by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, April 16.
- Global heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record (“The percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress is increasing by about 1% a week, scientists say”)
- Climate crisis increasing frequency of deadly ocean upwells, study finds (“Intense patches of cold water rising from the depths are killing sharks, rays and other creatures, researchers say”)
- After Navalny’s Death, Russia’s Opposition Is Divided in Exile
- Johnson makes his long-awaited move on Ukraine as House plans to vote on separate aid packages (“Johnson predicted the House will vote Friday evening on the separate bills.”)
- Russia Is Trying to Force Ukrainians to Abandon Their Second-Biggest City (Give Ukraine EVERYTHING IT NEEDS – NOW!)
- Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds
- Freedom Caucus: Iran attack on Israel sets up ‘bogus’ reason to pass Ukraine aid (Why keep using these far-right, pro-Putin extremists’ ridiculous name for themselves? Why not just call them far-right, pro-Putin extremists in the headline?)
- The House has a foreign aid plan – but can it get through the Senate?
- Ukraine’s Big Vulnerabilities: Ammunition, Soldiers and Air Defense
- Trump’s ‘plan’ for Ukraine is even more preposterous than Nixon’s for Vietnam
- Biden hosts Czech leader at White House to promote Ukraine aid amid holdup in Congress
- Israel beat Iran — for now (“Iran’s Saturday attack on Israel was a military failure. But things could still get a lot worse.”)
- U.S. officials expect Israeli response to Iran strikes will be limited
- How the U.S. Forged a Fragile Middle Eastern Alliance to Repel Iran’s Israel Attack
- Israel’s military chief says that Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile attack
- A quandary in Israel: How to retaliate — but not escalate?
- Israel demands sanctions on Iranian missile project
- Hamas slashes number of hostages it is willing to release in ceasefire deal, Israeli source says (Hamas is: a) evil; b) not serious about trying to get a ceasefire.)
- ‘Sympathy shifted to Israel’: many fear Iran attack has distracted aid effort
- Israel Vows Response to Iran as US and Allies Urge Restraint
- How will Israel respond to Iran’s attack and could it cope with a war? (“A red line has been crossed from an Israeli security standpoint but none of the options for retaliation are without risk”)
- For Israel’s Allies, Iranian Missile Strike Scrambles Debate Over Gaza
- Israel’s War Leaders Don’t Trust One Another
- Israel-Iran Confrontation Forces Gulf Powers to Choose Sides
- China Grows 5.3% in First Quarter But Doubts Remain Over Sustainability
- Copenhagen fire: Spire collapses as historic stock exchange engulfed by flames
- Number of murders plunges in major cities (“The nation is on track to see one of the lowest levels of violent crimes and homicides since President Obama was in office.” Note: violent crimes and homicides plummet when Democrats are in the White House.)
- Senate Democrats split as Biden eyes strict border move
- The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states (This court is completely f’ed.)
- US Supreme Court lets Idaho enforce ban on transgender care for minors
- Justice Clarence Thomas misses Supreme Court arguments
- Supreme Court to Hear Obstruction Case That Could Bar Some Charges Against Trump
- Former GOP insider: Trump has “reprogrammed a generation” to fight against democracy
- Dozens of jurors ruled out as historic Trump trial begins
- I Was a Skeptic of the Stormy Daniels Prosecution. I Was Wrong.
- A Weary Trump Appears to Doze Off in Courtroom Ahead of Criminal Trial
- It Took One Day for Trump to Get in Trouble at His First Criminal Trial
- Trump Apparently Took a Little Snooze at His Own Trial
- Donald Trump was already a mess — now he’s falling asleep during his own trial
- As hush money trial begins, Trump’s sex life emerges as key theme (Yuck.)
- Trump has an unusual request in hush money trial (“On the first day in court, the ex-president asked to participate in sidebars, which could put him very close to jurors” No.)
- Trump Is Already Losing in Court—and the Judge Isn’t Playing
- The Truth About Donald Trump That Only the Courts See (“He may never face justice for his most serious offenses. But the everyday prosecutors who’ve won clear verdicts against him have exposed Trump as the unfit citizen he truly is.”)
