Thursday News: “The bloodbath in Aleppo will haunt humanity”; “Donald Trump’s Alt-Reality”; “21st Century Cures Act” Signed

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, December 15. Also check out President Obama signing the 21st Century Cures Act.

• The electoral college should think hard before handing Trump the presidency (“While it would be understandable if electors’ echoed their states’ votes, it could be argued that shifting their votes to Hillary Clinton is their duty.”
• The bloodbath in Aleppo will haunt humanity (Agreed, this an absolute disgrace to humanity.)
• Rick Perry is the latest science-rejecting member of Trump’s Cabinet (Rejecting science of any kind should be an automatic disqualifier for holding any form of public office in America.)
• U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in U.S. Election Hack (Basically an act of war as far as I can tell.)
• The oil and gas industry is quickly amassing power in Trump’s Washington (The LAST thing we need.)
• Against Trump, Democrats Prepare G.O.P. Tactic: Lawsuits (“Liberal state attorneys general around the country have vowed to use their power to check and balance Donald J. Trump’s Washington. Republicans may have set the stage by using the courts to block parts of President Obama’s agenda.”)
• DNC chair fight puts labor in tough spot (“Perez bid tests union loyalties.”)
• G.O.P. Resistance Builds to Bolton as State Dept. Deputy (Their “resistance” should be building to many other horrible Trump nominees as well.)
• Why G.O.P. Electors Can Vote Against Trump
• Libertarians emerging as Trump resistance (“As some Never Trumpers go dark, libertarians have taken up the cause.”)
• Donald Trump’s Alt-Reality (“Trump proved throughout his campaign and in the month since he won that he would not only lie repeatedly, but that he could get away with it… rural voters, and others in the Trump coalition, are more than willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. Their deep feeling that whatever else he was, he was on their side permitted him to shrug off criticism as emanating from malevolent political elites.”)
• Google Officials Promised To Stop Making Fake News Profitable, But One Month Later, They’ve Failed (For instance, the #1 Google search result for whether the Holocaust happened is a neo-Nazi, Holocaust DENIAL page!)
• ‘Extremism gone amuck’: Joy Reid and Moral Monday leader rip North Carolina GOP power grab after McCrory loss (“As Reid explained, the Republican GOP majority convened a special session to deal with disaster recovery, only to turn around and propose bills that would cut incoming Gov. Cooper’s staffing from 1,500 to 300 while making his cabinet appointments subject to approval by the GOP-controlled state Senate.”)
• Trump must sell his D.C. hotel, federal officials tell Congressional Democrats (“Giving it to his children isn’t good enough.”)
• Did unmoderated, toxic comments from online trolls help build our hateful electorate?
• The post-truth era of Trump is just what Nietzsche predicted
• Gingrich brags that Republicans are coming for everything FDR accomplished
• Sandy Hook conspiracy watch: Four years after the massacre, lunatic ravings become even more sinister
• The race to 37: Electoral College members say they’re seeing possible defections (“Meanwhile, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig says that as many as 20 electors could break from Trump” I find that VERY hard to believe.)
• Donald’s Beautiful Dark Fascist Fantasy (“What do Trump and Kanye have in common? Totalitarian aesthetics and disconnection from reality.”)
• The Fed’s Rate Hike Could Spoil Some of the GOP’s Big Plans—and Trump Is Partly to Blame
• Tillerson Says One Thing With His Mouth and Another With His Money (“The Exxon CEO’s actions suggest he knows climate change denialism is good for business.” Hey, we don’t need a livable planet anyway, right?)
• McAuliffe calls for new mental health money; session shaping up with focus on system reform
• New poll: Most Virginians don’t really know who’s running for governor(Bingo, that’s the real news from this poll – Virginians are mostly clueless on who any of these people are.)
• Cantor resurfaces, generates buzz about potential comeback (“Amid Trump celebrations, he urged the party to focus on winning the 2017 governor’s race”)
• Judge removes ABC, one agent from Martese Johnson lawsuit
• VRE Asks for $20 Million More Each Year from General Assembly Plus $400 Million from Feds
• McAuliffe calls for big investment in mental health care and addiction treatment
• Lawyers for Virginia death-row inmate sue to stop lethal injection (“Attorneys for Ricky Gray said an execution by firing squad would be less painful than the drug combination.”)
• Virginia congressman calls for delay in electoral college vote
• Sen. Tim Kaine visits Spotsy after vice presidential bid
• Editorial: The Berglund Center’s roof shines a light on Virginia’s solar policy (“The reason why the city’s plan to use the Berglund Center roof to generate solar energy didn’t work out offers an instructive glimpse into state policies — policies that renewable energy advocates say hampers the growth of solar (and wind) power in the state.”)
• Emily Brewer Officially Announces Candidacy for 64th District House Seat
• Montgomery County leaders talk cigarette tax, growing broadband
• Howling winds and bone-chilling cold today; a messy wintry mix to start the weekend