by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, December 15.
- Climate change has destabilized the Earth’s poles, putting the rest of the planet in peril
- Covid: Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate, WHO says
- The AP Interview: UN nuke chief says view of Iran blurred
- Nearing ‘end of the road’ to save Iran nuclear deal -France
- Xi Told Putin China, Russia Are Better Than Allies, Kremlin Says
- China’s Xi reportedly backs Putin in Russia’s bid for security guarantees from the West
- Drug trafficking and an assassination have deepened Haiti’s chaos
- Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S. and could bring punishing wave as soon as January, CDC warns
- Unvaccinated Covid Patients Push Hospital Systems Past the Brink
- The Federal Reserve is expected to take a very big step toward its first rate hike
- House votes to hold Meadows in contempt for refusing to comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena
- I Compared the New January 6 Texts to Mark Meadows’ Book. It’s Damning.
- The Easiest Case for the Prosecution: Trump’s Aiding and Abetting Unlawful Occupation of the Capitol
- It Sure Sounds Like Trump Was Screening Don Jr.’s Calls During the Capitol Attack
- House panel gathers mountain of evidence in Capitol attack investigation (“Panel on track to interview more than 300 witnesses, chair says, with more than 30,000 documents already turned over”)
- Eight ways the House select committee is changing the conversation on Jan. 6
- A Preview of GOP Tactics If They Win the House in 2022 (“If Republicans take at least one chamber, the hostage-taking tactics deployed against Obama are coming back, with additional encouragement from Trump.”)
- Watch Sean Hannity and Mark Meadows ignore bombshell January 6 texts between them while excusing Donald Trump’s role in the insurrection
- January 6 texts from Fox hosts reveal the lie at the heart of the conservative movement (“The texts expose how the rich exploit culture wars to benefit themselves.”)
- Fox News hosts grew alarmed about Jan. 6 — after feeding the ‘big lie’ themselves
- The Supreme Court Is Playing Constitutional Calvinball
- Analysis: Texas abortion law opens door to copycat curbs on guns, other rights
- Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Trump, AP finds (Obviously.)
- A federal court has ruled that obstructing the electoral vote count is illegal. Trump should panic.
- With Joe Manchin, it’s never over until it’s over (“Don’t take the West Virginia senator too literally.”)
- Democrats divided over how hard to push Manchin
- Scoop: Biden and Manchin deadlocked on length of BBB programs
- Biden pleads for Congress to act on gun control as he marks 9th anniversary of Sandy Hook shooting
- Republicans: Give us what we want, or we crash the U.S. economy
- Senate approves measure that would raise debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion, setting up vote in House
- Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling, punting the next fight to 2023
- American Conservatism Is a Rotting Whale Carcass on the Beach
- Democrats Need a Three-Year Plan to Save Democracy
- Raphael Warnock Threw Down the Gauntlet on the Filibuster
- Senator sees debt limit increase as model to pass voting legislation (“Discontent is simmering among some Democrats that voting legislation has stalled because of Republican opposition.”)
- Manchin convenes bipartisan group to talk Senate rules reform
- Trump tax records can be released by Treasury Department to House, judge rules
- Trump’s Strategy to Keep His Tax Returns Secret
- Trump’s longtime accountant testifies to N.Y. grand jury in criminal probe
- Trump Fraud Inquiry’s Focus: Did He Mislead His Own Accountants?
- Fox News delivers deafening silence on network hosts’ texts to Mark Meadows from January 6 (“Fox News personalities pleaded that Donald Trump call off the insurrectionists. But since then, they have railed against Congress trying to hold Trump accountable.”)
- Phil Waldron, backer of Jan. 6 PowerPoint, is invited to speak to Louisiana voting panel (WTF?)
- Video: On Eve of Last Child Tax Credit Payment, Sen. Kaine Leads Colleagues in Calling for Extension in “Build Back Better”
- Video: On “New Day,” Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02) Says Trump Appears to Have Acted (to Stoke the Insurrection) *and* NOT Acted (to Call Off the Insurrection) on 1/6/21 (“For 187 minutes…nothing was said, nothing was done”)
- DCCC Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney: “Virginia’s first draft Congressional map is a disaster that completely fails to deliver fair representation that reflects the Commonwealth” (Maloney rips “deeply flawed and racially problematic map that prioritizes male incumbents”)
- DCCC Chair Rep. Patrick Maloney Responds to Redistricting Proposal in Virginia
- Northam’s outgoing proposals are reminiscent of Youngkin’s campaign promises
- A look at how Virginia could be impacted by Youngkin tax cuts
- Governor Northam Continues ‘Thank You, Virginia’ Tour, Announces Tax Reduction for Working Virginians(“Governor proposes ending the state grocery tax, fulfilling 2017 campaign promise; providing earned-income tax credit for working people; offering one-time rebates”)
- Northam proposes $2.1B in tax cuts for ‘working people’
- Northam: ‘I made rural Virginia a priority’ (“Outgoing governor reflects on his often turbulent tenure, warns Youngkin to not undo the commonwealth’s transition to clean energy.”)
- Northam proposes tax cut plan, including one-time rebates, ending state’s portion of sales tax on groceries
- Virginia’s crisis in mental health care
- Va. agency’s payroll management system ‘paralyzed’ by ransomware attack (“As Virginia struggles to control a ransomware attack on its legislative branch of government, an agency in the state’s executive branch also has been hit in a second attack that is global in scope.”)
- Narissa Turner column: Pulling out of RGGI would hurt Virginia families
- Virginia State Water Control Board Consents to Further Assault on State Waters by MVP (“MVP must know that today’s decision will not be the end of this story…This project should never be completed and we will never rest as long as the threat exists.”)
- Mountain Valley Pipeline stream-crossing permit approved by Virginia regulators (“The board voted 3-2 to issue a Virginia Water Protection Permit to MVP, with board members Paula Jasinksi and Ryan Seiger dissenting. Board chair Heather Wood and member Jillian Cohen were absent.”)
- State panel approves stream-crossing permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline (“The Water Protection Permit from the board was one of the last approvals needed for the natural gas pipeline.”)
- Water Control Board approves pipeline permit
- Study examines how Southwest Va. can be part of offshore wind supply chain
- Jessee-Wallace: Reclaiming Southwest Virginia for a cleaner environment and a brighter community
- D.C.-area forecast: Mild 50s and 60s through Saturday, then feeling more like December
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