Wednesday News: Trump “Has Good Reason to Be Rattled”; “Zuckerberg survived but Facebook still has problems”; “Virginia Democrats near victory on Medicaid expansion”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, April 11.

• Federal probe into Trump’s lawyer seeks records about two women who alleged affairs with the president
• Donald Trump Has Good Reason to Be Rattled About the Michael Cohen Raid
• Military plane crashes in Algeria, killing more than 100 people
• Destroying Syria’s air force is one option for Trump (“Trying to wipe out Assad’s air power would come with risks, not least the potential fallout from any Russian deaths”)
• Syria: 500 Douma patients had chemical attack symptoms, says WHO
• Russia warns any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be shot down (“Russia has warned that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel enclave would be shot down and the launch sites targeted, raising the possibility of a U.S.-Russian confrontation.”)
• US, France and Britain agree to respond to Syrian gas attack (“Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Theresa May vow to uphold ban on chemical weapons”)
• Zuckerberg resists effort by U.S. senators to commit him to regulation
• Mark Zuckerberg’s Dorm-Room Defense in Congress (“Despite this evident preparation, Zuckerberg did not have much in the way of answers…Congress may give Zuckerberg yet another pass. Or, if the senators finally move beyond posturing, they may decide it is time to write some new laws that protect users.”)
• Lawmakers seem confused about what Facebook does — and how to fix it (“If lawmakers want to regulate Facebook, they might need to get on the same page about what problem they’re trying to solve.”)
• Trump poised for clash with justice department amid fears he’ll fire Mueller (“After raid on office of Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, White House says president ‘believes he has the power’ to fire special counsel”)
• What a presidential president would have said about Michael Cohen (“He would have emphasized that no one is above the law, including the commander in chief.”)
• We’ve seen this movie before. It ended with impeachment. (“The FBI’s raid of the offices and hotel room of Michael Cohen puts him in the grip of the Justice Department, and perhaps Mueller.”)
• Facebook’s boy billionaire leaves the tough stuff to the grown-ups (“Facing Congress, Mark Zuckerberg plays dumb, deferring to his staffers.”)
• Six Takeaways From Zuckerberg’s Time in the Senate Spotlight
• ‘Facebook Is a Fundamentally Addictive Product’ (“A conversation with former Facebook manager Sandy Parakilas on privacy, addiction, and why Facebook must ‘dramatically’ change its business model.”)
• The Senate Fought Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Zuckerberg Won (“The Facebook CEO charmed, evaded, and sometimes misled his way through the committee-hearing gauntlet.”)
• Zuckerberg survived but Facebook still has problems (“The CEO stuck to his message during nearly five hours of testimony, but senators of both parties kept raising the specter of regulation.”)
• Rare Coalition Bands Together to Fight Trump Tariffs
• Trump thinks any attack on him is an attack on America: Isn’t that the definition of a fascist? (“Trump calls FBI raid on Michael Cohen ‘an attack on our country.’ Because democracy is a buzzkill for tyrants”)
• Conservatives irate over GOP’s spending hypocrisy (“‘I don’t see how voters can distinguish between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to spending,’ says one critic on the right.”)
• Trump at crisis point on Mueller
• Trump Sought to Fire Mueller in December
• Reddit takes down accounts suspected of ties to Russian propaganda
• MSNBC’s surging ratings fuel Democratic optimism (“While Fox and CNN slump, left-leaning hosts on MSNBC help the network reap a 30 percent ratings gain.”)
• ‘Crisis is upon us’: GOP operative Rick Wilson slams Republican leadership for ignoring Trump’s ‘Watergate moment’
• The Law Is Coming, Mr. Trump
• Facebook Fallout Deals Blow to Mercers’ Political Clout
• “He’s Sitting There Bitching and Moaning”: Inside Trumpworld, Allies Fear the Boss Could Go Postal and Fire Mueller
• There’s a sharp divide in how Trump’s staunchest allies are covering the Cohen raid
• Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine Discusses Possible Military Action Against Syria (“I do think you need to take steps to punish the violation of a Geneva Convention like using chemical weapons. It’s barbaric. But if this president can decide unilaterally to bomb Syria, I worry that he can make the same decision about North Korea or Iran or other nations.”)
• Bipartisan group of senators moving to protect Mueller’s job: Report
• Virginia Democrats near victory on Medicaid expansion
• With Medicaid expansion looking more likely, Va. legislature returns to Richmond (“Two Republican senators say they will break with their party to expand the healthcare program for the poor.”)
• Schapiro: For Northam, Medicaid expansion is a long game (“There is a political reason why Chafin should consider supporting expansion: It could keep alive his proposal restoring some tax credits for the coal industry. Northam won’t sign the bill, which is restricted to coal used to make steel, unless the legislature votes it up or down again in 2019, when the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate face election.”)
• Editorial: Pieces are in place for Virginia’s Medicaid expansion
• Ron A. Villanueva: Medicaid expansion will help economy
• As lawmakers return, Northam’s amendments seek to pressure Senate on Medicaid
• Cole Trower Named New GOP Chair of Norfolk
• Richmond Councilwoman: School system should design, build new schools
• Girl made up story of being attacked in Va. because of her headscarf, police say (“The Woodbridge 13-year-old is accused of making a false police report.”)
• Slightly warmer today, with serious spring warmth on our doorstep