Friday News: “Say it plainly: The president is a psychopath”; “Trump Wants You to Think You Can’t Get Rid of Him”; Trump Booed at Supreme Court; “New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US”; “Health officials seek to block Trump rally in Virginia”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, September 25.

• Ocean Heat Waves Are Directly Linked to Climate Change
• China’s Carbon Neutrality Goal is Good Policy and Good Politics (“The second-biggest economy’s new 2060 target could be a game changer if concrete policies follow…By itself, it could lower projections of global average warming by 2100 by as much as 0.2 to 0.3°C.”)
• New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US
• US still in first Covid-19 wave and should be prepared for ‘challenge’ of fall and winter, Fauci says
• Trump’s team plots his departure — even if he won’t (“One of the most organized parts of the White House these days is a surprising place — the West Wing office planning a presidential transition.’)
• Trump’s escalating attacks on election prompt fears of a constitutional crisis
• Trump won’t commit to a peaceful transition of power, so it’s up to us to save democracy | Editorial
• How Republicans in key states are preparing to run out the clock on the election (“…beyond Trump’s rhetoric, his campaign and Republicans at the state and local level are moving to make it more difficult for voters to cast a ballot, more difficult for states to count votes and more likely that tallies will be challenged in the courts — with a particular focus on mail-in voting, which is being dramatically scaled up this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.”)
• Analysis: Trump’s attitude is causing real harm now
• GOP Pushes Back on Trump Threat Not to Abide by Election Results (“Senate Passes Manchin Resolution by Unamimous Consent; Democrats say Trump’s comments pose threat to U.S. Democracy”)
• The President Has Announced His Intention to Stage a Coup (“And he has made whoever he nominates to the Supreme Court an accomplice in that effort.”)
• Could Republicans ignore the popular vote and choose their own pro-Trump electors? (“Reports suggest strategy to bypass results in key states under discussion, but legal experts say such an effort is likely to fail” The fact that Trump et al are even THINKING about this shows how depraved, lawless and unAmerican they are!)
• Will Trump’s Presidency Ever End? (“America is in terrible danger.”)
• Republicans: Ha Ha Ha, No, the President Didn’t Really Mean That About the Peaceful Transition of Power, Ha Ha
• Trump Wants You to Think You Can’t Get Rid of Him (“His strongman threats are scary. But don’t forget that he’s weak.”)
• What Do We Do When Everything Is Coming Apart?
• At Pentagon, Fears Grow That Trump Will Pull Military Into Election Unrest(“Defense Department officials said top generals could resign if Mr. Trump ordered the active-duty military into the streets to quell election protests.”)
• Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error (“GOP lawmakers expressed frustration that a week that had started so positively with the Senate Republican conference quickly unifying ahead of a Supreme Court confirmation battle had turned into a circus.”)
• Trump Questions Election Again After White House Walked Back His Earlier Remarks
• The apocalypse scenario (“Democratic lawyers are preparing to challenge any effort by President Trump to swap electors chosen by voters with electors selected by Republican-controlled legislatures. One state of particular concern: Pennsylvania, where the GOP controls the state house.”)
• Breonna Taylor and Perpetual Black Trauma
• A woman killed. An officer shot. And no one legally responsible.
• AP-NORC poll: Support for racial injustice protests declines
• ‘His abuses have escalated’: Barr’s kinship with Trump fuels election fears (Barr is scum.)
• First Thing: would Republicans really stop Trump disrupting the election? (“Senior Republicans say a transition would be peaceful, but Bill Barr is laying the groundwork for an election challenge.” Barr is evil incarnate.)
• Court Orders Census Counting To Continue Through Oct. 31; Appeal Expected
• Justice Dept. statement on mail-in ballot investigation appalls election law experts
• DOJ announcement on Pennsylvania ballot investigation baffles election experts
• Justice Dept. Discloses Pa. Ballot Inquiry, Prompting Fears of Politicization
• The White House says Trump will accept election results. Feel better? You shouldn’t.
• Trump and McConnell are speeding the GOP to permanent minority status
• If only Senate Republicans had upheld their oaths (“Trump reveals himself to be a lawless thug.”)
• Here’s why Biden’s lead is big and could get bigger
• Trump’s Stalinist Approach to Science
• Say it plainly: The president is a psychopath
• Biden campaigns to win, as Trump maneuvers to hold power (“Analysis: The basic asymmetry of their goals could give the president an edge if the election is clouded. But it also signals he’s afraid he will lose a fair vote.”)
• Trump booed as he pays respects to Ginsburg at court
• Trump made a rare public appearance in DC to pay his respects to RBG. It did not go well. (“The viral footage serves as a reminder that Trump is a historically unpopular president.”)
