Friday News: “It’s time to freak out about methane emissions”; “The echoes of Saigon 1975 are ringing loudly in Kabul 2021.”; Census – “America is more diverse and more multiracial than ever”; Youngkin “Plays Footsies with ‘Big Lie’,” “Coddles Anti-Vaccine Extremists”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, August 13.

• It’s time to freak out about methane emissions (“This lesser-known greenhouse gas will make or break a ‘decisive decade’ for climate change.”)
• Climate change worsens extreme weather. A revolution in attribution science proved it. (“From heat waves to deadly floods, scientists can now calculate how much humans have made disasters worse.”)
• Grim new climate report triggers calls on China to slash carbon emissions sooner
• China’s Green Ambitions Aren’t Halting New Coal and Steel Plans
• India hits 100 GW renewables milestone
• New intel reports indicate fresh efforts by Russia to interfere in 2022 election (“Putin is siding with those in the insurrection, and they will continue to push on behalf of GOP and against Biden”)
• “Not Our Tragedy”: the Taliban Are Coming Back, and America Is Still Leaving (“President Biden made it very clear this week that we’re out of Afghanistan, no matter what.”)
• Afghanistan Collapse Accelerates as the Taliban Move Closer to Capturing 2 Vital Cities
• U.S. Asks Taliban to Spare Its Embassy in Coming Fight for Kabul
• Taliban fighters reportedly executing surrendering troops, which could amount to war crimes, US officials say
• Afghanistan: Panic and disbelief as thousands flee Taliban onslaught
• U.S. to Evacuate Some Afghan Embassy Staff as Taliban Surges
• Al-Qaeda ‘will probably come back’ as Afghanistan heads toward civil war, UK defense minister warns
• Taliban seizes Afghanistan’s second-largest city (“Many consider Kandahar’s fall the beginning of the end for the country’s US-backed government as the insurgent group rapidly advances toward Kabul”)
• As the Taliban gains ground in Afghanistan, this is Biden’s cold-eyed judgment of American interests
• Taliban gaining ground in Afghanistan faster than expected, U.S. defense officials say (“All of the momentum is going one way right now”)
• Afghanistan’s rapid collapse is part of a long, slow U.S. defeat (“The echoes of Saigon 1975 are ringing loudly in Kabul 2021.”)
• The bloody war in Afghanistan is nearing a final tipping point
• Biden will host an international summit on ‘democratic renewal.’ He should start at home.
• The F.D.A. authorized a third dose of Covid vaccines for immunocompromised people.
• Covid Live Updates: Largest U.S. Teachers’ Union Backs Vaccine Mandate
• Jobs Postings Requiring Vaccination Jump in Past Month
• Analysis: A Nation That Resembles Its Future More Than Its Past (“For Democrats, there was much to cheer in the growth of cities and suburbs. But Republicans, imperiled by the falling white population, are still well positioned for redistricting.”)
• Five takeaways from a groundbreaking census report
• The census proves the US is diversifying. Here’s how – in five charts (“The white population has fallen by 8.6%, and population growth among racial minorities isn’t just in cities”)
• Census data shows the number of White people in the U.S. fell for first time since 1790 (“The country also passed two more milestones on its way to becoming a majority-minority society in the coming decades: For the first time, the portion of White people dipped below 60 percent, slipping from 63.7 percent in 2010 to 57.8 percent in 2020. And the under-18 population is now majority people of color, at 52.7 percent.”)
• Census release shows America is more diverse and more multiracial than ever
• HOW THE PANDEMIC NOW ENDS (“Cases of COVID-19 are rising fast. Vaccine uptake has plateaued. The pandemic will be over one day—but the way there is different now…the pandemic ends when almost everyone has immunity, preferably because they were vaccinated or alternatively because they were infected and survived. When that happens, the cycle of surges will stop and the pandemic will peter out. The new coronavirus will become endemic—a recurring part of our lives like its four cousins that cause common colds. It will be less of a problem, not because it has changed but because it is no longer novel and people are no longer immunologically vulnerable.”)
• Unvaccinated America, In 5 Charts
• If You Skip the Vaccine, It Is My ‘Damn Business’
• Trump’s corrupt manipulation of DOJ should prompt big reforms
• A tale of two chambers: Trump’s power holds in House, wanes in Senate
• Maybe it’s time for doubting Democrats to press pause on the angst
• Why Democratic centrists and progressives will come together in the end (“They have their differences, but they share a belief in government that makes it impossible to walk away.”)
• Pacific Northwest Is Facing Another Extreme Heat Wave (“Sweltering heat gripped swaths of the U.S. as forecasters predicted the potential for record-breaking temperatures in the Pacific Northwest and as cooling stations were set up for residents to find some relief in cities across the nation.”)
• Temperatures soar as Washington and Oregon baked by another major heatwave (This situation is completely f’ed up. Need to ditch fossil fuels ASAP!)
• The Jan. 6 select committee is about more than just Jan. 6 (“The committee needs a new name and broader mandate”)
• The GOP strategy for retaking power is about to take an ugly new turn (“…their strategy mainly revolves around torquing up the base into the greatest frenzy possible, and letting extreme gerrymanders and other anti-majoritarian tactics do the rest.”)
• The rightwing US textbooks that teach slavery as ‘black immigration’
• ‘Dangerous:’ How GOP is turning Jan. 6 rioters into martyrs
• The reckoning may have finally come for MAGA governors. But at what cost?
• The Supreme Court won’t block Indiana University’s vaccine mandate.
• Supreme Court Blocks Part of New York’s Eviction Moratorium (“The order applies only to a part of the law that bars the eviction of tenants who file a form saying they have suffered economic setbacks as result of the pandemic.”)
