Saturday News: “US accuses Russia of depravity and brutality”; “Hannity Slammed ‘Lunatic’ Trump Backers As He Did White House Bidding”; “The House GOP is a dumpster fire. What if it takes power?”; “Musk reveals how his Twitter may fuel right-wing extremism”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, April 30.

.@PentagonPresSec John Kirby gets emotional talking about war atrocities and Putin—“It’s difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking, serious mature leader would do that. I can’t talk to his psychology, but I think we can all speak to his depravity” pic.twitter.com/fHCw67D4Vh

— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) April 29, 2022

• Climate Change May Fuel “Devastating” Disease Outbreaks (“As habitats converge, experts predict thousands of viral leaps among species.”)
• How bitcoin mining contributes to climate change
• The long-shot campaign to get big banks out of fossil fuels (“Climate activists lost this week against big banks. Don’t count them out just yet.”)
• The West prepares for Putin’s next moves as Ukraine war enters a new phase
• ‘Gas was like our drug’: defiant Poland vows to wean itself off Russian energy (“Moscow’s long-feared halt to supplies has met stoicism, trepidation – and a renewed determination to go it alone”)
• Ukraine says its forces holding off Russian attacks on several fronts
• Russia forced to merge depleted units, UK says; Lavrov claims West will fight until ‘last Ukrainian’
• Russia’s “Shocking” Strike on Kyiv (“Thursday’s attack underscores the growing threat that Vladimir Putin’s aggression could expand beyond Ukraine’s borders.”)
• Russia Moving More Troops to Front as Offensive Appears to Falter (“The Ukrainian military said that troops normally stationed in far-eastern Russia are being moved to the battle front in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is trying to gain momentum in what the Pentagon has described as a ‘plodding’ offensive.”)
• Ukrainian Fighters Share Desperate Videos From Battered Steel Plant
• Europe’s Fragile Energy Market Braces for Putin’s Next Move
• Ukraine fights to hold off Russian advances in south, east
• Russia running short of precision missiles, say western officials
• Biden Seeks to Rob Putin of His Top Scientists With Visa Lure
• Pentagon says Russia ‘several days’ behind objectives in Donbas
• Volodymyr Zelensky refused to be evacuated from Kyiv as Russian hitmen parachuted into capital
• A former U.S. Marine was killed fighting in Ukraine, his family says
• Cracks emerge in Russian elite as tycoons start to bemoan invasion (“Oligarchs and financial officials are alarmed over the economic toll it’s taking and feel powerless to influence Putin”)
• Russia forced to merge depleted units in eastern Ukraine – UK
• Ukraine war: US accuses Russia of depravity and brutality
• Pentagon spokesman chokes up while talking about Ukraine
• Ukraine accuses Russian forces of seizing 2,000 artworks
• Brutal Sect of Putin’s Army Accused of Killing Own Comrades (“Serving under ‘Putin’s soldier’ Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen troops have been linked to vile war crimes against civilians in Bucha—and their own severely injured brothers-in-arms.”)
• Everyone Is Starting to Admit Something Frightening About Ukraine (“The conflict has become a proxy war between NATO and Russia, with more risks for everyone involved.”)
• Ukraine Latest: Russia Says It Plans to Quit Space Station
• Russia makes ‘plodding’ advances in east; U.S. rushes arms, equipment
• Ukrainians Suffer Fuel Shortages After Russian Strikes
• How Russia’s grim demographics could thwart Putin’s global ambitions (“Russia has somehow managed to create a high-education, low-human-capital society. The syndrome was evident under the Soviets, but it is even more acute under Putin’s malign rule.”)
• Africa Becomes Collateral Damage of Ukraine War
• China Calls Russia Relationship a ‘New Model’ for the World (We’d better all hope it isn’t!)
• China’s Economy Slows Rapidly as Covid Zero Lockdowns Bite
• As covid evolves, China’s obstinance grows — at huge economic cost
• China’s Xi Vows to Promote Healthy Development of Capital
• Turkey reaches a new low of despotism
• IS ‘Beatle’ sentenced to life in US for murders in Syria (“Alexanda Kotey, 38, pleaded guilty last September to eight criminal charges relating to the abduction, torture and beheading of IS hostages in Syria.” This is where the death penalty would be completely justified, by the way…)
• Is the pandemic really over? Yes and no.
• Markets tank as economy is pulled in many directions
• Dow tumbles more than 900 points and the Nasdaq drops 4% on Friday to close out a brutal month
• The Border Wall Is Outliving Trump (“More than a year after the former President left office, Republican governors, federal regulations, and inaction in Congress are allowing construction to continue.” Ugh.)
• Biden Eyes Targeted Student-Loan Forgiveness Starting at $10,000
• Where did all the conservative hand-wringing over judicial restraint go? (It was never in good faith.)
• Republicans Will Tank the Economy to Force Women to Give Birth
• Oath Keeper pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy as pressure intensifies against right-wing extremist group
• Oath Keeper emotional as he accepts 2nd plea deal in Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy case
• Sean Hannity Slammed ‘Lunatic’ Trump Backers As He Did White House Bidding: Texts
