Thursday News: “Dying in a Leadership Vacuum”; “A Republican Party Unraveling”; “Harris won by keeping the focus on Trump — and Biden”; “Pence echoes Trump’s false claims”; The Fly vs. Mike Pence; “The Republican Party Is Terrified of Voters”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, October 8.

• Over 80% of people with coronavirus didn’t have key symptoms, UK study finds
• U.S.-China relations will ‘reset’ if Biden wins the election, says former American ambassador to Beijing (That is badly, badly needed.)
• Regeneron requests emergency approval for antibody treatment taken by Trump; stock rises 4% in pre-market
• Anxious for a Lifeline, the U.S. Economy Is Left to Sink or Swim (“President Trump cut off negotiations over a new aid package on Tuesday. Economists of all stripes agree that could be a costly mistake.”)
• Prestigious medical journal calls for US leadership to be voted out over Covid-19 failure
• Dying in a Leadership Vacuum (“Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test.”)
• 34 people connected to White House, more than previously known, infected by coronavirus: Internal FEMA memo
• White House Quietly Told Vets Group It Might Have Exposed Them to COVID —
• White House Security Official Contracted Covid-19 in September
• Trump’s antibody treatment was tested using cells originally derived from an abortion
• ‘Where are all of the arrests?’: Trump demands Barr lock up his foes (Trump is a thug and a dictator wannabe. Get him outta there ASAP if you care about our democracy!)
• Scoop: Trump’s spy chief releases new batch of Russia docs to Justice Department
• Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett: Another step toward Christian fascism (“Barrett is more than a pious culture warrior who openly defies the pope. She’s an abject servant of corporate power”)
• Trump’s Amy Coney Barrett pick for Supreme Court might backfire, analysts say
• ‘A Republican Party unraveling’: GOP plunged into crisis as Trump abruptly ends economic relief talks, dismisses virus
• The November Surprise (“What if everyone showed up to vote this year?”)
• Kamala Keeps It Cool as Mediocre White Guy Mansplains (Pence is far, far worse than mediocre.)
• Takeaways: Pence dodged virus questions, while Harris crystallized Democrats’ Obamacare strategy
• Pence pulls a number of flimsy claims from the Trump playbook
• When Asked About the Peaceful Transition of Power, Mike Pence Talked About “Obamagate” (Very disturbing.)
• Kamala Harris and Current Events Team Up to Corner Mike Pence
• The Man Who Pretended Not to Notice(“A fly landed on Mike Pence’s head. And he did nothing.” That’s such a great metaphor for Mike Pence in general! LOL)
• Pretty fly for a white guy: insect on Mike Pence’s head upstages vice-president (“The Republican’s six-legged companion lit up Twitter but viewers were also struck by the pinkness of Pence’s left eye”)
• Biden fundraises off of fly on Pence’s head
• Fact check: Pence echoes Trump’s false claims at vice presidential debate
• The Commission on Presidential Debates should be disbanded
• Harris won by keeping the focus on Trump — and Biden
• ‘They are coming for you,’ Harris says of Trump-Pence attacks on the Affordable Care Act.
• Post-debate CNN poll: Harris seen as winner in a contest that matched expectations
• Key moments from Harris and Pence’s primetime showdown
• Pence, Peerless Trump Defender, Confronts His Limits (Smarmy, slimy, dishonest, bootlicking sycophant. And those are Pence’s GOOD qualities! LOL)
• Pence sidesteps question about peaceful transfer of power
• Harris Would Be ‘First in Line’ For A Vaccine Approved By Scientists, Not The White House
• 5 takeaways from the VP debate (“Kamala Harris cast Trump administration as incompetent on what might be the only issue that matters in the 2020 election”)
• Mike Pence should have self-quarantined instead of debating Kamala Harris
• The VP Debate Was a Reminder That This Election Is All About Trump
• Best and Worst Moments of the Kamala Harris-Mike Pence Debate: ‘Most Bizarre Moment Was the Fly’
• 5 winners and 3 losers from the vice presidential debate (“Winner: Kamala Harris…Loser: Susan Page”)
• The Fly on Mike Pence’s Head Answered More Debate Questions Than the VP (“The Vice-President evaded questions on everything from COVID-19 to taking over in the event of presidential ‘disability.’ When he answered a question it was with characteristic lies.”)
