Thursday News: “Putin Is in Trouble; “Trump’s legal woes have just gotten a lot worse”; “Youngkin’s restriction on trans students’ rights is probably illegal”; “Spanberger, Good clash at Virginia delegation meeting with Youngkin”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, September 22.

• 1.5 degree climate pledge ‘on life support’, Guterres tells leaders during frank exchanges
• Solar power constituted half of all global capacity additions last year, followed by wind: BloombergNEF (“Wind and solar are now the cheapest sources of new bulk power generation in countries that make up two-thirds of world population and three-quarters of global [gross domestic product]”)
• ‘This Is How A Pacific Atoll Dies’: Drowning Island Nations On Climate Change Threat
• Neptune and its rings shown in striking new light by Webb telescope (“Farthest planet from sun and its satellites revealed in unprecedented detail by space telescope’s infrared imager”)
• Consumers reap rewards of 100 pct renewables as wind and solar farms hand back windfall profits
• There’s a huge surge in solar production under way – and Australia could show the world how to use it
• Putin Is in Trouble
• Putin is getting desperate. Ukraine and the West must keep the pressure on.
• Putin, Under Pressure Over Ukraine War, Turns to Familiar Escalation Playbook
• Don’t let Putin bluff us. Russia is losing.
• Putin Expands His War as Biden Tries to Rally the U.N. (“The world body has proved weak and dysfunctional in solving existential crises.”)
• Putin can call up all the troops he wants, but Russia can’t train or support them
• As mobilization begins in Russia, sold-out flights, protests and arrests
• The Kremlin Must Be in Crisis (“Putin’s erratic actions are not those of a secure leader”)
• Ukraine’s Zelenskyy lays out his case against Russia to UN
• Americans freed in sprawling Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange
• The West is testing out a lot of shiny new military tech in Ukraine
• Major prisoner swap welcomed by Ukraine
• North Korea denies sending arms to Russia amid Ukraine war
• Zelensky calls for ‘just punishment’ for Russia
• Putin’s Call-Up Brings Reality of War Home to Many Russians
• Putin’s nuclear threats and war escalation, explained (“Putin is trying to change the course of the Ukraine war. Will it work?”)
• Brazil election: Why it matters so much to the US (“In less than two weeks, one of the world’s biggest democracies will hold what many are describing as its most important presidential election in years. The US has been watching this vote in Brazil closely. Why?”)
• A woman’s death shows the tyranny of Iran’s regime
• Iranian protesters torch police stations as unrest over woman’s death spreads (Go Iranian women!)f
• Iran protests rage as Mahsa Amini’s father says authorities lied about her death
• Why Iranian women are burning their hijabs after the death of Mahsa Amini
• ‘Death to the dictator’: Videos show growing protests in Iran
• Indigenous Leaders Beg US Firms to Stop Supporting Deforestation (“All the destruction and violence stems from the interest of these giant corporations.”)
• Senate Ratifies Pact to Curb a Broad Category of Potent Greenhouse Gases
• Powell Signals Recession May Be Price to Pay for Crushing Inflation
• Puerto Rico crews struggle to reach residents cut off since Fiona hit
• More than 1M still without power in Puerto Rico as island assesses damage from Hurricane Fiona
• Why all Americans should be paying attention to Puerto Rico’s power grid
• The eco-friendly homes that didn’t lose power after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico (“The homes illustrate the necessity for renewable energy on the island and other places. “)
• How Big Were Pandemic Learning Losses, Really? (“Next time, we should try to do better. But all things considered, the best data we have at the moment suggest that school closures were probably a fog-of-war-style social and political stumble, not, as some have suggested, a ‘disastrous, invasion-of-Iraq magnitude (or perhaps greater) policy decision.’​”)
• Jennifer Rubin: New York’s lawsuit against Trump is yet further proof that he’s a loser
• First Thing: Do the latest legal woes spell the end for Donald Trump?
• ‘He’s done’: how Donald Trump’s legal woes have just gotten a lot worse
• DOJ can resume criminal probe of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, appeals court says
• Video, Transcript: President Biden’s Speech to the UN (John Harwood: this speech epitomizes that “a decent man who believes in the American experiment has replaced an indecent con man, who does not, as president of the US”)
• Appeals Court Restores Justice Dept.’s Access to Sensitive Files Seized From Trump
• New York civil fraud suit could bring down the Trump Organization
• Letitia James used Trump’s boasts against him. It was devastating.
• Appeals court: Justice Depart. can use Mar-a-Lago documents in criminal probe
• Trump suffers setback as appeals panel rejects Cannon ruling
• New York AG Letitia James files $250M lawsuit against Trump for defrauding lenders, others
• Trump and His Spurious Business Face a Reckoning
• Attorney General James Sues Donald Trump for Years of Financial Fraud
• Has a Trump Tipping Point Been Reached? Analyzing The NY Attorney General’s Case Against Trump
• Trumps inflated net worth by billions, says NY state lawsuit
• How Screwed Are Donald Trump and His Adult Children, and Other Questions You Might Have About the “Staggering” Fraud Lawsuit Against Them (“How exactly did the alleged illegal activity go down? Was Tiffany involved? Is there any chance this could lead to prison time? And more”)
• Why Democrats are trying to make midterms a referendum on Trump, GOP
• No religious person can celebrate the GOP’s abuse of immigrants (“Treating people like objects is antithetical to the teachings of essentially all major religions.”)
