by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, March 6. As for Virginia Republicans offering $1,000 for a photo of Mark Herring in blackface, I’d strongly recommend that they clean up their own racism-infested house – their own Senate Majority Leader, Tommy Norment, for instance – before they worry about Democrats. I’d also note that, unlike Norment – who is a racist TODAY – Herring did something racist when he was 19 years old and has profusely apologized for it. Massive difference. Meanwhile, and most importantly, Republicans continue to push racist POLICIES, like minority voter suppression and pushing “the wall,” while Democrats do the opposite.
- With Trump silent, no ‘sheriff’ in town on Pakistan-India crisis, ex-diplomats say (“Analysis: Instead of playing role as mediator, U.S. tilts to India amid growing impatience with Pakistan and its alleged links to extremists.” VERY dangerous.)
- North Korea rebuilding long-range rocket site, photos show (“Photos taken just 2 days after the Trump-Kim Hanoi summit show rebuilding at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, North Korea’s operational space launch facility.”)
- Trump has given North Korea a valuable bargaining chip for free
- Will John Bolton Bring on Armageddon—Or Stave It Off? (“The national security adviser could be our best hope for protecting the world from Donald Trump’s impulses.”)
- Democrats’ demand for Trump’s tax returns expected in about 2 weeks
- Steve Mnuchin Prepared to Swallow 10 Years of Tax Returns to Protect Trump
- Border at ‘Breaking Point’ as More than 76,000 Migrants Cross in a Month (“More than 76,000 migrants crossed the border without authorization in February, an 11-year high and a strong sign that stepped-up prosecutions, new controls on asylum and harsher detention policies have not reversed what remains a powerful lure for thousands of families fleeing violence and poverty.” The bottom line is we need to work on fixing the problems in these people’s home countries.)
- In the Middle of His Official Business, Trump Took the Time to Send Checks to Michael Cohen
- ‘Trump people’ are the ultimate victims of the president’s hoax
- Trump officials already stonewalling House Democratic requests (“Behind a fiery public response, the administration has refused or delayed turning over documents in 30 investigations by 12 House committees, Democrats tell POLITICO.”)
- The House’s Sweeping New Probe May Be the Biggest Threat to Trump Yet
- Senate GOP eyes big vote against Trump (“Some senators and aides say they think it could get as many as 15 Republican votes, which would put it in striking distance of a veto-proof majority.”)
- President pressured staff to grant security clearance to Ivanka Trump (Ivanka Trump absolutely should *not* have a security clearance. Nor should Jared Kushner.)
- If Trump really attempted to ruin CNN, he deserves to be impeached
- Trump launches political war of survival
- Trump Organization’s insurance policies under investigation in New York: Source
- Trump’s rollbacks would increase CO2 emissions by more than 200 million tons annually, report finds (“Attorneys general across the country have used litigation in an effort to stave off catastrophic health and climate impacts.”)
- Former Trump White House counsel Ty Cobb calls Robert Mueller an “American hero” and “class act” (“President Trump’s former White House counsel says the special counsel’s Russia investigation is not a ‘witch hunt'”)
- Poll: 65 percent of Americans say Trump is not honest (The other 35% are essentially cult members.)
- Big Majority of Americans Think Trump Has Committed Crimes
- McConnell preps new nuclear option to speed Trump judges(“The Senate majority leader is moving quickly to confirm appointments to the Circuit and District Courts — likely leaving few vacancies for the next potential Democratic president.”)
- Poll: Biden, Sanders lead 2020 Dem field followed by Harris (“Biden, who has yet to announce whether he will enter the 2020 race, leads the pack with 31 percent, the survey found. Coming in a close second is Sanders, with 27 percent support among Democratic primary voters.” McAuliffe is at ZERO.)
- Michael Bloomberg Will Not Run for President in 2020
- Dear Michael Bloomberg: Thank you for not running for president (“Michael Bloomberg is going to work on climate change. Good.”)
- Fox News Quietly Ditched Trump-Loving Sheriff David Clarke (Interesting. Also note that “Clarke is also no longer a senior adviser and spokesman for pro-Trump super PAC America First Action,” yet he’s still a FREQUENT guest on the John Fredericks Show. Fascinating.)
- How Much Does Nancy Pelosi Have to Worry About a Left-Center Split? (“She owes her majority to the moderates who won Republican seats, but she is in no position to ignore the energy coming from her left.”)
- Ilhan Omar Has a Less Bigoted Position on Israel Than Almost All of Her Colleagues
- House’s Anti-Semitism Resolution Exposes Generational Fight Over Ilhan Omar
- Can Anti-Semitism Split Democrats Like It Split Labour?
