by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, July 30.
- Act on Climate Emergency Now to Prevent Millions of Deaths, Study Shows
- Hong Kong man jailed for 9 years in first national security case
- Japan Expands COVID-19 Emergency After Record Spikes Amid Olympics (“Cases in Tokyo have doubled since last week, although officials claim the surge is unrelated to the games.”)
- How Europe, After a Fumbling Start, Overtook the U.S. in Vaccination
- First flight of Afghans who risked lives to help American troops arrive in US (“The flight carried about 200 people, including applicants and their families, part of a priority group of 700 Afghan SIV applicants who have completed the majority of the background process required to get a visa. Along with their families, they number about 2,500.”)
- The Philippine President Says Long-Standing Security Pact With The U.S. Can Continue (“Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has retracted a decision to end a key defense pact with the United States, allowing large-scale combat exercises between U.S. and Philippine forces that at times have alarmed China to proceed.”)
- Europe Rebounds With a Bang But Germany Disappoints: GDP Update
- Australia’s market operator plans path to zero emissions grid by 2035
- UK power generation in 2020: Renewables up to 43%
- Nanjing: New virus outbreak worst after Wuhan, say Chinese state media
- Covid in Sydney: Military deployed to help enforce lockdown
- India reports most new COVID cases in three weeks
- ‘They Thought I Was Dead’: Haitian President’s Widow Recounts Assassination
- C.D.C. Internal Report Calls Delta Variant as Contagious as Chickenpox
- Behind the Masks, a Mystery: How Often Do the Vaccinated Spread the Virus?
- ‘The war has changed’: Internal CDC document urges new messaging, warns delta infections likely more severe
- CDC mask decision followed stunning findings from Cape Cod beach outbreak
- Biden’s planned vaccine rule meets resistance from large groups of federal workers (“Groups representing law enforcement, postal workers and IRS managers issue statements raising concerns about a government mandate”)
- Ravages of COVID surge evident inside Missouri hospital
- Biden calls on states to offer $100 vaccine incentives
- Partisanship Isn’t The Only Reason Why So Many Americans Remain Unvaccinated
- The 4 main fault lines that divide the vaccinated and the unvaccinated (“Age, race, income, and, of course, politics.”)
- Unions shouldn’t stand in the way of vaccine mandates
- As new school year looms, debates over mask mandates stir anger and confusion
- The CDC Says The Delta Variant Has Changed The War Against COVID-19
- ‘Covid With a Vengeance’ Consumes U.S. Politics (“Rising case counts and stagnant vaccination rates could prove equally frustrating for President Biden and the G.O.P., making it impossible to shift the public’s attention to other priorities.”)
- US economy returns to pre-pandemic level but misses growth forecasts
- Democrats say they have the votes to advance $3.5T budget measure
- Analysis: How Biden Got the Infrastructure Deal Trump Couldn’t (“The early success of the deal vindicated President Biden’s faith in bipartisanship and repudiated former President Trump’s slash-and-burn politics. If he can keep it on track, it will help affirm the rationale for his presidency. But the vote on Wednesday was no guarantee.”)
- You Don’t Care About the Infrastructure Bill
- What’s in the new infrastructure bill — and why it’s a big deal (“The bill would genuinely impact many people’s lives.”)
- Schumer faces test of whether he can deliver ‘big and bold’ Biden agenda as infrastructure bill advances
- The infrastructure deal will do a lot of good. But it’s not proof of a healthy democracy.
- A lot of politics lie ahead — but Congress negotiated a pretty good infrastructure deal
- Biden to meet with top Democrats on voting rights as senators ready scaled-back proposal.
- Sheila Jackson Lee is third Black lawmaker to be arrested during voting rights protests
- Texas Lawmakers Sound The Alarm: Senate Dems Lack Urgency On Voting Rights (“Texas Democrats who fled their state want Senate leaders to work through the August recess and speed up efforts to pass federal voting rights legislation.”)
- Seeing A Make-or-Break Moment, Climate Groups Plan Blitz Over Congressional Recess
- Republicans refuse to go after rich tax cheats. Democrats should. (“Democrats might be the real ‘law and order’ party.”)
- Biden’s Last-Ditch Effort to Stop Evictions Frustrates Allies
- Here’s how the media can cover Republicans responsibly (“Nine things reporters can do to better inform the public.”)
- Pelosi Calling McCarthy a Moron Was Only the Second Best Thing She Did This Week
- Climate change wrecks two US lakes (“Both Lake Mead and Powell are large tourism draws and supply the surrounding communities with water.”)
- Inside Clean Energy: A Geothermal Energy Boom May Be Coming, and Ex-Oil Workers Are Leading the Way
- Manchin and Sinema Have Their History Wrong
- How the left is handling the Biden presidency (“Criticizing Democratic timidity is their job, but relations are about as good as anyone had any reason to expect.”)
- Birth of a nation: Jim Crow Republicans seek to repeat America’s dark history (“Republicans are pushing America backward to the racist fantasies of the past. Are Democrats ready to fight?”)
- One in five flight attendants endured a ‘physical incident’ as union demands action (“Survey finds cases on the rise this year of US airline passengers who sometimes become violent – most often over a mask mandate”)
- Democrats warn shrinking Biden’s spending plan could backfire
- Will Trump ever be held accountable? The Justice Department just increased the odds.
