Wednesday News: “Big Oil peddled the big lie”; “Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills at least 15, including interior minister”; McCarthy Puts Santos, Taylor-Greene, etc. on Committees; “Virginia senators kill proposal to ban Dominion Energy’s campaign cash”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, January 18.

• The ocean’s temperature was hotter than ever in 2022, scientists say (“Alarmingly, rising ocean temperatures have a trickle-down effect on human food systems and weather patterns”)
• ‘Big Oil peddled the big lie’: UN chief slams energy giants for ignoring their own climate science
• Outlook? Terrifying: TV weather presenters on the hell and horror of the climate crisis
• UN head accuses fossil fuel firms of business models ‘inconsistent with human survival’ (Correct.)
• In the Amazon, Indigenous and Locally Controlled Land Stores Carbon, but the Rest of the Rainforest Emits Greenhouse Gases (“New research shows that incursions by resource extractors often cause territories to emit more than they store.”)
• At Davos, UN chief warns the world is in a ‘sorry state’
• New Report Highlights Pesticides’ Overlooked Climate Connection
• Moderna says RSV vaccine is 84% effective at preventing disease in older adults
• Can EU anger at Biden’s ‘protectionist’ green deal translate into effective action? (“Analysts warn bloc’s lack of industrial policy may impede riposte to $370bn US subsidy package”)
• Exclusive: Europeans dial down the heating, heed calls to save energy
• How Russia’s New Commander in Ukraine Could Change the War (“Why has Vladimir Putin promoted Valery Gerasimov, who helped plan the disastrous initial invasion last year, to lead the fight?”)
• The Ukraine front is likely to move in 2023. But which way? (“Having wisely urged Ukraine to adopt maneuver warfare against Gerasimov’s battered, bunkered forces, the United States and its allies shouldn’t support this effort halfway. The West has a strategy: So, go for it.”)
• Biden reaches a vital new tipping point on Ukraine (“Time is also fast ebbing for the US and its allies to send more powerful weapons and to train Ukrainian soldiers how to use them before the second, possibly decisive year of the war, which could see Russia launch a ferocious new offensive.”)
• Putin could be about to announce a second mobilization drive
• Ukrainian adviser quits after claims over Russian missile that killed dozens (“Oleksiy Arestovych said rocket that hit Dnipro building detonated after being downed by Ukraine forces”)
• Ministers killed in crash were flying to front line – official
• Helicopter crash near Kyiv kills at least 15, including interior minister
• Pentagon Sends U.S. Arms Stored in Israel to Ukraine
• Ukrainian troops begin Patriot missile training in Oklahoma
• Bulgaria to the rescue: How the EU’s poorest country secretly saved Ukraine (“Sofia provided fuel and vital Soviet specification arms to Kyiv, but had to keep supplies secret because of pro-Moscow politicians in government.”)
• Greta Thunberg arrested at German mine protest, will be freed later – police
• Scholz is a wartime chancellor, whether he likes it or not
• Delegation of visiting US senators asks not to meet with Smotrich and Ben Gvir
• Threats, advantages seen in China’s shrinking population
• China Masses Take Covid Fight Into Own Hands as Xi Sits Back
• Analysis: Shrinking, Aging China May Have Backed Itself Into a Corner
• US-China officials meet on economy, aim to ease tension
• Two Years Ago This Brazilian Expert on the Far Right Predicted Their Insurrection (“It was inevitable.”)
• ‘An anachronic system’: focus on military police reform after Brazil riot
• Davos struggles to get used to a world without Russia (“Behind the scenes, global CEOs and leaders question how long the West can ignore Moscow and still find new markets for energy, metals and food.”)
• At Davos, Sinema and Manchin High-Five Over Keeping Filibuster Rule (Disgusting.)
• Five ways a debt limit crisis could derail the US economy
• Inflation is cooling. Why are egg prices still so hard to crack? (“The eggs are expensive because the chickens are sick.”)
• People in abortion restrictive US states economically disempowered – report
• Biden just outmaneuvered MAGA Republicans — and they barely noticed (“If President Biden rolls out a major new pro-immigrant policy, and MAGA Republicans don’t make any noise about it, did the announcement happen at all? — Why, yes, it did”)
• Asymmetrical Conspiracism Is Hurting Democracy (“In the past decade, conspiratorial thinking has shifted from a worrying factor in Republican politics to a defining feature.”)
• Trump’s Ties to Evangelicals Souring Despite Roe v. Wade Win – Tells CBN News ‘It’s a Sign of Disloyalty’
• Evangelical leaders are ‘disloyal,’ Trump says. His real worry is broader.
• Proud Boys are right about one thing: It’s ridiculous that Trump’s not in prison
• All the Ways Trump Will Probably “Handle” a DeSantis Run (“The ex-president threatened the Florida governor like a Mafia don threatening his enemies. Here’s how that will likely play out.”)
• Is the Manhattan DA Finally Ready to Indict Trump?
• The impressively weak effort to ‘whatabout’ Biden’s classified documents
• Justice Department Considered but Rejected Role in Biden Documents Search
• After criticism for silence, Biden White House takes questions on classified documents
• Two things can be true: Biden broke no laws. His lawyers made a mess. (“Unlike the Mar-a-Lago case, there is no evidence so far that the president ever touched these documents, knew they were there or acted to conceal them.”)
