by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, April 20.
- The “Epic Row” Over a New Epoch (“Scientists, journalists, and artists often say that we live in the Anthropocene, a new age in which humans shape the Earth. Why do some leading geologists reject the term?”)
- Next pandemic likely to be caused by flu virus, scientists warn (“Influenza is still the biggest threat to global health as WHO raises fears about the spread of avian strain”)
- Revealed: How Development Banks Underwrote Fast Food’s Global Takeover (Crazy.)
- Mike Johnson’s Epiphany Would’ve Been a Lot Cooler Months Ago
- House Set to Vote on Foreign Aid Bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
- House on the brink of approving Ukraine and Israel aid after months of struggle
- Moscow says 50 Ukrainian drones shot down as attacks spark fires at Russian power stations
- Pentagon prepares to send artillery, air defenses to Ukraine as House approaches vote
- Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv claims bomber shot down at 308km range after crash in Russia
- House Democrats help Johnson avoid defeat on foreign aid bills, despite GOP defections
- Ukraine Aid Bill Clears Critical Hurdle in the House as Democrats Supply the Votes
- US House pushes ahead with $95bn foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
- Whiplash as Russia Toasts Derided Marjorie Taylor Greene as Their Top New Hero
- Could the Foreign-Aid Bill Be Mike Johnson’s Last Act as Speaker? (“An ugly debate in the run-up to Saturday’s floor vote is all but guaranteed.”)
- Biden shows that a true friend of Israel doesn’t just cheerlead
- Biden’s ‘bear hug’ with Israel pays off with a minimal strike on Iran
- Treasury Designates Entities Involved in Raising Funds for Violent Extremists in the West Bank
- A team of bitter rivals is making Israel’s most crucial war decisions (It’s so weird that this is the headline in today’s WaPo. I mean, interesting, but…more important than Trump’s trial and many other things?)
- The unspoken story of why Israel didn’t clobber Iran (Very interesting by David Ignatius.)
- US and EU sanctions against Israeli extremists mark pivotal step against far right
- Hamas Explores Moving Political Headquarters Out of Qatar (“Such a step could upend fragile talks to free Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza.”)
- Israel and Iran’s apparent strikes and counterstrikes give new insights into both militaries
- An audible sigh of relief in the Middle East
- Week of Iran-Israel Strikes Marks a Mideast ‘Game Changer’
- Iran and Israel’s Tit-for-Tat May Be Over. The Threat Isn’t.
- The War Games of Israel and Iran (“While Netanyahu and the Islamic Republic exchange ballistic ‘messages,’ the question of Palestine demands the moral and strategic courage of actual statesmen.”)
- Iran’s Nuclear Calculus Has Now Become More Dangerous
- Israel’s Strike on Iran: A Limited Attack but a Potentially Big Signal
- A Ragtag Resistance Sees the Tide Turning in a Forgotten War (“Rebel fighters have handed Myanmar’s army defeat after defeat, for the first time raising the possibility that the military junta could be at risk of collapse.”)
- Everything seems to be going wrong for Rishi Sunak
- Jared Kushner’s Ambition Threatens One of Europe’s Last Pristine Ecosystems (“Albania’s unspoiled—and vital—Vjosë River delta is under siege by resort developers.”)
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Critical Action to Protect Alaska Native Subsistence, Lands and Wildlife
- Statement from President Joe Biden on Protecting Alaska’s Arctic Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
- Biden administration expands protections for LGBTQ+ students
- Senate passes reauthorization of key US surveillance program after midnight deadline
- Where abortion is on the ballot in November
- Myths and facts: Debunking right-wing lies and misinformation about Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial (“As Trump’s first criminal trial begins, right-wing media repeat his lies and push new falsehoods”)
- Takeaways from the final day of jury selection in Trump hush money trial (“His lawyers tried again to delay the trial, but opening statements begin Monday in the first criminal trial of a former US president”)
- Trump Hush-Money Jury Now Set for Opening Arguments in NY Monday
- Inside Alvin Bragg’s All-Star Prosecution Team (“Donald Trump may be in for a grilling by legal eagles like Matthew Colangelo and Susan Hoffinger. Then again, the former president is not likely to sit back and take it.”)
