Saturday News: "In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things"; Biden Warns Xi; "Is Russia losing?"; "The Putin-Fox feedback loop"; "Virginia police officer pleads guilty to Jan. 6 charge"

by Lowell 

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 19. NOTE: We're still messing around with the migration of www.bluevirginia.us to a new server, so...hopefully things will be back to normal sometime today. For now, I'm posting this here.

• It's 70 degrees warmer than normal in eastern Antarctica. Scientists are flabbergasted.
• In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things ("The truth is new and counterintuitive: we have the technology necessary to rapidly ditch fossil fuels. ")
• Four climate investors explain the new boom — where the money's going and risks ahead
• Shell Is Pushing to Build Offshore Wind Farms Along Brazil’s Coast ("Plan includes six projects, totaling 17 gigawatts of capacity; Shell expanding wind business as it pivots to renewable energy")
• Green Startups, Flush With Cash, Face Pressure to Make Climate Advances
• Ancient Fertilizer Biochar Is Finding a New Life As a Solution to Fight Climate Change
• Climate change is making armed conflict worse. Here’s how.
• Warning signs for US as Covid cases rise in Europe
• Belgium to Extend Life of Nuclear Reactors for Another Decade
• China reports first COVID deaths in more than a year
• Covid-19 cases are exploding in Asia. Here’s what it means for the rest of the world. ("The mutations in the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, first detected in November 2021, make it the most contagious version of the virus known to date and allowed it to evade immunity — both from vaccines and from previous infections — better than other variants. Many of the earlier omicron waves were caused by a subvariant known as BA.1. Another omicron subvariant known as BA.2 is even more transmissible and is now driving a distinct spike in new cases.")
• Is Russia losing? ("Russia’s offensive is stalled. It has taken massive casualties. We are, according to one expert, 'seeing a country militarily implode.'")
• Putin should know: Rain hell on Ukraine and it still may not fall
• The Month Companies United Against Russia’s War
• Oil, weapons and realpolitik: Why some countries want to stay on friendly terms with Russia
• Russian forces dig in near Kyiv as brutal strikes continue
• Ukraine’s Zelenskiy calls for urgent peace talks and warns of catastrophe in Mariupol ("Russia has a chance to limit the damage by engaging in ‘meaningful’ talks, says Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid fierce shelling in the south")
• Street fighting blocks rescue at Mariupol theatre - mayor
• Ukraine’s leader warns war will cost Russia for generations
• Readout of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Call with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China
• Biden warns Xi of global backlash if China helps Russia's attack on Ukraine
• Russia and China said their friendship had ‘no limits.’ It’s up to the United States to impose some.
• Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call
• How Putin Bungled His Invasion of Ukraine
• Ukraine Is Wrecking Russian Tanks With a Gift From Britain
• Inside the transfer of foreign military equipment to Ukrainian soldiers
• Ukraine is getting Switchblade. It should be just the first wave of loitering munitions for Kyiv.
• Specialist Ukrainian drone unit picks off invading Russian forces as they sleep
• Putin needs a revised theory of victory that excludes the capture of Kyiv
• Support in both parties grows for providing air power to Ukraine
• Never Go Full Stalin ("Vladimir Putin said some crazy sh*t this week.")
• Putin Likens Opponents To 'Gnats,' Evoking Stalin's Dehumanizing Language ("Russian President Vladimir Putin used language that recalls the rhetoric from Josef Stalin’s show trials of the 1930s.")
• The Putin-Fox feedback loop
• Russian minister Sergey Lavrov praises Fox News' coverage of Putin's invasion of Ukraine
• The Ex-Kremlin Deputy Who Openly Opposed Putin’s War in a Mother Jones Exclusive Has Been Forced to Resign
