Friday News: “The World Already Has Its Climate Solutions. Now Is the Time to Deploy Them”; House MAGA GOP “Clown Show”; “Biden[correctly] warns voters a second Trump presidency will threaten democracy”; VA GOP “wants to block access to contraception. It’s up to us to stop them”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, September 29.

• If we can’t fix this “frightening” problem, then we have “no hope” of addressing the climate crisis (“Dr. Michael Mann on climate science and skepticism, deep Earth history and his new book ‘Our Fragile Moment’”)
• The World Already Has Its Climate Solutions. Now Is the Time to Deploy Them
• Putin meets former Wagner commander Troshev
• Wagner fighters may be back in Ukraine as Putin meets with top commander from mercenary group
• What China’s economic problems mean for the world
• Exclusive: US-Saudi defence pact tied to Israel deal, Palestinian demands put aside
• Euro zone inflation fell to 4.3% in September, lowest level since October 2021
• Talking Peace in Sudan, the U.A.E. Secretly Fuels the Fight
• The fall of an enclave in Azerbaijan stuns the Armenian diaspora, extinguishing a dream
• The Violent End of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Fight for Independence (“In less than a day, indiscriminate shelling in the region killed hundreds, displaced tens of thousands, and wiped out a thirty-five-year battle for political autonomy.”)
• A populist leader, sympathetic to Putin’s Russia, could be about to win elections in Slovakia
• Pakistan: At least 50 killed, dozens injured in Mastung blast
• A 16-year-old boy was arrested in England over the felling of an iconic tree (Budding sociopath.)
• For US Energy Storage, Record Growth Is Still a Slog
• Most U.S. national parks will close if the government shuts down, federal officials said.
• The Last Government Shutdown Was a Disaster for Fragile National Parks (“By ordering them to stay open, the Trump administration sowed ‘chaos and destruction.’”)
• Congressional Republicans Have No Respect for Our Furry Friends (“Regulations to protect both pets and meat have clearly gotten up the nose of Big Pet Shop.” Republicans are really heinous.)
• The Fear Factor in Republican Politics (“The MAGA movement has made political violence and intimidation a regular feature of our public life.”)
• The far right has been feuding with McCarthy for weeks. Here’s how it’s spiraling into a shutdown.
• Amid GOP confusion, U.S. braces for ‘first-ever shutdown about nothing’ (It’s not “GOP confusion,” it’s “GOP extremism” and “GOP disarray.” As usual, the WaPo sucks.)
• House Republicans are forcing a damaging federal government shutdown (“The Senate advanced a bipartisan plan to avert a shutdown, but the House GOP refuses to support it.”)
• With a Shutdown in View, Kevin McCarthy Plays a Weak Hand
• Eighteen climate activists arrested for shutdown protest in McCarthy’s office
• US shutdown moves ever closer as McCarthy digs in over stopgap deal
• ‘GOP hates Gen Z’: Teens arrested after storming McCarthy’s office to protest shutdown
• Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy Fiddle (Fight About Online Trolls) While Rome Burns (the Federal Government Prepares to Shut Down)
• Senate debates measure to prevent shutdown that McCarthy said he would not consider
• Hard-liners plot to replace McCarthy with one of his deputies as shutdown looms
• New data on ultra-rich tax cheats wrecks the ‘working-class GOP’ ruse (“If Republican policies prevail, wealthy elites will chortle all the way to the bank.”)
• Donald Trump And His Kids Will Be Asked To Testify In Upcoming Fraud Trial
• Hail to the Fraudster in Chief
• A judge ruled that Trump committed fraud for decades. The right’s response shows why he’s running away with the primary.
• Trump suing ex-MI6 officer who alleged he was ‘compromised’ by Russian security service
• Trump’s Sprawling Legal Defense Effort Comes Under Strain
• Trump New York fraud trial cleared to start Monday after appeals panel ruling
• Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Delay Trial in Fraud Case
• Trump is on the witness list for $250 million civil fraud trial starting next week
• BREAKING: Trump will not seek to move Fulton case to federal court (“At the second debate, the Republican candidates undermined their arguments against the president.”)
• Donald Trump, Defender of the Working Class, Tells Striking Autoworkers They’re Not “Picketing for the Right Thing” (“The man of the people delivered his speech from a nonunion factory in Michigan.”)
• Trump Didn’t Go to Michigan to Support Autoworkers (“So why did so many news outlets report he did?” Any “news” outlet that FALSELY claimed this should never be trusted again.)
• Our System Makes It Clear That Some Voices Are More Equal Than Others
• Biden delivers unusually sharp rebuke of Trump on democracy (Uh, hello WaPo? That’s because the threat itself is extreme and VERY unusual.)
• Trump’s Plans for a Second Term Are So Bad That They Almost Make the First One Look Good
• Biden warns voters a second Trump presidency will threaten democracy
• Trump’s retribution plan: Becoming America’s first dictator (“Trump is not exaggerating, posturing or just being hyperbolic. Take his threats seriously”)
• Joe Biden Slams Plans By Trump And “MAGA Extremists” To Gut Democratic Institutions (“The president called out Trump’s plans to gut the civil service and bring the entire executive branch under personal presidential control.”)
