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by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, February 20.
- House Dems reveal new info on a shady White House plan to sell nuclear tech to Saudi Arabia (“Michael Flynn, Trump’s disgraced former national security adviser, was behind it.”)
- Intimidation, Pressure and Humiliation: Inside Trump’s Two-Year War on the Investigations Encircling Him (“President Trump’s efforts have exposed him to accusations of obstruction of justice as Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, finishes his work.”)
- Trump Has Publicly Attacked the Russia Investigation More Than 1,100 Times
- This Is Count After Count on a Bill of Impeachment (“A New York Times report is full of Trumpian abuses of power and assaults on the rule of law.”)
- Trump Asked Matthew Whitaker To Meddle In Michael Cohen Probe: NYT (“The president reportedly voiced his desire to put someone on his side in charge of the investigation. He denies it.”)
- ‘Enjoy your life’: Trump puts new attorney general in an awkward position from the start
- Republicans’ Cynical Excuses for Trump’s Power Grab (“Five ways they’re defending his fake ‘national emergency.'”)
- No one in Congress should be allowed to avoid voting on this presidential power grab
- California’s Lawsuit Against Trump’s Emergency Wall Is Written to Appeal to Neil Gorsuch
- Andrew McCabe Couldn’t Believe the Things Trump Said About Putin
- They All Know How Bad It Is. They Do Nothing. (“Andrew McCabe proves that at the highest levels of government, nobody speaks up about Donald Trump until they leave office.”)
- Trump represents the nadir of identity politics
- Clarence Thomas declares war on the very idea of a free press (“Prosecutors could target journalists for minor errors, under his vision”)
- Justice Clarence Thomas Calls for Reconsideration of Landmark Libel Ruling (Thomas never should have been confirmed to the Supreme Court.)
- Facing ethics violation, Wilbur Ross says he didn’t mean to file inaccurate financial disclosures
- Bernie Sanders Hires Top Progressive Advocate, Faiz Shakir, as Campaign Manager (Good hire.)
- This time around, Bernie Sanders has a tougher sale: himself (“Analysis: A victim of his own success, the Vermont senator’s policy ideas are no longer distinctive. To win, he’ll have to get personal.”)
- As Biden weighs a 2020 bid, Democratic voters are looking elsewhere
- Is the Insect Apocalypse Really Upon Us? (“Claims that insects will disappear within a century are absurd, but the reality isn’t reassuring either.”)
- The Latest: Sanders’ 2020 campaign raises $4M in half a day
- ‘The pope ignored them’: Alleged abuse of deaf children on two continents points to Vatican failings (This church is fundamentally, and almost certainly irremediably, flawed. This story is infuriating, as are so many other stories about the Roman Catholic Church.)
- CNN Just Set the New Standard for Corporate Media’s Chickensh*t Catering to Republicans (“They hired a right-wing hack to run their 2020 coverage.”)
- CNN Staffers ‘Demoralized’ by Hiring of GOP Operative Sarah Isgur to Edit 2020 Coverage (“The former Jeff Sessions flack has zero journalistic experience and yet she is tasked with guiding CNN’s 2020 reporting. CNN staffers and media critics alike are not pleased.” CNN is now officially a complete joke.)
- New York Times columnist writes op-ed filled with falsehoods on Pelosi and Green New Deal (“From the Green New Deal to international science, Bret Stephens confuses readers on climate change. Again.”)
- CNN hires GOP operative with no journalism experience to coordinate its 2020 coverage (“Sarah Isgur once referred to her new employer as the ‘Clinton News Network.'”)
- Ex-Sessions spokeswoman to join CNN as political editor
- CNN’s baffling, self-sabotaging hire of Sarah Isgur (“The network’s new political editor is a former Trump official who has never worked in journalism”)
- Trump grows frustrated with Coats, leading some to fear he might be fired
- Federal Government to Cancel Funds for California High-Speed Rail (“Trump administration halts $928 million in aid; Gov. Newsom calls move ‘retribution’ over wall suit” Yeah, that’s TOTALLY normal!)
