by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, August 22.
- Cohen pleads guilty, says he coordinated with Trump to pay off women and influence election (“Plea deal for former Trump fixer comes as ex-campaign chairman convicted”)
- Manafort guilty on 8 counts; judge declares mistrial in 10 others (“The jury convicted Paul Manafort, President Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, on five counts of filing false tax returns, one count of not filing a report on a foreign bank account and two bank fraud counts.”)
- Michael Cohen: Trump’s greatest fear comes true (“Buckle up. Trump now goes from the frying pan into the fire.”)
- Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis suggests his client has knowledge implicating Trump in ‘criminal conspiracy’ to hack Democratic emails
- Rudy: Trump Not Implicated by Crime He Definitely Committed
- Can Michael Cohen Bring Down Trump? (“Who knows, the once-cocky fixer, now humbled, could find himself a star witness at hearings on impeachment of our 45th president. “)
- 5 Ways the Cohen and Manafort News Adds to Trump’s Legal Jeopardy
- ‘Law and Order’ Candidate Donald Trump Is Surrounded By Criminals
- Cohen’s claim about Trump may spark calls for impeachment but is unlikely to lead to charges (“If it were anyone but the president, Michael Cohen’s statement that he arranged payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal ‘at the direction’ of then-candidate Donald Trump would suggest a criminal case could be in the offing.” Trump, Don Jr., etc. have almost certainly committed serious crimes that should have them in prison for many years.)
- I Lived Through Watergate. I Lived Through the Saturday Night Massacre. There Never Was Anything Like This. (“The Cohen and Manafort developments could be a mortal blow to the Trump presidency—and Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.”)
- An alleged co-conspirator in the White House (“Will the man Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen worked for face any consequences?” Not if Republicans are in charge.)
- With the Manafort Convictions and Cohen Plea, President Trump Has Been Implicated in a Criminal Conspiracy
- Michael Cohen Says That Donald Trump Directed His Crimes
- With Cohen Implicating Trump, a Presidency’s Fate Rests With Congress (And that’s the problem.)
- All the President’s Crooks (“One of them, Mr. Trump’s own lawyer, has now implicated him in a crime.”)
- What the Manafort Verdict Means (“It’s Robert Mueller’s biggest victory yet, in one of the most successful special counsel investigations in history.”)
- Kavanaugh Thinks Roe v. Wade Is ‘Settled Law.’ That Doesn’t Mean It’s Safe. (“That means lower courts must follow it as a binding precedent. But for SCOTUS itself it simply indicates a degree of deference unless some stronger constitutional consideration is found to override it. So it does not guarantee that the “settled law” will be respected by the justices that acknowledge it.”)
- Trump’s friends overseas are very, very nervous about the midterms (“Russia, North Korea and more have a stake in Trump not losing power.”)
- A One-Two Punch Puts Trump Back on His Heels (“In two courtrooms 200 miles apart on Tuesday, President Trump’s almost daily attempts to dismiss the criminal investigations that have engulfed his White House all but collapsed…even the president’s staunchest defenders acknowledged privately that the legal setbacks he suffered within minutes of each other could open fissures among Republicans on Capitol Hill and expose Mr. Trump to the possibility of impeachment.” There’s no serious question Trump SHOULD be impeached – and in prison for the rest of his life – but will Republicans do anything? I doubt it, as they 100% put party and politics over patriotism.)
- After two convictions, pressure mounts on Trump (“This was a day when truth overran tweets, when facts overwhelmed bald assertions. Presidential tweets, however provocative, eventually disappear into the ether. Tuesday’s convictions could send two people who have had close relationships with Trump to prison for several years, while one of them brought the investigation to the doorstep of the White House.”)
- Michael Cohen’s Guilty Plea Directly Implicates Donald Trump in a Felony
- When It Comes to Putin, Russia, and This Administration*, It’s Clearly About Fear
- Trump’s company approved $420,000 in payments to Cohen, relying on ‘sham’ invoices, prosecutors say
- What the Craziest News Day of the Year Means for Trump (“There is one specific and one general thing that have changed. The specific thing is that you have the president directly and explicitly accused of criminal conduct, which is very substantially different from where we have been before.”)
- ‘It’s the only excuse they’ll need’: Legal blows fuel impeachment fears (“The conviction of Trump’s former campaign chairman, guilty plea of his former personal lawyer and indictment of a leading congressional supporter raise Trump’s risks.”)
- Could Paul Manafort Still Flip on Donald Trump? An Ex-Justice Department Official Explains.
- Cohen’s Guilty Plea Puts Trump in a Perilous Spot (“The prospect of a criminal prosecution will loom over the rest of his presidency.”)
- Michael Cohen’s guilty plea underscores congressional Republicans’ total abdication of responsibility (“There’s a lot more worth investigating in Trumpworld.”)
