Thursday News: “Are oil and gas companies on the run?”; Bye Bye Bibi?; Biden – “Get a shot and have a beer!”; “Democrats must draw a line in the sand in Texas”; “The Fake History of the Filibuster Won’t Die”; “VMI must act on a report revealing its ‘racist and sexist culture’”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, June 3.

• Climate crisis is suffocating the world’s lakes, study finds (“Falling oxygen levels harming already struggling wildlife and drinking water supplies, say scientists”)
• Automakers Start to Figure Out the Climate Future (“Bankers, not so much.”)
• Invasive pest spread another fallout from climate change, UN-backed study finds
• Tasked to Fight Climate Change, a Secretive U.N. Agency Does the Opposite (“Behind closed doors, shipbuilders and miners can speak on behalf of governments while regulating an industry that pollutes as much as all of America’s coal plants.”)
• Are oil and gas companies on the run? (“Private sector fossil fuel spending on exploration is drying up just as modest rises in clean energy investments are being observed. With stock market investors increasingly embracing renewables, the IEA has observed positive signals in its latest energy investment report, but warned we are still doing far too little to keep global heating at bay.”)
• Spending by G7 Nations Favors Fossil Fuel Interests Over Green Energy (Totally stupid and unacceptable.)
• New NASA Missions Will Study Venus, a World Overlooked for Decades (“One of the spacecraft will probe the hellish planet’s clouds, which could potentially help settle the debate over whether they are habitable by floating microbes.”)
• Kim Jong Un is reforming North Korea’s government. Really. (Wuuuut?)
• Vaccine Shortages in Poor Nations Are the Biggest Threat to Rich Ones
• Global Food Prices Surge to Near Decade High, UN Says
• Israeli opposition leader tells president he can form government (“Under terms of Yair Lapid’s proposed deal, far-right politician Naftali Bennett would replace Benjamin Netanyahu as PM”)
• Meet the unlikely alliance that’s set to oust Netanyahu and lead Israel (“The newly-formed alliance between his opponents only came together after four inconclusive elections in less than two years. But it’s not over yet — Netanyahu still has some time to fight back, as the vote confirming the new government is not expected for around 12 days.”)
• Looking to themselves, Palestinians expect little from Israeli changes.
• Naftali Bennett: Israel’s far-right prime minister in waiting (“Former leader of Jewish settler group is infamous for making incendiary comments about the Palestinians” Disgusting.)
• Isaac Herzog: Israel’s new president is softly spoken veteran of centre-left
• How Naftali Bennett, Head of a Small Right-Wing Party in Israel, Rose to the Top (“The energetic leader of the small, right-wing Yamina party has managed to leverage his modest electoral gain for a shot at the top job.”)
• Netanyahu, fighting for political life, hits back at deal to unseat him
• ‘A struggle for municipal power’: Mexican crime groups target candidates in a fight for turf (“Mexico is in the final days of one of its most violent electoral campaigns in modern times, focused largely on thousands of races for mayor and other local government posts in a stark illustration of crime organizations’ quest to expand their control of Mexico’s territory.”)
• UK to see ‘eye-popping’ growth after services PMI hits 24-year high
• Olympics chief says Games will proceed after Covid official voices concerns
• NIH Director: We Need an Investigation Into the Wuhan Lab-Leak Theory (“Francis Collins calls for a ‘thorough, expert-driven, and objective’ inquiry, and shares what most surprised him about the virus.”)
• Activist firm Engine No. 1 claims third Exxon board seat (“The defeat of Exxon’s proposed candidates suggests that shareholders are considering the oil giant’s place in a world that is shifting away from fossil fuels.”)
• Jobless Claims Expected to Drop to Another Pandemic Low
• The Economic Recovery Is Here. It’s Unlike Anything You’ve Seen. (“Households saved cash and banks amassed capital, but supply shortages are popping up and some employers can’t find workers”)
• ‘In every single way, we are trying to make it easy,’ says CDC Director
• ‘Get a shot and have a beer’: Biden’s new glass-half-full strategy woos vaccine skeptics (“The White House’s partnership with Anheuser-Busch offering free beers if the country reaches its Covid vaccine goal by July 4 is more than a gimmick”)
• Why are anti-vaxxers so desperate to be seen as victims? (“When anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers try to assert their own oppression, they’re minimizing — or worse, denying — the historic trauma faced by others in this country.”)
