by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, February 18.
- Climate change: Covid shutdown linked to record rainfall in China
- The mystery of methane gone missing
- U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it (“Big Oil” is like, as long as there are profits to be made, let’s destroy the only planet we have – party on!)
- Elephant tusk DNA can expose poaching networks, new analysis finds
- Ukraine is at the precipice of war. This is Biden’s moment to lead the world against autocracy.
- U.S. Makes Diplomatic Push Over Ukraine
- Biden gathers allies for crisis talks amid spike in cease-fire violations
- US Senate approves resolution for Ukraine, warning Russia
- Fresh ceasefire violations reported in Ukraine as Blinken warns of ‘moment of peril’
- Ukraine crisis: Blinken and Lavrov agree to meeting as tensions reach ‘moment of peril’
- Tucker Carlson, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump: Putin’s Dream Team, but America’s Worst Nightmare
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken on Russia’s Threat to Peace and Security at the UN Security Council
- Russia to stage nuclear drills with Ukraine tensions high (Reckless.)
- East Ukraine shelling escalates, government and pro-Russian rebels say
- Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of ceasefire violations (Classic “both sides” headline. In fact, Russia is the aggressor here, 100%.)
- Ukraine’s Lviv becomes ‘western capital’ as some diplomats leave Kyiv
- Analysis: Is Putin a Crafty Strategist or an Aggrieved and Reckless Leader? (The latter, it appears.)
- In Ukraine’s volatile east, a day of shelling, outages, fear
- Scholz to Host Virtual G-7 Talks Amid Crisis: Ukraine Update
- Canada Live Updates: Police Begin Arresting Protest Organizers
- Canada police set to end siege of capital by protesters fighting COVID measures (Why wasn’t this ended in the first few days?)
- Canadian police arrest 2 leaders of protesting truckers
- In GOP embrace of truckers, some see racist double standard (Here we go with the weaselly “some see” formulation. In fact, that’s exactly what’s going on here.)
- How a Saudi woman’s iPhone revealed hacking around the world
- Why Prince Andrew Finally Agreed to Settle (“Andrew’s decade-long battle against Virginia Giuffre’s allegations came to an end in only about 10 days, reportedly at the behest of the people at ‘the very top.'”)
- Bots and Fake Accounts Push China’s Vision of Winter Olympic Wonderland
- ‘I hate this sport!’: Rage, teen tears and Olympic collapse
- IOC President Slams ‘Chilling’ Way Kamila Valieva’s Entourage Reacted To Her Skate (Why is Russia even allowed in the Olympics?)
- Biden is winning the war against covid. Is anyone noticing?
- COVID-19 Isn’t Going Anywhere — And Americans Know It
- Child poverty spiked by 41 percent in January after Biden benefit program expired, study finds (That’s the fault of Republicans and Joe Manchin.)
- Fed’s Bullard says inflation ‘could get out of control,’ so action is needed now (It’s amazing the Fed has waited this long.)
- Meta Loses Top-10 Ranking by Market Value Amid Worst Month Ever (Good. Keep going.)
- Biden will allow California to set climate limits on cars. The move could influence the rest of the country. (“The Golden State — which has long dealt with smoggy skies — often sets environmental policy other states eventually follow”)
- Mr. Biden, Your Good Economy Won’t Sell Itself (“Biden should indeed talk about his successes. He shouldn’t ignore the negatives — although denial of awkward reality has historically worked well for Republicans. But he should tout the good things that have happened on his watch. After all, if he won’t, who will? A good economy won’t sell itself.”)
- White House’s latest challenge is sour public mood (It’s really wild how “sour” that mood is, and how disconnected from the fact that we’ve got nearly full employment and rapid economic growth.)
- You Just Can’t Tell the Truth About America Anymore (“Conservative censors and their allies see, in the present moment, an opportunity to reshape society to their liking and squelch the views of those who disagree. It is up to those of us who believe in the First Amendment and free speech to take a stand for American liberty, while we still can.”)
- The number of LGBTQ-identifying adults is soaring
- Dean Baquet Never Wanted to Be an Editor (And from the looks of things at the NY Times, he really shouldn’t ever have been one.)
- Republicans can’t help themselves, return to their Clinton obsession (It’s completely unhinged.)
- Durham Distances Himself From Furor in Right-Wing Media Over Filing
- Trump threatens Hillary Clinton with death all over again — and nobody seems to care (“Media shrugs off Trump’s latest calls for violence because his claims are preposterous — but his fans are listening”)
- The Entire Scummy Infrastructure of Trump’s Business Career Is Beginning to Crumble
- Trump’s legal woes deepen and could bring new political trouble (“…after he bounced back following a lifetime of business bankruptcies, scandals and impeachments, it might soon be time to consider whether the ex-President’s flair for impunity is starting to fail him after a string of legal defeats tightened a net of scrutiny around him.”)
- Trump Organization accounting firm delivers blow that could be pivotal to NY AG case (“Mazars’ disavowal of Trump’s financial statements is a turning point in Letitia James’ investigation into whether Trump’s company engaged in fraud.”)
