Saturday News: Obama Campaigns for Dems in FL, GA; “Michael Cohen: Trump Is Exactly As Racist in Private As You Would Guess”; “Tim Kaine accuses GOP of ‘straight, flat out anti-Semitism’ over George Soros”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, November 3. Virginia polls open in under 72 hours. You can also vote early/absentee today if you have a valid reason to do so.

• It’s not rocket science: Climate change was behind this summer’s extreme weather (Michael E. Mann: “We have developed sophisticated tools to diagnose the impact global warming is having on extreme weather events.”)
• Stop biodiversity loss or we could face our own extinction, warns UN (“The world has two years to secure a deal for nature to halt a ‘silent killer’ as dangerous as climate change, says biodiversity chief”)
• Michael Cohen Says Trump Repeatedly Used Racist Language Before His Presidency (Trump” “That’s because black people are too stupid to vote for me.”)
• Trump’s Dangerous Midterm Musings: Renouncing Birthright Citizenship and Maybe Firing on Migrants
• Michael Cohen: Trump Is Exactly As Racist in Private As You Would Guess (“When Nelson Mandela died, Trump challenged Cohen to ‘name one country run by a black person that’s not a shithole,’ then dared him to ‘name one city.'”)
• In the Aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder, Saudi Arabia Enters a Dangerous Period
• Once Reluctant to Speak Out, an Energized Obama Now Calls Out His Successor (Good to see. Obama is awesome!)
• Obama the Closer (“The former president told Democrats rallying in Miami to beware of Republican lies.”)
• Obama campaigns for Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson in Florida
• Obama accuses Trump of ‘political stunt’ on border politics
• Protestor interrupts Obama, who asks: Why are folks who won the last election ‘so mad all the time?’
• White House prepares to spin defeat as victory (“The White House is planning to tout Trump as the savior of Republicans in the Senate, even if the Democrats retake the House.”)
• Nigerian Army Uses Trump’s Words to Justify Fatal Shooting of Rock-Throwing Protesters (Yep, Trump’s words matter – disastrously.)
• Supreme Court denies Trump administration’s request to stop census citizenship question lawsuit (“This is one of (the) most important cases for democracy in years.”)
• The Perversion of Fiscal Policy (Slightly Wonkish) (“Austerity in a slump, stimulus in a boom.”)
• Hate Speech on Live ‘Super Chats’ Tests YouTube (Those live chats are horrendous; I can’t believe YouTube allows them at all.)
• EXCLUSIVE: New North Dakota voter ID restriction threatens Native Americans’ ability to vote (“Voters’ addresses were changed without their permission in a government database by emergency services — which may invalidate hundreds of ID cards.”)
• STUDY: Trump’s phony caravan “crisis” consumed Wash. Post, NY Times (“Leading papers produced 115 news stories referencing the caravan, put 25 on A1” These papers never learn.)
• Heckles and dog whistles: Florida’s battle for governor exposes bitter racial divide (This racist crap has got to end.)
• The 10 most important Senate elections, briefly explained
• Trump Risks Backlash in Zeal for Deal to End China Trade War
• Trump Says U.S. Open to New Iran Deal as Sanctions Set to Return (“The administration’s strategy is to punish Iran so severely that it’s compelled to negotiate a permanent end to its nuclear ambitions as well as what the U.S. calls its ‘malign behavior’ in the Middle East.”)
• Donald Trump’s Racist Midterm Pitch Is His ‘Swing Around The Circle’ (“The president is closing the 2018 midterm with a campaign of paranoid racist incitement echoing President Andrew Johnson’s 1866 message.”)
• We have no excuses now. Our eyes are wide open. (“Tuesday’s vote will mark the purest midterm referendum on a sitting president in modern times.”)
• The military deployment to the border is a shameless, and dangerous, stunt (“Congress must press the defense secretary for an explanation.”)
• Trump says nothing in the face of Saudi Arabia’s outrageous lies (“The president is doing very little to get to the bottom of what happened to Jamal Khashoggi.”)
• Midterm big spenders: the top 20 political donors this election
• The President* Is Enabling the World’s Authoritarians With His Every Word (“Rocks are rifles. Protesters in Nigeria are dead.”)
• The President* Is Rooting for a Bloodbath (“Trump brags he’s authorized the troops deployed to the border to shoot anyone holding rocks.”)
• Judge Orders Georgia’s Brian Kemp To Give Thousands More People A Shot At Voting
• FACT CHECK: Migrants Are Not Overwhelming The Southwest Border (“The total number of migrants apprehended at the Southwest border was actually down slightly last year, to about 521,000, and remains far below the kind of apprehension numbers that were routine in the 1990s and 2000s.”)
• Trump at Indiana rally calls out Democratic Senator for campaigning with “Barack H. Obama” (Dog whistle!)
• Gunman Kills 2, Wounds 5 Others At Florida Yoga Studio (Guns again. The NRA and Republicans continue to block any action to protect ourselves against this scourge.)
• Trump: If Democrats take the House, ‘I’ll just figure it out’ (“Heading into the final weekend before Election Day, President Donald Trump stuck to a dark, familiar script at a pair of Friday rallies, equating a vote for Democrats with chaos and crime.”)
• Supreme Court refuses to block young people’s climate lawsuit against U.S. government
• Obama boosts Abrams, bashes Kemp on voting rights in Georgia speech (“The former president touted Stacey Abrams ahead of Georgia’s vote for governor.”)
• Obama says at Georgia rally “I’m here for one simple reason: To ask you to vote”
• E.J. Dionne Jr.: Two different tracks taken to reach voters (Kaine >>> neo-Confederate Corey)
• As Va. Democrats hold unity rallies, for Republicans, it’s every candidate for themselves days before election (Virginia Dems: unified behind Tim Kaine. Virginia Republicans: definitely not unified behind neo-Confederate Corey.)
• Tim Kaine accuses GOP of ‘straight, flat out anti-Semitism’ over George Soros (“‘George Soros is being uniquely demonized over and over again by the other side,’ Kaine said. ‘Why not some of the other people who are giving money. Why is it George Soros? It’s because he’s jewish and he’s an immigrant.'”)
• Sea Level Rise Threatens Virginia: Governor Northam Takes Action…But More Needed
• Video: How Extreme is Neo-Confederate Corey? He Thinks Trump Not Being Tough ENOUGH on Illegal Immigration!
• Kaine and Democrats to rally in Manassas on Sunday; Stewart sets event Monday in Broad Run
• Video: Barbara Comstock’s Closing Argument Is…Nancy Pelosi! Nancy Pelosi! Maxine Waters! Nancy Pelosi! And Lies!
• Roanoke Times reader burned up by pronunciation of “Cockburn” (These right wingers have the intellect/mentality of Beavis and Butthead. “Heh heh, I said cock. Heh heh.”)
• HRC Endorses Leslie Cockburn for Congress (VA-5)
• Ex-GOP Sen. Warner endorses Virginia Democrat over Dave Brat
• Redistricting session cost Virginia taxpayers $40,000. And other bills are still rising. ($40,000 is absolutely nothing; who cares? And why is this the top headline in the Daily Press rag?)
• At least 4 Republicans set to run for Cline’s state delegate seat — if he’s elected to Congress
• NYPD: Saudi sisters from Fairfax would rather kill themselves than return to Saudi Arabia
• Matt de Ferranti quiere llegar a la Junta de Arlington con el voto latino (“El candidato ofrece sostener la excelencia del sistema educativo y aumentar la vivienda asequible”)
• Clearing and breezy today, sunny Sunday, then more rain chances early next week