Thursday News: Lifelong Republican Brett Kavanaugh Spends Day Dodging Crucial Questions; “Resistance,” “Coup” Within Trump White House; “The Incapacitated President”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, September 6.

• Trump’s latest move to shatter the status quo could lead to disaster in the Middle East
• 5 takeaways from second day of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings (“Kavanaugh was already coming into this hearing with a difficult task: Convince Congress that he isn’t a lackey Supreme Court pick for the president. Trump hasn’t made that job any easier.”)
• The Precedent Respecter Has Logged On (“Brett Kavanaugh says he follows every Supreme Court precedent. Don’t believe him.”)
• Why Can’t Brett Kavanaugh Answer This Senator’s Question About The Mueller Probe? (“’I’m asking you a very direct question — yes or no?’ Sen. Kamala Harris said.”)
• Republicans Are Trying to Make Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Seem Routine. It Isn’t. (For starters, they wouldn’t even CONSIDER the superbly qualified Obama pick, Merrick Garland. That alone makes these picks illegitimate/stolen. Then there’s the fact that Trump is a corrupt, treasonous, illegitimate “president.”)
• A Judge Who Can’t Be Vetted Shouldn’t Be Confirmed (“If Brett Kavanaugh’s extensive paper trail can’t be fully and publicly disclosed, the simplest solution is to nominate someone else.”)
• Kavanaugh stumbled over two critical tripwires (“Republicans and Democrats here need to consider the real possibility that Kavanaugh was picked precisely because he’d be the most likely judge to let President Trump get away with unconstitutional antics.”)
• Kavanaugh debates, dodges on Day 2 of high court confirmation hearing
• Brett Kavanaugh Is a Lifelong Republican Operative and Will Rule Like One (“He’s been involved in nearly every ideological flashpoint of the last 20 years. He’s always been on one side.”)
• Trump aides hunt for author of op-ed who claims to be part of ‘resistance’ in administration
• President livid, slams ‘gutless’ op-ed
• I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration (“I work for the president but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”)
• This Is a Constitutional Crisis (“A cowardly coup from within the administration threatens to enflame the president’s paranoia and further endanger American security.”)
• Congressional Republicans Are the Real Authors of the Anonymous Op-Ed (“The Constitution demands that the legislature serve as a check on the executive. In its absence, unelected bureaucrats are taking it on themselves to act.”)
• ‘It’s open season on the president’: Anonymous op-ed unleashes fresh West Wing meltdown (“The New York Times op-ed came as the president was already struggling with fallout from Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book.”)
• Trump demands NYT turn anonymous source over to government ‘for National Security purposes’ (FU)
• A global shift to sustainability would save us $26 trillion. Why aren’t we doing it? (“We can have growth that is strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive” Because in places like Virginia, we have greedy, irresponsible, reckless, politically powerful companies like Dominion Energy.)
• Liberal insurgency targets Delaware senator next (“Democratic Sen. Tom Carper faces a challenge from Kerri Harris, part of a movement of progressive primary challengers.”)
• Left fed up with Schumer’s Supreme Court playbook (“The Democratic Party’s progressive base expects nothing less than all-out resistance to Trump’s dangerous agenda” Sure, but Dems in red states like Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp are going to do what they think is best for themselves, and ultimately there’s not much if anything Chuck Schumer can do about it.)
• The madness is pouring out of the White House now, for all to see (Anyone who voted for Trump or still supports Trump is to blame for this. Unforgivable.)
• Senate Republicans get caught in a major lie about the missing documents on Brett Kavanaugh (“And Durbin called it out.”)
• This word from the anonymous New York Times op-ed may prove Mike Pence wrote it (“Panoply audio producer Dan Bloom tweeted that the use of the word ‘lodestar’ to laud the late John McCain not only ruled out people like Stephen Miller — it also stuck out because he’d heard it before.”)
• ‘The sleeper cells have awoken’: Trump and aides shaken by ‘resistance’ op-ed
• Critics denounce right-wing ‘unelected cabal’ represented by NYT’s anonymous ‘resistance’ op-ed
• The Incapacitated President (“Trump’s own aides don’t trust him to lead the country. Meanwhile, the only people who can stop this crisis pretend it doesn’t exist.”)
