Thursday News: “Biden points finger at Putin as Prigozhin’s reported death seen as a warning to ‘elites’”; “Joe Biden and his predecessor were the big winners” of GOP Debate “Farce,” Reality/Truth/Sanity Big Losers; “Trump to report to Atlanta jail”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, August 24.

• Youth from almost 100 climate-impacted countries gather in Lebanon ahead of COP28
• The Global Race to Water at the Moon’s South Pole
• India’s brilliant moon landing illuminates Russia’s drastic decline
• Chandrayaan-3 rover rolls onto moon’s surface as ecstatic India celebrates
• It Appears Prigozhin’s Fate Was Sealed Two Months Ago
• Prigozhin’s Death Heralds Even More Spectacular Violence (This article by Anne Applebaum is fascinating – definitely read it!)
• Russian mercenary chief and mutineer Prigozhin killed in jet crash, state media say
• The Wagner chief’s fate was decided when he crossed Putin
• Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly killed in plane crash with no survivors
• Putin silent after Wagner boss Prigozhin ‘killed in plane crash’
• Putin Regains His Power With Russian Elite After Prigozhin Crash (“The Russian leader will be unchallengeable for many of the country’s elite.”)
• What could have caused the plane crash that reportedly killed Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin? (“It could be caused by an explosion either inside or outside the aircraft, O’Brien added – like an explosive going off on board, or the aircraft being hit by a missile.”)
• Biden points finger at Putin as Prigozhin’s reported death seen as a warning to ‘elites’ (“Joe Biden ‘not surprised’ by death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner founder killed in plane crash, while Kremlin and Russian president himself stay silent”)
• What next for the Wagner group after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reported death?
• Prigozhin might be gone, but his ghost will haunt Vladimir Putin
• Prigozhin appears to be dead — and Putin’s grip on power is stronger than ever (That doesn’t seem accurate at all.)
• Ukraine’s counteroffensive might yet surprise critics
• Russian Court Extends Pretrial Detention of Jailed WSJ Reporter
• China bans seafood from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear plant begins its wastewater release
• What Can Replace China as a Global Economic Engine?
• BRICS Asks Saudi, Iran, Other Nations to Join Bloc
• Brics to admit six new countries to bloc including Iran and Saudi Arabia (“Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt and UAE also to join club of large emerging economies in major expansion”)
• “Brutal” heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures from Chicago to New Orleans (Not normal at all.)
• Masks, lockdowns, social distancing: ‘Unequivocal’ evidence that measures reduced Covid spread
• Is the war on inflation over?: Fed’s Powell will offer clues (“Even though the outlook is brighter than expected, Fed officials meeting at the annual Jackson Hole conference aren’t ready to conclude that prices will continue to cool.”)
• DOJ charges 371 people, launches new COVID fraud strike forces (Good; keep going!)
• Democrats and Republicans deeply divided on extreme weather, Post-UMD poll finds (This bullshit vague, “both sides” headline is exactly how NOT to do journalism. In fact, this headline SHOULD have said that the poll found massive climate science denial among Republicans, while Dems are reality-based. But the WaPo is terrified of doing that.)
• Williams: Mixing public education and religion debases both, and our democracy
• Emails reveal Secret Service contacts with Oath Keepers (Really disturbing; has action been taken against these individuals?)
• What Are These People Thinking Eating Pudding With Team Trump? (“There is no possible excuse for this.” These “journalists” are a disgrace and should all be fired, immediately.)
• GOP’s ‘anti-woke’ campaigns have voters hitting snooze
• US voters aren’t buying Republicans’ attacks on public education, NEA poll finds (“New polling data shows the GOP’s education policies are out of touch with most Americans’ views.”)
• Culture wars take a truly dystopian turn with ‘forced outing’ in schools
• Biden goes positive. Can voters handle it?
• Cameras and codefendants: Why Trump’s Georgia arraignment will be most dramatic
• Trump to report to Atlanta jail to face charges in election-subversion case
• “Trump is in the final stage of cult leadership”: Fulton County arrest elevates his MAGA “martyrdom”
• Federal judge rejects bids to halt Georgia prosecution of Trump aides over 2020 election
• Federal Judge Refuses To Block Arrests Of Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark In Georgia Case
• First mug shots in Trump Georgia election case released
• ‘Shocking … how close it came to working’ (“Tim Heaphy, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia who served as chief investigative counsel of the Jan. 6 committee, talks about his findings on former President Donald Trump’s alleged plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”)
• Defendant in Trump Georgia case was earlier charged with attacking FBI agent
• Rudy ‘Tough on Crime’ Giuliani Arrested in Georgia (Giuliani is “tough on crime”…except for the multitudes of severe crime committed by himself and his buddies.)
• Some MAGA fans think a pro-Trump rally outside the Atlanta jail is an FBI setup
• Spectre of Trump haunts debate as candidates jostle for spotlight (“Abortion and the southern border energized presidential hopefuls, while the war in Ukraine elicited divided opinions”)
• The Big Question Ron DeSantis Couldn’t Answer at the Debate Kind of Says It All
• Here’s what a few seconds of hand raising said about Donald Trump’s hold on the G.O.P.
