by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, December 23.
- It’s Putin’s World. We Just Live in It. (“Russia’s economy is sputtering and its young people are frustrated, but with America and Europe in tumult, President Vladimir Putin is on a roll. How has a country like Russia, huge in size but small when measured by economic and other important metrics, become such a potent force?”)
- The City of London Starts to Crack Over Brexit (“The U.K. finance industry is becoming divided on Brexit. That is far from ideal as Britain moves into the crucial stage of EU trade talks.”)
- China to lower import tariffs on frozen pork, avocados from January 1
- Saudi Arabia says five sentenced to death in killing of Jamal Khashoggi (How about those who ordered the murder?)
- How a Putin ally is aiding Giuliani in Ukraine
- Bolton says he doesn’t think Trump admin ‘really means it’ on stopping North Korea nukes
- Trump’s impeachment tops list of most important news stories of the year
- Stocks Face 50% Odds of Correction in 2020, Vanguard’s Davis Says
- Nancy Pelosi: the woman who stood up to Trump (“The veteran Democrat began 2019 by being elected speaker of the House for a second, historic time and ended it by leading the president’s impeachment”)
- Christianity Today Editor Reveals The Point Trump ‘Crossed The Line’ For Him (“Mark Galli says it’s strange that people who ‘take the teachings of Jesus Christ seriously’ can’t see that Trump’s character is ‘deeply concerning.'”)
- ‘What new level would you contemplate?’: Democrats fret over post-impeachment Trump (“‘I think his behavior will get more extreme going into the election,’ said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2016.”)
- Juan Williams: Trump is all bluster on trade
- Are Republicans Crazies or Cowards? Who Cares? (“The evidence against Trump just keeps piling up, not that it matters.”)
- What the Senate Does Now Will Cast a Long Shadow (“Mitch McConnell and the other 99 senators must serve the institution and the Constitution that established it, not President Trump.”)
- Trump Completed His Takeover Of The GOP In 2019
- Trump Impeachment Trial Turns Spotlight On White House Lawyer Cipollone
- Where we thought energy was going a decade ago — and where it went (In short, energy forecasters are HORRENDOUSLY bad at this…wildly underestimating U.S. natural gas and oil production, also badly underestimating renewable energy output, and wildly OVERestimating coal-fired power output.)
- Welcome to the Electability Primary
- How ‘Centrist Bias’ Hurts Sanders and Warren (“The media has a bigger problem than liberal bias.” The media needs to stop misusing words like “moderate” and “centrist,” which they do all the time.)
- Obama talks up Warren behind closed doors to wealthy donors (“A source close to Obama said the former president would go to bat in the same way for any of the Democratic candidates running for president, pointing to comments the former president made last month.”)
- Scoop: Buttigieg fundraiser dangles influence for cash
- Senators Warner and Kaine praise signing of Virginia Beach Strong Act into law
- Warner says wait and see what GA comes up with on gun control issues
- Cutler, Dalhouse, Hoyt and McIlhenny: Disappointed in Cline’s vote (“We are profoundly disappointed at House members, including Ben Cline, who cast losing votes that nonetheless inflict great damage on America. That vote will follow him always. There is no comfort in reports that privately many Republican representatives and senators express disgust at the president’s actions, but are fearful of breaking ranks or confronting him.”)
- High-profile defamation cases, derided by critics as ‘libel tourism,’ find their way to Va. (“Legal experts say Virginia law allows those with deep pockets to bulldoze targets with frivolous, protracted and expensive litigation they couldn’t pursue in many other states. Among the plaintiffs: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and actor Johnny Depp”)
- Trump’s Fossil-Fuel-Friendly FERC Looks to, Well, F@&! Over State Renewable Energy Policies…Including Here in Virginia
- A survivor’s tale: How Northam emerged from a PR mega-disaster (“While it’s difficult to fathom a crisis response worse than the one his team initially presented, his image rehabilitation plan has been simple and effective — actions, not words, in the form of steady governance with special attention to issues important to black Virginians.” “Now, Ralph Northam has the chance to be the most consequential governor for Democrats in more than a quarter of a century. He’s got a Democratic legislature and he’s inheriting a strong economy.”)
- In Virginia, Democrats Get Ready to Rule the Roost (“Gun-violence prevention, equal rights are top agenda items as Gov. Ralph Northam and new legislative leaders head to Richmond”)
- ‘Still an ambush state’: The move toward discovery reform is going slowly in Virginia
- Top 101 Most-Viewed* Blue Virginia Posts of 2019
- In 2020, Virginia Should Pass Legislation to Protect Trans Students
- Virginia’s Clean Energy Economy Act: Are the analytical underpinnings fatally (pessimistically) flawed
- How fast can Virginia get to 60% clean electrons? Scratches on a back of an envelope
- Kate Cassada and Kathy Burcher column: Addressing Virginia’s teacher “shortage”
- The Buffer (“At Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. has a secret weapon for muffling student dissent.”)
- Kim Hulcher column: The case for investing in early childhood education – a mixed delivery approach
- Rev. Robert Dilday – Recently Ordained Episcopal Priest in Richmond and Leader in Virginia Environmental, Anti-Pipeline Movements – Dies Suddenly
- Tuck: How gun owners should respond to new laws
- The latest disgraceful impediment to a resolution in the Bijan Ghaisar case
- With limited, but promising data, needle exchange programs look to legislature for ability to continue work
- Governor Northam’s plan to scrap car inspections leaves Charlottesville mechanics crying foul
- Hanover swiftly rushed to the defense of guns; not so quickly for residents shaken by a racist rally. (“In July of this year, the Ku Klux Klan rallied in Hanover, mere feet from the historic courthouse where Patrick Henry argued his Parsons’ Cause case.”)
- UPDATE: 51 people taken to hospitals after chain-reaction crash involving 69 vehicles on icy I-64
- Highs close to 50 degrees most days this week, and generally precipitation-free
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