• Just Shut Up and Quit (“Nobody elected the Anonymous Heroes executing a de facto coup against Donald Trump’s presidency*.”)
• We’re All Giving Thanks for What Was Effectively a Coup (“And yet the president*’s aides did stop him from blowing up the world.”)
• 5 things you may have missed from the Facebook and Twitter hearings on Capitol Hill (“Alex Jones, an empty chair, and an auctioneer.”)
• The White House is discussing potential replacements for Jim Mattis
• Trump Hits Campaign Trail as Prospect of Midterm Defeat Looms
• The Daily Caller has published white supremacists, anti-Semites, and bigots. Here are the ones we know about.
• Black, progressive, insurgent: Is this the future of the Democratic Party? (“African-Americans running on the left have notched a string of victories this year. Here’s why.”)
• Video: Far-Right “Freedom Caucus” Wannabe Denver Riggleman Debates Superbly Qualified Leslie Cockburn in VA-05
• 5th District Candidates Riggleman and Cockburn Debate for First Time
• Sen. Warner Says Facebook, Twitter Seem Willing to Work With Congress
• Top Democratic Sen. Mark Warner: There’s uniform frustration from both parties about Google’s absence at election meddling hearings (“Leading Democrat Sen. Mark Warner criticizes Google’s absence from the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media’s role in protecting elections from misinformation and disinformation.”)
• Kaine’s Commitment to Virginians’ Safety and Security Takes Center Stage in New TV Ad; Contrasts to Corey Stewart Calling Defense Bill a “Nightmare” and “Disaster”
• Tim Kaine’s Fight To Keep His Senate Seat
• BREAKING: Shaun Brown Off Ballot in VA-02 Due to “Out and Out Fraud”; Scott Taylor Staffers Plead the 5th Amendment [UPDATED: Elaine Luria Statement]
• Woman claims signature was forged on Shaun Brown petition; she’s suing for $2.4M
• Richmond judge finds ‘out-and-out fraud’ in effort by Rep. Scott Taylor staff to get independent on ballot (Committed by…Scott Taylor’s staff, with or without Taylor’s knowledge or even at his direction.)
• Judge orders Shaun Brown’s name removed from ballot, citing fraud (The only reason Brown isn’t in jail is because one not-too-bright juror held out on a verdict against her a few weeks ago, resulting in a mistrial.)
• Va. legislator in Damascus touts Syrians’ ‘love’ for Assad and his army, state-run media reports (“State Sen. Richard H. Black, who regards Assad as a protector of Christians, made his second trip to Damascus in two years.” Completely demented; Assad is a butcher, torturer, thug, etc.)
• Legislators ponder models for mental health funding and services
• Sen. Tim Kaine to speak at ODU
• Carbon cap debate focuses on uncertainty for utility customers
• State officials say they no longer use ‘restraint chairs’ detailed in immigrant abuse allegations
• Editorial: A modest proposal for redistricting: Let a jury decide
• New data: Millions of opioids prescribed by Purdue Pharma in Virginia
• Major changes to Virginia pretrial discovery rules adopted by Virginia Supreme Court, effective next year (State Sen. Scott Surovell writes: “Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued new rules for criminal discovery which are a sea change in Virginia. They will bring VA much closer into line with the rest of the United States, end trial by ambush, and provide the accused with something much closer to due process. Thank you to Senator Bill Stanley for keeping up the pressure and Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy for carrying criminal discovery reform legislation in the House to make it clear that if the Court didn’t act, we were prepared to do so. This is a big deal.”)
• Two New Tree Sits Erected in Path of Mountain Valley Pipeline
• Boston: Two things that would help Virginia workers
• Charlottesville man fined $1 after assault on white-nationalist organizer in 2017 (“Jeffrey Winder could have received up to 12 months in jail and $2,500 in fines from a jury after being convicted of assaulting Jason Kessler two days after the Unite the Right rally.”)
• One last hot, muggy day. By the weekend, it’s much cooler.