Friday News: “None of us knows what is going to happen”; “The Trump Doomsday Checklist”; Thank You Obamas

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 20. It will be fascinating to see how historians 50, 100 years from now look back on this day – for instance, as the day when the United States of America essentially began its death spiral thanks to the corruption, incompetence and authoritarianism of Trump et al? It’s also an amazing lurch downwards from one of the most competent, best administrations in U.S. history. So, so stupid…

• ‘None of us knows what is going to happen’ (“Trump’s presidency takes America into uncharted waters.”)
• Handicapping Trump’s first 100 days (“Trump’s campaign promises have run into trouble with his own party — even his own Cabinet members — before he even takes the oath of office.”)
• Trump to be sworn in, marking a transformative shift in the country’s leadership (Yes, “transformative” from excellent to horrible.)
• Trump could smash the old world order — and replace it with what? (“His inauguration marks a global inflection point, perhaps for the worse.” Try “likely” not “perhaps.”)
• The Trump era is a leap in the dark (“Get ready, America. We have work to do.”)
• Administration, Still in Flux, Rushes to Fill Key Positions (Incompetent, chaotic transition by the Trumpsters.)
• Mexican Drug Lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Extradited to U.S.
• The Trump Doomsday Checklist (“What we fear Trump will do as president.” Up to and including nuclear war.)
• Riveting Moments From Donald Trump Inauguration Protests
• Get Ready for American National Parks to Have ‘Multiple Uses’ (“Some may just double as oil fields.”)
• Steve Mnuchin’s disclosure wobble: Treasury nominee struggles to explain his ethical lapse — and that’s before we get to his boss (“How can Treasury nominee Steve Mnuchin keep Donald Trump’s conflicts in check if he can’t explain his own?”)
• Democrats Have Finally Learned to Fight Like Republicans (“Their inauguration boycott is delegitimizing Donald Trump.” Good, now time to boycott right-wing media as well.)
• Donald Trump’s claim that he’s writing his own speech isn’t just BS — it’s flimsy, transparent B.S. (“That photo of Trump ‘writing’ his speech on a blank notepad is just lazy, even for authoritarian propaganda”)
• The Best-Case Scenario for the Trump Presidency (“So, yes, there is a chance that Trump marks the beginning of the end of American democracy. And, yes, there is a good chance that Trump will corrupt the American republic in lasting ways. But there is also a chance that this scary story will ultimately have a happy ending.” Ha, that’s not exactly reassuring!)
• Obama Shouldn’t Go Quietly (“Trump presents an unprecedented threat to American values. Obama should stand up for them.”)
• Can President Trump Be Presidential? (“His transition has been as peevish as his campaign.”)
• Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates
• A 48-minute execution (“The first execution under Virginia’s new drug secrecy laws didn’t go as planned” No matter how evil this guy was, a 48-minute execution is completely inexcusable.)
• At A Virginia Planned Parenthood Clinic, Practitioners Worry For Their Patients
• Kaine says he opposes Price for health secretary, backs Haley for U.N. ambassador
• Dems blast Trump plans for deep spending cuts
• The Promise of President Trump: Jim Webb (This one’s behind a paywall, which is kinda good because I have a feeling I’m not going to like it…)
• Police shooting, body camera bills go down (“Del. Marcia ‘Cia’ Price’s bill on police shootings would have had the state develop a model policy for investigations and required more disclosures from commonwealth’s attorneys involved in those investigations.”)
• House panel says Dominion can charge customers for nuke upgrades (Just remember, the Virginia General Assembly is owned and operated by Dominion.)
• Editorial: Economic Development turns partisan (“Republicans might wish to rethink their effort to make the VEDP a partisan electoral issue…VEDP was begun by George Allen, a Republican governor with a strongly pro-business bent. It might now stand as a warning to other Republicans about what can happen when officials confuse support for free markets with support for specific market participants.”)
• Bill to provide clean needles to drug users passes Va. House committee
• In Virginia, Republican-led committee kills transgender ‘bathroom bill’ (“’You campaign one way and come down here and kill things silently,’ its sponsor fumed at his GOP colleagues.”)
• Senators skeptical of need for new Virginia ABC warehouse
• Ricky Gray’s legal team raises ‘grave concern’ with execution procedure that took more than 30 minutes
• Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney appoints former mayoral candidate Jon Baliles to policy post
• Alexandria mayor balks at state Senate deadline for stopping sewage overflows (“Bill approved by Virginia Senate drops threat of withholding city’s funds, but wants problem solved by 2025.”)
• Percentage of Virginia school divisions with high-speed internet access jumps over 25 percent
• Gloomy with showers likely for the inauguration today, then heavier rain Sunday and Monday

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