by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, August 20.
- U.K. consular official in Hong Kong disappears while returning from mainland China
- Facebook, Twitter remove accounts they say Chinese government was using to undermine in Hong Kong protests
- Britain’s Johnson opening Brexit bid: rip out the Irish border backstop
- The Grim Worldview Behind Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Push, the Hong Kong Protests, and the Kashmir Crisis (“These stories are all signs that national governments are waging a war against ambiguity—of citizenship, of territorial status—to enforce a rigid and uniform vision of statehood. Those who carry out and defend these policies believe they are enforcing order and protecting their societies from lawlessness, but they’re likely to result in a more chaotic and disordered world.”)
- ISIS Is Regaining Strength in Iraq and Syria (“Five months after its territorial defeat, the Islamic State is conducting guerrilla attacks as defense officials acknowledge that the terrorist group is here to stay.”)
- Sudan signs power-sharing deal as its former dictator goes to trial (“A stunning — but uncertain — moment for Sudan.”)
- World stocks rally as Trump steps up pressure on Fed to cut rates
- China could overwhelm US military in Asia in hours, Australian report says
- Right-wing extremists are a global problem. They need a global response.
- White House officials eyeing payroll tax cut in effort to reverse weakening economy (Wait, I thought Trump said that everyone’s rich at this point. Haha.)
- U.S. Tests Missile With A Range Prohibited By Now-Abandoned Treaty
- The U.S. must take Greenland by force! (“Trump likes to warn that Democrats want a ‘socialist takeover.’ But by annexing Greenland, he’d be the one bringing genuine socialists to these shores. Even Erik the Red couldn’t achieve that.”)
- Trump again appears to back away from gun background checks (That was inevitable.)
- Trump Goes Dark on Gun Control After Pledging Background Checks ‘Like We’ve Never Had Before’
- Anthony Scaramucci: I was wrong about Trump. Here’s why.
- Trump is melting down. Again.
- The Mooch: Ex-Trump Staffers Prepared to Testify He’s “Unstable” (“In response, Trump tweeted that “something big was happening” with Scaramucci’s wife, and called him a ‘highly unstable nut job’ and a ‘mental wreck.'”)
- Poll: Americans, Including Republicans And Gun Owners, Broadly Support Red Flag Laws
- Trump’s Rollback of Auto Pollution Rules Shows Signs of Disarray (“The administration’s efforts to weaken Obama-era pollution rules could be rendered irrelevant if too many automakers join California in opposition. Even as the White House was working to win over companies that have not joined the California pact, it was losing ground.”)
- Barack Obama was an awesome president — and Democrats shouldn’t forget that (“Barack Obama was easily the best president of the last 50 years — and he has the receipts to prove it”)
- How Much Damage Have Republicans Done in the States? (“Turns out making cuts to public services to fit an ideology of small government and traditionalism is just not very popular.”)
- Trump, Cranking the Crazy to 11, Says Google Cost Him “16 Million Votes” (“The president claims the search engine manipulated millions of Americans into voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016.” He’s completely insane.)
- Donald Trump’s Campaign Is Becoming an Exercise in Public Insanity (“If it doesn’t work out in his favor, someone is always conspiring against him.”)
- Mueller report fades from political conversation
- CNN Poll: Joe Biden regains double-digit lead over 2020 Democratic field (Biden 29%-Sanders 15%-Warren 14%-Harris 5%)
- Warren just emphasized her biggest weakness (“I’ve got no idea why she chose to make this a headline — again — just as the issue was dying down and she was managing to erase concerns about electability. Her nomination is not imperiled because she made a good-faith mistake in failing to understand tribal heritage. She is at risk because people think she’s a naive candidate who plays into Trump’s hands.”)
- Harris campaign faces crossroads
- New York City cop fired for illegal chokehold death of Eric Garner (“Police commissioner said trial evidence was too compelling to allow Daniel Pantaleo to serve as an NYPD officer any longer.”)
- Planned Parenthood leaves federal funding program thanks to Trump administration rule
- When Will White America Be Ready to Talk About Slavery? (“The 1619 Project delivered a long overdue history lesson, but conservatives didn’t even take the time to read it before calling it un-American.”)
- Fox host on New York Times’ 1619 Project: “I didn’t read it” but I assume it’s an attempt “to paint Donald Trump as racist” (Greg Gutfeld: “The slave article … I didn’t read it”)
- Tucker Carlson’s back on Fox and returning to his comfort zone: anti-abortion misinformation
- The Advertiser Embargo Against Tucker Carlson Is Working
- Climate Candidate Who Proposed Climate Debate Won’t Qualify for Climate Debate
- Searching for Hints About 2020, All Eyes Turn to a Reshaped Virginia (“’Candidates who are aligned with Donald Trump are going to pay for being aligned with Donald Trump,’ Jake Rubenstein, a spokesman for the Virginia Democratic Party, said.”)
- What Rep. Abigail Spanberger learned after clashing with progressives (“That week showed me that for some people, ideology matters more than putting food in the mouth of a child”)
- Progressive Voice: How Do We Make Real Progress After the Northam Incident?
- Virginia Population Projections Show That by 2030, the “Reddest” Areas Will Be (By Far) the “Grayest”
- Pressed for Who She Supports in 2020, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07) Gives Great Answer: “I’m focused on the 2019 elections as a Virginian”
- Video: With the Glaciers Melting and Clean Energy Costs Plummeting, Here’s a “Green New Deal Virginia 101”
- Virginia Crime Commission digs into data on mass shootings
- Virginia Crime Commission aims to pick up General Assembly’s slack on gun violence
- Virginia Crime Commission delves into data, what works to reduce gun violence
- 3 laws that could cut homicides 36 percent and more numbers on guns in Virginia
- Audio: “Alt-Right” Steve Bannon, Who Said “Let them call you racist… Wear it as a badge of honor,” Endorses Right-Wing Radio Host for Trump 2016 Virginia Campaign Chair
- Virginia and The Nature Conservancy Partner to Permanently Protect 22,856 Acres in Southwest Virginia
- Editorial: How unusual is Roanoke County’s all-male school board?
- Virginia Beach plans to gut and renovate the building where mass shooting occurred
- ‘Keeping Hope Alive’: Fairfax County Firefighters Confident Their Missing Colleague Will Be Found (“Justin Walker and his friend went missing during a fishing trip in Florida”)
- Arlington, Alexandria most competitive housing markets in the country
- Driver defaces LGBTQ street mural in Richmond
- A ‘unique situation’: Red panda triplets born in Virginia
- Hot and humid weather persists before a potentially fantastic weekend
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