by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, July 12.
- Boiling the Ocean (“Between record-setting heat and warming ocean water, this summer feels like the start of an unsettling new era. — Did you think it would all happen this fast? The heat domes, the thousand-year floods, the apocalyptic wildfires, that horrific orange sky?”)
- Right-wing media downplay the hottest day in modern history with the help of Twitter’s community notes feature
- NASA climate adviser warns extreme weather events will persist if temps keep rising
- Scientists say a new epoch marked by human impact — the Anthropocene — began in 1950s
- Is It Hot Enough Yet for Politicians to Take Real Action? (It’s not, of course, an issue of “politicians” generically, it’s an issue overwhelmingly of pro-fossil-fuel, right-wing politicians. Don’t lump them all together!)
- The “new abnormal”: The rise of extreme flooding, briefly explained (“Climate change is contributing to heavier precipitation, a major factor in flooding.”)
- As an Obscure United Nations Gathering Deliberates the Fate of Deep-Sea Mining, the Tuna Industry Calls for a Halt
- European Union lawmakers back a major plan to protect nature and fight climate change
- G7 to offer Ukraine security ‘framework,’ Zelenskiy asks NATO allies for more arms
- Zelensky Is Set to Meet With Biden at NATO Summit
- Ukraine ‘closer than ever’ to Nato – but timeline not laid out
- Ukraine to receive ‘substantial’ new aid package, US official says (“Biden and NATO leaders ‘unanimously agreed’ to bolster support for the war-torn country, but declined to give details”)
- Zelensky to meet Biden at summit as NATO makes Kyiv wait for membership
- ‘The Feckless 400’: These companies are still doing business in Russia-and funding Putin’s war
- Opinion: Biden made the right call on cluster munitions for Ukraine
- Bipartisan push forms in Congress to deny Ukraine cluster bombs
- Russia’s threat to pull out of Ukraine grain deal raises fears about global food security
- The Turkish president’s reversal on Sweden’s NATO membership could signal a warming of ties with the West.
- U.S. Government Emails Hacked in Suspected Chinese Espionage Campaign
- China and Taiwan loom large behind Ukraine at NATO summit
- Opioid crisis: US and China at odds over influx of fentanyl
‘It’s absurd’: Italy’s judiciary in power struggle with far-right government- Israeli protesters try to pull Biden into fight with Netanyahu
- Netanyahu and the Degradation of Israel
- Milan Kundera: The Unbearable Lightness of Being author dies aged 94 (“The Czech novelist found himself silenced by the communist regime at home, but achieved international fame with playfully philosophical fiction”)
- As Budget Talks Heat Up in Congress, Republicans Ramp Up Attacks on Climate Spending
- Extreme Heat Is Pushing The U.S. Toward A Grim New Fossil Fuel Milestone (“The country is poised for record-high consumption of natural gas.”)
- Vermont Floods Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change
- ‘Pivotal’ US CPI Report to Show Lowest Core Inflation Since 2021 (“Fed to stop hiking rates after July, Bloomberg Economics says; Falling used-car prices, rent moderation to drag down numbers”)
- U.S. Price Increases Are Poised to Show a Slowdown
- Measure Inflation Differently, and It’s Behind Us (“Gauge U.S. price changes the way Europe does, and inflation was already just below 3% in May.”)
- How Biden learned to stop apologizing and love the economy
- Google’s New Search Tool Could Eat the Internet Alive
- The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Control Even More Than You Realize
- Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government
- McConnell recasts the high court as ‘independent’ to win votes in 2024 (McConnell is a pathological liar.)
- The rot in the federal judiciary goes deeper than the Supreme Court
- Lawyers with supreme court business paid Clarence Thomas aide via Venmo (“Payments to Rajan Vasisht, an aide from 2019-21, underscore ties between the justice and lawyers who argue cases in front of him”)
- Few US adults support full abortion bans, even in states that have them, an AP-NORC poll finds (“Overall, about two-thirds of Americans say abortion should generally be legal, but only about a quarter say it should always be legal and only about 1 in 10 say it should always be illegal.”)
Former House Republicans and DoJ veterans lambast efforts to curb FBI and justice department (“Current GOP members ‘disconnected from reality’ while working toward weakening democracy and the justice system”)
FBI director to testify before Republican-controlled House panel- House GOP election bill expands dark money and curtails D.C. autonomy (Horrific.)
- Trump Confirms Another Liberal Conspiracy Theory (“Trump critics for years spread the innuendo that he was running for president to avoid prosecution, and … his legal team … just filed it in federal court.”)
- Trump Legal Filing Lays Out Campaign Rationale: Keep Me Out Of Jail 2024
- Trump Is Trying to Delay the Documents Trial Until He Can Retake the White House and Make All His Legal Problems Go Away
- DOJ no longer believes Trump should have immunity from E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit
- Trump puts Iowa victory at risk with attack on GOP governor
- Waiting for whistleblower (“The latest “informant” touted by right-wing media is a fugitive charged with serving as an unregistered Chinese agent”)
- Man Charged With Acting As a Chinese Agent Has Really Derailed House Republicans’ Big Plans (“Gal Luft is facing somewhere around 900 years in the sneezer on all these charges. But that’s not the best part.”)
