Saturday News: “How Biden Rattled Putin”; “Confronting Violence Against Asians, Biden Says That ‘We Cannot Be Complicit’”; “Republicans are in disarray without Donald Trump – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still a threat”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 20.

• How Biden Rattled Putin (“All it seems to take is to say something that’s true.”)
• Charts show that Europe’s third coronavirus wave has begun
• Final TV polls show Netanyahu gaining support and near to majority; rivals slip (Ugh.)
• Americans Still Favor Israel While Warming to Palestinians
• Warming Trends: Climate Refugees, Ocean Benefits and Tropical Species Moving North
• International pressure on Myanmar generals grows as protesters march, one killed
• India coronavirus cases surge to four-month high, some lockdowns return
• ‘Practically this
  has been a genocide’ (“Doctors say rape is being used as a weapon of war in Ethiopia’s conflict”)
• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Successfully Served with Lawsuit Filed by Jamal Khashoggi’s Fiancée
• Where Europe Went Wrong in Its Vaccine Rollout, and Why (“While Washington went into business with the drug companies, Europe was more fiscally conservative and trusted the free market.” That’s a role reversal!)
• Saudi Arabia Says Missiles in Aramco Attacks Were Made in Iran
• That Was Fast: Blowups With China and Russia in Biden’s First 60 Days (“It may look like the bad old days of the Cold War, but today’s bitter superpower competition is about technology, cyberconflict and influence operations.”)
• Rhetorical clashes with Russia, China clarify new stance for U.S. (“The Biden administration has shown a surprisingly strong appetite for high-profile fights with America’s top adversaries. The dramatic standoffs help clarify Washington’s new outlook in a post-Trump era, but also create unpredictable and sometimes chaotic outcomes on the diplomatic stage.”)
• U.S.-China talks signal rocky start to relations under Biden (“The talks appeared to yield no diplomatic breakthroughs – as expected – but the bitter rivalry on display suggested the two countries had little common ground to reset relations that have sunk to the lowest level in decades.”)
• Scientist behind coronavirus shot says next target is cancer (“The scientist who won the race to deliver the first widely used coronavirus vaccine says people can rest assured the shots are safe, and the technology behind it will soon be used to fight another global scourge — cancer.”)
• Virus variants mean our covid winter isn’t over. Don’t ease restrictions now.
• It’s Time to Talk About the Bogeyman in the Market: Inflation
• How Covid-19 Supercharged the Advertising ‘Triopoly’ of Google, Facebook and Amazon
• Biden administration considers flying migrants to states near the Canadian border for processing
• ‘Blindsided’: Biden faces tough test in reversing Trump’s cruel border legacy
• White House shifts ad campaign strategy to reflect growing concern over conservatives’ vaccination reluctance
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy found out he had Covid-19 and never knew it
• This Is How Twisted Kevin McCarthy Has Become By His Loyalty to a Vulgar Talking Yam (“The Republican Party has nothing left to offer the country in terms of actual leadership. It’s white noise”)
• Republicans are in disarray without Donald Trump – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still a threat (“The GOP is too distracted by relitigating Donald Trump’s 2020 loss to fight against President Joe Biden’s agenda”)
• A Federal Judge Went Full Hannity. Never Go Full Hannity. (That guy should NOT be a federal judge.)
• Mitch McConnell is running scared
• Neil Gorsuch Supports an Originalist Theory That Would Destroy Modern Governance
• FERC boosts small solar, reversing PURPA ruling that had upended 40 years of precedent
• Inside why all lawmakers still aren’t vaccinated after months of access to shots on the Hill
• Biden ‘just fine’ after tripping 3 times jogging up steps to Air Force One
• Biden has a golden opportunity to change how we approach marijuana
• Stop giving racists the benefit of the doubt (“The media needs to stop giving Republicans plausible deniability.” Unfortunately, large swaths of the media are just horrible.)
• ‘An all-hands moment’: GOP rallies behind voting limits (Confirmed: the Republican Party is against democracy.)
• In Restricting Early Voting, the Right Sees a New ‘Center of Gravity’
• An open letter: Save voting rights, pass bills — and keep your filibuster (“The job rests with Republicans who think they can make deals.”)
• Feinstein opens door to supporting filibuster reform (“I don’t want to turn away from Senate traditions, but I also don’t believe one party should be able to prevent votes on important bills by abusing the filibuster”)
• What connects America’s mass shootings? Easy access to guns.
• The Atlanta Shooting and the Dehumanizing of Asian Women (“To live through this period as an Asian-American is to feel trapped in an American tragedy while being denied the legitimacy of being an American.”)
