Wednesday News: “Biden’s Hope vs. Putin’s Lies”; “Supreme Court appears worried it could break the internet”; “Biden’s standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters”; “Jennifer McClellan Wins…Will Be State’s First Black Woman in Congress”

fby Lowell

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

• Antarctic sea ice hit record lows again. Scientists wonder if it’s ‘the beginning of the end’ (Get off of fossil fuels on an emergency, crash basis.)
• Climate change is making winter weather warmer and “weirder”
• Biden and Putin’s dueling speeches show why the end of the Ukraine war is a long way off
• Vladimir Putin is Escalating Nuclear Brinkmanship as the Ukraine War Enters its Second Year (Putin sounds completely unhinged. What could go wrong?)
• Biden rallies the West to not get tired of winning
• Restoring Ukrainian Control of Crimea Once Seemed Unlikely. Is that Changing?
• Joe Biden In Poland Says U.S. And Allies ‘Have Ukraine’s Back’
• Joe Biden says Russian forces in disarray after year of war in Ukraine (“US president issues rallying cry in Warsaw but warns of ‘very bitter days’ ahead in defence of democracy”)
• ‘We became more united’: Ukrainians on a year living under cloud of war
• Putin’s war: A year of miscalculations
• A year in the trenches has hardened Ukraine’s president (“Volodymyr Zelensky came into office thinking peace with Vladimir Putin was possible. He now believes victory is the only answer.”)
• US believes Russia had failed intercontinental ballistic missile test around when Biden was in Ukraine
• Why China’s Ukraine balancing act might be tilting in Putin’s favor
• Who Saves Animals Abandoned During War? (“Pets left at the border. Crowded shelters. The people trying to save other victims in Ukraine’s war.”)
• Russia, One Year After the Invasion of Ukraine (“Last winter, my friends in Moscow doubted that Putin would start a war. But now, as one told me, ‘the country has undergone a moral catastrophe.'”)
• You can’t understand the war in Ukraine without knowing history
• Ron DeSantis Goes Full Trump on Ukraine (Disqualifying.)
• GOP 2024 hopefuls divided over US role in Ukraine war
• Biden to meet eastern flank NATO leaders amid Russia worries
• ‘Everyone’s Tired’: Acceptance and Exasperation in Russian Elite as Invasion Anniversary Looms
• Biden’s Hope vs. Putin’s Lies (“The U.S. president’s optimism about Ukraine creates the expectation that everything is possible—and commits him to a Ukrainian victory.”)
• Top Chinese diplomat meets Putin ahead of Ukraine anniversary (Disgraceful and inexcusable.)
• China Calls Russia Ties ‘Solid as Rock’ Amid Ukraine Peace Push
• Ukraine becomes a test of the US’ two-front clash with China and Russia
• 10 Surprising Lessons of the Ukraine War So Far (“From revealing Putin’s weaknesses to new ways to wage war to intriguing new power centers, the war in Ukraine has served up one surprise after another—and we can expect many more.”)
• Biden’s address projected resolve. Putin’s speech twisted reality.
• What a year of war has revealed of three leaders
• U.S. vs. China: How Nuclear Capabilities Stack Up Across Land, Sea and Air
• The Buried Secrets Behind the Worst Earthquake of the Decade (“The Buried Secrets Behind the Worst Earthquake of the Decade” And it’s largely the fault of Erdogan and his corrupt officials who cut corners on earthquake-resistant building standards.)
• The Dystopian Underworld of South Africa’s Illegal Gold Mines (“When the country’s mining industry collapsed, a criminal economy grew in its place, with thousands of men climbing into some of the deepest shafts in the world, searching for leftover gold.”)
• A stubborn Netanyahu digs in his heels (It’s far more about the fact that Bibi’s terrified of going to prison than about being generically “stubborn”)
• Biden Administration Announces New Border Crackdown (“A tough new immigration measure could disqualify the vast majority of migrants from being able to seek asylum at the southern border.”)
