Friday News: “If This Is America”; “Tax-Cut Santa Is Coming to Town”; “Republicans warn Trump of 2018 bloodbath”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 22.

• Trump and Haley Asked to Be Humiliated at the U.N. (“Their petulant threats over the Jerusalem vote predictably blew up in their faces.”)
• United Nations Rebukes U.S. Over Jerusalem in Vote (Trump is making America isolated in the world again.)
• Congress Averts a Shutdown But Now Faces a Messy Start to 2018
• Obamacare Sign-ups at High Levels Despite Trump Saying It’s ‘Imploding’ (As usual, Republicans are projecting what they themselves are trying to do and wishing would happen.)
• Will Congress Save Dreamers Before Trump’s DACA Deadline? (“Members of both parties have vowed to fix daca, but a concrete plan still hasn’t materialized. While the delays continue, more than a hundred Dreamers are losing their status every day, meaning, among other things, that they can no longer work legally in the U.S.” This is absolutely disgraceful.)
• Krugman: Tax-Cut Santa Is Coming to Town (“And what about those promises that rich people wouldn’t get a tax cut, that the tax system would get simpler, that you’d be able to file on a postcard, and all that? All I can say is, ho ho ho.”)
• Accountants and Analysts Race to Dissect New Tax Plan
• It Looks Like Trump Failed to Sabotage Obamacare This Year
• New York governor, World Bank bring holiday cheer to fossil fuel divestment activists (“Andrew Cuomo pushes New York pension fund to divest from fossil fuel investments.” Which is exactly what Terry McAuliffe should have done in Virginia, but refused to take leadership on. Cuomo>McAuliffe)
• ‘We are second-class citizens’: Puerto Rico’s governor responds to GOP tax bill, lack of aid funding (“In the time to take action, they have reneged.”)
• Justice Kennedy just gave liberals a huge ray of hope for Christmas (Let’s hope he stays on at least until Democrats take back the U.S. Senate.)
• E.P.A. Officials, Disheartened, Are Leaving in Droves (“Among the departures are nearly 200 biologists, chemists and toxicologists, draining the agency of scientific expertise needed to address pollution threats.” One of the first jobs of the next Democratic administration will be to massively rebuild and reinvigorate the EPA.)
• If This Is America (“If this is America, with a cabinet of terrorized toadies genuflecting to the Great Leader, a vice president offering a compliment every 12 seconds to Mussolini’s understudy, and a White House that believes in ‘alternative facts,’ then it is time to ‘keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.'”)
• Children’s insurance program receives only patchwork funding
• The public has a right to know how much the tax bill benefits Trump
• A sweetheart tax deal — for the Trumps (“We’re in a government of the president, by the president, for the president.”)
• You own this tax bill, Republicans. Good luck.
• The stench of Trump’s self-dealing
• Trump advisers vent frustrations about 2018 strategy as president listens (Sad!)
• Dispute Over Political Strategy Erupts Inside the White House (“Mr. Lewandowski called the White House team too insular, and he said it had done little to tend to fellow Republicans or to conduct outreach with outside groups and supporters.”)
• The Democrats’ Wave Could Turn Into A Flood
• Republicans warn Trump of 2018 bloodbath (“The White House knows the midterm election will probably be bad. Behind the scenes, top aides are scrambling to avoid the worst.”)
• “I Have Power”: Is Steve Bannon Running for President? (“On a whirlwind tour around the globe, Trump’s former aide and alter ego reveals what really went down in the White House, his unfettered thoughts on Javanka, his complicated relationship with his erstwhile boss—and his own political ambitions.”)
• Most Americans doubt Trump on Russia probe, while Mueller approval tilts positive
• Papa John’s Founder To Step Down As CEO After Backlash Over NFL Comments (Another disgusting owner of another fast food joint, like the elephant-killing owner of Jimmy John’s.)
• 55 Ways Donald Trump Structurally Changed America in 2017 (All for the worse.)
• 3 big things from Mark Warner’s Axios interview (“He said there needs to be an “independent third-party, almost academic analysis” of the vast trove of content posted by Russian accounts in an alleged attempt to sow chaos during the 2016 election.”)
• Atlantic Coast Pipeline wants to start cutting down trees (F*** these people.)
• Chairman: FERC to review pipeline permitting process
• Editorial: Tie vote presents an opportunity (Yes, the Roanoke Times editorial board repeatedly misspelled Shelly Simonds’ name as “Simmonds.” Brilliant.)
• We Found the Woman Whose Vote Tipped Control of Virginia’s Legislature (“And she had to jump through crazy hoops to do it.”)
• A Timeline of the Wildest and Most Suspenseful Election of 2017
• Simonds says Yancey’s team pulled “stunt” in court certification
• Justin Fairfax, lieutenant governor-elect, to leave law firm Venable
• Democratic senators recommend two candidates for federal judgeship in Virginia
• Oyster shucking? A duel? No, Virginia will pull a name from a film canister to settle tied election.
• Local businessman Mark Ein to buy Washington City Paper for undisclosed sum (Used to be an excellent paper, has declined enormously in recent years as it’s lost most of its revenue; let’s hope this purchase helps revive it.)
• King George approves second solar farm amid mixed reviews from residents
• Pr. William middle school teacher appointed Virginia’s next education secretary (“Atif Qarni teaches civics and history at Beville.”)
• Thomas wins recount in disputed Stafford Co. House race (The question with this race wasn’t the recount, it’s whether a new election is ordered because around 150 voters were given the wrong ballot on election day, with Thomas’ margin right now at just 73 votes.)
• Virginia elections board to meet Wednesday to hold random drawing to pick winner in tied House race
• SCC orders Dominion to put Rappahannock transmission line underwater
• Editorial: Divided House means delegates must govern from center (If by “center” you mean “where the majority of Virginians are on issue after issue,” which is progressive.)
• Exclusive: Jens Soering shocked on news Gov. McAuliffe won’t act on pardon request
• Conservative student group claims victory, but status at UVa remains unclear (“UVa’s Student Council had claimed the group’s membership requirements were a violation of the terms and conditions for recognized student organizations outlined in university policy, because the group asks members to sign the conservative Sharon Statement, the organization’s founding statement.”)
• Former congressional candidate Shaun Brown calls federal indictment a ‘designed cover-up’ (What?)
• Norfolk’s mayor had new slogan idea: “OK, Norfolk.” It was immediately panned.
• Movement under way to rid Outer Banks of plastic straws (We should ditch them completely.)
• D.C.-area forecast: Temperatures and rain odds rise through Saturday, then much colder into Christmas