by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, October 15.
- Climate change will dominate Biden’s agenda when he heads to Europe in two weeks (As well it should.)
- Queen ‘irritated’ by world leaders talking not doing on climate crisis (“Overheard comment suggests anger at possible no-shows at Cop26 by leaders of countries with worst CO2 emissions”)
- An upcoming climate summit is supposed to save the planet. But pessimism is building.
- Oil Hits $85 a Barrel With Global Energy Costs Soaring
- Brussels urged to prepare contingency plan for UK trade war (“EU countries want European Commission to be ready if Britain suspends key part of Brexit deal”)
- Norway bow-and-arrow attack that killed five people appears to be ‘terrorist act,’ police say
- Analysis: With boosters, masks and Green Pass, Israel sees a COVID-19 wave in retreat
- Afghanistan: Explosion strikes Afghan mosque during prayers
- EXCLUSIVE Evergrande’s $1.7 bln Hong Kong headquarters sale flops as buyer withdraws
- Biden administration says it’s ready to restore ‘Remain in Mexico’ along border next month
- Biden shows plan to address major financial risks posed by climate change (“The Biden administration on Friday unveiled a government-wide plan to address the systemic threat climate change poses to all sectors of the economy. The roadmap accounts for how climate change will impact the companies people are invested in and aims to protect the savings of American families with retirement plans. The roadmap also identifies how agencies can strengthen the resilience of infrastructure in response to worsening climate disasters.”)
- Don’t let politics derail a landmark international achievement. Pass global minimum tax reform.
- FDA panel unanimously recommends Moderna Covid booster shots for at-risk adults
- Covid Live Updates: F.D.A. Panel to Vote on Johnson & Johnson Booster Shots
- Booster Confusion (“An F.D.A. advisory panel is scheduled to vote today on whether J. & J. recipients should receive a booster shot. But the panel is not likely to vote on what seems to be the most relevant question: Should the booster shot come from one of the other vaccines — Pfizer’s or Moderna’s, which are known as mRNA vaccines — rather than a follow-up J. & J. shot”)
- Biden Signs Measure Raising the U.S. Debt Limit Until Dec. 3
- The ‘fraudits’ are flopping (“GOP efforts to undermine the election are backfiring.”)
- Democrats make futile stab at saving democracy from Republicans (“Republicans are desperate to keep gerrymandering to avoid the will of the people. If only Democrats would stop them.”)
- Details of Biden’s economic agenda struggling to reach voters: poll (This is classic – the very same media which is largely at fault reports this without mentioning their own role/culpability. Pathetic.)
- MAGA Republicans may end up regretting their fidelity to Trump (“They tied themselves to Trump — and might go down with the ship.”)
- Fox News says to ‘blame Biden’ for gas prices. Energy experts say that’s off base. (It’s complete and utter bullshit.)
- The media’s doomsday talk about Biden is greatly exaggerated (“It’s important not to lose perspective.”)
- Flood insurance rates are spiking for many, to account for climate risk
- A shift in focus is coming for a DOE loan program (“The proposed fy 2022 budget begins a process of ensuring that federal funding no longer directly subsidizes fossil fuels.” We shouldn’t be directly OR indirectly subsidizing fossil fuels in any way/shape/form.)
- Manchin and Sinema are forcing truly terrible choices on Democrats
- U.S. Senator Sinema rejects vote on big Biden package before infrastructure-source
- Manchin and Sinema detail key disagreements over Biden agenda
- Biden’s soft-touch with Manchin, Sinema frustrates Democrats
- Steve Bannon’s second act: He’s back, and he wants to bring down the curtain on democracy (“Maybe you thought ‘Trump’s brain’ was off the political stage forever. But he’s back — and now he smells revenge”)
- Bennie Thompson not ruling out subpoenaing Trump
- The January 6 Committee Isn’t Playing Games (“Trump allies are trying to stonewall investigators. But this time, Democrats have a new tool to enforce their subpoena power.”)
- Trump Tells His Supporters Not to Vote in the Next Election, Which Would Actually Be Great For Humanity
- MAGA Republicans may end up regretting their fidelity to Trump (“They tied themselves to Trump — and might go down with the ship.”)
