Friday News: Walter Scott’s Shooting Death Mistrial a Massive Injustice; Tim Kaine Rips Michael Flynn as Worse than Fourth Grader

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 9.

• What does it take to get a police officer punished for killing an unarmed black man? (“I’m trying to be an optimist after this week’s mistrial in Walter Scott’s shooting death, but it’s not easy.” This situation makes me so angry, I can’t even say…massive injustice right here in America, and most people don’t even seem to care. Ugh.)
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are on their way to the White House (“It won’t help the world if Donald Trump continues with his wildly inconsistent comments and choices.” Well, he’s consistently awful.)
• The businessman president-to-be is anti-business (“Trump’s strong-arming of American companies runs counter to the Republican creed.” Very anti-capitalist.)
• Trump era confronts organized labor with gravest crisis in decades (This is a crisis for all Americans, not just for “organized labor.”)
• South Korea Impeachment Is a New Political Quake (“Likely successors to President Park take different views on ties with Washington, free trade and big business”)
• Tim Kaine: Michael Flynn’s Either ‘Highly Gullible’ or Has Lost Ability to Judge What’s Fact or Fiction(The latter, clearly.)
• Kaine on Flynn: He’s worse than a ‘fourth grader’ peddling in conspiracies (I’d take a fourth grader as National Security Adviser any day over this deranged lunatic Flynn.)
• Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan is garbage — and Democratic resistance will be critical (“There are good ways to fund new infrastructure projects, and then there’s sleazy cronyism. Which does Trump want?”)
• Long Before Trump, Kellyanne Conway Worked for Anti-Muslim and Anti-Immigrant Extremists (This woman is evil.)
• What’s really pushing politics to the right? Immigration. (“The West needs to do a better job of helping foreigners assimilate.”)
• In Wake Of Pizzagate Shooting, Parent Of Sandy Hook Victim Describes Harassment He Faced From Conspiracy Theorists (Yep, social media has been a disaster.)
• John Glenn, American Hero of the Space Age, Dies at 95 (Amazing life; RIP sir!)
• Tim Kaine remembers John Glenn
• Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick Hates the Minimum Wage, Loves “Beautiful Women Eating Burgers in Bikinis” (“Meet Andy Puzder, the miserly, raunchy fast-food magnate who just joined Team Trump.” Another fine example of humanity.)
• Donald Trump’s labor secretary pick Andy Puzder, who makes 300 times his employees, opposes minimum wage hike
• Trump’s Labor Pick, Andrew Puzder, Is Critic of Minimum Wage Increases (These Cabinet picks are like a really bad parody. The next four years are going to be hell.)
• Low Approval of Trump’s Transition but Outlook for His Presidency Improves (“Growing numbers see ‘strong’ partisan and racial conflicts”)
• Editorial: Andrew Puzder Is the Wrong Choice for Labor Secretary (Wildly so.)
• Trump and Pruitt Will Make America Gasp Again (“The key point is that better air didn’t happen by accident: It was a direct result of regulation — regulation that was bitterly opposed at every step by special interests that attacked the scientific evidence of harm from pollution, meanwhile insisting that limiting their emissions would kill jobs. These special interests were, as you might guess, wrong about everything.”)
• E.P.A. Pick Won’t Undo All Climate Efforts, Experts Say (“The selection of a climate-change denier comes at a moment when the American energy market has already shifted away from the most polluting fossil fuels, driven by economics.” That’s a tiny positive note, but the bottom line is that this pick is disastrous, as we need to be massively ACCELERATING our efforts to switch to clean energy and fight climate change, not SLOWING them!)
• Donald Trump to Remain Executive Producer on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ (I guess this is perfect for the alternate/fake-reality President.)
• Trump to be part-time president, keep lucrative job with Celebrity Apprentice (“Yes, this is real life.”)
• I’m the union leader Donald Trump attacked. I’m tired of being lied to about our jobs.
• Christie heading south to speak at Virginia GOP gathering (Perfect; a slimeball/crook with extremely low approval ratings…)
• 
  Sen. Black, Frank Wolf endorse Gillespie’s gubernatorial bid
• Economic Impact Study: UVA Generates $5.9 Billion for Virginia Economy
• Kaine, Goodlatte recommend Fishburne for Inaugural Parade
• Wittman leaves governor’s race
• Wittman drops bid for governor, citing need for Virginia presence on military committee
• Editorial: Virginia redistricting case presents Supreme Court with a mind-reading problem (Actually, it really doesn’t require that the justices be mind readers; just look at how the districts were drawn.)
• Virginia Senate leader formally requests study on decriminalizing marijuana
• Liberty University shows it takes sports more seriously than sexual assault (Yeah, they’re really practicing Christian values at Liberty. Not.)
• VMI superintendent disputes coloring book complaints
• Virginia man jailed in South Korea after apparently falling victim to ‘elaborate’ scam
• Virginia board OKs Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion
• Legislators seek leadership roles on Martinsville institute’s board (“State Sen. William M. Stanley Jr., R-Franklin County, says he will not run for attorney general if he is elected chairman of the New College Institute’s board.”)
• Randy Forbes supporters get revenge on Republican who helped unseat him (“The Chesapeake GOP voted to reject Scott Weldon’s application to join the city branch in mid-October, four months after he orchestrated the winning 2nd Congressional District race of state Del. Scott Taylor over longtime local Rep. Randy Forbes.”)
• ‘Norfolk Four’ have asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to declare them innocent
• Kim Gray sits on Richmond’s School Board and is moving to City Council, but in Denmark she’s a celebrity
• Arctic chill and gusty winds are here through the weekend