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Ranking Members Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY25) Warn DOGE to Stay Out of Legislative Branch After Musk’s Cronies Attempt to Infiltrate GAO

By
lowkell
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Continued excellent work by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), who I’ll *greatly* miss when he’s no longer in Congress. And we ALL should miss him, by the way…because, for all those who falsely believe that old=bad, the fact is that age is absolutely irrelevant to the quality of work you do (e.g., young people can do good or bad work, old people can do…yep, good or bad work). And if you don’t understand that, just replace the word “old” with some other intrinsic characteristic (gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, whatever) and see how it sounds…

Ranking Members Connolly, Morelle Warn DOGE to Stay Out of Legislative Branch After Musk’s Cronies Attempt to Infiltrate GAO

Washington, D.C. (May 16, 2025)— Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Joe Morelle, Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, sent a letter to Amy Gleason, the “Acting Administrator” of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after DOGE tried to assign a team of their personnel to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent agency within the Legislative Branch.

The Ranking Members’ letter comes after GAO strongly declined any request or actions to have DOGE assigned to GAO.

“We write with extraordinary alarm about attempted intrusion by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) into the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan legislative branch agency,” the Ranking Members wrote.  “This action is a direct assault on the independence of a coequal branch of government and threatens to undermine the separation of powers that is foundational to our constitutional republic. DOGE must immediately cease any attempt to embed personnel within GAO or any other agency of the legislative branch.”

On May 13, 2025, personnel from DOGE contacted GAO in an effort to discuss assigning DOGE personnel to GAO.  GAO responded to DOGE on May 16, 2025, emphasizing, correctly, that GAO is a legislative branch agency that is not subject to Executive Orders, and its mission is to assist Congress.

“GAO provides essential, nonpartisan services to Congress and answers directly to Congress, not the executive branch. DOGE cannot and must not have any access to GAO. DOGE must immediately cease any attempts to subvert the coequal authority of the legislative branch,” the Ranking Members concluded.

Under well-settled law, GAO is “an independent agency within the Legislative Branch… [and] the Comptroller General, who leads the GAO, is an ‘officer of the Legislative Branch.’”  The Trump Administration even acknowledges GAO’s status as a Legislative Branch agency in a 2019 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum which reads, in relevant part:

OMB respects GAO’s opinions as those of an agency of a coequal branch of government.  However, under the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers, a legal opinion by a Legislative Branch agency cannot bind the Executive Branch… As the Department of Justice has directly affirmed: “[b]ecause GAO is part of the Legislative branch, Executive Branch agencies are not bound by GAO’s legal advice.”

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Video: Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07) Uncovers DoD Lies to the American People About Russia Cyber Operations, Slams Hegseth in Armed Services Subcommittee Hearing

By
lowkell
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0

Great stuff from Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07):

Vindman Uncovers DoD Lies to the American People About Russia Cyber Operations, Slams Hegseth in Armed Services Subcommittee Hearing 

Washington – Congressman Eugene Vindman (Va.-07) uncovered during a subcommittee hearing today that the Department of Defense lied from its Twitter account on March 4th claiming to the American people that Secretary Hegseth never directed to cease offensive cyber operations targeting Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine. Vindman uncovered that this pause of offensive cyber operations did happen.  

In response to remarks from Chairman Don Bacon (Neb.-02), it was revealed that the DoD paused these offensive operations for one day. Vindman continued to probe the matter which made clear that transparency is non-negotiable when American security and global stability are on the line.  

This represents another egregious breach of trust by Secretary Hegseth and underscores his need to resign immediately.  

In the subcommittee hearing, the following took place: 

Vindman questioned DoD representative Laurie Buckhout asking why “on March 4th, the DoD Rapid Response Twitter account denied [the fact that the Secretary issued an order to cyber command to pause offensive cyber operations against Russia].  

“The account stated that the Secretary neither canceled nor delayed any cyber operations directed against malicious Russian targets and that there has been no stand down order whatsoever from that party. I’d like you to confirm that the Secretary did not issue any stand down orders to cyber command as it relates to Russian operations.” 

Ms. Buckhout responded that she “was not here at that time. But, [she’s] not aware of any stand down operations ordered at that time.” 

