Thursday News: “Oil and Gas Firms ‘Have Had Far Worse Climate Impact Than Thought'”; Winners and Losers of the Democratic Debate in Las Vegas; “Democrats Wake Up”; “Ten Things to Know About the Clean Economy Act”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 20.

• Oil and Gas Firms “Have Had Far Worse Climate Impact Than Thought” (“Study indicates human fossil methane emissions have been underestimated by up to 40 percent.” Absolute disaster. Shut ’em down.)
• Shootings At Hookah Bars In Germany Kill 9; Police Suspect Far-Right Extremism
• Mike Pompeo and lawmakers spar over ‘deep state’ attacks in private Munich meeting
• Trump adviser Stone to be sentenced in case that has roiled Washington
• Bolton: Testimony wouldn’t have changed impeachment outcome
• Judge in Roger Stone Trial Confronts a High-Pressure Decision (“President Trump has attacked the case and the judge as biased. She seems unlikely to be ruffled.”)
• Trump’s pardons are impulsive expressions of his spite
• Republicans plead with Trump to leave Barr alone
• Trump Names Richard Grenell as Acting Head of Intelligence (“The move places a loyalist atop the intelligence agencies that the president has long battled”)
• Who Won (and Lost) the Democratic Debate In Nevada
• Against wishes of Barr, Trump fires off more tweets about Justice Department (“The tense equilibrium between the president and the attorney general may be tested again Thursday by the sentencing of longtime Trump friend Roger Stone.”)
• Democrats won’t commit to same-day release of Nevada results
• Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid says ‘not a chance in hell’ Medicare for All would pass
• Bernie’s Rivals Aren’t Going to Do Him Any Favors at the Convention
• Warren Has a Big Night in Vegas. Is It Enough?
• Neil Young Pens Open Letter to Donald Trump: ‘You Are a Disgrace to My Country’
• 6 takeaways from Democrats’ Bloomberg pile-on in Nevada (“Michael Bloomberg’s billions got him onto the debate stage — but did nothing to spare him from the barrage he faced Wednesday night here in Las Vegas.”)
• ‘Cause of death: Elizabeth Warren’: Democratic debate’s brutality delights viewers (“The tone for the evening was set from Warren’s first answer, prompting glee on social media”)
• Loathing in Las Vegas: Amy and Pete’s resentment boils over
• Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar Have Pure Hatred for Each Other
• Could Elizabeth Warren’s Dominant Debate Performance Save Her Campaign?
• Bloomberg Spent Hundreds of Millions to Get His A** Kicked (“It became clear early on that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was not welcome on the debate stage or anywhere else in the Democratic primary by the 2020 field.”)
• Thank you, Mike Bloomberg, for rescuing the debate (“His performance may have stunk, but he inspired rivals to some of their best performances so far.”)
• Bloomberg bombs in debate debut
• Michael Bloomberg Catches Flak, Warren Shines and Sanders Dodges Trouble
• Bloomberg’s Beating (“A notably aggressive Democratic debate in Las Vegas featured myriad attacks on the newest, wealthiest candidate onstage.”)
• Bloomberg takes a beating, Sanders defends socialism in fiery debate
• Jennifer Rubin: Democrats just had the most exciting debate to date
• Winners and losers from the Democratic debate in Las Vegas (“Make no mistake about it, Bloomberg had a dreadful night.”)
• Democrats Wake Up (“The candidates finally debated like there was a nomination on the line.”)
• The Easy Part Is Over for Michael Bloomberg (“He got lit up on Wednesday night. The season of dog-snout shaking is now officially over.”)
• Everyone — especially Bernie Sanders — owes Elizabeth Warren for her Bloomberg TKO (“With nothing left to lose, Elizabeth Warren flattens Mike Bloomberg — which probably helps Bernie most of all”)
• Bloomberg’s best debate moment came five minutes before it started. Then things went downhill.
• Who won the Democratic debate in Las Vegas?
• Democratic voters at watch parties unimpressed by Bloomberg’s first debate performance
• It’s a critical moment in the Democratic race. The debate made that clear.
