Monday News: “Who Ate Republicans’ Brains?”; “Satan in a Sunday Hat”; Trump a “Man Without a Party “

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, July 31.

• Putin orders 755 personnel cut at U.S. missions in Russia in response to sanctions (Fortunately, we have a sane, experienced, level-headed, competent President in the White House and…oh f***.)
• Several Countries Reject Venezuela’s Election To Rewrite Constitution
• Deadly protests mar Venezuela ballot as voters snub Maduro assembly (“Deadly protests rocked Venezuela on Sunday as voters broadly boycotted an election for a constitutional super-body that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro vowed would begin a “new era of combat” in the crisis-stricken nation.”)
• Krugman: Who Ate Republicans’ Brains? (“Republicans have spent decades losing their ability to think straight, and they’re not going to get it back anytime soon.”)
• Blow: Satan in a Sunday Hat (“It is clear that Scaramucci is trying to create a work environment of terror and timidity in which no one will talk to reporters without fear of extreme retribution. Whatever little trust had survived among the White House staff has been trampled by Scaramucci’s arrival.”)
• Putin’s Bet on a Trump Presidency Backfires Spectacularly (Putin may be a smart tactician, but he’s an idiotic strategist, particularly in the long term, for his country’s interests.)
• At EPA museum, climate-change displays are out and coal may be on the way in (Climate science denial – and crimes against the environment – alone should be cause for impeachment.)
• The man who may disenfranchise millions (Pushing unAmerican, disgraceful voter suppression/disenfranchisement should also be cause for impeachment.)
• Republicans Worry White House Chaos Undermines Agenda (Ya think???)
• Without Priebus, Trump Is a Man Without a Party (“By ousting Reince Priebus, the president is severing one of his few remaining ties to the GOP.”)
• Ivanka and Jared find their limits in Trump’s White House (“The president’s daughter and son-in-law continue to hold sway over personnel decisions, but last week’s decision on transgender military service was a reminder that they have so far had little effect on his policies.”)
• Juan Williams: Three elections offer clues to Trump
• The Final Humiliation of Reince Priebus (“Like his party, the former White House chief of staff swallowed his principles in the name of power. He was repaid in savage indignity.” He had principles?)
• The Future of Universal Health Care Is Medicaid (“The ACA still stands because of how important it’s become. Democrats, take note.”)
• Democrats Can Abandon the Center — Because the Center Doesn’t Exist (” the relationship between electoral competitiveness and ideological ‘extremism’ is far more complicated than conventional wisdom has suggested.” As always, “Democracy for Realists” is a must-read if you want to understand U.S politics.)
• Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Isn’t Over (“In Trump’s America, the Independent senator is fighting to win back the heartland for Democrats.”)
• Pundits overlook John Kelly’s extreme record, instead speculate that he could save Trump (“Media figures and political strategists flocked to the Sunday shows to speculate that Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly will promote ‘discipline’ and reduce ‘chaos’ as White House chief of staff, and that Trump will listen to him because he ‘respects’ military officers. What their analyses left out is Kelly’s extreme policy position on immigration and his defense of Trump’s chaotic Muslim travel ban implementation.”)
• Mulvaney: Trump Wants Senate To Vote On O’Care Repeal Before Anything Else
• ‘They would work their hearts out for him’ if only Northam opposed pipelines, protesters say (“Some Democrats criticize nominee for his seeming acceptance of two pipeline projects. But how far will they go for their cause?”)
• Editorial: We should listen to Sheryl Crow (“Meanwhile, we need fewer politicians like Corey Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors who recently announced he’ll seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate next year. The pugnacious Stewart described his bid this way: ‘I am going to run the most vicious, ruthless campaign to dethrone Tim Kaine.” Really? Is that what we really need? More viciousness and ruthlessness in politics?'”)
• Bruce Thompson column: Governor McAuliffe, stand with Virginia businesses and coastal communities (“North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper recently joined Republican governors from Maryland and South Carolina in coming out against the Trump administration’s plan to open the Mid- and South Atlantic to offshore drilling for the first time. It’s past time for McAuliffe to stand with our state’s coastal communities — and the businesses that keep our economy strong — and reject this risky plan. Our communities, our businesses, and our economy depend on it.”)
• Editorial: Marijuana study should lead to legalization
• Gubernatorial debate to be held at UVa-Wise (“The University of Virginia’s College at Wise will host a televised gubernatorial debate in Southwest Virginia in October”)
• Inmates locked up for life as teens seek relief in Virginia (“Fights are being waged in courts across Virginia about whether inmates serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles deserve a chance for release in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings.”)
• Jesse Jackson encourages voter participation in Virginia
• New jobs announced in Russell County
• Lyme disease continues to rise in New River Valley
• Slowly heating up this week, but still generally nice