Chairman Bacon then responded to offer that he “dug into this whole matter. There was a one day pause.” 

During Vindman’s second line of questioning, he asserted that “the statement from the DoD Rapid Response Twitter account was an outright lie. This is not what the American people deserve, and this is something I intend to follow up with when the Secretary actually shows up.” 

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Video, Highlights: “Friday Power Lunch” Features Both 2025 VA Dem AG Candidates, Four of Six Lt. Gov. Candidates

By
lowkell
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0

See below for video and short excerpts (but definitely watch the whole thing!) from yesterday’s “Friday Power Lunch,” featuring both Democratic Attorney General candidates (Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor) and four of the six Democratic Lt. Governor candidates (Alex Bastani, Ghazala Hashmi, Babur Lateef, Aaron Rouse). For previous forums, see Video, Highlights From Nelson County Dems’ 2025 Virginia Lt. Governor, Attorney General Forum (both AG candidates participating; all LG candidates participating other than Aaron Rouse); Rep. Gerry Connolly’s St. Patrick’s Day Event (All candidates in attendance); Mt. Vernon Dems’ Mardi Gras Party (All candidates other than Jay Jones in attendance); Prince William County Democrats forum (All candidates in attendance); and “Red Wine and Blue” Democratic Lt. Governor forum in Roanoke (All candidates in attendance except for Alex Bastani).

Jay Jones: “The question I want to get asked is what does the attorney general’s office actually do – because so many people have no idea what the AG can do for you in this moment. And I will just say it’s a civil litigation office, it is an office that is supposed to work for people, to go after the price gougers, the corporate landlords, the corporate polluters, the big pharmaceutical companies, to protect civil rights and civil liberties and including a woman’s right to an abortion. And that’s what we’re poised to do, that’s what we can do. For the last three years, we’ve gotten nothing out of Jason Miyares; he’d rather pursue a partisan political agenda that he takes from Fox News, that he takes from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He’s had time and time again over the last 100 days to demonstrate that he’s going to work for us and he doesn’t. But I’ve done this work, I’ve been an assistant attorney general…I do this stuff in the private sector. And so all of those things I think lend itself to doing the job. For the last three years, we’ve had a no-show and we deserve better. And so hopefully people will understand that there’s really not a lot of criminal stuff that goes into this job, it’s really about protecting people in the civil aspect, and that’s where I’ve made my bones, that’s where I’ve made my my career. And so I’m excited to get to work, to do the job that this guy clearly doesn’t feel like doing.”

Shannon Taylor: “What we know right now is that whether it is Elon Musk and Donald Trump, whether it’s the DOGE antics or it’s the executive orders that are coming out of the White House, every action is directly impacting certainly the nation but definitely Virginia. And we have an attorney general who is doing absolutely nothing to keep these actions in check, because Jason Miyares is either sitting on the sideline and not looking at the constitutionality or the legality of these actions – or worse, he doubles down with vitriol and threatens organizations and institutions if they don’t follow the executive orders. And when we talk about what Elon Musk and his DOGE crew are doing in the name of government efficiency, I’m a prosecutor, I know fraud, this is not the way that you handle business. And so we need to have an attorney general who knows what they’re doing on day one…so what we know is we want that experience because that is what counts not a not a professional politician but a learned lawyer who’s going to guide the biggest law firm in this state to protect Virginians….One of the big things that I want to do not only about bringing in the good work that Mark Herring had done and actually using the environmental protection group, actually doing the consumer protection, not just holding up things for PSAs and making glossy TV ads, actually going in there and doing the work and the enforcement of regulation…”

Aaron Rouse: “I am running for Lieutenant Governor because we need a fighter, we need someone who can fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk and what they’re trying to do to erode our democracy as well as take away rights of citizens not only in Virginia but throughout our nation. As you all know, I am battle tested…I’m running for lieutenant governor not only to fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, but to make sure every single Virginia has an opportunity to thrive. I’m the only candidate with local and state experience and an effective record of getting things done… That is why I’m supported by Senator Louise Lucas, chairman of our Senate, as well as Senator Mamie Locke and our former majority leader Dick Saslaw and over 12 mayors throughout our commonwealth. And I am just uh excited about getting on with this fight…”

