Friday News: GOP Has “Only One Idea,” and It’s a Bad One; “Trumpism infects the Virginia GOP”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news, headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, September 1.

• New dangers lurk in Harvey’s wake (“Food and water scarce in some areas; chemicals ignite at flooded plant”)
• Houston Residents, Heading Home, Find Scent of ‘Mildew and Death’
• There’s Been A Lot Of News But Little Change In Trump’s Approval Rating
• In Hurricane Harvey’s Wake, We Need a Green ‘New Deal’
• NY Times climate-misinformer tells Houston: You’ve ‘never been safer’ (“Bret Stephens downplays Americans’ justified fear of worsening superstorms and climate change.” The NY Times permanently disgraced itself by hiring Bret Stephens.)
• How Immigration Hardliners Are Forcing Trump’s Hand on DACA
• Harvey response puts squeeze on GOP
• Lawmakers to give bipartisanship a try on ObamaCare
• U.S. retaliates against Russia by forcing diplomatic closures (“State Dept. calls the Kremlin’s prior ouster of diplomatic staff ‘unwarranted and detrimental.'” Weak response.)
• Outgoing sheriff Clarke expected to take job in Trump administration (Absolutely unacceptable, the guy’s a fascist and a nutjob. Come to think of it, he’ll fit right in with the Trump administration. Ugh.)
• Trump Attorneys Lay Out Arguments Against Obstruction-of-Justice Probe to Mueller
• Republicans have only one idea. And Trump’s pitch for it is a doozy. (“The party just wants to cut taxes for the rich. The only thing that changes is the rationale.” Horrendously bad idea.)
• Trump, DeVos, and the Creation of an American Oligarchy
• The bad news about ‘this Russia thing’ keeps pouring in for Trump
• Pelosi condemns ‘violent actions’ of antifa protesters (Agreed 100%, political violence is completely unacceptable.)
• Exclusive: Mueller Enlists the IRS for His Trump-Russia Investigation (“Will the accountants take down key members of Team Trump? Or force the president’s tax returns into the open?” The fact that Trump refused to release his tax returns but was elected anyway is a permanent disgrace on anyone who voted for him.)
• RNC chief of staff resigns amid rash of departures (The VA GOP badly needs a “rash of departures,” starting at the top.)
• Trump’s Homeland Security department gives right-wing extremists a pass (“Funding cuts suggest this administration cares only about Islamist extremism.”)
• Will Bob McDonnell’s trial save a Democratic senator? (“Facing a corruption trial, Robert Menendez is hoping for help from an unlikely source.”)
• I criticized Google. It got me fired. That’s how corporate power works. (“Barry Lynn formerly directed New America’s Open Markets program and is the author of ‘Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction.'”)
• Why Democrats are snubbing their Alabama Senate candidate
• Trump is at war with his own generals (“We used to worry Trump listened to his generals too much. Turns out he may not listen to them enough.”)
• Trump is slashing Obamacare’s advertising budget by 90% (This is what Republicans do: sabotage government program x, then say “hey look, government program x is failing!”)
• The Chemical Plant Explosion in Texas Is Not an Accident. It’s the Result of Specific Choices. (“The perils of deregulation.”)
• Trump sets 2018 pay raise for federal employees (“Most civilian federal employees will receive an average raise of 1.4 percent, with an additional 0.5 percent adjusted in locality pay for a total of a 1.9 percent.”)
• Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie to participate in gubernatorial forum at VUU (“The candidates vying to be Virginia’s next governor will participate in a Gubernatorial Forum on the campus of Virginia Union University on Thursday, September 7.”)
• Kaine Hears from Dreamers as DACA Decision Looms
• Sen. Tim Kaine shows support for Va. church where racist notes were found
• Virginia officials charged in snow-clearing bribery scheme
• Virginia proposes design for new 15-story General Assembly Building next to Capitol Square
• Trumpism infects the Virginia GOP (“Not that long ago, the GOP seemed almost genteel as they pursued their pro-business, anti-regulation policies.”)
• Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate attacks Democrat for supporting something that doesn’t exist (“Ed Gillespie goes full Trump.”)
• McAuliffe: Funding Richmond schools more important than taking down Confederate monuments
• McAuliffe strikes softer tone on monuments, raising GOP hopes that Northam will be out on limb (“Given the cost of removal, McAuliffe says it might be best to add context to Confederate momuments and ‘move foward.'”)
• Editorial: The silly season gets started early in Virginia elections
• Bills for Dominion customers to drop slightly as regulators consider expensive undergrounding program
• Williams: Stop pitting statues against Richmond’s schools
• Potomac Yard Metro station delayed again, now likely to open in 2021 (“Officials say they are reviewing ‘cost-saving’ opportunities before awarding a contract.”)
• Catesby Leigh column: Removing Confederate monuments would be no good for Richmond
• Cantwell, denied bond, argues that he’s a ‘shock jock’ (Hahahahaha. Riiiiight.)
• Edtorial: Lacey Putney’s legacies (Yes, they spelled it “Edtorial” – lol)
• Cool, clammy, cloudy and sometimes stormy until Sunday