by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, December 24. Also, here’s what Robert Reich has to say about Trump’s New York co-chair Carl Paladino (who said the following, among other racist/deplorable things, about Michelle Obama: “I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.”): “In 27 days, one of the most decent couples ever to have served as President and First Lady of the United States will be replaced by another who have relied on people like Carl Paladino.” So…Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and all, but the fact is that 2017 (and 2018, if we all make it to 2018) looks like it’s going to be even worse – MUCH worse if that’s possible – than 2016.
- Trump writing his own White House rules (“He is shining a light on how much of the American political system is encoded in custom and how little is based in the law.”)
- Trump ‘friend’ and N.Y. campaign co-chair says he wants Obama dead of ‘mad cow disease’ in 2017 (Yep, that’s insane bigot Carl Paladino for you…utterly deplorable, like Trump himself.)
- N.Y. developer Carl Paladino’s ‘gorilla’ remark spurs outrage (Again, this guy is a Trump “surrogate.”)
- Trump’s distressing chest-thumping on nuclear weaponsTrump’s distressing chest-thumping on nuclear weapons
- Actress Carrie Fisher is in critical condition after a cardiac episode on flight from London to L.A. (Yep, 2016 sucked. Best wishes to Carrie Fisher…)
- Why Obama broke with Israel at UN
- Partisanship is a helluva drug (“Much of what Republicans stood for during Obama’s presidency looks likely to be abandoned under Trump.” Just like the minute Obama supported Republican/conservative ideas like cap-and-trade or the individual health care mandate, Republicans/conservatives flipped from support to opposition. Funny how that works.)
- What truth? George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and the Trumpified political reality of 2016 (“Taken together, the two great dystopian novelists of the mid-20th century might have dreamed up Donald Trump”)
- The chaos theory of Donald Trump: Sowing confusion through tweets
- A Promise That Could Set the World on a Dangerous Path (“If Mr. Trump should follow through on instigating a new nuclear arms race, the consequences could be severe and possibly catastrophic.”)
- Mr. Trump Flirts With an Arms Race
- World War Three, By Mistake (“Harsh political rhetoric, combined with the vulnerability of the nuclear command-and-control system, has made the risk of global catastrophe greater than ever.”)
- Conservatism turned toxic: Donald Trump’s fanbase has no actual ideology, just a nihilistic hatred of liberals (Bingo.)
- Sorry, North Carolina, But You Don’t Really Qualify as a Democracy Anymore
- Trump challenges the world order (“The president-elect has upended long-held conventions on nuclear proliferation and relations with Russia.”)
- Niceties Yield to Turf War Between Trump and Obama (“President-elect Donald J. Trump has staked out starkly different positions from President Obama on Israel and other sensitive issues, as the president has acted aggressively to protect his legacy.”)
- Obama’s Last Clash With Netanyahu
- Intent on Unsettling E.U., Russia Taps Fringe Elements (And Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn et al are cozying up to those “fringe elements.” Truly horrifying.)
- Virginia oyster harvest drops by 19,000 bushels in 2015-16
- After ‘devastating’ 2016 election, McClellan plans next political chapter (“As soon as Jennifer McClellan set foot on the block in Richmond’s Fan District, a man in a Santa hat called out to say he’ll vote for her. A couple took a break from wrapping presents to chat with McClellan, telling her she’ll be just fine.”)
- McAuliffe’s wise move on mental health funding
- State, feds call for improved pipeline environmental impact statement
- State lawmaker proposes ban on handheld cellphones while driving
- Are the police tracking you? Push to restrict license plate readers heads to Va. Supreme Court
- Don’t worry, Norfolk: Your treasurer’s guilty of corruption, but your money’s safe
- A wet Saturday morning gives way to a pleasant holiday weekend.
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