by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 14.
- Are we breaking the Atlantic Ocean?
- Oil giant Shell waters down its near-term emission cuts in strategy update (Totally unacceptable.)
- While Many Countries Bounce Back From COVID, The Poorest Are Not: UN Report
- Election disinformation takes a big leap with AI being used to deceive worldwide
- What will the EU’s proposed act to regulate AI mean for consumers?
- Johnson signals shift on Ukraine to GOP senators (“Johnson told senators that the House will send a Ukraine aid package to the Senate but floated the idea of making it a loan or lend-lease program, so that U.S. taxpayers would not be shelling out tens of billions of dollars without any expectation of getting a return, according to senators who participated in the discussion.” Ridiculous.)
- Democrats plead with Johnson to put Ukraine bill on floor: ‘Lead, follow or get out of the way’ (Johnson’s leading, alright…off a friggin’ cliff!)
- Hungary’s Orbán offers rare peek into Trump’s plans for Ukraine
- Rosenberg: Russia’s stage-managed election (It’s most definitely NOT a real election and most definitely should NOT be reported as one.)
- This ‘election’ won’t kickstart any change in Russia – but a defeat for Putin in Ukraine can (Bingo!)
- ‘The fight is continuing’: a decade of Russian rule has not silenced Ukrainian voices in Crimea
- Air defense for $13 a shot? How lasers could revolutionize the way militaries counter enemy missiles and drones
- ‘Every day felt like an eternity’ – freed Israeli hostage (“Itay Regev was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his sister and a friend.”)
- Palestinian Authority Leader Is Expected to Choose Insider as Prime Minister
- ‘Everything Is Difficult’: The Struggle for Life’s Basics in Rafah
- The Biden-Netanyahu rift goes much deeper than Rafah (Netanyahu is corrupt, incompetent, increasingly autocratic, etc.)
- The US privately told Israel the kind of Rafah campaign it could support
- In Haiti, a police officer-turned-gangster is trying to seize control of the country
- Are Gangs About to Take Over Haiti? (Nightmare.)
- Study: Fox News ran nearly 400 weekday segments on “migrant crime” in the first 10 weeks of 2024 (Immigration is actually a HUGE net positive for the US, but if you’re a racist, white nationalist, etc, you HATE it, because it’s making the demographics of America less white.)
- How immigration is driving U.S. job growth (“A surge in immigration last year helps explain the economy’s striking resilience — and if sustained, could allow the job market to keep booming without stoking inflation in the years ahead.”)
- Conservatives are warning about noncitizens voting. It’s a myth with a long history (Gotta love how NPR uses the word “myth” instead of “LIE”)
- Biden aims to repair places left broken by previous economic strategies
- Biden isn’t advertising America’s record oil boom (“Biden is not ‘waging war’ on American energy. He’s boosting it.”)
- US energy industry gas leaks are triple the official figures, study finds (“Leaks of heat-trapping methane – about 3% of gas produced in US – cost $9.3bn yearly in climate damage, but the problem is fixable” Fix it!)
- A New Surge in Power Use Is Threatening U.S. Climate Goals (“A boom in data centers and factories is straining electric grids and propping up fossil fuels.”)
- TikTok Sell-or-Ban Push to Slow as Bill Hits Senate Turbulence
- The House passed a TikTok ban bill. But is the app really a national security threat? (“National security officials have long warned about the dangers TikTok poses as long as it is owned by a Chinese company, but the threat remains theoretical.”)
- Trump’s TikTok flip raises concerns over billionaire clout (Now TRUMP poses a real national security threat – huge.)
- More books were targeted for censorship in 2023 (That includes 25 ban attempts and 387 titles in Virginia.)
- Religious supremacy, not Supremacy Clause, is key to Fifth Circuit contraception ruling
- Kamala Harris to visit an abortion clinic, a first for a president or vice president
- Don’t Be Lulled Into Thinking Trump II Will Just Be A Repeat Of Trump I (It would, in fact, be infinitely worse.)
- Donald Trump’s Extreme Agenda Is a Huge Electoral Problem – And It’s Not Going Away (“CNN exit polling shows Trump losing by 16 points with independent voters in Virginia.”)
- Donald Trump Flips Out At Democrats’ Mocking Montages With Massive Self-Own
- Vote against Trump, former supporters urge in $50m video campaign
- The Real Problem With Judge McAfee Dropping Three Charges Against Trump (“Any news coverage that contains the words ‘Trump’ and ‘dismissed’ changes the political calculus out in the world.”)
- Speaker Mike Johnson is still dealing with Kevin McCarthy’s baggage
- Republicans’ House majority is their smallest in decades, and shrinking
- RNC Shutting Down Community Centers Aimed at Minority Outreach
- Why the GOP Should Be Very Worried About Trump’s RNC Purge
- Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in the Georgia 2020 election interference case (They can be re-filed with more details.)
