Wednesday News: Zelenskyy Says Russia Has Become “Terrorist” State; “Trump sought to lead armed mob to Capitol, aide says”; Cassidy Hutchinson Exposed “violence that fuels Trumpism”; “Youngkin meets with megadonors amid hints he’s mulling White House bid”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, June 29.

“All of this just keeps coming together to show that [Trump] had foreknowledge, and he had a will to participate personally in what happened at the Capitol that day” – @RepElaineLuria on Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the Jan. 6 committee w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/ToCNSwzt9Y

— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) June 28, 2022

• What the World Bank Can Do for Climate Change
• Scientists Agree on Man-Made Climate Change More Than People Think
• EU countries reach climate crisis deal after late-night talks (“Environment ministers back phasing out fossil-fuel cars by 2035 and a €59bn fund to help ease cost burden of new policies on low income earners”)
• Japan swelters in worst heatwave since 1875 (Climate crisis alert.)
• Climate change: UK government told to insulate more homes
• Russian missiles rain down on Ukraine as West pledges enduring support
• NATO chief: Alliance faces biggest challenge since WWII
• U.S. to boost land, sea and air power in Europe in response to Ukraine invasion
• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Russia Has Become ‘A Terrorist’ State
• Ukrainian survivor: Only a ‘monster’ would attack a mall (Putin is, indeed, such a monster.)
• NATO’s Stoltenberg expects Sweden, Finland to become members quickly
• Turkey Backs NATO Membership for Sweden, Finland
• Turkey Lifts Its Objections To Sweden, Finland Joining NATO
• Paris attacks trial to conclude after 10 months of harrowing testimony (“Trial hailed as crucial step for France in facing its collective trauma over 2015 terror attacks”)
• Jubilation and hope as convention puts final stamp on Chile’s new draft constitution (“Draft shifts country away from Pinochet-era document, enshrining cultural rights and laying out path of autonomy for Indigenous peoples”)
• US ramping up monkey pox vaccine distribution to slow down spread
• Cassidy Hutchinson just gave us a smoking gun. But will Republicans care?
• Jan. 6 testimony shows Trump is unhinged. Voters must listen.
• Trump sought to lead armed mob to Capitol, aide says
• Cassidy Hutchinson just changed everything (“The January 6 hearings have been damning. Hutchinson’s testimony took them to a new level.”)
• Trump’s dominance might end with a whimper, not a bang (“Republicans won’t turn on Trump. But they might turn away.”)
• 7 shocking revelations from a real bad afternoon for Donald Trump
• So That’s What a Trump Trantrum Is Really Like
• An aide shatters the Trump White House’s code of silence
• Cassidy Hutchinson’s surprise Jan. 6 testimony exposes the violence that fuels Trumpism
• If Only Trump Had Been Stopped From Grabbing America’s Steering Wheel (Yep, the 2016 election may very well end up destroying our country. Great job, everybody who voted for Trump, a third party or stayed home!)
• Cassidy Hutchinson could read the ketchup on the wall
• 5 stunning revelations about Jan. 6 from Cassidy Hutchinson
• Analysis: A President Untethered (“In the final, frenzied days of his administration, Donald J. Trump’s behavior turned increasingly volatile as he smashed dishware and lunged at his own Secret Service agent, according to testimony.”)
• The Most Explosive Revelations From Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony
• Trump Thinks He’s a Mob Boss, but That’s an Insult to Mob Bosses
• What Would Donald Trump Have Done if He’d Actually Gotten to the Capitol?
• Trump’s legal exposure may be growing – and 4 other takeaways from the Jan. 6 hearing
• Jan. 6 panel warns of attempts to ‘influence’ witnesses by Trump allies
• ‘They’re not here to hurt me’: Former aide says Trump knew Jan. 6 crowd was armed
• Trump Attacked His Own Secret Service Driver. That Wasn’t Even Tuesday’s Biggest News
• The Hill’s Morning Report — A devastating day for Trump
• January 6 testimony puts Donald Trump in even greater legal peril
• Jan. 6 Suddenly Looks a Hell of a Lot Worse
• Cassidy Hutchinson’s Jan. 6 Testimony Painted a Picture for the History Books (“Behold Mark Meadows, doomscroller in chief, feckless, indifferent, or both.”)