• For Asian American Women, Misogyny And Racism Are Inseparable, Sociologist Says
• Authorities name all eight victims in Atlanta spa shootings
• ‘Our silence is complicity’: Biden and Harris condemn anti-Asian violence during Atlanta visit (“President and vice-president address nation reckoning with ‘heinous act’ that killed eight, including six women of Asian descent”)
• Confronting Violence Against Asians, Biden Says That ‘We Cannot Be Complicit’ (“Vice President Kamala Harris joined the president in forcefully condemning the killings in Atlanta. ‘Racism is real in America, and it has always been,’ she said.”)
• A reckoning on anti-Asian rhetoric? Not for these Republicans
• How Anti-Asian Activity Online Set the Stage for Real-World Violence
• The Deep American Roots of the Atlanta Shootings
• Surveillance video shows Atlanta suspect entered first spa more than an hour before shooting
• J.D. Vance’s Senate hopes reveal the problem with performative populism
• Bannon battling prosecutors who won’t dismiss his case after Trump’s pardon
• Trump’s Mar-a-Lago partially closed due to COVID outbreak
• Promoting QAnon-linked Conspiracy, Boebert Says Resignations Will Soon Allow GOP to Control Congress (Boebert is completely unhinged and unfit to be in Congress, obviously.)
• Twitter removes poll posted by U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel
• Yang lays blame on teachers union for sluggish pace of school reopenings
• F.B.I. Investigating Whether Cuomo Aides Gave False Data on Nursing Homes
• Cuomo Accused of Inappropriate Behavior by Fifth Female Aide
• Cuomo Faces New Claims of Sexual Harassment From Current Aide
• Former lobbyist accuses Rep. Tom Reed, a potential Cuomo challenger, of sexual misconduct
• Wife of FBI task force member arrested in connection with Capitol riot
• 4 Proud Boys Charged With Conspiracy Over Jan. 6 Capitol Riot (Has anyone figured out what these folks are “proud” of?)
• Tucker Carlson shifts blame from white supremacists to Black people for rise in violence against Asian Americans (Yep, Carlson is a virulent racist…)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis relies on Fox News — and mainstream media’s mistakes — to promote his willful inaction on the pandemic (“It’s not just Fox. Mainstream outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and Politico are pushing DeSantis’ spin, too, and burying the negative details”)
• The Arrest of an Ex–Florida State Senator Hints at a Broader Dark-Money Scheme
• Resolution to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene signed by dozens of House Democrats, including two Virginians
• Video: Sen. Kaine, Rep. Beyer, Virginia Beach Small Business Owner, and DPVA Chair Discuss American Rescue Plan, Crucial Relief for Virginia, and Unconscionable GOP Opposition
• VA GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Pete Snyder “Honored” To Be Endorsed by “Real Loony Toon,” Seditionist, COVID Denier, Homophobe, etc. Bob Good
• Their Uyghur relatives are imprisoned in China. From Virginia, they plead for help.
• Friday (3/19) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,632 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 602,182), +100 Hospitalizations (to 25,711), -90 Deaths (to 10,092)
• Va. education superintendent’s African American Advisory council releases recommendations for Black student equity
• Vanguard provides more context in a letter to RPV
• Governor Northam Signs Key Bills into Law, Including on Modernizing Public Health Funding, Clean Vehicle Standards, Removal of Byrd Statue, Expanded Voting Rights, etc.
• Northam extends due date for Virginia income taxes to May 17
• Northam signs bill to allow early voting on Sundays
• Northam signs bill to remove segregationist Harry Byrd Sr.’s statue from Capitol Square
• Northam amends gambling bill to reiterate ban on skill machines
• How Do You Solve Virginia’s Broadband Problem? State, Federal Officials Look For Answers
• Christopulos: MVP gas: the most expensive option
• Jay Jones’ Attorney General Campaign Staff Votes to form a Union
• ‘Every day I grieve’: A deadly COVID outbreak at Canterbury Rehabilitation changed long-term care
• Del. Sam Rasoul Introduces Plan To Cut Broadband Internet Prices And Expand Access
• Dumfries Councilwoman Cydny A. Neville Announces Candidacy for House of Delegates 52nd District
• Fairfax declines to add four Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays to calendar (“The Fairfax County School Board declined Thursday night to add four Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays to the 2021-2022 calendar, voting instead to adopt 15 ‘Observance’ days, on which students and staffers will not be penalized for taking time off.”)
• Fairfax County and Arlington schools call for diversity training after football dispute
• Marshall HS Coach, Parents Mobilize Against Allegations Of Racism (“George C. Marshall High School’s head coach said he and his staff did not hear any racial slurs or see any spitting by his players.”)
• Chesapeake considers moving city election to odd years (“Backers of the move say it will keep focus on local issues. Critics say it’s an attempt to suppress voter turnout.”)
• Pearl Smith, a dynamo in Hampton Roads business and politics, dies at 89
• D.C.-area forecast: Spring arrives on a splendid note this weekend, with pleasant conditions into next week