• Jan. 6 committee reaches deal with Ginni Thomas for an interview
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/21/america-under-attack-texas/
• House Passes Overhaul of Electoral Count, Moving to Avert Another Jan. 6 Crisis
• House passes bill to prevent stolen elections, despite strong GOP opposition
• Trump Support Remains Unmoved by Investigations, Poll Finds (It’s a cult.)
• America is under attack — by Texas
• Donald Trump’s QAnon cult rally: If you thought the fever was breaking, think again (“Yes, it really was that bad. Mussolini-style rants, revenge fantasies and now murderous cult symbols. With music!”)
• QAnon videos are getting millions of views on TikTok as Trump embraces conspiracy theory
• Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman offers new Jan. 6 details at trial of QAnon believer
• Operatives linked to DeSantis promised to fly migrants to Delaware — but left them stranded
• DeSantis’s cruel stunt highlights the GOP’s hunger to change the subject
• Why Ron DeSantis Thinks Weaponizing Asylum Seekers Is a Winning Strategy (“The Florida Governor’s political stunt rests on the cynical assumption that no one actually wants to offer refuge to people fleeing adversity.”)
• Ohio GOP House candidate has misrepresented military service
• GOP congressional candidate said US suffered from women’s suffrage and praised organization trying to repeal 19th Amendment
• Fox hides from report that its top executives subverted 2020 election calls
• Right-wing media’s campaign against children’s hospitals is making it harder for trans people to access lifesaving medical care (“By forcing hospitals to delete information in the face of threats, internet mobs led by Libs of Tik Tok, Matt Walsh, and other far-right influencers are creating new barriers to trans health care”)
• Herschel Walker Says He’s ‘Not That Smart.’ I Believe Him.
• Wild Virginia: Manchin’s Side Deal, A Gift to Fossil Fuel Companies (“Even worse, Manchin wants to ram this measure through along with a budget bill that’s necessary to keep the government operating”)
• Manchin permitting reform bill includes approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline (“Proposal roils U.S. Senate and House Democrats, draws objections from Virginia Sen. Kaine”)
• Kaine to vote against Manchin’s permitting reform bill
• Senator Warner wants state and local governments to be more transparent with financial data
• With 48 Days Until Election Day 2022, Here are the Latest Cook Political Report and Economist Model Ratings for Virginia(The Economist gives Rep. Spanberger (D-VA07) an 89% chance and Rep. Luria (D-VA02) a 51% chance of winning.)
• Spanberger, Good clash at Virginia delegation meeting with Youngkin (“Spanberger was upset by the ‘aggressive nature’ of Good’s comments on transgender students and cursed at him, several attendees said. So yeah, it was a rough meeting.”)
• Every Virginia Democratic U.S. Representative Votes FOR the “Electoral Reform Act”; All Four Republicans Vote NO (This act is crucial; as Rep. Luria says, it’s “the first step to ensuring that future efforts to steal a presidential election from the people will not succeed”)
• Youngkin’s trip to stump for Kari Lake unpacked by Arizona politics reporter (“Lake has become a proponent of former President Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories as a candidate in the Arizona governor’s race.” Lake is completely nuts, extreme, etc.)
• Youngkin risks his political future by boosting Lake
• US Senate Race: Kelly Takes a Double-Digit Lead Over Masters
• Is it enforceable?: Youngkin’s proposed trans student policy examined
• Editorial: Youngkin’s harmful policy proposal targets transgender children
• Youngkin’s restriction on trans students’ rights is probably illegal, experts say
• Opinion/Editorial: Young women voter sign-ups lag prior years
• Virginia rule on legislators leaving districts could add more intrigue to 2023 elections (“With the electoral landscape still taking shape for the high-stakes 2023 General Assembly elections, when all 140 state legislative seats will be on the ballot, there have been no residency challenges yet. Still, the question of how the constitutional rule might affect the legislature next year is already being discussed in hushed tones around the Capitol.”)
• Clean Virginia: Regulators Should Defend Consumer Protection Measure for Dominion’s Offshore Wind Project (“All other states developing offshore wind have adopted models that reduce risks to customers”)
• Virginia General Assembly won’t move to new office building for 2023 session
• Parents file class-action suit against Virginia Department of Education, Fairfax School Board over disability hearings
• Loudoun County drafts policy on using ‘sexually explicit content’ in school materials
• Editorial: Local control is failing Spotsylvania
• Roanoke groups dedicate marker at site of 1893 lynching
• Video: Democrat Albert Vega Announces Candidacy for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Against Increasingly Hard-Right Pat Herrity, the Sole Remaining Republican on the Board (Vega pledges to be a Supervisor who’s “in sync with our values” and “focused on actually creating solutions” – unlike Herrity)
• D.C.-area forecast: Showers and gusty winds usher in autumn cooling late today