Babur Lateef: “I’m the current chairman of the Prince William County School Board and have been so for the last seven years. I am a practicing opthalmologist, eye surgeon as well for the last 25 years here in Prince William County…As chairman of the school board in Prince William County we’ve given teachers a 61% raise, the largest in the nation; in the same time period, we’ve improved student performance across across all demographic groups…Things that I’m not for – casinos in Tyson’s Corner, slot machines in 7-Elevens…I think the General Assembly has done a good job of passing the three constitutional amendments…on protecting reproductive freedoms, on restoring restoration of rights and on protecting marriage equality. Those have to get passed one more time…so I think that’s absolutely critical…on top of that I would add that any bills and all bills that continue to support school funding…

Ghazala Hashmi: “Over the past six years now I’ve had the privilege of representing a really diverse region including Richmond and the surrounding localities. I’ve been working every day to champion the issues that matter the most to all Virginiaians, primarily focusing on improving our public schools, expanding access to affordable health care and protecting abortion rights and broader reproductive freedom, also ensuring economic opportunity for every community…I’m running now for Lieutenant Governor because I do believe Virginia and the entire country is at a crossroads; we need leadership that listens and that lifts up people. And given the crisis that we’re seeing in DC, our state leadership is more important now than ever…we are possibly facing devastation to our entire health care system because of the cuts to Medicaid and I have been focusing very strenuously on that issue as chair of education and health we have to put in uh state level protections for Medicaid so that we don’t reach the brink of crisis that we are currently facing…”

Alex Bastani: “I’m running on what I like to call the Virginia Workers Freedom Act. We need universal health care for every Virginian, because women’s reproductive rights isn’t simply limited to the right to abortion, but testing and screening…I’m also supporting a $20 an hour minimum wage…Third, student debt relief…And fourth and my favorite is we’ve got to repeal the ‘right-to-work’ law… I know this might be a little off-kilter but I honestly believe that the union movement is the greatest form of DEI that you can ever have – it’s an inclusive program, they’ve even done studies that white men who are in unions tend to be less sexist, less racist, less homophobic. So it’s unions that create a community and that’s what we need more than anything in this state.”

Saturday News: Thanks to Trump, “Moody’s Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating Below Triple-A”; Trump “sees setbacks in the courts and Congress as controversial Gulf tour ends”; Trump Wants “to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya”; “Trump’s Swamp Just Got a Whole Lot Bigger and Swampier”

By
lowkell
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1

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 17.

Video: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) and Health Care Advocates Join Protect Our Care Virginia As Republicans Charge Ahead With the Largest Medicaid Cuts in History 

By
lowkell
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11

From Protect Our Care:

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan and Health Care Advocates Join Protect Our Care Virginia As Republicans Charge Ahead With the Largest Medicaid Cuts in History 

GOP’s Proposed Cuts to Medicaid Would Throw 206,000 Virginians Off Their Health Care

GOP Would Impose up to $35 Copays on 147,000 Hardworking Virginians on Medicaid

Watch the Full Event HERE

RICHMOND, Va. — In case you missed it, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) on Thursday joined Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss the latest developments in the GOP assault on Medicaid.

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which Rep. McClellan serves, completed a 26-hour markup in which Republicans advanced the largest cuts to Medicaid in history in order to meet President Donald Trump’s demands to fund tax breaks for the wealthy. Republicans on the committee approved $715 billion in cuts to health care, mostly to Medicaid, and imposed new reporting requirements that are designed to throw people off the program.

Republicans on the House Budget Committee failed to advance the overall package on Friday, citing that they want to see even deeper cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Using data from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (TCI) estimated that 206,000 people will lose Medicaid in Virginia. Additionally, TCI found that 147,000 Virginians who have Medicaid would be subject to up to $35 copays for certain services. Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), who also sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has defended raising out-of-pocket health care costs on Virginians.

Due to cuts to Medicaid and a change in a rule to the Affordable Care Act, 8.6 million people will lose their health care under the plan the committee advanced. A total of 13.7 million people will become uninsured when factoring in those who will no longer be able to afford to buy insurance through the ACA marketplaces due to the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits. Republicans are refusing to extend the tax credits past 2025.

