by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, March 2.
Elizabeth Warren is the best messenger we have on eliminating the filibuster pic.twitter.com/siN5RG2B7f
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) March 2, 2021
- Global infection numbers edging back up after weeks of decline, WHO says
- Myanmar’s coup leaders turn to massacres. The U.S. response must be forceful.
- “Not even close:” UN slams Australia and other rich countries for weak climate efforts
- New satellite images reveal North Korea took recent steps to conceal nuclear weapons site
- Carbon Emissions Made a Rapid Recovery From Covid (Not unexpected, but very bad nonetheless.)
- ‘They said they’ll shoot’: Nigerian schoolgirls recount kidnap ordeal
- 1 simple way to understand how effective the Covid-19 vaccines are (“All of the Covid-19 vaccines are more effective than your annual flu shot.”)
- Inside the Biden team’s deliberations over punishing the Saudi crown prince
- Biden needs Saudi support, and that could make it tough to pressure Riyadh on human rights: Atlantic Council CEO
- Media advocacy group accuses Saudi crown prince, aides of crimes against humanity in Khashoggi death
- Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Rollout Begins In U.S. As COVID-19 Cases Tick Up
- Here’s what’s at stake in the next 2 or 3 months of the pandemic (“A third vaccine could be administered as soon as today, but Americans could easily lose hard-earned progress in the fight against Covid-19”)
- CDC chief warns of ‘potential fourth surge’ and urges US to keep Covid rules (“Rochelle Walensky: ‘Now is not the time to relax safeguards’; Senate is set to consider $1.9tn coronavirus relief plan this week”)
- Fed policy changes could be coming in response to bond market turmoil, economists say
- Fauci: U.S. must stick with two-shot strategy for Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna vaccines
- Virus Did Not Bring Financial Rout That Many States Feared
- Biden works to unify Senate Democrats on $1.9 trillion relief bill (“Democrats will move the $1.9 trillion relief bill forward without a minimum wage increase, and Vice President Harris won’t challenge the parliamentarian who said the wage increase would not pass muster.”)
- Will the Supreme Court Gut the Voting Rights Act? (“The court is being asked how hard it should be for states to pass what might be voter-suppression laws.”)
- High Noon For The Future Of The Voting Rights Act At The Supreme Court (“The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a major voting rights case that could give state legislatures a green light to change voting laws, making it more difficult for some to vote.” UGH.)
- SCOTUS Will Consider Another Way to Gut the Voting Rights Act
- Biden’s Infrastructure Package May Be Trickier Than His Covid Stimulus Bill (“Strengthening U.S. highways, bridges and broadband networks has broad popular support, but Washington remains bitterly divided on the details. President Biden faces questions about how much to spend, what programs count as “infrastructure” and whether to raise taxes to pay for it.”)
- A $15 minimum wage won’t happen. Democrats should get to work on a more modest raise.
- Better Cables Could Halve U.S. Grid Emissions by 2030, Gates-Led Group Says
- Senators to grill FBI Director Chris Wray over security failures during January 6 insurrection (Ask about Trump’s role!)
- Most charged in Capitol riot had no connection to extremist groups or one another, report finds (“Justice Department officials said they have filed charges against more than 300 people.” Still seems way too low.)
- Prosecutors Investigating Trump Focus on His Finance Chief
- Fulton DA’s investigation into Trump heads to grand jury
- Trump and his wife received coronavirus vaccine before leaving the White House.
- Trumpism Grips a Post-Policy G.O.P. as Traditional Conservatism Fades
- The worst-kept secret: Conservatism has no value(s) (“Instead of ideas, populist emotions prevail.”)
- The Republican civil war was over 5 years ago. Trump and the winners have a new target: Us
- Trump’s reemergence poses risks for GOP, media
- CPAC veers into neo-Nazi fantasy: Was it deliberate? That hardly matters
- CPAC was about more than Trump’s cult — it’s now cemented the GOP’s authoritarianism (“Even scarier than Trump’s personality cult, CPAC shows that Republicans’ fascism deeper than Trump”)
- GOP leaders silent after congressman speaks at white nationalist event
- Senate confirms Cardona as Education secretary (Why has the entire Cabinet not been confirmed yet? I mean, this takes an absolutely ridiculous amount of time.)
- Hawley defends opposition to every Biden Cabinet nominee: ‘I take them one at a time’ (Hawley is a seditionist. Enough said about this asshole.)
- Republicans have no coherent message to oppose covid relief (“Senate and House Republicans aren’t reflecting their constituents.”)
- The Republican revolt against democracy, explained in 13 charts (“The Trump years revealed a dark truth: The Republican Party is no longer committed to democracy. These charts tell the story.”)
