by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, April 25.
- Impossible dream? Unification less of a priority as Korean leaders prepare to talk
- Trump gave Macron a taste of his bizarre ‘dandruff diplomacy’ (“Trump’s dandruff-flicking, it could be argued, also wasn’t innocent. It may have been a hilarious moment but it is also a product of Trump’s somewhat terrifying ideas about diplomacy.”)
- Iran threatens to withdraw from nuclear weapons treaty (“Tehran warns US of possible repercussions should Donald Trump tear up 2015 nuclear deal”)
- Macron’s Pitch to Trump on a ‘New’ Iran Deal Surprises EU Allies
- Trump Signals Openness to a ‘New Deal’ on Iran
- Trump doesn’t like the Iran deal’s sunset provisions. Here’s how to fix that.
- Third Federal Judge Agrees: Trump Administration Must Keep DACA
- GOP Holds House Seat in Deep Red Arizona, But It’s Way Too Close for Comfort (“Arizona’s Eighth is significantly more Republican than the Pennsylvania district Lamb won last month,” and yet it looks like only a narrow – 4 or 5 points? – win for them. The blue tidal wave builds?)
- Why the win for Republicans in Arizona 8 is still good for Democrats (This is a district Trump won by 21 points and Mitt Romney by 25 points, yet last night that narrowed to about 5 points — a 16-20-point swing in the “blue” direction!)
- Supreme Court to consider Trump’s travel ban and the president’s authority
- ‘Playful dominance’: The touchy-feely relationship between Trump and Macron (“From cheek kisses to shoulder rubs, the unusual friendship between the U.S. and French leaders was on display.” Whatever it takes, I guess? LOL)
- How Trump botched the Ronny Jackson nomination (“Republicans see the VA nominee mess as a distillation of the problems with the president’s management style.”)
- VA nominee drunkenly banged on female employee’s door during overseas trip, sources say
- Sen. Tester: VA nominee handed out prescriptions ‘like candy’
- Trump rallies behind VA pick after earlier suggesting he drop out because of ‘ugly’ process
- After Botching Ronny Jackson’s VA Nomination, Trump Doubles Down
- Sessions Declines to Recuse Himself From Probe Into Trump Lawyer
- Alleged Toronto attacker has confirmed links to misogynistic online communities (“While misogynistic online groups praised the attack and called for an uprising, right-wing conspiracy theorists and prominent far-right trolls blamed Islam and the alleged perpetrator’s ethnicity”)
- Trump said this tax break was for small businesses. It’s giving $17 billion to millionaires this year. (“Those making $1 million or more will save more than $30 billion on the “pass-through” tax deduction by 2024.” Think about what that $30 billion could buy us…and VOTE DEMOCRATIC in November.)
- Chief Justice Roberts spent the morning showcasing how impossibly naive he is on matters of race (“White racial innocence in a hell of a drug.”)
- Rand Paul Is a Sheep in Sheep’s Clothing (Rand Paul is a complete joke. And of course he supports Nick Freitas for U.S. Senate here in Virginia. Says a lot about Freitas, huh?)
- Climate deniers and tobacco flacks headline the EPA’s new science standard announcement (This administration is an eternal stain on our nation.)
- Which U.S. Industries Are Setting the Strongest Climate Goals? (“An analysis of more than 600 top U.S. companies finds that those seeing the effects of global warming first-hand are taking the most concrete actions.” Definitely NOT Dominion Energy!)
- Our president ignores an American hero: Trump’s silence on the Waffle House murders is deafening (“James Shaw Jr. disarmed a mass shooter single-handed. Everything about that is a problem for Donald Trump”)
- Senator warns bankers that Dodd-Frank relief could stall (“A Democratic senator who supports rolling back some of the financial rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis warned bankers Tuesday that the legislation will stall if it comes back to the Senate for another vote. Sen. Mark Warner’s comments are a warning shot to House Republicans, who are insisting on adding to Senate-passed legislation that would scale back the law known as Dodd-Frank.”)
- Small utilities say Dominion’s lobbying causes high electric rates (“Independent retail energy companies that buy and sell electricity say Dominion’s success at shaping the state’s energy policy has led to higher-than-necessary prices, unhappy customers and new opportunities for other energy companies.”)
- Senators concerned over offshore drilling impacts on Virginia military
- Nancy Howell Agee, Dr. J. Stephen Jones and Howard P. Kern: State Senate should expand Medicaid
- Editorial: The forest and the trees (“Many conservatives drive with license plates that proclaim ‘don’t tread on me.’ Why don’t more conservatives see those landowners as the ones being trod upon? Instead of defending inanimate Confederate statues, why aren’t they rallying around a flesh-and-blood property owner standing up to the federal government?” Exactly! Because they are complete hypocrites.)
- ‘Lynch him!’: New lynching memorial confronts the nation’s brutal history of racial terrorism
- Virginia Senate will return May 14 to resume work on budget
- Governor announces new land conservation strategy (Start by conserving the hundreds-mile-long, 150-foot-wide natural gas pipeline swaths of destruction.)
- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam joins WTOP for ‘Ask the Governor’ April 25 (At 10 am this morning. Call 877-336-1035, tweet at @WTOP or email ask@wtop.com and use the hashtag #askthe to ask Northam about Red and the pipelines, or whatever else you want to ask about.)
- Virginia conservatives, beware: Steyer’s spending millions here (Hahahaha, John “Anti-Semitic ‘Joke’ Dude” Whitbeck is worried!)
- 6th District: Five Congressional Campaigns Issue Joint Statement on Convention Transparency (Interesting that Cynthia Dunbar’s campaign didn’t sign.)
- Two more big endorsements for Cynthia Dunbar in the 6th district (Yep, two of the most extreme and batshit-crazy people in the country.)
- Tree-sit protest against Mountain Valley Pipeline loses one of its stands
- Schapiro: Northam’s first 100 days – or daze? (“Just over 100 days into his four-year term — Wednesday is the 102nd — the Democrat can boast symbolic accomplishments” Yep, that’s about it so far, despite Dems picking up 15 seats in the House of Delegates and despite Northam supposedly being SO much better than TMac at cutting deals.)
- Del. Glenn Davis, seeking to protect GOP House majority, opts out of mayoral run in Va. Beach
- Man shackled for days in prisoner transport van files suit (Absolutely appalling.)
- New Redskins receiver claims Va. trooper asked if he was gang member
- Student’s death leads to investigation of possible cheating at George Mason
- Henrico adopts budget for fiscal 2019, with Lynch casting dissenting vote
- Newport News School Board should see new faces
- Northam to change mental health commissioners to lead system transformation
- Court of Appeals upholds conviction of former Portsmouth police Officer Stephen Rankin
- 16 candidates competing for Chesapeake City Council. Here’s a rundown of the race.
- Alexandria transfers ownership of sewage outlets to sanitation agency (“City, Alexandria Renew say they intend to meet state-imposed 2025 deadline to repair overflows.”)
- Clouds and a few showers today, sunshine returns tomorrow
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