Saturday News: UN “Warns of ‘Catastrophic Pathway’ With Current Climate Pledges”; “FDA panel recommends Pfizer’s Covid booster doses for people 65 and older”; “‘Death panels’ arrive — in COVID-stricken Republican Idaho”; “Facebook Is the New Cigarettes”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, September 18.

• United Nations Warns of ‘Catastrophic Pathway’ With Current Climate Pledges
• Climate change: Should green campaigners put more pressure on China to slash emissions?
• As climate pledges fall short, U.N. predicts globe could warm by catastrophic 2.7 degrees Celsius (“New Glasgow commitments, if implemented, would result in a 12 percent emissions cut by the decade’s end, well short of what is needed to curb global warming”)
• The Toilet Paper Companies Destroying Canada (First of all, use ONLY recycled toilet paper – obviously! Second, if at all possible, switch to bidet attachments and ditch toilet paper completely.)
• Apple shut down a voting app in Russia. That should worry everyone.
• UN Chief Says China, U.S. Should Repair ‘Dysfunctional’ Ties
• The Iranian Scientist and the A.I.-Assisted Weapon That Killed Him (“Israeli agents had wanted to kill Iran’s top nuclear scientist for years. Then they came up with a way to do it with no operatives present. Published for the first time, here’s how the killing unfolded using a new, satellite-controlled weapon that could reshape the worlds of security and espionage.”)
• While Trump Diehards Celebrate the Capitol Rioters, Anti-Vaxxers Are Gathering Around the Globe (The worst of humanity.)
• Nuclear-powered submarine deal fuels anger in Australia
• Secret Talks and a Hidden Agenda: Behind the U.S. Defense Deal that France Called a ‘Betrayal’
• Why the French are so furious at the Biden administration over a derailed submarine deal (“…the deal was of virtually unrivaled economic significance to France’s defense sector, said Pierre Morcos, a French visiting fellow at the D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.”)
• U.S. will fly migrants who have streamed into Texas back to Haiti, officials say
• Biden admin to step up deportation of Haitians to address migrant surge, documents say
• U.S. military admits ‘horrible mistake’ in Kabul drone strike that killed 10 Afghans
• Afghanistan: Girls excluded as Afghan secondary schools reopen (Totally unacceptable. F*** the Taliban.)
• FDA panel endorses coronavirus boosters for older adults and those at risk of serious disease
• FDA panel recommends Pfizer’s Covid booster doses for people 65 and older after rejecting third shots for general population
• You Might Want to Wait to Get a Booster Shot (“There are no simple rules for timing on a third jab—but maybe don’t rush it.”)
• 5 reasons why FDA advisers did not recommend Covid-19 booster shots for everyone
• The Build Back Better Plan Remains Popular
• Republican leaders remain silent as Trump casts perpetrators of Jan. 6 attack as political prisoners
• Can Biden roll back the Reagan revolution? (“On tax policy, he isn’t trying to. It’s social infrastructure where the real difference could be made.”)
• Clarence Thomas and His Friends Are Coming for Your Uterus
• Three big questions on Mark Milley
• Bureau of Land Management headquarters to return to D.C., reversing Trump decision
• How Facebook Hobbled Mark Zuckerberg’s Bid to Get America Vaccinated
• ‘Facebook Is the New Cigarettes’
• A scary court victory for Devin Nunes (“A federal appeals court handed down a ruling that should concern tweeting journalists.”)
• John Durham’s zombie Russia investigation produces an iffy indictment. Is this all there is? (Key word: “zombie”)
• Peril review: Bob Woodward Trump trilogy ends on note of dire warning
• The insurrectionists and their defenders are an old American story (“The ‘Justice for J6’ rally is junior varsity. Defeating Trumpism, in all its ugly forms, is what should matter most.”)
• The “Justice for J6” rally is a distraction. The attacks on democracy are now happening at the state level – like in Pennsylvania. (“Media outlets are allowing a sensationalist story about election conspiracy theories from Trump supporters to crowd out coverage of a much more profound and ongoing threat to American democracy.”)
• Emboldened Trump takes aim at GOP foes
• Republicans keep distance from ‘Justice for J6’ rally
• Capitol Police chief dropped request for armed National Guard members to be on standby for Saturday’s rally after Pentagon discussions
• Extremist Groups Are Warning Members To Avoid Rally Near Capitol, Calling It A Trap
• Sidelined on Jan. 6, Walker Has Top Job Securing the Capitol (“William Walker testified about how his requests to deploy the National Guard on Jan. 6 went unanswered. Now it falls to him to prevent another rampage”)
• A Texas Republican’s vile rant shows ‘great replacement’ is becoming GOP dogma (“Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s ugly demagoguery is becoming normalized among Republicans.”)
• Elise Stefanik’s ‘Hateful Rhetoric’ Ripped In Stinging Editorial By Hometown Newspaper (“The editorial board of Albany’s Times Union asks the New York Republican ‘how low’ she can go in its withering essay.” She is really messed up.)
