Tuesday News: “Donald Trump, the welfare king;” VA GOP Sues to Keep People from Voting; McAuliffe Under Investigation

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, May 24.

• The Trump train is fueled by conspiracy (“Trump has consistently used conspiracy theories to bolster his campaign.”)
• Minorities, poor, elderly face hurdles getting ID for voting (Not only should they NOT face hurdles, they should be encouraged and assisted to vote!)
• Donald Trump, the welfare king (“Donald Trump has been feeding at the public trough.”)
• Trump fuels Democratic voter surge
• Trump-fellas: Donald Trump allegedly has years of mob ties — but even that won’t turn off his ardent backers
• Libel Laws, Threats, Nasty Insults: A Guide To Trump’s War Against The Media (“Trump has pushed a plan to “open up our libel laws” that’s been criticized by First Amendment advocates, threatened to retaliate against media outlets with the power of government agencies, issued scathing personal insults against journalists, and repeatedly sued or threatened to sue media figures over trivialities.”)
• Trump has somehow gotten more vile: It’s no wonder women don’t like him, and his new Hillary attack ad won’t help
• Trump-Newt: A Perfect Match (“Donald Trump apparently has a special friendship with Newt Gingrich, probably because they’re running the same con”)
• Sanders wins greater say in Democratic platform; names pro-Palestinian activist (I’m particularly happy to see Bill McKibben’s name on here. Democrats need a super-strong stance on climate change, starting with a commitment to achieving a clean energy economy ASAP.)
• Virginia ramping up efforts to prevent spread of Zika virus
• Virginian-Pilot editorial: A troubling trend on the planet’s temperatures (I’d use a far stronger word than “troubling.”)
• Gov. McAuliffe takes state plane to NCAA tournament game, Cuba
• FBI and Justice Department investigating Va. Gov., officials say (“Federal prosecutors have been investigating donations to his gubernatorial campaign, officials familiar with the matter said.” Not sure what to make of this.)
• Editorial: Another Virginia governor is investigated (“… this is something Virginia does not need. Virginians do not want their state likened to Louisiana.”)
• U.S. Supreme Court dismisses GOP appeal; new Va. congressional districts stand
• Assembly Republicans sue McAuliffe over mass rights restoration order
• The Virginia GOP Is Trying to Keep These Two Women—and 206,000 Like Them—From Voting in November (Yep, that’s what Republicans do.)
• Registrars, state working to verify felons’ rights restored for June primary
• Editorial: The legal fight over felon voting rights begins
• McCullough formally joins state Supreme Court (Reminder: the guy’s a right winger of the Cuccinelli ilk, and the only reason he’s on the court is because Republicans kicked off Judge Jane Roush. Ugh on all counts.)
• Our view: Why Nikki Haley is wrong about the Virginia economy
• Clinton, Trump tied among Virginia voters in new Roanoke College Poll (Perhaps, perhaps not, but as usual I don’t put much stock in Roanoke College polls.)
• Audit: Virginia Beach mistakenly paid $144,000 in electric bills for office space it hadn’t leased in 20 years
• Virginia Beach hires two new managers, including one who resigned from Portsmouth amid controversy
• Exhibit A: Why Local School Board Elections Really Matter!
• Editorial: King George’s latest power play: solar
• Kenny Alexander’s choice for Norfolk’s next vice mayor is a rebuke to the current one
• The weather reversal has arrived — sunshine and warmth into Saturday