by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, November 8.
- Jeff Sessions forced out as attorney general (“Attorney general’s chief of staff replaces him on an acting basis, to oversee Mueller investigation”)
- In Matthew Whitaker, Trump has a loyalist at the helm of the Justice Department
- Jeff Sessions’s ouster is not surprising. But it’s still shocking. (“The Justice Department is now in peril.”)
- Trump Has Found His Roy Cohn in Matt Whitaker
- Jeff Sessions firing: top Republicans warn Mueller inquiry must continue
- Trump, Under Scrutiny and Unleashed (“The Democrats made progress in the midterm elections.”)
- With Sessions Firing, Trump Quickly Tests Democratic Resolve
- Trump, the Midterms, and Why the Really Crazy Times May Just Be Beginning (“By firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions the day after the G.O.P. lost the House, the President made clear that he won’t be constrained.”)
- Democrats hope for miracles in close races in Georgia and Florida (“The states, which were letdowns for Democrats on the night they managed to regain control of the House, could see recounts”)
- The Constitutional Crisis Is In Sight (“President Trump fires Jeff Sessions and ushers in a pet attorney general. Welcome to the madhouse.”)
- The 16 Races That Are Still Too Close To Call (“As things stand right now, Republicans have picked up two seats in the Senate, but that net gain could be anywhere from zero to three when the races in Arizona, Florida and Mississippi get resolved…Of the 12 unresolved House races, Democrats lead or look like they’re in good position in nine of them.”)
- The Most Extreme Wing of the House GOP Just Got More Powerful
- A Trump-Fueled ‘Wipeout’ for House Republicans in Northeast (“Not long ago, Republicans held half of New Jersey’s 12 congressional seats; now they are possibly down to just one”)
- How the House Fell: Republican Chaos and Democratic Focus
- Trump Won’t Change Course — He Thinks He Won
- Acting attorney general could curtail Mueller’s authority, cut his budget or order him to cease lines of inquiry (“Within hours of his appointment, there were mounting calls by congressional Democrats and government watchdog groups for Whitaker to recuse himself.”)
- Washington girds for battle as Trump vows to resist Democratic probes (“Shift to war footing signals unremitting political combat as 2020 nears”)
- After losing House, Republicans effectively surrender fight to repeal Affordable Care Act
- Democrats gain hundreds of legislative seats, secure majority of state attorneys general (“The Democratic gains mark a significant turnaround for a party that had been losing clout in state legislatures for nearly a decade, allowing Republicans to loosen restrictions on firearms, push through new voter-ID laws and weaken environmental regulations.”)
- ‘Multiple fatalities’ reported in bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif. during ‘college night’ gathering
- Jeff Sessions’ Replacement, Matthew Whitaker, Led Secretive Anti-Dem Group (“Acting AG Matthew Whitaker ‘is on record as being more interested in propping up Trump than in upholding the rule of law,’ one Justice Department lawyer says.” Absolutely unacceptable.)
- Trump Tries to Escape Mueller Dragnet With Post-Election Smokescreen (“Jeff Sessions did all of one honorable thing as attorney general. That was one too many for Trump.”)
- “The President Is Very Depressed”: With Don Jr. Facing Possible Indictment, and Endless House Investigations Forthcoming, No Wonder Trump Is in a Bad Mood | Vanity Fair
- Trump’s rambling, angry news conference shows he ignored the message voters sent him (“In a democracy, conduct in defeat is not just a matter of intangibles.”)
- Trump Bars CNN’s Acosta From the White House
- What Sessions’s Resignation Means for Robert Mueller
- The Latest Drama in Trump’s Slow-Motion Saturday Night Massacre (“The president seemed to jump the shark at a White House news conference, threatening Democrats and reporters—and then he fired Jeff Sessions.”)
- Democratic Governors Will Now Lead a Majority of Americans
- Trump Will Only Get More Dangerous (“The dismissal of Jeff Sessions makes this much clear: The Republicans’ midterm defeat has made the president more desperate to undermine the rule of law.”)
- Kemp’s lead over Abrams narrows amid voting complaints in Georgia governor’s race
- Progressives Should Be Encouraged by the Passage of These Ballot Measures (“Thanks to voters in three red states, another 325,000 people will now have access to Medicaid. Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah all passed expansion measures last night… Both Missouri and Arkansas voted to raise the minimum wage — to $12 by 2023 in Missouri, and to $11 by 2021 in Arkansas.”)
- To Retain the Pundit License, I Must Now Speculate About 2020 (“If Tuesday night is anything to go on, Democrats have some formidable candidates waiting in the wings.”)
- How Trump lost the midterms (“Tuesday began the journey that will turn our country right side up.”)
- Do GOP senators have the courage to fight for our democracy? (“If leading Republicans cared about their oath of office, they would work with Democrats to protect the special counsel’s investigation.”)
- Thought the election might restore some order? Oh you poor, sweet child. (“The president is only going to get worse.”)
