Tag: Virginia

Good Tuesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. _____________________ • Virginia’s turmoil deepened on Monday as Gov. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax suggested the governor’s allies had a hand in unearthing sexual assault claims made against him, to stop him from becoming governor should Mr. Northam resign. • From immigration to infrastructure, here’s what to expect from Mr. Trump’s address tonight. • Stacy Abrams, whose unsuccessful run for governor of Georgia attracted much attention, and who will deliver the Democratic rebuttal to the State of the Union, is being courted to run for the Senate in 2020. • Some House Democrats will send pointed messages to Mr. Trump with the guests they bring to his address, including climate scientists and survivors of sexual assault. • Mr. Trump’s legislative path to a border wall has narrowed significantly, and his fallback plan, circumventing Congress by declaring a state of emergency, threatens to splinter his own party. • As the government struggles merely to stay open, Head Start, the preschool program, offers a story of bipartisan progress at odds with a polarizing time.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, presidential candidates and, perhaps most important, both of Virginia's senators and its longest-serving black representative all said Northam should step aside. The entire episode shines a light not just on Northam's troubles but also on the politics of race in the Trump era. A higher standard Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, said on CNN Monday he doesn't think the Democratic Party can stand up to the "bigotry" of President Trump with Northam still in office. "I don't think we can do that," he said, "unless we hold all of our officials to a high standard." Trump, after all, from the day he launched his presidential run in 2015, said Mexico was sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States; exploited white grievance to win the presidency; and as president expounded a kind of moral equivalency between white nationalists and those protesting them after the deadly, racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, Va. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is seriously considering a presidential bid, pulled no punches Sunday in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. But Democrats believe Northam needs to go, so they can continue to speak with some moral authority during Trump's presidency. Democrats: "It's a totally different party"; what that could mean for 2020 Democrats have a complicated history on the issue of race. The late Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a former Democratic Senate leader, had once been an official in the KKK. Northam is a reminder for many in the party of where it was, not where it's going. But in the Trump era, times have changed and the scrutiny on issues of race and gender has intensified.

Fairfax says the relationship was consensual and the assault accusation was fabricated; Garrett Tenney reports from Richmond, Virginia. #ShepSmith #FoxNews FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and…

Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. _____________________ • A racist photograph was discovered on the yearbook page of Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia. • Since President Trump’s election, Democrats are speaking far more bluntly about issues of race and identity. • The concept of “Medicare for all” has become popular with Democrats. But voters may be resistant to surrendering the insurance they are used to. It’s a conflict Democrats running in 2020 are keenly aware of. • Mr. Trump plans to keep United States troops in Iraq to monitor and maintain pressure on neighboring Iran, committing to an American military presence in the region’s war zones even as he moves to withdraw forces from Syria and Afghanistan. • In his first State of the Union address last year, Mr. Trump outlined his vision for an “America first” approach to overhauling the immigration system, revitalizing manufacturing and prioritizing national interests abroad.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing mounting pressure to resign after a racist photo from his yearbook surfaced. But look, he’s lost the authority to lead. He's lost the authority to govern. He has to resign. It's in the best interest of the Commonwealth. It's in the best interest of the party." Former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder I stated, earlier, that Gov. It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice ... but to resign. Our state president in Virginia has spoken with him and our position is the same.

No doubt Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Virginia Gov. Kavanaugh’s 1983 yearbook has the words “Devil’s Triangle” and “FFFFFFourth of July” under his photograph. Northam at first admitted he was in the photograph, then said he wasn’t. There was a national belly laugh in response to all of these implausible explanations. The nickname “coonman” hardly seems mysterious, especially for a man who admitted dressing in blackface. And why would a guy put a photograph that didn’t include him on HIS yearbook page? The mid-’80s were a long time ago, but there’s a big difference between DOING something stupid when you’re young, and BEING sexist or racist at any age. There’s also a big difference between having a few bigoted ideas about women and blacks, and having such deep-seeded prejudices that you feel compelled to boast about it in public. It may be unfair to judge people today by what they put in their yearbooks over 30 years ago, but it’s not unfair to ask questions about what was in their mind back then, whether they feel differently today, and why. Forgiveness is possible, but not without truth and accountability.

