by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, April 29.
- Spain’s Socialist Party wins snap election as far right prepares to enter parliament (“The Socialists, the party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, were projected to win 121 of 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, while the traditional center-right Popular Party appeared to suffer heavy losses.”)
- Spain’s Socialists, short of majority, weigh partners for forming government
- U.S.-China Talks to Resume With Significant Issues Unresolved
- As trade talks reach endgame, U.S.-China ties could hinge on enforcement
- Two US warships sail through Taiwan Strait in challenge to China (“Destroyers William P Lawrence and Stethem transited through the waterway on Sunday as Pentagon ups the ante with Beijing”)
- Trump prepares to fight back against investigations as Congress returns to work (“Lawmakers have been on recess since the release of a redacted version of the Mueller report earlier this month, sparing Republicans from being forced to weigh in on its picture of lying and chicanery, though apparently no crimes in the Trump White House.”)
- The shooting had barely stopped, but this rabbi needed everyone to know terrorism wouldn’t take them down
- Richard Lugar, six-term senator and leading voice on foreign policy, dies at 87 (A reminder of a time when the Republican Party was sane and responsible. No longer.)
- Trump’s anti-abortion rhetoric is getting out of control (We’ve heard this lunacy from a bunch of Virginia Republicans as well.)
- Trump Repeats a False Claim That Doctors ‘Execute’ Newborns (Anyone who says false and dangerous crap like this, including a bunch of Virginia Republicans, should be automatically eliminated from consideration for anyone’s vote.)
- House Democrats get a spending jump on the Senate (“By marking up 2020 appropriations bills first, they aim to exert some leverage on spending caps talks”)
- Bill Barr Doubles Down on the Coverup
- Rising tide of white nationalism is at forefront of 2020 presidential race (“President Trump’s defense of Charlottesville comments and the subsequent shooting at a California synagogue have put Trump on the defensive and prompted even some Republicans to acknowledge that the president is taking a political risk by continuing to stand by his words.”)
- Attorney general may withdraw from Mueller report hearing over terms of his testimony, House Democrats say
- How social media and political division are feeding attacks on religious institutions (“Amplified by the Internet, timeworn myths are inspiring a wave of anti-religious terrorism.”)
- ‘I’m done’: Lindsey Graham says nothing Trump said about firing Robert Mueller matters (“Once again, the South Carolina Republican has completely contradicted his earlier comments about presidential ethics.”)
- Democrats see Biden as wobbly 2020 front-runner (“The former veep’s entry into the race opens a more confrontational phase of the campaign.”)
- The Fickle Over the Faithful (“…there is part of the Biden enthusiasm, and to a lesser extent the energy around candidates like Bernie Sanders, that focuses too heavily on the fickle white, working-class swing voters and is not enough focused on the party’s faithful.”)
- Trump’s Tariffs End or His Trade Deal Dies (Chuck Grassley: “Congress won’t approve USMCA while constituents pay the price for Mexican and Canadian retaliation.”)
- Top Dem strategists launch secret-money group to rebrand party (“The organization, Future Majority, has a $60 million budget and will focus on the Midwestern states likely to swing the 2020 election.”)
- President Trump has made more than 10,000 false or misleading claims
- Nominate a woman? Some Democratic women aren’t so sure (Across Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, three of the first states to hold 2020 nominating contests, dozens of women told The Associated Press that they are worried about whether the country is ready to elect a woman as president. Their concerns are political and personal, rooted as much in fear of repeating Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss to Trump as in their own experiences with sexism and gender discrimination.’)
- New group launches to harness political power of women (“Dubbed Supermajority, the organization is the creation of Cecile Richards, the former head of Planned Parenthood; Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter; and Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. The group, which describes itself as multiracial and intergenerational, has a goal of training and mobilizing 2 million women over the next year to become organizers and political leaders in their communities.”)
- Can Biden be the helmsman who gets us past the storm? (“Those who see Trump as a disaster will have to decide if they want tranquility over adventure.”)
- For a man who considers himself to be a dealmaker, Trump is avoiding a lot of deals (“U.S. policy is seemingly precluding any bargaining by our would-be closer in chief.”)
- Trump on collision course with McConnell on spending
- Lindsey Graham’s shamelessness (“Graham is far from the first hypocritical politician. But the senator prides himself on being no-nonsense.”)
- Juan Williams: The reality of the Trump economy (“After almost two-and-a-half years with Trump in the White House — including two years with Republican control of both houses of Congress — the middle class is getting squeezed to a pulp.”)
- An Unexpected Current That’s Remaking American Politics (“New forms of electricity storage are making the grid more renewable and more reliable—and may change the politics of climate change.”)
- Michael Cohen’s Last Days of Freedom (“These days, the President’s former lawyer, and the fall guy in his web of misconduct, looks like a victim as well as a perpetrator.”)
- Why the Democratic Presidential Candidates Aren’t Saying Much About Guns (“In some ways, the movement has become a victim of its own success–the so-called Parkland Effect has produced so much Democratic unity around gun reform that there’s no longer much room for the candidates to stand out.”)
- “It’s a Different World Now”: Will Hollywood Dump Kamala for Mayor Pete? (“Until recently, it looked like Harris had the lock on Hollywood royalty like Jeffrey Katzenberg. Then along came Buttigieg—Rhodes Scholar, vet, polyglot, Middle American demolisher of glass ceilings—and suddenly L.A. power donors are in love all over again. Inside the invisible primary of the Beverly Hills elite.”)
- As in 2018, health care ranks among Trump’s 2020 challenges (POLL)
- The number of people jailed in U.S. prisons is at a decade low. It’s still too high. (“Incarceration rates have steadily declined, but more work must be done at both the federal and state levels.”)
- Chaz Nuttycombe’s Latest Ratings Project Dem Gains of 1 Seat in Virginia House of Delegates, 1 Seat in State Senate
- Democratic House of Delegates Candidate Calls Out “Staggering Both-sides-ism” in This Morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch
- ‘A starting point:’ Virginia takes steps to protect striped bass numbers in Chesapeake Bay
- Editorial: Curbing emissions requires bold steps (“Opponents argue that RGGI participation would harm the state’s business friendly reputation. In reality, it would make it clear that Virginia is doing what it can to protect businesses, industries and our way of life. The time for such arguments is past. Climate change and rising seas threaten Hampton Roads now, and Virginia must do what’s necessary to lead the charge to reduce emissions, limit warming and save coastal communities such as those in Hampton Roads. “)
- Third Annual Mother’s Day Climate Rally Features Youth Climate Leader Alexandria Villaseñor
- Kaine huddles with ‘Hoos on the Corner
- Hometown pride, hope for future events as Something in the Water draws to a close
- A crisp start to the week but then a midweek shot of summer (“As we exit April and enter May this week, spring and summer tug back and forth.”)
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