by LowellHere are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 18.
- U.S.-led airstrikes kill 180 Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq
- The great fracturing of the Republican Party (For the good of the country, let's hope this party breaks apart.)
- House, Senate Rush to Send Huge Budget and Tax Deal to Obama
- Trump calls 'highly respected' Putin's comments a 'great honor' (Two dictatorial thugs admiring each other. Gross.)
- Saying ‘radical Islam’ has nothing to do with defeating terrorism ("Republicans have not been able to offer any real solutions, despite their huffing and puffing.")
- Cheers, a punch, a slur: What it’s like in the crowd at a Trump rally
- Obama’s 2016: Clinton, Trump and a clock ("In his final year, president will push for justice reform, trade deals, climate action — and a Democratic successor")
- DNC: Sanders campaign improperly accessed Clinton voter data
- Report: Navy SEALs covered up accusations of deadly abuse (Absolutely unacceptable.)
- There’s no escape: You cannot vanquish Donald Trump, only contain him ("Trump's rise is a sign of our democracy's ill health. But recognizing the problem isn't the same as fixing it")
- House GOP shuts door on Medicaid debate in governor's proposed budget (As expected. The question is, what's Gov. McAuliffe's strategy here.)
- Governor pushes for Medicaid expansion again in budget
- McAuliffe unveils budget plan for Virginia
- Editorial: A loyalty oath to elevate party above all ("attempts to exclude citizens from public ballot boxes is incompatible with the commonwealth’s values")
- Tommy Norment reportedly gives air kiss to Gov. McAuliffe before budget remarks (Classy as always.)
- RTD Editorial: McAuliffe's Budget Offers a Mix of Good and Bad (Agreed, although I'd have a different list of "good and bad" than the RTD.)
- It wasn’t a pretty process, but federal workers are getting pay increases after all
- Bike race report: $88.9M in direct spending, total impact $170M
- GOP delegate questions 'Statement of Affiliation' in 2016 Republican primary
- Our view: Star Wars and the demography of outer space. Or Virginia.
- ODU-W&M sea level rise center gets boost from McAuliffe
- Alison Parker was killed on live TV. Now the anchor who loved her must live without her.
- Furor over Arabic assignment leads Virginia school district to close Friday ("A Virginia school system has decided to close schools Friday after a high school geography assignment on world religions led to allegations of Islamic indoctrination and a slew of angry emails and phone calls." Ugh, bigots.)
- Richmond's Joe Morrissey, engaged, hints at run for mayor (Just go away, Joe.)
- McAuliffe's budget include funds to close Catawba Hospital by 2018
- D.C. area forecast: Ready to be invigorated? Seasonably chilly temperatures have arrived for the weekend.