by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, February 9.
- 2023 was the hottest year on record. It also pushed the world over a dangerous line.
- Putin tells Tucker Carlson the US ‘needs to stop supplying weapons’ to Ukraine (“Russian president’s rambling, two-hour talk with commentator is his first interview with western media since the Ukraine invasion”)
- Zelensky Finds a General (“Ukrainian General Valerii Zaluzhny had the second-most-difficult job in the world. His boss has the most difficult one.”)
- Ukraine war: Zaluzhnyi sacking will not instantly solve battlefield woes
- Putin urges US to push Ukraine to talks, hints at possible swap of imprisoned WSJ reporter
- Tucker Carlson: Putin takes charge as TV host gives free rein to Kremlin (Absolutely disgraceful.)
- Putin Nearly Bores Tucker to Death With 2-Hour History Class
- The Senate Voted Not to Stiff Ukraine (and Israel)
- Senate votes to advance Ukraine-Israel package after border deal fails
- Foreign aid package finally breaks through Senate logjam
- Senate advances Ukraine funding without border security reforms
- Will the GOP become the party of retreat and surrender? (Very much so.)
- Speaker Johnson in increasingly tough spot on Ukraine
- Biden says Israel’s military conduct in Gaza has been ‘over the top’
- Blinken ends latest Mideast mission after new Israeli snub of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan
- Israeli bombs target Gaza’s crowded Rafah as the US warns Israel against sending troops there
- 53 Days in the Hamas Tunnels: A Hostage’s Story
- Everything is chaotic about Pakistan’s election — except the outcome
- A Former President Who Lived in Florida Has Just Been Accused of an Attempted Coup (“On the same day the US Supreme Court considers whether Donald Trump should be on the ballot because of his role in connection to January 6, his ‘great friend’ and Brazilian counterpart has been ordered to surrender his passport.” Why hasn’t that happened with Trump?!?)
- U.S. Electric Vehicles Sales Are Poised to Rise a Lot in 2024, Despite What You May Have Heard
- The Supreme Court May Not Treat Donald Trump Like an Insurrectionist After All (“There appears to be little appetite among the nine justices to let one state set the rules for the next presidential election.”)
- The Supreme Court Sure Picked a Curious Moment to Embrace Humility
- The Supreme Court and the Risks of January 6, 2025 (“The Justices seem to want to avoid a major decision about whether Trump can serve as President—but if they do so they may set off a national crisis.”)
- Did Trump engage in insurrection? US supreme court largely ignores question
- John Roberts has a united court on Trump. Now comes the hard part
- The Supreme Court Is Eager to Rid Itself of This Difficult Trump Question
- Democrats rip Clarence Thomas for not recusing himself from Supreme Court Trump argument
- Supreme Court almost certain to allow Trump to remain on Colorado’s primary ballot
- Congress has already disqualified Trump from the ballot
- The Only Way Trump Stays on the Ballot Is if the Supreme Court Rejects the Constitution (Which is what’s going to happen.)
- The Supreme Court sure sounds eager to put Trump back on the ballot (“Trump’s Supreme Court lawyer was a disaster, and it won’t matter one bit.”)
- Why Republican Politicians Do Whatever Trump Says
- Move aside, Johnson and McConnell. Trump is now in charge.
- Can America Survive a Party of Saboteurs?
- Evangelicals’ Trump Worship Looks More Like QAnon Every Day
- ‘It’s devastating’: Trump seizes unmatched control over GOP
- ‘Completely Deranged’: CNN Fact-Checker Shreds Trump’s New ‘Bonkers Nonsense’ (“It is ‘beyond fact-check false,’ said Daniel Dale.”)
- Revealed: rightwinger Leonard Leo linked to efforts to keep Trump on ballot (“Federalist Society co-chair has ties to the groups arguing in the US supreme court case that Trump should stay on the Colorado ballot”)
- Trump’s Fever Dream of Immunity Meets Its Match
- Mike Johnson Traded Senate Endorsement for Israel Vote—Then Went Back on His Word
- MAGA media pushed “great replacement” theory to turn Republicans against their own immigration bill (“The myth that ‘Biden won’t enforce the law’ has its roots in a white nationalist conspiracy theory”)
- Laughing at a diminished Donald Trump won’t diminish the MAGA threat
- Defiant Biden Slams Special Counsel For Suggesting He Forgot When Son Died
- What Biden’s second term would look like, with and without MAGA obstruction
- Biden’s Justice Department Just Handed the Trump Campaign a Gold Mine (“On claims Biden misused classified documents, there will be no legal consequences—but damning political ones look likely.” Crazy.)