• Putin Turned to a Chechen Warlord to Intimidate Ukraine. It Hasn't Worked.
• Nearly 10 million have fled their homes since invasion but defiant defense stalls Russian advance
• The Complexities of the Ukraine Dilemma ("The aid offered by the West may help, but it cannot relieve Volodymyr Zelensky of the terrible predicaments he must manage in the weeks ahead.")
• Putin’s Speech At Massive Rally Cut Off On State TV, Technical Glitch Blamed
• Propaganda war rages as Russians face huge pressure to back invasion
• Ukraine Update: Russia Says Used Hypersonic Missile in Strike
• Ukraine: Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti-war video trends on Russian social media
• Russia Steps up Threat to Target Arms Shipments to Ukraine
• What the Russia Invasion Teaches Us About the Right ("Contrarians aren't critical thinkers. They're gullible reactionaries, vulnerable to conspiracy theories.")
• Russia backs down on demands in Iran nuclear deal talks, making revival of 2015 pact imminent
• White House 'appalled' at Axios over Ukraine article (Axios is awful.)
• The GOP is about to come after Biden on Ukraine
• There’s a Messaging Battle Right Now Over America’s Energy Future
• Why Republicans are excited about a culture war they know they’re losing ("The fact that the world has turned against them can be mobilized into short-term victory at the polls." That's what Youngkin did.)
• Researchers warn that Christian nationalists are becoming more radical and are targeting voting
• Ginni Thomas's activism sparks ethics questions for Supreme Court justice ("The Hill" calls it "activism," when it's actually insurrectionism.)
• How low will the GOP go in taking on Ketanji Brown Jackson? Josh Hawley lets us know.
• GOP senators push misleading portrayal of Ketanji Brown Jackson's record on child porn cases
• Baseless OAN attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson echoes QAnon conspiracy theory
• What to Watch Out for During Next Week’s SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings
• Trump Campaign Owes $300,000 in Legal Fees After Another Failed NDA Case
• The Voter-Fraud Tables Turn on Mark Meadows ("North Carolina’s attorney general has requested an investigation into Trump’s former White House chief of staff’s voter registration.")
• The New York Times editorial board should retract and resign
• Why is J.D. Vance getting canceled by his fellow Republicans? ("Republicans are asking if Vance was canceled because of his controversial declaration about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last month, Vance said, 'I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.'"
• Beware Bill Barr ("His new book shows we have as much to fear from him as Donald Trump.")
• Mo Brooks Is Learning That Loyalty to Trump Gets Him Nothing
• People's Convoy Reveals Ridiculous New Goal: ‘Take Back’ Black Lives Matter Plaza
• Mail Ballot Rejections Surge in Texas, With Signs of a Race Gap
• Dr. Oz's Heritage Is Targeted as Rivals Vie for Trump Backing ("The Senate candidate's Turkish background has emerged as a focus of David McCormick's attacks in Pennsylvania's G.O.P. primary.")
• Firing-squad executions get the greenlight in South Carolina
• Florida Republicans are living in a Trumped-up dystopia — and everyone's invited
• Disney, DeSantis and the "Don't Say Gay" bill: A Florida showdown over money, power and equality
• Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young has died at age 88
• Virginia police officer pleads guilty to Jan. 6 charge
• State lawmakers must work out a $3 billion difference between House and Senate budgets
• Virginia's community colleges find a new leader, as Youngkin wants more focus on workforce development
• Editorial: Gas tax debate requires a more complete picture
• The General Assembly session has ended. What changes might be in store for Hampton Roads?
• Richmond School Board approves tentative plan for renovating Fox after fire last month
• Teel: 'A special season' ends for Hokies in first-round NCAA loss to Texas
• D.C.-area forecast: Warm ahead of a cold front today, with a few showers and storms possible