• Democrats prepare bill limiting U.S. Supreme Court justice terms to 18 years
• White House starts outreach to key senators on Supreme Court pick
• Trump is navigating competing demands from evangelicals over Supreme Court pick
• The Climate Voters Are Coming
• Senate Democrats promise ‘major focus’ on Obamacare in Supreme Court fight
• Young women are rushing to register to vote following Justice Ginsburg’s death
• House Democrats prepare new $2.4 trillion stimulus plan with unemployment aid, direct payments
• https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/here-are-twenty-other-disturbing-awful-things-that-trump-has-said-this-month-and-its-not-over-yet
• Most Americans Want To Wait Until After The Election To Fill The Supreme Court Vacancy
• Fox News Poll: Tight race in Ohio, Biden tops Trump in Nevada and Pennsylvania (According to Fox “News” polls, of all things, Biden’s up 50%-45% in Ohio, 52%-41% in Nevada, and 51%-44% in Pennsylvania.)
• Trump’s Facebook Advantage Over Biden Is Disappearing (“The president used the social network to catapult him to a surprise win in 2016. That could be harder now.”)
• Major newspapers bury Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power
• The alarms are ringing everywhere but in our top newsrooms(“The New York Times put its article on Trump refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power on page A15. The Washington Post story was on A4. Other news organizations underplayed it as well. Despite all the other news, this should have been a screamer headline everywhere. Consider the magnitude of what they ignored on Wednesday.”)
• Biden Takes Trump’s Favorite Line Of Attack, And Fires It Right Back At Him
• After years of promising his own health care plan, Trump settles for rebranding rather than repealing Obamacare
• How “Absurd Legal Maneuvering” Protected the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor (“He should have been charged with wanton murder and another count of wanton endangerment.”)
• Who Biden might put on the Supreme Court
• Facebook, it’s time to finally uphold your promise and remove violent QAnon groups
• Florida’s attorney general requests inquiry into Mike Bloomberg’s voting effort (F’ed up.)
• New Virginia Poll: Biden +5 Among Likely Voters, +8 Among “Most Enthusiastic Likely Voters”; Warner +13 Among Likely Voters
• Video, Photos: Dr. Jill Biden Visits Hampton Roads, Richmond, Henrico
• While visiting Hampton and Norfolk, Jill Biden promises her husband will listen to military families
• Health officials seek to block Trump rally in Virginia (“Dr. Natasha Dwamena, a Department of Public Health district director, said in a letter Thursday that the 4,000 people expected to attend Trump’s rally at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport would be breaking Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order generally banning gatherings of more than 250 people. She said the rally should be canceled, rescheduled or scaled down to comply with the governor’s order.”)
• Trump rally at Newport News airport expected to draw thousands; official asks host to change plans
• Trump’s planned Virginia rally poses coronavirus risk, health officials say
• Virginia health official seeks to stop Friday Trump rally
• Sen. Mark Warner on the Integrity of Our Elections (Warner: Trump “should not be aiding and abetting foreign adversaries who are working to sow doubts about the legitimacy of the American election system”)
• ‘I don’t care if it’s Judge Judy or Aaron Judge’: Sen. Tim Kaine says he won’t support an illegitimate process
• TODAY: A Second Scott Taylor Campaign Staffer Stands Trial For Election Fraud
• Second former Taylor campaign staffer pleads guilty to 2018 election fraud in Va.
• The surprisingly conventional race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District
• Nick Freitas (R) Bashes Unemployment Insurance, Paid Sick Leave
• VA-07: Freitas Takes Right Turn on Phone Call with Trump Campaign (He’s been hard right forever, nothing new here, but the unhinged conspiracy theories presumably aren’t a good look to sane voters in VA07.)
• Thursday (9/24) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +902 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 143,492), +51 Hospitalizations (to 10,769), +24 Deaths (to 3,113) From Yesterday
• Support for Amendment 1 Craters (“Virginians are learning that Amendment 1 is not independent, nor is it non-partisan…it’s no shock that support is falling the more voters hear”)
• Proposed redistricting amendment leaves some out (“If supporters of the amendment agree that it’s flawed, why would we vote to enshrine into our Constitution something that leaves too many people out of the process — shouldn’t we get it right at the start?”)
• In Response To What Happened in Fairfax on Saturday, AG Mark Herring Issues Advisory Opinion on Protections Against Voter Intimidation (“Intimidating a voter in Virginia is a criminal offense”)
• Governor Northam Announces Expansion of Rent and Mortgage Relief Program for Landlords
• EDITORIAL: Crime and (less) punishment (Always keep in mind that the Free Lance-Star editorial board is *very* conservative.)
• Felonies for chokeholds? Civilian review everywhere? Virginia Democrats divided on details of police reform
• Richmond Protesters Condemn Breonna Taylor Decision
• Editorial: Why are Democrats voting against open government? (OK, one day of good editorials by the Roanoke Times, then right back to their usual crap.)
• Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Action Group Endorses Merit Lottery System for “TJ” Admissions (“A merit lottery will bring in talent that will thrive at Jefferson but can’t afford years of test prep.”)
• Henrico School Board directs superintendent to abandon original redistricting process
• Video: Thursday Night’s Richmond Mayoral Debate at VUU, with Former Gov. Doug Wilder Moderating
• Candidates address RPS, COVID-19 response, protests and corruption in first Richmond Mayoral Debate
• Opinion: Hampton church leading by example on climate change (Good!)
• Fairfax County principal charged with not reporting sexual abuse of student
• William & Mary athletes planning to sue school over cut women’s programs
• Brief shower or storm chances through Saturday. Warmer and muggier early next week.