Wednesday News: “Republicans aren’t ‘looking forward.’ They’re stepping into a Jim Crow past.”; “Why Biden is right to go to Tulsa — and why the GOP won’t listen”; “The pre-Trump ‘normal’ is gone for good”; “What’s with the scary ads about threats to your power service?”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, June 2.

• Biden administration aims to ramp up climate change funding for Africa
• Hundreds of fishing fleets that go ‘dark’ suspected of illegal hunting, study finds (“Vessels primarily from China switch off their tracking beacons to evade detection while they engage in possible illegal fishing” Absolutely unacceptable.)
• The pandemic fire is still raging. Rich-country leaders must respond.
• We will need more wind than solar for 100 pct renewables, and lots of storage
• Snubbed, fired and vilified, opposition lawmakers unite in disdain for Netanyahu
• Sen. Graham Says Israel Plans to Ask for $1b in U.S. Aid Following Gaza Fighting
• Lessons in democracy from D.C. to Texas to Jerusalem (“Americans and Israelis alike are witnessing authoritarian threats.”)
• US secretary of state warns Pacific leaders about ‘coercion’ in veiled swipe at China (“Antony Blinken takes a shot at Beijing’s growing influence with rallying call for ‘international rules-based order’”)
• As U.S. Optimism Grows, Others Have Worst Outbreaks Yet
• The ‘Mean Greens’ Are Forcing Exxon to Clean Up Its Act (Good, nail the @#$!ers!)
• Here Are America’s Top Methane Emitters. Some Will Surprise You.
• There’s a ticking climate time bomb in West Texas (“Biden faces a critical decision about the Permian Basin and its methane emissions from oil and gas.”)
• The Latest Burst of Inflation in the U.S. Is Probably Transitory
• The smartest way to finance clean energy that you’ve never heard of (“A national green bank could be a game changer.”)
• What Chuck Schumer can learn from Harry Reid (“‘I think the biggest lesson is never trust Republicans,’ says one of Reid’s former staffers.” Agreed 100%.)
• Why Biden is right to go to Tulsa — and why the GOP won’t listen (“Tulsa’s history undermines the white supremacist narrative.”)
• Biden promises to combat GOP efforts to restrict voting rights
• America’s democracy is facing a relentless assault (“American democracy — facing a multi-front attack from pro-Trump Republicans — is about to show whether it is strong enough to save itself”)
• The Republican plot to steal the 2024 election
• How the Military Should Deal With Its Michael Flynn Problem (“A retired three-star general and former national security adviser supporting a military coup is reckless and disgraceful. Is it also illegal?”)
• Michael Flynn is playing with fire
• Biden’s Memorial Day speech shows he understands the holiday better than MAGA Republicans
• Biden administration puts Arctic refuge leases on ice as it asks for new environmental reviews
• Biden administration to cancel oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Democrats must make a much clearer case for immigration (“The Democratic plan is more legal immigration to reduce illegal immigration. They just have to let everyone know”)
• Democrats Prepare To Investigate Capitol Riot After GOP Blocked Bipartisan Commission (“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed to her colleagues four options to launch an investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection, despite Republican resistance.”)
• Pelosi rules out having Biden create Jan. 6 commission
• Senate climate advocates start digging in on infrastructure goals
• Why Biden keeps talking about wanting GOP cooperation (“For better or worse, the president is doing what he promised to do.”)
• The Memo: The pre-Trump ‘normal’ is gone for good
• As Pride Month begins, Republicans double down on restricting transgender Americans
• Republicans aren’t ‘looking forward.’ They’re stepping into a Jim Crow past.
• The Frightening New Republican Consensus (“Conservatives may disagree with one another about what happened in 2020, but they’re converging on a belief that Democrats win close elections only through fraud.” If Republicans can’t/won’t accept the possibility that they can lose elections fairly, then democracy is basically screwed.)
• Trump Has Reportedly Been Telling People He’s Going To Be President Again By August, Which Would Suggest He’s Planning a Coup (Or Has Fully Descended Into Madness)
• Jim Crow Killed Voting Rights for Generations. Now the GOP Is Repeating History. (“More than a century later, another generation of Black lawmakers is battling a familiar enemy.”)
• Obama Explains How America Went From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘MAGA’
• In 2021, there’s no excuse for media failing to recognize bad-faith disinformation campaigns targeting journalists (“AP’s apparent decision to fire Emily Wilder over her support for Palestinian human rights was the latest example of media outlets and institutions caving to a right-wing harassment campaign and firing a journalist”)
• Jimmy Kimmel Drags ‘Insane’ Trump for Thinking He’ll Be Reinstated as President
• Joe Manchin Is Neville Chamberlain
• Where Are They Now? Flynn, Other Trump Alums Keep MAGA Hopes Alive
• Michael Flynn’s coup comments show how QAnon is evolving in the Biden era (“Some QAnon followers think a military coup like the one in Myanmar should also happen in the US.”)
• Joe Biden calls for US to confront its past on 100th anniversary of Tulsa massacre
• Tulsa isn’t the only race massacre you were never taught in school. Here are others.