• Judges strike down North Carolina voter ID law, citing its ‘discriminatory purpose’ against African Americans
• Overturning Roe v Wade will promote abstinence, says architect of Texas abortion ban (Uh, no.)
• ‘Death panels’ arrive — in COVID-stricken Republican Idaho
• Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin attacks Politico as ‘misogynistic,’ calls coverage ‘hysterical, clickbait’ (Politico sucks, no doubt.)
• Carmine’s Hostess Attacked After Asking Tourists for Vaccination Proof to Dine Inside (Disgusting.)
• Alabama Pickers, couple known for reselling and vaccine opposition, both dead of COVID
• “Just pray for me please”: Laura Loomer suffers “brutal” symptoms after hoping she would “get COVID” (“The conspiracy theorist claimed ‘bad fajitas’ were worse than COVID. Now she ‘can’t begin to explain’ how bad it is”)
• Gabby Petito: Fiance Brian Laundrie goes missing too (“All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing.”)
• Florida police search for boyfriend of missing woman Gabby Petito (This guy’s behavior sounds really, really suspicious.)
• Sen. Tim Kaine: The Jan. 6 attack demands that we protect voting rights
• Conservative group targets Spanberger, Luria in new ads ahead of reconciliation bill
• Rep. Donald McEachin: Remembering Virginia’s ‘Forgotten 14’
• WaPo-Schar School Virginia Poll: Among Registered Voters, McAuliffe Up 6 Pts. (49%-43%); Among “Likely Voters,” McAuliffe Up 3 Pts. (50%-47%) (“There’s an intensity deficit here for the Democrats compared to where they were … during the Trump era”)
• McAuliffe, Youngkin locked in tight race for Virginia governor, Post-Schar School poll finds
• Virginia governor’s race is next up in national spotlight
• KEY MOMENT: Glenn Youngkin Won’t Require COVID-19 Vaccines For Nurses Treating Immunocompromised Cancer Patients
• Youngkin says strict abortion ban would be ‘appropriate’ for Virginia
• A gut-check vote about vaccine mandates in Virginia
• As Early Voting in Virginia Begins, A Reminder of What’s at Stake (“Republicans would roll back voting rights, pass arcane anti-abortion laws, and take health care away from half a million Virginians”)
• NEW TV AD: Terry For Virginia Releases New TV Ad “Doctor” Featuring Dr. Joseph Sakran Calling Out Glenn Youngkin’s Dangerous COVID-19 Agenda
• Virginia Republicans push early voting in governor’s race, a shift from last year’s GOP messaging
• A gut-check vote about vaccine mandates in Virginia
• NEW TV AD: Terry For Virginia Releases New TV Ad “Doctor” Featuring Dr. Joseph Sakran Calling Out Glenn Youngkin’s Dangerous COVID-19 Agenda
• Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Endorses Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor; Anti-Environment Republican Winsome Sears Doesn’t Even Respond to Questionnaire
• Va. Republicans focus on the number ‘6’ in House of Delegates races (“With all 100 House of Delegates seats on the ballot, and Democrats defending a 55-45 advantage, Republicans are looking to flip six seats to take control of the chamber.”)
• “Absolutely grotesque antisemitism on display from yet another @GlennYoungkin-aligned Virginia Republican — just one day after Yom Kippur”
• Virginia House candidate condemned for tweet insulting speaker’s appearance
• Flip-[And-Hold-]A-District Friday: Volume X (Del. Jay Jones, Del. Ken Plum, Jasmine Gore, Trudy Berry, Stan Scott, Derek Kitts)
• Texas Law “Inspires” Abortion Opponents in Virginia (“Anti-abortion rights protestors gathered on Capitol Square Friday for an annual rally said they were energized by a near-total ban on abortions in Texas. But anti-abortion state-wide candidates and organizers distanced themselves from the new law while still calling for restrictions on abortions.”)
• Friday (9/17) Virginia Data on COVID-19: With Delta Now Dominant, Hospitalizations (2,174) Near Highest Level Since Mid February, 10-Day New Cases (+38,280) Near Highest Since Early February
• Virginia pediatricians put out ‘call for help’ amid surging demand for care
• Virginia Unemployment Drops Yet Again, to Just 4.0%; Gov. Northam Says “I’m proud of our roaring economic growth, and I look forward to seeing these trends continue”
• Virginia lawmakers push federal government to take more Fort Monroe land for national monument
• Limpert: DEQ’s summary of comments on Lambert compressor station misleads
• Among 12-to-17-year-olds in Richmond, white kids have up to three times the vaccination rates of Black children
• Northam tours flood-ravaged town in southwest Virginia
• D.C.-area forecast: Warm today before temperatures slide closer to normal into early week (“Once we get today’s cold front through it’ll feel more like September.”)