| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, July 21.
- It’s so hot in Europe that roads are literally buckling (“The world wasn’t built for this heat.”)
- Batteries Are Already Helping Power Grids Weather a Hotter World
- Heat Wave Complicates Global Energy Crisis and Climate Fight
- We’ve Had Other Climate Defeats. This One Is by Far the Weirdest.
- Living through the British heat wave was unbearable. We can’t downplay it.
- Australia leads world in green hydrogen hype and hope, but not in actual projects
- E.C.B. Set to Raise Rates for First Time in 11 Years
- Ukraine Faces Weapons Shortfall as It Gears Up for First Major Counteroffensive (“Western weapons have helped Ukraine claw back territory in the south, but Kyiv will need a greater range and number of arms to succeed.”)
- ‘The closest thing I’ve seen to hell’: U.S. veterans fighting in Ukraine describe heavy losses in the battle against Russia
- Key Russian gas pipeline resumes supply to Europe (Europe needs to get off Russian energy supplies on an emergency basis.)
- Pelosi to Blinken: Label Russia as terrorist state, or else Congress will
- CIA Director: Putin ‘too healthy’
- Ukraine’s first lady tells the U.S. Congress that ‘Russia is destroying our people.’
- Russia Moves to Annex Occupied Ukrainian Land by September
- A Village Retaken, and a Confidence Boost for Ukraine’s Troops (“A Ukrainian brigade surprised Russian forces, scoring a rare success in the east and sending an intimidating signal to other units.”)
- Italy’s Draghi resigns after government implodes (Not good.)
- Draghi Resigns as Premier, Leaving Italy In Political Chaos
- Sri Lanka’s newly elected president sworn into office
- The new science coming from the James Webb telescope has astronomers giddy
- FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Executive Actions on Climate to Address Extreme Heat and Boost Offshore Wind
- Biden announces modest steps to fight climate’s ‘clear and present danger
- Biden unveils extreme heat plan – but doesn’t declare climate emergency
- Some good news: Trump seems closer than ever to prosecution
- The Jan. 6 committee shows what bipartisanship is — and what it isn’t (“Bipartisanship should be a means to an end, not the end itself. Democrats should pursue it to secure values the party holds dear or produce results for Americans. That’s conceivable only when both sides want success and share some basic set of values, such as sustaining a functional democracy.”)
- Analysis: Trump’s infamous obsession with TV helped define Jan. 6 too
- A majority thinks Trump is to blame for Jan. 6 but won’t face charges, poll finds
- Merrick Garland: Nothing to prevent investigating Trump or anyone else for Jan. 6 attack
- Merrick Garland doesn’t have forever
- Secret Service was told at least once before Jan. 6, 2021, to preserve texts (There need to be – but will there be? – consequences to all this criminal activity.)
- Secret Service watchdog knew in February that texts had been purged
- Secret Service watchdog knew in February that texts had been purged
- In Harvard study of Jan. 6 rioters, top motivation is clear: Trump
- Opinion: The January 6 hearing witness who should make Trump nervous (“Matthew Pottinger is one of the very few senior officials to have served for almost the entirety of the Trump administration. He only submitted his resignation on the day of the US Capitol riot — January 6, 2021.”)
- Jan. 6 panel probes Trump’s 187 minutes as Capitol attacked
- January 6 panel to show Trump violated law by refusing to stop Capitol attack
- Exclusive: Jan. 6 Committee Plans to Humiliate MAGA Lawmakers Who Cowered During Capitol Attack
- Even a day after Jan. 6, Trump balked at condemning the violence
- Jan. 6 committee has outtakes of Trump’s message to supporters day after riot
- Good-bye to Biden’s Social-Policy Agenda (“In the end, sheer economic ignorance killed it.” And complete idiocy by Joe F’ing Manchin.)
- Bipartisan Senate Group Strikes Deal to Rewrite Electoral Count Act
- Democrats should take yes for an answer on Electoral Count Act reform (“The perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the good when democracy’s at stake.”)
- A bill to prevent Trump’s attempted coup is finally ready — and must pass
- The new proposal to prevent a future coup is surprisingly good
- Senators announce bipartisan bills to stop candidates from stealing elections
- Why Congress should swiftly enact the Senate’s bipartisan ECA reform bill
- Former Trump White House aide who met with January 6 panel attacks witnesses, lawmakers in profane and sexist rant
- Trump Recently Urged a Powerful Legislator to Overturn His 2020 Defeat in Wisconsin
- Steve Bannon’s offer to testify in the House January 6 inquiry might have backfired at his criminal trial
- Arizona Republican censured by party over testimony on resisting Trump (If the Republican Party were sane, which it obviously is not, they would have given him a medal for defending America!)