- Paul Waldman: The dishonest smearing of Ilhan Omar
- House Dems delay vote on resolution rebuking Omar over Israel remarks
- Study: How mainstream media Twitter accounts amplified Trump’s false State of the Union claims (“Dozens of tweets from major outlets promoted Trump misinformation”)
- Mainstream media figures adopt Trump’s narrative that House Judiciary Committee investigation into him is a “fishing expedition”
- Of Course Scott Pruitt’s EPA Stopped NASA From Studying Cancer Risk After Hurricane Harvey (“The agency worked with Texas state government to make sure nobody knew anything they didn’t want to know.”)
- Allison Jones Rushing Is the Latest Conservative Wingnut to Join the Federal Court (“She’s been nurtured since law school in the carefully manicured terrarium of the conservative legal community.”)
- Is This The End of Recycling? (“Americans are consuming more and more stuff. Now that other countries won’t take our papers and plastics, they’re ending up in the trash.” We need to move towards a “cradle-to-cradle” approach and stop having to throw shit away.)
- Report: How Trump Managed to Bury His High School Transcript
- A.O.C.’s Cohen Cross-Examination Creates New Freh Hell for Trump
- Brit Hume Belittles ‘Adorable’ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: She’s Like ‘A 5-Year-Old Child’ (Brit Hume is a seriously f’ed-up dude.)
- Democrats Are Turning Up the Heat on Lindsey Graham Over Gun Control (“Universal background checks save lives.”)
- The Democrats Who Flinch at Every Republican Attack Should Listen to Ulysses S. Grant (“Stop worrying about what Republicans are going to call you. They’re going to call you that either way.”)
- Who Could Have Guessed That a Global Existential Crisis Bothers Prospective Parents (“Thirty-eight percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 said climate change ‘should be a factor in a couple’s decision about whether to have children.'”)
- Virginia joins lawsuit challenging changes to Planned Parenthood
- From Scandal to Opportunity: Virginia’s Political Turmoil
- Northam Sticks to Script in Rare Public Appearance (“There was a brief mention of racial equity, which Northam says will become a key focus for the remainder of his term.”)
- Birthing while black: African-American women face disproportionate risks during pregnancy (“In Virginia, black women are three times more likely to suffer a pregnancy-related death than white women, reflecting a national pattern of racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.”)
- Ex-delegate Ron Villanueva to plead guilty in federal case (“It is unclear what charge or charges are involved in the proposed plea agreement. A plea hearing is scheduled March 19 in U.S. District Court…Man pretended to head Virginia Beach firm to win special federal contracts, prosecutors say”)
- How Is Terry McAuliffe Doing in 2020 Dem Presidential Primary Polls So Far? Hint: Very, Very Badly.
- Lies, Damned Lies, and Batting Averages: The Case of VPAP’s Legislator Success Scorecard
- Virginia GOP offers $1,000 reward for photo of Herring in blackface (This is so typical of Republicans. Why don’t they clean up their *own* house, for instance by looking into Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment’s racist behavior?)
- Luria’s office seeks wounded or disabled veterans for Virginia Beach fellowship
- Norfolk State University wants Northam to attend opening of new African American think tank
- In 2020 Virginians could pay less for tampons and diapers
- Hincker: Observations on the 2019 Virginia General Assembly
- Two Hard-Right Virginia Republicans Retiring. Unfortunately, They Are Almost Certain to Be Replaced by…Two Hard-Right Virginia Republicans.
- Sen. Bill Carrico to retire from state Senate; 2 seek GOP nomination to replace him
- Brian Holohan announces campaign for Roanoke County prosecutor; Sheriff Eric Orange to seek re-election
- Del. Debra Rodman considers joining Democratic primary race to challenge Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (I vote for Rodman to run for reelection to the House of Delegates)
- Richmond development, construction firms lobby governor to impose new permitting requirement
- Here’s what Amazon has to do to get $23 million from Arlington County
- Fairfax County Board Chair Candidate Jeff McKay Responds to Fairfax County Strategic Plan Survey
- Williams: Richmond added 30,000 people in 18 years. If that growth is going to continue, a lot has to go right.
- No money in budget to plan replacement for Central State, but governor could intervene
- Virginia Beach sheriff looks to build more humane approach to jailing mentally ill people
- Hinckley says he’s happy ‘as a clam’ but lacks close friends
- Review site ranks Arlington, Virginia, as ‘Best City to Live in America’
- Roanoke police chief offers ‘sincere apology’ for remarks on rape
- Editorial: Portsmouth needs public in waterfront discussions
- D.C.-area forecast: Annoyingly cold and breezy today; light snow or rain possible Friday (“The sun is getting stronger, and the days are getting longer. Yet so far neither is translating into warmer weather.”)
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