by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, November 2. Polls open in under 72 hours…
- ‘Ecological breakdown’: Greta Thunberg and youth activists rally as wildfires burn (“The Swedish climate activist joined more than 1,000 people for an afternoon of youth-led climate action in Los Angeles”)
- Saudi Crown Prince Gives Green Light for Aramco IPO
- Fracking banned in UK as government makes major U-turn (“Victory for green groups follows damning scientific study and criticism from spending watchdog”)
- The Whimpering Terrorist Only Trump Seems to Have Heard (Looks like Trump made shit up yet again.)
- White House official who heard Trump’s Ukraine call testified that he was told to keep quiet (“Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that he received the directive from John Eisenberg, the top legal adviser for the National Security Council, after White House lawyers learned that a CIA employee had raised concerns about the phone call, according to people familiar with Vindman’s testimony.”)
- Top White House official tried to find out if ambassador went rogue or acted at Trump’s direction on Ukraine
- Pelosi Expects Public Impeachment Hearings to Begin This Month
- As Trump moves to bully witnesses and derail impeachment, Democrats see obstruction (The headline should say there objectively IS obstruction, not that “Democrats see” it.)
- Growing number of GOP senators consider acknowledging Trump’s quid pro quo on Ukraine (“Facing mounting evidence, some Senate Republicans argued privately this week that they should acknowledge the arrangement while saying it was not illegal and not impeachable.” Of course it’s impeachable.)
- A Guide To Republicans’ Flailing Defenses Of The Trump-Ukraine Scandal (“Without a coherent response from the White House, Trump’s supporters have been wildly pinballing across a range of unconvincing arguments.”)
- Republicans go lower: They’re publicly spreading the name of purported Ukraine whistleblower (“Rep. Louie Gohmert dropped the name during a public hearing while Rand Paul shared it with millions on Twitter” Gohmert and Paul are two of the worst of the worst.)
- The McCarthyism of Donald Trump
- U.S. energy chief Perry refuses to testify in Trump impeachment inquiry
- Trump to Mississippi rally crowd: Impeachment is an affront to you (As usual, Trump has it completely backwards; in fact, it’s HIS BEHAVIOR that’s the “affront,” while upholding the rule of law is the 100% correct thing to do.)
- Fox News Poll: Record support for Trump impeachment (“A new high of 51 percent wants Trump impeached and removed from office, another 4 percent want him impeached but not removed, and 40 percent oppose impeachment altogether.”)
- Sorry, pundits: The problem isn’t “polarization” — Republicans have lost their damn minds (“Mainstream media loves the ‘both sides’ narrative. But the real problem is that the GOP has snapped the tether” Yep, it’s not “partisanship” or “Washington” either.)
- ‘This is going to cause down-ballot damage’: Warren’s $20 trillion health plan fails to quiet critics
- How Warren’s plan changes the terms of the ‘Medicare for All’ debate (“Analysis: The 2020 Democrat’s front-runner status made her a target, and her careful positioning could insulate her from some, but not all, attacks on the issue.”)
- Did Warren Pass the Medicare Test? I Think So (“Her plan is serious, even if it probably won’t happen.”)
- Warren Derides Biden as Running in ‘Wrong Presidential Primary’
- Beto O’Rourke exits — and leaves broken hearts in his wake
- What we can learn from Beto O’Rourke (“The premise of the O’Rourke campaign — an eloquent and moderate uniter — almost worked in a Senate race. But in a crowded field, he seemed in over his head — better known for jumping on counters and casting out a gun confiscation scheme than in establishing himself as the RFK whom so many Democrats thought he might turn out to be.”)
- The End of Betomania (“Beto O’Rourke’s meme-ready instincts and hope-and-change flourishes seemed like a credible bet to counter President Trump. Until they didn’t.”)
- Why Beto O’Rourke’s Campaign Failed
- Beto O’Rourke quits presidential race amid financial strain, lagging popularity (“The former Texas congressman shined in a 2018 Senate race in Texas but was unable to translate his fundraising prowess and campaign swagger in the presidential contest.”)
- Pete Buttigieg Isn’t Going Anywhere (“This year, the Millennial mayor became a household name. Now how does he translate that into votes?”)