- Millennials’ political nightmare is coming (“The Senate is poised to serve as a reactionary veto to a center-left country.”)
- Trump is leaving a trail of ruin behind him (“The president is systematically alienating large and growing portions of the electorate.”)
- The midterm elections were a ‘pure repudiation’ of Trump and Republicans. Period. (“Not even the gaslighter-in-chief can spin losses this big.”)
- Democrats Desperately Need to Find an Effective Counter to the GOP’s Bigotry (“Donald Trump’s appeal to racial resentment worked better than it should have.” Agreed, it should have backfired BIG TIME.)
- Fox News was made for this moment(“With Jeff Sessions forced out, Robert Mueller’s Russia probe is in jeopardy”)
- Why Democrats’ Gain Was More Impressive Than It Appears (“They are poised to win more seats this year than they did in 2006, despite far fewer opportunities.”)
- Brian Kemp’s lead for Georgia governor may be smaller than the number of voters he suppressed (There’s no question in my mind that without voter suppression tactics of various sorts, Dems would have won in FL and GA, quite possibly in TX as well.)
- What the 2020 candidates learned from the midterms (“Trump has to bank on breaking the blue wall again and, despite Republican attempts, Democrats won their federal races in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania”)
- Beto’s consolation prize: Running for president
- Winners and Losers: Virginia Elections 2018
- House election results reflect changes in Virginia — and in women’s engagement (2017 was the year of the woman here in Virginia. So was 2018. Now, let’s make 2019 the year of the woman as well!)
- Virginia women are staging a political takeover. It feels like a Taylor Swift revenge song.
- Tim Kaine’s Policy Agenda For a Divided Congress (“Former governor, veep candidate sees opportunities for cooperation”)
- Virginia Dems Are On A Decade-Long Statewide Win Streak, But Tim Kaine Won’t Call The State Blue Just Yet (It’s not blue until Dems control the legislature.)
- Editorial: Corey strikes out — again (“33 percent. That’s the minuscule share of the vote that Corey Stewart received in Prince William County on Tuesday in his ill-fated bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Tim Kaine.”)
- Democrat Charlotte McConnell Declares Candidacy for Jennifer Wexton’s Virginia State Senate Seat [UPDATED: Jennifer Boysko Announces as Well]
- After midterms, Virginia Democrats look to make state gains (“Virginia is set to return to the national political spotlight in 2019 when all 140 state House and Senate seats will be up for grabs. It’s one of only a handful of states with off-year elections, and will host some of the country’s most competitive legislative contests.”)
- Virginia Republicans are literally choosing to lose (I’d say it’s partly the far-right Virginia Republican Party, and partly a changing – in the “blue” direction – Virginia.)
- How GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock lost her Northern Va. district (First of all, the 10th CD is trending blue. Second, Comstock voted 98% of the time with Trump. Third, Wexton was an excellent fit for the district. Fourth, Comstock’s campaign was ridiculous, over the top, borderline unhinged. Etc.)
- Virginia Senate election loss leaves Corey Stewart with uncertain future (Neo-Confederate Corey lost PW County by 30 points – he’s toast!)
- Rep. Dave Brat concedes to Democrat Abigail Spanberger in Va.’s 7th District (Poor Dave, those women really got up in his “grill!” LOL)
- Brat concedes defeat to Spanberger, sealing Democratic victory in an ‘unwinnable district’
- Legislative panel punts on medical-aid-in-dying proposal; recommends bills aimed at improving health care in jails
- Midterm voter turnout soared in Roanoke, New River valleys as first-time and infrequent voters came to the polls (Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to help Democrats like Anthony Flaccavento and Jennifer Lewis)
- What’s next for Elaine Luria? Training, hiring staff – and roller-skating with her daughter
- State board will decide permit for Buckingham compressor station, Virginia’s biggest environmental justice debate
- Dominion offers $5.1 million in plan to aid Buckingham community next to pipeline compressor station
- Mountain Valley submits application for new pipeline to North Carolina
- 4th Circuit orders temporary halt to Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Democrat Scott Miles to be sworn in next week as Chesterfield’s top prosecutor after Tuesday’s close election
- GOP prepares to fill 24th District seat left open by Cline (“Sixth Congressional District Republican Chair Jennifer Brown said plans call for a firehouse primary on Nov. 17 to select a Republican nominee…The announced Republican candidates include two members of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors, Ronnie Campbell and Jay Lewis. Catie Austin-Brown of Rockbridge County, a business owner, is also running. She is the daughter of House of Delegates member Terry Austin, R-Botetourt. The fourth candidate is Alan Ferguson of Amherst County.”)
- Democrats Hail De Ferranti’s Win Over Vihstadt As ‘Astounding Recovery’ From 2014 Defeats
- Editorial: Beach voters look toward neighborhoods
- Brisk sunshine today, rain Friday, and even colder this weekend
