by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, June 28.
- France on red alert as heatwave is forecast to reach record 45C (THIS is the climate crisis.)
- With Iran nuclear deal on brink, world powers in ‘last chance’ talks
- Trump says no tariff reprieve for China, expects productive talks with Xi
- In Japan, Trump appears to make light of Russian interference during meeting with Putin
- Trump jokes to Putin: ‘Don’t meddle in the election’
- NASA Will Send A Drone To Buzz Around Saturn’s Largest Moon
- Two Supreme Court Rulings Have Vast Implications for U.S. Politics (“The justices handed Republicans a key victory on gerrymandering and gave Democrats a potential win by delaying the addition of a citizenship question to the census. The two bitterly contested cases addressed a fundamental issue: how the political system allocates power.”)
- Chief Justice Takes Charge, Irking Both Sides (“A pair of stunning decisions on Thursday showed that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is the new swing vote.”)
- The Supreme Court Is Not Buying the Census Excuses (“It noted a ‘disconnect’ between the Trump administration’s stated reason for including a citizenship question on the census form and the actual rationale for doing so.”)
- The Gerrymandering Decision Drags the Supreme Court Further Into the Mud (“Ignoring the racial redistricting problem won’t make it go away.”)
- The Supreme Court, gerrymandering, and the Republican turn against democracy (“A bigger threat to American democracy than Donald Trump.”)
- John Roberts Just Finished the Job of Turning American Democracy Into a Charade of Self-Government (“The Supreme Court gerrymandering decision is the final nail in the coffin alongside Citizens United and Shelby County.”)
- Decision on gerrymandering brings new urgency to Democratic fight to win state seats (“Democrats confronted a political thunderclap Thursday following the Supreme Court’s ruling that partisan gerrymandering is beyond the reach of federal courts, sparking outrage among party leaders and giving new urgency to efforts to win back state legislatures next year.”)
- The Gerrymandering Decision Drags the Supreme Court Further Into the Mud
- House Passes Senate Border Bill in Striking Defeat for Pelosi
- ‘Everyone hates this place’: Border bill tears apart Democratic caucus (“The four-day whiplash battle proved Pelosi, who often describes herself as a ‘master negotiator,’ is not invincible.”)
- Only 10 of 170 questions at the first Democratic primary debates were about the climate crisis, making it obvious we need a climate debate (“Less than 6% of questions focused on climate, and half of candidates weren’t asked about it at all”)
- Democratic debate: candidates fail to grasp universal impact of climate crisis (“The 10 candidates on stage in Miami accurately conveyed the urgency of global heating but missed chances to show how it underlies all key political issues”)
- Kamala Harris hits a home run
- Kamala Harris breaks out (“The California senator dominated, ripping into Joe Biden on race and delivering some of the most memorable moments of the night.”)
- Biden Comes Under Attack From All Sides in Democratic Debate
- Joe Biden’s Response to Kamala Harris on Busing Is Going to Haunt His Campaign (“He had 40 years to come up with a better answer than this.”)
- Chris Matthews Asks Kamala Harris: How Do You Not Hate White People? (“Sen. Harris, who is married to a white man, seemed taken aback by the question.”)
- 4 winners and 3 losers from the second night of the Democratic debates (“Kamala Harris took her shot and the night went to hell for Biden. She directly contrasted Biden’s record as an opponent of school busing with her childhood as a beneficiary of school busing, and made the night about both Biden’s past, and the divide between him and the party’s future.”)
- Kamala Harris Just Jumped Into the Top Tier (“But she also laid a couple traps for herself that could hurt later”)
- Democratic Debate 2019: Kamala Harris Won the Night
- Biden’s Bad Night Exposed Some Dangerous Weaknesses (“He looked old and ill-prepared. He must bounce back quickly lest it get worse.”)
- Kamala Harris was the Democrat you could imagine taking on Trump (“How Kamala Harris shut down Joe Biden and transformed her candidacy, plus four other takeaways.” “She tore into Joe Biden’s comments about segregationists and his record on busing in a way that left him sputtering on stage, and that carried the meta-message that she’d be able to confront Trump with the same cool precision. She carefully criticized the Obama administration’s record on immigration in a way that showed she wouldn’t be hemmed in by the Democrats’ past. It was a command performance.”)
- Trevor Noah: Joe Biden’s ‘Time Might Be Up’ After Kamala Harris’ ‘Brutal’ Debate Takedown
- Race flares as dividing issue in Democratic debate (“Kamala Harris and Joe Biden spiritedly spar over race with an eye toward primary contests”)
- Pete Buttigieg staged a public reckoning on the issue of race and policing during latest debate (“The South Bend mayor’s handling of a police shooting in his hometown was front and center during the second night of the Democratic debate.”)
