The former president spent months thanking China’s dictator for his transparency and cooperation on COVID-19 before changing tacks to vilify him and his country.”)
• HHS chief calls for follow-up probe on origin of pandemic
• Exxon is facing a climate rebellion it may be unable to put down (“If successful, the campaign could force Exxon (XOM) to shift its strategy by diversifying into renewable energy and pulling back on oil production. And it would send a loud message to other fossil fuel companies at a time when the International Energy Agency has warned the world needs to immediately stop drilling for oil and gas to prevent a climate catastrophe.”)
• Board fight at Exxon intensifies spotlight on climate change (“ExxonMobil is facing a major challenge from a group of investors in one of the biggest fights a corporate boardroom has endured over its stance on climate change, an issue of rising urgency for many shareholders”)
• Half Of U.S. Adults Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 (“And more than 60% have received at least one dose, the CDC reported.”)
• The Beginning of the End of the American Pandemic (“The country is reopening. What does the future hold?”)
• How to knock down the filibuster (“Force Republicans to filibuster the Jan. 6 commission on the Senate floor.”)
• Democratic Senators Who Support the Filibuster Beg Republicans Not to Filibuster (“Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema think they can get Republicans to support a 1/6 commission if they just ask nicely” Kinda pathetic.)
• Any bipartisan January 6 commission is probably doomed (“Even if it could pass, McConnell and McCarthy likely won’t appoint commissioners who would work in good faith.”)
• U.S. Equity Futures Rise as Inflation Fears Wane: Markets Wrap
• The hidden truth that explains why Republicans don’t want an infrastructure deal (“A bipartisan infrastructure deal would be great for Joe Biden. Which is why it will never happen.”)
• Bipartisan group of senators prepares new infrastructure plan as talks stall between White House and GOP
• Republicans plan to send Biden nearly $1 trillion infrastructure counteroffer this week
• Bipartisan Infrastructure Talks Are Skidding off the Rails
• Is Wokeness ‘Kryponite for Democrats’?
• The 5 most ludicrous GOP excuses for opposing a Jan. 6 commission (“Republicans don’t want a real investigation for a simple reason: It will implicate them.”)
• Schumer to force vote on Jan. 6 commission this week
• Democrats start putting GOP on notice as patience runs thin
• Should Republican voters be taken literally, or seriously? (“To some extent, the answer doesn’t matter.”)
• Trump Acolytes Craft Parallel GOP Universe So Trumpism Lives On (“Allies of Donald Trump have built an ecosystem of think tanks and fund-raising outfits.”)
• The GOP Becomes What it Once Despised
• A majority of Republicans are living in a fantasy world built around the Big Lie
• Millions in U.S. Are in Rebellion Against Reality
• No, Liz Cheney. Voter suppression laws have nothing to do with election security. (“Let’s take a look at what’s inside these bills.”)
• Senate confirms Kristen Clarke as first Black woman to lead DOJ civil rights division (Finally!)
• Kinzinger calls for Marjorie Taylor Greene to be kicked out of GOP conference over Holocaust remark
• Democrats consider the possibility of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seeking a restraining order against Marjorie Taylor Greene
• The Strange Anti-Semitism of the Pro-Jewish Right Marjorie Taylor-Greene loves the Jews to death.
• Even the Holocaust isn’t out-of-bounds in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s age of outrage
• If Roe v. Wade is Struck Down, It’ll Cost Republicans
• The graphic video of Ronald Greene’s death shows — again — the urgent need for police reform
• George Floyd’s family marks a year since his death shocked the nation, as goal for policing overhaul slips
• Just 3 GOP lawmakers acknowledge 1-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder
• 10 Questions About Empathy In America, A Year After George Floyd’s Death
• George Floyd family urges Biden to pass police reform bill as it stalls in Senate
• George Floyd’s Murder Changed Americans’ Views on Policing (“But will those shifts lead to lasting reforms?”)
• White male minority rule pervades politics across the US, research shows (“White men are 30% of US population but 62% of officeholders; ‘Incredibly limited perspective represented in halls of power’” That’s mostly a problem on the Republican side, by the way.)
• Memo to Biden’s DOJ: Time to open the books on the Trump-Russia scandal (“Biden’s Justice Department wants to keep a key memo from the Trump era secret.”)
• The Public Deserves to See This Legal Memo About Donald Trump (” We generally don’t want prosecutors to have their internal analysis released to the public, for fear of undermining ongoing law enforcement investigations and for chilling frank advice and discussion. That is, I suspect, why the Justice Department authorized the appeal. It doesn’t want the Freedom of Information Act to be used as a weapon to undermine prosecutors. But in this case, absent additional information, that rationale seems wrong.”)
• Prosecutor in Trump criminal probe convenes grand jury to hear evidence, weigh potential charges
• Trump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe (“Trump lashes out” isn’t really news.)
• Trump asks judge to throw out Capitol riot lawsuit (“Lawyers for the former president argued he has absolute immunity for his actions while in office.”)