• Jim Jordan Overreaches in Attacking DOJ Over the Biden Classified Docs
• Judge: Jan. 6 rioter who broke into Capitol followed “Trump’s instructions”
• Matt Schlapp slapped with lawsuit after allegation of fondling GOP operative
• Matt Schlapp Is Accused in Lawsuit of Groping Aide to Herschel Walker’s Campaign
• ‘Matt Schlapp Is a Sexual Predator’: Accuser Sues Over Sexual Battery
• Disabled Veteran: George Santos Took $3K From Dying Dog’s GoFundMe
• George Santos Lands 2 House Committees: Small Business and Science (Totally insane.)
• Astronaut Scott Kelly mocks George Santos for his committee assignments, calling the embattled congressman a ‘former NASA astronaut and moon walker’
• George Santos Shows Early Signs of Tilting to the Hard Right
• Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar get committee assignments (Appalling.)
• A Literal Shit Show: Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert’s Bathroom Brawl Nicely Sums Up the State of the GOP
• Alex Jones gets a congressional proxy with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s committee assignment
• Republican congressman who tried to overturn 2020 election announces Senate bid
• How a Confounding Court Pick in New York Went from Local Story to National Quagmire (“Gov. Kathy Hochul squandered an easy chance for a win.”)
• Ron DeSantis’s war on “wokeness” is a war against the First Amendment (“The Florida governor (and likely presidential candidate) appears to believe that government exists to advance his ideas — and to suppress dissent.”)
• Election-fraud conspiracies behind plot to shoot at New Mexico Democrats’ homes, police say
• Top Michigan Republicans move to draft DeSantis for 2024
• Extremely Hardcore (“Twitter’s staff spent years trying to protect the social media site against impulsive billionaires who wanted to use the reach of its platform for their own ends, and then one made himself the CEO.”)
• Maine Gov. Janet Mills wants to expand access to abortion in the state
• Youngkin Singled Out Ford (and Killed 2,500 Jobs); In Fact, Numerous Top Virginia Companies Have Major Business Ties with China (Also note: “In October 2022, the increase in Virginia’s year-by-year exports was explained primarily by an increase in exports to China”)
• Democrats call out Youngkin on Ford plant decision
• Dan River Region Democratic leaders criticize Youngkin’s scuttling of Ford project
• Could Virginia drop voter drop boxes?
• VA Senate Democrats Kill First Round of Republican Voter Restriction Bills (Including a bill by extremist Amanda to conduct an audit of the 2020 election under false claims of voter fraud)
• Democrats on Virginia Senate committee reject Clean Car standards repeal
• Some lawmakers want to limit data center spread
• Youngkin knocks Va. schools over ‘maniacal focus’ on equality
• Youngkin fires back on Democrats for felony homicide bill defeat
• Bid to reduce early voting in Virginia advances in the House (This was 100% by Republicans; not mentioned in the headline, of course.)
• Attacks on Virginia’s climate laws are front and center at the General Assembly (100% of these attacks are by Republicans.)
• Virginia Senate panel blocks campaign finance reform bills, again (Disgraceful.)
• Virginia senators kill proposal to ban Dominion Energy’s campaign cash (Check out how much money they got from Dominion…)
• Video: Virginia Grassroots Coalition Says It “Won’t Back Down” in Protecting Recent Policy Gains
• A Commonwealth Kids Credit Would Make Virginia More Affordable for Over 700,000 Families (Rs, in contrast, prefer to give “tax cuts to profitable companies, which would drain resources from all of us”)
• Youngkin said to back push to reauthorize so-called skill machines in Virginia
• Why are Virginia counties regulating starter homes out of existence?
• Editorial: ‘School choice’ proposals face an inconvenient obstacle (“Virginia’s debate over school choice is academic unless lawmakers intend to bypass the state Constitution.”)
• House panel advances Youngkin proposal to cut time to appeal VEC decisions
• Delegate Dawn M. Adams Announces State Senate Bid to Fill Seat Potentially Vacated by Senator Jennifer L. McClellan (This could be a four-way Dem primary, possibly along with Del. Lamont Bagby, Del. Jeff Bourne and Alexsis Rodgers…)
• Sen. Dave Marsden Column: A simple solution to gun violence
• Virginia schools would provide free meals for all students under bill sponsored by 3 Hampton Roads lawmakers
• Democrat Aaron Rouse to be sworn in after flipping Va. Senate seat (“Democrat Aaron Rouse defeated Republican Kevin Adams in the special election for an open Senate seat. Rouse is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday.”)
• Jury mostly backs Windsor police officers who were sued by soldier over 2020 traffic stop
• Fairfax School Board Candidate Explains Call to Pride Clinic (“A Republican campaigning for a spot on the Fairfax County School Board is responding to claims he’s attacking the LGBTQ+ community by posing as the parent of a transgender child in a phone call to a local medical clinic.”)
• Loudoun Supervisors Pledge to Govern Through ‘Equity Lens’
• D.C.-area forecast: Mild and mostly nice today, shower chances return tomorrow