by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, May 14.
- Banks have given almost $7tn to fossil fuel firms since Paris deal, report reveals (“Among world’s top 60 banks those in US are biggest fossil fuel financiers, while Barclays leads way in Europe” UGH.)
- Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth
- Global wildlife crime causing ‘untold harm’, UN report finds (“More than 4,000 species are targeted by traffickers, with illegal trade active in 80% of countries, says Office on Drugs and Crime” Horrifying.)
- Without more U.S. help, Ukraine’s second largest city could fall
- Vladimir Putin Will Visit Xi Jinping, Testing a ‘No Limits’ Partnership (“Moscow is seeking more support for its war in Ukraine. But Beijing risks alienating Europe, a key trading partner needed to help revive China’s economy.”)
- Biden Signs Ban on Imports of Russian Nuclear Reactor Fuel
- UK’s Labour pledges ‘ironclad’ commitment to Ukraine during Kyiv visit
- Blinken visits Ukraine as Russian forces step up Kharkiv assault
- Blinken Arrives in Ukraine to Boost Spirits, Funnel U.S. Military Aid (“The question now is whether the aid that languished for months before Congress approval in April is enough to daunt the resurgent Russian military.”)
- Why has Putin removed key ally as defence minister?
- Russia arrests another senior Defense Ministry official in bribery charges amid broader shake-up
- UN denies Gaza death toll of women and children has been revised down (“Spokesperson says confusion results from Gaza health ministry’s new way of classifying those not yet fully identified”)
- Israel’s ‘total victory’ in Gaza is unlikely, top US official says
- Trump Wants to Deport Pro-Palestine Protesters—and GOP Lawmakers Are Filing Bills to Make It Happen
- Palestinians mark 76 years of dispossession as a potentially even larger catastrophe unfolds in Gaza
- Israeli protesters block aid trucks destined for Gaza
- Israel’s Rafah Offensive Strains 45 Years of Peace With Egypt
- How is any of this making Israel more secure? (Good question!)
- Will Zionism survive the war? (“As Israel marks its Independence Day, the nation’s Zionist ideology faces hard questions.”)
- On Independence Day, Many Israelis Ask: ‘What’s to Celebrate?’
- Biden announces 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles
- U.S. threats led to rupture of vital military ties, Nigerien leader says
- New Rules to Overhaul Electric Grids Could Boost Wind and Solar Power
- Foreign-Born Population Grew by 5.1 Million in the Last Two Years (Immigrants are great for our economy and for our country in general.)
- The surprising trend that could save cities (“People aren’t eager to return to offices, but they’re venturing downtown after hours and on weekends.”)
- A State Supreme Court Justice Decries the “Horrors and Treachery” Coming From SCOTUS
- Progressives Prep $10 Million Campaign to Expose ‘MAGA Supreme Court’
- Killing Dogs. Taunting the Homeless. Praising Al Capone. This Is Trump’s Party.
- Donald Trump Really Trying to Pretend He Couldn’t Care Less About Michael Cohen
- The New York Case Cuts to the Core of Who Trump Is (“I thought this trial was a sideshow; I now think I was wrong.”)
- Star witness Michael Cohen says Trump was intimately involved in all aspects of hush money scheme
- With eyes shut, Trump endures testimony from his nemesis
- Cohen: Trump Said That Stormy Daniels Preferred Former President To NFL Player
- Prosecution seeks to land Trump hush money case as Cohen cross-examination looms
- Opinion: Michael Cohen propels prosecution of Trump past this critical threshold
- Melania Trump, absent from court but a central figure in the trial
- Burying stories, lying, no emails – Cohen on life as Trump’s fixer
- Right-wing media and Trump misleadingly claim that the DOJ altered evidence in response to new legal filing in classified documents case
- Trump is gagged. So his surrogates say the forbidden stuff for him.
- How on Earth Is Donald Trump Getting Credit for Joe Biden’s Economy? (Also note that Trump inherited an economy in GREAT shape from Barack Obama, then handed over an utter mess to Joe Biden…who now presides over an economy firing on all cylinders. But a lot of people are oblivious to any/all of this, apparently.)
