Thursday News: “There can be no exoneration without a legitimate trial”; “Romney’s act of bravery changed nothing and changed everything”; “Racist Honors Racist to Own the Libs and the Black Athletes”; “Biden campaign agonizes over Iowa shellacking”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 6.

Thank you for taking your oath seriously Mitt Romney. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/xLZboheZrH

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) February 6, 2020

• At least 138 people the US deported to El Salvador have been killed (This is on Trump.)
• China halves tariffs on $75 billion worth of US goods, as coronavirus outbreak escalates
• OPEC Considers Oil Output Cut; Tesla Shuts Stores: Virus Update
• Democratic National Committee Launches New Climate Council Months After Debate Feud
• White House threatens to veto Puerto Rico earthquake aid package ahead of House vote
• The Senate Has Failed to Convict Donald Trump on Impeachment Charges (“Mitt Romney, Joe Manchin, Kirsten Sinema, and Doug Jones chose a side rather than straddling both. For the others, it’s the vestibule.”)
• Think Trump’s Learned a Lesson? Hahahaha
• They Acquitted Trump. Make Them Pay!
• What Will Finally Defeat Donald Trump? (“He can do whatever it takes to win re-election, and the Republican Party will have his back.”)
• Trump won’t be vindicated. The Senate won’t be, either. (“There can be no exoneration without a legitimate trial.”)
• Trump World’s Backlash Toward Mitt Romney Has Begun, and It Will Never End
• A Broken System Acquitted Donald Trump (“No president can be removed for abuse of power — that’s the radical reality of our democracy at the moment.”)
• ‘One place left to hold him accountable’: Trump acquittal raises stakes for Democrats
• Are We Ready for Trump 2.0? (“After his acquittal in the Senate, the president may double down on the same behavior that led to his impeachment in the first place.”)
• It’s not over. Congress must continue to hold Trump accountable. (Kinda dumb, as “Congress” generically will NOT hold Trump accountable – only Democrats will.)
• Romney votes to convict Trump on charge of abuse of power, becoming the lone Republican to break ranks
• How Mitt Romney Decided Trump Is Guilty (Because the evidence is overwhelming.)
• Right-wing media melt down over Mitt Romney’s vote to convict Trump
• History will remember Mitt Romney
• Mitt Romney shows us all is not lost
• Mitt Romney’s act of bravery changed nothing and changed everything
• The Wrenching Truth About Mitt Romney’s Vote Is That It Doesn’t Matter
• Mitt Romney knew the storm was coming over his impeachment vote. How long it lasts will be up to Trump.
• In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear
• 3 winners and 3 losers from the impeachment and acquittal of Donald Trump (“Winner: Nancy Pelosi and frontline House Democrats…Loser: The rule of law”)
• Don Jr. Calls Sen. Mitt Romney a ‘Pussy’ for Announcing Vote to Convict Trump
• Trump Makes Nary a Mention of ‘Climate Change,’ Touting America’s Fossil Fuel Future (Disgraceful as always.)
• TV Ratings Declined for Trump’s State of the Union Speech (The only part of this I watched was a short video clip of Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump’s lying speech.)
• Why Susan Collins Is More Dangerous Than Mitch McConnell
• Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are in tight race for first in Iowa (“With 97% of Iowa’s precincts reporting, the former mayor remained the leader of the race, with 26.2% of state delegates. He’s closely trailed by Sanders, with 26.1%. They’re followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 18.2%, former Vice President Joe Biden at 15.8% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 12.2%.”)
• Biden campaign agonizes over Iowa shellacking (“Just days prior to the caucuses, supporters received a private presentation that was considerably rosier than the actual outcome.”)
• Our Post-Iowa Primary Forecast Is Up, And Biden’s Chances Are Down
• Exclusive NH Tracking Poll: Sanders Continues To Lead, Buttigieg Closing In
• Trump Fans Flooded Iowa Caucus Hotline, Democrats Say
• The Iowa Caucuses App Had Another Problem: It Could Have Been Hacked
• Snail Mail and Nuisance Calls: New Details on the Iowa Caucus Problems
• Iowa Democratic Party releases 85% of caucus results but an error forces correction
• What Went Wrong for Joe Biden in Iowa
• First head rolls after Biden’s weak Iowa finish (“We had precinct captains who didn’t know how to run a caucus. And a few didn’t even show”)
• Bernie Sanders raised $25 million in the month of January