- Trump: Jan. 6 Cops Who Spoke to Congress Are ‘Pussies’ (Trump is pure evil, in every way.)
- Trump takes two punches from GOP (“It’s been a tough week for former President Trump. Trump’s preferred candidate in a special House election in Texas lost on Tuesday to another Republican who was likely boosted by some protest votes against the former president. And on Wednesday, 17 Senate Republicans voted to advance a bipartisan infrastructure deal that Trump spent weeks railing against.”)
- Obama planning star-studded 60th birthday bash on Martha’s Vineyard (“Guest list includes Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney”)
- Donald Trump Would Have Made a Great House Republican (“Will the performative confrontation of the former President and his congressional allies overwhelm Joe Biden’s Senate style?”)
- House GOP stages mask mandate protest (Imbeciles.)
- GOP Reps Flail Against House Mask Mandate by Barging Into Senate
- Why Did a Republican Senator Ask a Biden Nominee if He Believes in God? (Sen. John Kennedy is one of the worst members of Congress.)
- Simone Biles was abandoned by American Olympic officials, and the torment hasn’t stopped
- He Killed Himself After the Jan. 6 Riot. Did He Die in the Line of Duty? (“Jeffrey Smith, a police officer who confronted a mob in the Capitol, later shot himself. His widow blames the riot, and is asking for full death benefits.”)
- Fox News attacks the Biden administration for implementing Fox’s own vaccine policy for its employees (“Both the opinion hosts and purported ‘news anchors’ allege that Democrats are unfairly targeting ‘vaccine-hesitant Americas'”)
- Another Terrible Week for Terrible Human Being Tucker Carlson (“Simply the worst”)
- MyPillow to Pull Ads From Fox News in Disagreement With Network
- The MyPillow Guy Really Could Destroy Democracy (“In the time I spent with Mike Lindell, I came to learn that he is affable, devout, philanthropic—and a clear threat to the nation.”)
- Gavin Newsom Has Reason To Worry (“Recent polls show the race is tightening and Republican voters are more energized.” Dems had better wake the f*** up!)
- Gavin Newsom isn’t safe yet. Angry people vote.
- Defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting teenager in 1970s
- Why the Arizona Election-Audit Circus Just Won’t End
- Be careful, Arizona Republicans. The DOJ just made clear your phony election audit is on thin ice. (“Attorney General Merrick Garland is showing new aggressiveness when it comes to voting rights.”)
- Carl Levin, Michigan’s longest serving U.S. senator, dies at 87
- Kaine: Bipartisan infrastructure bill ‘is a big deal’
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says He’s “Really Proud” of the Senators Who Worked Out the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal; Calls Reconciliation Infrastructure Bill the Next “Herculean Task” That Needs To Get Done (Sen. Warner also says “our patience is wearing thin with those who choose not to get vaccinated,” that “you don’t have a right to put others at risk”)
- Warner confident on bipartisan infrastructure bill, but calls larger spending plan ‘a herculean task’
- Elaine Luria looks to boost nuclear technology with bipartisan bill
- Newest bill from Senator Tim Kaine continues support for military victims of sexual assault
- Terry McAuliffe Releases “Growing Greener Pastures” Plan to Lift Up Virginia’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries
- Youngkin proposes $1.5 billion in tax relief from surplus, school choice plan from rescue funds
- Youngkin announces plans for how he would use billions in surplus & federal relief money (Let’s all make sure he’s never governor.)
- Governor Northam Announces $114 Million in New Resources to Promote Public Safety, Prevent and Reduce Crime (“The Governor’s proposal includes $62 million in hazard pay and compensation for public safety officials”)
- Governor Northam Announces $485 Million Funding Commitment to Strengthen Virginia’s Behavioral Health System
- Virginia Senate Democrats Lay Out Budget Priorities for August Special Session (“Coming out of the pandemic, we are well-positioned to rebuild stronger and better.”)
- RNC builds army of field staffers to flip Virginia governor’s race (“The national party is sending more than 100 organizers to work in the race between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe.”)
- FWIW Virginia: The Digital Battle For the House of Delegates Begins
- Republican VA House of Delegates Candidate Makes Appalling Anti-Semitic Remarks During “Educators For Youngkin” Event (“To come out and say that you’re a teacher on the right is almost as dangerous as…going through Germany in the 1930s and saying ‘I’m Jewish.’ It’s gotten that bad”)
- House Republican candidate faces backlash after comparing herself to a Jewish person during the 1930s
- Northam encourages, but will not require, people to wear masks indoors (So basically no change.)
- Thursday (7/29) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations Picking Up, 1-Day New COVID Cases (+1,101) Highest Since 4/30; 10-Day New Cases (+7,721) Highest Since 5/9
- Did Virginia really put an end to solitary confinement in prisons? Here’s why one group says it’s fake.
- Fairfax considering five-cent tax on plastic bags
- How the Washington Football Team and Richmond became friends again after seven ‘adversarial’ years
- Voting against Department of Health recommendations, Augusta County Schools make mask wearing optional
- Reports: Nationals trade Scherzer, Turner to Dodgers
- D.C.-area forecast: Increasingly comfortable as we head into the weekend
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