Saturday News: Protect Half the Planet; After Navalny Poisoning, Trump Covers For Putin Yet Again; “Biden Blasts Trump for His History of Disrespecting the Military”; “Virginia demonstrates how to run an election during a pandemic”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, September 5.

If you need any more evidence that Trump is colluding — if not conspiring — with Russia to cheat in the 2020 election, watch this. No American president in history would remain silent about a foreign leader poisoning his political rival. Yet Trump won’t ever stand up to Putin. https://t.co/JJ4w45NGQm

— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) September 4, 2020

• Protecting half the planet could help solve climate change and save species (“A new map shows where new land protections could complement existing conserved areas” “Preserving rare species not already protected would require 2.3 percent more land. To conserve additional areas with exceptional biodiversity, an additional 6 percent needs protecting. An extra 6.3 percent of land is needed for “rare phenomena,” unique areas that support large mammals, like the Pantanal region in South America where jaguars roam. And 16 percent more would be needed to conserve large tracts of wilderness that support wide-ranging species like caribou. Finally, an additional 4.7 percent of land could be set aside for storing carbon.”)
• The U.S. vs. the world: How major nations are recovering from coronavirus (“Poor health outcomes in the U.S. point to a slow economic recovery, and possibly a double-dip recession.”)
• Belarus’s leader grasps for every trick in the dictator’s handbook
• Coronavirus Crisis Shatters India’s Big Dreams (“The country’s ambitions have been set back by a sharp economic plunge, soaring infections and a widening sense of malaise.”)
• As world leaders condemn Russian aggression, Trump says he and Putin ‘get along’
• Donald Trump says US ‘hasn’t had any proof’ of Navalny poisoning (Trump covers for the thug, Putin, yet again. Why???)
• Trump’s job losses are the worst of any American president on record
• New Global Coronavirus Death Forecast Is Chilling — And Controversial
• Covid-19 Vaccine Developers Prepare Joint Pledge on Safety, Standards
• Key coronavirus forecast predicts over 410,000 total U.S. deaths by Jan. 1: ‘The worst is yet to come’
• Fauci unsure what Trump means by saying the country is ’rounding the corner on the virus’
• Worries grow over a K-shaped economic recovery that favors the wealthy
• The Easy Part Of The Economic Recovery Might Be Over
• John Kelly, at Center of Report on Trump Disparaging U.S. Soldiers, Keeps Silent
• More than 175 current, former law enforcement officials endorse Joe Biden, slam Trump as ‘lawless’ president
• Ignoring warnings from election officials, Trump again suggests supporters should try to vote twice
• Over 190 law enforcement officials endorse Biden
• Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger Urges ‘Vote Him Out’ in Blistering Anti-Trump Tweetstorm: ‘President Has Repeatedly Shown Utter and Vulgar Contempt’ for Military
• Democratic group American Bridge launches $4M Midwest ad buy hitting Trump on vets
• Jeffrey Goldberg’s Atlantic Piece Shows the Difference Between Battlefield and Political Courage (“The most infuriating part of the soon-to-be-legendary story is what it says about the men who continued to serve this president*”)
• Furor grows over Trump’s reported remarks on war dead
• A Fox News reporter confirmed The Atlantic’s story about Trump insulting fallen troops. Fox hosts are still calling it a hoax.
• Trump panned over reports he called US war dead ‘losers’
• Trump’s Defenders: He Doesn’t Hate the Troops, He Just ‘Sounds Like an Asshole’ (Alrighty…)
• Trump Faces Fallout From Report He Calls Military ‘Losers’ And ‘Suckers’
• Biden Blasts Trump for His History of Disrespecting the Military
• Biden unleashes a furious denunciation of Trump
• Trump’s alleged comments about ‘losers’ buried in military cemeteries leave military leaders off balance (Why “alleged?” It’s been confirmed by multiple news outlets.)
• Trump plays defense with the military weeks before election
• Trump often sees an American landscape of ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ (“Analysis: The Atlantic’s report that the president callously dismissed dead American soldiers stands to reinforce his past disregard for sacrifice.”)
• ‘He is a coward’: Trump condemned for reportedly calling US war dead ‘suckers’
• White House directs federal agencies to cancel race-related training sessions it calls ‘un-American propaganda’ (My god, these people…)
• We are all ‘losers’ in Trump’s America (“Every time we think we’ve reached the bottom with Donald Trump — how awful can one human being be? — we discover further depths to plumb.”)
• The latest polling suggests Trump’s ugliest campaign strategy may be imploding
• House Democrats Demand Climate Be a “Centerpiece” of the 2020 Presidential Debates (Absolutely. Also, we need real-time fact checking.)
• In Barr, Trump has powerful ally for challenging mail voting (“Ally?” They’re a crime syndicate, basically.)
• The most dangerous man in America: Bill Barr will do anything to help Trump win
• Nearly all Black Lives Matter protests are peaceful despite Trump narrative, report finds (“In stark contrast to right-wing claims, 93% of demonstrations have involved no serious harm to people or property”)
• Michael Cohen says Trump will ‘do anything’ to stay in office, even start a war
• Republicans never flinch in their support of Trump — even when he insults our troops (“Trump has no filter. Republicans have no spines.”)
• Why Trump Supporters Can’t Admit Who He Really Is (Because they can’t admit who THEY really are.)
• Biden shows how a president heals a broken community (“This is how a president behaves.”)
• How Trump Draws on Campaign Funds to Pay Legal Bills (“As he has done with other aspects of the presidency, Donald J. Trump has redefined the practice in ways that have unsettled both Democrats and Republicans. The spending on behalf of Mr. Trump covers not only legal work that would be routine for any president, but also cases in which he has a personal stake.”)
• House GOP leader helps raise funds for QAnon supporter running for Congress
