Wednesday News: “Biden builds White House team and tries to show dangers of Trump’s intransigence”; “How Can We Trust This G.O.P. in Power Again?”; “Trump lashes out in new bid to tarnish an election he lost”; “Giuliani’s ‘Disgraceful’ Day in Court”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, November 18.

• Will G-20 leaders ignore the murders and torture of the Saudi regime?
• Trump Orders Troop Drawdown in Iraq, Afghanistan by Jan. 15
• Biden Wants to Rejoin Iran Nuclear Deal, but It Won’t Be Easy
• What is mRNA? How Pfizer and Moderna tapped new tech to make coronavirus vaccines
• Moderna and Pfizer Are Reinventing Vaccines, Starting With Covid (“The two leading vaccines, including one developed by BioNTech, are based on a new gene-based technology that could help fight a range of diseases”)
• The Vaccines Will Probably Work. Making Them Fast Will Be the Hard Part.
• Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint
• The right-wing case for Sweden’s pandemic response has completely collapsed
• These governors’ states are in crisis after they resisted masks and Covid-19 rules
• Covid-19 cases are on the rise in all 50 states, NBC News data shows
• Hospitals Can’t Go on Like This (“22 percent of American hospitals don’t have enough workers right now.”)
• Recession With a Difference: Women Face Special Burden
• Trump lashes out in new bid to tarnish an election he lost (“The President flexed the power of his office to taint America’s free and fair election by firing the official who declared the vote the most secure in US history”)
• Trump fires director of Homeland Security agency who had rejected President’s election conspiracy theories
• Trump Just Fired a Well-Respected Election Security Official for Disagreeing With Him
• Why Trump and McConnell are trying — and failing — to push through Fed pick Judy Shelton (“Fed nominee Judy Shelton was blocked by the Senate — but she might be back.”)
• Biden builds White House team and tries to show dangers of Trump’s intransigence
• Biden fills his West Wing. The Cabinet will wait
• How long can Trump keep disputing the election results? (“In several key states, those deadlines are fast approaching — for instance, Georgia’s is this Friday. Trump has been trying to slow down or block these certifications, but he’s had little success so far. Second, the Electoral College will meet and cast the votes that will formally make Joe Biden the president-elect on December 14. Unless Trump can somehow get his own electors appointed in states Biden won, that would make it truly official that he’s lost.”)
• Enough with “both sides”! Faux-neutral journalism is no way to fight the truth-deniers (“With Trump defeated, journalists can’t just retreat back to ‘objectivity’ — not with America’s future at stake” It’s faux-“objectivity” anyway; in fact, the false equivalence/”both sides” style of “journalism”- in air quotes – is HIGHLY biased.)
• Trump remains bunkered in the White House as the world spins on
• The president is golfing and exercising White male privilege
• It’s Time for Democrats to Tell Trump Supporters the Truth (“About what they voted for, and about whatever crimes were committed by the current administration*”)
• Trump and his supporters are discovering how hard it is to sabotage election results
• We need an investigation into Lindsey Graham’s intervention in Georgia
• Lindsey Graham’s claim that he wasn’t interfering in the Georgia vote doesn’t add up
• Lindsey Graham’s one-man voting probe prompts confusion (Is Graham being investigated? If not, why not?)
• Expand islands of normalcy — and shrink Trump’s
• Trump will leave office soon. But we can’t let him escape accountability for his misdeeds.
• For Immigrants, Election Promises Relief From An ‘Atmosphere Of Terror’
• Chuck Grassley, second-oldest senator, tests positive for Covid-19
• Harassment claims and dwindling donations: The fall of Daniel Snyder’s nonprofit for Native Americans
• Board in key Michigan county fails, then agrees, to certify vote totals by deadline (The two Republicans on this board are racists and nutjobs in general, if you look through their social media feeds. Why are they on a board at all, let alone having the power to delay certification of votes from a major county in a major state???)
• In reversal, GOP officials in key Michigan county certify ballot count after striking a compromise with Democrats
• Raving Rudy Giuliani’s ‘Voter Fraud’ Courtroom Appearance Offers GOP a Stark Choice: Reality or Madness (“His performance in Philly on Tuesday laid bare enough what a charade this all is that even Republicans will now have to notice.”)
• Giuliani’s “disgraceful” courtroom election fraud arguments are from a “fantasy world,” defense says
• Giuliani Is Said to Seek $20,000 a Day Payment for Trump Legal Work (Grifter grifting other grifters. LOL)
• Infighting and an attempted ‘coup’: Trump team erupts into chaos as Giuliani takes over legal efforts —
• As Trump’s election lawsuits fizzle, Giuliani goes to court. It doesn’t get better
• Trump Election Fraud Claims Disappear in Pennsylvania Court
• How Biden Won: Ramping Up The Base And Expanding Margins In The Suburbs (“Remarkably few counties shifted in the 2020 election, which saw sky-high turnout. The president’s base voted in big numbers in rural areas, but Biden’s gains in the suburbs propelled him to victory.”)
• Biden’s Win Shows Rural-Urban Divide Has Grown Since 2016
• Ted Cruz Tweet About Mask-Wearing Senator’s ‘Fake Virtue’ Falls Flat On Its Face (“Sen. Ted Cruz called Sen. Sherrod Brown an ‘ass’ after Brown asked his colleagues to wear masks — sparking some pointed replies on Twitter.” Cruz is the worst.)
