by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 28.
- Fires in the Amazon are out of control. Again. (“Hundreds of wildfires have already scorched the rainforest this year, and the worst is likely yet to come.”)
- U.S. begins detaining solar panel imports over concerns about forced labor in China
- U.S. spy agencies rule out possibility the coronavirus was created as a bioweapon, say origin will stay unknown without China’s help
- Britons, Unfazed by High Infection Rates, Weigh Their ‘Price of Freedom’ (“Britain records an average of about 34,000 new Covid cases a day, but the public seems to have moved on. Other countries may follow suit, experts say.”)
- Biden Criticizes China for Not Aiding Report on Virus Origin
- Two die in Japan after shots from suspended Moderna vaccines – Japan govt
- Australia logs record COVID-19 cases, driven by New South Wales
- The Two Blows America Is Dealing to the Taliban (“The exit from Afghanistan may seem like a failure. But it can also be seen as a display of power.”)
- U.S. hits ISIS target in Afghanistan with ‘over-the-horizon’ drone strike: DOD
- U.S. retaliates against ISIS with drone strike in Afghanistan
- US says IS-K planner killed in Afghan drone strike
- The 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul airport attack: What we know so far
- He was a baby on 9/11. Now he’s one of the last casualties of America’s longest war.
- John Bolton wants U.S. to get tough on Pakistan after fall of Afghanistan (Maybe, maybe not, but do any of us care what John Bolton thinks about anything?)
- The Right-Wingers Who Admire the Taliban (They’re known as “American Taliban”)
- British troops will end Kabul evacuation operation today, says armed forces chief
- Marine commander says he’s been relieved over his viral video calling out military leaders for Afghanistan withdrawal [UPDATED]
- Republicans split on strategy to make Biden pay a political price for Afghanistan
- U.S. Retaliation for the Kabul Bombing Won’t Stop ISIS or End Terrorism (Maybe not, but we still need to go after anyone who attacks our people.)
- Delta Variant Doubles Covid-19 Hospitalization Risk, Study Finds
- Americans Are Losing Sight of the Pandemic Endgame (“Entirely eliminating infections is an unrealistic goal, but successful vaccines will avoid the worst outcomes.”)
- Ida aims to hit Louisiana on Hurricane Katrina anniversary
- Powell’s benign view on inflation is getting pushback at the Fed, and elsewhere
- Biden announces plans to give pay raise to federal employees
- The House debates voting rights, and it’s Jim Crow all over again
- GOP may be getting “greedy” in redistricting war — but Democrats are “unilaterally disarming” (“Some Democrats think ‘we’re f***king idiots’ for pushing fairer maps while GOP resorts to extreme gerrymanders…Democrats are particularly alarmed about their prospects in Virginia, where the party sunk millions to win a majority of seats in both chambers of the state legislature under Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. But then nine Democrats in the House of Delegates voted with Republicans to advance a ballot initiative to create a bipartisan redistricting commission, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters last year.”)
- 40 Million People Rely on the Colorado River. It’s Drying Up Fast. (To put it mildly, this is not good.)
- The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Prioritize Property Over Lives (“The conservative justices broke the court’s own rules—again—to end the CDC’s eviction moratorium.”)
- GOP reaction to troop deaths shows what a Republican House would really mean (“We need a real accounting over Afghanistan. Republicans will never provide it.”)
- The coming health-care lobbying frenzy over the reconciliation bill (“If you think an industry worth trillions of dollars is going to let Congress mess around with its profits without a fight, think again.”)
- 68% of U.S. coal fleet retirements since 2011 were plants fueled by bituminous coal (“Bituminous coal is predominantly mined in the Appalachian Basin and Illinois Basin; it’s the primary coal type used in coal plants in the northeast and southeast regions of the United States. However, many of these plants sourced their coal from mines in Appalachia, which quickly became uneconomical following the increase in natural gas production in the nearby Marcellus and Utica shale gas fields.”)
- Trump’s DC Hotel Just Banished a Reporter—Forever (“Was it something he wrote?”)
- Facebook groups around the world are promoting unprescribed livestock medications for COVID-19, while the platform seemingly does nothing to stop them(Facebook absolutely sucks.)