• At the Republican Debate, an Infuriating Display of Moral Cowardice
• DeSantis Shrank in Ramaswamy’s Shadow
• A Republican debate that offered no alternative to Trump (“Joe Biden and his predecessor were the big winners as GOP nominees on Fox News simply squabbled amongst themselves”)
• Vivek Ramaswamy Got to Introduce Himself, but the GOP Debate Showed Donald Trump’s Power (“At the end of the day, the Republican primary is a contest between Trump and Anybody Else, and almost everyone on that debate stage raised their hand in support of Trump.”)
• Why do Republicans even bother with this whole farce? (“Trump wasn’t there, but we saw why he’s leading: GOP voters don’t care about substance, just unjustified grievances”)
• 2 winners and 3 losers from the first Republican debate
• Winners and losers of the first GOP debate (“DeSantis arrived in Milwaukee needing a big night. He didn’t get it.”)
• Republicans showed their hands — and Trump is still holding aces
• Trump, Ukraine and a viral song: key takeaways from the Republican debate
• Vivek Ramaswamy Busted For Swiping An Old Line From Barack Obama
• First Republican Debate Recap: Climate, Abortion, Ukraine, and Of Course, Trump
• Nearly All of Trump’s Rivals Said They’d Still Support Him Even if He’s Convicted (Deranged.)
• Chris Christie Says Trump’s Conduct Is ‘Beneath’ Office Of President
• Ron DeSantis Wasted His Big Moment, And 4 Other GOP Debate Takeaways
• The Fox GOP Debate Melted Down When the Word “Climate” Was Mentioned
• Ramaswamy and the Rest (“The breakout star of the melee in Milwaukee was the most MAGA candidate on the stage.” Ramaswamy is fascistic and unhinged…thus perfect for the MAGA “base”)
• Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Pence: Who came out on top at the Republican debate? (“This was not the kind of performance [by Ron DeSantis] needed to close the gap with Mr Trump. The man who was once billed as the future of the Republican Party was simply a non-factor.”)
• Republican candidates fight each other, and mostly line up behind Trump, at the first debate
• Republican Debate Showed How Not to Pick a President (“Americans like competitive sports and so they insist on this sad spectacle. This is my ringside scorecard.”)
• Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson: A Love Story (“The former president and ex-Fox News host indulge a bromance made in conspiracy heaven.”)
• In Carlson interview, Trump suggests U.S. could see more political violence
• The debate was the sideshow (“Trump’s debate-night interview with Tucker Carlson was a taste of the chaos to come.”)
• Fact-checking the first Republican primary debate (Lie after lie after lie after…)
• Trump’s debate counterprogramming got weird
• The Craziest Moments From Trump’s Tucker Carlson Interview (“Instead of debating, he discussed Epstein, the Panama Canal, and Biden’s beach bod”)
• Takeaways from the first Republican presidential primary debate (“It was Ramaswamy versus everyone else, Pence showed a spicy side and DeSantis didn’t stand out from the pack. Here’s what happened.”)
• Republican rivals clash sharply in combative debate with no Trump (Non-substantive headline. In fact, the actual headline should have been about how extreme these candidates are, how they are climate science deniers, etc. It’s all a big game to the WaPo.)
• Republican debate: Cuccinelli says DeSantis ‘looked very presidential tonight’ (Hahahahahaha.)
• Chaos Erupts When Republican Candidates Are Asked if They Believe in Climate Change (Also a dumb headline; just say that they are mostly climate science DENIERS and should be diqualified on that ground alone!)
• Fact check: Tim Scott on bidenomics, Vivek Ramaswamy on Israel and Ron DeSantis on Covid
• Anti-LGBTQ posts by suspect in Pride flag-related killing don’t violate rules, X says (Twitter/”X” is badly, badly broken under Musk’s “leadership”)
• South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Law, Reversing Earlier Decision (All right-wing men.)
• How Oklahoma’s schools superintendent became the state’s top culture warrior
• In California and Virginia, transgender policies see school districts rebel
• Editorial: Apply with the Virginia Department of Elections to serve as a poll worker
• With South Carolina’s Abortion Ban Upheld; Virginia’s 2023 House and Senate Elections “will decide the future of abortion rights for all those across the South for decades to come” (Glenn Youngkin has said he’d “gleefully” sign an abortion ban into law.)
• Virginia budget negotiators say deal likely by end of week (“Youngkin urges General Assembly to ‘move fast’ on long-delayed amendments”)
• Freedom Virginia Launches Back-to-School Digital Day of Action to Call for K-12 Funding, as Gov. Youngkin Delivers Budget Speech (“#BacktoSchoolFunding Calls for Passage of Senate Budget, Stopping Youngkin’s Plan to Underfund Virginia Schools”)
• Youngkin, state leaders say budget compromise is within reach
• Youngkin says he would accept one-time tax rebates as budget deal nears
• Virginia lawmakers appear close to budget deal as Gov. Youngkin encourages legislators to wrap up negotiations
• Virginia localities are working to limit PFAS chemical exposures
• After case dismissals, work on Mountain Valley Pipeline resumes in Virginia
• Norfolk housing authority’s failure to repair broken locks resulted in tenant’s killing, lawsuit alleges
• Richmond casino project could be back on November ballot after judge sides with city
• Judge sides with city in casino referendum case
• RVA BikeShare 2.0 exists, but does not work
• D.C.-area forecast: Occasional shower and storm chances, steamier on Friday