• Obama’s memoir has stolen the show — and he has more chapters to write
• Republicans Won Almost Every Election Where Redistricting Was At Stake (That’s really, really bad.)
• Democrats to determine leaders after disappointing election
• Pelosi Set To Be Reelected Speaker Despite House Losses
• ‘Dire outlook’: scientists say Florida reefs have lost nearly 98% of coral (“While overall US coral reefs are in fair condition, along the coast of Florida as little as 2% of original coral cover remains”)
• Biden Plans to Move Fast With a ‘Climate Administration.’ Here’s How.
• The first 100 days: A clean energy roadmap
• Trump Rolled Back 100+ Environmental Rules. Biden May Focus on Undoing Five of the Biggest Ones (“Together, the five regulations, if not reversed, would release an additional 1.8 billion to 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2035.”)
• Climate change is a winning issue. Let’s work together to solve it.
• Our Trump-Traumatized Brains Need a Break. We Won’t Get One. (“There’s a specific pain to realizing that the norms broken over the past four years won’t be restored.” Ugh.)
• When Trump Goes, Can the Democrats Hold It Together? (“An intense battle between moderates and progressives has already spilled into public view.”)
• How Can We Trust This G.O.P. in Power Again? (“With Biden’s election, American democracy narrowly escaped disaster.” Short answer: we can’t trust the G.O.P in power again.)
• Many G.O.P. Governors Avoid Stating Plainly That Biden Won (Disgraceful and cowardly.)
• Half of Republicans say Biden won because of a ‘rigged’ election: Reuters/Ipsos poll (That’s right, half! of Republicans believe an insane, 100% false conspiracy theory about the presidential election. We are so f***ed.)
• Trump Fumes That Biden Will Get the Praise He Craves for a COVID Vaccine (Pathetic.)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejects Trump campaign claim of problems with ballot observers
• Joe Biden won, Michigan elector coup ‘not going to happen,’ GOP leader says
• AP Sources: FBI is investigating Texas attorney general
• Trump Attacks on Voting by Mail Cost Him in Georgia, GOP Official Says
• In Georgia, a Republican Feud With Trump at the Center
• Second Georgia county finds previously uncounted votes (“Both counties will have to recertify their results, and the margin between Trump and Biden will be about 13,000 votes when those previously uncounted votes are accounted for”)
• FOX 5 Poll: Senate runoff extremely tight, Gov. Kemp’s approval rating slips
• Malinowski defeats Kean in close race (Phew.)
• ‘I’m not a f—ing socialist’: Florida Democrats are having a postelection meltdown
• Virginia Latino voters excited for Biden presidency
• Kaine reacts to Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Iraq
• How a Biden Presidency Will Help Virginia’s Energy Transition
• Kirk Cox for Governor? Basically, He’s a Right Winger Who’s a Really Boring Version of Amanda Chase. Zzzzzz….
• Kirk Cox officially announces his candidacy for Governor
• Too Extreme For Virginia: Kirk Cox’s Far-Right Record Tells Virginians Everything They Need To Know About What He’d Do As Governor
• Virginia’s Former GOP House Speaker Kirk Cox Announces Governor Campaign To ‘Fight Back’ Against Democrats
• Q&A: Why Kirk Cox thinks he can win the governor’s mansion in an ever-bluer Virginia
• Kirk Cox Plans to Make Virginia Red Again
• Editorial: Don’t make virtual meetings part of the “new normal”
• Editorial: Nine questions for Virginia’s coming marijuana debate
• Metro May Be Able To Add Back Hours And Service, But Buyouts And Layoffs Still Loom
• MVP Protestors Say They Won’t Give Up Without a Fight
• Virginia Natural Gas infrastructure expansion to be scaled back amid plant financing troubles (Good.)
• Virginia should look to Maryland for electric vehicle policy, report says
• Is Virginia Making Progress? Immigrant Summit Considers Some Tough Questions
• AG Mark Herring Defends Virginia Values Act in Court
• Tuesday (11/17) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +2,125 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 206,762), +56 Hospitalizations (to 13,608), +29 Deaths (to 3,835)
• Fairfax school board questions superintendent over decision to delay in-person learning
• Editorial: High interest in REV program shows time is of the essence
• This was the first year mail-in ballots could arrive past Election Day. Here’s how many did in Hampton Roads.
• Panel votes against plans for Virginia solar power plant (“A Virginia planning commission has recommended denying a permit to developers who want to build a 1,000-acre solar power plant project.”)
• Virginia Wesleyan University dean resigns after calling Biden supporters ‘ignorant’ (Bye bye!)
• Chesterfield education group seeks help from state leaders, citing county’s ‘reckless, chaotic, secretive’ reopening process
• RPS’ graduation rate remains the lowest in the state, with Latino students falling the furthest behind
• VMI committee begins work reviewing memorials and names with Confederate ties
• Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano: “Removal” Motions Filed by Federal Officers in Death of Bijan Ghaisar
• Mass testing at Western Virginia Regional Jail shows 25% of inmates have COVID-19
• Franklin County supervisors vote to keep Confederate statue at courthouse
• D.C.-area forecast: Chilly start to a cold and breezy Wednesday, then gradually warmer into the weekend