Wednesday News: “UN human rights chief is ‘deeply shocked’ by US treatment of migrants”; Acosta “must go”; “Perot walked so Trump could run”; “Mitch McConnell has a real challenger”; “Virginia Republicans did nothing on gun control. Voters must take action.”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, July 10.

• Who Is a Bigger Threat to His Democracy: Bibi or Trump? (“It’s a tough one.”)
• From Iron Lady to lame duck: Hong Kong leader’s departure seen as mere matter of time
• Why Trump Fears the Secret British Memo Calling Him a Clown (“Trump’s reaction to the story indicates that he regards it as especially offensive and even dangerous…The case against Trump contains so many damning particulars, it is difficult to narrow it down. But the existence of a written memo confirming the view of a close American ally that Trump is utterly unfit for office might qualify as one of those facts the opposition should bring to the public’s attention.”)
• UN human rights chief is “deeply shocked” by US treatment of migrants (“She stressed that children should never be separated from their families or detained.”)
• Powell Testimony to Be Watched Closely for Clues on Rates
• Border Arrests Drop by 28% in June in First Decline of the Year
• Federal judge blocks Justice Department from removing lawyers in census case (“The judge in the case said that before lawyers can get off a case, court rules require them to explain why they wish to withdraw and he called the DOJ request ‘patently deficient.'”)
• ‘I barely know the guy’: To minimize critics, Trump employs selective amnesia
• Jeffrey Epstein Was a ‘Terrific Guy,’ Donald Trump Once Said. Now He’s ‘Not a Fan.’
• The Jeffrey Epstein Case Was Cold, Until a Miami Herald Reporter Got Accusers to Talk
• “He Said Not to Tell Anyone”: How Trump Kept Tabs on Jeffrey Epstein
• Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were the only two guests at a party with 28 women flown in for the ‘entertainment’: NYT report
• Women see a familiar, ghastly pattern in the Trump White House
• I was a friend of Jeffrey Epstein; here’s what I know
• One thing is clear from the Jeffrey Epstein revelations: Acosta must step down
• Mulvaney presses Trump to dump Acosta amid mounting outrage
• Alexander Acosta must go
• Why Trump Is Standing by Acosta on the Epstein Plea Deal (“‘The administration should have gotten rid of Acosta after the original Miami Herald story,’ said a former Trump administration official.”)
• Barr won’t recuse himself from New York case against Jeffrey Epstein (Whatever Barr does, pretty much, it’s wrong.)
• Acosta on shaky ground as GOP support wavers
• Democrats Should Cut Off Alex Acosta’s Paychecks (“A government employee like this one does not deserve our taxpayer dollars.”)
• Two ‘significant incident reports’ obtained exclusively by NBC News (“NBC News obtained many “significant incident reports” that document dozens of accounts by migrant children held in a border detention facility in Yuma, Arizona.”)
• Migrant kids in overcrowded Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from U.S. agents
• Actually, Trump and his party don’t care about the kids in cages
• A Republican federal appeals court appears determined to strike down Obamacare (“There was no law in New Orleans today”)
• The Republican strategy to pass Medicare-for-all continues (“Republicans are determined to turn Democrats against private insurance forever.”)
• High anxiety hits Senate over raising debt ceiling
• When it comes to Twitter, Trump can’t have it both ways, appeals court rules (“The president cannot use his Twitter account for official purposes while blocking people who disagree with him.”)
• Trump is trying to cover up his dirty tracks on the environment. Don’t let him.
• William Barr’s shilling for Trump may have just hit a snag
• The Air Really Was Cleaner Under Obama (“Pollution is up nearly 14 percent under the Trump administration.”)
• Americans Shouldn’t Have to Drive, but the Law Insists on It (“The automobile took over because the legal system helped squeeze out the alternatives.” Right, and massive subsidies – implicit and explicit – plus non-internalized negative externalities for sprawl development, gasoline, etc.)
• California First State To Offer Health Benefits To Adult Undocumented Immigrants
• Mueller Missed the Crime: Trump’s Campaign Coordinated With Russia (“Robert Mueller made a significant legal error and erroneously cleared President Donald Trump and his campaign of wrongdoing on campaign coordination with Russia. Mueller’s errors meant that, first, he failed to conclude that the Trump campaign criminally coordinated with Russia; second, he failed to indict campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates for felony campaign coordination (see in a concise timeline below); third, the 10 acts of felony obstruction in Volume II fell flat among the general public because it lacked compelling context of these underlying crimes between the campaign and Russia. On top of these errors, the former special counsel said he deliberately wrote the report to be unclear because it would be unfair to make clear criminal accusations against a president.”)
• House Republicans spin CBO report to claim $15 minimum wage is socialism (“Skip the nuance and go straight to the worst case scenario.”)
• Will Progressive Groups Finally Abandon Susan Collins? (“When Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, ran for reelection in 2014, she had the backing of a wide swath of powerful groups whose agendas are more often associated with Democrats. With control of the Senate up for grabs, the Human Rights Campaign—which advocates for LBGTQ equality—endorsed Collins, as did the national gun control groups Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety. Environmental groups like the League of Conservation Voters and Environmental Defense Fund Action backed Collins, as well.”)