• Rush Limbaugh’s bigotry set the stage for Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party
• What’s next — giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to David Duke?
• Racist Honors Racist to Own the Libs and the Black Athletes
• An Unsettling New Theory: There Is No Swing Voter (“Rachel Bitecofer’s radical new theory predicted the midterms spot-on. So who’s going to win 2020?”)
• Sen. Kaine unloads on Trump after State of the Union address
• Video: Instant Classic by Sen. Tim Kaine, Responding to Question About Speaker Nancy Pelosi Ripping Up Trump’s SOTU Speech
• Rep. Elaine Luria’s bill funding Chesapeake Bay cleanup passes in the House
• Kirk Douglas, Hollywood Icon and Spartacus Star, Dies at 103
• Virginia, here’s why you should worry about your newspapers
• Editorial: Ambitious transportation plan positions Virginia for the future (“A governor working with the legislature to make progress on the commonwealth’s transportation needs? That’s relatively new for Virginia.”)
• Disabled state employees can’t sue Virginia for damages under ADA. Some attorneys call the exception ‘outrageous.’
• Virginia moves closer to total ban on use of handheld devices while driving
• Baker and Chiotos: Reasons to back the Solar Freedom Bill
• Virginia House and Senate get closer on approach to $15 minimum wage
• Virginia, shake the vestige of Jim Crow by giving public-sector workers the freedom to bargain collectively
• General Assembly closes the door to marijuana legalization until 2021 (“Both the House and the Senate are instead advancing decriminalization bills that would punish possession of a half-ounce or less of the plant — presently a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail — with a civil fine. The House is proposing a $25 penalty and the Senate is proposing $50.”)
• Virginia can take a step toward racial justice with marijuana reform
• Virginia House smokes chances of marijuana legalization, moves on decriminalization instead
• Gun Control is Passing, so What About the Assault Weapons Ban?
• Senate panel advances Northam-backed gun bill on close vote
• CASEY: Days of online concealed carry classes in Virginia may be ending (“After 11 long years, state lawmakers appear to finally be coming to their senses. They’re closing a loophole that opened in 2009 and allowed people who had never touched a handgun to get a Virginia concealed carry permit.”)
• Senate bill to end Virginia’s death penalty carried over until next year
• Should Virginia Consider a Regional Minimum Wage?
• One State Lawmaker Wants to Establish an Office of New Americans (“Senator Ghazala Hashmi of Richmond has a bill that would set up the new office to help people navigate the citizenship application process and provide assistance securing housing and employment.”)
• Editorial: The moral imperative to address high insulin prices
• Virginia House votes to ban ‘skill machines,’ despite governor’s call to tax and regulate them
• Voters In Virginia May No Longer Need To Carry Photo IDs
• Video: Fun Times in the Virginia State Senate Earlier Today, as Things Get Heated Between Lt. Governor, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, etc.
• Video: Del. Danica Roem’s Powerful, Emotional, Kick-Ass Response to Anti-LGBT Bigot Brings Down the (Virginia) House
• Virginia Senate Passes Student Loan Borrowers’ Bill of Rights
• Video: Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Green New Deal (GND) Both Report Out of House Subcommittee
• With Critical “Crossover” Deadline Looming, Virginia House and Senate Still Have Lots of Work to Do
• In Arlington, Overcrowding May Force Schools To Move
• Virginia House paves way for more Metro service (“The House voted 74-23 to waive Virginia’s 3% cap on annual subsidy increases for any service increases approved by the Metro Board. Even Metro’s own studies have shown that running more and better service leads to more riders.”)
• Study Finds Racial Bias in Cville Area Courts and Jail
• Slave Auction Block Prompts Lawsuit in Fredericksburg
• New area code for Hampton Roads will be 948, state officials say
• He promised to return a $10,000 campaign donation. Three months later, he hasn’t. (“Arlington Democrat Christian Dorsey, who serves on the Metro board, took money from a transit union.”)
• Arlington police seeking info on string of robberies, carjackings near Pentagon City mall
• A 91-tent encampment is aiding Richmond’s homeless. The city wants it taken down.
• Heavy rain at times this afternoon and tonight. Turning colder Friday into the weekend. (“One to three inches of rain could fall through Friday morning.”)