• At fiery debate, a sour welcome for Bloomberg and criticism for Sanders (“An animated cast of rival candidates battled in a two-hour free-for-all that sizzled with animosity.”)
• Winners and losers from the Nevada Democratic debate (“Sen. Bernie Sanders benefited from other candidates’ fights, and Mike Bloomberg’s debate inexperience showed.”)
• Bloomberg faces attacks for refusing to release women from confidentiality agreements
• Winners and Losers of
  the Democratic Debate (Warren 8.4, Sanders 7.2, Buttigieg 6.9, Biden 6.2, Klobuchar 6.0, Bloomberg 2.9)
• Despite His Billions, Bloomberg Busts (“His rivals were ready. He was no”)
• Bloomberg Throw to the Wolves in Wildest Democratic Debate So Far
• 6 Takeaways From the Democratic Debate in Nevada
• Questions about Sanders’ health linger after heart attack
• The Hill’s John Solomon review: Newspaper tries to wash its hands of Fox News contributor
• Warren mocks Klobuchar over ‘Post-it Note’ health care plan
• Will Trump scare some sense into the Democrats?
• Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds Endorses Amy Klobuchar for President
• Bloomberg Finds Support and Opposition in Virginia
• Editorial: Persistence pays off for Sen. Kaine
• On the Virginia Clean Economy Act and the Green New Deal Act
• Ten Things to Know About the Clean Economy Act (“The VCEA has been crafted to achieve an energy policy goal — weaning Virginia off carbon — not to fundamentally reshape the state’s energy system…The House and Senate have passed two different versions of the bill that must be reconciled, with the House taking a more aggressive tack on reductions…Both versions of the VCEA clear the way for a new burst of solar, wind and energy storage construction by Dominion and Appalachian Power…But they also expand the space for the development of a private renewables industry.”)
• General Assembly notebook: House moves to ban public contact with Natural Bridge Zoo’s elephant
• Editorial; Will House Democrats kill the constitutional amendment on gerrymandering? (The fact that Republicans are pushing hard for this amendment tells you all you need to know about it. Go with Del. Cia Price’s legislation, instead.)
• Video: Del. Cia Price (D)’s Redistricting Reform Legislation Discussed, “Passed by Temporarily” in Senate Privileges & Elections Committee
• Virginia House Democrats haven’t voted on bipartisan redistricting plan they supported last year
• Metro Blue Line extension into Prince William? Virginia lawmakers want a study. (“Language for a $2 million study has been included in the state budget by both the House and Senate money committees.”)
• Update: Where Virginia’s General Assembly Is on Guns, Abortion and Teacher Pay
• Virginia Religious Leaders Speak Out Against Regional Minimum Wage Approach
• Gun Transfers Have Become a Sticking Point for Universal Background Checks
• Video: Del. Sally Hudson (D-Charlottesville) Explains Her “Ranked Choice Voting” Bill, Which Is Now Very Close to Becoming Law
• Centuries-Old Law Against Cursing In Public Repealed By Virginia Legislators (F*** yeah! LOL)
• Officials Say Details Coming Soon on Plan for Sea Birds Impacted by Tunnel
• Epling: Roanoke’s families are counting on the General Assembly to strengthen vaccine requirements
• Democratic-led Senate committee kill bills to beef up regulation of pipeline construction (“The committee did advance Hurst’s bill increasing penalties for violations by the largest natural gas pipelines but not one that would have assessed additional fines for cumulative violations nor another that would give the water board stop work authority, among other provisions.”)
• Comparing the Governor’s and Money Committee Budgets to the FY 2020 Budget
• Gov. Northam announces new funding to preserve farmland
• $5 medical copays – equivalent to as much as 18 hours of labor behind bars – suspended at Va. prisons
• Opinion/Editorial: Justice ought to take disabilities into account
• Chesterfield leaders map out priorities for potential $600 million bond referendum
• Proposed Albemarle County budget 1.3% smaller than current, contains no tax rate increase
• Investigators working to determine what caused massive Richmond warehouse fire
• Winter storm watch issued with 2-3 inches of snow in Hampton Roads Thursday night
• Cold with a few snowflakes possible late today; milder this weekend