• Trump’s Promise of Lawlessness
• A week that laid bare the stakes of the 2024 election
• Second Republican primary debate had the lowest TV viewership since 2015
• The GOP Debate Moderators Tried to Let Candidates Distance Themselves From Wildly Unpopular Policies (“They said no thanks!”)
• Donald Trump’s thrill ride is nearly over — but the media refuses to let go
• Republican Group Running Anti-Trump Ads Finds Little Is Working
• The GOP’s Accidental Case for Joe Biden
• Video: In New Ad, Biden-Harris 2024 Highlights Bipartisanship Accomplishments (“As President, [Biden] has passed historic, bipartisan legislation to help our veterans, curb gun violence, rebuild our nation’s roads and bridges, and more.”)
• The Biden Impeachment Inquiry Starts With a Flop (“These witnesses aren’t giving any answers. They’re just asking more questions.”)
• Fox News claimed a 2020 email showed “Biden’s DOJ cover-up.” There’s just one problem.
• The Biden impeachment hearing was a fishing expedition – no one took the bait
• ‘Botched this bad’: Insiders say GOPers furious at James Comer for his handling of impeachment inquiry
• First Impeachment Hearing Yields No New Information on Biden
• Democratic rising stars rally around Biden’s reelection. They’re also eyeing 2028 bids of their own
• Second GOP debate is widely panned
• Right-wing media fumes over Univision anchor’s debate questions
• Revealed: far-right Oath Keepers kept up dues payments after Capitol attack
• Kari Lake and Pro-DeSantis ‘Reporter’ Get Into Screaming Match at GOP Debate
• DeSantis Says He Would Sign a 15-Week Abortion Ban as President
• Menendez plans Puerto Rico donor retreat amid Democratic fears over his reelection plans
• Fetterman backs a vote to expel Menendez from Senate
• The Chief Embarrassment Officer of X (Formerly Twitter) (“Linda Yaccarino keeps being humiliated on Elon Musk’s behalf.”)
• What X CEO Linda Yaccarino Claimed at the Code Conference (“In a tense interview, the head of Elon Musk’s Twitter insisted everything was going great — and that she really was the CEO.” Disgrace, embarrassment, etc.)
• Musk ousts X team curbing election disinformation (Musk is a menace.)
• As a Presidential Candidate, Cornel West Aligns Himself With Far-Left Radicals (“The Green Party contender is hobnobbing with China apologists and partners of Russia propaganda outlets.”)
• Federal contractors not guaranteed back-pay in the event of a government shutdown
• How a possible government shutdown will affect D.C., Maryland and Virginia
• Sen. Kaine eyes another measure to make shutdowns less frequent
• Video: Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine Raise the Alarm About the Devastating Impacts of a Government Shutdown by “Extreme House Republicans”
• Video: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), Using SCATHING Sarcasm, Mocks House Republicans for Not Looking Into the REAL Criminal, Donald Trump (and Jared Kushner, etc.)
• The WaPo’s Infatuation with Glenn Youngkin Continues. Now, They’re Reporting on a Presidential Campaign “Draft” Movement – and an Upcoming “Red Vest Retreat” (LOL!) for Glenn Youngkin (Pathetic.)
• Alarmed Republicans are preparing to draft Glenn Youngkin
• Commentary: The GOP wants to block access to contraception. It’s up to us to stop them
• Editorial: N.C. is pulling back on access to public records. Don’t let Virginia do the same. (“A recent action by North Carolina lawmakers shows the need for Virginia voters to elect champions for transparency in November.” That means elect Democrats.)
• Pope & Schapiro: The toss-up races that will determine control of the General Assembly
• Virginia Republicans are being dishonest about plans to ban abortion next year
• Youngkin: Virginia districts ‘really don’t have a choice’ in school transgender policy (They really DO have a choice, actually; Youngkin’s wrong yet again!)
• FOIA Friday: Virginia School Boards Association and site plan redactions
• Video: Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC Invests $140K in Support of Key NOVA and Hampton Roads Reproductive Rights Champions (“We can’t afford Juan Pablo Segura and Karen Greenhalgh in Richmond to enact their extreme agenda”)
• Justice prolonged: two years after the expansion of the Court of Appeals of Virginia
• In Last Night’s SD27, Democrat Joel Griffin Showed He’d Make a Great State Senator, While His Far-Right Opponent Just Lied…and Lied…and Lied Some More!
• Ex-detective running for Virginia Senate resigned amid investigation
• Shutdown would hurt communities around Shenandoah National Park
• Former site of Robert E. Lee statue at center of new controversy
• Fifth Virginia casino could be in the cards, but Richmond voters still divided
• Police execute search warrants in 9 Southwest Va. counties in drug, money laundering investigation
• D.C.-area forecast: Clouds slowly wane through a sunnier Sunday