• Biden delivers remarks on Tulsa Race Massacre after meeting with survivors (And Republicans like Glenn Youngkin want to keep it that way, by not teaching about America’s history – good, bad, shades of gray, etc.)
• Pentagon reviewing policy that could open door to Pride flags being displayed at bases
• Local News Coverage Is Declining — And That Could Be Bad For American Politics
• Meat Plant Closures Are Spreading After a Cyberattack on JBS
• 100 Experts Express ‘Growing Alarm’ That Republicans Are Endangering Democracy (“Our democracy is fundamentally at stake. History will judge what we do at this moment.”)
• 100 Political Scientists – Including Three From Virginia – Sign Statement Which Declares: “Our democracy is fundamentally at stake. History will judge what we do at this moment.”
• Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat, Cruises in New Mexico House Race
• In an ugly special election, disastrous ‘tough on crime’ politics are back (“The increase in crime is real. The politics it will produce are utterly poisonous, and we’ve seen it before.”)
• Democrat wins New Mexico special election for U.S. House, overcoming a Republican emphasis on rising crime
• Florida governor signs ban blocking transgender girls from school sports (DeSantis is a horrible person in every way.)
• Presidential adviser reportedly scripted campaign ad (“Fox News host Sean Hannity’s role as an off-the-books political operative to former President Donald Trump extended to writing copy for one of the Trump campaign’s commercials, according to a new report.”)
• Nikki Fried, only statewide elected Democrat in Florida, launches challenge to DeSantis
• Trump’s company puts D.C. hotel lease up for sale, again
• N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race Tightens Ahead of Crucial In-Person Debate
• A tabloid publisher will pay a $187,500 F.E.C. penalty for its Trump hush-money payment.
• Fox News loved Benghazi inquiries, hates January 6 inquiry
• National Enquirer Parent, Ex-CEO Fined for Breaking Election Law in 2016 Campaign
• CNN under ethics scrutiny following Cuomo revelations
• 80% of cruise enthusiasts would prefer to sail with vaccine requirement
• Is Glenn Greenwald the New Master of Right-Wing Media?
• Video: Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02) Says Gen. Flynn’s Comments Supporting Myanmar-Style Coup Fall Within Definition of Sedition, That Action Should Be Taken Under Uniform Code of Military Justice
• So far, Glenn Youngkin is mastering the duck and the dodge
• VA GOP Gubernatorial Nominee Glenn Youngkin Launches “disgusting attack against trans kids in the Commonwealth – and on the 1st day of Pride Month” (Del. Lopez: Youngkin is another example of Republican politicians who “care more about their fundamentalist base than serving students in need”)
• Final, Pre-VA-Dem-Primary Campaign Finance Reports Coming In…
• Democrats running for governor spotlight racial equity in final debate
• Munley: McAuliffe backed pipelines
• What’s with the scary ads about threats to your power service? (“According to the nonprofit Energy and Policy Institute, Power for Tomorrow is a utility front group that is ‘Virginia-based and Dominion Energy-connected.’…Whether the long-term effects of this kind of energy deregulation would be good or bad for Virginia residents is a matter of furious debate, but clearly the legislation would have hurt Dominion’s profits…Power for Tomorrow would like you to believe that competition leads to disaster. But the mailer is vague about how what happened in Texas might happen here, and for good reason: It won’t.”)
• In final debate for Democratic Virginia governor bid, McAuliffe’s opponents say he won’t inspire
• VMI report: School’s reluctance to change is disadvantage to minorities, females
• VMI has tolerated ‘racist and sexist culture’ and must change, investigation finds
• Highly Anticipated Report Finds “institutional racism and sexism are present, tolerated, and left unaddressed at VMI”
• Q&A: VMI’s new superintendent on report that says school has been ‘run by White men, for White men.’
• Report Details Culture of Sexism, Racism at Virginia Military Institute
• Investigation Shows Racism Present, Sometimes Tolerated at VMI
• Virginia Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Releases Pre-Primary “Family Friendly Seal of Approval” Scorecards
• Video: Delegate Mark Levine’s Campaign for Lieutenant Governor Releases TV Ad, “Every Fifteen Minutes”
• Tuesday (6/1) Virginia Data on COVID-19: Hospitalizations at Lowest Point Since Start of Pandemic; 10-Day New COVID Cases at Lowest Point Since 3/31/20
• Northam Ceremonially Signs Sick Leave Bill for Caregivers
• Opinion: Politics shouldn’t dictate when to stand with LGBTQ Virginians
• In Va., language is a barrier for Latino victims of violence seeking help. A Richmond nonprofit is changing that.
• Dominion Energy, Ørsted and Eversource Reach Deal on Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, “Charybdis”
• A Loudoun teacher was placed on leave for refusing to use transgender students’ pronouns. Now he’s suing. (“The suit alleges school administrators infringed on the teacher’s rights to free speech and free exercise of religion.”)
• 2 Portsmouth police officers accused of wrongful arrest and assault settle lawsuit out of court
• Williams: A civilian review board must be collaborative, but also confrontational. Otherwise, why bother?
• Newport News expects to finish fiscal year with $5.5 million surplus
• D.C.-area forecast: Warm today and not too humid; muggier tomorrow with scattered late-day showers and storms