“Due to these changes, you lose your health insurance under Medicaid, you lose your subsidy to be able to purchase insurance through the Marketplace,” said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. “That’s how we get to 13.7 million people who will lose health insurance. Those costs will go to the rest of us. Providers will feel the stress of that. We will have rural hospitals threatening to close again, like we did before we expanded in Virginia. About 200,000 Virginians stand to lose access to their health care here. And why? Why are we doing this? To fund tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% by making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent …This is taking away from the least of these to help those who don’t need the help. And that is a big part of the story that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don’t want to talk about.”

“When all the proposals under the House Republican health care plan are fully implemented, approximately 206,000 Virginians will lose their health coverage,” said Ashley Kenneth, President of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. “The people poised to lose their health care already struggle with the high cost of living in our state and cannot afford to pay more for their health care. They will choose to go without insurance because they will have no other choice.”

“Let me be clear, this is a direct threat to the health care access of tens of thousands of Virginians,” said Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. “Nearly 25,000 people in Virginia relied on Planned Parenthood health centers last year for cancer screenings, STI treatment, birth control, and more. Medicaid is one of the primary ways those patients pay for care. If this proposal moves forward, they’re not just losing a provider. They’re losing the provider they trust.”

“So I just want to tell Congress, don’t make it harder for people to get Medicaid, please don’t make it harder to stay on Medicaid, and please don’t question our work ethic, because that is insulting,” said Andrew Daughtry of Henrico County, who suffered multiple on-the-job injuries while working construction. “I couldn’t get health care through my job, but I need Medicaid to pay for the thousands of dollars of injuries that happened on the job. So please don’t pretend that people on Medicaid don’t want to work because I’ve given up my body and my health for the work.”

“It is not rocket science to see that when people lose their health care, they’re going to start showing up in emergency rooms where hospitals are obligated to treat them. And if no one is reimbursing hospitals for that care, they will go into the red, and they will close,” said Jessica Lazerov, MD, MBA, a pediatrician from Fairfax. “And then everyone in that geographic area, regardless of whether they’re on Medicaid, is going to lose access to their closest hospital. And if these Republicans don’t understand that, then they’re simply not fit to govern.”

“We love the work we do, and I want to be able to continue to do it for the rest of my life, but cuts in Medicaid may prevent us from doing so,” said SEIU Virginia 512 member Tony Hedgepeth of Richmond, a Medicaid-funded home care worker who cares for veterans. “Taking away Medicaid could sever 47,000 Virginia veterans from their health care or force them to pay more for it. These brave individuals have fought for our country, and we should fight to ensure that they can live and access the best possible quality of life, as they did for us.”

“Medicaid provides health care to one in every five people in Virginia,” said Katie Baker, state director for Protect Our Care Virginia. “If you aren’t on Medicaid yourself, you know someone who is. Polling shows that the majority of voters believe we should be increasing funding for health care, not cutting it. Republicans are not with the public when it comes to taking away people’s health care.”

Event Assets and News Coverage

  • A shareable recording of the event is available on Facebook HERE, while a downloadable recording is available HERE.

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Protect Our Care is dedicated to making high-quality, affordable and equitable health care a right, and not a privilege, for everyone in America. We educate the public, influence policy, support health care champions and hold politicians accountable. We fight to expand access to affordable, high-quality health insurance, lower the cost of health care for individuals and families, and reduce inequities in health care based on gender, income, race, ethnicity, geography, or sexual preference.

What Does Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Have to Say About Mass VA Layoffs and Veteran Firings? “Thank you, Mr. Secretary”

By
Blue Virginia
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0

From the DCCC:

What Does Jen Kiggans Have to Say About Mass VA Layoffs and Veteran Firings? “Thank you, Mr. Secretary”

Kiggans offers nothing but glowing praise as thousands of Veterans lose their jobs and VA plans to cut 80,000 employees

Vulnerable Republican Jen Kiggans had an opportunity this week to stand up for Virginia veterans and speak out against the administration for firing thousands of our nation’s heroes and for their plan to gut the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which would jeopardize access to health care and earned benefits.