- Kamala Harris closes campaign offices and fires staff in New Hampshire
- In Iowa, Biden confronts a growing threat: Pete Buttigieg
- How Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare-for-all plan would work
- Warren wants to be a revolutionary — and electable. Her plan shows the dilemma.
- Democratic Candidate Divisions On Display At Fiery Iowa Dinner
- 7 takeaways from Iowa Democrats’ biggest night of the year (“On Friday, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg showed why they’ve been steadily rising in the polls, bringing the most supporters and delivering the clearest arguments of the night.”)
- Twitter is banning political ads. Facebook should at least moderate them.
- Ken Cuccinelli Calls Debbie Wasserman Schultz a Witch: She ‘Got on Her Broom and Left’
- Dem rep defends calling Ken Cuccinelli a white supremacist
- Senator Warner Shows the Way Forward on Regulating Social Media
- State Bar of Virginia deems Thomas Cullen ‘highly qualified’ for federal judgeship
- Sen. Mark Warner to Barnstorm Across Virginia for Democrats
- The Post’s endorsements for key Northern Virginia legislative races (Dan Helmer, Joshua Cole, John Bell)
- Fight over energy policy fuels Virginia election spending (“A new generation of more activist Democratic candidates, supported by a big money donor, have created the most challenging political environment for Dominion in quite some time” Good!)
- Graphics: Virginia Republicans Funded Heavily by Corporate Interests; Virginia Democrats Funded by Individuals, Grassroots Groups
- Is the anti-Trump suburban revolt escalating? Watch Virginia (I’d say “continuing,” not “escalating.”)
- Virginia’s state legislature elections are Democrats’ first big enthusiasm test before 2020 (“Virginia’s state legislature elections are happening in an off-year. They’re still a huge deal.”)
- Virginia Beach Is Flooding, But the Trump-Pence Administration Doesn’t Believe in Climate Change
- Final “Flip-A-District Friday” for 2019: “Marquee Match-up Edition”
- How candidates in Virginia’s tightest races spent their final campaign days
- What’s At Stake Nov. 5th: LGBTQ Rights
- Virginia Democrats vow to address these 6 issues GOP ignored if they flip the legislature
- Virginia: Remember, and Protect, Union Hill
- Senate votes to boost cleanup funds for Chesapeake Bay (“The U.S. Senate voted 84-9 Thursday to boost federal cleanup funding for the Chesapeake Bay from $73 million to $78 million, part of an FY 2020 spending package.”)
- On nation’s biggest proposed offshore wind farm, Dominion plans to fly solo (Sounds like a dumb idea.)
- 3 political newcomers want an open delegate seat in Portsmouth. The race has gotten nasty. (“Voters will have a choice between a Realtor, a retired financial consultant and an attorney in House District 80.”)
- ‘Absolutely fundamental’: Women emerge as a force in Virginia politics (“Democrats Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton flipped GOP congressional seats in Virginia last year. Now they’re trying to mobilize suburban women to help Democrats take control of the state legislature.”)
- Write-in efforts will complicate election night in Freitas’ and Peace’s districts
- Judge orders Fairfax to allow George Mason students to vote after their registrations were rejected
- What Is It with Prince William County GOP Board of Supervisors Candidates and Social Media, Anyway? [UPDATED with Statement by PW County Dems]
- VIDEO – Kenny for Occoquan Supervisor: Using My Voice in Honor of My Mom
- In Dranesville District, the Choice is Clear: Elaine Tholen for Fairfax County School Board
- State acquires 40 acres for conservation areas in Franklin, Floyd counties
- Gov. Northam announces first commercial hemp processing facility
- Study finds 1 in 3 Virginia Tech students ‘food insecure,’ prompts fundraiser
- Lack of competitive bid causes Richmond to pay too much for new schools, contractor group says
- Nationals Shouldn’t Go to White House (w/o #LockHimUp Signs)
- Sean Doolittle on declining White House invite: ‘I don’t want to hang out with somebody who talks like that’ (No Nat should attend.)
- Cool through the weekend, with a slight warm-up early week
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