Thursday News: “GOP: Fully complicit with Russian lies”; Mike Johnson’s “Delusions of Religious Grandeur”; Non-Moderate Glenn Youngkin’s Non-Moderate Buddy Nikki Haley “Says Embryos “Are Babies”; “Youngkin, Earle-Sears join annual anti-abortion demonstration”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 22.

• The Paradox Holding Back the Clean Energy Revolution (“Climate activists are dismayed by the Jevons Paradox, since fossil fuel companies invoke it as an excuse to carry on digging and drilling. But we are unlikely to achieve our climate goals until we acknowledge, and work with, this feature of human nature.”)
• Trump idolizes Putin, the man who killed Navalny and invaded Ukraine
• Ukraine remains stronger than you might think (“Kyiv continues to stymie Russia’s greatest ambitions to take over its country.”)
• James Comer and Tucker Carlson aren’t fooled by Russian lies — they’re complicit
• The Great Forgotten Betrayal of the Trump Years (“What was absent in much of this recent coverage was the Putin-approved covert attack on the 2016 election that helped elect Trump. None of the above-mentioned reports—as well as others—alluded to it. This major and successful assault on American democracy appears to have disappeared in the media’s memory hole—the result of Trump and his crew’s successful long-running disinformation campaign.”)
• Another GOP Biden ‘informant.’ Another indictment and link to Russia.
• The Biden ‘bombshells’ all lead back to Trump – and Russia
• Russia’s Staggering Success In Duping Willing Republicans And Right Wing Media
• Two Years of War in Ukraine
• Ukraine, IMF Near $900 Million Payment Amid Stalled US Aid
• Jeffries names potential GOP allies in Ukraine aid fight
• Yulia Navalnaya once avoided the limelight. Now she’s Russia’s newest opposition leader
• Rosenberg: How two years of war have changed Russia
• Putin looms over a third successive US election
• The Memo: GOP on defense over Biden probe after Russian revelations
• Biden calls Putin a ‘crazy S.O.B.’ and criticizes Trump’s Navalny comments during fundraiser (Correct.)
• ‘Not losing’ is not enough: it’s time for Europe to finally get serious about a Ukrainian victory
• Biden paves way for Mark Rutte to lead NATO — and confront Putin
• Adam Kinzinger: second Trump term could be ‘devastating for world order’
• White House struggles to increase pressure on Russia as options dwindle
• Japan Shares Open New Chapter as Nikkei Reclaims Its 1989 Peak
• UK quits treaty that lets fossil fuel firms sue governments over climate policies
• China 2023 coal power approvals rose, putting climate targets at risk
• Leaked Files Show the Secret World of China’s Hackers for Hire
• Biden Mulling Plan That Could Restrict Asylum Claims at the Border
• Methane-Spewing Gas and Oil Drillers Owe the US Billions—in Theory (“The challenge is tracking and fining them.”)
• Did the Year 2020 Change Us Forever?
• Biden Touts $1.2 Billion in Student Loan Relief With Eye to 2024
• Biden will email 153,000 student loan borrowers: I’m canceling your debt
• Republican dysfunction drives a wave of House retirements
• Biden calls congressional Republicans “worse” than Strom Thurmond
• Mike Johnson invoked God in a GOP presentation on keeping the majority. It didn’t land well. (Glenn Youngkin and Jen Kiggans think this guy’s great!)
• Republicans Furious as Speaker Johnson Turns GOP Leadership Meeting Into Religious Revival (Johnson is a fanatic and a nutjob.)
• Mike Johnson and His Delusions of Religious Grandeur are Making People Very Nervous
• Republicans Rush to Scrub Mention of FBI Informant in Impeachment Letter
• 10 Republicans who treated the Biden bribery claim like gospel
• Fox News co-host ‘surprised’ by GOP’s ‘threshold for humiliation’ in Biden probe
• Apocalypse now: Donald Trump dons the “armor of God” — and pushes for theocracy (“Scholar Paul Djupe on the QAnon-Christian fascist coalition that Trump hopes can make him America’s dictator”)
• 2024 Election: Biden Holds On To Slight Lead Over Trump, Quinnipiac University National Poll Find
• Younger people are less likely to express worry about American democracy (That’s a huge mistake.)