• Another American woman just stood up to protect democracy from Trump
• 7 takeaways from shocking January 6 hearing
• Aide: Trump dismissed Jan. 6 threats, wanted to join crowd
• The Most Damning January 6 Testimony Yet (“Cassidy Hutchinson’s account of Donald Trump’s behavior destroys any defense the president once had.”)
• ‘This is a bombshell’: Trump aides left speechless by Hutchinson testimony
• Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony Should Be the End of Donald Trump (“Regardless of the legal obstacles to convicting the former President, Hutchinson’s testimony reconfirmed that he must never again be allowed anywhere near power.”)
• A lawyer for Virginia Thomas said she would not testify to the House panel.
• Former White House aide delivers shocking testimony about out-of-control Trump on Jan. 6
• Trump Aides Watch Testimony and Brace for Damage
• The Case for Prosecuting Donald Trump Just Got Much Stronger
• Video: Former Trump WH Aide Cassidy Hutchinson Testifies to Trump’s Unhinged, Violent Behavior on 1/6/21
• Cassidy Hutchinson, a Trump White House aide and graduate of CNU, is now in the spotlight
• Eastman drops bid to block phone records from Jan. 6 committee
• Cassidy Hutchinson Held Their Manhoods Cheap (“This afternoon a 26-year-old former assistant showed more courage and integrity than an entire administration full of grown-ass adults who were purportedly working in service to the American people, but had long ago decided to serve only their ambition and grievance. Cassidy Hutchinson did so at risk to her safety. Her social circle. Her career.”)
• Trump Is In Deep, Deep, Deep, Deep Trouble
• How the Jan. 6 panel’s star witness drew a roadmap for Trump’s culpability
• Republicans Are Trying to Cover Up the Greatest Political Scandal in American History
• The Jan. 6 Committee Produces a Very Special Episode
• Trump’s had bad moments, but few worse than Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony
• Bombshell hearing raises a question: Why was Trump’s lawyer terrified?
• With surprise witness, Trump’s last line of defense is collapsing
• Hutchinson Puts Trump’s Violence on Display
• Cassidy Hutchinson’s path from trusted insider to explosive witness
• The Memo: Cassidy Hutchinson drops hammer on Donald Trump
• Fox anchor downplays bombshell testimony of former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson
• Don’t get mad at ‘weak’ Democrats. Instead, get organized. (“The antiabortion movement never stopped voting. But they did so much more.”)
• Williams: Abortion rights aren’t the first the U.S. has curtailed. And they won’t be the last.
• Charlottesville ER Nurse Kellen Squire Predicts: “The Post-Roe suffering has already begun – and it’s about to get way get worse.” (“I want to warn you now – this post is gut wrenching. It will not be easy to read.”)
• The Supreme Court just handed down very bad news for Black voters
• Supreme Court Revives Republican-Drawn Voting Map in Louisiana (This Supreme Court is completely lawless and contemptuous of the facts. F*** them.)
• Poll: Confidence in Supreme Court collapses as just 33% agree with decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
• Majority Disapprove of Reversing Roe
• Pelosi has the right idea on abortion. The Senate must follow. (“Make Republicans own their radicalism.”)
• Critics Inside and Outside White House Push Biden for More Forceful Abortion Response (Agreed – be as forceful as possible.)
• A Rescue Package for Joe Biden (“His presidency is beset with huge challenges, many of his own making. Here are five pillars of wisdom to help him meet them.”)
• Kevin McCarthy, Have You No Sense of Decency? (“If, after the latest January 6 hearing, House Republicans persist in their policy of pro-Trump cover-up, American democracy is in dire peril.”)
• Illinois Governor’s Race Shows G.O.P.’s Lurch to Right (With Nudge From Left) (Classic “both sides” headline. What is this “Left” of which the NY Times speaks, anyway and how does it belong in the same headline as the “Right,” which should really be “FAR-Right?”)
• Illinois Governor Pritzker to Face Trump’s Choice in November
• GOP Election Denier Tina Peters Loses Colorado Secretary Of State Primary
• Colorado Republicans reject 3 election deniers for statewide office
• Trump-backed Rep. Mary Miller defeats Rep. Rodney Davis in new Illinois district
• Hard-line conservative Reps. Boebert, Miller win primaries
• Boebert says she is ‘tired’ of separation between church and state: ‘The church is supposed to direct the government’ (And she was just renominated. That tells you a GREAT deal – and certainly nothing good! – about her voters.)
