by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, December 18.
- 2021 brought a wave of extreme weather disasters. Scientists say worse lies ahead. (“As long as we are emitting greenhouse gases at a historically unprecedented rate, we should expect this change to continue.”)
- Scientists watch giant ‘doomsday’ glacier in Antarctica with concern (“Cracks and fissures stoke fears of breakup that could lead to half-metre rise in global sea levels – or more” Stop. Emitting. Greenhouse. Gases. ASAP.)
- Russia issues list of demands it says must be met to lower tensions in Europe (“Contentious security guarantees Moscow is seeking include a ban on Ukraine from entering Nato”)
- Covid-19: Omicron spreading at lightning speed – French PM
- Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread, WHO says
- Ethiopian civil war divides diaspora in the US
- In Myanmar jungle, civilians prepare to battle military rulers
- Will Democrats Let the Senate Parliamentarian Stand in the Way of Immigration Reform?
- Stop playing games with U.S. ambassadors
- Pfizer to test a third dose of vaccine in young children after two-dose regimen falls short
- Families get good news on schools but longer wait on vaccines for the youngest
- We Know Enough About Omicron to Know That We’re in Trouble
- With Omicron on the Rise, Should You Stick With Holiday Travel Plans?
- Schools, classrooms close doors again in latest Covid surge (“As schools brace for another rise in Covid cases, driven by the omicron variant, some are closing their doors again ahead of the winter break.”)
- Omicron could bring the worst surge of COVID yet in the U.S. — and fast
- Covid Is Surging. Why Do Only a Third of Americans Have Boosters?
- Omicron is coming and lockdowns aren’t coming back. So what can we do?
- The red covid wave is here
- Hot economy collides with huge virus surge in pandemic’s latest twist
- A glimmer of hope on Joe Manchin and voting rights? (“It might seem hopeless, but there are new signs of Joe Manchin’s engagement.”)
- Democrats face a frustrating end to a stormy year, with no guarantee of smoother sailing ahead
- Trump Goes Full Anti-Semite
- Trump Spews More Anti-Semitism, Says Jews Used To Control Congress
- Trump goes on anti-Semitic rant, claims Israel controlled Congress and Jews run New York Times
- Trump Claims Israel Controlled Congress, Jews Run New York Times
- Trump promotes antisemitic claim that Israel used to have ‘absolute power over Congress’
- Trump evokes antisemitic tropes, says Jewish Americans ‘don’t like Israel’
- Trump accused of ‘vile anti-Semitism’ for saying American Jews ‘no longer love or care about Israel’ because of Biden, Obama and the ‘Jewish people’ who run the New York Times
- An Aging Sociopath Longing for the Nuclear Codes Weighed In on American Jews
- Trump White House made ‘deliberate efforts’ to undermine Covid response, report says (That SHOULD be criminal.)
- Biden’s vaccine-or-test rule for 84 million workers is back after a court lifts the stay
- Appeals court reinstates Biden’s vaccine policy for businesses, setting up a likely showdown at Supreme Court
- Surprise! There’s No Voter Fraud. Again.
- Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 depravity is still not fully known
- McConnell says what the Jan. 6 committee uncovers is ‘something the public needs to know’
- Mark Meadows was at the center of the storm on 6 January. But only Trump could call it off (“Trump’s former White House chief of staff has become a character of supreme interest to the Capitol attack committee, with a treasure trove of documents divulging golden nuggets of information”)
- Jan. 6 Committee May Add New Expertise for Investigation
- CNN Exclusive: Jan 6 investigators believe Nov. 4 text pushing ‘strategy’ to undermine election came from Rick Perry
- Trump ally Straka has provided potentially significant information
- Florida man gets 5 years for assault in Capitol riot, the longest sentence yet
- Capitol rioter who threw fire extinguisher at police gets more than 5 years in prison
- The 700-plus miscreants who desecrated the Capitol deserve consequences
- 3 retired generals: The military must prepare now for a 2024 insurrection (Totally normal democracy, huh?)
- ‘We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe,’ new study says
- Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats’ Power (Appalling.)
- After decades, some of America’s most toxic sites will finally get cleaned up
- “All They Know Is Extremism”: Ohio Democrat David Pepper on How Statehouses Are Destroying Democracy
- Beware the extremist, dangerous and unconstitutional ‘constitutional sheriffs’
- Southwest CEO tests positive for Covid-19 after testifying unmasked at Senate hearing
- NFL will postpone some games over Covid surge
- DeSantis shares stage with activist who posted QAnon-related conspiracy theories on social media (DeSantis is dangerous.)
- When facts have a liberal bias, New York Times editors can get squirmy (The NY Times, particularly its political reporting, is such a disappointment.)
- Fox News is replacing Chris Wallace with a rotating list of liars (Fox is far-right propaganda and white supremacy and should be treated as such.)
- N.Y. Covid Cases Top 20,000 for Daily Record as Shutdowns Spread
- FWIW: 5 Ways the Internet Changed Our Politics [For the Worse] in 2021, Including a “Meta Problem” and “Commonwealth Blues” (In Virginia, “Republicans successfully turned schools into a political warzone, and unfortunately, Democrats were caught off guard.”)
- Glenn Youngkin’s promised ‘critical race theory’ ban has Virginia teachers worried
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner on the Importance of Getting “Build Back Better” Done; the “Absolute, Urgent” Need for Congress to Protect Voting Rights; Reforming the Filibuster; Everyone Getting Vaccinated
- At-will state workers don’t yet know whether they will have jobs under Youngkin
- Audio: Gov. Ralph Northam’s Chief of Staff, Clark Mercer, Reviews the Many Accomplishments of the Past Four Years, Looks Ahead to What Might Be Coming Next (Mercer talks about the impact of the “Blackface scandal,” his frustration that comprehensive tax reform and campaign finance reform didn’t get done, etc.)
- Please, Virginia Supreme Court, prove me wrong on redistricting
- Virginia’s state schools superintendent is stepping down (“Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane, appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam in 2018 to oversee the Virginia Department of Education, is leaving for an undisclosed position elsewhere as Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, who campaigned on a range of education issues, including eradicating critcal race theory from Virginia schools and raising academic standards, prepares to take office next month.”)
- Bill drafting is impeded but continues, as leadership keeps mum on ransomware details
- Workers dismantling base of Richmond’s Lee monument and find what could be a time capsule
- WATCH NOW: ‘It’s a great piece of history’ – Box believed to be 1887 time capsule found by workers removing Lee monument pedestal
- Washington Football Team seeking support for stadium complex in Northern Virginia
- Virginia police say they are investigating man as possible serial killer after four victims found dead
- Police in Virginia arrest man in ‘shopping cart killer’ case; suspect met victims on dating sites
- CoStar to build 26-story office tower in downtown Richmond (“Real estate information and analytics firm CoStar Group plans to invest $460 million to expand on a new campus in Richmond that will include a 26-story office building, Gov. Ralph Northam announced”)
- Richmond public housing authority to resume lease enforcement in January
- Virginia Beach Republican Party shuns longtime City Council member (“Members took issue with Councilman Louis Jones’ past campaign contributions and the fact that he allowed a Democratic candidate to place a sign in front of his funeral home business”)
- D.C.-area forecast: December-like temperatures make a return Sunday
