by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 7.
- In Blow to Trump, America’s Trade Deficit in Goods Hits Record $891 Billion (“It is a case of textbook economics catching up with some of Mr. Trump’s unorthodox economic policies. Economists have long warned that Mr. Trump’s tax cuts would ultimately exacerbate a trade deficit he has vowed to reduce, as Americans, flush with extra cash, bought more imported goods.” Trump is completely full of crap, part infinity.)
- So Far, Donald Trump’s Trade War Is an Utter Failure
- What’s behind the ballooning trade deficit (“Trump has pledged that once his brilliantly negotiated deals go through — the new North American Free Trade Agreement gets ratified by Congress, China fully capitulates to all his wildest demands, the European Union and Japan suddenly decide to buy more of our cars, etc. — our balance of trade will turn around. There’s reason to be skeptical, however, and not only because some of these objectives seem like fantasies.”)
- Trump Wants a China Deal and a Stocks Rally. He May Not Get Both
- U.S. senators say Saudi crown prince has gone ‘full gangster’
- GOP wants Trump to back off on emergency (“The eleventh-hour effort to persuade Trump to rescind his declaration will probably not work, but it reveals the growing anxiety within Republican ranks about a looming vote to rebuke the president’s move. It’s a tough spot for many Republicans who both don’t want to publicly cross Trump and also believe the emergency sets a bad precedent.” Wait until a Democratic president declares a gun “emergency” or a climate “emergency.” Can you imagine the reaction by Republicans to that?)
- Trump is covering up for MBS. The Senate must push for accountability.
- Congress has new questions for Donald Trump Jr. about Moscow tower testimony
- ‘Not my fault’: Trump struggles to defend his record amid setbacks on immigration, trade, North Korea (So much for “the buck stops here” or “only I can fix it.” What a loser.)
- House Intel obtains new info, documents from Cohen in 8-hour interview
- Trump threatens to block networks from hosting debates after Dems reject Fox (Under absolutely no circumstances should Dems be going on right-wing propaganda media like Fox, or right-wing talk radio or whatever. Among other problems, it provides these propaganda shops legitimacy they most certainly don’t deserve.)
- Of Course Democrats Shouldn’t Let Fox News Host a Primary Debate (Again, nor should any Dem go on Fox – ever.)
- Democrats bar Fox News from 2020 debates over ‘inappropriate’ Trump ties (“DNC chairman says New Yorker exposé on Trump ties to Fox News cast doubt on network’s ability to hold ‘fair and neutral’ debates”)
- The Bloomberg bombshell the media missed (“Billionaire will work to ‘retire every single coal plant’ by 2030 and then to move America ‘as quickly as possible away from oil and gas.'”)
- Did Trump intervene in the AT&T merger to destroy his enemies? Congress must investigate. (“The New Yorker describes a president who appears eager to abuse his power to destroy his enemies.” That’s impeachable shit right there. Just imagine what right wingers would be saying if Obama had done that?)
- GOP senator says she was raped by superior officer while serving in military
- Executive Privilege Won’t Save Trump From House Inquiry (“The president’s ability to protect his sensitive discussions doesn’t apply to his campaign or informal advisers.”)
- U.S. officials made list of reporters, lawyers, activists to question at border (“Several people on the list told NBC News they were questioned at the border as part of what U.S. border agents called a ‘national security investigation.'”)
- Giuliani Says Lawyers Have Sought Trump Pardons for Their Clients (You mean GHOULiani? LOL)
- House Democrats poised to take the baton from Mueller, move toward impeachment (“Analysis: Democrats are divided over whether — and how fast — to impeach the president. That hasn’t stopped them from launching down that path.”)
- U.S.’s wettest winter on record is a ‘glimpse of the future under climate change’ (“A consequence of global warming is that the extremes around the world increase.”)
