by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 12.
- France’s Macron Bets on Nuclear Power to Fight Climate Change (Keep existing nuclear plants for sure, but new ones are very expensive…at least for now.)
- Here’s how to demolish the most common excuses for climate crisis apathy (“Every one of us now has a duty to do something, if not for ourselves then for the survival of future generations”)
- Seals are dying in droves along South Africa’s coast. What’s killing them remains a mystery. (“Scientist Tess Gridley is convinced the seal die-off is abnormal and a mystery worth solving that has potential implications reaching far beyond seals.”)
- Europe relies primarily on imports to meet its natural gas needs
- Biden and Putin to speak as Ukraine warnings mount
- EXCLUSIVE U.S. to send 3,000 additional troops to Poland, officials say …
- US to evacuate Ukraine embassy amid Russian invasion fears
- Who Blinks First in Ukraine? (“Joe Biden is the latest in a long line of American leaders who have tried to persuade Russians and other rivals to back down from a military confrontation.”)
- The Ukraine crisis will test America like no time since the Cold War
- Russia-Ukraine crisis: where are Putin’s troops and what are his options?
- UK troops sent to help train Ukrainian army to leave country
- New intelligence suggests Russia plans a ‘false flag’ operation to trigger an invasion of Ukraine
- Why Progressives Should Help Defend Ukraine
- A Former Russian General Is Warning Putin Not to Invade Ukraine. That Might Be a Big Deal. (“Retired military brass have begun warning Putin not to invade. That could be a signal of wider opposition to war.”)
- Facing maximum pressure from Russia, Ukraine’s president refuses to blink
- White House warns that Russia could invade Ukraine within days, urges Americans to leave
- U.S. says ‘distinct possibility’ that Russia could invade Ukraine during the Olympics
- Putin, Biden plan high-stakes phone call in Ukraine crisis
- Between Russia and Ukraine, Americans say either stay out or side with Ukraine – CBS News poll
- Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy homes in on China’s “sphere of influence”
- U.S. Sees China Watching Ukraine Crisis as Proxy for Taiwan
- Russia is embroiled in another doping controversy. No one should be surprised.
- Canadian judge orders an end to blockade at border bridge
- Canadian Truck Protests (“The protesters have blocked roads leading to the U.S. border at four points — Windsor, Ontario; Sarnia, Ontario; Emerson, Manitoba; and Coutts, Alberta”)
- The Ottawa Trucker Protests Are a Test of Democracy
- Ontario declares state of emergency in response to convoy protests
- As U.S. ‘trucker convoy’ picks up momentum, foreign meddling adds to fray
- Canadian protests lead to auto factories shutting down
- Missile attacks fuel support for reversing U.S. stance and placing Yemen rebels back on terrorist blacklist
- Biden splitting frozen funds for Afghan relief, 9/11 victims
- French Police Prevent ‘Freedom Convoys’ From Blockading Paris
- GOP Pundits, Naturally, Are Championing The Canadian Trucker Protest (“Tucker Carlson’s online store is even selling shirts in support of the protest.”)
- Exclusive: White Nationalists and Anti-Vax Moms Plot Ottawa Copycat Convoys on Telegram (“You don’t have to be a trucker. We’re looking for mom vans, too!”)
- Pfizer pulls FDA request for Covid vaccine for kids under 5
- People Hate Inflation. But We Need to Keep Higher Prices in Perspective. (“Professional investors, who have their own money on the line, are not worried about inflation over the long run, viewing the current spike as short-lived. A standard estimate of the average inflation rate over the next 10 years (as implied by the gap between ordinary and inflation-protected Treasury securities) is just 2.5 percent. In November, the median 10-year inflation forecast of professional forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia was 2.55 percent.”)
- U.S. Methane Clampdown Takes Light Approach to Cattle (Stupid.)
- Trump-appointed judge bars Biden administration from using key climate metric (WTF?)
