by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, February 11.
- Plummeting insect numbers ‘threaten collapse of nature’ (Great job, humanity. Not!)
- No Winner in a New Arms Race (“Are the United States and Russia entering a dangerous new era of unchecked nuclear weapons development?”)
- As Maduro Digs in, His Aides Hunt for an Emergency Escape Route (“Cuba, Mexico, Russia, Turkey all seen as possible havens. U.S. raises pressure on Maduro to get ‘outside the country’”
- A Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Thinks Trump’s Exit Strategy Is a Huge Mistake
- Shutdown looms as border talks break down over immigration enforcement
- Time Running Out to Avoid Government Shutdown as Talks Falter
- ‘Breakthrough moment’: Anti-Trump fires forge historic field of 2020 women (“The roster of female officeholders vying for the Democratic nomination now numbers five, more than in any presidential primary election in history.”)
- Scoop: More Trump schedules leaked as enraged officials launch internal hunt
- Jewish advocacy group calls on Omar to apologize after ‘stunningly anti-Semitic’ tweet
- Kevin McCarthy Promises ‘Action’ Against Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib (“Republican leader in House says statements by the congresswomen are equal to ones by Steve King, who said he doesn’t understand why ‘white supremacy’ is stigmatized”)
- Omar ignites new anti-Semitism controversy with comments on AIPAC (“The first-term Democrat suggests GOP support for Israel is fueled by campaign donations.” Yeah, that is NOT what’s fueling GOP support for Israel; it’s Christian fundamentalists.)
- Warren: Trump ‘may not even be a free person’ by 2020
- Millions of Americans could be stunned as their tax refunds shrink
- El Paso officials denounce Trump’s border comments ahead of his 1st 2019 campaign rally (“Beto O’Rourke is joining an El Paso rally opposing the president’s nearby.”)
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom To Withdraw Hundreds Of National Guard Troops From Border (“About 100 of the 360 troops will remain deployed under California’s agreement with the federal government to focus combating drug and gun smuggling.”)
- Joe Biden May Be the Last Hurrah for Moderate Democrats (Still not sure what “moderate” means, exactly, but I love how people throw these words around – “centrist,” “moderate,” blah blah blah.)
- Juan Williams: Obama casts long shadow over 2020 (“As Democrats begin their campaign for the party’s 2020 nomination, Obama is the party’s unrivaled powerbroker. He will be the biggest speaker at the party’s 2020 convention. His wife, Michelle Obama, might be the second biggest.”)
- Trump’s Nightmare Opponents (“Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown and how to be a middle-class fighter.”)
- Amy Klobuchar Enters 2020 Presidential Race
- 2019 Grammys: Here Are All The Winners
- Diversity wins as female artists and hip-hop triumph at Grammys (“Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga and Cardi B took home major prizes in a ceremony that provided some landmark victories”)
- Fox News pundit argues Trump is too ignorant to make racist taunt about Native American genocide (“See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”)
- Twitter reminds Trump of his own racism after he tries to speak for African Americans (“A revealing trip down memory lane.” And yet I don’t hear Republicans calling on Trump to resign or at least condemning him. Why not?)
- Fox & Friends host says he hasn’t washed hands in 10 years: ‘Germs are not a real thing — I can’t see them’ (Yep, that’s about the mentality level of Fox.)
- Mistress’ Brother Leaked Bezos’ Racy Texts to Enquirer, Sources Say (“Multiple sources tell The Daily Beast that Michael Sanchez, a Trumpworld associate and brother to Bezos’ lover, gave the couple’s texts to the National Enquirer.”)
- CNN Wants to Avoid the Mistakes of 2016. But It Doesn’t Yet Know How. (“Democrats fear the cable news giant is, once again, valuing celebrity over everything else.” CNN sucks.)
- GOP Rep. Walter Jones dies at 76
- ‘This is bullsh*t’: Ex-Republican Howard Schultz consultant storms off after he’s asked about his candidate
- For Virginia Governor Grappling With Race, a Childhood Trying to See Beyond It
- Question: Has ANYONE (Rs? Ds? Media?) Called on Racist VA Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R) to Resign? Nobody? Why NOT???
- In first TV interview since blackface scandal, Northam says, ‘I’m not going anywhere’ (“The first Africans brought to Virginia were captured in Angola and brought in a slave ship, but Virginia did not have a formal legal system for slavery in 1619. There appears to have been some ambiguity over their legal status, with some still forced to work for life while others had a path to freedom, according to the National Park Service. Asked to clarify Northam’s remarks, a spokeswoman for the governor pointed to news accounts that said Africans were treated as indentured servants before slave laws were written.”)
- Video: Ralph Northam Keeps Opening Mouth, Inserting Foot (“Indentured Servants” vs. “Slaves”), Showing He Still Doesn’t Get It
- Va. Democrats weigh initiation of impeachment proceedings against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax
- Virginia Democrats reiterate calls for Northam, Fairfax to resign
- Transcript: Rep. Jennifer Wexton on “Face the Nation,” February 10, 2019
- Transcript: Rep. Don Beyer on “Face the Nation,” February 10, 2019
- Polls show Virginians are divided on Ralph Northam. The jury’s still out on Justin Fairfax. (“A majority of black Virginians, meanwhile, still back the governor even despite his blackface scandal”)
- Possible impeachment could further upend Virginia politics
- Virginia State Leaders Hold On Tight To Office After More Than A Week Of Turmoil
- Democrats looking for a clear path forward from Va. scandals
- ‘Here it goes again’: Virginia grapples with epic wave of political dysfunction (“Residents reeling from two weeks of controversy largely rooted in the state’s racially fraught past wonder when and how it all ends.”)
- With impeachment threat against Fairfax, Virginia’s political crisis enters uncharted territory (“The General Assembly last considered impeachment in the 1940s, when lawmakers tried to remove a judge. But there are no examples of an executive branch officeholder being impeached in the modern era, adding to the procedural and legal uncertainty surrounding Fairfax’s case if he resists bipartisan calls to resign…It’s not clear if a majority of Republicans and Democrats in the House of Delegates — the body empowered to begin impeachments — would support such a process. If they did, it could be days or weeks before a final vote on Fairfax’s fate.”)
- Del. Patrick Hope’s House Resolution Starting the Impeachment Process Against LG Justin Fairfax
- Editorial: Was Virginia’s sense of racial progress all a lie?
- With EVMS in spotlight over racist photos, 1980s alumni recall an intense, collegial atmosphere
- ‘We can’t change what we never chose:’ A second state board agrees to ban conversion therapy
- Southwest Virginia lawmakers push legislation to boost a struggling region (I thought these right-wing Republican lawmakers hated the government and believe that the capitalist system/”freedom” can solve everything. Now they want government to help? Hmmmm.)
- Editorial: See coal ash abatement deal through
- Week kicks off with a cold, wintry mess (“Slick spots and delays possible both Monday and Tuesday mornings.”)