- Trump’s latest eruption at Republicans captures a core insight about GOP voters
- The Trump Presidency Is Still an Active Crime Scene (“It’s hard to consign the Trump years to the history books when we remain in the middle of the crisis that it sparked.”)
- January 6 committee exposes a dark truth in going after Bannon (“In a wider sense, the coming legal duel will also underline how the constitutional promise of oversight has been constantly shredded by Trump both in and out of power. Bannon never hid his desire to tear down the rules set by Washington’s establishment, so he may relish the challenge and the chance to launch a political cause célèbre”)
- Judge Orders Trump To Give Deposition In Immigration Activists’ Suit (“Protesters of Mexican descent accused the then-candidate and his security team of assaulting them during a 2015 rally against his anti-immigrant rhetoric.”)
- Donald Trump is doing everything he can to hurt Republican chances in 2022
- Trump asserts his dominance inside GOP, pushing Republicans to embrace his false claims of fraud
- Biden’s Supreme Court reform study panel notes ‘considerable’ risks to court expansion
- Texas Abortion Restrictions Can Continue During Litigation, Appeals Court Rules
- Texas abortion ban remains in effect after appeals court rules against Justice Dept.
- Right-wing media attack Kamala Harris over video made to educate kids
- La Niña has arrived and will stick around. Here is what that means for the dry Southwest and US hurricanes
- Not My Party: So We’re Headed to ‘Civil War’ Soon?
- A Secretive Hedge Fund Is Gutting Newsrooms(“Inside Alden Global Capital”)
- Big businesses are siding against Texas in mandate fight
- Fired FBI official Andrew McCabe wins retirement benefits and back pay in settlement
- F.B.I. Official Fired Under Trump Wins Back His Pension (“Andrew G. McCabe, the former F.B.I. deputy director, will receive his pension and other benefits after settling his lawsuit with the Justice Department.”)
- “Hacker X”—the American who built a pro-Trump fake news empire—unmasks himself (“He was hired to build a fake news op but now wants to put things right.”)
- Nicholas Kristof to Attempt Rare Columnist-to-Politician Pivot (“The longtime New York Times columnist is really doing it; he quit the paper as he gears up to run for governor of Oregon.”)
- Southern Baptist leader Ronnie Floyd resigns after internal fight over sex abuse investigation
- ‘Really embarrassing’: GOP erupts into swing state civil war
- Former President Bill Clinton hospitalized for infection but ‘on the mend’
- At Yale Law School, a party invitation ignites a firestorm
- A newspaper informed Missouri about a website flaw. The governor accused it of ‘hacking.’
- Texas School Official Suggests Teaching Both Holocaust Books And ‘Opposing’ Views: Report
- Southlake school leader tells teachers to balance Holocaust books with ‘opposing’ views (Has this person been fired yet? If not, why not?)
- N.F.L.’s Top Lawyer Had Cozy Relationship With Washington Team President (“Jeff Pash, the N.F.L.’s general counsel, brokered penalties, discussed a cheerleading scandal and arranged perks in emails with the former president of the Washington Football Team.”)
- Chappelle Special on Netflix Draws Criticism and Internal Unrest
- Video: Terry for Virginia Releases New TV Ad “The Call,” on Glenn Youngkin’s Embrace of Donald Trump and His Dangerous Insurrectionist Rally
- Video: DNC Chair – Trump Acolyte Glenn Youngkin Doubles Down On Extreme Agenda
- Virginia GOP Candidate Boosted by Prominent QAnon Backer
- Fox News Poll of Virginia: McAuliffe Up 5 Pts. (51%-46%) Among Likely Voters, 11 Pts. (52%-41%) Among Registered Voters (Up From +4 Pts. In Fox’s Late-September Poll) (Biden 50%-48% (+2 pts) among Registered Voters, Trump at 39%-57% (-18 pts))
- Fox News Poll: Schools, economy driving close Virginia governor’s race (Gotta love how Fox “News” tries to spin its own poll, which is very bad news for Youngkin.)
