Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, February 25.
*Senate moves closer to a deal on DHS funding (As usual, it will be up to extreme House Teapublicans. We really need to take back the House in 2016 if at all possible!)
*Obama Aide Calls Netanyahu’s Planned Visit ‘Destructive’ (All I have to say is, go Isaac Herzog and the Israeli Labor Party!)
*Bruni: The G.O.P.’s Assertive God Squad (Christian conservatives…have a disproportionate sway over the Republican Party. And because of that, they have an outsize influence on the national debate.”)
*A compelling argument on Iran (“They see in Netanyahu’s maximalist goals an air of unreality – of fantasy, even. They grant that their solution isn’t perfect. But they argue that it’s far better for Israel and the West than any other plausible scenario.” Bingo.)
*GOP Attacked Democrats For Not Supporting Homeland Security. Now They’re Threatening To Shut It Down (Internal consistency is the hobgoblin of small…Teapublicans?)
*F.C.C. Net Neutrality Rules Clear Hurdle as Republicans Concede to Obama
*O’Reilly Lied About Suicide Of JFK Assassination Figure, Former Colleagues Say (“Fox Host’s Dallas TV Colleagues Tell Media Matters Of Another Fabrication”)
*Virginia lawmakers offer plan to pay workers during shutdown
*McAuliffe signs bill that would change oversight of Dominion (A deeply flawed bill. Even more troubling, I’ve heard that Gov. McAuliffe was happy to sign the bill even BEFORE extensive changes for the better were made. If so, that’s messed up, let’s just put it that way.)
*Va. House kills lethal injection secrecy bill despite support of McAuliffe (I can’t believe I actually was rooting for the House of Delegates against Gov. McAuliffe on something, but I was – big time – on this!)
*Ralph Northam confirms he’s running to become next Va. governor (Waaaaayyy too early!)
*Schapiro: McAuliffe, GOP refuse to work or play well together (“Conflict is the norm. Cooperation is an aberration. When they’re not working around each other, the governor and General Assembly are working each other over. McAuliffe now has less than three years to leave his mark. Howell, in concert with Senate GOP leader Tommy Norment, has only to wait out McAuliffe.”)
*General Assembly: Mixed bag (“It’s hard to say whether the ethics reforms currently under consideration deserve cheers or jeers. They’re a slight improvement over the status quo, but the status quo is so woeful that doesn’t qualify as much of a compliment.”)
*America ‘starving for leadership’ Perry tells GOP in Richmond (Agreed, which is why Democrats need to take back Congress in 2016, because since 2011, Teapublicans have been an obstacled to said “leadership.”)
*Editorial: Shrouding executions in secrecy isn’t the answer (“Legislating secrecy is hardly the way to address an issue that merits straightforward debate.”)
*Va. budget deal done (Not a good one, but yeah, it’s done. Yay.)
*A number of bills are heading to the governor (“The General Assembly shipped a slew of bills to Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday, just four days before the close of the legislative session.” A bunch of them should be vetoed.)
*Cantor, now of Moelis bank, to seek defense clients in D.C. (Revolving door.)
*Is Brian Schoeneman “Ready for Hillary”? (“Sully District candidate for Supervisor Brian Schoeneman has voted in Democrat[ic] primaries twice in the last decade.” In 2006 and 2008. Maybe time for Brian to join the Democratic Party?)
*Hilliard to run for Howell’s House seat as Democrat (Good!)
*Bob McDonnell, children, asked leniency for Maureen McDonnell (“Many friends and relatives urged leniency from Judge James R. Spencer, pleading that the public humiliation was punishment enough.”)
*Arlington board agrees to two new developments along Columbia Pike (OK, no what about the transportation component?)
*Winter storm watch issued south of Roanoke; heavy snow risk may yet edge northward
*Possible highs in the 40s today then a chance for snow tonight
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