Thursday News: GOP “extremism on full display” with SCOTUS pick; Trump Among Top-10 Global Risks

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 17.

• The GOP’s reaction to Obama’s court nominee puts its extremism on full display (“Republicans offer an immediate rejection of Merrick Garland, the most middle-ground candidate available.”)
• Republicans refuse to budge following Garland nomination to Supreme Court (Basically, Republicans are arguing – as they have been since Day #1 – that our nation’s first African-American president is illegitimate. Disgusting.)
• Republicans reject Obama’s call for a fair Supreme Court confirmation process (“The GOP won’t reciprocate the president’s olive branch.” Again, disgusting.)
• Michael Gerson: Republicans stain themselves by sticking with Trump (“Trump would be the oddest answer in our history to a leadership void.”)
• Dear GOP: Stop playing politics and give Merrick Garland a confirmation hearing
• To defend our democracy against Trump, the GOP must aim for a brokered convention (And if that doesn’t work, then a third-party candidate. #NEVERTRUMP)
• Editorial: Senate Republicans, do your job (Wow, even the Republican Times-Disgrace editorial board says this!)
• Analysis: Obama dares GOP to let Clinton, Trump pick justice
• Campaign ’16: Democratic voters embrace stability over leftward turn (That’s where I’m at, 100% — want to lock in the many gains we’ve made under President Obama and build on those…)
• The Economist rates Trump presidency among its top 10 global risks (Yep, he’d be a catastrophe.)
• Stop “helping” Hillary: Sorry, guys, but Clinton doesn’t need to smile, whisper, or have John Kasich as her running mate (“Instructions to Clinton to smile more or pick Kasich as her VP are just sexism disguised as advice.”)
• I’m with Hillary in November: Listen up, fellow Bernie supporters — you must get behind Clinton to stop Donald Trump (“The future of America is at stake — and it’s on all of us if we allow Trump to win the White House”)
• Forecasting the GOP convention clustermuck: If Republicans try to ditch Trump, who do they pick instead?
• GOP’s SCOTUS strategy misfire: Orrin Hatch is blowing apart the Republicans’ obstructionist argument (“Republicans vow to block Merrick Garland until America votes, but might also confirm him after America votes”)
• Supreme Court Showdown Could Shape Fall Elections
• Major Israel Lobbying Group Under Fire From Jews For Hosting Donald Trump (Agreed, this is inexcusable by AIPAC. Yet another reason why I no longer support this group and have switched to J Street.)
• Surging Renewables Keep Global CO2 Flat As Economy Grows (Good news, but we need CO2 emissions not flat but declining rapidly.)
• We caused the Metro shutdown when we decided to let our cities decay
• Virginia politicos react to Obama’s Supreme Court nominee
• Editorial: Virginia colleges deserve funds without the caveat
• North Korea sentences UVa student to 15 years in prison (First off, not a good idea to go to North Korea. Second, not a good idea to tear down a propaganda poster in that Stalinist, paranoid, brutal state. Third, North Korea needs to let him go ASAP.)
• McAuliffe, Dominion announce new solar power project
• Our view: Clinton’s coal gaffe? (“Democrats since the time of Al Gore have been campaigning to reduce carbon emissions, which basically means they are against coal. They just haven’t said it quite so plainly as Clinton did.”)
• Prosecutors: We didn’t entrap Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot into committing perjury
• For many low-wage workers, finding another option is difficult when Metro is shut down
• Metro resumes rail service early Thursday
• Mild temps disappear after today with a rain and snow chance by Sunday