| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, December 22.
- Did 2021 Deal a Fatal Blow to Climate-Change Denial? (“Data and extreme weather events are making it harder than ever to ignore our warming world. But climate change denial has also taken on a new form.”)
- From floods and wildfires to inaction and urgency: These are the top climate and weather stories of 2021
- In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world
- Booming U.S. Economy Ripples World-Wide (“Surging American demand draws investment from overseas with supply chains working to keep pace and driving up prices”)
- Maybe economic good times are around the corner (“Despite naysayers in the media, the economy is very strong.”)
- Who Is Gabriel Boric, Chile’s Next President?
- Israel will roll out a fourth dose of the vaccine.
- Perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo found in China
- The vaccines work against severe disease. Here’s why boosters are still a good idea
- Welcomes U.S. Readiness to Talk Security, Seeks Proposals (“This comes a day after Vladimir Putin threatened a military response if the Kremlin’s demands aren’t met.”)
- Putin wants us to negotiate over the heads of our allies. Washington shouldn’t fall for it.
- The White House wants to focus on China, but Russia continues to be a distraction
- Putin says Russia has ‘nowhere to retreat’ over Ukraine
- Why Astronomers Are “Crying and Throwing Up Everywhere” Over the Upcoming Telescope Launch
- 500 Million Tests and 1,000 Service Members: Biden Readies His Omicron Army (“Increased at-home rapid testing and additional personnel for hospitals are among the steps that the president will announce Tuesday to combat the winter surge.”)
- Biden delivered his best speech on covid-19 yet (“The unvaccinated are in danger. They must get their act together.”)
- Biden seeks to recast pandemic fight, rejecting lockdowns as omicron surges
- US population growth at lowest rate in pandemic’s 1st year
- Life Expectancy in U.S. Declined 1.8 Years in 2020 (“Final data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Americans’ life expectancy fell to 77 years in 2020. The drop was 0.3 years more than that of provisional estimates released in July 2021 and remains the biggest life-expectancy decline since at least World War II.”)
- ‘Stop It Now’: Biden Rebukes Cable News, Social Media For COVID Vaccine Lies (“These companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies… that can kill their own customers and their own supporters”)
- Biden announces half a billion free home Covid tests to fight Omicron
- Omicron at Least Doubles Risk of Getting Infected on a Plane
- Omicron Will Overwhelm America’s Emergency Rooms
- US Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers Say (“Within weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains…Unlike existing vaccines, Walter Reed’s SpFN uses a soccer ball-shaped protein with 24 faces for its vaccine, which allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the protein.”)
- Americans are tired of Covid — and the official response to omicron has only created more frustration
- Manchin joins Senate Democrats to discuss future of Build Back Better bill (“Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told colleagues to expect votes next month on the safety net package and a rules change to pass voting rights legislation.”)
- Voting rights reform moves to the front of the line after Build Back Better blows up (“Might Manchin be more helpful now on voting rights?”)
- What the Stalled Build Back Better Bill Means for Climate, in One Chart
- Coal miners want Joe Manchin to reverse opposition to Build Back Better
- Progressives look to regroup after Build Back Better blowup
- Rep. Jayapal on what’s next: Tell us what you support, Sen. Manchin
- Sherrilyn Ifill: ‘There Is No Guarantee We Make It Out of This Period as a Democracy’
- Some Inmates Can Stay Confined at Home After Covid Emergency, Justice Dept. Says
- Criminals have stolen nearly $100 billion in Covid relief funds, Secret Service says (“More than $2.3 billion in stolen funds have been recovered so far, resulting in the arrest of more than 100 suspects who span the spectrum from individuals to organized groups, according to the agency.”)
- Stop calling the GOP fascists “hypocrites”: No one cares, and they have no shame (“If liberals still hope that Republicans will repent and apologize for all this, maybe they deserve what’s coming”)
- Corporate donations to Sen. Joe Manchin’s PAC surged as he fought President Biden’s agenda
- McConnell to Manchin: We’d Love to Have You, Joe
- Susan Collins is open to a revived push to overhaul an expiring child tax credit
- 19 states enacted voting restrictions in 2021. What’s next?
- GOP proposals at the state level would nix ballot boxes and create new voting ID requirements
- John Thune, a Likely Successor to Mitch McConnell, Weighs Retirement (“Mr. Thune, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, is considering giving up his South Dakota seat because of both family concerns and Donald Trump’s enduring hold on the G.O.P.”)
- Trump’s GOP Has 5 Simple Tricks for Promoting Antisemitism
- “Kill shot,” “deadly,” “ambush”: Fox host Jesse Watters tells audience to go after Dr. Anthony Fauci (Has Watters been fired? Is the FBI on this?)
- The real reason the right hates Anthony Fauci (“Violent rhetoric, insane conspiracy theories — they need a pandemic villain to keep generating hate and fear.”)
- Special Report: Trump aide set up meeting where election worker was pressured (That’s a serious crime, right?)
- California’s new congressional map boosts Democrats
- Governor Northam Announces Virginia Named #1 State for Overall Business Climate (“Virginia awarded for nationwide excellence by Business Facilities “)
- Governor Northam Announces More Children Have Access to Early Childhood Education Than Ever Before (“Child Care Subsidy Program extended through May 2022”)
- Glenn Youngkin Picks 2011 Virginia State Senate Candidate, Caren Merrick (R), as His Commerce Secretary. Here’s Some Background. (In 2011, Sen. Barbara Favola (D) hit Merrick as “a very conservative Republican” “supported by the Tea Party, the NRA, and anti-choice extremists”)
- Youngkin names the head of his nonprofit to serve as Virginia commerce secretary
- VA Sen. Dave Marsden (D): “Virginia’s Reproductive Health Protection Act goes further than codifying Roe v. Wade in some ways, and steadfastly protects access to safe, legal abortion” (“We will defeat any efforts to repeal the protections that Virginia Democrats have enshrined in the code”)
- A last-minute budget gambit won’t solve gun violence in Virginia
- Debate over handgun purchases will be back at the General Assembly
- Did Democrats misread their mandate? Governor Northam reflects on his term as Republicans take back power (Weird framing.)
- Congrats to HD89’s Almost-Certain Next Delegate, Democrat Jackie Glass, Who Easily Won Tonight’s “Firehouse Caucus” in Norfolk
- Pair of Navy vets to compete in 89th House District special election for seat vacated by Del. Jay Jones (“Democrat Jackie Glass and Republican Giovanni Dolmo will appear on the ballot during the Jan. 11 special election.”)
- Jackie Glass wins Democratic nomination for open 89th House District seat
- The future of flooding in your neighborhood: Here’s what state and local analysis shows (“‘It’s pretty scary at first glance,’ said George Mcleod, director of ODU’s Center for Geospatial Science, Education, and Analytics who helmed the flood modeling.”)
- Virginia DEQ issues drought watch advisory
- Fire engulfs longtime home of Chuck Robb, former Virginia governor and senator (Yikes, I hope they’re ok!)
- Editorial: Business moving at the Port (“A focus on improvement and automation have the Port of Virginia humming while others are struggling in the pandemic.”)
- UPDATED: Ex-fraternity member pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges in death of VCU student Adam Oakes
- D.C.-area forecast: Breezy today and cool through tomorrow, then warming up into Christmas weekend
