Tuesday News: Whatever He Says at SOTU, Trump is NOT “Presidential”; Sen. Mark Warner on Andrew McCabe, Russia Investigation; “Elizabeth Guzman promises lively rebuttal to State of the Union”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 30.

• The Mystery of Andrew McCabe’s Exit (“The Trump-detested deputy director of the FBI is leaving his post earlier than expected, but there’s no clear explanation for why.”)
• Report: Trump called Andrew McCabe’s wife a “loser” in a bizarre call
• Republicans vote to release FISA memo
• Trump admin. declines to impose new Russia sanctions (Gee, wonder why not…)
• These Democrats Refuse to Sit Through Trump’s First State of the Union
• Waste of the Union (“Trump reduces the State of the Union to its irrelevant essence.”)
• House committee votes to release memo alleging missteps by FBI in Russian probe (Republicans, the supposed “law and order” people – yeah, I know, what a joke – continue to assault the nation’s top law enforcement agency, the FBI.)
• Please Don’t Call Him Presidential (“Let’s not pretend that Trump’s State of the Union performance matters.”)
• Trump’s GOP: A Conspiracy of Dunces (Republican strategist Rick Wilson: “The cynical men in Washington and Moscow who are feeding the crazy-eyed, conspiratorial imaginings of the Republican Party base under Donald Trump know what they’re doing.”)
• NY Times: Melania was blindsided by report of payment to porn star
• Melania Trump, Out of Sight Since Report of Husband’s Infidelity, to Attend State of the Union
• Trump’s Agenda Faces Tough Fiscal Reality After State of the Union (“Tax cut of $1.5 trillion projected to balloon federal deficit”)
• On Flight to Davos, Trump Erupted Over DOJ Role in Russia Probe
• Trump’s gripes against McCabe included wife’s politics, Comey’s ride home
• The State of the Union, in Trump’s real words (“The president will speak from a teleprompter. If you want ‘from the heart,’ check his Twitter account.”)
• Trump is trying to Make America White Again
• How Trump handles scandal: Conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory
• A new Trump is not possible
• CIA expects Russia to target U.S. mid-term elections (And any competent, patriotic president would be taking action by now.)
• Republican Bill to Ban 20-Week Abortions Just Failed in the Senate
• Trump Keeps Throwing Tantrums When He Remembers He Isn’t a Dictator
• Krugman: Bubble, Bubble, Fraud and Trouble
• I Think Mueller’s Days Are Numbered (“Trump will do anything. That’s his power.” And Republicans won’t stop him.)
• North Carolina’s Voter Suppression Is a Lesson to the Rest of the Nation (“It is relentless and multi-faceted.”)
• Republican Governors Association fools media outlets into believing it returned Steve Wynn’s money (“Wynn stands accused of serial sexual abuse. Republicans don’t seem to mind as long as his money is green.”)
• Here’s what’s actually in the Justice Department memo that Republicans claim is so shocking (“The memo is reportedly filled with cherry-picked facts meant to paint the Justice Department in a nefarious light.”)
• Julian Assange Thought He Was Messaging Sean Hannity When He Offered ‘News’ on Democrat Investigating Trump-Russia (Assange is a criminal.)
• Trump signs bill giving federal recognition to Virginia Indian tribes
• Feds reschedule Virginia meeting on offshore drilling, but it’s still far from the coast (“And in spite of criticism from Virginia elected officials, the bureau has stuck with its planned site, the Four Points by Sheraton Richmond Airport, about a two-hour drive from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.”)
• Warner: New documents ‘opened a lot of new questions’ in Senate’s Russia probe
• Sen. Warner on McCabe shake-up: Getting close to Russia investigation bad for job security
• Sen. Kaine invites military spouse from Portsmouth to State of the Union
• Va. Senate passes voter ID bill linking poll books with DMV photos (If it’s by Mark ObenSHAME, you know it’s bad. Veto.)
• Facing new scrutiny, Dominion Energy turns to old friends in General Assembly (In other words, Dominion is calling in favors from its bought-and-paid for, legally corrupt legislators like “Dominion Dick” $a$law.)
• Tom Cormons: Reject plan that hurts Dominion’s customers (“IN WHAT IS NOW a familiar Richmond ritual, Dominion Energy is back at the General Assembly with its latest attempt to defang regulators and keep electricity rates artificially inflated for the more than two-thirds of the commonwealth’s consumers in its monopolized territory. Nothing new there.”)
• Virginia House votes down rule change to ban guns in gallery above lawmakers
• Speaker of Va. House signals he’s open to Medicaid expansion — with strings attached (“Work requirements and other changes would have to be imposed on existing program first, Speaker Cox said.” Soooo generous of Cox, huh? Going to make a sick 80 year old look for work in order to get health care they desperately need? Yep, that’ the Republican way!)
• Lawmakers introduce bills aimed at curbing school-to-prison pipeline
• Virginia Senate Republicans kill bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana
• ‘A little fire, a little spice’: Elizabeth Guzman promises lively rebuttal to State of the Union (“Tapped for a Spanish-language response, the freshman Virginia lawmaker savors the opportunity.”)
• Spanish-Language SOTU Respondent: Democrats ‘Cannot Be Centrist Any More’ (“Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D) represents the new, more progressive face of the Democratic Party.”)
• Regulators say Dominion’s legislation could lead to billions in additional costs charged to ratepayers (Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Not.)
• Republican-led education committee defeats ‘Tebow bill’
• State might offer some money to fix Metro subway and bus system
• Virginia House panel defeats proposal to create ‘Netflix tax’ (“Del. Vivian E. Watts, D-Fairfax, said her bill was an attempt to modernize the state’s communications sales and use tax that already applies to such services as landline and cellular telephones, cable television and satellite radio.”)
• Mountain Valley seeks federal permission to start pipeline work in Giles County
• Right whale death off Virginia coast adds to concern about species’ demise (This makes me simultaneously sad and angry.)
• Our region, our issue (“Homelessness on the Peninsula is a problem.”)
• Williams: Richmond, region need more affordable housing
• Early rain and snow showers, then things get colder and windier