by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 18.
- Economic damage from climate change six times worse than thought – report (It seems like we keep underestimating the pace and damage of global warming, while OVERestimating the cost of switching to clean energy, reforestation, etc.)
- France riles allies by inviting Russia to D-Day commemoration (That’s wildly unacceptable.)
- Ukraine’s divisive mobilization law comes into force as a new Russian push strains front-line troops
- Zelenskiy says situation in Kharkiv under control but he fears second Russian attack
- Russia shows resilience. There is more to do for Ukraine.
- Putin and Xi no longer have a partnership of equals
- Why Won’t Biden Let Ukraine Hit Russia Back With US Weapons? (“Kyiv needs to strike across the border before it loses Kharkiv and much of its eastern regions.”)
- On Gaza, Biden is right and Netanyahu is wrong (“With Israeli officials and generals turning on the prime minister, the country must adjust course.”)
- Israeli army finds bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza killed at Oct. 7 music festival
- Scoop: U.S., Iran held talks this week on avoiding more attacks
- A Would-be Assassin Stirs Europe’s Violent Ghosts
- Slovakia at pivotal moment after Robert Fico shooting
- Biden’s China Tariffs Are the End of an Era for Cheap Chinese Goods
- The ‘America First’ Chaos Caucus Is Forcing a Moment of Truth (“Does the Republican Party still believe in American leadership abroad?” A lot of them – including Trump – don’t, that’s for sure.)
- Dow closes at record high above 40,000 to cinch a five-week winning streak
- Samuel Alito’s snide denial of his Jan. 6 flag is just as ugly as flying it in the first place
- Upside-down flag at Justice Alito’s home another blow for Supreme Court under fire (It’s under fire for really, REALLY good reasons!)
- Upside-down flag flew at Justice Alito’s house after neighbor dispute
- Alito’s Explanation for the Upside-Down American Flag Honestly Makes It Worse (Alito is an insane, extreme, angry, f’ed-up individual who has no business being on ANY court – ever!)
- Sen. Dick Durbin says Justice Alito should recuse in Trump cases because of upside-down flag (As should Thomas! Actually, both should resign immediately, but they won’t. Or they should be impeached, but they won’t. Or John Roberts should rein them in, but he won’t…ugh.)
- Alito’s Inverted Flag Epitomizes the Ethics Crisis at the Court
- When ‘Stop the Steal’ Becomes Your Motto
- Samuel Alito Didn’t Give a F–k Then and He Doesn’t Give a F–k Now
- Trump’s promises to oil executives ought to be illegal
- MAGA Rage at Trump’s Trial Just Got Darker and More Dangerous
- Trump Is Rarely Silent, but Testifying Would Be ‘Really Dangerous’ (“A grueling cross-examination could torpedo the former president’s chances with the jury in the hush-money case”)
- I worked with Michael Cohen and covered Donald Trump. Guess which man I trust (They’re both slimy, but Trump is orders of magnitudes worse.)
- Biden Campaign Memo on Biden-Harris 2024 Black Outreach
- ‘Political Malpractice’: The Debate Commission Chief Thinks Trump Blew It (“Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. lets loose on the potentially mortal wound to the Commission on Presidential Debates, and why Biden got the better of Trump.”)
- ‘No more games’: Biden rejects additional debates against Trump
- Scoop: Trump and Mike Johnson plot 2025 plans (They’re plotting the end of our democracy, massive violations of civil liberties, economic catastrophe, environmental disaster, victory for Putin, etc., etc.)
- Johnson’s Trump trip unsettles some Republicans: ‘Tell me this isn’t so’
- J.D. Vance wasn’t just some hillbilly after all (He’s devolved into a boot-licking fascist.)
- Not Sure Why I’m Surprised That Greg Abbott Pardoned A Racist Murderer (“The guy even got his guns back.” Abbott is a psychopath.)
- Senior Mike Johnson Staffer Resigns Over Behavioral Complaints (I mean, if you work for a fascist like Johnson, you’ve got to be pretty f’ed up yourself!)
- GOP, Dems Round on MTG After Outburst: ‘Her Brand Is Chaos’
- Bridget and Christian Ziegler ‘Prowled’ Florida Bars for Women, Police Memo Says
- Exclusive: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seen physically assaulting Cassie Ventura in 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN
- Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine Cosponsor Legislation to Honor Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10), Combat Parkinson’s and Related Conditions
- Sen. Tim Kaine: “Alito and Thomas have brazenly destroyed this bedrock principle [of judicial fairness]” (If Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, etc. had been on the Court 70 years ago, can you even imagine them issuing the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling???)
- Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Presses USPS Postmaster General to Address Service Issues After Hearing From More Than 1,800 Virginians (“These service issues have gone far beyond basic inconveniences to imposing harmful consequences on Virginians’ health, finances, and lives.”)
- Leading Virginia Republican US Senate candidate downplays health care importance (Hung Cao is completely bonkers.)
- Republican candidates for Virginia U.S. Senate seat speak at public forum
- In a GOP stronghold, two Democrats seek chance to take on Wittman
- DNC War Room: “MAGA Extremist” Glenn Youngkin Continues to Undermine Women’s Freedoms, Doubling Down on a Losing Strategy (“MAGA minion Youngkin is following Trump’s toxic, anti-reproductive rights playbook.”)
- Youngkin Vetoes Last Remaining Gun Safety Bills on His Desk; Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond
- Senator Hashmi and Delegate Price Condemn Governor Youngkin’s Veto of Right to Contraception Act
- Youngkin vetoes contraception rights bill, raises veto total to record 201
- Youngkin Vetoes Measures to Remove Tax Breaks for Confederate Heritage Group
- Youngkin vetoes include bills to safeguard right to birth control, nix tax exemptions for groups with Confederate ties
- Youngkin vetoes skill games bill, but signals openness to a compromise
- Benefits for families of injured veterans get complicated after Youngkin signs new budget
- The commonwealth has a history of underfunding school construction
- Who were the mysterious ‘men in black’ at the UVa encampment? (“UVa administrators have justified their actions on May 4 by noting the ‘troubling’ appearance of 4 men with violent histories at the camp. But they won’t say who they were.”)
- Shenandoah Valley free clinic highlights gaps in rural care
- D.C.-area forecast: Another damp and cool Saturday, then some improvement on Sunday
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