2022 Virginia General Assembly “Batting Averages”…Presented with the Usual Slew of Caveats

I've been unable to post at the www.bluevirginia.us site (WordPress) most of today (3/18/22), as the site is being migrated to a new - and hopefully better - server (don't ask! LOL), so I'm posting this here at the old bluevablog.blogspot.com site for now. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that...haha.  Anyway, VPAP is out with its annual legislators' "batting averages," as you can see in the following screenshots. But first, see here for all the usual caveats:

• These numbers can be *highly* misleading if you look at them the wrong way, or as in the case of VPAP, they can be misleading if you fail to present the numbers with explanation, important context, etc. as VPAP indeed fails to do. 
• Also, as Cindy Cunningham explained back in 2019, “There are many, many ways that a legislator might end up with a low ‘batting average’ on the VPAP scorecard. The legislator might, in fact, put in lots of ill-conceived bills–ideas that haven’t really been thought through very well, poorly designed plays.” 
• Or, “a legislator might also end up with a low score by putting in lots of controversial or partisan bills.” 
• “On the flip side, a sure way to get a high score is to put in a lot of relatively sleepy little bills–clean up some badly-worded or vague section of the code, solve some minor local problem, be the patron of one of the many, many bills that are voted through unanimously – ‘in the uncontested block.'”
• “Lastly, a legislator may get a high score for having a good sense of what can or cannot pass, for working hard with stakeholders and other legislators before and during the process to tweak the language so that it will have as little opposition as possible, for being willing to amend on the fly as needed. Think of this as playing good, smart, fundamentally sound baseball.” 
• “But just like a win-loss record is a poor measure of how your pitcher did, and how ‘advanced sabermetrics’ are far more revealing, this VPAP ‘batting average’ is a poor metric for how our legislators did.”
• Also worth looking at, along with the % of patroned bills passed, is how many bills each legislator put in, and how many total bills passed. Thus, clearly having a 100% batting average is not nearly the same thing if you patroned one or two bills that passed versus, let’s say, 40-50 bills, of which perhaps half or two-thirds passed. And again, one really needs to look at how complex, “significant,” etc. each bill is, as well as how much time/effort was required of the patron to get it passed, how much help they had in doing so, etc.
• Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that different members of the General Assembly have different roles. Thus, someone in leadership might spend a big chunk of their time…well, leading! As opposed, that is, to worrying as much about their own bills. Or maybe they try to do both. But regardless, the point is, again we’re somewhat comparing apples/oranges/bananas here.
• With all those caveats, there’s an argument that, perhaps, “batting averages” and statistics like the following aren’t even worth presenting. Or maybe they’re worse than nothing, as they could be misleading? I’d argue that, yes, that’s all true, if you just take the “batting averages” alone, and don’t do some serious “advanced sabermetrics,” as Cindy notes. In short, I’d use the following numbers to *start* a conversation, most definitely not to *end* it. With that…here are the numbers, with a few things that jumped out at me (above each graphic)…

Overall, in the 2022 General Assembly, 40% of introduced bills ended up passing - down from 57% last year and 45% in 2020. By party, Republicans passed 42% of their introduced bills, while Democrats passed 39%. Men passed 43% of their introduced bills, while women passed 35% of theirs. And those with the most seniority (16+ years) passed a whopping 52% of their introduced bills, while those with just 0-4 years in office passed just 26% (!) of their introduced bills (*huge* difference there). Finally, note the contrast from last year, when Democrats had a "trifecta" (control of the House of Delegates, State Senate and governorship), and when the highest legislative batting averages skewed heavily "blue," with the lowest - including Amanda Chase, Kirk Cox, Glenn Davis, etc. at zero - skewing heavily "red." This time around, with divided government, it's more of a mixed bag...

Worth noting: six of the top ten "batting averages" are Republicans, with Sen. Janet Howell and Del. Clint Jenkins the leading Democrats at 3/3 (100%) and 1/1 (100%), respectively - although both had very few introduced bills - and Sen. Todd Pillion and Del. Barry Knight the leading Republicans at 11/11 (100%) and 6/6 (100%). (Also with high "batting averages" - House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore at 21/26 (81%), Republican Del. Tommy Wright at 8/10 (80%), Democratic Del. Rip Sullivan at 11/14 (79%), Democratic Sen. Monty Mason at 18/23 (78%), etc.

The lowest "batting averages" were a mix of Democrats and some really far-right Republicans. For instance, far-right Delegates Marie March and Dave LaRock only saw 5% and 6%, respectively, of their introduced bills pass. Also-far-right Del. Tim Anderson and Sen. Amanda Chase actually passed NONE of their introduced bills, which is even worse considering that they both introduced a lot of bills (23 each). Also at 0% were Delegates Michelle Maldonado (0/5) and Candi King (0/6), although neither introduced many bills. Also under 10% were hard-right Del. Nick Freitas (at just 4/43, or 9%), Democratic freshman Del. Nadarius Clark (9%), Democratic Del. Wendy Gooditis (9%), Democratic Del. Kelly Fowler (5%), Democratic Del. Kaye Kory (5%), and Democratic Del. Alfonso Lopez (3%). Again, consider all the caveats noted at the top of this piece as you evaluate these "batting averages." Finally, note that for whatever reasons, three delegates (Democrats Ken Plum and Lamont Bagby; Republican Speaker Todd Gilbert)  introduced no bills at all.