- Haley Shaved 77K Votes Off Trump’s Georgia Win Despite Dropping Out
- The special counsel was unfair to Biden and his transcript proves it
- Biden’s Best Shot Against Trump Lies In Three ‘Blue Wall’ States
- With Trump set to return to court, his delaying strategy is working so far (It’s crazy that the justice system is letting him get away with this.)
- Biden has a marginal 1 point lead over Trump, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
- Trump’s MAGA movement is causing Republicans in Congress to hate each other
- A Courtroom Over Campaigning: Inside Trump’s Broken Schedule (“Trump is about to have his entire schedule derailed by courtroom appearances and, even if his campaign thinks he can make it work, Trump is about to have real time problems.”)
- Musk abruptly cancels ‘The Don Lemon Show’ on X after he sits for the program’s first interview (Musk is completely unhinged.)
- Elon Musk Keeps Spreading a Very Specific Kind of Racism
- Tesla paid no federal income taxes while paying executives $2.5 billion over five years (Bonkers)
- Democrats are taking third-party threats seriously this time
- No Labels Co-Chairman Pat McCrory Quits Group as It Presses Ahead With Presidential Ticket (Bunch of clowns.)
- RFK Jr.’s VP prospect Aaron Rodgers has shared false Sandy Hook conspiracy theories in private conversations (RFK Jr. is a conspiracy-theory nutjob, and so is Aaron Rodgers.)
- Aaron Rodgers Would Probably Regret Getting Into Politics (“The attention-loving conspiracist has only faced a compliant sports press.”)
- South Dakota legislator calls for inquiry into Gov. Noem’s Texas dental trip and promo video (Noem’s a nut.)
- Kemp signs Georgia law reviving prosecutor sanctions panel. Democrats fear it’s aimed at Fani Willis
- Katie Britt Says The Media Didn’t Do ‘Their Homework’ After Brutal Fact-Check (Britt is a pathological liar – and a nutjob.)
- Sen. Katie Britt has told her misleading anecdote about sex trafficking multiple times (And by “misleading,” NBC News apparently meant to type “FALSE”)
- Boebert slams Buck’s decision as ‘weak sauce,’ says she won’t run in special election
- Lauren Boebert won’t pursue special election nomination to replace Ken Buck after his abrupt resignation
- DeSantis Accuses Libs of TikTok of Spreading Lies For ‘Clicks’ (Ya think? LOL)
- Death of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict after school fight is ruled a suicide, medical examiner says
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner on Grave Dangers to the 2024 Elections; the Supreme Court Undermining Its Legitimacy Through Extreme Rulings and Lack of Ethics Code; the Failure of Social Media Companies to Rein in Disinformation and Hate Speech; etc.
- Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Applaud U.S. House Vote to Force Divestiture of TikTok From Chinese-Owned Parent Company (“As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to protect the data of the American people and keep our country safe online.” – Rep. Spanberger)
- If Trump’s mass deportations work, Virginia would see its population drop for the first time since the 1830s (It would be a nearly unmitigated disaster.)
- Op-ed: Is the Governor Gaslighting Virginia about K-12 Education funding?
- Religious rights advocates ‘disappointed’ after Youngkin signs same-sex marriage protections
- Pending Virginia budget would prevent audit of presidential election results
- Rocky road: Some transportation bills await Youngkin’s action, while others stalled out (“One proposal from Del. Carr stemmed from a constituent’s cycling story.”)
- Va. legislature earmarks $100,000 for review of special education dispute resolution system
- Amendments establishing single Va. Medicaid pharmacy benefits manager die in conference
- Schapiro: O, what a tangled web they weave (“Virginia’s legislature runs on information, relationships and the self-importance of its members. And nothing quite affirms that like a legislator’s ability to hand out a political patronage job sought by many but awarded to a few: a judgeship. Whether the decision is made by Democrats or Republicans, the only thing ironclad about the guidelines is that they’re flexible.”)
- A Virginia sales tax on digital goods like Netflix could be coming to Hampton Roads consumers
- Mayor highlights Virginia Beach Trail, economic development at State of City address
- Lawmakers are still concerned that Hampton Roads’ giant cranes are spying on us (“ZPMC accounts for nearly 80% of the ship-to-shore cranes in use at U.S. maritime ports, according to the House letter. The Port of Virginia uses 27 ZPMC ship-to-shore cranes, Virginia Port Authority spokesman Joe Harris confirmed.”)
- Hampton Roads searching for new waste solutions
- Nine Central Virginia legislators oppose new Dominion plant in Chesterfield
- Coates: Richmond should create a FOIA task force
- D.C.-area forecast: Very warm through Friday, when a showery cool front passes