Virginia Gov. “I believe now and then that I am not either of the people in this photo,” Northam said. When asked about political leaders who are asking for his resignation, Northam said if he can communicate that he is not the person in the photograph, he can continue to lead. View Sample Sign Up Now “I plan to continue to lead,” he said. “If we get to the point where we feel that we’re not effective, that we’re not efficient, not only for our caucuses but for the commonwealth of Virginia, then we will revisit this and make decisions.” Northam said yesterday was the first time he ever saw the picture and that he never purchased the yearbook. Northam initially apologized for the photo, although he never confirmed which costume he was wearing in the photograph. Northam has faced after multiple calls for him to resign after the yearbook image was wide spread on Friday. On Saturday, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, President of the Democratic Governors Association, said Northam could “no longer serve the best interests of Virginians” and said he should resign and allow Lt. Gov. Fairfax to take over. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the photo “racist and contrary to fundamental American values” and called for him to “do the right thing.” Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.

There was little forgiveness in the air in national and state political circles. Most 2020 Democratic contenders demanded Northam’s resignation and before he spoke Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic party of Virginia, said: “We made the decision to let Governor Northam do the correct thing and resign this morning – we have gotten word he will not do so. We stand with Democrats across Virginia and the country calling him to immediately resign.” The photo was included on Northam’s 1984 yearbook page from Eastern Virginia Medical School and was made public on Friday. The Democratic governor then confirmed he was one of the two people in the photo, but did not identify which individual he was. “It was offensive, racist and despicable.” Northam said he was certain the photo was not of him because he vividly remembered another damning incident, when he participated in a dance contest in Texas where he performed as Michael Jackson and darkened his skin using shoe polish. “I didn’t realize at the time it was so offensive, as I have since learned,” Northam said. Northam said reporters would have to ask the two people who called him that how they arrived at that nickname and that his more common nickname was “Goose”. “In light of his public admission and apology for his decision to appear in the photo, he has irrevocably lost the faith and trust of the people he was elected to serve,” the VLBC said. “Changing his public story today now casts further doubt on his ability to regain that trust.” The Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman, Tom Perez, said in a statement released during the press conference that he had spoken to Northam in the morning and believed he should step down. Biden said: “Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now.”

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, who apologized for appearing in a racist yearbook photo, acknowledged that he darkened his face once to resemble Michael Jackson but says he will not resign from his position.

The Democratic governor of Virginia apologized for his appearance in a “racist and offensive” costume in his medical school yearbook, but he defied bipartisan calls to step down Friday evening and intends to serve out his term. “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” said Governor Ralph Northam in a statement. The photograph shows a person in blackface standing next to a person wearing the white robes and hood of the Ku Klux Klan. It is not apparent which figure is Northam, and the governor’s statement did not clarify that point, stating only that it shows “me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive”. The page lists his interest as “pediatrics” and includes the following quote: “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer.” The 59-year-old Northam was elected governor of Virginia in 2017, after having served a four-year term as lieutenant governor of the state. “The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together.” Fellow Democratic hopefuls Senator Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro also called on Northam to resign, as did leaders of the NAACP, MoveOn, the pro-choice group Naral and the Democratic Super Pac Priorities USA also issued calls for Northam’s resignation. The Republican party of Virginia (RPV) tweeted: “What Ralph Northam did was unforgivable. “But I accept responsibility for my past actions, and I am ready to do the hard work of regaining your trust … I am committed to continuing that fight through the remainder of my term.” The state of Virginia has been grappling with its legacy of slavery and Jim Crow in recent years. The next month, a gathering of hundreds of white nationalists in the city turned deadly and shocked the world with images of angry men chanting “Jews will not replace us”. Last month, the Washington Post reported on a small act of protest by Fairfax, who declined to participate in a state senate tribute to Lee.