Donald Trump Says No Leader Should "question another man's religion," Yet He's Done So Many Times

by Lowell

Donald Trump today: "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith."

Donald Trump previously:

2/12/16: TRUMP: 'How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?'
12/14/15: Donald Trump Questions Ted Cruz's Evangelical Faith
9/18/15: Donald Trump's history of suggesting Obama is a Muslim (many examples, going back years, such as suggesting in 2011 that Barack Obama's birth certificate might say he's a Muslim)
9/18/15: Donald Trump fails to correct man calling Obama a Muslim and 'not even American' – video
9/27/12: Donald Trump tweet -- "Does Madonna know something we all don't about Barack? At a concert she said 'we have a black Muslim in the White House.'"

P.S. It's worth noting that "JEB" Bush, who the corporate media likes to claim is some sort of moderate, the sane one in the wacko 2016 GOP presidential field, answered "no" to the question of whether Trump's a Christian a few weeks ago.

To the Republicans: We Won’t Stand for Your Stealing What We Won Fair and Square

by Andy Schmookler

Note: This piece will be running in newspapers in my conservative congressional district (VA-06).

In 2012, Americans engaged in the constitutional process for deciding who would get the powers of the presidency.

In that election - and the one in 2008 - millions of us Americans won an important right: to have our guy name the person to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court if any were to open up. We won it fair and square.

We can talk about the president’s constitutional responsibilities and privileges, but ultimately this is about the rights of us American citizens who participate in the American electoral process.

For a great many people – on both left and right – the president’s role in naming judges is a major reason we care who gets elected to the Oval Office. Understanding the importance of the Supreme Court, we work hard within our constitutional system of elections to see that – for the following four years – it will be our candidate who gets to shape that Court if the opportunity arises.

We won in 2012, and now that opportunity has arisen.

You Republicans have had a stroke of bad luck. One of your guys on the Court has died at a time that one of our guys is president. Now, you're going to lose some power. Tough luck, but that’s how our constitution set up the rules of the game.

Thursday News: Trump Appealing to "Voters' Primal Fears"; MSNBC Disgraces Itself; 2016 Campaigns Set to Rev Up in Virginia

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 18. Also check out the spot-on political cartoon by the always-superb Tom Toles and the word clouds by CNU's Wason Center from their just-released poll of Virginia voters.

• Donald Trump and the conservative psyche: What Republican operatives don’t understand about the Donald’s transcendent appeal ("Trump's disjointed views and lack of substance are irrelevant; he's winning by exploiting voters' primal fears" Ugly, ugly, ugly.)
• Republicans’ Supreme Court contortions ("GOP determination to keep Antonin Scalia’s seat empty for now requires both logical leaps and political risk.")
• The Potential for the Most Liberal Supreme Court in Decades
• Senate Republicans divided on how to battle court nominee

• Pope Francis urges governments to 'open hearts' to migrants
• Donald Trump Falls Behind Ted Cruz in National NBC/WSJ Poll (Probably an outlier, but we'll see...)
• Graham: GOP will get 'slaughtered' if Trump nominee
• GOP Abortion Investigation May Endanger Researchers, Democrats Warn ("And women's health providers as well.")
• Start waving goodbye to Jeb: Whatever glimmer of hope Bush had post-New Hampshire seems gone (Yeah, he seems to be toast.)
• MSNBC’s Town Hall With Donald Trump Was Disgraceful ("The media’s coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance." The media continues to be pathetic.)
• Apple vs. the FBI ("The company is taking an unlikely stand for consumers’ right to privacy. It may also be helping itself. ")
• Poll Fails To Support McConnell’s Motivations For Blocking Supreme Court Nominees
• Campaign '16; Candidates set days to stump in Virginia
• Virginians donated $7.2 million to presidential campaigns in 2015 ("led by Democrat Hillary Clinton at nearly $2.9 million and Jeb Bush at nearly $1.3 million")
• Faith leaders still pursuing Medicaid expansion
• Norment corrects $400,000 oversight ("... understating his stockholdings by at least $400,000, including more than $50,000 worth of stock in Dominion Resources Inc.")
• Which bills passed and failed in the first half of the General Assembly session (Shorter version: pretty much, anything even mildly progressive or pro-environment failed; a lot of bad stuff passed.)
• Virginia is supposed to be Clinton country, but don’t tell that to Sanders
• $250K for McAuliffe’s party, despite gripe about meddling New Yorkers ("McAuliffe’s out-of-towner spin against Bloomberg group does not stem huge donations from another New Yorker.")
• Virginia taxpayers pick up $2,435 food and beer bill for mystery guests in Redskins suite (Utterly unacceptable.)
• Va. House vote hints at a generational divide on gay rights ("Polls show the Republican Party line is out of step with public opinion on the issue." And on many other issues, from guns to climate/clean energy.)
• D.C., Maryland and Virginia officials are headed to Cuba — together
• Central Virginia Groups Rally Against New Atlantic Coast Pipeline Route
• Bill on Virginia high school graduation requirements moves out of House committee
• Unnamed (for some strange reason) Virginian-Pilot Editorial ("The simple truth is this: The old way of doing things — the so-called 'Virginia Way' — is no longer sufficient and the commonwealth must change, now, to preserve the public trust.")
• Virginia Beach has until April 30 to commit to light rail, Transportation Board says
• Virginia Beach woman to be tried for taking chained dog from home (Seriously?!?)
• Chilly sunshine today gives way to a springlike weekend