- Trump campaign ex-chief Manafort faces years in prison in sentencing
- Huawei fights back against U.S. blackout with Texas lawsuit
- GOP Panics as Trump Sh*t Gets Serious (“Republicans know where this is going. That’s why they’ll say anything to delay or deny the coming moment of truth.”)
- How will we repair our democracy after Trump? H.R. 1 offers a clue. (Note that EVERY Virginia Congressional Democrat is backing this, while ZERO Virginia Congressional Republicans are co-sponsoring it.)
- Trump hires only the worst people
- It Used to Be Frowned Upon to Openly Bullshit a Congressional Committee (“Now it’s just Wednesday, starring Kirstjen Nielsen.”)
- Trump Administration Seeks To Take Gray Wolf Off Endangered Species List (This assault on endangered species is 100% unacceptable.)
- Kirstjen Nielsen Says ‘We Don’t Use Cages for Children’—After U.S. Put Migrant Kids in Cages
- Republican senator admits the GOP would be going after Donald Trump if he were a Democrat (Of course. It would be relentless.)
- Brett Kavanaugh just scored a major victory against civil rights, and he didn’t even lift a finger (“Colorado surrenders to that anti-LGBTQ baker.” How about beer? I hear Kavanaugh likes beer! Heh.)
- Something is seriously wrong with Donald Trump: Let’s stop kidding ourselves about that (“Whether it was genuine madness or all an act, Donald Trump’s CPAC creepshow was evidence of profound crisis”)
- Democrats have united around a plan to dramatically cut child poverty
- House Democrats have launched an investigation into voter suppression in Georgia (There was massive voter suppression in that election, which is the only reason Stacey Abrams isn’t governor right now.)
- Sebastian Gorka is officially bringing his anti-Muslim commentary to Sinclair stations across the country (Again, do *not* watch any Sinclair-produced “news,” such as WJLA-7 in the DC metro area.)
- Gayle King describes interview with R. Kelly
- R. Kelly taken into custody after court appearance and following interview outburst
- Democrats Put Off Anti-Semitism Resolution After Fierce Backlash
- 2020 candidates raise concerns about House response to Omar (“In separate statements, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who are all running for the Democratic nomination, condemned anti-Semitism but advocated for more discussion surrounding the United States’ policy with Israel.” Agreed, that’s the balance we need.)
- Ilhan Omar, Aipac and Me (“The other thing that Omar and I have in common, as others have noted, is that we both don’t like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) — the organization at the center of the Israel lobby — and have spoken in very blunt language about its strong-arm political tactics…Aipac is a self-appointed lobby that does not represent my feelings as an American Jew. But neither does Representative Omar. Everything I have heard from her leads me to conclude that she dislikes Aipac because she dislikes Israel, because she does not really believe the Jewish people have a right to an independent state in their ancestral homeland.”)
- A brief, 90-year history of Republicans calling Democrats ‘socialists’ (“This isn’t a new phenomenon.”)
- Leaked chats reveal white nationalist group’s efforts to cozy up to the GOP (“Identity Evropa’s leader wanted members to infiltrate the Republican Party.”)
- John Kelly differs with Trump on immigration, mum on security clearances
- Ahead of court ruling, Census Bureau seeks citizenship data
- “Jeopardy” Host Alex Trebek Revealed He Has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer (“‘I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,’ Trebek said, asking fans for their prayers.”)
- What Mark Zuckerberg Thinks People Want (“The Facebook CEO had a change of heart that could recast the future of the internet.”)
- Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg says he’ll reorient the company toward encryption and privacy (“The firm’s focus will shift from a social network in which people broadcast information to large groups of people to one in which people communicate with smaller groups and their content disappears after a short period.”)
- Editorial: Something’s not right with water board (“Something here doesn’t feel right.” “Why have the board and Mark Herring not lifted a finger to do what they clearly do have the power to do, and issue a stop work order — or seek a court injunction to do so?”)
