Saturday News: “Biden says leaders ‘can no longer plead ignorance’ over climate crisis”; “Biden Aide Hails ‘Extraordinary’ Kherson Victory”; With Kelly Win, Dems Close In On Senate Control…House Very Close; “Trump Zeroes in on Youngkin”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, November 12.

• UN climate talks near halftime with key issues unresolved
• Cop27: Biden says leaders ‘can no longer plead ignorance’ over climate crisis
• Is China doing enough to combat the climate crisis? (“While it appears committed to renewable energy goals, China’s international commitments fall short of what experts say is needed”)
• Science Day at COP27 Shows That Climate Talks Aren’t Keeping Pace With Planetary Physics (We need to get off fossil fuels like 10 years ago. But ASAP/emergency basis will have to suffice now. Do most people understand this, or are they oblivious?)
• Biden’s mission at climate summit: Convince world ‘it’s different now’
• Biden says America is doing its part to prevent “climate hell.” Is it? (Getting there, but still not fast enough.)
• The meat industry is borrowing tactics from Big Oil to obfuscate the truth about climate change (Everyone should stop buying “Big Meat.” Immediately.)
• Air pollution: Uncovering the dirty secret behind BP’s bumper profits (“Far removed from the world leaders making climate pledges at COP, are people like Ali Hussein Julood, a young leukaemia survivor living on an Iraqi oil field co-managed by BP. When the BBC discovered BP was not declaring the field’s gas flaring, Ali helped us to reveal the truth about the poisonous air the local community has to breathe.”)
• You Can Forget About Crypto Now (Good riddance?)
• Ukraine Latest: Biden Aide Hails ‘Extraordinary’ Kherson Victory
• Putin’s Doomsday Scenario(“The West cannot assume that the Russian leader will be a rational actor on nukes if he sees his nation and regime under existential threat.”)
• Ukraine celebrates as troops enter Kherson after Russian retreat
• Kremlin Darling Shocks Putin Officials in Backstabbing Spree (Let’s hope, just like Republicans, the Russian elite turn on each other as well.)
• Ukraine works to stabilize Kherson after Russian pullout
• What US election results mean for the future of Ukraine aid
• Ukraine FM: Moscow playing ‘hunger games’ with world
• Biden has a strong hand to play at his summit with Xi Jinping
• The nuclear arms race grows from two to three major competing powers
• Biden to Tell Xi to Help on North Korea or Face More Drills
• Computer chip ban signals new era as Biden and Xi meet
• In an Era of Confrontation, Biden and Xi Seek to Set Terms (“Their first in-person presidential meeting, coming after both warned of deepening military, economic and diplomatic rivalry, will show how they address a range of U.S.-China tensions.”)
• Biden pledges US will work with Southeast Asian nations
• UN chief urges Myanmar junta to get democracy ‘back on track’ (“António Guterres says it’s vital a peace plan agreed with the junta, but so far not enforced, takes effect”)
• New EPA Proposal to Augment Methane Regulations Would Help Achieve an 87% Reduction From the Oil and Gas Industry by 2030 (“Steep reductions in emissions of methane—which traps 81 times as much heat as carbon dioxide in the first 20 years in the atmosphere—are among the most important steps for slowing climate change in the short term.”)
• Nasdaq adds 1.9%, S&P 500 closes nearly 1% higher and notches best week since June
• Krugman Says the Fed Should Pause Rate Hikes, Has Done Enough (Agreed, inflation seems to be easing, so the Fed should chill out for a while.)
• New omicron subvariants now dominant in the U.S., raising fears of a winter surge
• An Important Victory for U.S. Democracy—and a Warning
• “Historic massive red wave coming,” “Megawave,” Blah Blah Blah: Some of the Worst Pre-Election Analysis, Predictions by Political Reporters, “Mainstream Media” Pundits
• Who blocked the ‘red wave’? In part, young Latinos
• A red wave of criticism crashes into Donald Trump after midterm losses
• Trump Accidentally Implies He Committed a Major Crime
• Congressional Republicans panic as they watch their lead dwindle
• ‘They completely f—ked up’: How the GOP lost its grip on the Senate majority
• Will Republicans Defy Trump’s Authoritarian Cult of Personality?
• Republicans Are Turning on Trump for Blowing the Last Midterms. Will It Last?
• The GOP Revolt Against Trump Is More Serious Than You Think
• Fox News faces post-midterm choice between Trump, DeSantis
• Biden eagerly watches as Trump flails at DeSantis (Popcorn time!)
• Republicans want Trump to take the blame. Good luck with that.
• Trump mounts anti-McConnell campaign as conservatives seek delay in leadership elections
• McConnell faces brewing discontent from Senate Republicans
• Top Senate Republicans push forward amid calls to delay leadership elections (It couldn’t happen to a better guy, huh? LOL)
• Trump sues to block subpoena from House Jan. 6 committee
• Jan. 6 committee staffers told preliminary plan for final report would focus largely on Trump, not on law enforcement failures, sources say (It should focus on both.)
• How the fall of Roe shattered Republicans’ midterm dreams (“Women and young people, furious over losing federal abortion protections, delivered many unexpected Democratic wins”)
• Why people worried about the fate of democracy see hope in the midterms
• Forget DeSantis. Whitmer and Shapiro are defining the future. (Shapiro and Whitmer are both VERY impressive and should get FAR more attention from the media, at least as much as they give to DeSatan…er, DeSantis.)