• Scoop: States warn banks — Drop coal, and we drop you (“More than a dozen Republican state treasurers are threatening to pull assets from large financial institutions if they agree to decarbonize their lending and investment portfolios, Axios has learned.” Republicans want to keep killing our planet.)
• MyPillow’s Mike Lindell is turned away from Republican governors event
• U.S. steps up pursuit of far-right activists in 2016 voter suppression probe
• Federal Judge Dismisses Steve Bannon’s Indictment Due to Trump Pardon, But Not Without a Parting Shot
• Steve Bannon’s fraud case dismissed after months of haggling over Trump pardon (That pardon was appalling.)
• Faulty redactions in court document show federal investigators seized more info in case against Rudy Giuliani than previously disclosed
• Biden ready to name Eric Garcetti ambassador to India
• Biden Administration Strikes A Deal To Bring Offshore Wind To California
• Can Biden’s Plan to Boost Offshore Wind Spread West? (“Offshore wind development in California has been stalled by politics and technological challenges. But on Tuesday, the administration announced plans to advance offshore wind in the state.”)
• How the AP wronged Emily Wilder
• Kathryn Garcia leads field in new poll, 4 weeks ahead of Election Day (“Emerson found Garcia with support from 21 percent of the 570 likely voters surveyed Sunday and Monday. Adams trailed closely with 20 percent, followed by Yang at 16 percent and City Comptroller Scott Stringer at 10 percent”)
• Andrew Yang Is At War With the New York Daily News Over a “Racist” Cartoon (“Just weeks before the primary, the mayoral front-runner held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to decry the illustration—and the News shot right back.”)
• Ron DeSantis Wants to Be the New Conductor of the GOP Crazy Train (Florida Man!)
• We Are Critics of Nikole Hannah-Jones. Her Tenure Denial Is a Travesty.
• A Proud Boy Takeover in Vegas
• Nevada GOP thrown into turmoil after avowed Proud Boys member said he participated in censure vote of state official
• Are Republicans Finally Standing Up to the Proud Boys? (We’ll see…)
• Tech company running Arizona ballot audit backs out: ‘They were done’
• Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine hopes several GOP senators could vote for Jan. 6 bipartisan commission
• Virginia’s Kaine, Beyer want to know how much money taxpayers spend on police misconduct
• Rep. Luria calls for stronger enforcement of unemployment claims to help with local staffing shortage issues
• “Glenn Youngkin’s blank slate?” Only If You Paid Literally ZERO Attention To Youngkin’s Hard-Right Campaign. (Lauding Rush Limbaugh, proudly campaigning with Ted Cruz, saying “Trump represents so much of why I’m running” bragging about being “a lifetime member of the NRA,” pushing voter suppression measures…)
• How Important Has the WaPo Endorsement Been In Virginia Democratic Statewide Primaries? (It’s been a mixed bag historically, but the endorsement might have more impact when the endorsed candidate isn’t from NoVA and/or well-known?)
• The Resistance Is Exhausted (“Can Democrats win without Donald Trump? Virginia’s upcoming elections could provide the answer.”)
• Video: Virginia Democratic Lt. Governor Candidates Debate
• Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor discuss guns, police reform, campaign finance in TV debate
• ‘Inexcusable:’ Question in Democratic LG debate about Rasoul’s Muslim donors sparks backlash (Yep, THAT was the headline from last night’s debate.)
• Rasoul for Lt. Governor Releases Plan to Support Local Journalism
• Can Virginia legislate away the NIMBYs?
• VMI is dragging its feet on unavoidable reforms to its toxic racial culture
• Editorial: Plastic bag taxes have to generate a real behavior change among Virginians
• Hurst: Mountain Valley Pipeline is not the future Virginia needs (Correct; it’s the exactly wrong direction.)
• Tuesday (5/25) Virginia Data on COVID-19: Hospitalizations At Lowest Point Since Early in Pandemic; 10-Day New COVID Cases Lowest Since 4/2/20
• Mayor Levar Stoney wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times reflecting on last summer. Here’s what he left out: (“In a 1,500-word opinion piece for The New York Times, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney repeated his apology to the city before a national audience for what he described as an ‘unintentional’ use of tear gas by Richmond police on a crowd of peaceful protesters a week after the killing of George Floyd last year. It was the fifth explanation offered by the city of what happened that night, though a full report has never been released.”)
• Officials in Richmond still won’t explain why police attacked hundreds of peaceful protestors a year ago
• Video: Fairfax County Democratic Committee Votes “Overwhelmingly” For Resolution Urging Board of Supervisors to Terminate Police Chief Kevin Davis’ Employment
• Arlington Dems Pour It On, Boost “Regular” Dem Mary Kadera to Big Victory in School Board Caucus Over “Insurgent Candidate”(“The battle was largely over how aggressively to get all kids back in schools in-person/5 days a week.”)
• Loudoun School Board Votes for Staggered Terms
• D.C.-area forecast: Summer heat and humidity today with scattered storms; less humid and not as hot tomorrow (“Rain late Friday may linger into Saturday, but much of Memorial Day weekend might turn out fairly nice.”)