- IRS backlog hits nearly 24 million returns, further imperiling the 2022 tax filing season
- Taking a glass-is-one-seventh-full view of the GOP
- Republicans go back to their bottomless well of race-baiting
- If Sarah Palin Wins, Fox News Could Lose (“Why both liberals and conservatives should be careful about opening up libel law”)
- McConnell-McCarthy split heading into November
- Don’t worry, Donald Trump is just a quirky guy who loves to destroy documents
- Surprise: Some of the Documents Trump Tried to Hide at Mar-a-Lago Were Actually Pretty Important
- Archives threatened to go to Congress and Justice Department to get Trump to turn over records
- Archives threatened to go to Congress and Justice Department to get Trump to turn over records
- Mark Meadows’s absurd spin for Trump shows right-wing media’s power (“How the conservative media skews voters’ understanding of Trump’s dealings.”)
- ‘We have a project’: QAnon followers eye swing state election official races
- A New Version Of The Mueller Report Reveals That Mueller Declined To Charge Donald Trump Jr. And Roger Stone With Computer Crimes
- Dismantling the Wisconsin Elections Commission was on agenda for Ron Johnson meeting at state Capitol, text messages show
- The NFL has no credibility in investigating Daniel Snyder
- Another Super Bowl week, another elusive Goodell performance on the NFL’s racial shortcomings
- Why Josh Hawley is being slammed as ‘grossly unfit’ for office
- Utah senator blocks internment camp designation, draws ire
- A QAnon Grifter Who Claims She Can Time Travel Is Running for Office in Ohio
- Walker’s past could let Warnock keep Senate seat, rivals say
- Youngkin praises state senator for speech on Black History Month — but mistook her for a colleague (“Youngkin said he apologized for the confusion, saying he was doing too many things at once when he sent the text.” Riiiight.)
- Youngkin apologizes for mixing up two Black state senators
- VA House GOP Stonewalls >1,000 (!) Northam Appointments; Senate Democrats Fight Fire with Fire (“In our conversation with Speaker Gilbert this afternoon, the bravado and arrogance of House Republicans and Governor Youngkin were laid bare.”)
- Virginia Republicans threaten payback for Democrats’ snub of Trump EPA chief
- Fight over Youngkin nominee intensifies as House GOP blocks 11 Northam appointees (“They want to be the brick wall, let ’em be a brick wall”)
- House GOP approves hundreds of Northam nominees for state boards, ending threat in scuffle with Democrats
- Video: Sen. Jennifer Boysko, Del. Suhas Subramanyam Talk About Being “Extremely Alarmed” re: AG Miyares’ “quid pro quo scheme to rig the Loudoun County schools investigation” (They call Miyares’ actions a “gross abuse of power and a breach of trust” and say “we absolutely need to explore our options”)
- ER Nurse Kellen Squire: “When I hear from people like Glenn Youngkin, or Jason Miyares, or Chap Petersen [on their rabid anti-mask agenda]…I can’t help but get angry” (“Do you think Chap Petersen or Jason Miyares will have to wait hours in triage to be seen like you or me?”)
- Virginia revenues up by $2 billion for year, setting stage for more money in next budget
- 10-Day New COVID-19 Cases Down 74% Compared to 1/19; Hospitalizations Continue Declining; Deaths Remain High
- Conservatives’ Cancellation of “Cancel Culture” – and Anything They Perceive as “Wokeness” – Comes to the Commonwealth (In contrast: as many – but clearly not all – of us learned from School House Rock, knowledge is power.)
- Gov. Youngkin draws protest at Charter Day as William & Mary celebrates 329th birthday
- “In Yet Another Significant Blow to MVP, Army Corps of Engineers Signals Stream Crossing Permit Will Be Indefinitely Delayed Following Latest Court Decision”
- House Education Committee fast tracks school mask mandate legislation
- Black History Month poses first challenge to teachers under tip line
- Editorial: Public access for court records
- In Amazon’s shadow, neighbors are dueling over housing density
- Hanover supervisor urges school board to fast-track book removal decisions in move targeting children’s book
- D.C.-area forecast: One more day of warmth before winter returns with some Sunday snow
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