Tuesday News: “Michelle Obama shines, scorching Trump”; “His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump”; “The Post Office Mess Is Meant to Exhaust You. Don’t Let It.”; Kaine – “Time is now to boot ‘dictator’ Trump out of office”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, August 18.

• We live in a time of climate breakdown with no moral leadership – but we can take action
• The Trump administration suffers a humiliating — and telling — loss on the Middle East
• The World’s Top Miner Broadens Plans to Exit Coal Operations
• Propelling the transition: Green hydrogen could be the final piece in a zero-emissions future (“For the many things renewables and batteries don’t do, green hydrogen can be the zero-GHG alternative.”)
• DeJoy agrees to testify amid Dem fury over Postal Service changes
• House Democrats will vote on giving Postal Service a $25 billion boost
• In Alaska, Trump Doubles Down on Environmental Vandalism
• Trump’s argument: Look how awful things are — now reelect me
• Forget the Trump tweets. This is the Trump action that might actually kill us. (“If you want to understand the long-term consequences of the Trump presidency, forget his Twitter feed. Instead, think about methane.”)
• Trump, the Mail and the Unbinding of America (“The Postal Service facilitates citizen inclusion. That’s why Trump hates it.”)
• The Post Office Mess Is Meant to Exhaust You. Don’t Let It. (“Trump is ‘flooding the zone.’ It’s a form of modern censorship.”)
• At Homeland Security, I saw firsthand how dangerous Trump is for America
• A simpler, more useful way to tax carbon
• What if Trumpism Is the G.O.P.’s Natural State? (“Beating Trump would be just the beginning. Democrats would still be confronted with a radical Republican Party.”)
• Where the race stands at the start of the Democratic convention
• DNC 2020: Democrats show unity on first night of virtual convention (“Opening night of Democratic convention included searing speech from Michelle Obama calling Trump ‘the wrong president’”)
• Michelle Obama tells ‘the cold hard truth’ in a searing DNC keynote speech
• Dems put divides aside, rally behind Biden at convention
• The 5 most important words in Michelle Obama’s 2020 DNC speech (“Democrats are telling their voters not to trust the Post Office.”)
• No Applause, No Crowds: Democrats Begin a Most Unusual Convention
• For someone who says she hates politics, Michelle Obama is a political powerhouse
• Michelle Obama’s speech was like an eloquent neighbor expressing sorrow for what our country has become
• Joined by some Republicans, Democrats tout Biden’s leadership as convention opens
• Bernie Sanders Sets Aside Firebrand Role for Rare Turn as Party Unifier
• Michelle Obama delivers scathing indictment of Trump at the 2020 DNC (“The former first lady said it’s obvious the president is not up to the job and called on Americans to vote for change.”)
• Highs and Lows of the Democratic Convention
• 7 Takeaways From The 1st Night Of The Democratic National Convention (” Michelle Obama delivered, as expected
• The Memo — Michelle Obama shines, scorching Trump
• Michelle Obama’s Speech Was the Heart and Soul of the DNC’s Opening Night
• Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden
• Biden Gets Boost From Michelle Obama as Democrats Showcase Unity
• Woman who lost father to Covid-19: ‘His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump’
• A COVID Victim’s Daughter Gave the Most Pointed Speech of the Night
• Michelle Obama Gave the Ultimate Condemnation of Donald Trump
• The first night of the DNC did something radical. It let us feel normal again.
• Michelle Obama Showed Us Why These Democrats Are Our Last Best Hope (“You can ‘hate politics,’ but you can’t sit out this election.”)
• Bernie Sanders at convention: ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.’
• 5 winners and 2 losers from the first night of the Democratic National Convention (“Winner: Real people. Loser: Lecterns.”)
• The Democratic convention’s first night: Remarkably lively, and a technical tour de force
• Familiar Republicans join team Biden
• 3 takeaways from the first night of the Democratic National Convention (“Michelle Obama: From ‘we go high’ to ‘it is what it is’”)
• Michelle’s New Stance: When They Go Low, We Square Up (“She went after Trump in a way that was both eloquent and frank, relatable and empathic—all while showing how the current president lacks all of those traits.”)
