by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 15.
- First coronavirus death in Europe, with than more than 67,000 cases globally
- U.S. Reaches ‘Reduction In Violence’ Deal With Taliban In Afghanistan (“The next step would involve the signing of an agreement between the U.S and the Taliban. That would pave the way for intra-Afghan talks to determine the future of Afghanistan and the role the Taliban could play in it.”)
- State Department keeps quiet as Pompeo meets Lavrov in Munich
- So Trump Basically Confessed to the Ukraine Charges (“Just in case anyone is still interested in things like presidential abuse of power.”)
- Inside Clean Energy: The Case for Optimism (“BP and Dominion Join the Club of Companies with ‘Net Zero’ Goals. Here’s Why.”)
- Barr Installs Outside Prosecutor to Review Case Against Michael Flynn, Ex-Trump Adviser (We shouldn’t trust literally anything Barr does or says.)
- Sally Yates: Trump thinks the Justice Department is his personal grudge squad
- William Barr’s outburst means little if he does not actually stand up to Trump (“The attorney general, if left unchecked, will destroy the Justice Department.”)
- Bill Barr’s Corruption of the DOJ Is Complete
- Barr Wants to Hide Trump’s Authoritarian Plans, But Trump Keeps Confessing
- Tweets or no, William Barr made the wrong call on Roger Stone
- “This is a president declaring himself above the law”: A former ethics chief on Trump’s dangerous new era (“‘What I didn’t expect is how badly the system would fail to stop him,’ Walter Shaub says.”)
- Media fall for the hype on Barr’s “rebuke” of Trump (Dumber than dirt.)
- Barr-Trump relationship facing its gravest threat yet (Is this WaPo headline an example of the media being dumber than dirt?)
- William Barr has energetically played the role of presidential wingman
- Justice Dept. won’t charge Andrew McCabe, the former FBI official who authorized the investigation of President Trump (It’s appalling they even *considered* doing so.)
- Roger Stone asks for new trial in sealed motion, one day after Trump accused jury forewoman of bias
- Trump’s ‘Deep State’ conspiracy theory just took a big hit (I normally refuse to link to Cillizza, but this is a good headline.)
- Trump claims he has ‘legal right’ to intervene in criminal cases (Trump is a menace.)
- William Barr: how the attorney general became Trump’s enabler-in-chief (“Barr’s brazen intervention in the case of the president’s crony Roger Stone is the latest grave disappointment to those who thought he might rein in his boss’s excesses”)
- As impeachment trial ended, federal prosecutors took new steps in probe related to Giuliani, according to people familiar with case
- Federal Judge Lashes White House ‘Banana Republic’ Influence In Andrew McCabe Case (“Judge Reggie Walton said that as federal prosecutors unduly kept McCabe on the hook, ‘people at the top’ undermined the ‘integrity of the process.'”)
- Trump unleashed — does the press know how to handle his authoritarian ways? (Short answer: clearly not.)
- Border Patrol Will Deploy Elite Tactical Agents to Sanctuary Cities
- Do Democrats Want a Centrist or a Lefty? (“Iowa and New Hampshire have sent a clear answer: Yes.”)
- California Takes Revenge on Trump (“People leaving the Golden State are changing the political makeup of the states they move to.”)
- Trump mocks the faith of others. His own religious practices remain opaque.
- Cheer up, Democrats. You have a good field of candidates.
- The Biden Survival Scenario
- Queer activists disrupt Pete Buttigieg event in San Francisco: ‘We deserve better’ (Alrighty…)
- Rise of Sanders, Trump Shows Decline in Party Power (Yep, and it turns out that’s not necessarily a good thing.)
- There is another service to the country Biden may need to perform (“The second role Biden can assume, if and when it appears he will not be the nominee, is to play the role of king- or queen-maker.”)
- Will Nevada be another caucus nightmare?
- Pete Buttigieg may struggle with black voters. But could he get the Hispanic vote? (“In Nevada, he shows his appeal goes beyond white voters.”)
- Election Update: Biden Hasn’t Exactly Collapsed Since New Hampshire
- No, radical policies won’t drive election-winning turnout
- The Grim Logic of Money Makes Bernie and Bloomberg the Only Candidates Who Matter
- Is winning ugly enough for Bernie Sanders? (“Analysis: The first two contests revealed how hard it will be for the Vermont senator to expand his base in the Democratic primary.”)
- Bloomberg’s meme spree prompts changes in Facebook, Instagram rules
- Bill de Blasio Endorses Bernie Sanders
- Nevada’s lone black congressman backs Biden before caucuses
- As Lawmakers Turn to Budget, Rural Schools Demand More
- Mark Warner Announces Key Campaign Hires
- Gun-toting state senator expected to announce bid for Virginia governor (Let’s hope she runs as an independent!)
- Video: Far-Right Sen. Amanda Chase Teases “HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT” – for Governor of Virginia in 2021
- Bernie Sanders Campaign Announces Co-Chairs Across All Super Tuesday States, Including Virginia
- More Than Thirty Virginia Leaders Endorse Mike Bloomberg For President
- Virginia Senate Democrats’ Crossover Update
- Northam announces increase in General Fund revenue for 2020
- Making Virginia Great For Workers As Well As Great For Business
- Graphics: At Halfway Point of 2020 Virginia General Assembly Session, ~Half of Bills Still Alive; Surges in Dem Legislative Success and Also Close Votes
- Michael Avenatti guilty on all counts in Nike extortion case (This guy’s a disaster; it’s amazing he was actually thinking about running for president.)
- Pope, Church & State: A weekly look at the General Assembly’s 2020 Session
- Top donor pulls out of Virginia Dems’ gala because Fairfax will speak; Locke says selective outrage ‘smacks of racism’ (This whole thing is ridiculous, but the media LOOOOVES these kinds of stories, so…there you have it.)
- Justin Fairfax Speech at Democratic Gala Sparks Backlash From Top Donor
- Justice Dept. will not allow FBI to testify in Fairfax investigation of Bijan Ghaisar killing
- Virginia now has a plan to save the state’s largest waterbird colony at Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
- Governor Northam Announces Plans to Protect Migratory Birds
- Homeless in Richmond: Va. capital has one of the country’s highest eviction rates (“Advocates say problem dates back generations, and is rooted in poverty and racism.”)
- Mountain Valley Pipeline extension clears environmental review by FERC
- Arlington is moving closer to a carbon-free future
- Arlington board reconsiders its full-on support of Dorsey (“Residents upset about the board member’s failure to repay a $10,000 donation are demanding action.”)
- Cold sticks around today, but temperatures head back up into the new week