• CNN Exclusive: New text messages reveal Fox’s Hannity advising Trump White House and seeking direction
• Feel the Flop Sweat Rise Around Hannity and Meadows In the Latest Batch of January 6 Committee Texts
• Newly released text messages reveal just how many people the Trump White House had inside Fox News (“Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo actively worked to craft Trump campaign messaging and undermine election results”)
• Trump grand jury ending in N.Y. with no charges against ex-president
• Surprise: Trump Doubles Down on Support of GOP Candidate Accused of Groping More Than Half a Dozen Women
• Trump loses bid to lift contempt charge despite swearing he can’t find subpoenaed documents
• Antisemitism Increased Under Trump. Then It Got Even Worse.
• The House GOP is a dumpster fire. What if it takes power?
• GOP election-deniers elevate races for secretary of state
• What Wall Streeters Are Whispering About Elon Musk and Twitter (“Their advice: Back out”)
• Elon Musk Isn’t Buying Twitter to Defend Free Speech (“Business moguls tend to be big on protecting speech, right until it hurts their bottom line.”)
• Elon Musk reveals how his Twitter may fuel right-wing extremism (“Musk’s ugly tweets about right and left should be read as statements of intent.”)
• Elon Musk and the Tech Bro Obsession With ‘Free Speech’
• The Shadow Crew Who Encouraged Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover (“Before and during Mr. Musk’s breakneck takeover of Twitter, a close-knit group of libertarian-leaning activists and businessmen have been encouraging him to get involved. This group includes the so-called PayPal mafia—former executives at the online payments company who include Mr. Musk, the investor Peter Thiel and entrepreneur David Sacks—as well as ancillary figures like the venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, an early Tesla investor who once served on the auto maker’s board; and Mr. Musk’s brother, Kimbal, a Tesla board member, according to people familiar with the matter.” Disturbing.)
• Musk Engages in Twitter Spat After Rebuttal From Ocasio-Cortez
• Once Soft-Spoken, Ohio Conservatives Embrace the Bombast (This is Trump’s toxic influence on the Republican Party.)
• The Decline of Ohio and the Rise of J.D. Vance
• Why Republican Insurgents Are Struggling to Topple G.O.P. Governors
• President Joe Biden endorses U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown’s re-election bid (Good!)
• Pressure Mounts on Cawthorn as Scandals Pile Up
• Experts: Lawmaker rape case illustrates survivors’ trauma
• Republicans have only themselves to blame for Madison Cawthorn
• Republican Former State Rep. Convicted Of Raping 19-Year-Old Intern
• Fox’s Maria Bartiromo Fed Trump Questions Before Interview, Texts Reportedly Show (Bartiromo is a right-wing propagandist, nothing more.)
• ‘Hurtful and insulting’: Florida teachers react to the ‘don’t say gay’ bill
• Sen. Tim Kaine willing to help Ukraine, whatever it takes
• Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Good Makes Blatantly Racist, Revolting Comments About Afghan Refugees (“If there’s any question about where the Republican Party is heading, look no further than Rep. Bob Good.”)
• Schapiro: History-making Speaker’s Shakespearean fall from power (“While this is all uber insider stuff, these intrigues can’t be overlooked. They can dramatically alter the tone and arc of legislative politics. In 2007, the last time a minority leader was jettisoned, House Democrats — having replaced Frank Hall of Richmond with Ward Armstrong of Henry — became far more aggressive.”)
• What’s next for the Democratic caucus in the House of Delegates?
• Audio: On Right-Wing Radio This Morning, VA GOP Chair Predictably Claims Dems in “Disarray” and “Meltdown” After Ousting Eileen Filler-Corn as Leader (Meanwhile, the right-wing radio host interviewing Anderson signals the VA GOP’s nasty line of attack on Del. Don Scott.)
• 8 of 9 Fairfax County Democratic Supervisors Send Letter to House of Delegates Delegation, Express “deep concern and disappointment” with Ouster of Eileen Filler-Corn as Leader (“[T]his action represents a significant threat to…Fairfax County’s interests in Richmond”)
• After Firing Tim Heaphy as UVA Counsel Back in January, AG Miyares Names as His Replacement Cliff Iler, Who Hosted “Remarkable Event” with Iran-Contra-Scandal Figure, Former NRA President Oliver North (Nancy Reagan condemned North for having “lied to my husband and lied about my husband” and for having “a great deal of trouble separating fact from fantasy”)
• Del. Cia Price Asks, Why Did Youngkin Veto Her “Bipartisan, Commonsense” Bill That “would’ve provided renters with long-overdue protections from slumlords?” (Answer: Because he and his Republican allies “would rather protect the interests of wealthy slumlords than protect the rights of tenants in need”)
• Virginia 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 93% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Down to 186 From ~4,000 in January (Highest 10-day new cases since 3/4)
• Youngkin’s move to force Loudoun school board elections called ‘troubling’
• Only two years after its opening, RPS looks to alleviate overcrowding at River City Middle
• Roanoke police officer in hot water in Tazewell County over ‘satire’ blog on Facebook
• D.C.-area forecast: Beautiful today, and passable Sunday with storm risk late