Terry McAuliffe Signs "Governors Accord for a New Energy Future," But Does It Mean Anything?

by Lowell

I received the following statement by Environment Virginia earlier today, pertaining to yesterday's announcement of the "Governors Accord for a New Energy Future." Among others, you'll note that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is a signatory. The question in my mind, which I'll discuss after the Environment Virginia press release, is whether this announcement actually, you know, means anything.

Governors' Clean Energy Accord announced yesterday

Richmond, VA -- A bipartisan group of 17 governors announced a new initiative yesterday to commit states across the country to advancing clean energy, encouraging clean transportation, and modernizing energy infrastructure. The Governors Accord for a New Energy Future follows a Supreme Court ruling last week to temporarily block the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of the U.S. strategy to tackle global warming that encourages states to develop clean, renewable energy. The states signed onto the accord are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Sarah Bucci, Environment Virginia's State Director, issued this statement:

“The announcement of the Governors' Accord for a New Energy Future shows Virginia is on the path to become a clean energy leader. These states have leading the way on clean energy and clean cars, and this announcement shows Virginia's commitment. While the court may have temporarily blocked the Clean Power Plan, it can’t block progress toward wind and solar energy, affordable electric vehicles, and a more modern and efficient electric grid. Kudos to Governor McAuliffe for pledging to forge a path forward for climate progress and clean air.”

Sounds good, but what does this accord commit the governors to do, exactly? As far as I can tell, not much. From reading through the document, although it claims that the signatories "embrace a shared vision" of great things like expanding clean energy sources, there's also a bunch of less-than-great (or even bad) things in here, such as:

• no words like "commit," "pledge," or "required to do this;"
• talk about upgrading power grids and other features of a top-down, centralized energy system, but no mention whatsoever of distributed power (e.g., rooftop solar, microgrids, battery storage);
• zero mention of a major driver behind the need for a clean energy transition -- namely, climate disruption;
• inclusion of the seriously problematic fossil fuel, natural gas (much of it "fracked," which leads to a wide variety of environmental problems, including leakage of the potent greenhouse gas, methane), as a "clean transportation option;"
• no specific mention of supporting the Clean Power Plan (CPP);
• included on the list of governors are at least two - Rick Snyder of Michigan and Brian Sandoval of Nevada - who have been abysmal when it comes to clean energy (e.g, Nevada just basically killed rooftop solar power in that state; Snyder just suspended CPP compliance in Michigan)

I'd further point out that, here in Virginia, the General Assembly is dominated by anti-environment, bought-and-paid-for fossil fuel politicians. As for Gov. McAuliffe, while he has certainly been friendly towards clean energy, he also has continued to push in the 180-degrees wrong direction with regard to offshore oil drilling and new natural gas infrastructure, both of which are big mistakes. Given all that, I'm not exactly holding my breath for any positive serious action from our political "leaders" on kickstarting a clean energy economy here in Virginia.

