Wednesday News: Zelenskyy Addresses UN, While US, EU Consider More Sanctions; “President Obama, your country needs you”; “Why Republicans Are Smearing Everyone As Pedophiles Now”; “[Virginia] Court orders Jan. 6 defense lawyer disbarred”

by Lowell

Here are a few world, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, April 6.

• Actually, humanity can still avoid climate catastrophe
• ExxonMobil Announces $10 Billion Oil Investment the Same Day IPCC Signals End for Fossil Fuels (Disgusting company.)
• Dire U.N. climate report garners only 16 minutes of coverage across all cable and broadcast TV news (The “news” media in this country continues to be BADLY broken.)
• Germany to present renewable energy expansion measures
• Europe is finally coming after Russia’s energy
• IPCC: We can tackle climate change if big oil gets out of the way
• Whole of Shanghai enters COVID lockdown despite lower symptomatic cases
• Europe Considers Blocking Russian Coal Imports
• Russian forces pound key cities as West prepares new sanctions
• Has Putin’s brutality finally hit a wall in Ukraine?
• What to Do About Russia’s Atrocities in Bucha
• What’s happening in Ukraine is genocide. Period.
• Antony Blinken to meet with allies in Brussels to discuss actions against Russia
• 
  One of the worst ways Putin is gaslighting the world on Ukraine (“Putin isn’t fighting neo-Nazism. He nurtures it, making his pretext for invading Ukraine even more repellent.”)
• The Russia-Ukraine war: Still no help for Mariupol as Zelenskyy demands consequences
• Europe to add sanctions after Russian atrocities
• A weary Zelensky challenges U.N. to act with graphic video for diplomats
• As the world reacts in horror to Bucha, China’s state media strikes a different tone
• Thousands flee eastern Ukraine as Russia steps up offensive
• EU Weighs Sanctions on Oleg Deripaska, Herman Gref and Other Russian Tycoons
• I got Putin wrong, says chastened German President
• Ukraine Update: Zelenskiy Says Russia Still Aims for Occupation
• $100 Million in Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
• Putin’s Blunder and Europe’s Gamble (“A conversation with Russia expert Thane Gustafson on Putin’s blunder, the Ukraine war, and the role of energy in the future of Europe and Russia.”)
• West set to toughen sanctions on Russia; Ukraine urges more
• Zelenskiy says war has reached crucial moment for western leaders – video
• After the horrors of Bucha, Ukrainians have changed the way we look at this war
• Hey, Tucker Carlson, are you still rooting for Russia over Ukraine?
• Ukraine Braces for Intense Battles in Eastern Donbas
• ‘We Will Kill You’: How Russia Silenced Its Antiwar Movement (“A new Russian law prohibiting referrals to the military campaign in Ukraine as a war or an invasion and mass arrests of protesters have largely eliminated visible signs of dissent against inside Russia, leading to large numbers of people choosing to leave the country.”)
• Why haven’t Republicans had to answer for Trump’s support for Putin?
• The photos from Ukraine are horrifying. Is any justice for Putin possible?
• Top US general: Potential for ‘significant international conflict’ is increasing
• ‘Where is the security?’ Zelenskiy tells home truths to UN security council (“Ukraine’s leader is a master communicator but his words made for uncomfortable listening in a forum with Russia at its heart”)
• The Horrors Emerging From Russian-Occupied Territory in Ukraine (“It’s not just Bucha. Reports of war atrocities targeting civilians continue to surface from across the country.”)
• Rising Marine Le Pen energises final stretch of France’s presidential campaign (Disturbing.)
• Panic! at the Elysée. (“French voters try to avoid a rematch between Macron and Le Pen.”)
• Macron leads polls but turnout a big question in French vote (“President Emmanuel Macron is the clear favorite in France’s presidential race Sunday yet a big unknown factor may prove decisive: an unprecedented proportion of people say they are unsure who to vote for or don’t intend to vote at all, bringing a large dose of uncertainty to the election.”)
• Russia’s failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages
• Russian media campaign dismisses Bucha deaths as fakes (Evil.)
• U.S. conservative conference with Hungary’s hardline leader reflects Republican divide
• US right wing figures in step with Kremlin over Ukraine disinformation, experts say
• Markets Bet on Sharpest Pace of Fed Tightening Since 1994
• What Ever Happened to the Great Resignation?
• White House to extend student loan pause through August
• Clean energy, climate action not to blame for pain at the pump (Those are, in fact, the SOLUTIONS.)
• Immigration snag threatens to stall $10 billion coronavirus package
• America Is Staring Down Its First So What? Wave (“The United States could be in for a double whammy: a surge it cares to neither measure nor respond to.”)
• January 6 committee obtains emails that former Trump attorney John Eastman sought to keep secret
• Exclusive: Jan. 6 Committee Interviews Longtime Steve Bannon Associate Alexandra Preate
• Justice Dept. Investigation of Jan. 6 Confronts Sprawling Cast of Characters
• House to vote on contempt for Scavino, Navarro in 1/6 probe
• Biden Nominates Adm. Linda Fagan to Head Coast Guard, First Woman to Lead Military Service
• Court orders Jan. 6 defense lawyer disbarred (“A Virginia state court has disbarred Jonathon Moseley, an attorney who has represented a slew of high-profile Jan. 6 defendants, including a member of the Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy, as well as several targets of the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.”)
