VA Election Day 2021 News: “World leaders agree to end deforestation”; “Biden Administration Moves to Limit Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas”; “Trump hails Glenn Youngkin as ‘fantastic guy'”; “Right Wing Readies Election Lies in VA”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, Election Day 2021. Make sure you exercise your right to vote today, and of course vote to keep the amazing progress we’ve seen the past few years in Virginia going, and to keep us from lurching backwards into an angry, reactionary, Trumpist governorship…

• First Thing: world leaders agree to end deforestation and slash methane emissions
• US rejoins coalition to achieve 1.5C goal at UN climate talks
• The Scientists Are Terrified (“A survey of the world’s top climate researchers shows a stark finding: Most expect catastrophic levels of heating and damage soon – very soon”)
• Faith groups fight against climate change ahead of UN summit
• ‘We are not drowning, we are fighting’: Countries vulnerable to climate disaster issue rallying cry
• Corporate Climate Pledges Often Ignore a Key Component: Supply Chains
• We must protect the world’s forests – Johnson tells COP
• COP26: World leaders promise to end deforestation by 2030 (“Experts welcomed the move, but warned a previous deal in 2014 had ‘failed to slow deforestation at all’ and commitments needed to be delivered on.” We need to massively REforest!)
• “We Are Digging Our Own Graves”: World Leaders’ Powerful Words at COP26 (“But words won’t be enough.”)
• Nearly 90 countries join pact to slash planet-warming methane emissions
• Are “net-zero” climate targets just hot air? (“The US, Australia, Japan, and even Saudi Arabia are aiming for net-zero. Does it mean anything?”)
• To Stop Climate Change, Electrify Everything—Now
• The smart money on climate seems to be barely mitigated doom
• China Binges on U.S. Gas to Manage Energy Shortage, Carbon Footprint
• Equinor eyes gigawatt-scale floating wind off Scotland with new foundation concept
• What Will Drive China to War? (“A cold war is already under way. The question is whether Washington can deter Beijing from initiating a hot one.”)
• Activists pushing Interior for emergency protections for gray wolves (Absolutely – do it!)
• Biden Administration Moves to Limit Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas
• Even as Biden Pushes Clean Energy, He Seeks More Oil Production (Because in the short term, unfortunately, we’re addicted to this crap. Of course, the media has to personalize something that’s deeply systemic, which is a really stupid thing to do, but the media for ya…f’ing braindead.)
• There are no more dog whistles (“Politicians used to give subtle messages to one audience while concealing them from everyone else. No more.”)
• No, Vaccine Mandates Aren’t an Attack on Freedom
• America Has Lost the Plot on COVID
• CDC Advisers to Consider Pfizer Shot for Young Children
• How Trump’s 187 minutes of inaction led to Jan. 6 bloodshed
• There’s One Thing Missing from the Washington Post’s Massive January 6 Report (“There is more to be discussed and digested, on the fly, because the coup is ongoing.”)
• What’s the sticking point? The lingering issues in Biden’s $1.75 trillion spending bill (“Democrats are said to be closing in on a provision aimed at lowering prescription drug costs.”)
• ‘The power of two’: How Manchin and Sinema are blocking a new Democratic consensus (Infuriating.)
• Manchin calls on Democrats to slow down on $1.75 trillion spending package, putting imminent House vote in jeopardy
• With Manchin Wavering, House Democrats Put Their Trust in Biden (“The president has guaranteed the votes will be there for the Build Back Better Act. He’ll have to deliver.”)
• Joe Manchin throws a verbal bomb at progressives and accidentally hits the centrists
• What Makes Change Possible? (“As the United States struggles, for example, to do anything serious to prevent climate catastrophe, it’s fair to say that this moment is somewhere on the horizon. In which case, constitutional change will be here sooner than we think. The real question is whether, in the face of such a crisis, we keep our commitment to self-government. And that, I’m afraid, is impossible to say.”)
• NBC News Poll: 50 percent of Republicans doubt their vote will be counted accurately (The constant lies from Trump, etc. are so damaging to our democracy…)
• January 6 Committee May Finally Spur Electoral Count Act Fix (“If House Democrats move to fix the flawed procedures for confirming elections, Republicans may be compelled to go along or devise their own reforms.”)
• The Texas case is not just about abortion. All sorts of rights are at stake.
• Supreme Court justices seem to tilt toward abortion providers in Texas
• The Supreme Court’s second thoughts about Texas’s antiabortion law (“Justices might think it’s best not to sign on with antiabortion vigilantes, and instead wait for a cleaner shot at Roe v. Wade.”)