- ‘A nightmare’: Special counsel’s assessment of Biden’s mental fitness triggers Democratic panic
- Why was there a special counsel report on Biden’s memory?
- What’s the difference between the Trump and Biden classified documents investigations? (“The Hur report said Trump’s case was different from Biden’s because the former president allegedly ‘obstructed justice’ after being given chances to return classified documents.”)
- Just Say It, Democrats: Biden Has Been a Great President
- Biden responds angrily to special counsel report questioning his memory (Disgraceful hit job by the Republican special counsel – and every legitimate media outlet should make that crystal clear.)
- Thoughts On the Hur Report (“First off, this is another example of the universal rule: Republican special counsels are chosen to investigate Democrats. And Republican special counsels are chosen to investigate Republicans.”)
- Biden won’t call for redactions in special counsel report on classified documents handling
- Biden: “I am an elderly man … I know what the hell I’m doing”
- ‘My memory is fine’ – Biden hits back at special counsel
- Trump has his best day of 2024
- “Awful and unethical”: Legal experts say Judge Cannon could face removal for “disturbing” order
- Famed climate scientist wins million-dollar verdict against right-wing bloggers (Excellent, just wish that some others – like Ken Cuccinelli, for starters – would also face accountability.)
- Jury awards climate scientist Michael Mann $1 million in defamation lawsuit
- Trump wins Nevada Republican caucuses, AP projects
- Nikki Haley hunts for California votes, shrugs off snub in Nevada presidential primary
- RFK Jr. Is Planning to Speak at a Conference Featuring a Guy Who Talks About Jews Controlling the World
- Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell turned the lights back on
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Talks About GOP Senators Going “Down the Rabbit Hole”; a “Rare Burst of Sanity” in the Senate re: Aid to Ukraine; etc. (Warner also discusses additional slots at National Airport; mail issues in Richmond; and…yes, the Puppy Bowl!)
- Chaos Caucus Agent Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Is “Frustrated” with Chaos Of Her Own Making (Back in October, Kiggans said she “voted to restore governance in Washington by supporting Congressman Mike Johnson as the next Speaker of the House.” LOL)
- VPAP Graphics Show US Senate, US House Fundraising Leaders in Key Virginia Races as of 12/31/23
- Youngkin hints at ‘meaningful increase in subsidy’ for Metro system
- Why did Virginia Democrats vote to advance an abortion restriction? (“‘It puts Republicans in a tough spot,’ said University of Mary Washington Professor Stephen Farnsworth.”)
- House Democrats use Del. Griffin bill to force floor vote on abortion (“In what appears to be a deliberate political maneuver, the 12 Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted to send Griffin’s bill to the floor as a way to get Republicans on record.” Very smart.)
- Three interesting bills: claiming roadkill, food-to-beverage ratio and honey bees
- Bipartisan bill on animal testing transparency is downgraded to study after industry pushback
- FOIA Friday: Redacting names from credit card records and Richmond meals tax documents
- Virginia Dems push bills to raise teacher pay
- Pope & Schapiro: Minimum wage, tax cuts & gambling
- Gun-control bills sailing through Virginia General Assembly
- Virginia Democrats are sending gun-control bills to a skeptical Youngkin
- Virginia Democrats aim to tighten voter rolls post-ERIC, voter purge
- Virginia lawmakers consider proposal to legalize physician-assisted death (“In ten states and Washington D.C., some patients with terminal illnesses can request medication from their doctor to end their lives.”)
- United Daughters of the Confederacy’s tax breaks are on the chopping block. It’s about time.
- Virginia House OKs ‘cake pop bill’ easing limits on small sellers of homemade goods
- Military-related legislation moving through Virginia General Assembly introduced by Hampton Roads lawmakers
- Virginia Lawmakers aim to incentivize rural EV charging station production (“Delegate Rip Sullivan is asking for $25 million to help support rural charging stations.”)
- Lawmakers consider state subsidy to keep old tires out of forests, rivers and streams
- Arena opponents drop in on General Assembly
- As VCU celebrates a year of successes, students demonstrate for Palestine
- Roanoke is losing population two ways. What that means for the Evans Spring debate.
- D.C.-area forecast: Warmth into the weekend as shower odds increase
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