To end this downer of a post on a bit more positive note: as a pro-clean-energy friend of mine put it, at least this accord - albeit vague and nonbinding - represents some sort of benchmark by which to judge the governors who signed on. Also, to the extent that this moves the conversation more towards a focus on the optimal ways to move towards a clean energy economy, not WHETHER to move towards a clean energy economy, that's a good thing. Anyway, we'll see.

New PPP Virginia Poll: Clinton 56%-Sanders 34%; Clinton Holds 58-Point Lead Among African Americans

by Lowell

Yesterday, a new CNU poll of Virginia had Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders for the March 1 primary by 12 points (52%-40%). Today, a new poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows Clinton with an even larger, 22-point lead (56%-34%). That includes a 58-point lead (74%-16%) for Clinton among African Americans in Virginia. The bottom line is that, with 13 days to go until Virginia's presidential primary, Clinton's southern "firewall" certainly appears to be holding, at least in this state.

How's the "firewall" looking in other, early March primary states? According to PPP: Clinton is "leading the way in 10 of 12, with double digit leads in 9 of them. Bernie Sanders has an overwhelming lead in his home state of Vermont and also leads in Massachusetts. The race is close in Oklahoma where Clinton is ahead by just 2 points, but she has double digit leads in the other 9 states that will have primaries that week." What's the reason for Clinton's huge lead? Very simple: "She leads by anywhere from 40-62 points among black voters in the nine of these states that have more black voters than the national average. Her support ranges from 63-74% with black voters in those states, while Sanders gets 12-23%."

Of course, Sanders is trying hard to catch up among African Americans, but the problem for him is that time is rapidly running out.  Starting on February 27, with the South Carolina Democratic primary, there will be a deluge of primaries, caucuses, and delegates up for grabs. As Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook pointed out a few days ago, "the 28 states that vote (or caucus) in March will award 56% of the delegates needed to win...In total, 1,875 delegates will be awarded in the first 15 days of March, including nearly 900 on Super Tuesday alone." So, basically, as impressive as Bernie Sanders' campaign has been, if he doesn't catch up in the next few weeks -- and particularly he needs to make major inroads among African Americans and Latinos -- the nomination could be all but over by the end of March. I'm certainly not saying he can't catch up, but no doubt he's got his work cut out for him. Stay tuned...

Wednesday News: Republicans "playing with fire" on SCOTUS; "Kaine's in vice presidential beauty pageant"

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, February 17. Also, check out President Obama's press conference yesterday in California following an ASEAN summit.

• Obama rejects GOP calls to let next president choose Scalia’s successor
• By seeking to thwart the Constitution, Republicans are playing with fire
• Why a constitutional originalist would reject the GOP’s delay, delay, delay tactics
• GOP Senator Breaks Ranks, Calls Party’s Supreme Court Strategy ‘Obstructionist’
• Obama's Next Supreme Court Pick: Dream Teamer or Confirmable?
• The GOP’s Supreme Court strategy: Stonewalling is what they do best, so don’t count on Republicans abandoning their hard-line obstructionism
• We Know the Type of Justice Obama Might Pick
• Greens wary of Sri Srinivasan's fossil fuel past("His work as an attorney representing Enron's former CEO and ExxonMobil raises hackles among some eco-activists.")
• Donald Trump makes me miss George W. Bush (I had that same thought, and given what a horrible president Bush was, that's saying a lot...)
• Paul Krugman: My Unicorn Problem ("the Sanders insistence on the need for magical unicorns has led to invocations of economic as well as political magic")
• Governor stands pat on state revenues available for budget
• Senate and House won't support Medicaid expansion, proposed tax cuts from savings
• Schapiro: Kaine's in vice presidential beauty pageant ("Tim Kaine is campaigning for Hillary Clinton in the early states. He's also giving voters a glimpse at a potential VP.")
• Gastanaga: Granting Special Rights to Certain Beliefs: Limiting Freedom
• House passes religious freedom bill some call 'license to discriminate' (VETO!)
• Judge rules against Daily Press in public records lawsuit
• Atlantic Coast Pipeline opponents cite costs in report ("Opponents of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline released an economic study Tuesday to bolster their argument that the $5 billion project ultimately would cost more than it’s worth to localities in its path..."
• Va. House passes bill to block agencies from punishing discrimination ("Bill protects religious freedom in the face of shifting cultural attitudes toward gay rights, supporters said." Yeah, the freedom to discriminate. Blech.)
• Va. lawmakers advance a flurry of bills ahead of midnight deadline ("Whether the issue was Airbnb or abortion, Tuesday was a do-or-die moment midway through the session.")
• Virgina, don’t revive the electric chair ("The barbaric method of execution is nearly obsolete, and capital punishment overall is on its way out.")
• GOP hopeful Ben Carson to speak at Regent University on eve of Virginia primary
• Virginia House subcommittee: Where Democratic bills on senior voting go to die
• Pipeline surveyor case goes before Virginia Supreme Court
• State Transportation Board accuses Virginia Beach council of delaying light-rail decision
• Fairfax’s county executive proposes a 4-cent tax-rate hike to meet rising needs
• Roanoke council criticizes bill that would cut Norfolk Southern's storm water fees
• On the cold side until weekend warm-up

