Tuesday News: 200,000 Americans Dead From COVID-19, Trump Says It “Affects Virtually Nobody”; “Our democracy has turned dangerously undemocratic”; “Trump again suggests Ginsburg’s dying wish was fabricated”; Sen. Warner Debates Opponent Tonight

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, September 22.

“It affects virtually nobody,” Trump says of the coronavirus, which has now killed 200,000 Americans and counting pic.twitter.com/qHrZvUWNhX

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 22, 2020

• ‘The one chance we have’ (“The pandemic gave the world a golden opportunity to fix the climate crisis. We’re about to waste it.”)
• How long until it’s too late to save Earth from climate disaster? This clock is counting down.
• Trump’s abysmal failure of diplomacy has ostracized the U.S. — not Iran
• Antarctic glaciers are falling apart. Meanwhile, Trump hires a climate denier.
• Secret CIA assessment: Putin ‘probably directing’ influence operation to denigrate Biden
• The unanswered question of our time: Is Trump an agent of Russia? (Sure seems like it.)
• Like a Virus, QAnon Spreads From the U.S. to Germany
• NIH staffer to retire after he was exposed as the blogger behind anti-Fauci, anti-mask stories
• CDC says coronavirus spreads mainly in the air, through respiratory aerosols and droplets
• No matter what the CDC says, here’s why many scientists think the coronavirus is airborne
• CDC Publishes — Then Withdraws — Guidance On Aerosol Spread Of Coronavirus (FUBAR)
• CDC abruptly removes guidance about airborne coronavirus transmission, says update ‘was posted in error’ (WTF???)
• Scientists say Californians moving is the start of a larger trend. Here’s what it means
• Trump Could Be Investigated for Tax Fraud, D.A. Says for First Time
• The Inside Story of the Mueller Probe’s Mistakes
• Mueller prosecutor says special counsel ‘could have done more’ to hold Trump accountable (Yep, Mueller failed.)
• Voting G.O.P. Means Voting Against Health Care
• Trump Is Proving That Democracy Is Broken (Badly.)
• Our democracy has turned dangerously undemocratic
• Democrats largely powerless to stop GOP from confirming Trump’s court choice
• U.S. Supreme Court faces major challenges when it returns without Ginsburg
• How Ginsburg’s Death Has Reshaped the Money Race for Senate Democrats (“From Alaska to Maine to the Carolinas, Democratic strategists working on Senate campaigns described a spontaneous outpouring of donations the likes of which they had never seen.”)
• Step Aside Election 2000: This Year’s Election May Be The Most Litigated Yet
• Trump races to fill supreme court seat as Republicans fall into line (“Democrats’ hopes of keeping seat empty fade as two key Republican senators signal support for moving quickly”)
• Lagoa’s Role in Florida Will Be a Big Factor in Trump’s Supreme Court Pick
• “Just too convenient”: Trump again suggests Ginsburg’s dying wish was fabricated
• A Majority Of Voters Oppose President Trump Filling The Vacancy On the Supreme Court
• Minority rule in America (“Our various undemocratic institutions are reenforcing each other in a deadly spiral.”)
• Trump meets with potential nominee as he considers high court vacancy
• How a New Conservative Justice Could Affect the Supreme Court (“The court would move to the right even more than arithmetic suggests.”)
• What to Know About Amy Coney Barrett, the Front-runner for Trump’s SCOTUS Pick (“She is aligned with extreme, anti-choice organizations, and her writings make clear that she believes Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided.”)
• Democrats Need a Plan. Fast. (“Here’s how they can apply maximum pressure, brand the process as the illegitimate farce it is and lay the groundwork for desperately needed reform.”)
• Sen. Chuck Grassley won’t oppose holding Supreme Court nomination hearings this year (Of course not.)
• Supreme Court’s Potency as 2020 Voter Issue Surges Among Democrats After Ginsburg’s Death
• Republicans Craft Strategy for Confirming Trump’s Court Pick
• ‘Fill that seat’: why Trump’s courts power grab is more than just a political win (“As he eyes replacing a third supreme court seat, the president’s success at appointing more than 200 conservative judges amounts to a towering legacy”)
• Judicial term limits are the best way to avoid all-out war over the Supreme Court
• Stoking his base, Trump warns of a Kamala Harris presidency (NBC forgot to use the word “racist”)
• Down With Judicial Supremacy!(“The Supreme Court was never meant to be the only arbiter of the meaning of the Constitution.”)
• Esper and Milley appear to adopt different strategies to deal with Trump as election approaches
• DeVos under investigation for potentially violating Hatch Act because of Fox News interview
• Democrats, it’s time to get mad — and even
• In the wildest year, the only constant is Biden’s lead
• Trump administration shakes up HHS personnel office after tumultuous hires (“The move leaves Health Secretary Alex Azar with more control over his department, which has been rocked by personnel scandals in recent weeks.”)
• We’re all living too long for lifetime Supreme Court seats to still make sense
• Biden blows up the notion RBG’s seat helps the right (“Biden gives his best speech to date.”)
• Judge dismisses Trump challenge to Nevada mail voting law
