Saturday News: “Never Mind the North Korea Meeting, Trump Was Just Babbling”; Steel Tariffs Will Kill Jobs; Tommy Norment (R) vs. Kirk Cox (R) on Budget, Possible Medicaid Expansion

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 10.

• U.S. eases way to more tariff exemptions under pressure from allies (“After Trump opened the door, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Europe clamored for special treatment, while Chinese producers called on Beijing to retaliate in kind.” What a mess. Also note that these tariffs will NOT help the U.S. steel industry but WILL kill jobs in industries that use steel. F’ing stupid.)
• Trump steel tariffs may leave these U.S. steelworkers jobless
• White House: Never Mind the North Korea Meeting, Trump Was Just Babbling (“Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters today Trump won’t meet with North Korea unless they offer concrete concessions beforehand”)
• Trump’s bold stroke on North Korea dissolves into confusion (“The uncertainty surrounding the terms of the potential historic encounter between the U.S. president and Kim Jong Un mirrored earlier bold announcements from the Trump administration.”)
• Trump Lawyers Seek Deal With Mueller to Speed End of Russia Probe
• “Trump Is Going for a Clean Reset”: Fuming in the West Wing, Trump Prepares to Defenestrate Cuck Allies and Go Full MAGA
• Donald Trump and North Korea: What a Fine Mess (“But the precipitous way in which Mr. Trump agreed to the invitation, and the fact that this mercurial president, ill informed and ill prepared on complex national security issues, will be across the table from Mr. Kim is worrisome.”)
• In a personal letter, Trump invited Putin to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant
• Michael Cohen used Trump company email in Stormy Daniels arrangements
• The President and the Porn Star: A Story’s Slow Rise Above the Din
• White House appears to backtrack on Trump’s historic meeting with Kim Jong Un (“The Trump administration is sending mixed messages.”)
• What to consider before celebrating Trump’s meeting with North Korea
• The White House Is Already Walking Back the North Korea Summit. Because It Was a PR Stunt.
• NRA sues Florida over gun bill same day Gov. Scott signed it into law
• Stormy Daniels Is Running Rings Around Trump’s Lawyer
• I’ll Believe It When I See It (“Has President* Trump really made a breakthrough with North Korea?”)
• After repeatedly attacking Obama for possibility of meeting with North Korea, Hannity gushes over Trump for doing exact same thing (Of course it’s fine when the white, male Republican does it.)
• I don’t care if Trump had an affair. I care about the hush money. (I care about the affairs only to the extent it highlights the hypocrisy of Republicans and evangelicals, who would have gone nuts if this had been…oh, let’s say Bill Clinton.)
• Radio stations across North America have repeatedly spread fake news (“A host of The Morning Line with Larry & Janet on Virginia’s WLNI-FM cited YourNewsWire’s fake story that the Sutherland Springs, TX, mass shooter was a member of antifa and said, ‘Antifa said they were going to shake it up this weekend.'”
• Liberal Redneck Trae Crowder: Trump and Kim Jong Un are like two drunk guys talking about what to do with a brain tumor
• Making Sense Of Trump’s Two Big Moves On North Korea And Tariffs (“Outside of a few Democrats running in red states, it’s hard to find many people in Washington who agree with Trump’s tariffs. Economic experts on the right and left strongly oppose them, arguing that they will start a trade war that hurts the U.S. economy. Trump now owns the course that tariffs take, whether that lurches the country toward economic warfare or not.”)
• Putin ‘couldn’t care less’ about Russia’s interference in U.S. elections
• The Latest: Veterans home victims called ‘brave women’
• “Enlightenment Now”: Steven Pinker’s grand apology for capitalism (“Bill Gates loves the Harvard prof’s attack on ‘progressophobia’ — but as intellectual history it’s incoherent”)
• Great opportunity or trap? 12 experts weigh in on the Trump-Kim summit.
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott just signed new gun control measures — and a plan to arm some school employees (“He signed the legislation despite his opposition to arming educators.”)
• The Memo: Dangers multiply for Trump in Mueller probe
• Trump pardons sailor in submarine photos case (As always, imagine how Fox and “friends” would be reacting if Obama or Clinton had done this.)
• Pelletier: New laws needed to prevent shootings
• Tim Kaine endorses proposal to ‘do away with superdelegates once and for all’
• Virginia could feel impact from president’s plan for higher tariffs
• Governor signs sweeping utility overhaul affecting 3 million Virginia ratepayers (This bill, now law, is a Dominion-written piece of crap. Northam should have heavily amended or vetoed it.)
• Va. barrels into special session after budget impasse
• Sharp words and a new Select Committee in the General Assembly (“Norment said that while Senators in recent years had grown used to working in a body divided 21 Republicans to 19 Democrats, as well as 20-20 and 19-20, the House GOP hadn’t got over the shock of losing 15 seats to Democrats. The Republicans cling to just a 51-49 majority.”)
• Virginia legislature is heading for a special session, but on which chamber’s terms? (“The Senate adopted a resolution to send the legislature into special session, but the House of Delegates said it would send the resolution to a committee to die…Talks by a 13-member conference committee of the two chambers broke down on Thursday as budget negotiators acknowledged they were too far apart on Medicaid expansion and the so-called provider assessment on hospitals.” Republican dysfunction.)
• Tensions mount in Medicaid fight, as Senate Republican signals openness to expand (“Emmett W. Hanger Jr. (Augusta) indicated that he might support Medicaid expansion if the House plan is reshaped. Hanger told House Republicans that if Gov. Ralph Northam (D) worked with him to modify it to his liking, he would provide a crucial vote. That sent shock waves through the caucus because if the governor proposes Medicaid expansion as an amendment to the state budget, all that would be needed for passage is one Republican in the Senate — Hanger — to join all the Democrats in voting for it.”)
• A state lawmaker gives Corey Stewart competition for GOP Senate nomination (These guys are going to pound each other, and I’m stocking up on popcorn! LOL)
• Assembly passes insurance bills meant to help with rising costs, but some fear further destabilization of individual market
• Gilda Niknezhad: Carbon pollution threatens our region (“AS A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL in Hampton Roads, I see the effects of climate change every day. From rising sea levels and the resulting flooding to increased rates of respiratory illnesses and allergies, climate effects seem to be magnified in our region.”)
• Del. Nick Rush’s new job this session part of bigger role for Western Virginia legislators
• Congressional candidate broke law when she carved up AR-15, attorney says (“‘At a minimum she broke at least two federal laws, both of which are felonies, and at least one felony at the state level,’ said Virginia Beach attorney Robert Herron III, an expert in firearms law…But Herron doubts she’ll get prosecuted because she’s running for Congress.”)
• Richmond dog day care and kennel is shut down; 25 animals seized, owner charged
• A pleasant and quite sunny weekend before another nor’easter forms