• Trump’s Abortion Plan Leak Inflamed His Campaign and Energized Democrats
• ‘Who’s going to do that?’: Trump faces hurdles in securing appeal bond for fraud case
• Donald Trump Confirms Candidates He’s Considering for VP (Responsibilities Include Breaking the Law for Him)
• Ron DeSantis shares his concerns about Trump in a private call with supporters
• Biden Allies in Michigan Are Worried About Protest Votes Over Gaza
• Nikki Haley sides with Alabama Supreme Court on IVF ruling: ‘Embryos, to me, are babies’ (Haley is an extremist. Period.)
• Nikki Haley Says Embryos “Are Babies,” Because, Surprise, She’s Not Actually a Moderate (Neither is her buddy Glenn Youngkin!)
• Alabama Supreme Court chief justice spreads Christian nationalist rhetoric on QAnon conspiracy theorist’s show (“Chief Justice Tom Parker’s recent concurring opinion in a case granting rights to embryos drew criticism for invoking religious language” This person should not be a judge, let alone Chief Justice!)
• New Matt Schlapp Subpoenas Target Document-Shredding at CPAC
• Fearing prosecution, UAB pauses in vitro fertilization after Alabama embryo court ruling
• Federal judge affirms MyPillow’s Mike Lindell must pay $5M in election data dispute
• Okla. nonbinary teen died after school fight amid reported bullying (Appalling.)
• The death of an Oklahoma teen after a fight in school has LGBTQ+ advocates seeking answers
• Gallego leads Lake, Sinema in Arizona Senate race: Poll
• McClellan endorses Virginia state senator to replace Wexton (“With extreme MAGA Republicans pushing for dangerous and divisive policies that put women and families at risk, Virginia needs tenacious leaders that never back down. That’s why I’m endorsing Jennifer Boysko for Congress”)
• Rep. Good was forced to leave a Trump store opening that McGuire was headlining
• Competing budget proposals set up legislative ‘horse trading’
• Youngkin joins Va. antiabortion march despite issue’s political cost (Youngkin is a “true believer,” definitely NOT a moderate.)
• Youngkin, Earle-Sears join annual anti-abortion demonstration in Richmond
• The Commonwealth Institute’s Budget Analysis and Easy-to-Read Comparison of Youngkin’s, House Appropriations’ and Senate Finance’s Proposals
• Marriage Equality Legislation Passes Virginia General Assembly, Heads to Gov. Youngkin’s Desk for [Hopefully] Signature (Democrats all vote for marriage equality; the overwhelming majority of Republicans vote no)
• Bill protecting same-sex marriage in Virginia heads to Youngkin’s desk
• Schapiro: Fictional fight for Glenn-dome rings true (“Louise Lucas is now at center court for the Blue Wave. What she lacks in height, she more than makes up for with cunning. Lucas perfected her game over more than 30 years in the Senate…Governor, you think there’s a documentary in the Youngkin gambit? It would seem a rich topic, calling attention to what the press keeps reporting: That Youngkin hasn’t learned about state government and schmoozing other politicians.””)
• Legislation to control prescription drug costs marches on, as critics warn of unintended consequences
• VIDEO: Young State Legislators, HHS Acting Regional Director, and Virginia Health Benefit Exchange Deputy Director Joined Protect Our Care Virginia to Highlight Record-Breaking Final Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Numbers
• Virginia Latino Caucus Releases Crossover Update
• Editorial: Democrats fail to follow through on campaign finance reform promises
• Democrats propose tweaks to parental notification law, citing censorship concerns
• Va. ABC store hours back to normal after flirtation with early closures
• A critical examination of Virginia’s school funding formula: Insights from Craig County
• Paid college internships: A smart way Virginia can ease its youthful brain drain
• Non-profit founder Harrison Roday announces run for Richmond mayor
• Non-Profit/Business Leader and “Tim Kaine Democrat” Harrison Roday Announces His Candidacy for Mayor of Richmond (Roday: “There are folks who have gambled on the future of the city instead of investing in in smart long-term strategic decisions, and some of those folks are running in this race”)
• Who’s running for Richmond mayor?
• Richmond City Councilmember Andreas Addison Announces Candidacy for Mayor (“My administration will prioritize initiatives that break the cycle of generational poverty, uplift and empower working families, and enable our youth to reach their full potential.” )
• D.C.-area forecast: Cloudy but mild today. Showers into Friday before a Saturday chill.