Thursday News: “Pandemic frustrations zero in on unvaccinated Americans”; Trump’s “Big Lie is already tainting future elections”; “Robert E. Lee and the Trumpists: Why a Confederate “hero” is still important”; “McAuliffe, Youngkin Set to Meet in First Gubernatorial Debate”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, September 16.

• ‘Larger than usual’: this year’s ozone layer hole bigger than Antarctica (Not good.)
• Children already have the facts. Now they need the tools to fix the climate crisis
• Drought puts 2.1 million Kenyans at risk of starvation
• Rich Nations Head to South Africa Seeking Coal Exit Deal
• China’s Push For Rooftop Solar and Rural Wind Boosts Producers
• WHO Reports ‘Substantial’ Drop In Global COVID-19 Cases. U.S. Stays Elevated.
• Pope Weighs In on Calls to Deny Communion to Biden Over Abortion
• Pope Francis Is Not a Fan of Conservative Effort to Deny Communion to Joe Biden (“After some oblique warnings, Francis is clearly telling telling conservative bishops to behave like pastors, not politicians.”)
• Cold war echoes as Aukus alliance focuses on China deterrence (“Analysis: military alliance is more wide-ranging than Five Eyes agreement and may come to define future approach to Indo-Pacific security”)
• Biden and UK to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines in new pushback on China
• Aukus: UK, US and Australia launch pact to counter China
• China fumes over Australia’s nuclear sub pact with U.S., Britain
• A new U.S. alliance responds to the Chinese threat — and U.S. military complacency
• Morrison says sub deal won’t lead to nuclear power push in Australia. Don’t believe him
• Vladimir Putin says dozens in Kremlin inner circle have Covid (“Russian president, 68, self-isolating after announcing outbreak among members of his entourage”)
• Friction Among Taliban Pragmatists, Hard-Liners Intensifies
• Head of Islamic State in Sahara killed by French troops – Macron
• First group of all amateur astronauts enters orbit after successful SpaceX launch
• SpaceX’s historic Inspiration4 launch reaches orbit successfully carrying private crew
• U.S. Booster Policy Is in Flux as Studies Add to Dissent (“A week before President Biden’s plan is to roll out, scientists are at odds about whether extra coronavirus shots are needed and for whom.”)
• The pandemic marks another grim milestone: 1 in 500 Americans have died of covid-19
• Study of Booster Shot Benefits Fans Debate Over Extra Doses
• Nearly 7 In 10 Say Recent Rise In COVID-19 Deaths Was Preventable
• Remaining unvaccinated in public should be considered as bad as drunken driving
• Pandemic frustrations zero in on unvaccinated Americans
• Mitch McConnell’s debt limit game-playing is lunacy, and we should say so (“This creates a dilemma for Democrats, but only because they aren’t being reckless and crazy.”)
• Once again, the GOP’s answer is ‘no.’ Democrats should take it and run. (“Democrats may never cast a more important vote.”)
• This is a golden age of high voter turnout (“Americans may be angry and afraid, but it’s getting them to the polls.”)
• Biden’s child tax credit pays big in Republican states, popular with voters
• House Democrats Opposed To Biden Agenda Actually Hail From Safe Seats
• Milley’s revelation about Trump leaves us with five questions (“Republicans need to be held accountable for endangering America.”)
• Trump Wants General Milley Charged with Treason For Making Him Look Stupid (“A reaction keeping in line with Trump’s famously thick skin.”)
• Did Gen. Mark Milley Actually Go Rogue at the End of the Trump Administration? (“Reporting on Robert Costas and Bob Woodward’s book suggests the journalists may have inflated the severity of a call from Milley to a Chinese general.”)
• Demands For Milley’s Firing Let White House Put The Focus Back On Trump’s Insurrection (“Biden and his staff appear to welcome the opportunity to remind the nation that Trump tried to overthrow American democracy after losing reelection.”)
• Gen Milley thought Trump wanted 6 January riot to happen, book claims
• Trump’s Big Lie is changing the face of American politics
• A Cornerstone of Democrats’ Agenda Is Suddenly in Deep Trouble (“Democrats had a neat plan for their health care agenda. As part of the $3.5 trillion spending bill they’re putting together as I type, they would finally, after years and years of pledges to do so, pass legislation to cut the costs of prescription drugs.”)
• Democrats may torpedo their big plan: Shielding billionaire wealth, making it tougher to get aid (“Corporate lobbyists fight back — and it looks like Rep. Richie Neal and Sen. Joe Manchin are doing their bidding”)
• Biden’s Economic Plan at Risk of Delays as Democrats Squabble
• Democrats target cigarettes and vaping as potential sources to pay for $3.5 trillion economic package
• Joe Manchin gets all the attention. But Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democrats’ spending plans.
• Manchin keeps Washington guessing on what he wants
• Joe Manchin Is Missing the Big Picture on Spending
• The Memo: Rally in support of Jan. 6 rioters is new headache for GOP
• Republicans, Wary of Political Fallout, Steer Clear of Rally for Riot Suspects
• Paranoia and accusations cloud efforts to launch ‘Justice for January 6’ rally
• What We Know About The Right-Wing Rally Planned For Sept. 18
• The Capitol Faces Its Biggest Security Test Since Jan. 6 On Saturday
• The big Newsom win shows how to run against the continuing threat of Trumpism
• Robert E. Lee and the Trumpists: Why a Confederate “hero” is still important (“Trump’s remarks about the treasonous general were historically ignorant. To his followers, that’s not a problem”)
• California’s recall election confirmed everything that is wrong with today’s Republican Party (“The GOP seems willing to do whatever it takes to win, with the exception of putting forward a set of palatable ideas that might make more people vote for Republicans.”)
