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by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, July 4th.
- Scorching Temperatures Smash Records In U.S., Europe (“Scientists warn that heat waves are becoming increasingly common due to human-caused climate change.”)
- Governments and firms in 28 countries sued over climate crisis – report (“More than 1,300 legal actions over global heating brought since 1990, say researchers”)
- Even for a limited nuclear deal, North Korea may settle for nothing less than sanctions relief
- The Trump Administration Said It Wouldn’t Put A Citizenship Question On The Census, And Then Trump Blew It Up With A Tweet
- The Trump administration is still finding ways to undercount minority communities in 2020 Census
- The Trump Team Is Still Trying to Rig the Census (“The Trump administration hasn’t given up on getting a citizenship question on the census form. It should be devoting its energies to making sure the count is accurate and secure.”)
- Reversing course, Trump administration will look for a way to add citizenship question to 2020 Census
- 9th Circuit rejects Trump admin request to allow use of military funds for border wall
- Trump’s Border Obscenities Will Shame America for Decades
- It’s the Cruelty, Stupid (“Donald Trump continues to remind us that he does not care about the pain and hardships of racial minorities.”)
- Little Rocket Man (“Donald Trump is trying to conflate a patriotic celebration with his reëlection campaign.”)
- Happy Fourth of July: Is this really the America we want? (“The American people face a historical reckoning. Do we stand up against the crimes committed in our name?”)
- America the Desecrated (“Our president has turned our most patriotic holiday into an endorsement of cruelty.”)
- Trump’s hijacking of the Fourth of July just got a lot uglier
- ‘They started this too late’: Trump officials and allies anxious about July 4 fest
- Washington Prepares for a July 4 Spectacle, Starring and Produced by President Trump
- This July 4th Has Everything: Tanks, Trump—and Scandal
- “A magical event”: Fox & Friends propagandists swoon over Trump’s authoritarian-style July 4 makeover
- Don’t air Trump’s patently ridiculous 4th of July campaign rally
- ‘Happy hunting!’ Immigration agents swapped cheery messages about raids, records reveal (“In 2017, agents made plans to apprehend more than 8,000 people and described the work as ‘fun’”)
- Trump glorifies himself. Buttigieg glorifies public service.
- Justin Amash: Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That’s why I’m leaving the GOP. (It really isn’t; in fact, studies have repeatedly found that it’s the Republicans who have moved FAR to the right, becoming like a far-right, ethno-nationalist European party, while the Democrats are center-left.)
- Democrats Can’t Be Afraid to Gerrymander Now (“Unilateral blue state disarmament isn’t a good option. A better one is to codify the crafting of congressional districts with the aim of national partisan fairness. That way, blue states could either offset red state gerrymanders elsewhere or, if the national playing field is level, adopt fair maps themselves.”)
- Warren takes on Harris and Biden in battle for black support (“The Massachusetts senator is making an aggressive play for African American support — and the outcome could well determine whether she’s the nominee.”)
- The Kamala Train Isn’t Slowing Down
- Biden’s Iowa support crumbles in new poll (“A Focus on Rural America poll released Wednesday suggests the ground has shifted significantly over the past several months, with Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Biden currently clustered together at the top: Warren had 20 percent, Harris at 18 percent and Biden 17 percent.”)
- In Surprise, Katz Pulls Just Ahead of Cabán in Queens District Attorney Primary (“Tiffany Cabán’s 1,100-vote lead evaporated after the count of paper ballots, putting Melinda Katz 20 votes ahead in the hotly contested primary.”)
- Spanberger calls on Trump administration to pursue smart Iran strategy (Too late for that.)
- First Republican enters race to challenge Rep. Wexton in 2020 (“Republican Jeff Dove this week filed the paperwork to challenge Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in Northern Virginia in 2020, after losing last year to Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D) in a neighboring district.”)
- Gov. Northam Signs Executive Order to Advance Equity for Virginia’s Small-, Women-, Minority-, and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses
- Governor Northam Unveils Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Ahead of July 9 Special Session (Universal background checks, ban on assault weapons, one-handgun-a-month, Extreme Risk Protective Orders, etc.)
- Northam releases final list of gun control proposals ahead of special session
- Right-Wing Republican Virginia State Senator Amanda Chase: “It’s those who are naive and unprepared that end up raped” (Chase’s Democratic opponent, Amanda Pohl, Rebuffs the Appalling Rape Victim-Blaming )
- HD-100 Dem Nominee Phil Hernandez Responds to Del. Rob Bloxom (R)’s Secretive Meeting with the NRA Last Night
- Virginia SD-17 Dem Nominee Amy Laufer Responds to Homophobic Comments by Sen. Bryce Reeves (R): “I would be proud to serve with Adam Ebbin”
- Feds want to know health effects of coatings used in Atlantic Coast Pipeline
- Mining company bankruptcy stills 10 mines in southwest Virginia
- Will Fairfax GOP Reject Transphobia of “No Boys in the Girls’ Bathroom” Fairfax County School Board Candidate Tom Pafford?
- Editorial: RTD welcomes new associate opinions editor (“Chris Gentilviso, who has an impressive background in digital and political reporting, has joined the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Opinions pages as associate opinions editor.” Seems promising…the RTD editorial page has definitely moved from being a far-right cesspool, at least!)
- I-64 widening project almost another phase closer to complete, with expansion to go into 2021 (Widening highways is generally the wrong way to go.)
- Charges dropped against Virginia Beach worker who became angry when asked to return to mass shooting site
- Remains believed to be missing Hampton toddler found at steam plant
- County officials exploring options to manage rural area growth (“On Tuesday night, Stafford supervisors directed county officials to begin looking into ways to refine the county’s Transfer of Development Rights Program as a way to manage growth in rural areas.”)
- Norfolk students filmed a report about their crumbling school. Administrators ordered it deleted. (“Poor conditions at the century-old Maury High have been no secret. But top school officials didn’t like what a teacher said in a student news report.”)
- Schapiro: The parallel universe that is Hanover County
- Like a sauna today with scattered afternoon and evening storms. Same deal through Saturday.