• Coronavirus Deaths at American Nursing Homes Drop Sharply
• What Fauci’s emails reveal — and what they don’t
• The 6 reasons Americans aren’t getting vaccinated (“This is the challenge the US has to overcome to get back to post-pandemic normal.”)
• Time could be running out for infrastructure deal
• Democratic divisions threaten Biden’s voting push
• White House denies Biden criticized two Democratic senators for voting with GOP
• Biden tries new strategy with moderates as frustration grows (They’re not “moderates,” they’re just morons when it comes to the filibuster.)
• ‘Five-alarm fire’: Liberals use Jan. 6 panel blockade as rallying cry to abolish filibuster
• With voting rights role, Harris takes on weightiest challenge yet as vice president
• Republican senators’ failure to investigate Jan. 6 is worse than their impeachment performance
• Biden’s Alaskan Drilling Reversal Is a Victory
• The Fake History of the Filibuster Won’t Die: Senators keep repeating a made-up origin story. (This bullsh** by Synema, Manchin, etc. is infuriating.)
• How Joe Manchin Could Make the Senate Great Again
• Did the Senate Parliamentarian Just Foil Chuck Schumer’s Plan to Beat the Filibuster?
• Can Biden’s conciliatory side survive the GOP’s assault on democracy?
• Mitch McConnell is laughing in your faces (“When it comes to raw, shameless cynicism, nobody tops McConnell.”)
• McConnell slams Black history curriculum: ‘There was a lot of slavery’ in other countries (“The Senate minority leader previously called it an ‘exotic notion’ to consider the year slavery began in America as a key historical moment.” McConnell is a white supremacist, along with being horrible in every other way.)
• There’s one voting reform that would have the greatest impact (“No one should have to wait more than 30 minutes to vote.”)
• Why we’ll remember Biden’s Tulsa speech (“For the first time, Biden feels viscerally engaged on the effort to protect voting rights.”)
• Democrats must draw a line in the sand in Texas (“Voting rights advocates have a clear target to challenge voter suppression.”)
• Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2022 (“Five are from Florida, two each are from Arizona, Nevada, and Ohio, and there is one each from California, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Colorado. Eighteen are Republicans. One is an independent.”)
• The Biden team is making terrible excuses for keeping Trump’s secrets buried (“From William Barr’s machinations to Trump’s tax returns, we need full accountability.”)
• Donald Trump is an idea, not a man — and that’s why his movement is so dangerous (“Laughing at Donald Trump in his Mar-a-Lago exile is missing the point. His movement is getting stronger every day”)
• Trump has grown increasingly consumed with ballot audits as he pushes falsehood that election was stolen
• Justice Dept. secretly obtained New York Times reporters’ phone records during Trump administration
• Trump Administration Secretly Seized Phone Records of Times Reporters
• Trump’s Hush Money Undertakers Pay Up (“American Media Inc. will pay more than $187,500 for its role in a campaign-finance scandal, but Trump’s getting off scot-free—for now.” How does Trump always get off scot-free?!?)
• A Democratic special election win suggests GOP attacks over crime failed
• Is a Democratic Landslide in New Mexico’s Congressional Special Election a Sign? (“The 25-point walloping appears to show that Democratic support for Biden is holding, as the party tries to hold onto its slim advantage in the House while simultaneously fighting against the American electorate’s habit of returning the opposition party to power in the House in the cycle after a newly elected president takes office.”)
• Osaka’s withdrawal throws athletes’ mental health into sports spotlight
• Naomi Osaka’s silence speaks volumes (“The decision by 23-year-old tennis phenomenon Naomi Osaka to not compete in the French Open is doing the sport a favor — even if tournament organizers don’t realize it.”)
• Experts Call It A ‘Clown Show’ But Arizona ‘Audit’ Is A Disinformation Blueprint (“It’s an audit in name only…It’s a threat to the overall confidence of democracy, all in pursuit of continuing a narrative that we know to be a lie.”)
• The 139 Republicans Who Lied, Fueled An Insurrection And Then Voted To Cover It Up
• Facebook keeps touting its labels, but data suggests labels actually amplified Trump’s misinformation (“Facebook labeled at least 506 of former President Donald Trump’s posts in 2020 and 2021. On average, these labeled posts earned over two times more interactions per post than his overall posts.”)