- Climate denial newspaper flourishes on Facebook (Need to break up Facebook and heavily regulate it, plus impose a steep wealth tax on gazillionaires like Zuckerberg.)
- Texas house passes sweeping voting restrictions bill (Totally f’ed up.)
- A school district opted out of a free meals program, saying students could ‘become spoiled’ (Total shit-for-brains.)
- NRB spokesman Dan Darling fired after pro-vaccine statements on ‘Morning Joe’ (Crazy: “The spokesman for a major evangelical nonprofit was fired for promoting vaccines on the MSNBC “Morning Joe” cable news show, Religion News Service has learned.”)
- Florida court rejects effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban mask mandates.
- UGA professor resigns mid-class after student refuses to wear mask (The student who refused to wear a mask is a complete jerk.)
- California parole panel votes in favor of release from prison for Sirhan Sirhan (Why?)
- Texas Anti-Mask ‘Freedom Rally’ Organizer Fighting For His Life With COVID-19
- Georgia cop who pushed people to take horse dewormer instead of vaccine dies from COVID-19
- Larry Elder: I don’t have the temperament or the drive to be governor of California (“Media Matters has previously reported on Elder’s long and toxic record as a right-wing radio host and pundit” How could literally ANYONE vote for this guy?)
- Kaine talks infrastructure at the Cove (“Senator Tim Kaine was at an event at Carvins Cove in Roanoke on Wednesday, to talk about the Infrastructure bill.”)
- Waynesboro’s Jennifer Lewis announces second run for 6th Congressional District
- Glenn Youngkin’s Anti-COVID Safety Agenda: Dangerous and Unpopular
- Reactions to Youngkin’s “Really Dumb Lawsuit” to Force McAuliffe Off the Ballot: “Total Nonsense”; “McAuliffe is up 9 points in credible polls and Trumpkin throws a tantrum”; “Desperate Trumpian move” (“The violation is harmless & the remedy sought…is extreme”)
- Update: McAuliffe files motion to dismiss the GOP lawsuit trying to remove him from ballot
- McAuliffe Campaign, Virginia Dems File to Dismiss Republican Lawsuit Aimed at Tossing McAuliffe Off Ballot: “The Republican Party’s complaint is based on a legal lie” (VA GOP “seeks to improperly use this Court to deprive Virginia’s voters of their right to select their next Governor”)
- Prominent Virginia Republican blasts GOP’s ‘ridiculous lawsuit’ to disqualify McAuliffe
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 51 Endorses Terry McAuliffe for Governor (“Cites Terry’s Commitment to Paid Leave, Apprenticeships, Infrastructure, and Fair Wages in their Endorsement”)
- Four years after credit watch, Virginia’s brimming reserves may get constitutional ‘super’ boost
- Flip-A-District Friday: Volume VII (Del. Alex Askew, Del. Roslyn Tyler, Irene Shin, Jennifer Kitchen, Ben Moses, Bill Helsley)
- Opinion: Virginia’s voters demanded change with Amendment 1 (And we most certainly are not getting it from this inherently flawed commission.)
- ‘One of the largest air lifts in history of the U.S.’: Northam gives updates on Virginia resettling people from Afghanistan
- As Afghan arrivals increase, Virginia keeps focus on COVID-19. Fewer than 20 have tested positive.
- Northam: Very Few Covid Cases Among Afghan Evacuees
- Schapiro: For Youngkin, shots in arm are pain somewhere else
- Friday (8/27) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations (1,608) at Highest Level Since Late February, 10-Day New Cases (+28,680) Highest Since Mid February(!)
- Harmful algae is blooming around Hampton Roads waterways, threatening recreation and marine life (“The blooms this week are likely a result of recent rainy weather that washed more polluted runoff into local waterways, as well as hot, still weather that primed conditions for the algae to grow, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.”)
- Old Dominion, Norfolk State, EVMS strike deal to form joint public health school
- Rent relief funds flow in the region, but some tenants lack protection
- Hampton will again require masks in city buildings
- D.C.-area forecast: Somewhat lower storm chances this weekend, but remaining near 90 into early week
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