• Ultra-conservative gala welcomes supreme court justices who ended Roe v Wade (“Opinion author Samuel Alito gets long ovation at anniversary dinner for Federalist Society” Disgraceful and unacceptable. These people aren’t real justices, they’re far-right political hacks.)
• White Southern women are holding us back (“If there was ever a time for White women to mobilize at the ballot box, it should have been the year that the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights.”)
• Customs and Border Protection chief Chris Magnus asked to resign or face firing
• CBP commissioner says he refused resignation request from homeland security secretary
• Dems one seat away from Senate majority as Mark Kelly wins Arizona (“A win in either Nevada or Georgia’s December runoff will give Democrats control of the chamber in 2023.”)
• Blake Masters’ Defeat Should End the GOP’s Fealty to Trump and the Big Lie
• Kelly wins in Ariz., pushing Democrats closer to keeping Senate (Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report called this Friday morning, actually.)
• Democrats 1 seat away from Senate control after Arizona win
• There’s a Lot Congress Can Do Now, and It Starts With Changing a Law That Trump Exploited
• Nevada election – live: Laxalt lead over Cortez Masto narrows as thousands of Senate votes remain uncounted (Masto is very likely to overtake Laxalt.)
• All eyes on Nevada as Senate control hangs in balance
• Blake Masters and Peter Thiel Thought They Could Buy an Arizona Senate Seat. They Were Wrong. (Thiel is really evil.)
• Mark Kelly Rockets Past Billionaire’s Boy Blake Masters
• Mark Kelly’s (Likely) Win Is an Indictment of Sinema’s Politics (Sinema is a disgrace.)
• Masters slams McConnell over campaign spending, says he shouldn’t be Senate GOP leader (Sore loser.)
• Election denier Mark Finchem loses secretary of state race in Arizona
• Rep. Boebert is locked in an unexpectedly close race. Some constituents say they’re tired of a ‘mini Trump.’
• GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Reelection Bid Still Too Close To Call (“The far-right lawmaker’s race against Democrat Adam Frisch remains extremely tight and could be headed for a recount.”)
• Andrew Gillum legal team demands court hearing, citing Donald Trump rant on Ron DeSantis
• Georgia runoff highlights GOP worries about Trump — and excitement surrounding DeSantis
• Republican Joe Lombardo has won the race for governor in Nevada, defeating Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak (One piece of bad news in a sea of good news for Democrats this election cycle.)
• Bass takes slight lead over Caruso in LA mayor’s race as count goes on
• Elon Musk, Surprising Absolutely No One, Suspends Twitter Blue After Just 2 Days
• We got Twitter ‘verified’ in minutes posing as a comedian and a senator (Elon Musk has completely f’ed up Twitter in two weeks. Genius! LOL)
• Twitter Is Imploding, But Elon Musk Is Still the Richest Mofo Alive
• A Verifiable Mess: Twitter Users Create Havoc by Impersonating Brands
• Trump, Musk and Kanye Are Twitter Poisoned
• Twitter drama too much? Mastodon, others emerge as options
• Eli Lilly Dives After Fake Twitter Account Promises Free Insulin; Takes Novo Nordisk, Sanofi With It
• Musk’s Lawyer Calms Twitter Staff Fearing Jail Risk for FTC Lapses (Sounds like a great place to work, huh?)
• KFC Apologizes for Linking Chicken Promotion to Kristallnacht (“An automated push notification sent in error by KFC Germany conflated the notorious 1938 pogrom and “tender cheese with crispy chicken.”” What the everlasting f***???)
• Is the 2nd district election a harbinger for 2024? (I think Luria can win this back in two years from the abysmal Kiggans.)
• How Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger pulled off another thriller victory (“Spanberger has won three consecutive races in competitive districts.”)
• VA GOP in Disarray: Trump Goes Racist on “Young Kin” (“Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?”); Amanda Chase Rips Tim Anderson Comments as “hurtful, divisive and quite honestly odd”
• Trump lashes out against Youngkin: “He couldn’t have won without me”
• Audio: Virginia LG Winsome Sears, Who Was a HUGE Trump Supporter, Now Says “He bailed on US”; “I think it’s YOU who’s sanctimonious”; “I didn’t join the Trump Party, I joined the REPUBLICAN Party!” (Sears: Trump “called [Elaine Chao]…Coco Chow Chow something. C’mon man, you know, you can’t do that!”)
• Bolling: Trump Zeroes in on Youngkin, Continues Pattern of Attacking Those He Views as Political Competitors
• Youngkin avoids criticizing Trump after ‘Chinese’ swipe by former president (“That’s not the way I roll and not the way I behave” In fact, it’s definitely how Youngkin rolls.)
• Donald Trump takes aim at Gov. Youngkin after fielding criticism from other Virginia lawmakers
• Trump mocks Youngkin’s name on Truth Social
• Advocates say challenge to federal law threatens Tribal sovereignty in Virginia
• Silver Line’s second phase was to be different. It fell into the same trap.
• Franklin County delays solar farm vote until newly elected supervisor takes office
• Police identify intruder killed by Fairfax Co. homeowner
• Fairfax man seized in death of neighbor’s dog, police say
• D.C.-area forecast: One more mild day before colder air moves into town (“Temperatures may try to run at 70 today. It’ll be the last time we see that happen for a while.”)