- ‘He’s Just A Bad Guy’: Judge Slams Claim That Trump Is Unfairly Singled Out In AG Probe (“Trump’s attorney argued the ex-president is a member of a ‘protected class’ who should be safeguarded by law against New York’s attorney general.”)
- New York Judge Tells Trump, Don Jr., and Ivanka They Have 21 Days to Testify in Fraud Case (“The court wasted no time dismissing the absurd claim that the ex-president is in a “protected class” of his own.”)
- N.Y. Attorney General Can Question Trump and 2 Children, Judge Rules (Trump will, of course, appeal, and this will drag on and on…because that’s what ALWAYS happens.)
- White House chief of staff tries to pump up worried Senate Democrats
- Madison Cawthorn Isn’t Alone With 14th Amendment
- Democrats’ internal polling shows swing voters believe party went ‘too far’ on COVID
- Democrats fight about policy. Republicans fight over who’s most loyal to Trump.
- Republicans who opposed racial justice protests hope truckers ‘clog up’ US cities (These people are pure evil.)
- A QAnon-affiliated January 6 insurrectionist is now organizing US anti-vax trucker convoys (“Leigh Dundas promoted violence at the Capitol, spread election lies, and compared both Biden’s victory and public health measures to the Holocaust”)
- 3 states with shuttered nuclear plants see emissions rise (The obvious lesson: do NOT shutter existing nuclear plants for a looong time to come!)
- The Sandy Hook settlement offers a roadmap for holding the gun industry accountable
- The Cops Who Watched George Floyd Die Are Testifying. Their Case Could Set an Important Precedent. (“Police have a duty to intervene when their colleagues go astray. One expert explains how this trial and other reforms might actually get them to do so.”)
- The Justice Department is right to challenge Missouri’s absurd gun law
- Democrats should embrace the silent, sane majority (“So long as Republicans take the side of bullies, insurrectionists and others who menace public officials, Democrats should side with the silent majority.”)
- California first state in U.S. to outline COVID endemic phase plan
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham lifts New Mexico mask mandate
- Charlie Kirk likens a restaurant asking him for his vaccine status to living in Nazi Germany (Disgusting.)
- Fox News’ newest bogeyman is election lawyer Marc Elias
- Spotify’s Joe Rogan Deal Is Said to Be Worth Over $200 Million
- Only 13 of 143 Texas GOP candidates will admit Trump’s loss was “legitimate” (“‘We’ve seen across the board, the Democrats have always cheated,’ claims one Republican. (Fact check: Um, no)”)
- Partisan tactic by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign delays thousands of requests for mail-in ballots from Texas voters
- Ohio Redistricting Commission fails to pass new legislative maps, violating court order
- Nick Kristof can’t run for Oregon governor, Supreme Court rules (Kristof really f’ed up.)
- ‘Very dangerous territory’: Warner heads to Munich to address Ukraine standoff
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says “we have seen no real de-escalation efforts by Putin and the Russian forces” (Sen. Warner asks, “What level of cyberattack constitutes an act of war which would, in effect, trigger Article 5?”)
- Sen. Tim Kaine Leads Colleagues in Bipartisan Letter Urging Biden Administration to Help Develop Next Generation COVID-19 Vaccines
- Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern Join DNC Chair Jaime Harrison to Praise President Biden, Democrats for Unprecedented Investments In U.S. Ports
- Forget the Metro. Can Northern Virginia fix its bus systems?
- With “Crossover” Complete, VA Senate Dems Set About the Necessary Work of “killing [Youngkin’s] ‘Day One Game Plan Agenda’ piece by piece”
- Editorial: A sad end for two amendments
- Pope & Schapiro: With mask legislation settled, attention turns to taxes and budgets
- A bill rolling back local employee collective bargaining faces unlikely odds in state Senate
- Video: VA House Dem Leader Filler-Corn, Dem Caucus Chair Herring Hit Gov. Youngkin For Steering VA Into “Dangerous Waters”; Vow That Dems “Will Continue to Fight!” (Leader Filler-Corn rips Youngkin’s “tip line,” attacking a teenager on Twitter, “rush[ing] to Sean Hannity,” attacking teachers, etc.)
- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin pivots from win on school masks to new priority: Tax cuts (Tax cuts are fine if: a) they are paid for; b) they help poor people, working people, etc. – not millionaires/billionaires and big corporations.)
- Youngkin’s ‘lab school design challenge’ revives an old push
- VIDEO: Public Service Workers Call for Va. Senate to Be a Brick Wall and Defend the Freedom to Collectively Bargain
- Governor Glenn Youngkin encourages colleges and universities to keep tuition prices from rising
- 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 82% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Continue Declining; Deaths Remain High
- Arlington Co. schools to end student mask requirement March 1
- Virginia court rules masks will be optional in Loudoun County Public Schools
- Despite a disappointing return to virtual learning, Fox teachers, parents and students overwhelmed by community support
- D.C.-area forecast: Skies trend clear as gusty winds continue through the day
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