• Divided Supreme Court sides with landlords, lifts part of New York eviction moratorium
• Rand Paul’s wife bought shares in Covid treatment maker Gilead in early days of virus, the couple’s only individual stock purchase in years
• Mississippi’s Hospital System Could Collapse Within 10 Days Under COVID’s Strain (Republican governance.)
• Colorado Republican official accused after voting system passwords are leaked to right-wing site
• DeSantis moderates school board salary threats
• Lindell-apalooza melts down: MyPillow guy claims antifa sabotaged his “cyber symposium”
• OAN has aired more than 22 hours of Mike Lindell’s election fraud scam symposium in just two days
• GOP Strategist Arrested for Underage Sex Trafficking
• Column: Biden to the rescue! The president promises aggressive effort to fight Newsom recall
• Pelosi rallies behind Newsom in California recall effort: ‘We will defeat it’
• Report: Matt Gaetz’s Wingman Has Given the Feds “Years of Venmo Transactions” and “Thousands of Photos and Videos”
• Tucker Carlson Mocks AOC’s Fears of Sexual Assault During 1/6 Riot: ‘Get a Therapist, Honey’ (Deranged, evil fascist.)
• Greene waves off concerns of hospital overcrowding: ‘We can’t live forever’
• The Vindication of Andrew Cuomo’s Accusers
• Senator Tim Kaine Visits Site of Charlottesville Vehicle Attack on 4th Anniversary
• Senators announce more than $14M for high-speed broadband in central Va
• Opinion: Virginia is on the front lines of climate change. Congress must make up for lost time. (“Congress must invest in stopping the accelerating climate crisis — including climate justice initiatives and funding programs that create climate-related jobs in the clean energy sector and land and water conservation sectors. And it must do so at the scale the climate crisis demands.”)
• Video, Highlights: 2020 U.S. Census Data Released; Virginia Became More Diverse Over Past Decade, Population Growth Mostly in Urban/Suburban Areas
• A Decade of Population Change (“Newly released data from the 2020 Census shows how Virginia’s counties have grown in the past decade. While the state grew as a whole, 62 of Virginia’s 133 localities lost residents in the past 10 years, primarily in the Southwest and Southside regions. This data will inform the work of Virginia’s Redistricting Commission, as the new districts must reflect the current population of Virginia.”)
• Governor Northam Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of Violence in Charlottesville
• After Summer of “Outrage” and “Manufactured Controversy” Over “Critical Race Theory” and Vaccine Misinformation, VA GOP Turns To…90’s-Throwback “Tough On Crime” Messaging To Rile Up Their Base
• Video: Democrats Kick Off “Build Back Better Bus Tour” in Alexandria, VA
• NEW TV AD: Terry for Virginia Releases New Ad Highlighting Republican Voters Who Reject Glenn Youngkin’s Right-Wing Agenda
• Opinion: Glenn Youngkin is playing footsie with the ‘big lie.’ It undermines democracy.
• Pompeo to headline fundraiser for Youngkin(Just a reminder: “During his tenure as Secretary of State, Pompeo was described as among the staunchest Trump loyalists in the Cabinet.[5] During his tenure, he routinely flouted norms and protocols followed by his predecessors…A State Department Inspector General report found more than 100 instances of misconduct where Pompeo requested that State Department staff perform personal errands for him and his wife.”)
• DVPA: Glenn Youngkin Coddles Anti-Vaccine Extremists
• Candidates for Virginia governor take opposite positions on mask and vaccine mandates (Youngkin, as usual, is wildly wrong.)
• Debates on vaccine, mask mandates permeate Virginia governor’s race
• Thursday (8/12) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations At Highest Level Since Late April, 10-Day New Cases (+17,617) Highest Since Late February(!)
• Governor Northam Announces Public Health Order to Require Universal Masking in K-12 Schools (“The vast majority of school districts have chosen to follow the CDC and keep their school communities safe”)
• Virginia issues order requiring masks in schools, forcing hands of reluctant school boards
• Peggy Sanner column: Virginia’s next governor should commit to clean water and the good life
• Northam administration mandates masks in schools after some local leaders reject CDC guidance
• Southwest, Southside Counties See Populations Shrink (“The biggest declines were in southwest. Buchanan County lost a bigger share of its population than any other county, falling by more than 15%. Meanwhile Loudoun County, in northern Virginia, grew more than any other locality, nearly 35%.”)
• Virginia political leaders respond to mask requirement in Virginia schools
• McAuliffe Not Saying Much About Right to Work… For Now
• After some schools push back on masks, Virginia orders them
• NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC Announces House Candidate Endorsements for the 2021 General Election
• Could Virginia Rail Express serve as a second Metro?
• $125M puts ‘meaningful dent’ in plans to halt sewage flow into Virginia rivers (“Richmond says it needs millions more to end overflows for good”)
• Cville Victims Plan Lawsuit Four Years After Attack
• This Virginia school board just passed an inclusive policy for transgender and gender-expansive students
• Chesterfield County School Board approves transgender policy, but it wasn’t unanimous
• 6 Hampton Roads cities to begin weekly coronavirus testing for all unvaccinated employees
• Fredericksburg police implementing 64 recommendations from review of protest response
• ‘I never said no to the sheriff’: Former employee describes cashing checks from campaign account, driving for Bob McCabe (“The former sheriff’s office captain testified that he chauffeured Bob McCabe to ODU football games and golf outings, picked up the sheriff’s son from school and retrieved people from the airport.”)
• Albemarle School Boards OKs transgender student policy, mandates vaccines for staff
• Arlington county, school workers must get coronavirus vaccine or get regular tests
• D.C.-area forecast: One last oppressively hot day before a cool-down begins this weekend