• Time for Merrick Garland to act: Trump can’t get a pass on serious crimes over “politics” (“Of course the Justice Department shouldn’t be an instrument of politics. But this is about something bigger”)
• How to respond to the GOP’s hateful culture wars (“It’s time to call out the phony GOP talking points.”)
• Right-wing pundits absurdly smear Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s supporters as pedophiles (“The conservative media echo chamber increasingly reflects the paranoias of once-fringe extremists and conspiracy theorists”)
• Teachers who mention sexuality are ‘grooming’ kids, conservatives say (Does that include a teacher mentioning what she did with her husband – or a husband with his wife – on spring break? Or that they’re getting married?)
• The QAnon catchphrases that took over the Jackson hearings
• Against the ‘Groomer’ Smear (“It’s not ‘pro-pedophile’ to back Ketanji Brown Jackson, and it’s not ‘grooming’ to oppose Florida’s new education law.”)
• Why Republicans Are Smearing Everyone As Pedophiles Now (“The spread of this ‘issue’ says nothing about the parties’ comparative permissiveness about sexual assault. It only reveals the existence within one of them of an openness to conspiracy theories and a network of operatives unprincipled enough to exploit it.”)
• Voter fraud allegations about Trump aides point to a deeper scam
• President Obama, your country needs you (“Obama hasn’t been entirely silent; he stumped in Virginia for Terry McAuliffe and spoke to House Democrats, for example. But as a celebrated former president, and the first Black president, he’s in an unrivaled position to mobilize Americans in defense of democracy. This is no time to be outside the arena.”)
• ‘Like the good old days’: Obama returns to the White House for the first time as Democrats look ahead to midterm elections
• Obama, Biden reunite at White House to tout Obamacare, new provision
• Trust in Media 2022: Where Americans get their news and who they trust for information (This shows what we aleady knew, that Democrats trust a large number/wide variety of news and information sources, and that Republicans only trust far-right sources of “news” like Fox, Newsmax, OAN, etc.)
• Trump’s Social Media Empire Is Flailing
• Stealth school board candidates are everywhere: But “Stop the Steal” isn’t working for them (“Far-right school board candidates are surfacing around the country — trying to snow voters by appearing normal”)
• Fred Upton calls it quits, leaving a much different House
• Oklahoma Legislature Passes Near-Total Ban on Abortion
• Oklahoma state House approves bill to make abortion illegal
• Elon Musk, One of Twitter’s Most Irresponsible Users, Is Now Its Largest Shareholder (“The move might be good for business. But for everything else, it’s a pretty bad omen.”)
• Elon Musk spent $2.64 billion on Twitter shares so far this year, new filing shows
• Oh, Look, Marjorie Taylor Greene Has Some Thoughts on How to Define a Woman
• Does Alaska’s Special Election Create An Opening For Sarah Palin’s Comeback?
• Politico Just Served Up a Tasty Both Sides Burger Out of Wisconsin
• Illinois Police Officer Resigns After White Supremacist Posts Surface Online
• The real reason Lauren Boebert wants to cancel Mickey Mouse (“Underneath Boebert’s buffoonery is a real argument that we should forcefully engage.”)
• 63 Republicans, Including Two From Virginia (Bob Good and Ben Cline) Vote Against Rep. Gerry Connolly’s Resolution in Support of NATO, Democracy
• Sen. Tim Kaine Offers His “unqualified support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Justice of the United States Supreme Court” (“Judge Jackson’s qualifications speak for themselves”)
• Video: On MSNBC, Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02) Says, “If…we find that criminal activity has occurred…it’s our responsibility to refer that to the Department of Justice.”
• Rep. Luria: It’s valuable when we can ask questions of people ‘that were in the room’ with Trump
• Audio: Trump Says Youngkin “wrote me a beautiful letter thanking me…Youngkin would not have won the race – not even close [without me]” (Trump: “Without the help, [Youngkin] wouldn’t have won nor would he have gotten the nomination by the way.”)
• This big ticket tax cut is blocking budget deal in Virginia
• Governor Youngkin’s Incompetence Continues – Waits For Legislators Leave to Send Legislation (“Governor Youngkin Should Pay Back Virginians After Wasting $46,000 in Taxpayer Dollars”)
• Schapiro: The marketing — or mis-marketing — of Virginia’s brand
• Editorial: Will Youngkin’s commencement speech address ‘divisive concepts’?
• Kinter and Maibach: For a prosperous tomorrow, Virginia needs to make good decisions today
• With gun violence on the rise in Virginia, lawmakers introduce 2 bills addressing the issue
• Youngkin administration faults aging Virginia elections data system
• Virginia 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 96% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Down to 226 From ~4,000 in January
• Virginia police routinely use secret GPS pings to track people’s cell phones
• Editorial: Action on gun violence (“The regional movement to combat gun violence is promising but it needs to reflect the urgency of the crisis that continues to claim young lives.”)
• VDOT is still cleaning up from the January storm that stranded drivers on I-95
• After a year of public feuding, Mattaponi tribal conflict comes to a head
• D.C.-area forecast: Showers this morning before a dry afternoon; more rain tomorrow