- Kamala Harris Dismantled Joe Biden on Live TV (“Now the question is: Will it matter?”)
- Kamala Harris leaves Joe Biden a smoking crater in second Democratic debate (“Harris won second Democratic debate, possibly damaging Biden and offering herself as the one who can beat Trump”)
- Kamala Harris just changed the direction of the presidential race (“In several commanding moments, she distinguished herself from her rivals and positioned herself to lead the fight against Trump”)
- Kamala Hits Biden Over Segregation: “That Little Girl Was Me” (“Biden, in one of the most remarkable moments of the debate, ultimately appeared to give up: ‘I agree that everybody wants the—anyway, my time is up, I’m sorry.'”)
- Kamala Harris Makes the Case That Joe Biden Should Pass That Torch to Her (She might be right.)
- Harris stops playing it safe, and 5 other takeaways from a raucous debate (“The biggest question mark surrounding Harris was whether she’s too cautious. After two hours, no one is asking that anymore.”)
- Harris upstages Biden and Sanders with dominating performance
- Joe Biden gets slammed (“The case against him was ably made by his rivals. His case for himself was uneven.”)
- Biden falters in Democratic debate
- Kamala Harris’s Was Electric Taking on Joe Biden—and We Have Ourselves a Campaign (“The elevators in the stomachs of Biden and his people free-fell down to their ankle bones.”)
- Winners and losers from the Democratic presidential debate’s second night (“People underestimate Harris as a politician, still to this day. And she seized the moment in her first presidential debate, charting a bold course.”)
- Winners and losers from two nights of Democratic debates (Sen. Kamala Harris definitely a big winner. Pete Buttigieg did great, as did Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro.)
- Kamala Harris Stakes Claim as Top 2020 Contender in Clash With Biden (She’s very impressive, no doubt.)
- 5 Takeaways From Night 2 Of The Democratic Debate (“Harris showed in the second night of the first Democratic presidential primary debate why so many thought she had such promise as a candidate from the beginning. She commanded the stage, was crisp, and showed skill and courage in going after former Vice President Joe Biden.”)
- Joe Biden has a long history and a lot of Democrats are just learning about it (It’s definitely a challenge for Biden, and so far he seems to be struggling greatly with it.)
- NBC’s Chuck Todd shows how not to ask candidates about gun safety legislation (“Todd’s framing recalled false right-wing talking points that strengthening gun laws would necessitate the government taking people’s privately owned firearms.”)
- Trump Immigration Official Ken Cuccinelli Blames The Dad In Border Drowning Photo (Cooch is evil incarnate.)
- Ken Cuccinelli blames drowned man in border photograph for own, daughter’s deaths (Did I mention Cooch is evil?)
- Va. Gov. Northam meets with federal lawmakers; no mention of blackface scandal
- Northam, lawmakers have different takes on gun control session
- Committees Control Outcome of Virginia’s Special Session (“To get around the impasse, Northam has urged GOP leaders to allow votes by the full House and Senate chambers.”)
- AG Mark Herring, Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Don Beyer, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights React to Supreme Court Rulings
- Virginia Republicans React to Democratic Presidential Debate. And Yes, It’s as Idiotic, Dishonest, etc. as You’d Think.
- Geary Higgins is a Gun Lobby Extremist
- There’s a New Sheriff in Town…Or Will Be With Your Help!
- Recession Era Cut Continues to Restrict Staffing in Virginia Schools
- VA State Corporation Commission Approves Dominion’s Integrated Resource Plan
- Regulators approve Dominion Energy’s long range plan but warn of coming costs
- Request to stop work on Mountain Valley Pipeline remains in limbo
- NRA to hold town hall in Virginia Beach, weeks after mass shooting
- Spanberger announces town halls in Culpeper, Chesterfield
- Park Police officer defends actions in 2017 fatal shooting of VCU graduate in Northern Virginia (Uhhhhh….what???)
- Del. Danica Roem discusses transgender health care, rights at LGBTQ health equity symposium
- Virginia’s Paul Smedberg Replaces Jack Evans As Metro Board Chair
- Crews working to remove 3,600 tons of coal from Great Dismal Swamp (Coal is a pox on the planet.)
- Virginia Legislators Promoting the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Have Big Personal Investments in the Pipeline’s Owners
- Hollins University announces departure of president after two-year tenure
- Gun ban in city buildings, parks clears Richmond City Council panel; full council to consider it Monday
- Former state lawmaker Phil Hamilton released from federal prison — goes to home confinement (“Hamilton served as a Republican state delegate representing parts of Newport News and James City County from 1988 to his resignation in 2009, shortly after The Virginian-Pilot first broke the story about the bribery scandal.”)
- Heat wave peaks today and tomorrow, plus some more storms may threaten as well
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