Tuesday News: #BrettToo?; “History Will Remember Mitch McConnell as One of the Very Worst”; “Climate change is real. Welcome to the new normal.”; #Petitiongate-Tarnished Taylor Now Trails Luria?

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, September 18.

• Senate committee to hold public hearing with Kavanaugh, accuser after sexual assault allegation
• Hearing Set for Monday to Hear Kavanaugh and His Accuser (“In setting the hearing, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, backed down from a committee vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, planned for this Thursday, and pushed a confirmation once seen as inevitable into limbo.”)
• #BrettToo?The Senate Judiciary Committee is right to reopen hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation after a claim of sexual assault.
• You Can’t Walk Back a Categorical Denial (“The Brett Kavanaugh hearings were already weird. Now they’re about to get very rough.”)
• History Will Remember Mitch McConnell as One of the Very Worst (“The Senate Majority Leader is shameless in his disregard for democratic norms—and for shame itself.”)
• McConnell works feverishly behind the scenes to save Kavanaugh (Kinda the mirror image of what he did to Merrick Garland, working “feverishly” to prevent even a VOTE on someone who was extremely well qualified to be on the Supreme Court and who was duly nominated by President Obama.)
• Trump Hits China With Tariffs on $200 Billion in Goods, Escalating Trade War (Economic imbecile Trump is really trying hard to kill the strong Obama/Democratic economy he inherited.)
• As Chinese Find Ways to Cope With Trump’s Trade Bullying, Americans Are Still Set to Lose
• Kavanaugh and the Politics of Bad Faith (“Why the modern G.O.P. keeps abandoning principles it claims to honor…Is Susan Collins next? Instead of attacking those activists back in Maine, she should be thanking them, for giving her one last chance to save her political soul.”)
• Climate change is real. Welcome to the new normal. (“Every human being on the planet has a stake in what governments do to limit and adapt to climate change, including leaders who, like President Trump, prefer to believe global warming is some kind of hoax.” Trump is a “hoax” of a “president.”)
• Boys Will Be Supreme Court Justices (“Kavanaugh’s accuser is credible. Will it matter?”)
• Echoes of Anita Hill, but in a Different Era for Women
• This is what happens when you try to jam through a Supreme Court appointment
• The Senate must hear Kavanaugh’s accuser in the right way. Here’s how. (“What matters is that this entire process — an FBI review, a public hearing with adequate preparation — be undertaken with a commitment to thoroughness and balance, not speed.”)
• A Timeline for the SCOTUS Confirmation Crisis (“…this is the first of what could become many moments where one dissenting Republican senator defecting from the party line could throw sand into the wheels of the confirmation machine, and two could kill the nomination altogether”)
• Brett Kavanaugh’s character witness Mark Judge has extremely disturbing views about women (and Black and gay people) (“Judge is the author of a memoir in which he described himself as an alcoholic who was often drunk to the point of blacking out during high school. He went on to become a conservative commentator who has promoted disturbing views about women and offered racist and anti-gay commentary.” Why am I not surprised this is a buddy of Brett Kavanaugh’s?)
• Every man should be worried. At least, I’m worried. (Great satire by Alexandra Petri – nice job!)
• Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Nomination Is in Big Trouble
• Trump Declassifies Russia Probe Documents in Latest Attempt to Undermine Mueller
• I Believe Her (“When I was in high school, I faced my own Brett Kavanaugh.”)
• Republicans fear reversals in November due to accusation against Supreme Court nominee (That would be such a shame, eh?)
• Where Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination Goes From Here (“President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court had been sailing toward Senate confirmation. But with Republicans wavering in light of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation of sexual assault, it’s all in doubt now.”)
• Brett Kavanaugh Can Be Held Accountable for His Alleged Actions at Age 17 (“The Senate need not punish the Supreme Court nominee. It must determine if he’s telling the truth.”)
• Right-wing media offers numerous defenses of Brett Kavanaugh: They’re all nonsense (“Right-wingers don’t even care if the allegation against Kavanaugh is true. They just want him confirmed swiftly” Evil people.)
• Donald Trump Jr mocks Kavanaugh sexual assault accusations with meme (Speaking of evil, how about the endangered species killer scumbag son of Cheeto Mussolini?)
• CNN’s Anderson Cooper unloads on Trump Jr. for spreading ‘idiotic’ conspiracy theories about him (Did I mention that Trump Jr. is evil? Oh yeah, I just did.)
• Kavanaugh claims give vulnerable Democrats in Senate cover to oppose him
• The Memo: Kavanaugh firestorm consumes political world
• Christine Blasey Ford’s high school classmates go on record supporting her (“More than 200 have signed the latest version of the open letter.”)
• Brett Kavanaugh has a pattern of implausible claims about sexual misconduct (“Let’s talk about Alex Kozinski.”)
• Kavanaugh argued no questions should be off the table when he investigated Bill Clinton (“20 years later, the SCOTUS nominee will likely face questions surrounding an alleged sexual assault under oath.”)
