Thursday News: “Extraordinary Thinning” of Antarctic Ice Sheets; “War With Iran Would Be a Disaster”; Two Great Responses by Virginia Dems on Alabama Abortion Law; “Arlington’s Jefferson Davis Highway will become Richmond Highway”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, May 16. Also, check out the video from last night’s Fredericksburg Dems’ forum, of two great responses regarding the Alabama abortion law, by Amy Laufer (Virginia Senate District 17) and Joshua Cole (Virginia House District 88). Nice job!

• ‘Extraordinary thinning’ of ice sheets revealed deep inside Antarctica (“New research shows affected areas are losing ice five times faster than in the 1990s, with more than 100m of thickness gone in some places” Stop. Greenhouse. Gas. Emissions. ASAP.)
• Wake up, Republicans. Even corporations are calling for action on climate change. (“Another group of major companies calls for action on global warming.”)
• Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran
• Take It From an Iraq War Supporter—War With Iran Would Be a Disaster (“It would mean repeating a mistake, only on a much bigger scale: without allies, without justification, and without any plan at all.”)
• Hardliners target Iran’s president as U.S. pressure grows
• Missile Photographs Fuel Divisions Over Iran Threat (“The intelligence that caused the White House to escalate its warnings about Iran came from photographs of missiles on small boats, American officials said. But how alarmed the Trump administration should be has been fiercely debated among the White House, the Pentagon, the C.I.A. and America’s allies.”)
• Trump’s Huawei Threat Is the Nuclear Option to Halt China’s Rise
• China slams U.S. blacklisting of Huawei as trade tensions rise
• Theresa May told: set a departure date or be forced out
• 17 countries pledged to tackle online extremism. The White House said no. (“The United States is not currently in a position to join the endorsement.”)
• ‘We’re in the fight of our lives’: Alabama abortion law spurs lawsuits and protests (“Women’s health advocates and Democratic leaders vow to fight the measure and the conservative-led effort to challenge abortion rights nationwide”)
• Alabama’s Extremist Abortion Bill Ruins John Roberts’ Roe Plan (“SCOTUS was all teed up to quietly gut America’s abortion rights. Then Alabama happened.”)
• Alabama Republicans want to overturn Roe v. Wade. Their strategy could backfire. (“The Alabama abortion ban’s lack of exceptions for rape or incest could be its downfall.”)
• Televangelist Pat Robertson: Alabama’s abortion ban is ‘extreme’ and has ‘gone too far’ (Wow, you know things are too extreme when extremist Pat Robertson says they’re too extreme! LOL)
• God’s Little Embryos Aren’t the Point. The Cruelty Is the Point. (“Alabama’s abortion ban is about asserting control over women, taking away their physical autonomy in the most intimate fashion.”)
• Alabama’s Extreme Abortion Ban Has Been Signed into Law
• States Are Rushing to Restrict Abortion, or to Protect It (“New laws across the United States, including a near-total ban in Alabama, are setting up court battles that could reshape abortion access. The measures have deepened the growing divide between liberal and conservative states.”)
• Alabama abortion ban threatens to reshape 2020 election (“Democratic presidential contenders cast the nation’s strictest ban as a severe blow to women’s rights, while Republican leaders dodged questions about the law.”)
• Ignorance Is Blessed (“Supporters of Alabama’s extreme abortion law weren’t just confused about what exactly it does—they were proud of their cluelessness.”)
• White Supremacy Beyond a White Majority (“President Trump is trying to maintain white dominance as the nation’s demographics change.”)
• Trump’s Failure to Control the Central Bank Is a Huge Problem for His Trade Policy
• Stacey Abrams: Why I Am Determined to End Voter Suppression (“As more people of color claim political power, efforts to block them will accelerate — unless we act.”)
• Trump’s New Immigration Plan Doesn’t Address Undocumented Immigrants
• Left and Right Agree on Criminal Justice: They Were Both Wrong Before (“There is a new bipartisan consensus on criminal justice, and it is that the old consensus was wrong. In a new report, Democrats and Republicans denounced the “tough on crime” approach as unsparingly as they once promoted it.”)
• Democrats’ obsession with redaction is obscuring the obvious: Trump committed high crime (“The Mueller report makes the unquestionable case that the president violated his oath.”)