• Justices Kagan and Sotomayor Weren’t Taking Any Bullshit at SCOTUS’ Texas Abortion Hearing (“The provisions in this law have prevented every woman in Texas from exercising a constitutional right.”)
• An unusual alliance appears likely to fracture Texas’s abortion ban (“Most Supreme Court justices seem to understand that SB 8 is a direct attack on the Constitution.”)
• Supreme Court Appears Open to Letting Providers Challenge Texas Abortion Law
• Xcel first utility to adopt net zero carbon target across gas and electric operations, CEO says (Hello Dominion?)
• It’s to Joe Biden’s Credit That He Doesn’t Care About the Drama Critics of the Elite Political Press
• Almost one in three of Republicans say violence may be necessary to ‘save’ US (Really, really dangerous shit.)
• Fox & Friends hosts Tucker Carlson to promote his January 6 “false flag” series (This network is a disaster for America and for humanity in general.)
• Twitter’s new strategy to fight climate lies: Give users accurate information first
• Mark Zuckerberg should quit Facebook, says Frances Haugen (“Whistleblower says a new CEO should prioritise online safety over Meta restructure”)
• Facebook is still profiting from ads spreading misinformation about the 2020 election (This company is sociopathic.)
• U. of Florida’s Accreditor Will Investigate Denial of Professors’ Voting-Rights Testimony
• Fox’s shareholder meeting will require vaccine passports and masks
• All eyes on Virginia as voters choose the next governor
• Trump praises Youngkin in short tele-rally on the eve of Virginia’s elections
• Virginia’s “Toss-Up” Governor’s Race Could Be the Most Pivotal Election of the Year
• With Election Day Tomorrow, Donald Trump Issues Unhinged, Falsehood-Filled Statement Ranting About “Perverts” and “Fake News,” Saying He and Youngkin “strongly believe in many of the same policies”
• Video: Fairfax Election Eve Rally with Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, Mark Herring, etc. (Also, photos and video from earlier today in Roanoke and Richmond…)
• House Democrats miss chance to help McAuliffe
• Glenn Youngkin’s Right-Wing Allies Are Ready To Claim Virginia’s Election Was Stolen (“Donald Trump and his supporters, including surrogates for Republican Glenn Youngkin’s campaign for governor, have already begun spreading lies about election fraud.”)
• Five things to watch in the Virginia governor’s race
• Republicans Are Already Claiming the Virginia Election Has Been Rigged
• A Last Word on Virginia
• Trump hails Glenn Youngkin as ‘fantastic guy’ in last-minute phone rally on eve of Va. election
• It’s Election Day in Virginia and Democrats Are Very Nervous
• Before recent Democratic gains, Virginia went from blue to red and back again
• The Virginia governor race is neck-and-neck, despite years of Democratic control (Why “despite?” Weird.)
• Youngkin Weaponizes Anti-Equality Messaging & Misinformation At Election Eve Rally In Virginia
• Election Day is here: What’s at stake in Virginia today
• Donald Trump and Critical Race Theory — here is how we got to election day in Virginia
• Voter Turnout Likely to Play a Big Role in the Outcome of Today’s Elections
• Gubernatorial Nominees Make Closing Arguments
• Editorial: Take time to cast a ballot
• Trump urges support for Youngkin the day before Virginia’s gubernatorial election
• Fox’s Newt Gingrich says if the Virginia governor race is close, “they will steal it” (Gingrich has done an enormous amount of damage to America. Utter f’ing disgrace.)
• Almost one in five Virginians voted early; rate tracks in Roanoke and New River valleys
• Trump looms over Virginia’s tight gubernatorial race
• Early voting hits record high in Virginia ahead of dead-heat governor’s race
• There’s an unusually high level of competition for Virginia’s House of Delegates this year
• Virginia House outcomes could change the power balance more than the governor’s race
• Listen: Governor’s Race Too Close To Call As Virginia Heads Into Election Day
• Virginia Senate Democrats Submit Recommendations for Redistricting Special Master (The recommendations are Bruce E. Cain, Ph.D., Nathaniel Persily, Ph.D. and Bernard N. Grofman, Ph.D.)
• Months after it was asked to take up reform proposals, electric utility commission still hasn’t met
• Monday (11/1) Virginia Data on COVID-19: 3-Day New Cases +3,228; 10-Day New Cases +13,244; Hospitalizations at 934 (Lowest Since Mid August)
• Critics question Urban One’s financial links to pro-casino elected officials and Al Sharpton
• National and state fights over racial equity in public schools are playing out in Hanover
• Plaintiff describes ongoing trauma as defendants push free speech arguments
• D.C.-area forecast: Chilly with light rain today, cool and dry rest of week