• Casten beats Newman in matchup of Dem incumbents in Illinois
• Dems’ Rocky Mountain MAGA bet
• In New York, the race for governor will be between Hochul and Zeldin
• Rep. Lee Zeldin beats Andrew Giuliani in New York’s GOP primary for governor
• Giuliani on Defensive After Uproar Over Assault Claim
• Attorney General Ken Paxton says he will defend Texas sodomy law if Supreme Court revisits Lawrence vs. Texas
• Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison (Great. Now how about the MEN who sexually abused/assaulted/raped girls???)
• ‘She ruined lives’: Ghislaine Maxwell’s victims tell of the impact of her abuse (“The British socialite maintained her innocence as women came forward to accuse her of sexual abuse and trafficking”)
• Texas migrant deaths ‘a horrific human tragedy’, says San Antonio mayor (“Discovery of 50 people dead in a trailer prompts outpouring of compassion but governor bucks trend by blaming deaths on Biden” Abbott is scum.)
• Greg Abbott’s lie about migrant deaths is unfit for print (“Mainstream media need to stop amplifying the disgusting lie that nonexistent ‘open borders’ are somehow responsible for death and suffering along the southern border” Exactly – in no way/shape/form do we have “open borders,” nor should we!)
• Sen. Kaine visits Norfolk Naval Shipyard, talks shipbuilding funding
• Record funding to reduce agricultural pollution expected to aid Bay cleanup
• Some Virginia Republicans remain unfazed by J6-Committee findings (“Cline, Good, Griffith avoid commenting on the hearings. LaRock, Williams say they change nothing.” Cline, Good and Griffith all should be ejected from Congress as the insurrectionists that they are. LaRock and Williams are also insurrectionists and shouldn’t be in the Virginia House of Delegates.)
• Schapiro: Will the real Glenn Youngkin please stand up (“That he’s looking to a handful of Republican legislators, some of them firmly opposed to abortion, to recommend a way forward signals he’s more interested in fighting Democrats than finding common ground — especially ahead of elections that could restore total GOP control of the General Assembly in 2023.”)
• Youngkin meets with megadonors amid hints he’s mulling White House bid (The WaPo continues to push its “balancing act” narrative for Youngkin HARD.)
• Far-Right VA State Senator Steve Newman (R) Suggests Penalizing Medical Providers to Enforce 15-Week Abortion Ban; Sen. Jennifer Boysko Responds, “Over my dead body”
• Newman says enforcement of abortion law could target licenses of doctors
• Virginia’s governor forges ahead on divisive topics while wooing businesses
• LIST: New laws in Virginia taking effect in July 2022
• Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on future of abortion in Virginia
• Audit finds VDOT doesn’t have enough contractors for major snow removal
• Virginia 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 86% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Down to 571 From ~4,000 in January; Both Up From a Couple Months Ago
• Virginia is spending millions to boost security at state-run mental hospitals (“Some lawmakers and advocates aren’t happy with the decision, which will add 65 officers across eight facilities”)
• Two Hampton Roads prosecutors preemptively pledge not to file charges over abortion if Virginia law changes (“Ramin Fatehi and Stephanie Morales, commonwealth’s attorneys for Norfolk and Portsmouth, respectively, have signed a pledge to refuse to prosecute anyone charged with an abortion-related offense. Gov. Youngkin has called for new restrictions to be introduced in January.”)
• “It’s A Mixed Bag”: Analyst Weighs In On Virginia Education Budget
• Fairfax Democrats Applaud Renaming of Lee District to Franconia District (“Our institutions of government should reflect the values of equity and inclusion, not be named after families with ties to the failed Confederacy.”)
• Chesterfield firefighter who died during swift water training became unresponsive for ‘reasons still unknown’
• Virginia Students Find Joy And Acceptance At Loudoun Pride After a Difficult Year
• Fairfax City Adopts New Seal Minus Confederate Soldier, British Lord
• Father died by suicide after toddler died in hot car, Virginia officials said
• Roanoke County supervisors approve board raise
• D.C.-area forecast: Gradually warmer today and tomorrow before a hot Friday