• Biden calls Newsom recall results ‘a resounding win’ for ‘strong vaccine requirements’
• California’s recall election makes it abundantly clear: Trump is lying about election fraud
• The GOP’s recall disaster in California is a boon for Democrats (“Gavin Newsom’s romp might show how Democrats can run in 2022.”)
• Emboldened by recall win, Democrats brush aside talk of unity and escalate attacks on Republicans
• The California Recall’s Warning for Democracy (“Governor Gavin Newsom will remain in office, but GOP attempts to undermine elections aren’t going anywhere.”)
• Trump’s election fraud claims pose risks for GOP in midterms
• The right’s California recall strategy casts a shadow on democracy
• Expanding the Supreme Court Has Support Because the Court Has a Credibility Problem
• The Broader Problem With Amy Coney Barrett Promising the Court Isn’t Partisan (“It was transparently absurd to do this at a celebration of Mitch McConnell. But the real issue goes deeper than that.”)
• What’s Next in the Legal Fight Against Texas’s Extreme Abortion Ban
• Will US contractor CACI finally be punished for Abu Ghraib torture? (“There still might be justice for three detainees who say private interrogators were on site and complicit in the heinous acts.”)
• CNN ignores that former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah helped spread his election fraud lies (CNN sucks so badly.)
• Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. It Got Angrier Instead. (“Internal memos show how a big 2018 change rewarded outrage and that CEO Mark Zuckerberg resisted proposed fixes”)
• Mercer family played bigger role in 2020 election than thought, giving nearly $20 million to dark money GOP fund
• Florida vaccine advocate loses 6 members of her family to Covid-19 within 3 weeks
• Democrats Continue to Struggle With Men of Color
• Larry Elder’s voter fraud messaging depressed Republican turnout, GOP consultant charges
• Governor Gavin Newsom to national Democrats: “Don’t be timid” on COVID-19 response
• Democrats warn of ‘canary in the coal mine’ for Latino voters in California recall
• Latinos showed up for Newsom, but some Latino men tilted right. Democrats need to pay attention. (“We’re a complex and broad swath of people who make up the Latino vote, and the candidates and political parties who recognize that and also invest in outreach will probably fare the best.”)
• Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers approve wide-ranging subpoenas for personal information of 2020 voters (Completely f’ed up. Do NOT vote Republican – ever – until this party comes back to its senses and respects our democracy!)
• Flooding on military bases — and polluted stormwater runoff — would be tackled in bill backed by Rep. Bobby Scott
• Edwards: Virginia’s Democratic majority gets things done (“Last month, the General Assembly returned to Richmond to allocate $3.3 billion in federal funds from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.”)
• Remarks by VP Kamala Harris at a Fundraiser for McAuliffe Campaign Last Night: “What happens here in Virginia is — it is a bellwether for what will happen in the rest of the country” (“It matters who the governor is. Take a look at what’s happening in Texas. Can you believe that stuff?”)
• With Early Voting Starting This Friday, July 1-August 31 Virginia Fundraising Numbers Coming In…
• DLCC and Affiliates Announce $2.3 Million Investment in Virginia
• Terry McAuliffe Statement Celebrating Beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month/Declaración de Terry McAuliffe Celebrando el Comienzo del Mes de la Herencia Hispana
• THREE Independent Reports Show Dangerous Effects Of Glenn Youngkin’s Economic Plan – Would Cost Virginia Millions of Jobs, Decimate Funding for Education and Public Safety
• Video, Links to Watch Thursday Night’s (First) Virginia Gubernatorial Debate Between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin (The debate is being hosted by the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy and moderated by Susan Page of USA Today)
• McAuliffe and Youngkin will go head-to-head in first debate Thursday
• McAuliffe, Youngkin Set to Meet in First Gubernatorial Debate Thursday
• McAuliffe launches a new ad targeting Youngkin’s Wall Street connections
• The problem with Virginia’s election that no one wants to talk about (Yep, the House of Delegates elections are being conducted using 2010 Census data.)
• AG Mark Herring Continues Fight Against Texas Abortion Ban, Joins 23 Other AGs Filing “amicus brief supporting the DOJ’s challenge to Texas’ unconstitutional law banning abortions after six weeks”
• Redistricting Commission Gives Map Instructions, but Deadlocks on Key Questions on Race
• Va. Redistricting Commission approves neutrality rule, deadlocks on use of race
• Video: VHHA Launches Statewide Outreach Campaign Aimed at Vaccine Hesitant Audiences Amid a More Than 1,000% Surge in COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations
• Wednesday (9/15) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations (2,155) Near Highest Level Since Mid February, 10-Day New Cases (+40,637) Near Highest Since Early February
• Putting on pandemic pounds: State obesity rates hit all-time highs
• Va. relatives of front-line doctor who died by suicide press House to pass physicians’ mental health bill
• Appalachian Power asks state for another rate increase (“The utility company is seeking to recoup costs associated with increased prices for coal, with which it generates 60% of its electricity” Get off of f’ing coal NOW!)
• 30 Richmond employees are on unpaid leave for not complying with vaccine mandate; 360 applied for exemption (“About 10% of Richmond city employees will not be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine after applying for an exemption to the city’s shot mandate.”)
• A historically Black town stood in the way of a pipeline – so developers claimed it was mostly white
• EPA, New River Gorge, others express concerns to FERC about potential Mountain Valley Pipeline impacts
• Accused hitman withdraws guilty plea now that death penalty is banned in Virginia, throwing murder-for-hire case into disarray
• Prince William School Board meeting cleared due to unruly crowd
• Blacksburg teacher calls school disciplinary system ‘white supremacy’ in viral video
• D.C.-area forecast: Scattered downpours today and Friday before drying out this weekend