Friday News: “Biden acts to secure American Jewish communities as Trump praises terrorists as ‘smart’”; “House GOP’s ‘broken’ conference sees no way out of speaker crisis”; “Group spreading election misinformation tells Miyares it has ceased ‘currently’”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, October 13.

• Opinion | I’m a Climate Scientist, and September’s Warmth Freaked Me Out a Little (“There is increasing evidence that global warming has accelerated over the past 15 years rather than continued at a gradual, steady pace.”)
• IMF should give poor countries $300bn a year to fight climate crisis, says Joseph Stiglitz
• With the World in Crisis, House Republicans Bicker Among Themselves
• ‘We’re Playing With Fire’ (“The unresolved speaker fight could determine whether the government stays open—and the future of U.S. support for Israel and Ukraine.”)
• Israel orders unprecedented evacuation of 1 million in Gaza as possible ground offensive looms (How on earth can 1 million people be evacuated? To where?)
• UN Calls Israel Army’s Evacuation Order in Gaza ‘Impossible’ (“Demand would create a ‘humanitarian disaster,’ UN warns; Request is latest sign a ground invasion may be imminent”)
• Israel-Hamas War — U.N. Warns of ‘Disaster’ in Gaza as Israel Strikes Back at Hamas
• Israel-Hamas war: Strikes devastate Gaza as Israel prepares for possible ground assault
• Blinken describes images of Hamas attack victims, pledges US support on trip to Israel
• Poll: Majority blames gov’t for Hamas massacre, says Netanyahu must resign
• Why is Trump Trashing Netanyahu?
• Biden aides slam Trump for calling Hezbollah ‘very smart’
• Israel says it will end Hamas rule in Gaza as casualties soars
• The White House, Liz Cheney, Ron DeSantis, and More Slam Trump for Calling Hezbollah “Very Smart”
• Biden rises to the occasion on Israel and Hamas. Trump sinks to a new low.
• Trump’s turn against Israel offers stark reminder of what his diplomacy looks like
• Israel targets Hamas’s labyrinth of tunnels under Gaza
• Biden’s Backing of Israel Is Personal But Also Helps His Party (“Strong embrace of Israel is one of his longest-held views; Biden’s position may boost Democrats with pro-Israel voters”)
• ‘I don’t really have any other choice’: Young Israelis around the world return home after Hamas attacks
• Iran Says New Front Against Israel Possible as Top Diplomat Visits Hezbollah
• Hamas Attack on Israel Brings New Scrutiny of Group’s Ties to Iran
• Hamas Attack on Israel Defies Efforts to Neutralize Iran
• Gaza Ground Invasion Might Be Both Necessary and Disastrous for Israel
• From MAGA to Gaza: Trump’s disorder engine has global consequences (“Donald Trump claims the Gaza war is all about him — and at this point, that staggering narcissism is no surprise”)
• Trump says Netanyahu ‘let us down’ before the 2020 airstrike that killed a top Iranian general
• Israel Must Not React Stupidly (“If this is Israel’s 9/11, it can learn from America’s mistakes.”)
• Israel doesn’t need an inquiry to decide: Netanyahu must go
• What are the rules of war – and how do they apply to the Israel-Gaza conflict?
• Hamas practiced in plain sight, posting video of mock attack weeks before border breach
• US reportedly persuaded Qatar to halt $6bn to Iran in breach of deal
• EU probes X over spread of Israel-Gaza disinformation, ‘terrorist’ content (It’s time for heavy fines and/or to shut it down.)
• Elon Musk’s X hits a tipping point, with widespread condemnation of misinformation about Hamas’ attack on Israel flooding the platform
• France bans pro-Palestinian protests, citing risk of ‘disturbances to public order’
• China on Brink of Deflation Again Reveals Still-Weak Rebound
• The Man Who Would Be Britain’s Next Prime Minister (“At the annual conference of the Labour Party this week, Keir Starmer laid out his plans to rebuild the United Kingdom after thirteen years of Conservative misrule.”)
• Biden administration announces $7 billion for 7 regional hydrogen energy ‘hubs’
• Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Biden’s Crucial Climate Metric
• Law enforcement steps up patrols of Jewish houses of worship, businesses as calls for attacks in the U.S. intensify online
• Biden acts to secure American Jewish communities as Trump praises terrorists as ‘smart’
• This Is How the Republican Party Got Southernized
• Fear and loathing grips the House GOP
• Republicans rudderless as Speaker mess consumes House
• CNN Poll: Americans’ views of the Republican Party and its congressional leaders have worsened amid House leadership crisis (Literally NOBODY should approve of House Republicans.)
