by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 21.
- Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan (“President loses defense secretary who had won widespread praise…Jim Mattis’s surprise resignation came a day after President Trump overruled his advisers, including Mattis, and shocked American allies by announcing the pullout.”)
- ‘A morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
- Trump unleashed: Mattis exit paves way for global chaos
- Trump orders major military withdrawal from Afghanistan (“The president has directed the Pentagon to devise a plan to withdraw nearly half of the 14,000 troops deployed there.”)
- Isolated and under pressure, Trump sets government in crisis
- ‘A sad day for America’: Washington fears a Trump unchecked by Mattis
- Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria marks a win for Putin
- The Fix: Mattis’s resignation letter, an unmistakable repudiation, annotated
- Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary, Resigns in Rebuke of Trump’s Worldview (Trump’s entire worldview is warped, wrong, dangerously f’ed up.)
- With Mattis out, we’re in uncharted territory (“Finally, it is time for Senate Republicans to seriously consider removing Trump in the event the House moves to impeach. Trump is a menace to our democracy and national security; unless and until Republicans recognize this and express a willingness to remove him, Trump may do untold damage during the time he has left in office. Supporting his reelection is entirely out of the question.”)
- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’
- Government on track for shutdown as Trump threatens to veto Senate deal, demanding border-wall funds
- In budget brinkmanship, Republicans once again hold themselves hostage
- Dow drops 470 points to 14-month low in second day of big losses following Fed rate hike
- As stocks drop, Trump fears he’s losing his best argument for reelection
- William Barr’s memo on the Mueller probe is baseless and dangerous (“The Senate should think twice before confirming him as attorney general.”)
- No More Excuses (“The resignation of James Mattis leaves Congress to face the truth about Trump.”)
- Mattis’ Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control (“That was more than a letter of resignation provided today by Defense Secretary James Mattis. It was a bright red line in American history.”)
- The Year in Trump Freakouts (“Jim Mattis is out, the President is leaving Syria without consulting anyone, and that’s just this week in crises of the President’s own making.”)
- The Last Grown-Up Is Gone (“James Mattis is not ‘retiring with distinction.’ He’s resigning in protest.”)
- Mattis’s Exit Takes Leash Off Trump’s ‘America First’ Doctrine (“McConnell voices deep concern over U.S. global commitments”)
- Syria, Mattis, Afghanistan, shutdown: Trump ends year in chaos
- Trump tries to blame Democrats for shutdown he is orchestrating
- Will the Nation Heed the Warning Jim Mattis Delivered Today?
- I Hope That Tax Cut Was Worth It (“House Republicans are now subject to the same Trumpian chaos we all live through every day.”)
- New Cracks Form Between G.O.P. Lawmakers and Trump (“The resignation of Mr. Mattis and reports of a drawdown in Afghanistan prompted warnings from within the party.”)
- Jim Mattis Was Right (“Who will protect America now?”)
- Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
- Schumer: House-passed border wall bill dead in the Senate
- House and Senate on collision course as shutdown nears (“House approval of a spending bill with money for Trump’s wall significantly raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.”)
- ‘I’m OK with a shutdown’: Inside the chaos of the House GOP’s last days (Of course, the bats***-crazy “Freedom Caucus” of teabaggers is at the heart of this, along with Rush Limbaugh and other assorted freakazoids.)
- Pressure from base pushed a flustered Trump into shutdown reversal (“The president has been under fire from his usual allies on several issues”)
- The Catholic Church Is a Worldwide Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice (“This story is not going to end.”)
- Trump is leaving 50,000 Syrian civilians to die
- This time, the United States is betraying more than just the Kurds, allies say
- Schumer Says Mueller Memo Disqualifies Barr From Attorney General Job (“Graham, the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says written opinion shouldn’t affect Barr’s confirmation”)
- Paul Ryan’s Career Ends as It Was: As Full of Sh*t as a Christmas Goose (“Be gone, zombie-eyed granny-starver from the State of Wisconsin. Go to your fat lobbying gig.”)
- Ethics official said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say
- A Top Aide’s Exit Plan Raises Eyebrows in the White House
- Threats to Mueller Investigation in Memo and Recusal Decision (“The acting attorney general chose not to recuse himself from overseeing the inquiry, and the attorney general nominee criticized the inquiry in a memo this spring. The developments underscored potential challenges to the special counsel’s investigation at a time when it seems to be drawing closer to the White House.”)
- Why Fox News Made Trump Shut Down the Government
- Right-wing media figures goad Trump into vetoing any spending bill that doesn’t include border wall funding
- Key Senate Democrat says Trump ‘should withdraw’ attorney general nomination (“Sen. Mark Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, told CNN’s Manu Raju Thursday that President Donald Trump “should withdraw” his pick to be attorney general, William ‘Bill’ Barr, because of a memo Barr sent to the Department of Justice this summer weighing in on the special counsel investigation.”)
- As Virginia gears up for gambling debate, thousands of slot-like games have already slipped in the back door
- Virginia signs on to lawsuit challenging seismic testing decision
- Republicans will have to change their tune to stay relevant in Virginia (“The data makes a convincing case that if Republicans want a shot at competing in future Virginia statewide elections, they’ll need to moderate their positions and rhetoric to appeal to younger voters. If they don’t, they may be out of contention indefinitely.”)
- A look at some tax relief options, and their impact on the budget (“Tax relief” is right-wing framing, just like “pro life.” Shouldn’t be used in an “objective” news article.)
- Editorial: What to do with Virginia budget surplus?
- Virginia signs on to regional effort to curb transportation pollution
- Virginia plans to end driver’s license suspensions for court debt, governor says
- Virginia school safety committee shouldn’t have ignored guns, Democrats say in their own report (“As Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, released the Select Committee on School Safety’s official report Wednesday, Democrats unveiled their own report that they say goes further to address students’ well-being.”)
- Editorial: Something stinks with air board
- Edwards: Virginia should ratify the ERA
- ‘I’m the only fool in the States that probably wants to risk it’: Virginia dealer admits to smuggling illegal wildlife items (Heinous.)
- Virginia Lottery has opened investigations into 3 of Virginia’s top winners after Pilot report (“The move comes after The Virginian-Pilot’s investigation into people who claimed winning tickets at a statistically impossible rate.”)
- Lawsuit to keep school name tossed
- Nationals agree to two-year deal with veteran starter Anibal Sanchez to bolster rotation
- Showers and fog this morning. Downpours, storms possible later and into evening.
