by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginias news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, August 8.
- Climate change: Low-income countries ‘can’t keep up’ with impacts
- ‘Apocalyptic’ scenes hit Greece as Athens besieged by fire
- What experts are learning about Lambda, a coronavirus ‘variant of interest’
- Tucker Carlson fuels the Maga mindset with fawning trip to authoritarian Hungary
- Conservative Fellow Travelers: Tucker Carlson Drops In On Viktor Orban (Both are fascists.)
- Russian Deaths Near Record; U.S. Cases Rising: Virus Update
- Rampant Taliban capture key Kunduz as Afghan cities fall in wake of U.S. withdrawal (“The fall of the city of Kunduz, capital of the northern province of the same name, could deal a significant blow to crumbling Afghan government forces.”)
- The Taliban seize Kunduz, a major city in northern Afghanistan.
- U.S. Calls in Airstrikes to Defend Afghan Allies Amid Exit
- Anti-military protests in Myanmar on anniversary of 1988 uprising
- Hong Kong minister signals path to adopting China anti-sanctions law
- Japan to douse flame of Olympics transformed by pandemic and drama
- Team USA Wins Seventh Straight Olympic Gold Medal in Women’s Basketball
- How Much Longer Can the Olympics Survive? (“The international spectacle has become increasingly synonymous with overspending, corruption and autocratic regimes”)
- With 1.3 billion people and 35 medals ever, India remains an Olympic mystery
- The Surprising Relief of the Tokyo Olympics (“Rightly or wrongly, the Games did proceed, and, to general astonishment, began to work their weird, if slightly shopworn, magic.”)
- Saudi Aramco Q2 profit soars on higher prices, demand recovery
- Study reveals effects of extreme heat on tens of millions of Americans (“Research shows more than a quarter of US population suffered ill health last summer, and it’s likely to get worse”)
- Fake Covid Vaccination Cards Are on the Rise in the U.S., Europe
- Dr. Anthony Fauci: Expect ‘a flood’ of COVID-19 vaccine mandates after full FDA approval
- The U.S. hasn’t OK’d boosters for those who got the J&J vaccine. But some are getting one anyway.
- U.S. Covid Cases Reach Six-Month High Even as Vaccinations Rise
- These 5 figures show how bad the US Covid-19 surge is. But experts say we can turn things around
- The US Is a Failed COVID State
- Yes, the Pandemic Is Bad Again (“Masks are reappearing and return-to-office plans have been postponed. Welcome to Delta’s whiplash.”)
- $1T infrastructure bill passes key test vote
- Infrastructure Inches Along After Clearing Senate Hurdle
- GOP senator vows to slow-walk $1T infrastructure bill, sparking standoff (“A standoff over the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is poised to drag out the Senate’s debate for days, with GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) vowing he will block attempts to speed up passage of the legislation.” Asshole.)
- Trump slams McConnell, infrastructure package: ‘A disgrace’
- Former Acting Attorney General Testifies About Trump’s Efforts to Subvert Election
- Die Hard Trump Supporters Increasingly Demand Violence If He Isn’t Reinstated, Homeland Security Warns
- Highly Vaccinated States Keep Worst Covid-19 Outcomes in Check as Delta Spreads, WSJ Analysis Shows (The “blue” states, in other words.)
- College Was Supposed to Close the Wealth Gap for Black Americans. The Opposite Happened.
- Supreme Court decision could set off gerrymandering ‘arms race’
- How cryptocurrency became a powerful force in Washington
- The deplorable treatment of Michael Fanone and the heroes of Jan. 6
- Husband-wife Seattle police officers fired for being at Capitol riot
- In public, Cuomo cast himself as an advocate of women. In private, women say, he was harassing them at the same time.
- The Quislings of Albany
- How Cuomo went from #MeToo ally to a one-man battle to discredit women
- Dixie fire: eight missing in largest single wildfire in California history
- Anti-Vax Radio Host Who Called Fauci a ‘Power Tripping Lying Freak’ Dies of COVID
- Texas Democrats continue holdout, don’t show for new session
- Democrats who fled Texas sue Gov. Greg Abbott, Speaker Dade Phelan, saying efforts to force their return violate their civil rights
- Before a 27-year-old man killed a Pentagon police officer, he was accused of targeting the couple next door
- Youngkin speaks at ‘election integrity’ rally at Liberty University (“Leslie Caughell, associate professor of political science at Virginia Wesleyan University, said conspiracy theories have existed in the United States since its founding and data has shown many people believe them. But in politics now, ‘mainstream politicians are courting them and mainstream politicians are using them,’ she said. Youngkin is sending a message through a nod, she said.”)
- In stunning summer turnaround, delta strain causes COVID-19 infections to soar in Virginia (“Across the state, 7.1% of nasal swab tests are coming back positive statewide, a jump of more than 40% in a single week.”)
- Friday Night Update from the ER in Arlington, VA: “I don’t want a lockdown nor do I think we are headed back there but I do believe we can’t ‘hope’ we improve.”
- Regent University law student suing over LGBTQ+ discrimination
- ‘We are invisible’: Asian Americans seek to fill in gaps in Virginia’s history curriculum
- Loudoun County Public Schools implements safety protocols for future school board meetings (“LCPS says ongoing security threats prompted the response to change the protocol. Starting next week, items — such as bags, food and noise-making devices — will no longer be allowed…The public will also have to register to speak in person or submit written comments to be shared with school board members. Walk-up comments will be accepted until five minutes before the meeting begins. Only 10 speakers at a time will be admitted into the building, with the next 10 speakers waiting in line to enter outside the building.”)
- Butler: Comeback City: Danville’s revival is powered by clean energy
- Across the state, 7.1% of nasal swab tests are coming back positive statewide, a jump of more than 40% in a single week.
- D.C.-area forecast: Sunshine returns today with heat and humidity building through midweek
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