Friday News: “2017 Ranks in 3 Hottest Years on Record”; “Republicans oppose Republican plan to keep the government open”; Tim Kaine Says “There’s no reason to shut the government down”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 19.

• 2017 Ranks in 3 Hottest Years on Record (“Global temperatures were 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th Century average in a year marked by climate-related disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes.” Stop emitting greenhouse gases ASAP!)
• World’s confidence in US leadership under Trump at new low, poll finds
• Republicans oppose Republican plan to keep the government open (“They don’t have the votes.”)
• Senate in disarray with shutdown hours away (This is 100% on Republicans, who control the Congress and White House.)
• Trump Lawyer Used Private Company, Pseudonyms to Pay Porn Star ‘Stormy Daniels’ (“Michael Cohen created limited liability company just before $130,000 payment”)
• The G.O.P.’s Doomsday-Machine Politics (“Now Republicans are threatening to blow up children’s health care.”)
• Blame game ramps up as shutdown nears (Republicans, as usual, are lying.)
• Looming shutdown raises a fundamental question: Can the GOP govern? (Of course it can’t; it fundamentally doesn’t even believe in government.)
• The scary ideology behind Trump’s immigration instincts
• David Frum on why Republicans chose Trumpocracy over democracy (“The Republican Party has a platform that can’t prevail in democratic competition.”)
• A year after the Women’s March, a record number of women are running for office. Will they win?
• Mueller reportedly investigating whether Russia funneled money through the NRA to elect Trump (“McClatchy report says Robert Mueller’s investigation examining whether Kremlin funneled 2016 election funds through the gun group.”)
• The unrepentant racism of Tucker Carlson Tonight (“A primetime Fox News show embraces white identity politics.”)
• Trump’s tweets debunk his own lies about government shutdown (“The president was actually in favor of a government shutdown as recently as last year”)
• Does Donald Trump Want to Be Dictator of the United States? (“His behavior over the past 12 months lines up alarmingly well with studies of authoritarianism.”)
• How Trump Ranks vs. Past Presidents In Popularity At The End Of Year One
• Poll: More than half of Americans strongly disapprove of Trump
• McConnell plans for shutdown (“The Senate leader intends to keep his chamber in session and stage a series of votes designed to embarrass vulnerable Democrats.”)
• Here’s Another Fine Mess They’ve Gotten Us Into (“Once again, Trump and Congress cannot perform a basic task, preventing a government shutdown.”)
• The man-child in the White House reels wildly out of control (“No one, not even Trump’s allies, can trust anything he says.”)
• Trump’s Strategy for Avoiding a Shutdown: Head to Mar-a-Lago
• The House Voted to Avert a Shutdown—But It Might Not Be Enough
• Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks North Carolina Gerrymandering Ruling (This Supreme Court is illegitimate, as it has a stolen seat on it right now.)
• Tucker Carlson guest defends white supremacists and claims that Hispanics in Arizona represent the end of American society (“The white supremacists are American citizens. The illegal immigrants are people who shouldn’t be here”)
• Shutdown threat tanks West Wing morale (“The chaos of the last two weeks comes just as some White House staffers are deciding whether to stay in the administration or leave the drama behind.”)
• More Than Words (“Jeff Flake might be all talk and no action. We should still listen to what he’s saying.”)
• Not just “girthers”: Doctors question Trump’s health report (“We’re talking about a 70-plus-year-old man who is obese and doesn’t exercise”)
• Amazon Is Totally Putting Its Second Headquarters in D.C., Right?
• Kaine, Warner say they will oppose House funding bill
• Sen. Tim Kaine On Why He Opposes Stopgap Funding Mechanism For Government (“There’s no reason to shut the government down. If it shuts down, it’s only because the Republican majority doesn’t want to work on weekends…The Republicans said in December, give us another month, and we’ll come up with a final deal. And then at the eleventh hour, now they say, well, give us another month, and we’ll come up with a final deal.”)
• Virginia’s senators ask for off-shore drilling hearings in Virginia Beach and Eastern Shore
• Lawmakers plan bipartisan bill to end Dominion rate freeze, promise rebates (Saslaw and Wagner are both bought and paid for by Dominion, so you know this is going to be bad.)
• Lawmakers delay rollout of electric rate regulations
• Senate approves raising felony theft threshold ($500 is still too low.)
• Lawmakers delay rollout of electric rate regulations
• Abortion bills die in General Assembly committee
• Virginia to intensify courtship of Amazon for HQ2 site in Northern Virginia
• Editorial: Is Virginia’s GOP obliged to throw in the towel? Of course not. (I agree that they’re not OBLIGED to “throw in the towel”; our job is to make sure they pay for this politically in 2019 or earlier.)
• Senate Republicans defeat DACA in-state tuition bill in committee
• How would a government shutdown affect Hampton Roads?
• Senate panel revives Patrick County hospital bill
• Economic development panel backs funding for 5 Western Virginia projects
• Mild to occasionally warm, through early next week