• Right-wing media waste no time launching sexist and racist attacks against Kamala Harris during debate (Evil.)
• No One Won the Pence-Harris Debate. But Trump Lost.
• Who won the vice presidential debate?
• CDC chief’s letter greenlighting Pence for debate draws criticism
• Fox News Poll: Biden gains ground over Trump
• A bullish Biden campaign invades Trump territory
• Donald Trump Is Canceling TV Ads In Midwest States That Made Him President
• If Trump is trying to lose, it is working
• The Republican Party Is Terrified of Voters
• Rasmussen: Biden leads Trump by 12 points nationally (Which is hilarious, given that Rasmussen is often nothing more than Republican propaganda…)
• How Did Lindsey Graham End Up In Such A Close Race? (Because he’s utterly unprincipled and unlikeable?)
• Greenfield Shatters Fundraising Records With $28.7M Haul (Wow!)
• McSally Flops in Only Arizona Senate Debate
• Sen. Tim Kaine On Debate: Pence ‘Is A Great Debater,’ But Harris ‘Raring To Go’
• Senator Tim Kaine holds voting rights roundtable, says the country is “not where it needs to be”
• Sen. Warner Urges Facebook, Twitter & Google to Reinforce Efforts Against Political Content Abuse Ahead of November Election
• FiveThirtyEight.com’s U.S. House Forecast Is Now Up; Here’s How It Looks For Virginia
• VA10 GOP Nominee Can’t Spell “Louden” (sic) County, But That’s the Least of Her Problems! (Violating COVID-19 safety protocols, helping kick off a voter intimidation event, claiming police brutality is partly the result of the Black community needing “a better presentation”…)
• Spanberger, Freitas race outspends presidential campaign in Virginia
• The Toss-up: Virginia’s 7th Congressional District race may be one of the nation’s closest (Yep, it’s gonna be close, so do whatever you can to help reelect Rep. Abigail Spanberger!)
• Nick Freitas’s Dangerous Ideas For Health Care Reform Will Put Virginians At Risk
• Webb: Dr. Cameron Webb on expanding economic opportunity in VA-05
• Dr. Cameron Webb Calls for Fair and Accessible Debates
• Governor Northam Announces Additional Funding for Rent and Mortgage Relief
• Northam threatens to veto Virginia budget without changes (“In a letter sent Wednesday to leadership in both chambers, Northam asked lawmakers to grant him more flexibility in spending COVID-19-related funds rather than allocating them to specific projects in the budget. The governor also asked the chambers to refrain from including additional funding for projects that are contingent on additional revenue and to address those projects in the next legislative session, when lawmakers will have a better idea about the revenue situation.”)
• House and Senate committees near informal agreement on budget, but Northam says he may not sign it
• 19 House Democratic Caucus Bills Proceed to Governor for Review
• Wednesday (10/7) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +509 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 153,691), +29 Hospitalizations (to 11,345), +12 Deaths (to 3,303) From Yesterday
• Del. Mark Levine Demolishes Newspaper Editorial’s False Arguments For Amendment 1 (“Please don’t confuse your readers into thinking there was any knowledge, research, or analysis” that went into the editorial.)
• Lack of local authority hampering Virginia cities’ clean energy efforts, report finds
• Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy: Dominion Must Return Not Just Some Of Its $500 Million In Overcharges, But ALL Of It
• Virginia lawmakers vote to limit use of chokeholds by police, but reject outright ban
• Compromise legislation banning neck restraints heads to Northam’s desk
• Herring: Localities may not modify, extend FOIA deadlines
• Albemarle adopts its first Climate Action Plan
• Haas recommends more in-person classes for Albemarle students
• Richmond police detectives appear in court facing charges stemming from protest in May
• Plans are hazy, but Norfolk could bring students back in person Nov. 4
• Editorial: Rooting for success at William & Mary
• Stakes are high for William & Mary as dialogue begins about eliminated sports
• Beautiful sunshine through Friday before Delta’s remnants dampen second half of weekend