- How Do You Find a Jury of Donald Trump’s Peers?
- Trump’s jury doesn’t have to like him to be fair to him (“Trump insists that his jurors can’t be impartial. Don’t believe him.”)
- ‘Sleepy Don’ Dozes Off in Court AGAIN
- New York AG says $175 million Trump fraud bond isn’t properly backed, should be voided
- Verdict’s In: Sleepy Don Has a Nightmare Week (“[The Trump campaign’s] strategy of not campaigning, wasting money, acting like small time thugs, and pushing their extreme agenda is driving away voters.”)
- Trump’s Trial and Campaign Collide as Historic Prosecution Begins (I haven’t read the article, but it’s by the abysmal Molly Ball – who, among other things, fawned over Glenn Youngkin – so let the reader beware…)
- Man Sets Himself on Fire Near Courthouse Where Trump Is on Trial
- Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
- Who’s Afraid of Judging Donald Trump? Lots of People (“At the ex-President’s criminal trial, where Trump has been reprimanded for intimidating a potential juror, and a man self-immolated outside, it has been challenging to find twelve people willing to sit in the jury box.”)
- ‘It can happen again’: Judge set to preside over Trump trial delivers her toughest Jan. 6 sentence to date
- Citadel Securities blasts Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes over DJT short-selling letter
- Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attempts to out-Jesus Mike Johnson aren’t going to work
- Third Republican joins motion to remove Mike Johnson
- No, Trump’s Plan to Deploy 100,000 Poll Workers Isn’t About “Election Integrity” (“His campaign is laying the foundation for another blitz of challenges that could put democracy through an even bigger stress test than 2020.”)
- R.F.K. Jr.’s Environmental Colleagues Urge Him to Drop Presidential Bid
- Democrats pulling out all the stops against RFK Jr. (“From rallying Kennedy’s family around President Biden, to dumping opposition research and holding press briefings about how he helps former President Trump, Democrats watching Kennedy qualify for more state ballots are pulling out all the stops to prevent him from hurting Biden in the fall. “)
- UAW clinches watershed union victory at Volkswagen Tennessee factory
- This G.O.P. Senate Candidate Says He Grew Up on a Family Farm. Not Exactly. (“David McCormick has often spoken about his modest upbringing on a farm in Pennsylvania. A close look at his past tells a different story.”)
- Elon Musk Turned Democrats Off Tesla When He Needed Them Most (No Democrat, or small-d democrat, should EVER buy from fascist Elon Musk.)
- Twitter alternative Post News is shutting down (Very unfortunately, so far there’s no serious alternative to Twitter in terms of functionality AND community AND critical mass of users AND…)
- Right-wing media hurl attacks at the WNBA amid the league’s popularity surge
- Floyd woman announces run for Congress
- Booktalk: US Senator & Outdoor Enthusiast Tim Kaine’s “Walk, Ride, Paddle: A Life Outside”
- Youngkin, Democrats head into Va. budget reset with unfinished business (“Democrats stripped amendments from a host of bills and sent them back to the Republican governor, who so far has signaled willingness to negotiate on only one.”)
- The key to a Virginia budget deal is state tax collection trend
- Video: VA Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, Del. Cia Price Discuss Their Work to Safeguard the Right to Contraception – and the Serious Threats to That Right by Republicans Like Glenn Youngkin (Youngkin “now has 30 days to decide if he’s going to continue to cosplay as a moderate while acquiescing to the most extreme flank of his party”)
- Schapiro: A first and last chance for both sides (There’s absolutely no equivalence between Republicans and Democrats on this, but…sure, “both sides”)
- Youth violence prevention program funding hangs in the balance as legislature reworks state budget
- FOIA Friday: ‘Urgent’ meeting before UVA withheld shooting report, police shooting video released
- Company backed by $100 million in federal funding looks to open battery plant in Lynchburg (Note: EVERY SINGLE US HOUSE REPUBLICAN from Virginia voted AGAINST the bill that provided this funding – yet the article doesn’t mention that fact! WTF???)
- Two Portsmouth leaders fired before new permanent city manager is set to take the reins
- D.C.-area forecast: Gusty but sun-drenched today, cloudier and cooler Sunday
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