- Poll: Majority opposes Trump emergency declaration for building border wall (“Fewer than four in 10 voters, 39 percent, support Trump’s declaration, the poll shows — fewer than the 51 percent who oppose it.” Anyone who supports Trump’s declaration opposes our entire system of checks and balances.)
- Covington Catholic Teen Sues Washington Post for a Reasonable $250 Million (The Post should countersue.)
- The Washington Post sued by family of Covington Catholic teenager (Uhhhh…)
- On Presidents Day, Sinclair’s Boris Epshteyn said the “presidents on Mount Rushmore may have to make room” for Trump (Just a reminder not to watch any “news” program by a station owned by Sinclair, such as WJLA-7 in Washington, DC.)
- Trump nominates Jeffrey Rosen to replace Rosenstein at DOJ
- Who is Jeff Rosen, the new pick for deputy attorney general?
- The 10 GOP senators who may break with Trump on emergency
- ‘Sustained and ongoing’ disinformation assault targets Dem presidential candidates (“A coordinated barrage of social media attacks suggests the involvement of foreign state actors.”)
- Jussie Smollett Faces Prison, Career Ruin if He Lied About Attack
- Trump’s New Defense: Congress Can’t Investigate Because There Are Too Many Crimes (“Why, it’s almost as if Trump’s legal supporters want him to be able to get away with crimes!”)
- Trump falsely claims Northam said he’d let doctors ‘execute’ newborns (PolitiFact: “Trump misstates and exaggerates Northam’s words in ways that fan division.” As do Virginia Republicans and right-wing provocateurs.)
- Va. House Democrats, GOP speaker at odds over who should lead in investigating Fairfax allegations
- Investigate allegations against Lt. Gov, Justin Fairfax (“The accusations against Virginia’s lieutenant governor are serious and must be fully investigated…Mr. Fairfax’s parabolic political trajectory — at first a rising star within the Democratic Party last summer — is on a rapid descent back to Earth.”)
- Rep. Abigail Spanberger quizzed on immigration in first town hall
- Lizan: Close the digital divide in Virginia
- Dau and Toscano column: Something’s wrong in higher education: skyrocketing college costs must come down
- Editorial: Northam’s second chance
- VA House Dems Reiterate Call for LG Justin Fairfax to Resign, Say “law enforcement investigation should proceed unencumbered and outside of the political arena”
- Virginia is on the cusp of redistricting reform. Lawmakers must get it right.(“The House version, drafted by Republicans, would hand the majority party a nakedly partisan advantage…Under the Senate plan, the commission would be evenly split between sitting lawmakers of both parties and non-lawmakers who would be vetted by a panel of state judges using a jury-like selection process, under which each party could strike applicants deemed hostile.”)
- Schapiro: Democratic take-back could lift Northam – but with risks
- Video, Photos: Former VP Al Gore and Rev. Dr. William Barber Hold “Moral Call for Ecological Justice in Buckingham” Forum
- Civil rights leader, former vice president take aim at Northam, Dominion during visit to Buckingham County
- Gore and Barber urge Northam to protect Buckingham from pipeline project (Behind a paywall, so read the other stories.)
- Lawmakers making last-minute effort to find funding mechanism for I-81
- Fairfax County Board Chair Candidate Ryan McElveen Signs Pledge to End Voluntary ICE Collaboration
- State Senate Democratic Candidate, Former Surface Warfare Officer, Missy Cotter Smasal Launches First Campaign Video
- Editorial: Signs of life, struggle in region’s economy
- Va. Democrat who was attacked for remarks against Israel wins election for House seat (Very low turnout, also low percentage for Samirah compared to previous Democratic performance in that district.)
- What scandals? Democrat cruises in Virginia special election (Actually, there was a significant dropoff in both turnout and winning percentage. Let’s hope this doesn’t continue into November.)
- Amazon skeptics hope to derail Arlington incentives
- An American Legion project offers affordable homes for veterans in Arlington
- Alexandria manager proposes no-tax-hike budget, no major service cuts
- Transgender bathroom policy, if adopted by school board, could help settle long-running lawsuit in Gloucester
- Updates: Accumulating snow this morning; ice switches to rain this afternoon and evening