• Ominous Sign For Rep. Matt Gaetz As Investigation Reportedly Takes New Turn (“The probe into the Florida congressman is reportedly expanding.”)
• Talk of overturning the 2020 election on new social media platforms used by QAnon followers sparks fears of further violence
• MyPillow Guy Says He ‘Probably’ Inspired Trump’s Idea of an August Restoration
• Tampa man pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 Capitol riot; his recommended prison sentence could set bar for other cases
• Demographics were expected to push Florida left. Instead, they nudged it to the right.
• ‘It’s dehumanizing’: Texas valedictorian goes off script to attack abortion ban (“Paxton Smith criticizes near-total ban that makes no exception for rape or incest”)
• Prosecutors Seek 30 Years for Derek Chauvin in George Floyd Murder
• ‘You Can’t Run From the City … if You Want to Run the City’: Winners and Losers of New York’s Second Mayoral Debate
• NFL pledges to halt ‘race-norming,’ review Black claims
• Mike Krzyzewski made college basketball history by never making excuses
• Law Student Who Made Fun of the Federalist Society Will Be Allowed to Graduate After All
• Federal prosecutors looking into whether Gaetz obstructed justice
• Trump blog page shuts down for good
• Trump ends blog after 29 days, infuriated by measly readership
• Trump’s blog just shut down. Without the mainstream media, he’s starving. (“If Trump yells on the internet and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”)
• Rep. Mo Brooks is avoiding an insurrection lawsuit. Rep. Eric Swalwell hired a private investigator to find him.
• How Fox News is lying about Texas’ voter suppression bill (“Despite what Fox News says, Delaware’s voting laws are nothing like Texas”)
• Gov. Northam signs gun violence prevention bill
• Video: Democratic Leaders In Norfolk Highlight Glenn Youngkin’s Far-Right Opposition To Expanding Affordable Health Care And The American Rescue Plan (“Youngkin may not have a voting record, but we know exactly where he stands…doing exactly what Donald Trump wants him to do”)
• Glenn Youngkin Spent a Whopping $861 per Raw Vote to Win the VA GOP Governor Nomination. To Put This In Perspective, That Would Imply $1.2 *Billion* to Win 1.4 Million Votes or So This November. (“Even if Youngkin spends at “only” 1/10th that rate, it implies spending of $120 million this fall!”)
• Youngkin takes fundraising lead in Va. governor’s race with $12 million in loans to himself
• Campaign finance reports: Ayala flips on Dominion, Youngkin self-funds and a big bundle of shadowy money drops
• Lt. Gov. Candidate Flips on Dominion Donation Pledge
• Clean Virginia plans to spend $125K against Ayala after Dominion donation
• Youngkin calls for Loudoun County teacher to be reinstated (What a joke.)
• He opposed right-to-work repeal before. But McAuliffe won’t take a clear stance now.
• PolitifactVA: Claims U.S. Traditions Are Being Axed From Schools Are False (Yep, Youngkin’s lying. And lying some more. And some more. Etc.)
• David Murray column: Solar key to Virginia Clean Economy Act’s success
• Schapiro: Bloodied, VMI lives to march another day
• VMI must act on a report revealing its ‘racist and sexist culture’
• HD66 Republican Nominee “Hosted Expensive Campaign Event at Plantation That Was Once Wartime Meeting Place For Confederate Generals”
• Wednesday (6/2) Virginia Data on COVID-19: Hospitalizations at Lowest Point Since Start of Pandemic; 10-Day New COVID Cases at Lowest Point Since 3/30/20
• Virginia advocates seek path forward for electric school buses despite lack of state funds (“State lawmakers committed this winter to phasing out diesel-powered school buses within a decade, but the measure was unfunded, leaving state and local officials in search of funding to make the transition.”)
• Suffolk forum becomes heated as mayor mulls participation in ‘Gun Violence Awareness Day’
• Richmond health officials aim to vaccinate 70% of adults by July 4; they’ll need 36,000 more people
• Richmond Vaccination Clinics Open ‘Where The People Are’
• Sentara ends plans to merge with North Carolina-based hospital system
• Two Arlington Democrats face off again in primary for county board seat (Go Takis!)
• Virginia Tech football player charged with murder
• D.C.-area forecast: Late-day storms likely; weekend dries out and heats up