Thursday News: Trump is “Madman of the Year” (and “Con Man”); Trump’s Climate Denier EPA Pick Could Spell Disaster

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 8. Also check out Stephen Colbert on how nothing makes Donald Trump happier than being angry.

• Blow: Madman of the Year (“Donald, thy name is division. You and your campaign of toxicity and intolerance have not only divided this country but also ripped it to tatters…Time’s man of the year is, by words and deeds, more of a madman of the year.”)
• Trump Selects Ally of Fossil Fuel Industry to Lead the E.P.A. (Disgusting beyond belief.)
• An Enemy of the E.P.A. (“In picking Scott Pruitt to lead the environmental watchdog, Donald Trump is delivering the agency to the energy industry.”)
• Trump Picks Scott Pruitt, Climate Change Denialist, to Lead E.P.A. (Exactly – “denialist” not the weasel word “skeptic.”)
• Trump’s pick to lead EPA is part of group suing the agency (This guy is 100% unacceptable.)
• Rapid Arctic ice melt sets the stage for economic disaster under Trump (“The great ice sheets are unstable, ice melt is speeding up, and deniers will soon be in charge. What could go wrong?”)
• Trump’s selection of third general for Cabinet fuels concern about military clout (“The president-elect is said to be drawn to generals by their swagger and dazzled by their war stories. Yet his choices are striking given his non-interventionist posture in the presidential campaign and criticism of the Iraq war.”)
• Union leader criticized in Trump tweet gets threatening calls (So basically, we have a President-elect who keeps doing s*** like this, even though he KNOWS it will incite his craziest followers to death threats and possibly even violence, like at Comet Ping Pong the other day.)
• America will soon be ruled by a minority (Yep, Clinton’s lead in the popular vote now 2.7 million…)
• Kellyanne Conway is playing the ‘woman card’ all wrong (“She seems to lack self-awareness about the choice she made to help elect Donald Trump.”)
• Trump Is Said to Intend to Keep Stake in His Business (Basically, everything about Trump and his administration is unacceptable.)
• Trump’s Carrier deal is the opposite of conservatism
• Our campaign lost the election. But Trump’s team must own up to how he won. (“Trump must show he understands the concerns and fears of all Americans.” No chance of that happening.)
• It’s up to Congress to protect ‘dreamers’ from deportation (“What possible advantage would be gained by targeting and tracking down this group of immigrants?” Huge DISADVANTAGE, actually, in addition to being just plain wrong.)
• Ellison Says He’ll Resign From Congress If Elected DNC Chair (Smart move; this should be a full-time job.)
• The Comet Ping Pong Gunman Answers Our Reporter’s Questions (“He said he did not believe in conspiracy theories, but then added that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks needed to be re-examined. He has listened to Alex Jones…” Uhhhhh.)
• Study: Clinton-Trump coverage was a feast of false equivalency (“When journalists can’t, or won’t, distinguish between allegations directed at the Trump Foundation and those directed at the Clinton Foundation, there’s something seriously amiss.”)
• US Power Will Decline Under Trump, Says Futurist Who Predicted Soviet Collapse (Highly likely.)
• Does Donald Trump Believe Nuclear War Is Inevitable? (“The man about to take control of US nukes has a very fatalistic view.”)
• License to kill: Can any amount of evidence convict a white cop who shoots a black man? (“Clear video evidence in the Walter Scott shooting wasn’t enough; for black Americans this travesty is nothing new” That cop needs to be in jail for a looooong time.)
• Donald Trump’s economic plan is about picking winners and losers — and corporations are a bit worried (And apparently, Republicans now believe that “picking winners and losers” – something they say they HATED under President Obama – is a great thing now. Funny how that works, eh?)
• Obama officials alarmed at slow pace of agency-level transition (“Despite rush of cabinet appointments, Trump’s team lags in crucial, lower-profile work that will help launch his agenda.”)
• Reid predicts end of filibuster (“In a POLITICO interview, the departing Democratic leader blamed his party’s 2016 debacle on Jim Comey and said no big changes are needed.”)
• The Walter Scott Case Was a Test (“Can cops kill with impunity? Now we know the answer.” Yep, this one wasn’t even the slightest bit ambiguous.)
• The GOP Is Coming After Medicare, and the Democrats Can Barely Contain Themselves (“The strategy: Hang Republican ideology around Donald Trump’s neck.”)
• Federal judge kills recount effort in Michigan
• Cantor-slayer Dave Brat takes shot at Tim Kaine (Yeah, whatever dude.)
• Mark Warner on Tim Kaine’s return full-time to the Senate
• Virginia voters say infrastructure a positive investment
• Schapiro: Virginia’s latest budget headache rooted in long-ignored problem (“The income tax, which tops out at 5.75 percent, means Virginia harvests little from high earners. Plus, few services are subject to taxation and fewer tax credits — those bursts of crony capitalism tailored to specific industries — are repealed.”)
• Report: State salaries to lag private sector by 27 percent
• Appeals court skeptical of challenge to Virginia law on partisanship in local elections
• Why some Powhatan Republicans want to force Virginia to allow political labels in local elections
• Tiny office, minority party and little power? It’s all terrific to Va. representative-elect (Donald McEachin rocks, definitely going to be a star in Congress after shining in the Virginia General Assembly!)
• Editorial: Why Virginia has a slow-growth economy (“The reason isn’t hard to figure out: Both places are heavily dependent on federal spending — federal spending that has slowed. Throw in a recession, and a slow national recovery and here’s what you get: The state’s two biggest economic engines have stalled, and dragged Virginia’s economy down with it.”)
• Federal judge grants stay in Rolling Stone, Eramo decision
• Editorial: Mapping out Virginia’s votes (“Our American democracy is built on the principle that each citizen’s vote counts for just as much as anyone else’s — no more, no less. When there is even the appearance that districts have been drawn up in such a way as to neutralize the impact of a significant number of voters, it undermines our entire system of government.”)
• Suspended novels return to school shelves in Virginia county (No excuse for this book-banning crap.)
• Virginian-Pilot editorial: Just end to McCrory’s tenure (Good riddance.)
• Developer that wants to build Virginia Beach arena challenging City Council vote that halted the project
• Nationals part with three prospects to acquire center fielder Adam Eaton
• Forecast: Arctic chill arriving tonight and keeping it cold through the weekend