Three More Post-Scalia Thoughts

by Andy Schmookler

1. WHAT KIND OF MAN WAS ANTONIN SCALIA?

It is important to me to be fair, to give credit where credit is due. Denying someone’s virtues just because they hold beliefs different from mine is something I strive not to do. So it is in that context that I find myself wondering about my judgment of the late Antonin Scalia.

I have believed, and I have written, that Scalia was a hypocrite and a fraud. He claimed to be an “originalist” in his approach to the Constitution, but what I thought I saw was a man determined to advance a corporatist and conservative agenda—using an originalist approach when that served his agenda, and ignoring it when it didn’t.

How does a genuine originalist find in the Constitution the idea that corporations are persons—an idea on which the terrible Citizens United  decision was premised? And in Heller – the decision in which Scalia and his conservative allies found the Second Amendment to confer onto individuals a right to firearms altogether unrelated to any “regulated militia” (which our founders, for some reason, wasted words mentioning in the amendment). And so this supposed originalist came up with an interpretation beloved on the right but which had been deemed “a fraud” by the Republican-appointed former Chief Justice, Warren Berger.

Yet here we have Scalia’s colleagues paying tribute to the departed, including the liberal-leaning Justice Breyer describing Scalia as a man of “integrity,” and Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying that he was altogether shaped by “an unyielding commitment to the Constitution of the United States and to the highest ethical and moral standards.”

His colleagues knew him far better than I. They should know more deeply than I what a “commitment to the Constitution of the United States” would look like.

So what kind of man was Scalia? Have I been guilty of being unfair to a man of principle? Or are his colleagues exemplifying how people prettify the picture of the person who just died? Or what?

Video: VA Del. Mark Sickles Speaks Out Emotionally, Powerfully Against Anti-LGBT Bigotry Bill; Right-Wing Republican Defends It

by Lowell

The following is an emotional, powerful speech by openly gay Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax) against far-right-wing Del. Todd Gilbert's appalling HB 773, the Orwellian-named "Government Nondiscrimination Act." In fact, as Del. Sickles correctly explains, this bill isn't about "nondiscrimation," but "it IS a discrimination bill...that is going to hurt our state."

Del. Sickles then proceeds to cite example after example of major corporations, law firms, etc, etc. who sponsor the Equality Virginia annual dinner, and more broadly who support full equality for all their employees.

What's amazing is that anyone could actually defend the bigoted garbage in Gilbert's bill, let alone after an extraordinary speech like Sickles', but that's exactly what Gilbert attempts to do, whining about how bullies like him are actually the ones "constantly under attack," that it's not about "equality" but about "people of faith [being] driven out of this discourse...made to cower...to be in fear of speaking their minds...of living up to their deeply-held religious beliefs."

Of course, that's utterly unAmerican crap; in this country, fortunately, we are NOT a theocracy, but a democracy with the rule of law, where ALL men (and women) are created equal, and where EVERY citizen must be treated equally under the law, as spelled out in our constitution. What about any of this is difficult for bigots like Todd Gilbert to understand? Got me, but thankfully public opinion has dramatically shifted against the Gilberts of the world, and it's not going back to the dark ages anytime soon.

P.S. In addition to Del. Sickles' superb speech, check out the stirring words by Delegates Vivian Watts and Alfonso Lopez. As for Del. "Sideshow Bob" Marshall (R), I'd strongly recommend you just ignore him; it's not worth 5 minutes of your life to listen to this guy.