- Hunter Biden “whistleblower” exposed as a fugitive and accused spy — but MAGA won’t budge
- The G.O.P. Backed Him on Hunter Biden Claims. Now He Has Been Indicted (“Gal Luft, promoted by House Republicans as possessing evidence of corruption by the Biden family, was charged by federal prosecutors with lobbying and sanctions violations and with brokering arms deals with China and Iran.”)
- Republicans say they would like to call witness despite criminal indictment
- The Ballad of Gal Luft: Whistleblower, Grifter, Soldier, Spy
- McCarthy summons GOP factions to counter threat of a new conservative rebellion
- McCarthy defends Marjorie Taylor Greene amid Freedom Caucus drama (Disgusting.)
- The big-money donors backing DeSantis — and RFK Jr.
- Murdochs Start to Sour on DeSantis: ‘They Can Smell a Loser’
- Ron DeSantis says he wouldn’t be Trump’s running mate: ‘I’m not a No. 2 guy’
- Tommy Tuberville, a US Senator in 2023, Has Only Just Come Around to the Idea That White Supremacists Are Racist
- ‘My opinion of a white nationalist is an American’: GOP Sen. Tuberville doubles down on comments
- Former lawmakers plan new group to stop No Labels presidential bid (“No Labels equals Trump”)
- Top Democratic-Run Firms Won’t Discuss Their Work for No Labels
- Democratic jitters grow over Cornel West’s third-party bid
- MyPillow auctions off equipment amid ‘massive cancellation,’ CEO Lindell says
- Mike Lindell Floats Nutty ‘My Cousin Vinny’ Scenario Where He Beats Dominion
- Trump Says Hunter Biden Should’ve Gotten the Death Penalty (Trump is completely insane. And dangerous.)
- Every Michigan Republican US House member just endorsed Trump
- Iowa Republicans pass a new 6-week abortion ban
- Conspiracy Theorists (and Elon Musk) Falsely Accuse Student of Being ‘Fed’ Posing as Neo-Nazi (Musk strikes yet again…)
- ‘Just Better’: Even Musk’s Own Twitter Employees Are Using Threads
- A Glass House for Elon Musk Sparks Internal Tesla Probe
- Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall
- Texas A&M recruited a UT professor to revive its journalism program, then watered down the offer after “DEI hysteria”
- Owner bans some LGBTQ customers from Michigan hair salon over pronouns. ‘Not welcome’
- Farmers Insurance pulls out of Florida, affecting 100,000 policies
- Federal Court Stays Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Biological Opinion Again (“This decision shows that corporations with deep pockets and political influence aren’t above the law”)
- Appeals court blocks construction on Mountain Valley Pipeline even after Congress says it can’t
- “More Flights At DCA Would Be A Mistake” Say Region’s Senators
- Warner threatens to block FAA bill to protect rules at Reagan National
- Virginia GOP urges voters to take advantage of easy-voting laws it tried to repeal (“Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is now pushing Republicans to vote early in the November elections.”)
- Democrats blast Youngkin for removing LGBTQ+ resources from Health Department website
- The Indian Child Welfare Act is a cornerstone of Virginia tribal sovereignty
- Millions funneled into Virginia primaries reignite calls for campaign finance reform
- Video: In Just 12 Minutes, Youngkin’s CNN Interview Highlights Almost Everything Wrong with Him (Youngkin pledges to support Trump if he’s the 2024 Republican nominee, engages in WILD “whataboutism,” falsely claims he’s about “common sense,” etc., etc.)
- After Years of Trump and His Virginia GOP Allies Spewing False Conspiracy Theories About Early Voting, Youngkin Does About-Face with “big PR push” (Meanwhile, Youngkin’s making voting less secure, and has all but vowed to slash early voting opportunities if Rs gain a “trifecta” this November)
- Fact Check: The Virginia GOP Has Fought Against Early Voting at Every Turn (“The House Democratic Caucus sets the record straight”)
- Youngkin debuts web portal urging Virginia Republicans to vote early (The WaPo fails, either in the headline or subheader, to note up front that Republicans have strongly OPPOSED early voting for years.)
- Youngkin pushes early voting, despite GOP skepticism
- ‘Stop sitting on the sidelines’: Youngkin pushes GOP to embrace early voting
- Editorial: Virginia benefits by offering inmates early release through earned credits
- VA Supreme Court ruling could mean early release for hundreds of state prisoners
- ‘Why am I getting threats… seriously, your porn?’: Va. state senator sparks outrage with age-verification law
- Virginia Tech student has become a national ‘go-to’ source on state legislative elections (“Chaz Nuttycombe may be the only analyst in the country who specializes in state legislative elections. His ‘nerd monopoly’ on the local elections has built him a following in political circles.”)
- Amtrak train that left Norfolk derails near D.C., affecting Hampton Roads trips
- Prince William Co. supervisors kill measure that could have delayed Digital Gateway vote
- Prince William board nixes effort to delay land-use, data center votes
- Culpeper County’s sheriff is still in office despite federal charges
- D.C.-area forecast: Heating up today and tomorrow, then storm chances return
