Tuesday News: Trump Budget a Scam; “Will Virginia Democrats Make the Gubernatorial Race a Referendum on Trump?”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, February 28.

• Trump says his budget will make government ‘lean.’ It’s really a scam. (Everything Trump says or does is a lie, a scam, or just plain nasty.)
• Justice Department changes course in high-profile Texas voter-ID case (“The federal government filed a motion seeking to drop its claim that the Texas law, one of the strictest in the country, is intentionally racially discriminatory. Lawyers said in Monday’s filing that rather than litigate the question, the administration wants to give state lawmakers an opportunity to adjust the rule.” Not acceptable, but also not surprising coming from Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III)
• Trump spending plan that makes good on campaign vows puts GOP in a quandary (Every Dem needs to vote against this monstrosity.)
• Does Trump know he’s president?
• Bannon’s reckless pursuit of ethno-nationalist greatness
• Paul Ryan pulls a Boehner: Speaker’s latest Obamacare repeal strategy could backfire badly (“Faced with internal strife, Paul Ryan borrows a tactic from his predecessor to force the issue on Obamacare repeal”)
• These Bernie Alums Think They’ve Found the Secret to Reaching Trump Voters (“How a group of Democratic organizers fell in love with ‘deep canvassing.'”)
• The Madness of Crowds (“Don’t underestimate that anger or the number of Americans who still believe Trump is the most honest president in history.”)
• Trump Did the White House Press Corps a Favor. Now They Can Fix Their Gross, Corrosive Dinner.
• The White House Correspondents’ Association’s Feckless Response To Trump (“But as criticism of the White House poured in, one party proved noticeably timid: the White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents the very White House press corps that remains constantly in the administration’s sights.”)
• Trump’s GOP enablers take a page from the fascist-era Vatican
• The evidence backing Trump’s travel ban simply isn’t there
• Editorial: The Jew-haters are at it again (The age of Trump…)
• Congress grapples with investigating Trump’s Russia ties (What’s there to “grapple” with — just do it already!)
• Watch Bernie Sanders bust out laughing at Trump’s daft claim that ‘nobody knew health care’ is complicated (I mean, literally everyone except imbecile Trump knows that health care is complicated.)
• Trump’s First Month: An Evaluation (In short, a huge #FAIL in almost every way.)
• Republicans beg Trump for direction with Capitol Hill address (Pitiful Republicans.)
• Trump budget faces GOP resistance (“The president’s plan to boost defense spending at the expense of other programs provoked deep skepticism.” Nobody should vote for this crap.)
• The NRA’s new gun-sales pitch: America is a war zone and the “violent left” is coming for you (Tom Perriello is correct that this is a “nutjob extremist organization.”)
• Monday pro-Trump rallies a massive flop as event photos show tiny crowds
• Money for Nothing (“Trump’s staggeringly pointless increase of the defense budget is a sure way to undermine American security.”)
• Trump’s pledge to “start winning wars again” is ignorant and delusional — and highly dangerous (“Trump’s detour into war nostalgia suggests a profound ignorance of history and no understanding of the world”)
• Senator Tim Kaine on Virginia’s Future
• Virginia Senators Look to Make Statement With State of the Union Guests
• Bernie Sanders, Sen. Tim Kaine among Monday speakers at J Street conference
• Will Virginia Democrats Make the Gubernatorial Race a Referendum on Trump?
• ‘Pragmatic Populist’ Runs Against Trump in Key 2017 Race
• Northam: ‘Game on’ in Virginia Governor’s race
• Editorial: State’s 2017 race could mirror 2016 (“All eyes will be on the Virginia election for signs of how Trump may have changed U.S. politics. “)
• Virginia governor lives it up on the national stage and hedges bets on his future (I’d say McAuliffe’s chances of winning the Democratic nomination for President in 2020 are close to zero. But have fun!)
• Legislative session over, Northam back on Va. campaign trail in governor’s race
• Leesburg resident to join Sen. Kaine at President Trump’s joint session speech
• Casey: Left-lane laggards may lose under new Virginia law
• Garrett introduces bill to decriminalize marijuana federally (Wait, Garrett actually did something good???)
• President Trump coming to Newport News Shipbuilding on Thursday (Oh joy. Not.)
• Trump supporters, opponents congregate for Abingdon rally
• Local doctor with offices in Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield charged in connection with oxycodone ‘pill mill’
• Editorial: UVa’s Rotunda rises as America’s greatest building
• Temperatures take off before showers and thunderstorms roll in (“Buckle up: The temperatures will swing from the 70s today to nearly 80 tomorrow before dropping as the week comes to a close — flurries are possible on Friday.”)