Sunday News: “Step Away From the Orb”; Saudis Use “Troll Army and a Twitter Insider”; “Early voting hints at huge turnout”; Dodgers-Red Sox World Series

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, October 21. As for the image, that’s from the Haymarket Day Parade yesterday. From left to right, that’s 1st CD Dem nominee Vangie Williams, Del. Hala Ayala, Del. Lee Carter, Del. John Bell, AG Mark Herring, PW County School Board Interim Chair Babur Lateef, VA-10 Dem nominee Jennifer Wexton, Del. Elizabeth Guzman and Del. Danica Roem. Go blue team!

• Trump says US will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty with Russia (“Experts warn of ‘most severe crisis in nuclear arms control since the 1980s’ as Trump confirms US will leave INF agreement” So Trump’s trying to get us all killed in at least two ways: 1) global warming; 2) nukes. Great job, Trump voters – not!)
• NYTimes report shows how Twitter, McKinsey were complicit in helping Saudi Arabia silence critics (“Saudi Arabia reportedly groomed a Twitter employee to help it spy on dissenters.”)
• Scandal Over Dead Journalist Jolts Heir to Saudi Throne (There should also be a scandal over the Crown Prince’s war crimes in Yemen.)
• Saudi Explanation of Jamal Khashoggi’s Killing Fails to Squelch Skepticism (Because it’s an absolutely laughable “explanation.”)
• ‘There’s been lies’: Trump strongly critical of Saudi account of journalist’s death (“At the same time, he defended the oil-rich monarchy as an ‘incredible ally’ and kept open the possibility that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order Saudi agents to kill Jamal Khashoggi. The kingdom’s claim that Khashoggi was killed after a fistfight escalated inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul was met with a torrent of international skepticism Saturday.” Trump is an imbecile…of course Saudi Arabia isn’t an “incredible ally” and of course Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation. Also, Trump can’t speak or write proper English; try “there HAVE BEEN lies” not “there’s been lies.”)
• Saudis’ Image Makers: A Troll Army and a Twitter Insider
• G.O.P. Candidates Struggling in Key Battlegrounds, With House at Stake (“In Virginia, Senator Tim Kaine, who is rolling to re-election, has already done over 50 events with his state’s House candidates and is sending mail featuring Mr. Kaine and his Democratic ticketmates.”)
• Early voting hints at huge turnout (“Nearly 26 million ballots have been requested or mailed to voters around the country, according to McDonald’s tally. That’s more than the approximately 25 million voters who cast a ballot early in the 2014 midterms, either by mail or in person…McDonald estimated that midterm turnout could be as high as 50 percent of the voting-eligible population, a peak last reached in the 1966 midterm elections.”)
• Election Update: What The Polls Say In Four Republican-Leaning Battleground Districts (“The topline numbers remain much the same — Democrats are strongly favored but not certain to take control of the House. As of 8:45 a.m. on Oct. 20, Democrats have a 5 in 6 (84 percent) chance of capturing the House and are expected to pick up 39 seats on average.” Cmon, we can do a lot better than 39 seats! Let’s start right here in Virginia by picking up VA-10, VA-07, VA-02 and VA-05.)
• Sanders hints at reckoning with Warren over 2020 ambitions
• Trump Administration Eyes Defining Transgender Out of Existence (WTF???)
• Biden rallies union for Democrats in tight Nevada races
• Supreme Court halts landmark climate change lawsuit (The Supreme Court is basically a right-wing/Republican bulwark against progress in this country.)
• Clark County voters set record for early voting in midterm election (According to Nevada political guru Jon Ralston, “Clark County turnout was 22,000 as of 3 PM, more than TWICE what it was entire first day in 2014 and 4,000 more than any midterm here in history. Will get up above 25K, I’d guess. Going to be interesting to see breakdown, but bodes well for Dems.”)