• Swine Waste Swirls Into Carolina’s Floods, Threatening Humans (Point #1 – stop raising animals in horrific factory farms to kill and eat them. Point #2 – to the extent this barbaric practice continues, it needs to be strictly regulated – for animal welfare, working conditions for humans, and environmental protection.)
• Sanders, Warren ask whether there’s room for both in primary (Nope.)
• Trump Administration Cuts Refugee Limit to Lowest Level on Record for Second Year in a Row (“No more than 30,000 refugees will be admitted next year, down from a 110,000 person cap in 2016.” Disgusting.)
• Internal RNC Poll: Complacent Trump Voters May Cost GOP Control of Congress (Haha.)
• President Trump just seriously escalated his efforts to interfere with Mueller’s probe (“He’s ordered the release of many unredacted texts from officials involved in the Russia investigation.” Appalling as always with Trump.)
• The Note: Kavanaugh fight raises stakes for midterms
• Flooding from ‘epic storm’ Florence isn’t over yet, North Carolina governor warns
• Sen. Tim Kaine speaks at U.Va. on the role of faith, spirituality in public service (“Kaine also touched on the events of Aug. 11 and 12, death of the late Sen. John McCain during his remarks”)
• Corey Stewart: Emergence of sexual assault accusation against Kavanaugh is ‘a bunch of crap’ (Actually, almost everything Corey Stewart says is a “bunch of crap,” which is just one reason why nobody should vote for him on November 6. Go Kaine!)
• Corey Stewart fires one of his top campaign aides, Noel Fritsch (“GOP U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart has fired a top campaign aide, Noel Fritsch, who had helped bring a far-right presence to the campaign’s social media and strategy…Fritsch had previously worked for candidates including Paul Nehlen, an anti-Semitic politician in Wisconsin who has run against GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin; and Roy Moore, the failed GOP Senate candidate in Alabama who faced allegations that he sexually preyed on young women years ago. Fritsch also worked on Stewart’s GOP primary run for governor in 2017.”)
• Reactions to Brett Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Allegations Highlight the Massive, Stark Difference Between Sen. Tim Kaine and Crazy Corey Stewart
• Rep. Scott Taylor Falling Behind Challenger After Ballot Forgery Scandal, Democratic Poll Shows (“Democrat Elaine Luria led Rep. Scott Taylor by 8 points in Virginia’s 2nd District amid lingering questions about the Republican lawmaker’s role in a ballot signature scandal, according to an internal poll released by Luria’s campaign Tuesday.”)
• Race for 2nd District could indicate how far ‘blue wave’ can carry Democrats
• Video, Live Blog: VA-06 Debate Between Far-Right Ben Cline and Progressive Jennifer Lewis
• In first debate, Cline emphasizes record while Lewis offers ‘fresh voice’ (That headline is super lame. In fact, Cline emphasized that he’s hard right on everything, also will do whatever powerful/polluting corporate interests want him to do. Lewis emphasized a progressive agenda that would actually help PEOPLE – what a concept!)
• FERC Lifts Previous (August 10) “Stop Work Order” on Atlantic Coast Pipeline; Destruction…er, Dominion Energy Predictably Celebrates
• Atlantic Coast Pipeline gets green light after federal agencies issue new permits
• Feds Allow Atlantic Coast Pipeline Construction to Resume (“Federal officials will allow construction to resume on the Atlantic Coast pipeline, weeks after work was halted when a federal appeals court threw out two key permits for the 600-mile natural gas pipeline.”)
• Editorial: Reissued permits allow pipeline construction to resume(The Republican Times-Disgrace editorial board is, as usual, a disgrace.)
• Smearing Leslie Cockburn in Virginia (“From the start of this campaign Cockburn has been unfairly maligned by her detractors”)
• Democrat Eileen Bedell Announces 2019 Candidacy in Virginia State Senate District That Went by 15 Points to Ralph Northam
• Pricetag of coastal Virginia’s near-miss from Hurricane Florence could be $75 million
• Tornadoes keep Richmond-area students in schools for hours after normal dismissal times; Chesterfield and Richmond schools on two-hour delay Tuesday
• Tornado touches down in Virginia, killing at least 1 in building collapse (“Severe storms and a tornado spawned by remnants of Hurricane Florence killed at least one person near Richmond, Virginia, leaving a trail of destruction Monday. CBS affiliate WTVR-TV reports that a warehouse in Chesterfield County was reduced to rubble.”)
• Live updates: Damage reported throughout Central Virginia
• Editorial: How to reverse rural Virginia’s brain drain
• Northam announces plans to tackle greenhouse gases, acidic oceans (This headline is flat-out untrue. In fact, Northam announced that Virginia would talk about these issues, but no legislation was proposed, let alone enacted.)
• Don’t blame the weather for excessive pollution in Virginia (“The extensive pollution is because of DEQ’s approval of plans that are deficient. The plans do not take into account the steep, highly erodible slopes through which much of the pipeline passes. The weather is not to blame. DEQ and the pipeline caused this pollution.”)
• Emergency officials stand by mandatory evacuation of ‘Zone A’ areas of Virginia
• Storms this afternoon then sunshine returns tomorrow