Primary Day Tuesday News: “Arctic death spiral speeds up sixfold”; “Trump’s possibly fake deal with Mexico”; “Gov. Ralph Northam Is Back, Baby”; “Feisty Virginia primaries closely watched for national trend”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, June 11. Virginia polls opened at 6 am today and close at 7 pm…when and where are you voting? (if you don’t know, click here). Also note that voting is at your regular polling station.

• Arctic death spiral speeds up sixfold, driving coastal permafrost collapse (“The Arctic just saw its hottest May on record.” STOP USING FOSSIL FUELS ASAP!)
• Trump’s possibly fake deal with Mexico, explained (“He says there are secret provisions that make it look less fake.”)
• Trump Says Mexico Tariffs Worked, Emboldening Trade Fight With China (“President Trump backed off his tariff threat on Mexico last week and pivoted back to his clash with China, vowing to hit Beijing harder. His growing confidence that the levies have helped achieve his goals without harming the United States sets up an even more tumultuous period ahead.”)
• Britain’s next prime minister could make Brexit worse
• China has hinted it may starve the U.S. of key materials for tech products. That could backfire. (“Only one American mine harvests rare-earth elements, which are used to produce high-tech goods, such as smartphones and fighter jets. But the mine represents the United States’ hope of weathering a Chinese trade threat.”)
• People in Hong Kong want their freedom. Beijing is about to say tough luck. (“A massive protest rejects a bill that would threaten the rule of law.”)
• Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader, ‘was a CIA informant’
• Trump’s Trade War Has Wall Street Forecasts Frozen in Place (“With no certainty about what lies ahead, analysts are standing pat on earnings forecasts. If they start to cut targets, stocks could be in for a dive.”)
• Senate Republicans Join in Rebuke of Trump Over Saudi Arms Sales (“White House allies Graham and Lee among those opposing deal”)
• Exclusive: Top Japanese chip gear firm to honor U.S. blacklist of Chinese firms – executive
• House Republicans use John Dean hearing as an excuse to throw tantrums (“Some didn’t ask a single question.”)
• Nixon’s lawyer lays out case for Trump’s impeachment in testimony to Congress
• Donald and the Delusion Discount (“Markets are treating Trump as crazy but harmless.”)
• This is worse than Watergate (“Today’s crisis is worse than the Nixon administration scandal — if not legally, then politically.”)
• Every Debate Is About the Climate Crisis, But There Should be a Debate Solely Devoted to the Climate (“Jay Inslee is leading the Democratic field on an issue that is already coming home to roost.”)
• Conflicts surrounding Jared Kushner “have only grown more distressing with time”: Harvard professor
• America Grows More Divided (“It’s the first time in more than a century that all but one state legislature is dominated by a single party. As each state’s dominant party pushes its agenda, the weaker one has grown more combative, resulting in a tense and vitriolic mood.”)
• Pelosi-Nadler alliance strained by impeachment divide
• Trash-talking Trump aims to weaponize impeachment (“Since Trump and his team have no say in whether Democrats launch impeachment proceedings, they’re trying instead to bend the chatter around the issue to their advantage.”)
• What Democrats should learn from the Justice Department’s retreat (“First, it proves that the department and the White House are operating from a position of weakness. They have recently lost two battles in court to prevent the House from obtaining accounting and other financial records. Rather than face criminal contempt, Barr decided to give way here, as well. Even without declaring impeachment hearings, the House has wide latitude to force President Trump and his associates (past and present) to provide both evidence and testimony. The president will whine and his team will bluff, but persistence will pay off for the House investigators.”)
• Justice Dept. Agrees to Turn Over Key Mueller Evidence to House
• We don’t need 23 presidential candidates. There’s another important role to fill. (“Some White House hopefuls should be spending their time on Senate runs.”)
• Rep. Justin Amash, lone-wolf GOP Trump critic, leaves House Freedom Caucus
• Top Progressive ThinkProgress Site Bleeding Cash and People (“The outlet has lost five staffers in 2019 and is looking at a $3 million gap between revenue and expenses.” Very bad…hello wealthy progressive donors, fix this!)
• Trump Administration Taps Hardliner Cuccinelli For Top Immigration Job
• Ken Cuccinelli Wanted to End Birthright Citizenship & Militarize Border—Now He’s Trump’s Immigration Chief (“The former Virginia attorney general officially started on Monday at DHS.”)
• Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights Blasts Cuccinelli: His “policy and legislative positions have been wrongheaded and his personal comments about immigrants divisive and intolerant”
• At roundtable with Kaine, local leaders demand gun control
• After Virginia Beach, Kaine Forum on Gun Violence Takes on New Urgency
• A short interview with Elaine Luria
• Northam could wind up with great power, months after he almost quit (“Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is back in the public eye, taking high-profile actions four months after his own party said a blackface scandal left him unable to lead.”)
• Gov. Ralph Northam Is Back, Baby
• Is Ralph Northam Trying To Pay Off Fellow Democrats Who Wanted To Impeach Him?
• Virginians vote Tuesday in primary elections that highlight tensions within parties (“Nominating contests come in a pivotal election year, with control of the legislature at stake.”)
• Feisty Virginia primaries closely watched for national trend
• Editorial: Today is primary election day
• With Virginia Primaries Tomorrow, SCOTUS Still Doesn’t Rule on “Racial Packing” Gerrymandered Districts Case; Primaries to Proceed Under New, Fair Districts
• Virginia Primaries Breeze Past Spending Records
• Editorial: Uncertainty surrounds primary election (“WITH ITS 2018-19 term winding down, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed down opinions in only three cases, meaning the court has yet to rule in 24 cases argued before justices end this year’s first session. Among those is a case argued before the court in March questioning whether the legislative district maps which govern the House of Delegates constitute a racial gerrymander.”)
• Virginia House Democrats Surpass 2017 Candidate Records (“Democrats are competing for at least 90 House districts with diverse representation”)
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Files Brief Supporting Environmental Justice for Historic African-American Community in Virginia
• Video: Former VA GOP Nominee for Lt. Governor Argues Against Reparations, Says Descendants of Slaves Better Off than If Their Ancestors Had Stayed in Africa
• Jon Sokolow: Vote Walter Alcorn for Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County Supervisor
• An election day that will bring new leaders to Fairfax County
• Long-Time Arlington Turnout/Elections Analyst Predicts Record 22k-28k Votes in Tomorrow’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Election (Frank O’Leary predicts Dem primary wins for Sen. Barbara Favola. Del. Alfonso Lopez, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos)
• Virginia Tech Is Investing $1 Billion In An ‘Innovation Campus’ Right Next To Amazon
• Virginia Beach shooting victim considered taking gun to work over concerns about colleague, lawyer says
• Blue Ridge Caucus: Northam recommends $4.9 million in Appalachian Regional Commission grants
• What’s on my ballot: Primaries happening Tuesday across Roanoke Valley
• Stoney names new Richmond head of economic development
• Loudoun newspaper publisher admits to fraud (“Brian Reynolds, a Leesburg, Va., resident with links to many high-profile GOP officeholders in Loudoun County, pleaded guilty in Alexandria federal court to fraud and illegally possessing guns as a felon.”)
• Two days of wonderful weather before rain chances return