Monday News: “Soul Survival in Trump’s Hell”; “Conspiracies, Corruption and Climate”; Bannon Declares War on GOP

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, September 10.

• Irma rakes Florida, inflicting damage from coast to coast (“Weakened system threatens Tampa area with storm surge, ripping winds”)
• US commemorates 9/11; thousands expected at ground zero
• Hurricane Irma: ‘Everything Is Under Water, I Mean Everything’
• Trump has spent his whole presidency making Democrats stronger
• Breitbart’s Bannon declares war on the GOP
• Krugman: Conspiracies, Corruption and Climate (“The bottom line is that we are now ruled by people who are completely alienated not just from the scientific community, but from the scientific idea — the notion that objective assessment of evidence is the way to understand the world. And this willful ignorance is deeply frightening. Indeed, it may end up destroying civilization.”)
• Blow: Soul Survival in Trump’s Hell (“I don’t think that this is even a matter of fatigue, but rather of the capacity of rage and the length of mourning. Hopelessness is a very human response when the feeling of persecution intersects with the feeling of powerlessness.”)
• Climate change is getting worse, and so is media’s coverage of it (“Media are failing to inform audiences about pressing impacts on human migration patterns, women, and the economy”)
• Steve Bannon is deeply tied to the Mercer empire. 60 Minutes didn’t ask him a single question about it. (“Charlie Rose never mentioned Bannon’s patrons, the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter, Rebekah. It is their support for Bannon that makes him a powerbroker from outside the Trump administration — and their history with the Breitbart chief has been littered with conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and corruption.”)
• The Wall Street Journal’s Trump problem (“Dozens have left the paper in the past year and interviews with current and ex-staffers show outrage over pressure from management to normalize Trump”)
• Hillary Clinton on why she lost and “the most important” mistake she made
• How Trump’s social media director got hoaxed about Hurricane Irma
• Why Republicans Can’t Govern (“The Republican Party now includes the successors to this Southern faction, as well as immigration hard-liners. But the political climate has changed since the 1960s. Many overtly racist attitudes have fallen out of favor. While New Deal Democrats sometimes governed by accommodating racists (a practice with a lasting, damaging legacy), those kinds of compromises may no longer be politically viable.”)
• There they go again: One deal with Democrats and suddenly Trump’s “a different kind of president” (“One last time, media: He’s not a ‘freewheeling’ maverick with no ideology. He’s a guy who apologized for Nazis “)
• The Only Problem in American Politics Is the Republican Party (“There is nothing on the left with the reach and scope of the conservative media universe defined by talk radio, Fox News, and other outlets that have functioned as state media…Democrats fear Republican government because it is dangerous and extreme. Republicans fear Democratic government because they are dangerous and extreme.”)
• Jeff Sessions Wanted to Use Polygraph to Find White House Leakers: Report
• From 9/11 to 11/9: How the “War on Terror” helped Donald Trump win (“Donald Trump exploited the effects of the ‘War on Terror’ on our political culture, economy and national psyche”)
• Trump Leads Quiet Rise of a Socially Conservative Agenda (“An aggressive regulatory effort has led to policy changes related to gun ownership, gay rights, reproductive choices, immigration and other divisive political issues. Several long-serving civil servants are said to have left as a result of the effort.”)
• Elegy for the Sunshine State (“It’s useful to remember this now, as Hurricane Irma lays waste to much of Florida: the destruction of the state has been unfolding for decades, and, for the most part, it wasn’t done by nature. It was done by us.”)
• Trump’s deal with Democrats bolsters Ryan — for now (“Though some conservatives are upset with the GOP’s lack of accomplishments, they appear to be a long way from booting the speaker.”)
• Bannon plotting primaries against slate of GOP incumbents (“The effort threatens to drain millions from party coffers that could be used against Democrats.”)
• Trump Voter Fraud Commission Poised To Double Down On Debunked NH Claims (They can’t give up their Big Lie, because it’s their core excuse for their minority voter suppression efforts.)
• Here’s Why Florida Is so Much More Vulnerable to a Hurricane Like Irma Right Now (“Florida’s vulnerability to a catastrophic storm has been obvious for years. Poor development planning, storm amnesia, a faulty insurance system, and a strong dose of climate-change denial have made coastal Florida, especially Miami and Tampa, much more vulnerable to Irma.”)
• White House Social Media Director Busted For Tweeting Fake News
• McCain Says He ‘Can’t Divine’ Why Some GOPers Deny Climate Change (Because they’re tools of the fossil fuel industry, for one reason.)
• Juan Williams: Trump’s desperate DACA cynicism
• How California could jolt the 2020 presidential race (“California is pushing forward with a plan to change the state’s primary date from June to March, a move that could scramble the 2020 presidential nominating contest and swing the early weight of the campaign to the West.”)
• Redistricting proponents say public support is growing
• Sept. 11 ceremonies held throughout northern Virginia
• Editorial: Amazon is looking for a new HQ site. Central Virginia fits the bill nicely.
• Virginia War Memorial ceremony commemorates 9/11 victims
• Pr. William beekeeper uses contractor skills to rescue the insects (“Nokesville apiarist removes trapped or unwanted pollinators from homes, other structures.”)
• Irma expected to skirt Virginia, but some locals face the storm head-on
• Nationals win NL East, 1st MLB team to clinch playoff spot
• Another nice day today, then Irma turns the week somewhat unsettled (“A few chances for rain through the week, but for now amounts don’t look too heavy.”)