by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 3.
- Saudi Arabia will allow women over 21 to travel without permission of male guardianship (“The cage door is now ajar, but far from open.”)
- It Was the Week Trade Wars Went From Uncomfortable to Scary
- Spiraling Trade Tensions Threaten Economy as Trump Pressures China
- Protesters march in Hong Kong as rival rally supports police
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Was Invited to Meet Trump in the Oval Office
- Boris Johnson could be the last prime minister of the United Kingdom (“His do-or-die approach to Brexit could lead to the break-up of the UK”)
- Boris Johnson’s premiership is hanging by a thread (“The Conservatives’ share of the vote in the Brecon and Radnorshire region of Wales fell by nearly 10 percentage points, as they came in second behind the pro-European Liberal Democrats. The result leaves Johnson with a working parliamentary majority of just one.”)
- South Korea warns Japan of security pact risk, calls for ‘cooling-off’ in trade row
- Has the Jobs Report Become Irrelevant? (“Market reaction to the latest figures shows just how little the current employment situation matters to either monetary policy or investors.”)
- China tariffs pose risk for Trump in 2020
- “Really Bad News”: Tweeting About Cummings, Trump Hits Another New Low
- Trump Attacks, Then Says He Relies On Press To Vet Nominees (“The president blamed the ‘LameStream Media’ earlier in the day for his decision to withdraw Rep. John Ratcliffe’s nomination for director of national intelligence.”)
- Trump Drops Plans to Nominate John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
- Trump Won’t Let No. 2 Spy Chief Take Over When Coats Leaves (“The White House is planning to block Sue Gordon, the nation’s No. 2 intelligence official, from rising to the role of acting director of national intelligence when Dan Coats steps down this month”)
- John Ratcliffe (R-Loser) Gets the Full Trump Treatment (“The resume-padding backbencher raved at Mueller on camera and found himself at the peak of Trump’s regard. But like a gram of pure coke, there are consequences when the fun stops.”)
- Conservatives Are Hiding Their ‘Loathing’ Behind Our Flag (“The molten core of right-wing nationalism is the furious denial of America’s unalterably multiracial, multicultural national character.”)
- Detroit Debates Deliver Meager Returns for Biden’s Challengers (“Roughly one-third of Democratic primary voters still want the former vice president to lead party”)
- It didn’t take long for Democratic candidates to rush to embrace Obama
- Biden holds two-to-one lead over Sanders in post-debate poll (“The new survey finds Biden with 34 percent support among Democrats, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 17 percent. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is in third place with 9 percent support, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 8 percent, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 4 percent, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke at 3 percent and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) at 2 percent.”)
- GOP senator held up Trump nominee, demanding to see border wall contracts after Army Corps panned construction firm he prefers
- We can’t fund the progressive agenda by taxing the 1% alone (Agreed, that’s dumb.)
- The moderates’ health-care message can prevail
- McConnell’s new posture toward Moscow (“McConnell is free to take any position he likes on oligarchs and Russian money. But if he wishes to shed the ‘Moscow Mitch’ moniker, he’ll stop blocking the Senate from even considering ideas to protect democratic elections.”)
- ‘Take Texas seriously’: GOP anxiety spikes after retirements, Democratic gains
- Rep. Will Hurd’s retirement reflects GOP’s biggest electoral struggle in the House: Trump (“Hurd’s district is a big opportunity for Democrats.”)
- Hurd retirement leaves GOP gloomy on 2020 (“These retirements are costing Republicans real money next fall”)
- What’s That on the Horizon? A Republican Party in Shambles. (“Will Hurd is the sixth Republican congressman to hang ’em up in the last two weeks.”)
- The Last Black Republican in the House Waves the White Flag
- Trump Directs Government to Punish Washington Post Owner (“He’s going after Amazon as retribution for unfavorable Washington Post coverage”)
- Trump Should Keep Out of Pentagon Cloud Bid, Senator Warner Says (“Democrat says cloud contract should be ‘fair & competitive’”)
- Sens. Warner and Kaine join others to urge VA secretary to end anti-workers, anti-unions
- The Virginia Way, Part 2 – New Threats to Old Powers (“Virginia’s political class is facing the greatest upheaval since the days of Henry Howell, Jr.—and perhaps since Reconstruction.”)
- Virginia leaders say oil rigs and military can’t co-exist in Atlantic
- Schapiro: It’s easy to get it wrong in a write-in campaign
- Flip-A-District Friday: Beverly Harrison, Larry Barnett, Lindsey Dougherty, Dr. Ella Webster
- Virginia won’t appeal ruling tossing ‘habitual drunkard’ law
- Virginia, Finally Moving in the Right Direction, Stops Criminalizing Alcoholism (“Attorney General Mark Herring announces he will not appeal court ruling against habitual drunkard law”)
- Chicago remade its 127-year-old rapid transit system. Are there lessons for Metro?
- Breaking News: Federal Court Refuses Mountain Valley Pipeline Request to Remove Tree Sitters in Virginia
- Regulators stop work on 2 miles of Mountain Valley Pipeline in Montgomery County (About f’ing time.)
- It’s Beyond Time to Ban Gay Conversion Therapy in Virginia!
- Meet the Virginia lawmaker who protested Trump at Jamestown
- Amid Va. teacher shortage, Northam downplays livestream option
- Edward Simms is living proof that defenders of mandatory minimum sentences are wrong (Sen. Scott Surovell: “The same people claim no reasonable prosecutor would ever force a judge to put a child in jail for life for three offenses where no one was injured and that mandatory minimum offenses are needed to ensure proper sentencing outcomes. Edward Simms is living proof that they are wrong.”
- Charlottesville Survivors Protest McAuliffe Book Talk, Criticize State Police Actions
- Virginia’s top mental health official, Dr. S. Hughes Melton, dead at 52 following car crash
- Video: Del. Nick Freitas (R-HD30) Screws Up, Fails to Get on Ballot, Blames…”Partisanship,”Two Ralph Northam Appointees in Richmond” (Note that Freitas does NOT blame himself or note that the Board of Elections also allowed REPUBLICAN Terry Kilgore back on the ballot.)
- Fairfax County plans a historic solar buy—if Dominion Energy doesn’t stand in the way
- Editorial: The Democratic candidates should visit Southwest Virginia. Here’s what they’d see. (Broken record.)
- After Northam directive, Jefferson Davis’ name is removed from archway at Fort Monroe
- Two Stafford supervisor seats will be contested on November ballot
- No matter when Silver Line opens, Loudoun ready for big changes
- Editorial: Why does Virginia allow election results to be overturned?
- A few storms possible this weekend, but nothing that significantly breaks the heat
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