- VoteVets Endorses Terry McAuliffe for Governor; Alexander Vindman Says “As the son of an Army veteran and the dad of a Marine, Terry McAuliffe knows what it means to be in a military family” (Vindman: “Glenn Youngkin is Donald Trump’s agent in Virginia — period. A vote for Youngkin is a vote for Trump”)
- Planned Parenthood, Elected Officials Highlight Reproductive Rights At Stake in Virginia Election
- Who Is the Real Glenn Youngkin? (“As Trump has made abundantly clear, there is only one thing he wants a governor – or any other ally of his – to do: help him steal the next election. The question remains: will Virginians give him what he wants?”)
- Virginia Campaigns Shift to Mobilization in Final Stretch (“This week, we saw a big uptick in digital ad spending from Democratic-aligned outside groups, led by Priorities USA, Progress VA and Accountability VA PAC “)
- Flag Pledge, Trump Phone Call Roil Race For Virginia Governor (Words like “roil” are typical when the media wants to cover elections as they’re a sporting event, game, etc. Also value-free, “neutral,” etc.)
- DPVA Calls on ALL Republican House of Delegates Candidates to Answer: Did They Attend Trump-Youngkin Insurrection Rally?
- “Weird and wrong” Youngkin says of using Jan. 6 flag at Bannon rally (The main things in this election that’s “weird and wrong” is Youngkin’s embrace by/of Trump and of TrumpISM. Disqualifying – go the f*** away.)
- Why Virginia’s 2021 election matters
- Advocates say cherry-picked crime data is meant to scare voters as they head to the polls (This headline has the “Advocates say” phrasing, instead of objectively reporting it as FACT, which it is. Another way the media fails us – by not checking stuff themselves and stating, right at the top, whether or not it’s factual.)
- McAuliffe: GOP rally’s pledge to Jan. 6 flag was ‘racist dog whistle’ (Correct)
- Here’s where Republicans must improve in order to win in Virginia
- Why The Virginia Governor’s Race Is So Close
- Terry McAuliffe’s Other Obstacle in Virginia Race: Democrats’ Apathy (It’s not “apathy” so much as fatigue, but as Anne Holton predicted, there’s likely to be “very high turnout” anyway.)
- Democrats pounce on GOP over rally featuring election conspiracies; McAuliffe ad links Youngkin and Trump (Again, this treats it as a game or sporting contest…why emphasize the “Democrats pounce” angle of this, and not the *substance* of it – Virginia Republicans embracing the “big lie,” the 1/6 insurrection and insurrectionists – which is horrendously bad.)
- Thursday (10/14) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations (1,595) Near Highest Level Since Mid February, 10-Day New Cases (+23,491) Near Highest Since Mid February
- Anonymized cell phone data is helping Virginia’s local health officials select mobile vaccine sites
- Editorial: Behavior at school board meetings sets poor example for kids (If you behave like this, you obviously shouldn’t be taken seriously at all.)
- A Muslim cemetery was finally approved in Virginia. Now bigotry needs a proper burial.
- Virginia Redistricting Commission consultants told to compromise on Congressional maps (“I don’t think either of these maps is a good place to start”)
- Courtney Thomas column: Supporting model policies for transgender students in Virginia
- Virginia’s first offshore wind turbines have become a haven for marine life
- Loudoun Chair Phyllis Randall on “alleged incidents of sexual assault [in] Loudoun County Public Schools”: “Every parent needs to know their children are not at risk when they drop them off at school”
- A Southwest Virginia utility is seeking another rate hike (“Old Dominion Power increase would follow big rate bump approved in April 2020”)
- Monacan High social studies teacher fired for refusing to wear a mask to school
- VCU’s newest building opens in Charles City for study of James River, its ecosystem, climate change
- Family, friends hold candlelight vigil for Hampton Roads realtor killed in murder-suicide (Horrifying.)
- D.C.-area forecast: An abnormally toasty but bright end to the workweek (“Strong storms are possible tomorrow ahead of a cold front returning us to autumn Sunday.”)
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