• White House launches tool for social media censorship complaints (What a load of…)
• Trump Pardons Billionaire Friend Conrad Black, Who Wrote Glowing Book About Him
• Toddler apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border dies after weeks in hospital
• Biden plots an early kill (“By all accounts, Biden’s strategy is working — even though his campaign isn’t even a month old. And others are noticing and feeling threatened.”)
• Beto shifts gears in effort to jump-start campaign
• Joe Biden breaks with Obama in moving to left
• De Blasio launches presidential campaign (Why?)
• The NRA is imploding. We have fancy clothes to thank for that. (“The high-living gun lobbyists do not have rural America’s interests at heart.”)
• POLITICO Playbook PM: What George W. Bush’s economist said about Trump behind closed doors (“Lindsey said he enlisted two psychiatrists to analyze the president from afar. China views President DONALD TRUMP as a “total narcissist” — ‘a 10-out-of-10 narcissist,’ he said. Lindsey attributed this to the president’s upbringing and said his mother didn’t pay him adequate attention in childhood. LINDSEY said Trump has no long-term plans or ability to think ahead. He said the president has the long-term decision-making ability of an ’empty chair.'”)
• The race to save the planet from plastic (“Scientists are trying to accelerate evolution to make plastics rot. A tiny new organism is showing them how.”)
• Florida’s change to Amendment 4 is travesty and a transgression of the people’s will (“The state legislature devised a way to once again deprive the vote of most of the people we had hoped to re-enfranchise.”)
• This one weird trick can help any state or city pass clean energy policy (” By far the simplest and most reliable way for most people to express support for climate and clean energy policy is to vote against Republicans and for Democrats. It’s not ideal. But it is what it is.”)
• Bucking the ‘Christchurch Call’ Is Not About the First Amendment for This White House (“It’s about showing which side the president* is on.”)
• WATCH: Sen. Mark Warner’s remarks on China’s growing economic and technology power
• Tim Kaine blasts Trump over Iran
• These Democratic women don’t want to be ‘show ponies’ (“After a few months in Congress, they’ve figured out who are the ‘workhorses’ and who are the ‘show ponies,’ in the words of Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, and they’re tired of the latter getting all the attention. Along with Slotkin, Reps. Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania are fighting to hold the majority.”)
• Audio: Former Rep. Scott Taylor Claims He’s Been “Exonerated,” Might Bring “Defamation” Lawsuit, Might Run for U.S. Senate Against Mark Warner in 2020
• VA Senate Dems – “Republicans Reveal Their Real Healthcare Agenda: Ban All Abortions”
• Audio: Virginia Del. Bob Thomas Thinks Near-Total Abortion Bans – Like the Ones in Georgia and Alabama – Are NOT “Too Extreme”
• State Del. Carroll Foy launches PAC to aid Democrats, may be setting stage for statewide run
• Virginia Could Really Use a Hero These Days. Attorney General Mark Herring Could Be That Hero. (“On May 18, rally with us at the Loudoun County courthouse for Herring: Stand with Appalachia, Not Pipelines.”)
• ‘I’m angry & rageful & sad’: A Virginia inmate’s letters show why solitary confinement should concern us all.
• Amanda Pohl: The Moment I Decided to Run (“Trigger Warning: this story includes information about pregnancy loss”)
• Fairfax County Board Chair Candidate Alicia Plerhoples “Statement on Corruption Allegations against Jeff McKay” (Also, see full response memo (by ReedSmith) to allegations…)
• Corruption Allegations Mar Fairfax County Board Race
• Schapiro: Maybe Va. Democrats shouldn’t get their hopes up (Just as Jeff Schapiro wrote that, it looks like the Alabama abortion law might have recast the 2019 elections – in Dems’ favor.)
• With Commonwealth Transportation Board’s blessing, Arlington’s Jefferson Davis Highway will become Richmond Highway
• Behavioral health court is a new approach to justice
• Some Henrico Democrats have questions about candidate for sheriff who signed GOP loyalty pledge
• 3 things you need to know about the $2.4 billion Virginia Beach budget (“The City Council voted 9-2 on Tuesday to pass a $2 billion budget, which is the largest city budget in the region.”)
• Rep. Jennifer Wexton Endorses Buta Biberaj for Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney
• Long-Time Turnout Predictor Frank O’Leary Predicts “Record-Breaking Primary, Probably in Excess of 20,000 Votes” in Arlington
• Richmond hired its top administrator’s daughter. She makes more than 127 others with the same title.
• Delicious spring weather today, and a taste of summer this weekend