• A huge winter storm is expected to affect millions across 22 states
• Republican Leaders Want to Reinvent the Party’s Climate Image. The Far Right Won’t Let Them
• EPA reverses Trump-era decision on power plant mercury standards, paving way for stricter limits
• Republicans in the US ‘battery belt’ embrace Biden’s climate spending
• The Supreme Court appears worried it could break the internet
• The Right-Wing Assault on the Internet Fizzled Completely at the Supreme Court
• No ideological splits, only worried justices as High Court hears Google case
• Supreme Court skeptical of limiting powerful legal shield for internet companies
• Democratic governors form alliance on abortion rights
• U.S. groups suing to ban abortion pill lose bid for early trial
• Getting past the MAGA mentality isn’t for the faint-hearted (“It’s going to take brave, direct Republicans to break the Trumpist fever.”)
• Trump is exploiting an anti-trans turn in public opinion
• Poll: Biden’s standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters (Biden is doing a superb job, as good or better than any president…ever?)
• Mississippi Racial Gerrymandering Case Dismissed in U.S. Supreme Court (This Court is horrendously bad.)
• Jeffries rips McCarthy for giving Jan. 6 footage access to Fox News
• Democrats sound the alarm after McCarthy grants Carlson access to Jan. 6 footage (McCarthy is a national disgrace.)
• Kevin McCarthy’s apparent deal with Tucker Carlson to share Jan. 6 footage surprised some top Capitol security officials.
• ‘Egregious security breach’: Top House Dem blasts McCarthy over Jan. 6 footage
• Why it matters that Kevin McCarthy gave Jan. 6 tapes to Fox News
• The GOP’s One Weird Trick for fixing deficits is a Big Red Flag (Not serious people.)
• Mitt Romney says Marjorie Taylor Greene’s call for a ‘national divorce’ is ‘insanity’ and attention seeking
• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Civil War (“The congresswoman is too influential within the GOP—and too representative of its views—for her calls for secession to be dismissed.”)
• An Unlucky President, and a Lucky Man (That would be Jimmy Carter)
• Southern Baptist Convention Ousts Second-Largest Church Over Women Pastors
• Jury in Georgia Trump Inquiry Recommended Multiple Indictments, Forewoman Says
• Foreperson on Georgia grand jury investigating Trump and 2020 election: ‘I don’t think you will be shocked’ by indictments
• Trump Spent $10 Million From His PAC on His Legal Bills Last Year
• Eric Trump is touring with another antisemite who shares pro-Hitler propaganda
• Fact check: George Santos tells new lies in interview about his old lies
• Dozens of ‘New York Times’ Journalists Hit Staff Union for Its Defense of Trans Coverage Criticism
• To NYT’s Peter Baker, Acknowledging Trans People’s Existence Is “Activism,” Openly Advocating for Perpetual U.S. Occupation of Afghanistan Isn’t (Peter Baker is NOT a serious reporter.)
• Why Fox News’ lies about Trump’s defeat probably aren’t protected by the 1st Amendment
• Nikki Haley defended right to secession, Confederate History Month and the Confederate flag in 2010 talk
• The Fox Newsification of Nikki Haley
• A Wealthy ‘Anti-Woke’ Activist Joins the 2024 Presidential Field (“Vivek Ramaswamy, 37, has made a name for himself in right-wing circles by opposing corporate efforts to advance political, social and environmental causes.” Sounds horrible.)
• Local TV news outlets fail to scrutinize Judge Daniel Kelly’s extreme record ahead of Wisconsin Supreme Court primary (Local TV “news” is mostly an oxymoron, sad to say.)