• What if the Republicans Win Everything Again? (“Total victory for the G.O.P. would mean Trump unleashed.” Yep, which is why it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that you get out there and vote Democratic up and down the ballot!)
• Step Away From the Orb (“The Saudis need us more than we need them. We now produce more oil than they do. And yet we continue to coddle them and shield them from responsibility for their barbaric ways.”)
• Voter-Suppression Tactics in the Age of Trump (“The suppression of minority votes is the homegrown corollary of the Administration’s xenophobic rhetoric—an attempt to place a white thumb on the demographic scale.”)
• Trump believes Kushner relationship with Saudi crown prince a liability: report
• Religious Extremists Got Their Justice. Now They’re Going To Strip LGBTQ Rights.
• Virginia Absentee Ballot Numbers As of 10/19 Continue to Run FAR Ahead of 2017, Particularly in VA-10 and VA-07
• Analysts: Va. could see another blue wave this election (We need to make that happen – VOTE!)
• Video: Corey Stewart Smears Jamal Khashoggi, Spews Innuendo About Brutally Murdered Virginia Resident, MUST Be Overwhelmingly Rejected on 11/6
• Corey Stewart: Tim Kaine should worry about ‘his own Virginia citizens’ instead of Khashoggi (“The Washington Post contributor killed in a Saudi consulate was a Virginia resident.” Corey Stewart is a warped, seriously f’ed-up excuse for a human being.)
• Corey Stewart calls Khashoggi a ‘mystery guy’ and says killing isn’t worth clash with Saudis
• Mark J. Rozell column: Virginia may help Democrats regain control of the House (“Nationally, Democrats need to pick up 23 seats to regain control of the House of Representatives. With as many as four of those seats up for grabs in Virginia, look for a lot of national media attention here on Election Night.”)
• Pence, in Richmond, calls race between McAdams and McEachin ‘a choice between different majorities’ in House (Yep, they sure would be different!)
• Thomas F. Farrell column: Powering Virginia’s future with clean, affordable, and reliable energy (Lies, more lies and big lies by Dominion’s CEO Tom Farrell. Basically, take the exact opposite of every word he says, and you’re much closer to reality/the truth.)
• Virginia regulators grant key approvals to Atlantic Coast pipeline, clearing the way for construction (“Environmentalists slammed the state’s action, and the pipeline still faces hurdles.” I feel 100% vindicated that I supported Tom Perriello in the primary last year; just wish that he had won!)
• VA NAACP Troubled by State Regulator’s Refusal to Protect Our Land, Water and Communities
• Levar Stoney: More money leads to better schools, stronger students
• Amid a shrunken global market and nationwide glut of recyclables, Roanoke seeks to reset mindset on recycling (“After years of tallying recycling success by tonnage, the whole recycling industry is pushing a new message that a leaner, cleaner stream is better and that, in effect, less is more.”)
• Editorial: Take time to address pipeline concerns (“At issue is the nine-mile Southside Connector Distribution Pipeline project that, according to Virginia Natural Gas, is needed to link the company’s main northern gas supply feed in Norfolk to its southern supply feed in Chesapeake.”)
• Barbara Blake and Bob McNab: Immigration helps to build Hampton Roads’ economy, culture (Immigration is crucial to American prosperity. These are overwhelmingly good, hard-working people, many of whom will do dirty jobs that non-immigrant Americans don’t want.)
• om Silvestri column: Why 2018 will be the last year the RTD makes editorial endorsements (No loss there, as the RTD editorial board is right wingnut. But really? This is the reasoning? Because, as the RTD publisher writes, “a majority of our market doesn’t even understand the Editorial Page’s role — or, in a broader sense, how newspapers operate or how they do the work of informing readers?” Bizarre.)
• Waterfront home values in Hampton Roads falling because of flooding, sea level rise, studies show
• Dodgers Advance to Face Boston Red Sox in World Series (“Los Angeles beats Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series” Should be a great World Series!)
• Bright skies and a blustery chill today, then warmer to start the work week