Sunday News: “Russian advance stalls in Ukraine’s Bakhmut”; “Why daylight saving is so hard on the body — and what to do about it”; “No one hates ordinary people like the Republicans and their media enablers do”; Youngkin “flirts with right-wing bigotry and illiberalism using a veneer of compassion”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, March 12.

• Scientists warn of ‘phosphogeddon’ as critical fertiliser shortages loom
• Biggest carbon credit certifier to replace its rainforest offsets scheme
• Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline? (“New clues are surfacing, but this geopolitical true crime has yet to be solved”)
• Russian wives and mothers call on Putin to stop sending mobilized men ‘to the slaughter’
• Russian advance stalls in Ukraine’s Bakhmut, think tank says
• Ukraine says Bakhmut battle is grinding down Russia’s best units
• Historic ties to Russia but looking to the West, could Georgia be the next Ukraine?
• Meet China’s Top Officials Running the Show in Xi’s Third Term (“Several officials are returning faces for China’s cabinet; Some retentions could signal a desire to keep policy stable”)
• US-sanctioned general to become public face of China’s growing military (“General Li Shangfu, named on Sunday as China’s new defence minister, is a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) modernisation effort – a drive that led the United States to sanction him over the acquisition of weapons from Russia.”)
• BBC in Turmoil as Revolt Over Gary Lineker’s ‘Match of the Day’ Suspension Spreads
• Sunak Visits US to Unveil Australian Nuclear-Sub Plan With Biden
• Labour planning £8bn Biden-style green energy revolution (“Rachel Reeves to visit US to learn from senior Democrats about ambitious regional recovery plan”)
• South Korea proposes 69-hour workweek, up from an already long 52
• Oil giant Saudi Aramco makes a historic $161B profit in 2022 (We all need to get off of oil, ASAP.)
• Saudi Arabia Fund Close to Deal for Boeing Jets (“A large order for planes, valued at $35 billion, is expected to coincide with the launch of a new Saudi national airline.”)
• Israel sees one of its biggest-ever protests (“Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have rallied against government plans to overhaul the judicial system, in what organisers say are the biggest street protests in the country’s history.”)
• Why Peru’s crisis is worth studying closely by democracies everywhere
• At the border, desperate migrants face a technology wall
• The Matamoros kidnapping is a wake-up call
• Mexico’s populist demagogue president is gutting fair elections
• Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Wait For Most Men, Study Finds (“A study finds long-term evidence that actively monitoring localized prostate cancer can be a safe alternative to immediate surgery or radiation.”)
• Why daylight saving is so hard on the body — and what to do about it
• Long Before Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse, Its CEO Helped Kill Tougher Oversight of Banks Like His
• Silicon Valley Bank: An ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ bank run for the digital age
• Thiel’s Founders Fund Withdrew Millions From Silicon Valley Bank (Hmmmm…)
• Silicon Valley Bank paid out bonuses hours before seizure (Is that legal?!?)
• Silicon Valley Bank failure could wipe out ‘a whole generation of startups’
• Bailout talk roils Washington after Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse
• The Expanding Battle Over the Abortion Pill (“Republican state attorneys general are threatening action against pharmacies that dispense it, as a federal lawsuit challenges the F.D.A.’s authority to approve it.”)
• Judge in abortion-pill lawsuit schedules hearing but delays announcing it (“Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk wanted to minimize protests and threats in connection with the closely-watched case, people familiar with the plan said”)
• Biden’s Budget Plan Offers Blueprint for Campaign Fights With GOP
• House GOP’s budget could hurt the party in key Senate races
• Republicans Are Scrambling to Invent Facts for Their Alternate Reality
• The Ugly Elitism of the American Right (“No one hates ordinary people like the Republicans and their media enablers do.”)
• Trump May Face Anonymous Jury in High-Profile Defamation Trial
• Is Fox News finally falling out of love with Trump? It’s complicated (Even if Fox is falling out of love with Trump personally, it’s NOT falling out of love with Trumpism, aka far-right extremist “populism,” fascism, etc.)
• Pence says Trump ‘endangered my family’ on Jan. 6 (Yes, and Trump endangered American democracy.)
• Pence says ‘history will hold Donald Trump accountable’ for Jan. 6th (Whatever; we need to hold Trump and his accomplices accountable NOW, not in history books years from now.)
• Judge rejects media’s request for records in Mar-a-Lago grand jury dispute
• Public Approval Of Biden Rockets To Highest This Year As Democrats Prevail
• Ron DeSantis feels the love in Iowa. That might not be enough.
• Republicans look to end Florida’s abortion-haven legacy
• ‘SNL’ Takes Down Anti-Drag Thirst Trap-Liking Lt. Governor
• Texas Senate’s priority bills on higher ed would end tenure, diversity policies
• Elon Musk Doubles Down On Jan. 6 Denial With Defense Of ‘QAnon Shaman’ (It’s time for Democrats/liberals/progressives to start moving off of Twitter and onto alternatives, particularly Spoutible. It just takes a minute to set up an account there, and it works great – without the evil ownership of Twitter.)
• Lauren Boebert will be a grandmother at 36. This is what conservatives want for us
• Boebert announces she’ll be a 36-year-old grandmother when her 17-year-old son’s partner gives birth (Really bad.)
• Atlanta’s Black community raises voice against ‘Cop City’ police base
• Autopsy reveals anti-‘Cop City’ activist’s hands were raised when they were shot and killed (That’s murder.)
• Kari Lake Is Considering Senate Run, Making Some Republicans Nervous (Glenn Youngkin thinks she’s “AWESOME!” LOL)
• Colorado GOP selects combative, election-denying new leader
• Two dead as nearly 13 inches of rain drench central California
• California levee breaches amid storm; second atmospheric river on the way
• Students Present at Youngkin’s CNN Town Hall Angered by His Weak, Harmful Responses (High school student Callie Walsh: “The Governor did answer my question…under the ruse of ‘family values’ he was able to get around it.”)
• Glenn Youngkin’s CNN town hall on education offers bigotry … with a smile (“Virginia’s Republican governor participated in a televised town hall focused on public education. His chipper persona wasn’t enough to mask his cruel politics…If you’re looking for a man with politics mirroring the late Alabama Gov. George Wallace and the temperament of a kindergarten teacher, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is your man. “)
• CASA in Action Announces Virginia Primary Election Endorsements of “candidates who will champion the priorities of the immigrant and working families”
• The FINAL Friday Night Update from the ER in Arlington, VA: “Over 1.1 million Americans have died of COVID and we’re still seeing about 1800 deaths a week.”
• $30 million wrongful death suit filed against Culpeper sheriff, his office in 2020 fatal shooting
• Editorial: Honor memory of Sierra Jenkins (“March 19 is the anniversary of Sierra Jenkins’ death. The best way to honor her memory is to raise a new generation of talented journalists and to continue fighting against gun violence.”)
• Wastewater leaked into Intercoastal Waterway near Great Bridge Lock after tugboat anchor hit pipe
• D.C.-area forecast: Scattered rain and snow showers later today; chilly through midweek