by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 30. As for the cover image in this post, I’m also hearing that Del. Joshua Cole won’t be running for VA07 (but will be running for House of Delegates instead), that former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy is seriously considering running for the new SD33, that Del. Hala Ayala is running for SD33, and also that State Sen. Jeremy McPike is probably NOT running for VA07.
- ‘Extraordinary is no longer extraordinary’: US scientists on a year of climate disasters
- Alaska ‘Icemageddon’ warning follows heat record
- ‘The Fuse Has Been Blown,’ and the Doomsday Glacier Is Coming for Us All — (Get off of fossil fuels on an emergency basis.)
- What a Year of Brexit Brought U.K. Companies: Higher Costs and Endless Forms
- Russia’s Aggression Against Ukraine Is Backfiring (“Putin’s military moves are rallying Ukrainians and unifying NATO”)
- Biden accepts Putin request for phone call ahead of talks on Ukraine
- Biden to speak with Putin on Thursday at Russian leader’s request
- Our Relationship With COVID Vaccines Is Just Getting Started (“We probably will need additional shots. But just how many depends on our immune systems, the virus, and how often they collide.”)
- Two Doses of J&J’s Vaccine Slashes Omicron Hospital Stays
- Ghislaine Maxwell Verdict Could Spell Big Trouble for Prince Andrew
- Ashraf Ghani: Ex-Afghan president describes moment he fled the Taliban
- ‘Journalism is not sedition’: Blinken urges release of seven arrested in Hong Kong media raids
- As the tide of war in Ethiopia turns, a chance for peace talks opens
- Coronavirus risk calculations get harder as a study suggests rapid tests may be less effective at detecting omicron
- U.S. Reports 488,000 New Daily Virus Cases, Shattering Record
- As Omicron Spreads, Officials Ponder What It Means to Be ‘Fully Vaccinated’
- White House signals pandemic strategy shift in the face of Omicron (“Omicron offers opportunities for leaders to start to transition the US to a different state of the pandemic. It also includes agonizing choices.”)
- Americans fume as the pandemic scrambles New Year’s Eve celebrations again
- Rise of At-Home Tests Casts Doubts on Accuracy of Public Covid Counts (“Rapid tests are growing in popularity, but the results are rarely reported, magnifying questions about how best to measure the spread of the virus. Some experts are even raising a question that once would have been unthinkable: Do case counts serve a useful purpose?”)
- Strong Labor Market in 2021 Faces Down Omicron Threat
- Omicron spiking, but hospitalizations ‘comparatively low,’ CDC director says
- 2021: Farewell to a Stupid Year (“Ignorance can kill.”)
- America has had plenty of good news. You just have to look hard for it.
- Trump fires up vaccine tensions
- U.S. oil production set to increase further in 2022, energy expert Dan Yergin says (We need to ditch fossil fuels if we want a habitable planet.)
- As the Jan. 6 attack anniversary nears, one Capitol officer fears a violent repeat
- ‘Slow-motion insurrection’: How GOP seizes election power
- This is the worst economy we never had (“America’s economy improved more in Joe Biden’s first 12 months than any president during the past 50 years notwithstanding the contrary media narrative contributing to dour public opinion”)
- Trump asks Supreme Court to consider Jan. 6 chairman’s interview with Washington Post in bid to block records
- Trump accuses Jan. 6 panel of “seeking evidence of criminal activity”
- Jan. 6 committee chairman could seek interview with GOP leader Kevin McCarthy
- Facebook’s Pushback: Stem the Leaks, Spin the Politics, Don’t Say Sorry (Facebook is a disgrace.)
- Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Helping Jeffrey Epstein Abuse Girls
- Got Her — After skating for years, Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted of abusing girls with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Michigan’s New Congressional Maps Undo Years of Gerrymandering
- Harry Reid took a risk on Barack Obama
- Bob Dole and Harry Reid wouldn’t have made it in politics today. That’s our loss.
- With District Lines Now Finalized, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Announces She Will Seek Reelection in Newly Configured VA07
- Spanberger will run in new 7th Congressional District that no longer includes her home
- Virginia Map Puts Democrats Spanberger, Luria in Swing Races
- Redistricting Maps Have Implications For VA Congressional Seats
- County Supervisor Yesli Vega announces bid for Congress (Right wingnut.)
- Spanberger, Griffith plan to run again for their seats under new Virginia congressional map
- Final Maps for VA House of Delegates, State Senate Have *Lots* of Incumbents Paired/Tripled Up. (This could spur a slew of moves, retirements and/or primaries…)
- New COVID Cases in Virginia Up Record 12,112 in One Day, Also Record 74,010 in Past 10 Days
- Virginia records highest single-day total of new COVID-19 infections
- As Virginia shatters record for new COVID-19 cases, finding tests becomes problem
- Why I forgive Ralph Northam
- Gov. Ralph Northam: “Nearly everyone going to the hospital with COVID is unvaccinated. This is entirely avoidable, if everyone gets their shots.” (Bingo.)
- The window is there to return to bi-partisan compromise in 2022. Just don’t hold your breath.
- Virginia’s economic recovery is more complicated than it may appear
- Whatever Happened To: Virginia children’s ombudsman begins social services investigations, but waits to open hotline
- There are two, emerging ideas on how to add paid family leave in Virginia
- Economics could keep Virginia in RGGI
- Robert E. Lee monument, other Confederate statues could go to Richmond’s Black History Museum under deal
- Brother of Washington Football Team player Montez Sweat killed at Henrico apartment complex
- Staffing challenges hit Fairfax County Fire and Rescue as COVID cases rise
- D.C.-area forecast: Damp today with building warmth to welcome the new year
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