- Republican Senators Insist There’s No Need to Protect Same-Sex Marriage Despite Literal Supreme Court Threat (Marco Rubio is an imbecile, also a horrible person.)
- Once Hysterical on Gay Marriage, Conservatives Are Now Incoherent
- Same-Sex Marriage Bill, Considered Dead on Arrival, Gains New Life
- GOP freezes up on same-sex marriage
- AP-NORC poll: Majority want Congress to keep abortion legal
- This Court Has Revealed Conservative Originalism to Be a Hollow Shell (It was clear to some of us MANY years ago that it was a hollow shell. Not sure why it takes soooo long for people to figure obvious stuff out.)
- Congress’ push to regulate Big Tech is fizzling out (That’s a huge mistake and a huge failure!)
- The numerous failures in Uvalde include gun laws
- Don’t blame Democrats for extremist Republicans winning primaries (“Democrats boosted Republicans they thought would be easier to beat. But it’s the Republican voters who really wanted them.”)
- Vote for Liz Cheney. (I never thought I’d say that.)
- Aug. 2 offers GOP a chance to reject malignant strains of Trumpism
- GOP lawmaker who gave Jan. 5 tour wants to investigate Jan. 6 panel (“Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who led a Capitol tour on the eve of the riot, may soon chair the committee in charge of Hill security.” Voters had better not allow that to happen.)
- How tech billionaire Peter Thiel is scaring Republicans about 2022 (“Inside the weird nexus between reactionary capitalism and Trumpist right-wing populism.”)
- New evidence disputes Trump’s citizenship question rationale for census
- Red Herring: Verizon shouldn’t capitulate to OAN’s last-ditch attacks as its contract expires
- Larry Hogan snubs Republican victor in Maryland, escalating Trump proxy war
- Minnesota GOP candidate Matt Birk unapologetic about controversial comments on abortion, rape (Same thing with Yesli Vega and her bizarre/warped comments about rape supposedly not leading to pregnancy)
- John Fetterman, in first interview since stroke, talks recovery and return to U.S. Senate campaign trail
- Senator Kaine backs legislation to protect contraception rights
- Editorial: An invaluable service (“U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria and the members of the Jan. 6 committee are doing this country an invaluable service with their work.”)
- Schapiro: Front-line Va. Democrat readies for her close-up
- Elaine Luria prepares to lead Jan. 6 hearing, connect Trump to violence (“The Virginia Democrat has her defining moment on the committee as she faces her toughest election yet”)
- VA07 GOP Nominee Yesli Vega & Sen. Ted Cruz Want to See Same-Sex Marriage Overturned (“Given the chance, Yesli Vega would jump at the opportunity to ban same-sex marriage in the Commonwealth”)
- Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Backs Legislation to Protect the Right to Contraception*(Any chance that Rep. Spanberger’s far-right-extremist opponent (who thinks being raped makes it LESS likely a woman will get pregnant!) would support this legislation?)
- Jennifer Lewis: As One of Only 18 Votes Against NATO Membership for Sweden and Finland, Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA06) “voted against democracy,” “showed his loyalty to Vladimir Putin”
- The Headlines Warn “The World Is Burning,” Virginia’s Experiencing Flooding and Heat Waves, and Glenn Youngkin Is…Trying to Make Things WORSE! (There’s really no other word for it; this is just plain evil.)
- While the Supreme Court creates confusion over climate regulations, Virginia can still do its part
- Q&A: Virginia conservationist on the ‘fundamental conflict’ between climate and consumerism
- Youngkin needs to decide where his priorities lie (“…the more Youngkin tours the country and finds himself sharing the limelight with election deniers, grievance mongers and other unsavory types, the more likely it is some of that stench gets stuck to him.”)
- VDOT preparing to use artificial intelligence to predict traffic
- Virginia Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement Urges General Assembly, Congress to “Protect the Right to Safe and Legal Abortion”
- Virginia 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 82% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Down to 711 From ~4,000 in January; But at Highest Level Since Early March
- Animal welfare groups are gearing up for a massive canine rescue in Virginia (“About 4,000 beagles are being rescued from a troubled breeding facility in Virginia run by a company that raises and sells animals for research. Animal welfare groups are trying to find them homes.”)
- Arlington to limit ICE interactions, end COVID-19 emergency declaration
- Arlington Co. approves $3.9 billion capital improvement plan
- Report: NRV passenger rail return should include Virginia Tech stop
- Housing authority subsidiary required to seek projects within Norfolk following City Council vote
- D.C.-area forecast: Heat advisory today and even hotter this weekend