• Ross Perot walked so Trump could run (“…much of Trump’s 2016 future was cobbled from Reform Party pieces. Start with Perot’s strong aversion to free trade…On top of that, Trump would layer the “America First” attitudes and rhetoric that Buchanan brought to the Perot party. Trump would add the aroma of paranoia that made Perot and company prone to conspiracy theories…Ross Perot was the better businessman. After his GM payday, he created Perot Systems to compete with EDS and it, too, was a fantastic success. But Trump proved the superior demagogue. That’s the difference between a chapter and a footnote in our history.”)
• Ross Perot Was a Big, Loud, Transformational Crank (“His 1992 third-party candidacy changed the Democratic Party for the worse—and laid the groundwork for 2016.”)
• Megan Rapinoe’s message to Trump: ‘Your message is excluding people’
• Video: Tom Steyer Announces Candidacy for President
• Tom Steyer unleashes TV ad blitz
• Mitch McConnell has a real challenger
• Mitch McConnell Continues Glib Remarks on Reparations, Equates Himself With Obama (Sick, sick f***.)
• Mitch McConnell: Obama and I are ‘both descendants of slaveholders’ (McConnell is demented and evil.)
• Amy McGrath Has the Wherewithal. Tom Steyer Is Just Unnecessary. (“Two Democratic candidates jumped back onto the national stage Tuesday.”)
• Embattled Biden ditches Rose Garden strategy (“‘There are people that are all over Joe to get more aggressive,’ said one Biden ally.”)
• Biden campaign looks to correct early stumbles
• GOP at war over fundraising (“The RNC is pressuring candidates to use its preferred online donor platform and hit a rival with a cease and desist letter.”)
• The Queens District Attorney Race Has Turned Into a Battle About Which Votes Count (“With 16 votes separating Tiffany Cabán and Melinda Katz, a recount begins.”)
• Report: Fox editors suspect the network’s Seth Rich source may have never existed (Fox is trash.)
• Tucker Carlson Calls ‘Annoying’ Ilhan Omar Proof Immigration Is ‘Dangerous’ To U.S. (“Twitter users have called the rant racist and too far even for Fox News.”)
• Tim Kaine blasts Alex Acosta’s ‘illegal’, ‘sweetheart deal’ with Jeffrey Epstein in 2008
• Rep. Scott on $15 minimum wage bill: ‘I’d love to campaign on it’
• Rep. Bobby Scott, at schools equity event, says funding mechanism spurs unequal education
• AG Mark Herring Continues to Defend Virginians’ Healthcare Against Trump Administration’s Dangerous Lawsuit
• Video: BADLY Losing the Argument on Gun Violence, Their Caucuses in Disarray, VA House and Senate Republicans Ram Through Motions to Adjourn Until AFTER November Election
• Virginia is now election battleground in fight over gun laws
• Special session on guns: A big crowd, a quick adjournment, a post-election punt and a confusing charade
• Gun debate ends abruptly in Virginia as GOP-controlled legislature adjourns after 90 minutes (Run away!)
• Norment admits to ‘Machiavellian thoughts’ after introducing, then striking, gun control bill
• Audio: VA GOP State Senator Rips Majority Leader Tommy Norment’s “Cave,” Says “We’ve Lost the Debate Before We Even Got Started”
• Prevailing winds blow toward Virginia’s use of offshore wind projects
• Northam both a leader and a target in gun control fight (“Gov. Ralph Northam is a doctor who doesn’t usually wear his emotions on his sleeve, but his bedside manner changes on the subject of gun violence.”)
• Amid bitter divisions on gun control in Virginia, moments of understanding (I thought this article was some sort of parody/satire, but apparently not. Gotta love the WaPo.)
• Video, Photos: Gun Violence Prevention Advocates Rally Prior to Virginia General Assembly Special Session
• Virginia Republicans did nothing on gun control. Voters must take action. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Good job, Washington Post.)
• Virginia lawmakers won’t consider any gun bills until after November elections (The main headline should make it clear that it’s not generic “Virginia lawmakers,” it’s 100% Republicans. This is a huge problem with the media.)
• General Assembly adjourns with no action on gun bills, election 4 months away (Again, the headline should make clear why the General Assembly adjourned with no action.)
• Republican lawmakers vote to adjourn special session on guns without debating legislation (Now *that* is a good headline, because it’s accurate and conveys the information readers need to know right up front. Good work, Virginian-Pilot.)
• Seriff: Pipeline hurts, not helps, our economic growth (Yep, Terry McAuliffe was wildly, 180-degrees wrong on this.)
• In Virginia, observers saw warning signs for Blackjewel collapse, but what comes next is unclear
• UPDATED: Arlington Estimates $3.5 Million in Flood Damage to County Property (This is the climate crisis.)
• Arlington County Considering Jail Diversion Program for Mentally Ill
• Fairfax Co. leaders voice support for police body camera program
• Opinion/Editorial: Plans, processes can be critical to zoning issues
• Thief steals 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets in Va. convenience-store break-in
• Dry again today, before humidity and storm chances make a major comeback tomorrow