- YouTube has bolstered conspiracy theories about my daughter’s murder. It must stop. (“Andy Parker is the author of ‘For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father’s Fight for Gun Safety.'” Why on earth does Google allow crap like this? $$$)
- Tim Kaine and the war on zombie wars (“Virginia Democrat says he is slowly gaining support for a more robust congressional role in military adventures”)
- Zombie authorizations need to go, says Kaine
- Video: Rep. Jennifer Wexton Speaks in Support of the “For the People Act of 2019,” “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the faith and function of American Democracy”
- Elder abuse and neglect are on the rise. Is Virginia prepared?
- Virginia looks more and more like it has a full-blown medical marijuana program
- EVMS board created after Northam controversy won’t investigate racist yearbook photo (“The board’s focus — a study of diversity at the school — is a partial shift from how the administration previously described its mission. At an EVMS news conference on Feb. 5, school leaders indicated the board and a Richmond law firm, McGuire Woods, also would look into EVMS’ history of yearbooks and the controversial photo.”)
- ‘Dirty waters’ report shows Virginia waterways getting cleaner overall (Good, but lots more work to do!)
- Chesapeake Bay cleanup would get major funding boost under new bill
- Va. journalist Cody Weddle reportedly detained in Venezuela now freed: ‘We feel good’
- All Tobacco Products Banned At Schools Under New VA Law
- Sorry (Not Sorry), Virginia Politicians: You Can’t Support New Fracked-Gas Pipelines and Also Support Clean Energy
- Schapiro: D.C. statehood no longer a peril for Va. pols
- AG Mark Herring Fights Trump Administration on Seismic Testing in Atlantic, Title X “Gag Rule”
- Governor Northam praises state tax department on work through backlog
- Should Del. Debra Rodman (D) Run for Reelection or Step Up and Run for State Senate Against Siobhan Dunnavant (R)? [Poll Added]
- Va. considers how to spend next round of I-66 toll money (Transit, transit, and more transit. And bike lanes. And pedestrian improvements. NOT road widening.)
- Loudoun County fines Trump golf course for cutting trees in Potomac floodplain
- ‘Beating the buzzer,’ GOP candidate able to slide into nomination race to succeed Sen. Bill Carrico
- About those 39-to-Dick Black votes (“Turns out that state Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, is the champion in the one vote against the rest of the body sweepstakes. He, like Black, has decided not to seek re-election, by the way.”)
- Organic farmers say known carcinogen found in pellets dropped in MVP construction (“According to the manufacturer’s GHS sheet, the pellets were found to contain a chemical called acrylamide. The FDA says acrylamide is a known animal carcinogen and human neurotoxicant, which means it can cause cancer and birth defects.” This is totally unacceptable and should be a) stopped immediately; b) subject to appropriate legal action.)
- UPDATE: Stoney proposes 9-cent hike to Richmond’s real estate tax rate, 50-cent tax on cigarettes (“The two tax increases would yield $24 million in new annual revenue that Stoney wants to give Richmond Public Schools and use on long-deferred repairs to roads and sidewalks that he said the city can’t continue to ignore. Rising assessments are expected to generate roughly $22 million on top of the proposed property tax hike.” Sounds like this revenue is much needed.)
- Two Democrats now Running in Loudoun Chairman’s race (“Prior to yesterday, the candidates were Democrat Incumbent Phyllis Randall and Republican Challenger John Whitbeck. But yesterday afternoon former Loudoun School Board member Bob Ohneiser, a Democrat, announced a run for Chairman as an independent.”)
- Power project moves Peninsula in the right direction (Far better would be a massive push for energy efficiency, offshore wind and distributed solar.)
- Hopewell EB removes general registrar from office in unanimous vote
- Record rain leads to mold problem in Virginia schools
- D.C.-area forecast: Sunny and chilly today, light mix of snow and rain tomorrow (“The balance of the weekend daylight hours end up dry as rain focuses mostly Saturday night into early Sunday morning.”)
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