- The GOP is now just the party of white grievance
- The Republican Party is making Jim Crow segregationists proud
- How to fix democracy: Move beyond the two-party system, experts say
- Massive investment in social studies and civics education proposed to address eroding trust in democratic institutions
- Trump Vows To Terrorize America For At Least Another Four Years (“Unfortunately for humanity, he’s not going anywhere.”)
- How A Nazi Symbol At CPAC Turned Into A Massive Hyatt Public Relations Disaster
- Trump Was Bored Until He Got to the Revenge List
- House ethics office says there’s ‘substantial reason to believe’ Rep. Steven Palazzo misused campaign, congressional funds
- Why Republicans Don’t Fear An Electoral Backlash For Opposing Really Popular Parts Of Biden’s Agenda (“The first reason that congressional Republicans can afford to oppose popular ideas is one that you have probably read a lot about over the last several years: The GOP has several big structural advantages in America’s electoral system.” Crazy system.)
- EXCLUSIVE: While the Capitol Was Stormed, A Group of Men Gathered Near the Marine Corps War Memorial
- Is there anyone more pathetic than Nikki Haley? (She really is…)
- Giuliani again suspended from YouTube over false election claims (How is Guiliani still allowed on any legitimate social media platform?)
- Voting restrictions bill passes Georgia House over strong opposition (Totally unacceptable and unnecessary. Congress needs to act.)
- Cuomo faces new calls to resign as harassment investigation looms
- Cuomo backers pause and reevaluate fundraising as he faces sexual harassment probe
- Andrew Cuomo Was a ‘Resistance’ Icon. Now There’s ‘Blood in the Water’
- Would a well-run private company tolerate behavior like Andrew Cuomo’s?
- Gov. Cuomo’s Administration Hires Criminal Defense Lawyer
- Cuomo Must Admit to His ‘Predatory Behavior,’ Accuser Says
- Cuomo Accused of Unwanted Advance at a Wedding: ‘Can I Kiss You?’
- Marjorie Taylor Greene Demonizes Big Tech. She and Her Husband Just Sold Up to $210,000 in Tech Stocks.
- Ted Cruz’s Approval Rating Sees Double-Digit Decline Following Cancun Fiasco: Poll
- Facebook enabled The Epoch Times to push the Big Lie on its platform ahead of the Capitol insurrection (Facebook is a disgrace.)
- VHHA Releases 100th Episode of Patients Come First Podcast Featuring U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (Re: 1/6/21, Kaine says, “it was a day that I never would have imagined, that I’m never going to forget, and that I never want to repeat…I was just furious”)
- Rep. Donald McEachin Leads More Than 30 Colleagues in Letter to FWS to Save the American Red Wolf
- Virginia has reported nearly 1,600 COVID deaths in past 10 days. Most are from December and January.
- Monday (3/1) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,124 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 577,174), +43 Hospitalizations (to 24,158), +231 Deaths (to 8,783) (Lowest 10-day new COVID cases since 11/18; lowest hospitalizations since 11/15)
- Nearly all who want to be vaccinated in Virginia’s long-term care facilities have gotten doses
- DPVA Launches Virginia Turnout Project Ahead of 2021 Elections
- 2021 Virginia General Assembly “Batting Averages”…Presented with a Bunch of Caveats (The highest legislative batting averages skew heavily “blue,” with the lowest – including Amanda Chase, Kirk Cox, Glenn Davis, etc. at zero – skewing heavily “red”)
- “CNalysis 2.0” Is Now Available, Including Initial 2021 Virginia House of Delegates Forecast – “Pure Toss-Up”
- Northam supports ‘outside investigation’ into watchdog report on Parole Board
- OSIG turns over parole board records to Northam, who wants outside investigation
- Death penalty, marijuana, statues and taxes: 26 reasons why the General Assembly session mattered
- Five VA Colleges Could Make Reparations For Use of Enslaved Labor
- ‘We voted no’: How an electric school bus bill became one of the biggest battles of the session
- In the first 11 days of legal sports betting, Virginians wagered $58.89 million
- Virginia’s vaccine stats don’t include the military. What does that mean in Hampton Roads?
- How a wave of segregationist tributes, from streets to schools, entrenched the idea of white supremacy (“Scattered across Hampton Roads, memorials to segregationists take the form of monuments, plaques, statues, street signs, schools and building names. In the wake of renewed calls for social justice, many are being removed.”)
- Did Virginia Legalize Marijuana? What Does The Bill Actually Do?
- Richmond Public Schools to allow 800 students to return to in-person learning starting in April
- VCU freshman found dead after fraternity event, his family says, and they are seeking answers
- Loudoun County Public Schools addresses Dr. Seuss controversy; school system hasn’t banned Seuss books
- D.C. area forecast: Sunny, windy and colder Tuesday as dry stretch begins
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