- Jolted by ex-allies’ criminal cases, Trump faces election and legal risks
- Donald Trump: ‘worst hour’ for president as Manafort and Cohen guilty
- Blind Confidence Couldn’t Save Paul Manafort (“President Trump’s former campaign chairman was found guilty on eight counts of fraud and financial crimes. But it’s not too late for him to cut a deal.”)
- All Eyes on the Presidency (“A pair of high-profile convictions implicate Donald Trump—but also serve as a reminder that only some people pay the consequences for systemic corruption in America.”)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren just unveiled a dramatic plan to eradicate Washington corruption (“Warren’s Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act is a plan to ensure a Trump administration never happens again.”)
- Senior Republicans hesitate to criticise Trump after Manafort and Cohen verdicts (Yep, this is our problem, America – to solve it, vote every single Republican out of office.)
- North Korea is still developing nuclear weapons, says IAEA (Another lie and failure by Trump.)
- Trump on Manafort verdict: ‘Nothing to do with Russia collusion’ (Yeah, we’ll see about that.)
- Cost of New E.P.A. Coal Rules: Up to 1,400 More Deaths a Year (Speaking of criminal…)
- Trump’s New Pollution Rules Still Won’t Save the Coal Industry (“At best, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposal could help a few coal plants stave off retirement for a short while longer.”)
- Trump lashes out after Cohen, Manafort blows (Because of course he does.)
- GOP fears Cohen set road to impeachment
- GOP’s midterm nightmare: Party “looks like a criminal enterprise” (It IS a criminal enterprise.)
- Guilty: 6 Takeaways From Manafort’s And Cohen’s Big Day (“This was a remarkable and potentially consequential day in the Trump presidency”)
- Rep. Duncan Hunter Indicted for Rampant Misuse of Campaign Funds (Another Republican “swamp creature”)
- Sen. Mark Warner: ‘This verdict makes it absolutely clear that the Mueller probe is not a “witch hunt” ‘
- After Guilty Verdicts Declared, Senator Warns Trump Any Attempt to Pardon Manafort ‘Would Be Gross Abuse of Power’ (“Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that such a move would trigger immediate congressional response”)
- Silent Sam Wasn’t a Confederate Memorial, It Was a Monument to Lynching and Jim Crow
- If the Republican Party Is Going to Regain Sanity, It Needs to Lose People Like Tom Cotton (“In every sense, he is an extremist, and not just on one issue.”)
- Why Republicans want to make Mollie Tibbetts a household name (That’s appalling; a terrible tragedy and horrific crime exploited by the GOP to bash immigrants – the vast majority are NOT violent – and to try to gain some political advantage. Disgusting but typical of today’s Republicans.)
- Facebook Says New Campaign Tried to Spread Global Discord
- Schapiro: They’ll come, they’ll see, they’ll do nothing (No idea what this is about, since it’s behind a strict paywall – one that doesn’t even let you see the first few sentences in order to know what it’s about – but am including a link for those of you with an RTD digital subscription. UPDATE: Someone sent it to me. Nothing particularly interesting, except for the last two paragraphs – “[Del. Greg] Habeeb isn’t saying anything about something lobbyists and legislators have been discussing since he announced his resignation in July: that he’s selling his house in Salem, moving his family to Richmond and opening an office here for the large Roanoke law firm that just named him partner. The firm couldn’t, because of ethics rules, do much state government work as long as he was a delegate. Now Habeeb’s clients will be getting their money’s worth.”)
- Video, Photos: VA State Water Control Board Meeting on Mountain Valley, Atlantic Coast Pipelines (UPDATE: 4-3 #FAIL)
- State board won’t touch pipeline permits
- Virginia regulators consider revoking permits for two major gas pipelines, but settle for stricter enforcement (“Pipeline opponents erupt in anger at state officials who won’t grant closer review.”)
- Water board stops short of revoking pipeline water permits, orders stronger enforcement (Disgraceful day by the majority of Water Control Board members.)
- Brat, Spanberger agree to Oct. 15 debate hosted by Culpeper chamber
- Candidate Elaine Luria’s TV ad show her at sea with the Navy, but she’s not (Uh guys? How about reporting on the Scott Taylor petition signature fraud scandal?)
- Hopewell electoral board stands by new registrar’s decision to approve ballots with some names in capital letters (That’s completely bonkers and needs to be overturned.)
- Northam unveils Giles County sculpture; pipeline protesters demonstrate (Northam should be met with protests everywhere he goes.)
- A new Virginia license plate seeks to build consensus
- KKK figure sentenced to eight years for firing gun at Virginia rally
- Gregory: Truck tolls on I-81 are a bad idea. Here’s why.
- After holding their cards at deadline, Nationals get what they can for Daniel Murphy, Matt Adams
- D.C.-area forecast: On the cusp of a terrific three-day stretch
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