Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, January 14. Oh, and every one of the Senators listed in that graphic are a disgrace to the Senate, to America, and to humanity. Not to mention to whoever tried to teach them science in school. Obviously, none of them should be holding high office in this country.

*Al-Qaeda group in Yemen claims responsibility for Charlie Hebdo attack

*Republican apologizes for Hitler tweet (Republicans comparing Obama to Hitler; why is this not surprising?)

*Senate to vote on whether climate change is happening (This vote will be HIGHLY edifying. Anyone who votes against climate science will reveal themselves as at best an ignoramus, at worst a tool of the fossil fuel industry.)

*A day after deadly Metro incident, few details on emergency response (“Officials have yet to explain clearly why firefighters waited at the L’Enfant station before entering the tunnel and walking to the train as it filled with smoke with scores of passengers trapped inside.”)

*Cracks in the foundation (“The GOP’s fractures are showing.”)

*Romney And The GOP’s Five-Ring Circus

*Obama Is Said to Be Planning New Rules on Oil and Gas Industry’s Methane Emissions (Finally – long overdue!)

*FBI says John Boehner’s West Chester bartender planned to poison him (Ee gads.)

*Schapiro: The House-ification of the Va. Senate (Here we go again throwing around that favorite word of the corporate media, “moderates.” Please someone explain to me how anti-LGBT, anti-choice, anti-environment, anti-worker Walter Stosch was a “moderate.”)

*Proposal moves state to road funding that splits between state, local priorities (More importantly, we need to move transportation funding to a heavy focus on smart growth-friendly modalities like high-speed rail, light rail, bike paths, pedestrian-friendly design, etc.)

*Priorities for the next 46 days(“The General Assembly will convene today for the start of its 2015 session, which will be punctuated by two important dates tied to former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s criminal conviction. The scandal, which defined McDonnell’s final months in office, cast a pall over the last legislative session that remains today.”)

*Ethics issues loom over General Assembly’s start

*Judge denies McDonnell bond; set to go to prison Feb. 9

*Va. Coal and Energy Alliance urges general assembly not to cap tax credit (Will the fossil fuel industry’s puppets rebel or meekly comply? Stay tuned.)

*Joseph Morrissey wins election to Virginia House in midst of jail term (“His colleagues in the House of Delegates could try to oust him as early as Wednesday morning.”)

*Jailed Del. Joseph D. Morrissey’s election looms over start of Va. legislative session

*Krupicka introduces bill to hike cigarette tax to fund education (Excellent idea.)

*Fairfax board votes to hold hearing on raising its salaries (“Proposal would bump up supervisors’ salaries by $20,000 and chairman’s by $25,000.”)

*Freezing rain could cause slippery commute in Hampton Roads Wednesday morning

*Snow is falling and may continue for most of the morning (“We could see anything from a light dusting of snow or more of an impact.”)

I frequently visit VPAP.org for information on campaign and lobbying expenditures; data that is required to be filed with the state and which the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP.org) then puts up on its user friendly website.

When I looked for lobbying expenditure data on the VPAP website the end last year, perennial top spender Dominion VA Power had been bumped from the #1 position in 2014 by the Koch Bros’ Americans for Prosperity which was out to kill “Obamacare.”

If you visit VPAP.org today that data is gone, and the only lobbying related data provided is for gifts and entertainment lavished on our legislators. The total cost of lobbying programs is no longer up on the site, even though this data is reported to Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

When I inquired with VPAP about the absence of this data, their response was: “We made a decision to no longer include the total expenditure numbers on the site. They are essentially meaningless because of inconsistencies in the way lobbyist compensation is reported.” In other words, the law is so poor that data is not reliable.

After seeing our immediate past Governor convicted of corruption, another way to look at it is that Virginia is so corrupt that it is no longer worth keeping score.

However flawed the data, it is what the registered lobbyists report to the Secretary of Commerce, and that data deserves to be accessible.  

At least for now, campaign expenditures are still reported on VPAP.org. And Virginia’s largest polluter, Dominion Virginia Power, remains the #1 non-political party affiliated spender at over $1.2 million for 2014– over 5 times more than the next largest contributor–coal giant Alpha Natural Resources at $224,000 and cancer facilitator Altria at $220,000.

I’m not sure how we’ll fill the data gap now that VPAP has stopped reporting lobbying expenditures. At least for the dirty energy polluters like Dominion and Alpha, Sierra Club will be pulling the reports from the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and putting the data on our website. Look for that data on our website in the near future.      