• Republicans Cross Party Lines To Back Joe Biden At Democratic Convention
• Mike Bloomberg pledges $60 million to help House Democrats
• Democratic Party chair wants to end presidential caucuses
• ‘We know where you live, beware’: The 911 call of a household put on blast by Tucker Carlson
• Right-wing media lash out at Michelle Obama’s DNC speech (Disgraceful as always.)
• DHS Mocks GAO Staffer After Watchdog Says Wolf, Cuccinelli Are Ineligible For Their Jobs
• Coal country envisions paths forward in manufacturing, reclamation and renewables
• Top Democrat: Time is now to boot ‘dictator’ Trump out of office (“Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber to discuss the unique challenges the role of vice president presents and the importance of the upcoming November election, arguing Trump will do anything to win and asserting ‘I know a would-be dictator when I see one.'”)
• Virginia Congressional Democrats Fight Trump’s Assault on the U.S. Postal Service; Republicans Are SILENT
• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Explains Why Decoupling Electric Utilities, Like Dominion, Is So Important
• Postal Service Warns Virginia Votes Could Go Uncounted Due to Mailing Delays
• Portsmouth police charge Sen. Louise Lucas, NAACP leaders and other public officials in June Confederate monument protest
• BREAKING: Portsmouth Police Chief Announces Felony Arrest Warrants for Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas (Lucas and others are asked to turn themselves in; warrants relate to protests over Confederate monument in June)
• Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas charged with felonies over Portsmouth’s Confederate Monument protest (“More than a dozen others, including NAACP leaders, also were charged, according to Portsmouth police.”)
• Editorial: Democrats to test public’s appetite for criminal justice reform
• Cheat sheet: Where Virginia Democrats agree on criminal justice reform and where they diverge
• Jacob Fish and Nina J. Ginsberg column: Virginia still has a long road ahead for criminal justice reform
• State Lawmakers to Take Another Crack at Paid Sick Days Proposal
• Monday (8/17) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +734 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 107,421), +30 Hospitalizations (to 8,767), +4 Deaths (to 2,385) From Yesterday
• Editorial: The U.S. Postal Service’s daily value to Virginians is far beyond voting
• AG Mark Herring Outlines COVID Response Priorities Ahead of Special Session
• Northam to propose steps making absentee voting easier, including ballot drop-off boxes (“The Va. governor cited a letter from the Postal Service warning of possible mailing delays and said the Trump administration is trying to suppress votes.”)
• Video: Heading Into Important Special Session, Virginia House GOP Lays Out Their Unpopular Agenda of Obstruction, Reaction, Ignorance (Expect a LOT more of this drivel in coming weeks…and in 2021.)
• Green New Deal Virginia Calls on the Virginia General Assembly to Take Decisive Action to Address Economic Hardship, Health Disparities, the COVID-19 Pandemic Response and the Climate Crisis
• AG Mark Herring Files for Injunction to Ensure Safety of Employees, Patrons of Unlicensed Hanover Restaurant
• Mountain Valley pledges up to $19.5 million to conserve land along Appalachian Trail
• Video: Press Conference Speakers Call for Legislative Action to Keep Virginia Economy and Workers Healthy During COVID-19
• Advocates Work to Save Virginia’s Overnight Camps
• Richmond mayor hired political donor with Newport News ties to remove Confederate statues, report says (“The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the firm is a shell company linked to Team Henry Enterprises, a Newport News-based contracting firm owned by a Levar Stoney donor.”)
• Democratic senator raps ‘dictatorial fashion’ of Northam’s performance (Brilliant, eh?)
• ‘The mystery is over’: Researchers say they know what happened to ‘Lost Colony’
• Charlottesville group pushes leaders to link climate goals with energy equity
• A Black Lives Matter street mural measuring nearly 200 feet is in the works outside Capitol Square
• Richmond police charged 12 people with unlawful assembly, other offenses
• Arlington takes stock of the county’s missing middle housing and its racial implications
• Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania head back to school virtually
• Dominion Energy acquires solar project in Orange County
• Great weather, with lower humidity, cooler temperatures and sunshine (“Bonus weather today with lower humidity, partly to mostly sunny skies, and generally dry conditions.”)