- Biden’s Approval Is Low, Except Compared With Everyone Else’s
- How Worried Should Biden Be About These New Polls? (“In a new set of Times/Siena surveys, Biden trails Trump in five of six key swing states he won in 2020. But is it really as bad as it seems?”)
- The Indignity of Trump’s Veepstakes (“The race for running mate is a sad exercise in self-debasement. How low can they go?” There’s no bottom.)
- Trump Seemed To Have Had Some Sort of…Episode at a Rally In New Jersey (“The way various outlets covered it ought to be taught in journalism schools as an example of what never to do.”)
- Trump pledges to scrap offshore wind projects on ‘day one’ of presidency (That alone should be reason to vote against Trump!)
- Republicans ready for a Trump loss
- Conservative outside group drops $70M on Senate Democrats in battlegrounds (“The group will start $28.6 million in ads in Ohio on May 22 and $18.6 million in Pennsylvania starting in mid-June. The group previously announced a $17.9 million tranche of ads in Montana.”)
- Meet RAGA—One of the Scariest GOP Groups You’ve Never Heard Of (“The Republican Attorney Generals Association is waging a legal war to overturn reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and climate regulations, one state at a time.”)
- Sen. Menendez bribery trial starts with judge scolding lawyers on ‘gamesmanship’
- Tennessee woman denied abortion after fetus’ ‘brain not attached’ slams state ban (Sick.)
- Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
- Louisiana bill would place abortion pills on same list as opiates (Total insanity.)
- Louisiana Republicans Want to Make It Harder to Obtain a Medication That Stops Postpartum Hemorrhages
- UNC-Chapel Hill BOT votes to divert DEI funding, redirecting it to campus public safety
- Kristi Noem banned by two more Native tribes in South Dakota (Youngkin campaigned for this psycho/freak.)
- America’s Most Bruising, Brutal, Bitter Senate Primary Is Finally Here (“This election has it all: Racism accusations, big money—and maybe the chamber’s majority on the line.”)
- Who gets to fight to keep Maryland’s open Senate seat blue?
- BREAKING: Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10) Endorses Senator Suhas Subramanyam to Succeed Her in Congress (Wexton says Subramanyam “will best continue my legacy of getting things done for Northern Virginians”)
- Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s use of a voice app on the House floor sparks larger disability conversation
- Virginia House and Senate pass, Youngkin signs budget in special session (“Noticeably absent, however, was a new digital sales tax proposed by Democrats.”)
- VA Senate Democrats Issue Statement on Passage (on a 39-1 vote) of 2024 Biennium Budget (Sen. Louise Lucas: “This budget is a resounding win for Virginia, setting the stage for prosperity and progress for years to come”)
- The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis: “Virginia Budget Leaders Maintain Many Key Investments, Miss Opportunity To Secure Ongoing Funding”
- Virginia governor swiftly signs compromise budget deal
- Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs $188B, 2-year budget in quick special session
- Gov. Youngkin signs 2-year state budget, which includes toll relief for Hampton Roads
- Youngkin signs bipartisan state budget, ending budget stalemate (“To pass the $188 billion spending plan, Republicans and Democrats had to make major concessions on taxes and Virginia’s future in RGGI.”)
- Virginia lawmakers to study campus safety policies after series of protests
- Skill games don’t make it into the budget, but advocates may have a glimmer of hope
- Virginia’s skill game debate could stretch into the summer
- Environmental regulators issue 13 violations to MVP, totaling $31,500 (That’s a mild slap on the wrist.)
- Watchdog: Feds should look at Mountain Valley Pipeline rupture
- Richmond City Council approves nearly $3B budget
- Richmond City Council votes to fully fund RPS budget, postpone Coliseum demo
- Greater Richmond Transit Company’s ridership numbers continue to rise
- D.C.-area forecast: Here we go again with shower chances returning the next several days
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