Instead? Kiggans issued a full-throated endorsement: “Thank you, Mr. Secretary.”

Reminder: Virginia’s Second Congressional District is home to more than 80,000 veterans – nearly 15% of the district.

DCCC Spokesperson Eli Cousin:
“Jen Kiggans isn’t just enabling this Administration’s mass firing of veterans and complete gutting of the VA – she’s cheering it on. Voters will remember that Kiggans stood with her party bosses over Virginia veterans.”

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01) Says He is “Pleased” With Bill that Could Kick Hundreds of Thousands of Virginians Off Medicaid

By
lowkell
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0

From DPVA; the fact is, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01; cover image by Cher Muzyk) was never NOT going to do whatever he was told to do by Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, etc.

Congressman Rob Wittman Says He is “Pleased” With Bill that Could Kick Hundreds of Thousands of Virginians Off Medicaid

In new reporting from the Virginia Mercury, Virginia Republican Rob Wittman (VA-01) doubled down on his support of the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in U.S. history after claiming that he would not support a bill that threatens “children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women.”

As Cardinal News reported, at least 500,000 Virginians are at risk of being kicked off Medicaid or seeing higher co-payments and out-of-pocket costs if this version of the bill passes.

“You can’t claim to protect children, seniors, and people with disabilities while vowing your support for the largest Medicaid cuts in U.S. history. That’s not leadership — that’s lying,” said DPVA Communications Director Kelsey Carolan. “Wittman is turning his back on hundreds of thousands of Virginians who rely on Medicaid just to score political points in Washington.”

  • “Some Republican members of Virginia’s congressional delegation expressed satisfaction Thursday about being able to advance Trump’s agenda without altering the funding formula for Virginia’s federal Medicaid allocation.”
  • “U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, said that he’s ‘pleased to see Virginia’s vulnerable populations protected in the Medicaid portion of the reconciliation bill and no change to the federal match rate.'”
  • “However, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shared with States Newsroom shows that the Medicaid changes would cut $625 billion in federal spending over the next decade. About 10.3 million people would lose access to Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with 7.6 million people becoming uninsured during that 10-year budget window.”
  • “After fielding constituents’ concerns about the federal cuts for months, Wittman publicly cautioned his colleagues in April, co-signing a letter to Congressional leadership emphasizing protection of “children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women who rely on Medicaid for their health and economic security.'”
  • “He added Thursday that trimming or eliminating other aspects of the program will ensure that it is ‘a sustainable program for years to come.'”

Video, Highlights From Nelson County Dems’ 2025 Virginia Lt. Governor, Attorney General Forum

By
lowkell
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0

See below for video from the Demcratic Lt. Governor and Attorney General candidates’ forum held by the Nelson County Democrats earlier this week. Participating were both candidates for Attorney General (Shannon Taylor and Jay Jones) and five of the six candidates for Lt. Governor (Alex Bastani, Ghazala Hashmi, Babur Lateef, Victor Salgado, Levar Stoney; Aaron Rouse not in attendance). For previous videos of forums and events at which these candidates spoke, see:

And now, here are a few highlights from the Nelson County Democrats’ forum – in order of appearance by the candidate. Oh, and remember, we’re just 32 days from the Democratic primaries on June 17, with early voting going on right now. So make sure you make your voice heard!