The other day, I highlighted California Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address as a model for state-level energy and climate policy. In Gov. Brown’s speech, he set ambitious goals: increasing “from one-third to 50 percent our electricity derived from renewable sources;” reducing “petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent;” doubling the efficiency of buildings in the state. He further laid out a vision for “more distributed power, expanded rooftop solar, micro-grids, an energy imbalance market, battery storage, the full integration of information technology and electrical distribution and millions of electric and low-carbon vehicles.” As I noted, all of these things would be superb to see in Virginia, and I encouraged Gov. McAuliffe to be as bold, as “big ideas” as Gov. Brown, in his State of the Commonwealth speech tomorrow.

If Gov. McAuliffe needs more ideas, he should read The greenest governor in the country tells Grist about his big climate plan – an interview between David Roberts of Grist and Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee. Recently, Gov. Inslee “unveiled an ambitious policy agenda anchored by two interlocking pieces”: 1) “a carbon cap-and-trade system, the revenue from which will be divided among transportation, education, and assistance for low-income Washingtonians and affected industries”; and 2) “a 10-year, $12 billion transportation plan…funded by a combination of carbon revenue and more traditional sources – the gas tax, license fees, etc.”

Of course, our Republican/Dominion-controlled, fossil-fuel-bought-and-paid-for General Assembly wouldn’t approve such a plan, but that’s no reason not to tell the people of Virginia what needs to be done, what should be done, for our economic and environmental future. I’d also point out that Washington State has a Republican-controlled Senate and a narrowly-divided House, so it’s not THAT much different in some ways there than it is here.

Another great idea comes from Virginia Delegate Ron Villaneuva (R-Virginia Beach), as outlined in this op-ed in this morning’s RTD. In sum, here’s what Villaneuva’s bill, the “Virginia Coastal Protection Act,” would do:

*”By joining the state into the highly successful and fully established Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, the bill would generate more than $200 million per year in new state funds to invest in coastal adaptation and other climate change solutions.”

*”Under Villanueva’s bill, half of Virginia’s projected $200 million in annual auction revenues would fund coastal adaptation efforts, 35 percent would fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and 10 percent would fund workforce development, education and economic assistance in Southwest Virginia.”

*”The Virginia Coastal Protection Act is a win-win-win solution. We can establish a consistent and significant source of revenue to tackle flooding in Hampton Roads and generate funds to invest in other statewide priorities, while putting policies in place to help Virginia meet carbon reduction goals in an efficient and practical manner.”

Given that Virginia will have to meet EPA Clean Power Plan goals regardless, and given that switching to clean energy would constitute a huge boost for Virginia’s economy, what Del. Villaneuva (R) is proposing should be a no-brainer for everyone to get on board with. As an added bonus, note that since 2008, “electricity prices have dropped by 8 percent in participating [RGGI] states, compared to a 6 percent rise throughout the rest of the nation.” Lower electricity prices and carbon pollution combined with additional revenues for coastal adaptation, workforce development, education and economic assistance in SW Virginia? Why would anyone, other than the fossil fuel companies and the politicians they’ve bought and aid for, oppose that? Got me.

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 13. As for Metro, this tragic accident needs to be thoroughly investigated, and that the root of the problem – whatever it is – needs to be addressed urgently and with whatever resources are required.

*1 dead, 83 hurt after train is stuck in smoke-filled tunnel (Yikes!)

*Romney moves to reclaim political machinery (John Ellis “Jeb” Bush vs. Willard “Mitt” Romney – the death match! LOL)

*Mitt Romney Is Probably Running for President. Here Are All the Times He Said He Wouldn’t. (Romney lied and flip flopped? I’m shocked! shocked I say!)

*Europe’s far right sees an opening after French tragedy (Europe needs to utterly reject the far right.)

*The GOP’s hypocrisy on France (“Republicans launch inconsistent attacks on Obama’s Paris response.” Seems like just yesterday when the Republican/Fox Party line was all “freedom fries” and “France is ‘Old Europe'” b.s. Now, it’s Vive La France! The common thread? Right wingnuts have a severe, possibly fatal, case of Obama Derangement Syndrome.)

*Paul Ryan isn’t running for president in 2016. Here’s why. (We’ll miss “Lyin’ Ryan.” Actually, come to think of it, no we won’t! Heh.)

