by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, February 19.
- More Wall Street Firms Are Flip-Flopping on Climate. Here’s Why. (“Financial giants were already trimming their climate pledges amid Republican attacks. Then came concerns about legal risks.” In a sane world – and a normal/sane GOP – financial giants should be massively INCREASING their climate pledges!)
- A harsh truth: The world economy never recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic (The US economy did, though – thanks Biden and 2021-2022 Democratic Congress!)
- Ukrainian forces don’t have enough artillery to battle Russia. A key withdrawal Saturday shows that (Totally inexcusable, and it’s 100% Republicans’ fault.)
- Cheney warns of Republican Party ‘Putin-wing’ after Navalny death
- Navalny’s widow accuses Kremlin of hiding opposition leader’s body to cover up his murder
- Biden administration is leaning toward supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles
- Kremlin accused of ‘covering tracks’ as whereabouts of Alexei Navalny’s body remain uncertain
- The Russian Opposition Just Lost Its Brightest Star. What Does It Do Now?
- Navalny’s widow Yulia: I will continue my husband’s fight for a free Russia
- Cheney says it’s ‘worth’ Johnson losing Speakership over passing Ukraine aid bill
- The GOP Has Crossed an Ominous Threshold on Foreign Policy
- Haley Calls Navalny a ‘Hero,’ Saying Trump Must Answer for His Death
- Navalny’s death fails to move the dial for Republican Senator J.D. Vance (Vance is evil incarnate.)
- Trump remains silent on Navalny’s death (Trump is also evil incarnate.)
- At least 366 people were detained for mourning Aleksei Navalny, leading to concern of a broader crackdown.
- The Gravity of Vladimir Putin’s Threats Is Dawning on Europe (It had better dawn on Americans too!)
- In Russia’s Far-Flung Cities, Navalny Inspired Average People to Challenge Putin
- The Kremlin has never been richer – thanks to a US partner (“The shadow fleet has enabled Russia to create a parallel shipping structure that can weather the changing tactics and focus of Western sanctions, with hundreds of tankers of opaque ownership, using complex routes. Windward estimates that this fleet grew to 1,800 vessels last year.”)
- Rafah attack: How Israel plans to hit Hamas and scale back war (” Israel expects to continue full-scale military operations in Gaza for another six to eight weeks as it prepares to mount a ground invasion of the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah, four officials familiar with the strategy said. Military chiefs believe they can significantly damage Hamas’ remaining capabilities in that time, paving the way for a shift to a lower-intensity phase of targeted airstrikes and special forces operations, according to the two Israeli and two regional officials who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely.”)
- Gaza ceasefire hopes fade as Netanyahu rejects calls to halt Rafah offensive (“Diplomatic efforts stall amid Israeli opposition to what it calls ‘unilateral recognition’ of a Palestinian state”)
- Israel to Launch Rafah Attack Unless Hostages Home in March (“Ramadan, a monthlong Muslim holiday, starts in mid-March.”)
- Israel indicates March deadline for Gaza ground offensive in Rafah (“Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned that unless Hamas frees all hostages held in Gaza by 10 March an offensive will be launched in Rafah.”)
- Israel Economy Slumps From War With Far Worse Drop Than Forecast
- U.S. military says it struck a Houthi underwater drone for first time
- Iran, wary of wider war, urges its proxies to avoid provoking U.S. (“Tehran is eager to disrupt U.S. and Israeli interests in the Middle East but wary of provoking a direct confrontation, officials in the region say.”)
- Brazil sidelined Bolsonaro. What can America do about Trump? (Attempting a coup should have led to Trump’s immediate arrest and imprisonment for the rest of his miserable life.)
- How the Far Right Uses Mystical Racism to Demonize Migrants (“They’re fixating on corn (yes, corn) and pseudo-historical interpretations of Christianity that paint non-white immigrants as forces sent by Satan.”)
- Voters feel better about the economy. Will it help Biden? (It absolutely should.)
- Michael Cohen suggests Trump’s mounting legal fees make him ‘thoroughly compromised’: ‘He is for sale’ (Correct – if Trump were a regular person applying for a security clearance, there’s ZERO chance he’d get one.)
- Why Trump’s Sleaziest Criminal Case Is So Important
- Poll Ranks Biden as 14th-Best President, With Trump Last (“President Biden may owe his place in the top third to his predecessor: Mr. Biden’s signature accomplishment, according to the historians, was evicting Donald J. Trump from the Oval Office.”)
- MAGA freaks out after Fox News reports Obama in top 10 presidents — and Trump in dead last
- Biden’s allies are stepping forward to vouch for him amid age questions (Those “age questions” are mostly an obsession of the political media, which…yes, sucks.)
- Graham’s U-turns have Senate colleagues fed up: ‘Annoying,’ ‘tiresome’ (Graham is seriously deranged.)
- High-profile Republicans head for the exits amid House GOP dysfunction
- Haley continues to chart course away from Trump (Seems way too late.)
- Nikki Haley’s unwanted fan: How Biden uses her against Trump
- No Labels ‘talking with several exceptional leaders,’ national co-chair says (F*** “No Labels” – no brains, no principles, etc.)
- Conservative activist Charlie Kirk helped oust Ronna McDaniel at the RNC. Now the knives are out for him.
- Tlaib endorses protest vote against Biden in Michigan (Brilliant, huh?)
- Wisconsin fake elector on why he signed phony electoral document for Trump
- Storm-hit California faces fresh atmospheric river flood threat
- Matt Gaetz’s Chaos Agenda (“The Florida Republican is among the most brazen and controversial figures in Donald Trump’s G.O.P. He’s also among the most influential.”)
- Sinclair’s recipe for TV news: Crime, homelessness, illegal drugs (Sinclair stations like WJLA7 in the DC area are a cesspool.)
- Oysters are rebounding in Virginia waters. The Bay Foundation says it’s time to expand efforts.
- What to know about the plan to move the Capitals, Wizards to Virginia
- Video, Slides from VA House Appropriations Committee Presentations – Ditching Youngkin’s Regressive Tax Proposals, Requiring that Virginia Rejoin RGGI, etc.
- Virginia House and Senate release budget proposals (“There are some similarities between the two new budget plans, and some significant differences.”)
- General Assembly budget committees ditch Youngkin’s tax plan, increase spending for schools and mental health
- House, Senate budgets propose raises for state workers; no tax cuts; split on arena
- Va. Senate budget scraps Metro funding, arena — setting up battle with House
- Video: Speaker Don Scott Talks About the Proposed Wizards/Caps Arena Deal, VA GOP Attacks on Him and How “I’m just going to continue to move forward and continue to do the work that I have to do” (Speaker Scott says he understands Sen. Louise Lucas’ reservations and skepticism about the arena)
- Patron accuses Democrats of killing bathroom check bill because he’s a Black Republican (“House Democrats declined to comment. Both House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, and House Appropriations Chair Luke Torian, D-Prince William, are also Black.” Yeah, Cordoza is bonkers.)
- Virginia House committee advances more changes to solitary confinement
- The General Assembly is homing in on pesky invasive plants (They’re a lot worse than just “pesky,” but ok…)
- Attorney general’s opinion should force Lynchburg Republicans to hold the primary they wanted to avoid
- Firefighter injured in Virginia home explosion released from hospital
- D.C.-area forecast: A warming trend this week with some rain Thursday and Friday
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