  • Shannon Taylor: “What we know, we have right now is a current attorney general by the name of Jason Miyares who’s doing one of two things – he’s either sitting back and allowing these terrible executive orders to happen and not challenging them, not constitutionality, not legality. Or worse, he takes them and he doubles down and he threatens organizations and institutions if you do not follow them. The result is the same – Virginians getting hurt. So what we know that we need is we’re going to have to have the best Democratic candidate to take him on in November and take him out…We’re going to take Trump to court, because as your attorney general there’s going to be a lot that needs to be done on that first day. But we’re going to take him to court because we’re going to find out for all of these good lawsuits that have been going on, why we haven’t been able to take advantage of that and push back. So we’re going to find out what lawsuits we can join, what lawsuits we have to initiate on our own. And then what I call the X factor – what else is going to happen between now and the end of the year? Because what we know is that we’ve got the four guys hanging out together – Miyares and Youngkin flanking Trump and Musk – we know that they’re going to come up with more terrible things before this year is over. Our goal is to make sure that as few Virginiaians get impacted as necessary, because not only are we going to join those lawsuits and do the best we can to make Virginiaians whole, we’re also going to bring back the good work that Mark Herring had done.”
  • Babur Lateef: “I believe I’m uniquely positioned to be your next lieutenant governor because I bring to the table things others haven’t done. I’ve won in districts I have the most votes of any lieutenant governor candidate. I’ve done that three times in Prince William County in a county that’s gone from red to blue in the off-off year, elections when you know it’s hard to get Democratic schoolboard members and county supervisors elected. So I think it’s really important to have someone who’s done that, but also because I see patients every day – they’re Republican patients, Democratic patients; they’re English-speaking, non-English- speaking; 40 to 50 a day. And so I know what people are going through and I can bring their issues to the table.”
  • Victor Salgado: “I check many boxes…for the type of LG candidate that we’ll need in the next 3 1/2 years. If you want somebody who can… draft and promote this legislation that passes court scrutiny, you can check that box with me. If you want somebody who can advise our Democratic AG and Abigail Spanberger on when and how to file suits against Donald Trump, you can check that box with me. If you want to appeal to a broad electorate this November who can talk with authority about law and order and safety, you can check that box with me. At the same time that you want a strong progressive candidate who believes that rising tides lift all boats and that we leave nobody behind, you can check that box with me. That is why I jumped into this race. The value proposition of my candidacy lies in the fact that nobody checks these boxes the way that I do in the LG race…let’s get a little bit animated in here because I think we need some energy in this cycle. Let’s make sure Donald Trump hears us all the way across from the Potomac…so folks are you ready to step up for women’s rights? Are you ready to step up for our federal workers? How about our small business folks? How about our immigrant communities our LGBTQ plus communities?”
  • Ghazala Hashmi: “I have a legislative track record from six years in the General Assembly and I would ask you to take a look at that legislative track record, the work that I have been doing. I understand what the work is of the lieutenant governor; I have been in the Senate chamber for six years. And as you all know the lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate. I know that what happens with the
    lieutenant governor’s position happens in Richmond, not in Washington DC – it happens in our state capital with our General Assembly and our state agencies, all of whom I have worked very closely now for these past six years. But I am a
    former educator…I felt particularly shattered in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump when he challenged every structure of our belief system, what we value, who and what we thought we were as Americans. And certainly as an immigrant myself and as a Muslim American, I felt so challenged by the breathtaking ways in which he was ready to destroy our fundamental constitutional democracy. And so I knew I had to run for office. I did that in 2019, i stepped out of the classroom so I could take on these issues now for six years.”
  • Alex Bastani: “I’m fighting to end the ‘Right-to-Work’ statute. I know our future governor says that she won’t sign the bill. I will fight to make sure that Abigail Spanberger is our next governor. On January 1st I will celebrate her as the first woman governor of the state. And on January 2nd I will contact the entire Virginia AFL-CIO we’re all coming to Richmond and we’re going to repeal that law come hell or high water…The best DEI in the world is the American labor movement; it unifies people across race, across genders unlike any other organization…I would never ever vote for John Reid for any office, but he deserves a right of human dignity; his privacy should not be violated…Winning in November will not be easy. Despite all the crazy things Donald J Trump has done, the Democratic Party is still unpopular unfortunately; only 27% of Americans support the Democratic Party. I would show you on the other hand that the most popular organization right now is the American labor movement – 65% of Americans believe in the American labor movement. Therefore, I’m here to tell you today, I believe I’m the best candidate to help Abigail Spanberger win in November because of the support of the union movement and that we can bring back all those working class Virginiaians who drifted to the other party.”
  • Jay Jones: “Nobody in this room has any excuse, because we have a big job to do this year – we have to go elect Abigail Spanberger as our next governor. We’re going to get the gavel back in the Senate. We’re going to go beat Jason Miyares and we’re going to grow our majority in the House of Delegates…We’re going to grow this majority because we’re in this together, because we have this really unique opportunity to show not just Virginia but the country and the rest of the world that we are better than what we’ve seen over these last 100 days. But we have to get it right. We’ve got to make the right choices in these elections. We’ve got to have people who are poised to go and win in the fall and make sure that we can use these offices as best as they can be. Because for the last three years, I think you guys just like me are sick and tired of being sick and tired. So this is our chance to step up. And so I thank you all for your energy, your passion, your vision, your conviction. Because it does feel like sometimes these days are dark and the road is long. But this is our chance to step up to show everybody that Virginia is better than what we have seen, that we will lead the way and that we can make history come November of 2025.”
  • Levar Stoney: “Over the course of the last 111 days, we have seen day by day Donald Trump showed that he doesn’t care about us. Whether it’s Donald Trump at Mar a Lago after he put his tariff plan together driving around in a golf cart while 401ks crashed. He demonstrates that he doesn’t care about us. Or whether it’s when he’s talking to a reporter and he says that our children will just have less dolls around the Christmas tree this winter, he simply doesn’t care about us. Now we’ve always known that Donald Trump will be someone who would fight for those who have the most or those who were born with the most. And right now I just like to think in this very moment we need more leaders who are willing to fight for those who have the least or those who were born with the least. And I know a little something about that, because some 44 years ago I was born to a couple teenagers – my mother was 16 my father was 18…What I did in the summer of 2020, I led the city of Richmond through the pandemic, but also through a social reckoning as well. And in the summer of 2020, I was the man who ordered the removal of every damn Confederate monument in the former capital of the Confederacy. And here’s the thing – Donald Trump didn’t like it, but who cares; we were going to do the right thing.”