• Three ways Republican House Speaker chaos ends on Capitol Hill (“1. Another Republican gets 217 votes…2. A temporary speaker…3. Democrats to the rescue”)
• House GOP’s “broken” conference sees no way out of speaker crisis
• Bipartisan talk grows as GOP fails to find a speaker
• Steve Scalise drops out of speaker’s race as House GOP faces leadership crisis
• Chaos persists as ‘fractured’ House GOP frets about when — or if — it will elect a speaker
• The Debasement of House Republicans by House Republicans Is Increasing, if That Is Even Possible
• With the World in Crisis, House Republicans Bicker Among Themselves
• House speakership stalled as Scalise withdraws from race
• House GOP in total chaos: So much for fascist order and discipline! (“Aren’t far-right movements supposed to make the trains run on time? GOP can’t elect a speaker from its own tribe”)
• Top House Republican Wants Help From Democrats to Pick a Speaker (Cut a deal in which the Biden/McCarthy deal is upheld for the next year, the debt ceiling is automatically raised, it takes a LOT more than one member to call for vacating the Speakership, etc.)
• Capitol Hill’s Chaos Party Keeps On Chaos-ing (That’s the Republican Party, of course – absolute disaster, do NOT put them in charge of ANYTHING!)
• De Niro warns democracy ‘won’t survive’ Trump reelection (Correct; that would be the end.)
• Former President Trump on Israel, Speaker’s race, Nikki Haley & RFK, Jr. (Trump’s completely unhinged.)
• Jack Smith tells Trump to put up or shut up
• Donald Trump returning to civil trial next week with fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen set to testify
• The More You Think About This Trump Speech, the Worse It Gets
• X is placing ads for MLB, the NFL, and the Pittsburgh Steelers on antisemitic and Holocaust denial accounts (Musk is heinous.)
• Trump Doral event with Eric Trump will feature a Hitler-promoting antisemite who killed someone
• Nancy Mace Thinks She Could Be Trump’s Next VP (She’s a nut.)
• Hannity Accidentally Burns Trump During Wild Ramaswamy Interview (“I think people that never held public office, like you, maybe they’re not qualified to be president” That describes Trump perfectly.)
• Fetterman calls on Senate to expel Menendez after foreign agent charges (Absolutely – Menendez is a disgrace and should resign immediately.)
• A new indictment charges Sen. Menendez with being an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government
• Bob Menendez Charged With Acting as an Unregistered Agent of Egypt as Dozens of His Own Colleagues Call On Him to Resign
• California Rep. Katie Porter Hauls in $3.4M in Third Fundraising Quarter
• The Louisiana Secretary of State Has Been Driven From Office By Crazy People
• One officer who arrested Elijah McClain convicted of criminally negligent homicide; second officer acquitted
• DeSantis joins Ramaswamy, Christie in filing early to be on Virginia’s GOP primary ballot (Yuck.)
• Sen. Mark Warner Urges Action Against Google and Meta Over Failure to Remove Content Depicting the Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward (“I am deeply troubled…the burden of finding and removing harmful content should not fall to victims’ families who are grieving their loved ones”)
• Sen. Warner urges removal of tragic Moneta shooting still found online
• Virginia Democrats Push for DOJ Investigation After Voters Were Wrongfully Removed
• Group spreading election misinformation tells Miyares it has ceased ‘currently’
• Youngkin’s PAC spends $1.4 million on ad claiming 15-week abortion ban is not a ban
• NEW REPORT: Watchdog Says Virginia Elections Largely Well Run, Highlights Potential Vulnerabilities (One risk: Youngkin has put “Election Deniers and Subverters In Key Election Positions”)
• VML members vote in favor of reviewing Virginia law limiting minor traffic stops
• FOIA Friday: Dept of Health withholds audit records and no Spotsy School Board minutes
• What drives Joshua Cole in his campaign for the Virginia House
• Two Virginia Democrats embrace a former Republican governor’s signature policy: eliminate the car tax (“Democrats Lily Franklin and Trish White-Boyd have both called for eliminating the tax. Their Republican opponents, Chris Obenshain and David Suetterlein, say this is just a political ploy.”)
• What a healthy smile costs Richmond’s Latino residents
• Fairfax school board approves renaming W.T. Woodson High School (“The Fairfax County School Board will change the name of W.T. Woodson High School, named after a former superintendent who opposed school integration.”)
• Fairfax special grand jury indicts officer who killed man near Tysons mall
• Editorial: Beach shooting commission comes up short, despite members’ efforts
• Jury finds Chesapeake City Council member not guilty of financially exploiting older relative
• Randall accused of antisemitism amid Hamas attacks against Israel
• D.C.-area forecast: One more mild, sunny day before still-needed rain Saturday