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon House Candidate, Posts Threatening Photo Directed at “the Squad” (Lock her up?)
• DHS draft document: White supremacists are greatest terror threat
• Trump reverses Defense Dept. order to shut down Stars and Stripes newspaper
• Facebook’s Political Ad Ban Also Threatens Ability to Spread Accurate Information on How to Vote
• Facebook Says Trump’s Misleading Post About Mail-In Voting Is OK. Employees Say It’s Not.
• The horrifying case of Daniel Prude shows we need new ways to handle mental health crises
• Trump campaign going dark in Arizona, cancels planned TV blitz (Are they conceding Arizona?)
• Postal Service police block Florida congresswoman from touring USPS plants
• Kanye spends nearly $6 million on presidential campaign (And keeps getting kicked off and/or failing to make it on to ballots.)
• Senator Tim Kaine addresses postal service issues
• Video: In Sen. Warner’s First Campaign Ads, Coronavirus Response and Recovery, Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Take Center Stage
• Politifact VA: DCCC Ad Hitting Freitas For Support of Plans to Gut Pre-Existing Conditions As “True”
• 7th District congressional race could steal election night spotlight in Virginia
• Virginia General Assembly extends civil immunity to assisted living facilities during pandemic
• Virginia Supreme Court refuses to extend state ban on evictions, saying federal moratorium in effect (“…the state Supreme Court sent a letter Thursday to judges and court clerks spelling out the details of the federal moratorium, which applies to renters who are trying to obtain government rental assistance; earn less than $99,000 if single or $198,000 if married; suffering loss of income because of a layoff or medical expenses; and could face the prospect of homelessness or exposure to covid-19.”)
• VA House Democrats Advance Special Session Agenda (COVID-19 Relief, Protecting Virginians’ Voting Rights, Policing and Criminal Justice Reform)
• House of Delegates passes police reform bills banning chokeholds, no-knock warrants and more
• Virginia House Democrats push through nearly a dozen police overhaul measures (“The Virginia House of Delegates on Friday passed nearly a dozen bills overhauling police practices that would prohibit no-knock warrants, ban the use of chokeholds and require officers to intervene when other police are using excessive force — part of a package of bills that arose after nationwide protests over the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police.”)
• Mountain Valley Pipeline construction won’t jeopardize protected species, federal review says (Sounds like Trump administration anti-environmental bulls***.)
• Eviction Relief, Police Reform, and a Potential Third Term for Herring: Political Analysis for Friday, September 4, 2020
• Democratic-Led Virginia House of Delegates Passes Crucial Elections Budget Bill “That Will Protect All Virginians’ Right to Vote This November”
• Virginia demonstrates how to run an election during a pandemic
• Gov. Ralph Northam signs legislation to allow ballot drop boxes for November’s election
• New Poll: Broad Support for Paid Sick Day Policy Among Virginians(“Eight out of ten Virginians support requiring employers to offer paid sick days”)
• Friday (9/4) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +1,111 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 124,779), +57 Hospitalizations (to 9,798), +10 Deaths (to 2,662) From Yesterday
• VA House of Delegates Defeats Del. Jeff Bourne’s Qualified Immunity Bill on a 47-48-3 Vote
• Virginia House Kills Qualified Immunity Bill a Second Time
• Divided Senate passes reduced penalty for violations of governor’s orders during public health emergency
• AG Mark Herring Argues Petition for Writ of Mandamus re: Constitutional Amendment Ballot Language Should Be Dismissed for Three Main Reasons
• 45,000+ Tell Dominion Energy: Fire Tom Farrell Immediately
• Portsmouth police chief ousted — at least for now — amid Confederate monument case (“Angela Greene had faced criticism from her boss, the city manager, after police charged people in relation to the Confederate monument protest.”)
• Weeks After Announcing Felony Charges Against Sen. Louise Lucas and Others in Confederate Monument Case, Portsmouth Police Chief *Removed* From Her Position (Sen. Lucas’ lawyer, Del. Don Scott: “Bye, Felicia”)
• Portsmouth police chief takes leave amid felony case against Virginia state senator
• Entrenched racist culture at heart of Portsmouth’s police department, officers and former chief say (“Former and current Portsmouth officers say “a good-ol’-boy” system has survived thanks to some current and former city council members who wanted to stay in the good graces of the department’s Fraternal Order of Police, which has consistently fought against reform.”)
• As COVID-19 cases spike on campuses, Roanoke College to stick with virtual plans (“Roanoke College classes will largely remain online, while Virginia Tech and Radford University have expressed confidence they can continue in-person instruction.”)
• Richmond has removed the most Confederate symbols in the country since the killing of George Floyd. Here’s how it happened
• Liberty University tells staffers: Stop speaking with Jerry Falwell Jr. while on the job (“Liberty’s top lawyer has instructed staffers to refrain from communicating with ousted former President Jerry Falwell Jr., who he said had placed ‘uncomfortable’ calls to various employees in the days after his resignation.”)
• Local election departments see uptick in absentee ballots, continue to prepare for November
• Mailer in Loudoun County Falsely Attacks the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” Program as “Marxist,” “Extremist,” “Propaganda” (Tolerance.org’s materials “have won two Oscars, an Emmy and scores of honors”)
• ‘An impossible situation:’ Concerns and questions abound as Albemarle gears up for start of virtual school
• Virginia Beach lawyer accused of trying to get a jailed client to have sex with him after her release
• NFL asked Snyder to ‘back off’ use of private investigators, lawyer says, as PI visits rattle ex-employees
• Ideal weather today, and it’s not much different in the days to come