*Jews in France Weigh an Exit to Israel

*God, Gays and the Atlanta Fire Department (“He was fired on Jan. 6 by Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed, for homophobic language in the book, ‘Who Told You That You Were Naked?’ Among other things, he called homosexuality a ‘perversion,’ compared it to bestiality and pedophilia, and said homosexual acts are ‘vile, vulgar and inappropriate.'”)

*Connolly, Beyer call for “clear and thorough” probe of fatal Metro accident

*A win-win-win solution to protect our coast (“By joining the state into the highly successful and fully established Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, the bill would generate more than $200 million per year in new state funds to invest in coastal adaptation and other climate change solutions.”)

*Gay marriage is legal in Va., but Richmond drama rages on (I remain amazed, and appalled, to this day that ANYONE ever voted for that bigoted, anti-gay-marriage amendment to our state’s constitution.)

*Stosch, GOP state senator from Henrico, will retire at end of term (“Sen. Walter A. Stosch, R-Henrico, will not seek re-election this year, announcing instead that he will retire at the end of his term after 33 years in the General Assembly.” That’s a solid “red” district, unfortunately.)

*Morrissey protests search of his office; special election is today

*Terrible gamble in Portsmouth (“State Sen. Louise Lucas is coming back to the table for another run with her proposal to legalize casino gambling in the commonwealth. With or without any luck, it should fail.”)

*General Assembly preview | What to expect from local lawmakers

*Norment sees a gruesome year in Virginia politics (He can thank his own party for that!)

*On eve of special election, police search Joseph Morrissey’s office (“According to Morrissey, a disputed child support agreement is at issue in his latest run-in with authorities.” The guy is a train wreck.)

*Giles County residents quiz Mountain Valley Pipeline about water (“Giles County resident Virginia McWhorter sought hard-and-fast details Monday evening but ended up declaring exasperation.”)

*VDOT backing scaled-down U.S. 460

*‘Widespread’ flu continues in Virginia

*Freezing temperatures could make for slick roads during morning commute

Great stuff from Del. Rip Sullivan, off to an excellent start as his first term as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates begins!

Delegate Sullivan introduced legislation today that would require Virginia electric and gas utilities to meet annual energy savings benchmarks beginning in 2016. The legislation directs the State Corporation Commission to develop incentives for utilities that exceed their annual energy savings goals and penalties for utilities that fail to comply.

“Energy efficiency is the cheapest and fastest way for Virginia to reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming and comply with the EPA’s clean power plant standard” said Sullivan. “Beginning in 2016, my legislation would require utilities to offer Virginia homeowners and businesses incentives to invest in efficient air conditioners, heaters, lighting, and buildings, so that they can save money on their energy bills.  Many of Virginia’s neighbors are already moving towards an energy portfolio that emphasizes energy efficiency. My legislation would make Virginia a leader, not a follower, on clean energy.  According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, my legislation would create at least 13,000 new Virginia jobs and save consumers $6.2 billion between 2016 and 2030.”

Delegate Sullivan also introduced three additional energy-related bills today.

1. Legislation that would create a renewable energy tax credit which would give renewable energy companies and equipment installers an incentive to develop and grow in Virginia. The bill is modeled after North Carolina’s successful renewable energy tax credit.

2. Legislation that gives communities an incentive to develop community solar gardens.

3. Legislation that requires the Secretary of Natural Resources to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on certain environmental issues, including energy, air pollution, and adaptation and resilience to extreme weather events and sea-level rise and recommend legislation.

Late last week Delegate Sullivan also introduced legislation on behalf of the McAuliffe Administration that allows more solar energy producers to send excess energy back into the grid and receive a credit toward their energy bill in return.

Yes, I realize it is a recurring theme about how the corporate media fails: perpetuating false equivalency, the “both sides” Big Lie, and much much more. This morning, what set me off was this Washington Post article about how a “small band of moderate Democrats could be key to the GOP Senate’s success.” Yep, “moderates” – one of the mindless buzz words the media uses in lieu of words that actually mean something, inform the reader, etc.

In this case, I read the article to try and figure out what exactly makes the “moderate Democrats” (supposedly) “moderate” (whatever that means).

1. They support – or might be open to supporting – the Keystone XL pipeline. In other words, favoring a corporate boondoggle for the oil industry that will end up bringing a whopping 35 permanent jobs to the U.S., while making extraction of filthy, destructive, dangerous Canadian tar sands and their export to China, etc. more profitable for TransCanada and other investors, makes one a “moderate.” As opposed to making one a corrupt, corporate shill (see Senate Keystone “Yea” Votes Took In Six Times More Oil & Gas Money Than Opponents, for instance. But seriously, how is any of this “moderate” ideologically? Corporate welfare to polluters is “moderate?” Trashing the planet is “moderate?” Alrighty then.