• Trump ally with ties to ‘fake elector’ scheme advances in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
• Liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz advances in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
• Two Starkly Different Judges Advance in Wisconsin Supreme Court Election
• Fetterman’s depression disclosure is a paradigm shift for mental health
• Seattle becomes first U.S. city to outlaw caste discrimination after council vote
• Feds fine Mormon church for illicitly hiding $32 billion investment fund behind shell companies
• Democrat Barbara Lee announces bid to replace Dianne Feinstein in US Senate (“Lee is the highest-ranking Black woman in House Democratic leadership and seeks to take seat in hotly-contested race”)
• Barbara Lee Faces Long Odds in California Senate Race (“Though she’s an iconic progressive, Lee must deal with disadvantages involving age and money. California’s electoral system won’t help, either.”)
• Fox News Weaponizes the East Palestine Train Derailment for the White Grievance Crowd
• Parts of northern US shut down ahead of winter storm
• [UPDATE: McClellan Wins BIG!] Virginia Special Elections (2/21/23) Results Thread for VA04, Prince William County Board (Gainesville District)
• Jennifer McClellan Wins in Virginia and Will Be State’s First Black Woman in Congress
• For the first time, a Black woman will represent Virginia in Congress
• “Today is the Day” in VA04 – “Go make history” and Elect Jennifer McClellan to Congress!
• Jennifer McClellan wins U.S. House seat; here’s what rural Virginia will miss with her ascension (“She has been a leading proponent for state funding of school construction, which would mostly benefit rural Virginia. She’s also pushed the Clean Economy Act, whose effects are more controversial.” Virginia won’t necessarily “miss” those things, fortunately, as pretty much all Democrats support them.)
• In 2020, Youngkin Praised Communist China’s “unique system,” Said It Was “incredibly helpful”; Also Sounded Very “Woke” as a Champion of Diversity, ESG, “lowering carbon footprint,” etc. So What Changed?
• Gov. Youngkin faces pushback over ‘AP African American Studies’ review (“The leader of Loudoun County’s NAACP says she has ‘great concerns’ over Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s order to have Virginia’s education secretary review the college board’s ‘Advanced Placement African American Studies.'”)
• Column: Democrats prioritize schools, not the wealthy (By Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg)
• Legislation to restore regulators’ authority to set electric rates headed to Youngkin
• VA Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston/Fairfax), Who’s Served for Over 40 Years (!), to Announce Retirement (Numerous Democrats likely to run for this deep-blue seat.)
• Public School Teacher Dr. Henri’ Thompson (D) Announces Candidacy for Virginia House of Delegates District 15 (Thompson joins Fairfax County School Board member Laura Jane Cohen in seeking the Democratic nomination for this seat.)
• Marine Veteran and Local Business Leader Joel Griffin Announces Run for State Senate District 27 (This is a “purple” district (Fredericksburg/Stafford/Spotsylvania) that should be competitive in November!)
• PolitiFact VA: Earle-Sears offers flawed view of Brown v. Board (You could do a fact check on Sears every day, and it would come to the same conclusion on pretty much any subject.)
• Energy efficiency savings bill passes General Assembly
• Senator Tim Kaine visits with male leaders in Harrisonburg
• Arlington School Board Chair Reid Goldstein Announces His Decision Not to Run for Reelection (Turnover at northern Virginia school boards continues…)
• Shared solar program for Appalachian Power customers fails in General Assembly (Stop with the passive voice crap and tell us who KILLED this legislation – in this case, House Republicans – not just that it “fails.” Terrible journalism.)
• Williams: At any speed, we don’t need a train station in Shockoe Bottom.
• Police finish probe of Va. teacher’s shooting by 6-year-old student (“The Newport News police chief said his investigators have forwarded their findings to prosecutors, who will decide whether to charge anyone criminally.”)
• Weir elected to Board of Supervisors, vows to push back on data centers
• Fairfax Executive proposes ‘stabilizing’ budget amid lingering pandemic impacts
• D.C.-area forecast: Showers and seasonably cool today, then soaring to near 80 on Thursday (“Record highs could be reached across the Washington region Thursday.”)