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Given Trump’s Senior Strategist Calling the Earle-Sears for Virginia Governor Campaign a Bunch of “Amateurs,” Here’s a Quick Review of the Bad Blood Between Earle-Sears and Trump/Trump’s People

By
lowkell
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0

Given that Donald Trump’s 2024 senior strategist, Chris LaCivita, just called the Winsome Earle-Sears campaign a bunch of “amateurs” (see below), here’s a quick review of the bad blood between Earle-Sears and Trump/Trump’s people. Enjoy – and just imagine the reaction if one of Kamala Harris’ top strategists called the Spanberger campaign “amateurs?” Of course, that wouldn’t happen, because they’re competent, unlike the Earle-Sears campaign – at least according to Chris LaCivita. LOL 🙂

  • Trump’s former Virginia campaign chair, John Fredericks, said: “Winsome Sears, a lot of issues with MAGA, kind of a Never Trumper. Now, she tried to do a turnaround, nobody really believes her. So, we’ll see how that goes. But not, not the, not the strongest candidate that Republicans could put up, by any means, but we’ll see what happens anyway.”
  • Fredericks also called Earle-Sears an “incredibly weak candidate at the top of the ticket” who could “drag down” the rest of the ticket.
  • In November 2022, a “Trump flack” (as Jeff Schapiro described the person) warned that “there will be a reckoning” for Sears, that “her comments are a slap to the face to all of the grassroots Republicans that worked so hard to get her elected,” etc.
  • Also in November 2022, Donald Trump himself posted, “Never felt good about Winsome Sears. Always thought she was a phony. Now I find out she is.” And for good measure Trump/MAGA fanatic Amanda Chase said Sears “has gone from a hero to a zero” for her “betrayal of Donald Trump,” calling that “shameful.”

And now, Chris LaCivita says Earle-Sears’ campaign is a bunch of “amateurs.” Of course, Earle-Sears has been trying desperately to get back into the Trump camp’s good graces, “fully embracing” him, and she’s had some success in doing so, but clearly some bad blood remains. Which, of course, as a Democrat who wants to see Earle-Sears get crushed in November, that works for me – let’s hope it continues through the summer and fall and see how this all works out for them! 🙂

 

Friday News: “Ukraine accuses Russia of undermining peace talks with new demands”; “Trump’s Bromance With Arab Leaders”; “The Day Grok Told Everyone about [100% false] ‘White Genocide’”; Trump’s 2024 Senior Strategist Calls Earle-Sears’ Campaign “Amateurs”

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lowkell
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by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 16.

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