- The reality of being a criminal defendant on trial finally dawned on Trump. He didn’t take it well.
- Trump’s Truth Social Stock Is Plummeting — Again
- The Smothering of Abortion Rights Reveals Something Else About Republicans
- Biden Takes 2024 Pitch to Pennsylvania With Trump Stuck in Court
- “Donald Trump Did This”: Inside Biden’s Post-Roe Pitch to Voters (“The president’s campaign is hoping that real stories depicting the painful realities of an America with grossly restrictive abortion laws will be enough to take down the presumptive GOP nominee.”)
- Bidens Report Earning $620,000 and Paying $181,000 in Taxes in 2023
- Tesla lays off more than 10% of staff globally as sales fall
- Powerful conservative funds hand out millions to pro-Trump far-right groups (“Groups led by Stephen Miller and Charlie Kirk among recipients of large sums from Bradley Foundation and Bradley Impact Fund”)
- Maine joins effort to elect president by popular vote with new law (“Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have already joined the compact, and with the addition of Maine, the law has 209 electoral votes so far, the governor added.”)
- Former Trump staffer who said to ‘fan the flame’ after 2020 loss hired to lead Wisconsin GOP
- Santos’ threatened comeback bid hasn’t raised a single dime
- Trump’s Willing Accomplice (“Chris Sununu just showed how deep into the Republican Party the rot has gone.” Sununu is a disgrace, just like Youngkin.)
- NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism (That guy is completely unfit to work at a news organization.)
- Democrats seek to seize control of deadlocked Michigan House in special elections
- They quit liberal public schools. Now they teach kids to be anti-‘woke.’ (Completely f’ed-up people.)
- As Kaine Campaign Announces “Record-Breaking $2.5M” Raised in 1Q24, USA Today Publishes Devastating Exposé of Extremist Hung Cao, One of the Leading Contenders for the 2024 VA GOP US Senate Nomination (Turns out Cao isn’t just extreme, he’s a big-time grifter)
- TAX DAY REMINDER: Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Is Determined To Hurt the Middle Class While Bailing Out Big Corporations and Billionaires (“The GOP Tax Scam of 2017 was a corporate tax giveaway that disproportionately benefited the ultra rich”)
- Clean Virginia Endorses Abigail Spanberger for Governor (“Rep. Spanberger’s record demonstrates her dedication to ethics reform and clean energy “)
- Warming water temperatures in Virginia are changing aquatic life as we know it
- Commentary: State lawmakers continue to ignore the little fish (That’s a huge mistake.)
- Gov. Glenn Youngkin talks state budget plans
- This veto session has the potential to be unlike any other in recent memory (“I think many of the Governor’s unprecedented 233 budget amendments will likely be taken up in a block instead of debated individually if they make it to the Senate. The House gets the first shot at the bill…Under the Constitution of Virginia, the Governor is authorized to propose line edits to bills, not rewrite entire budget items or pieces of legislation, which he did on many ‘amendments.’ If the Governor wanted to write bills, he should have run to serve in the General Assembly” – VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell)
- Youngkin adds ratepayer protection to nuclear SMR bills (SMRs are a boondoggle – wayyyy more expensive than energy efficiency, solar, wind, etc.)
- Virginia NAACP Files Lawsuit Against Governor Youngkin’s Office for Violation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act
- Virginia NAACP plans to take Youngkin to court over DEI office records
- Continued lack of affordable housing hinders pride, security among Virginians
- Editorial: Courage needed in gun debate, 17 years after Virginia Tech shooting (This type of headline and framing is REALLY misleading and unhelpful. In fact, it’s 100% Republicans who have blocked action against gun violence, and that’s because they falsely think “guns save lives” and are 100% beholden to the gun lobby.)
- Convenience stores shut down Virginia Lottery sales in protest for skill games
- Teel: Virginia’s new NIL law will benefit athletes, schools, donors
- 3 things to look for in this week’s General Assembly session
- Cost to build Virginia Beach flood protections has nearly doubled to more than $1 billion
- Richmond ballpark funding: Where does the $170 million come from?
- Roanoke project focuses on ‘heat islands’
- D.C.-area forecast: Beautiful Tuesday before murkier midweek into weekend
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