2. “Others want Congress to pass tougher sanctions against Iran.” This one at least makes a bit of sense, in that being a foreign policy “hawk” certainly pushes one away from the “left” or the “isolationist” or “libertarian” points of view. Not sure if that makes one a “moderate,” but at least this item isn’t as utterly nonsensical as the “trashing the planet makes one a moderate” argument.

3. Also, “all are open to making changes to Obama’s health-care law.” Isn’t everyone? The question is, WHAT changes? For instance, many people want to go further than Obamacare, for instance by adding a robust public option. Others want to tweak this aspect or that. But almost everyone wants to “make changes” to Obamacare, one way or the other. I’d say that’s totally normal for any big piece of legislation, not necessarily an indication of being a “moderate” per se. Also, I’m not sure what’s “moderate” about, let’s say, Mark Warner’s proposal to add “a new, lower-cost health coverage option for consumers,” to “allow coverage plans to be offered regionally and across state lines,” and to “ease unnecessary and burdensome reporting requirements for employers.” Or how about, as cited in the Post article, the Shaheen/Portman bill for energy efficiency upgrades? Or the Klobuchar/McCain bill, also cited in the Post article, to allow imported presription drugs from Canada? Those seem like things almost anyone could support, from whatever ideological perspective. How about considering that labels like “moderate” might just not make any sense in many (most?) contexts?

The bottom line is that the word “moderate” is thrown around mindlessly (and meaninglessly) by the media, in articles like this one in the Washington Post. The question is why? Do reporters feel they have to use mindless/meaningless weasel words in order to prove that they are “evenhanded” or whatever?  If so, does that work, and what does it accomplish? Personally, I believe that reporters should focus on reporting the facts (including getting them right), with empirically-driven analysis where appropriate (and where the reporter has some “value added” to bring to the table), and let readers draw their own conclusion. Is that really too much to ask? Or do reporters simply prefer the lazy, even cowardly, approach of tossing out meaningless lables, false equivalences, and “both sides” pablum? If so, perhaps it’s time for some new reporters and/or new editors?

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, January 12. The photo is of Kevin Sullivan, the Democratic candidate in the 74th district (currently held by sex offender Joe Morrissey), along with Sen. Tim Kaine, State Sen. Donald McEachin and Rep. Bobby Scott. The special election is tomorrow.

*Federal government, some school systems to open on delay Monday

*France mobilizes 10,000 extra security forces

*The Muslim who saved 7 Jews at the Paris kosher market (“An immigrant from Mali is widely hailed for hiding the Jews in a food locker while going for help.”)

*Why J.K. Rowling is so incensed about Rupert Murdoch’s tweet about ‘Moslems’ (Just remember, Murdoch is responsible for the cesspool of lies, disinformation, intolerance and right-wing propaganda known as Fox “News.”)

*Stanford professors urge withdrawal from fossil fuel investments (How about Virginia’s colleges and universities? Hello?)

*House Democrats to make pitch for big wealth transfer to middle class

*A small band of moderate Democrats could be key to the GOP Senate’s success (Warner and Kaine are on this list. We will be watching, closely, to see what they do.)

*GOP hopes it’s cracked the abortion code (“Republicans unite around a push to ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy.” Note that only about 1% of abortions in America are performed after 20 weeks, a point at which major birth defects are sometimes found.)

*Jim Moran: Federal workers shouldn’t expect anything from new Congress

*McAuliffe touts development record after 1 year in office

*‘Gun show loophole’ discussion takes place amid rise in arrests (“Total arrests for illegal gun buys are up at gun shows even as overall gun sales decline.”)

*Bipartisan support seen for changes to SOL exams

*Lawmakers to blame for high fees (“The effort to control the explosive costs at Virginia’s public colleges and universities has taken many shapes through the past decade, as lawmakers look for ways to obscure the decline in state funds to higher education. The latest appears as well-intended, and as misguided, as anything previously offered.”)

*Rally and forum for candidates in Virginia House special election (Joe Morrissey=freak show.)

*Virginia hasn’t had a state song since 1997. A new bill would change that. (Oh joy. Whatever.)

*Freezing rain and sleet threaten to make commute treacherous