• How ‘naked ballots’ in Pennsylvania could cost Joe Biden the election (“The decision ordering them thrown out was part of a trio of rulings Thursday that, among other things, extended the deadline for voters to send mail ballots back, permitted the use of drop boxes for voters to return them, and removed the Green Party’s presidential ticket from the ballot.”)
• What Can Democrats Do if There’s a Disputed Election? (“We do everything within our legal and constitutional rights to uphold what we see as the popular will.”)
• Ohio Lt. Governor Booed at Trump Rally for Promoting Trump 2020 Masks
• New Loeffler ad: ‘She’s more conservative than Attila the Hun’
• You Would Think Hans von Spakovsky’s Portfolio as a Voting-Rights “Expert” Would be Rendered Confetti by Now. (“As we have learned to our dismay over the past 40 years, wingnut careers never die.”)
• Tucker Carlson Slams Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s ‘Pathetic’ Dying Wish (Tucker Carlson, keepin’ it classy as always.)
• NBC News contributor Hugh Hewitt is a massive hypocrite on SCOTUS vacancies and nobody should take his opinion seriously (Also, why is Hewitt a contributor to any serious news outlet?)
• With a Second Trump Term, Thomas Jefferson’s “Wall Between Church and State” Could Very Well Crumble Into Shards
• Warner says he takes nothing for granted; challenger Gade confident he can win (We need to make sure Warner wins, preferably by a huge margin.)
• US Sen. Warner Facing Underdog Opponent in Virginia (“A debate between Gade and Warner will air on NBC4 and NBCWashington.com Wednesday at 7 p.m.”)
• Sen. Mark Warner, challenger Daniel Gade scheduled to debate at Norfolk State University (“The Oct. 3 debate at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center will focus on racial disparities and inequities in education, healthcare, economic mobility and the criminal justice system.”)
• #FlashbackFreitas: Delegate Freitas Votes Against Broadband Internet For Rural Virginia
• Donald Trump encourages voters to turn out for Bob Good, lays into Cameron Webb as ‘radical Democrat’ (Cameron Webb, of course, is very much a centrist/”moderate” Democrat. Basically, Trump slaps the word “radical” and/or “extreme” in front of ANY Democrat. Ignore.)
• “The Root” Names Dr. Cameron Webb (D-VA05) as #21 on Its List of Most Influential African Americans in 2020
• Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02)’s Campaign Announces Updated Debate/Forum Schedule
• Pandemic Shifts Spanberger’s Playbook on Door-Knocking
• Wittman, Rashid exchange barbs in Monday night debate (In fact, having watched the forum, the headline should read “Wittman lies and lies and lies…Rashid actually uses facts, evidence, the truth. Also, the right-wing Free Lance-Star editor should NOT have been a moderator, as her “questions” were wildly biased.)
• 7th Congressional District race could steal election night spotlight
• After Two Days of Early Voting, Virginia Has Seen 36,740 Vote In-Person, With 864,225 Mail-In Ballot Requests
• Virginia has 2 of US News’ 10 healthiest communities for 2020
• Bill Advances to Let State Inspect Immigrant Detention Facilities
• Monday (9/21) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +627 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 141,138), +22 Hospitalizations (to 10,613), +6 Deaths (to 3,021) From Yesterday
• Does an Election Mean Civilian Review of Sheriff’s Offices?
• Northam expands $70M Rebuild VA program
• Virginia’s largest insurance company cut reimbursement rates. Some doctors say primary care will suffer.
• State Senator Emmett Hanger Explores Run for Governor
• Editorial: Community colleges continue to lead in setting expectations during COVID-19
• Saturday – Republicans Tried Voter Intimidation at Fairfax County Government Center; Monday Morning – “Huge Line” of Voters Waiting to Cast Their Ballots!
• Terry Kilgore column: The public option would be harmful to Virginians (Yet again, Terry Kilgore fights *against* the best interests of the very people he’s supposed to be representing.)
• Some Virginia college leaders expect a similar spring semester
• Virginia Artists Replace Confederate Statues With Public Art
• Richmond Circuit Court appoints Augusta prosecutor to investigate mayor’s handling of statue removal contract
• Editorial: Time to let bathroom issue rest (“The August ruling in the case of Gavin Grimm should end the prolonged debate over the right of transgender Americans to use public facilities.”)
• Editorial: Has the sheriff of Culpeper County just given criminals an ‘out’? (“What about a sheriff’s office that passes on ‘stories’ that are so demonstrably full of things that aren’t true? A clever defense attorney might wonder about such things. So, too, might the voters of Culpeper County.”)
• Roanoke council sets process to replace member who resigned, finds new place for Lee monument
• Pittsylvania County native announces bid for lieutenant governor (“Xavier Warren, 32, a business owner who lives in Arlington, announced his bid Monday.”)
• William & Mary criticized for copying Stanford’s wording in announcing cuts of 7 sports
• With inmates ‘acting out,’ Hampton Roads Regional Jail called Norfolk sheriff for backup
• Richmond families, teachers share concerns about length of virtual school day
• Venture Richmond withdraws request to paint Black Lives Mural street mural outside state Capitol
• UVa athletics department reports 22 positive COVID-19 tests in latest round of testing
• Perfectly pleasant weather with gradual warming trend (“Cool mornings and warm afternoons make for a near-perfect autumn weather pattern.”)