Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 19. NOTE: We're still messing around with the migration of www.bluevirginia.us to a new server, so...hopefully things will be back to normal sometime today. For now, I'm posting this here.
- It's 70 degrees warmer than normal in eastern Antarctica. Scientists are flabbergasted.
- In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things ("The truth is new and counterintuitive: we have the technology necessary to rapidly ditch fossil fuels. ")
- Four climate investors explain the new boom — where the money's going and risks ahead
- Shell Is Pushing to Build Offshore Wind Farms Along Brazil’s Coast ("Plan includes six projects, totaling 17 gigawatts of capacity; Shell expanding wind business as it pivots to renewable energy")
- Green Startups, Flush With Cash, Face Pressure to Make Climate Advances
- Ancient Fertilizer Biochar Is Finding a New Life As a Solution to Fight Climate Change
- Climate change is making armed conflict worse. Here’s how.
- Warning signs for US as Covid cases rise in Europe
- Belgium to Extend Life of Nuclear Reactors for Another Decade
- China reports first COVID deaths in more than a year
- Covid-19 cases are exploding in Asia. Here’s what it means for the rest of the world. ("The mutations in the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, first detected in November 2021, make it the most contagious version of the virus known to date and allowed it to evade immunity — both from vaccines and from previous infections — better than other variants. Many of the earlier omicron waves were caused by a subvariant known as BA.1. Another omicron subvariant known as BA.2 is even more transmissible and is now driving a distinct spike in new cases.")
- Is Russia losing? ("Russia’s offensive is stalled. It has taken massive casualties. We are, according to one expert, 'seeing a country militarily implode.'")
- Putin should know: Rain hell on Ukraine and it still may not fall
- The Month Companies United Against Russia’s War
- Oil, weapons and realpolitik: Why some countries want to stay on friendly terms with Russia
- Russian forces dig in near Kyiv as brutal strikes continue
- Ukraine’s Zelenskiy calls for urgent peace talks and warns of catastrophe in Mariupol ("Russia has a chance to limit the damage by engaging in ‘meaningful’ talks, says Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid fierce shelling in the south")
- Street fighting blocks rescue at Mariupol theatre - mayor
- Ukraine’s leader warns war will cost Russia for generations
- Readout of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Call with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China
- Biden warns Xi of global backlash if China helps Russia's attack on Ukraine
- Russia and China said their friendship had ‘no limits.’ It’s up to the United States to impose some.
- Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call
- How Putin Bungled His Invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine Is Wrecking Russian Tanks With a Gift From Britain
- Inside the transfer of foreign military equipment to Ukrainian soldiers
- Ukraine is getting Switchblade. It should be just the first wave of loitering munitions for Kyiv.
- Specialist Ukrainian drone unit picks off invading Russian forces as they sleep
- Putin needs a revised theory of victory that excludes the capture of Kyiv
- Support in both parties grows for providing air power to Ukraine
- Never Go Full Stalin ("Vladimir Putin said some crazy sh*t this week.")
- Putin Likens Opponents To 'Gnats,' Evoking Stalin's Dehumanizing Language ("Russian President Vladimir Putin used language that recalls the rhetoric from Josef Stalin’s show trials of the 1930s.")
- The Putin-Fox feedback loop
- Russian minister Sergey Lavrov praises Fox News' coverage of Putin's invasion of Ukraine
- The Ex-Kremlin Deputy Who Openly Opposed Putin’s War in a Mother Jones Exclusive Has Been Forced to Resign
- Putin Turned to a Chechen Warlord to Intimidate Ukraine. It Hasn't Worked.
- Nearly 10 million have fled their homes since invasion but defiant defense stalls Russian advance
- The Complexities of the Ukraine Dilemma ("The aid offered by the West may help, but it cannot relieve Volodymyr Zelensky of the terrible predicaments he must manage in the weeks ahead.")
- Putin’s Speech At Massive Rally Cut Off On State TV, Technical Glitch Blamed
- Propaganda war rages as Russians face huge pressure to back invasion
- Ukraine Update: Russia Says Used Hypersonic Missile in Strike
- Ukraine: Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti-war video trends on Russian social media
- Russia Steps up Threat to Target Arms Shipments to Ukraine
- What the Russia Invasion Teaches Us About the Right ("Contrarians aren't critical thinkers. They're gullible reactionaries, vulnerable to conspiracy theories.")
- Russia backs down on demands in Iran nuclear deal talks, making revival of 2015 pact imminent
- White House 'appalled' at Axios over Ukraine article (Axios is awful.)
- The GOP is about to come after Biden on Ukraine
- There’s a Messaging Battle Right Now Over America’s Energy Future
- Why Republicans are excited about a culture war they know they’re losing ("The fact that the world has turned against them can be mobilized into short-term victory at the polls." That's what Youngkin did.)
- Researchers warn that Christian nationalists are becoming more radical and are targeting voting
- Ginni Thomas's activism sparks ethics questions for Supreme Court justice ("The Hill" calls it "activism," when it's actually insurrectionism.)
- How low will the GOP go in taking on Ketanji Brown Jackson? Josh Hawley lets us know.
- GOP senators push misleading portrayal of Ketanji Brown Jackson's record on child porn cases
- Baseless OAN attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson echoes QAnon conspiracy theory
- What to Watch Out for During Next Week’s SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings
- Trump Campaign Owes $300,000 in Legal Fees After Another Failed NDA Case
- The Voter-Fraud Tables Turn on Mark Meadows ("North Carolina’s attorney general has requested an investigation into Trump’s former White House chief of staff’s voter registration.")
- The New York Times editorial board should retract and resign
- Why is J.D. Vance getting canceled by his fellow Republicans? ("Republicans are asking if Vance was canceled because of his controversial declaration about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last month, Vance said, 'I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.'"
- Beware Bill Barr ("His new book shows we have as much to fear from him as Donald Trump.")
- Mo Brooks Is Learning That Loyalty to Trump Gets Him Nothing
- People's Convoy Reveals Ridiculous New Goal: ‘Take Back’ Black Lives Matter Plaza
- Mail Ballot Rejections Surge in Texas, With Signs of a Race Gap
- Dr. Oz's Heritage Is Targeted as Rivals Vie for Trump Backing ("The Senate candidate's Turkish background has emerged as a focus of David McCormick's attacks in Pennsylvania's G.O.P. primary.")
- Firing-squad executions get the greenlight in South Carolina
- Florida Republicans are living in a Trumped-up dystopia — and everyone's invited
- Disney, DeSantis and the "Don't Say Gay" bill: A Florida showdown over money, power and equality
- Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young has died at age 88
- Virginia police officer pleads guilty to Jan. 6 charge
- State lawmakers must work out a $3 billion difference between House and Senate budgets
- Virginia's community colleges find a new leader, as Youngkin wants more focus on workforce development
- Editorial: Gas tax debate requires a more complete picture
- The General Assembly session has ended. What changes might be in store for Hampton Roads?
- Richmond School Board approves tentative plan for renovating Fox after fire last month
- Teel: 'A special season' ends for Hokies in first-round NCAA loss to Texas
- D.C.-area forecast: Warm ahead of a cold front today, with a few showers and storms possible
