by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, Christmas Day 2020. Just one more week and the horrible year of 2020 will be over…
- What The EU-UK Agreement Says About Energy And Climate
- Scientists set a solar cell efficiency world record
- US to require negative Covid test from UK travellers amid new variant fears
- Shock And Dismay After Trump Pardons Blackwater Guards Who Killed 14 Iraqi Civilians
- Relative of Blackwater victim in Iraq says pardons ‘unfair’
- Can a Pardon Be a War Crime?: When Pardons Themselves Violate the Laws of War (It should be.)
- Now We Know How Boris Johnson’s Movie Ends (“The Brexit deal makes Johnson the most consequential prime minister since Thatcher. History will judge him on how he uses his hard-won freedom.” Consequential, yes, but also very very wrong.)
- UK and EU strike historic post-Brexit trade deal
- Britain, EU Prepare Borders for Life After Brexit
- ‘Christmas gift’ or ‘bad timing’? Brexit deal greeted with joy and foreboding around world (“Last-minute agreement assessed as either a welcome economic boost or a bad move in a world that has become dominated by uncertainty”)
- Navalny says Russian police have raided home of ally pursuing novichok plot (“Kremlin critic says Lyubov Sobol detained after visiting Konstantin Kudryavtsev, the FSB agent tricked into speaking about poison plot”)
- Can You Believe Your Eyes That All This Happened in 2020?
- Pelosi Sets New Vote as GOP Foils Move on Trump’s $2,000 Checks
- House Republicans block Democrats’ effort to advance $2,000 stimulus checks pushed by Trump
- House GOP Blocks Dems Attempt to Pass $2,000 Stimulus Checks
- Families on brink of eviction, hunger describe nightmare Christmas as $900 billion relief bill hangs in limbo (This is 100% Republicans’ fault.)
- Answering Trump, Democrats Try and Fail to Jam $2,000 Payments Through House
- Trump’s final weeks create chaos for Congress
- Trump gives America chaos for Christmas
- Factbox: Now what happens to the $892 billion COVID aid bill? Here are three options
- Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus checks is blocked by his own party
- House Democrats Try to Pass $2,000 COVID Relief Checks, as Trump Demanded; House Republicans/Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01) “[block] the $2,000 checks on the floor” [UPDATED]
- Here’s what happens if Trump doesn’t sign the $900 billion relief package
- Americans suffer at Christmas while Trump golfs and sows chaos (“As Trump tweets and pardons loyalists, there is scant evidence that the pressing needs of the country will be addressed in anything resembling a timely fashion”)
- Trump claims to be ‘working tirelessly’ but leaves Covid relief in disarray (“President flies to Florida after throwing party ‘under a bus’”)
- Trump wields pardon power as political weapon, rewarding loyalists and undermining prosecutors (Massive abuse of the pardon power.)
- Jared Kushner played a key role in White House pardon ‘free for all’ (Of course…)
- Behind Trump Clemency, a Case Study in Special Access
- Stand Against the Coming Tidal Wave of Deceit
- FBI team leader: How I know the Blackwater defendants didn’t deserve a pardon from Trump
- How real is the threat of prosecution for Donald Trump post-presidency? (“Legal threats range from investigations into his business dealings in New York to possible obstruction of justice charges – but all come with a political cost”)
- Explainer: Can anything stop Trump from pardoning his family or even himself?
- Republicans raging at Trump are getting exactly what they deserve
- Frustrated Trump met with Pence before holiday break (Get a f’ing grip, for god’s sake.)
- Trump squeezes Republicans with eye on 2022 primaries
- As Biden zeroes in on attorney general pick, some worry one contender is too moderate on criminal justice issues (Gotta love this “some worry” formulation.)
- Could Trump declare martial law to try to steal the election? (“That and other efforts his allies are floating won’t work, say legal and national security experts. Here’s why.”)
- Pence under pressure as the final step nears in formalizing Biden’s win
- Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign legal adviser, pans calls for martial law
- Boiling Point: The coal industry comes tumbling down in the American West
- Dominion sends legal letters to conservative media figures warning of ‘imminent’ action
- Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems Sent 21 Retraction or Record Preservation Demand Letters This Week — Read Them All Here
- Sidney Powell Wants to Fight for Donald Trump—But His Aides Won’t Let Her, She Says
- Sidney Powell’s secret intelligence contractor witness is a pro-Trump podcaster
- The Trump administration wants to take credit for a covid vaccine. Trump supporters are undermining it.
- USPS and civil rights groups reach deal to fast-track ballots in Georgia runoff elections
- Democrats shatter fundraising records ahead of Georgia Senate runoffs (” Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock shattered fundraising records by hauling in more than $100 million each in the past two months, significantly outraising GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the final stretch”)
- Democrat Ossoff’s Fundraising Tops $106 Million In Georgia Senate Race
- Judge dismisses GOP lawsuit to limit Georgia ballot drop box hours
- DeSantis spokesman Piccolo deletes his Twitter account after tweet about COVID-19 victims
- Republican Mississippi Senator: Trump’s Pardons ‘Smack of Cronyism and Political Favors’ (But here in Virginia, House of Delegates Republicans are silent.)
- A Black doctor died of Covid-19 weeks after accusing hospital staff of racist treatment
- Thursday (12/24) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds Highest 1-Day, 2-Day, 3-Day, 10-Day New Case Totals Since Pandemic Began
- Virginia reports record number of coronavirus cases for second day in a row
- VIDEO: Governor and First Lady Northam open Executive Mansion for virtual holiday tour
- Caroline County, Virginia Dems Petition Speaker Nancy Pelosi Not To Seat Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01) For His “act of sedition”
- Video: BBC Comes to Arlington, Virginia For Report on Hunger in America
- If you’re thinking about a holiday party in Virginia, here’s the data on the coronavirus risks you’re taking.
- More than 50 Richmond-area restaurants have closed for good during the pandemic
- Hampton University president, Hampton mayor and school superintendent get COVID-19 vaccine
- Having an official white Christmas is harder than you think. Norfolk has been waiting 54 years since its last one.
- Snow showers could whiten the ground in spots today, with wind chills through tomorrow
