BY PRIYANKA ARIBINDI, BRIAN BEUTLER 

& CROOKED MEDIA

Monday, February 4, 2019

—Fox host Dana Perino, who most certainly did not make queso

VIRGINIA ISN'T FOR HATERS

The government of Virginia is in turmoil and will remain so at least until Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) resigns.

Northam lost the confidence of nearly the entire Democratic Party on Friday after reporters unearthed his medical school yearbook page, which depicts one man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe. Since it’s Northam’s yearbook page, presumably one of them is him. Northam initially apologized for his behavior 35 years ago, but quickly changed his story, and now insists that neither of the people in the infamous photo is him.

In a humiliating press conference Saturday, Northam admitted that he wore blackface once in medical school as part of a Michael Jackson tribute costume. But he also claimed to have no memory of the yearbook photo, and suggested that because he remembers one racist incident but not the other, then he must not have been involved in the latter. (As you can see, it didn’t go well.)

Northam continues to resist calls from all levels of the Democratic Party for his resignation. He has lost the confidence of Virginia Democrats, Democratic presidential candidates, Democratic congressional leaders, and a large and growing number of rank and file Democratic voters. Over the two days after reporters first authenticated the picture, Northam’s favorability tanked 41 points on net among Virginia voters.

It’s unclear how Northam can credibly govern the state when all of his political allies have abandoned him, but even if he resigns, the transition of power won’t be smooth. As Northam imploded, the same right-wing site that first published the Northam photo resurfaced an uncorroborated accusation that Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D-VA) sexually assaulted a woman at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Fairfax has categorically denied the accusation, and describes his encounter with the woman as consensual. The Washington Post investigated the allegation several months ago, and decided not to report it, because it “found no similar complaints of sexual misconduct against him…or the ability to corroborate the woman’s account.”

Were both Northam and Fairfax to step down, the Virginia constitution places the state’s attorney general—currently Democrat Mark Herring—next in the in the line of succession.

Read more from Brian here →

Utah’s Republican-led Senate passed a bill to roll back Medicaid expansion, despite the fact that the state’s voters adopted it by ballot initiative in November. The Affordable Care Act allows states to expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level, but the Republican bill will shrink eligibility to those whose incomes are less than 100 percent of the poverty level. Because this would only be a partial expansion (the first of its kind), it would have to be approved by the Trump administration, and if it didn’t sign off, it would tank the entire voter-approved expansion—which is presumably the goal.

If you live in Utah, call Gov. Herbert to protect Medicaid expansion at (801)-538-1000 & (801)-538-1029. Get more information here →

President Trump’s inaugural committee has been subpoenaed to hand over documents about its finances, donors, and activities to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Prosecutors are reportedly also interested in whether or not any foreigners contributed illegally to the committee.  

The Pentagon has deployed an additional 3,750 troops to the Southern border ahead of President Trump’s second State of the Union address, in which he is expected to at least lay the groundwork for flouting the law and Constitution to build more wall without Congress’s approval. Trump’s nakedly political deployment of servicemembers is a huge scandal and it’s crazy how easily it’s been swept down the memory hole.  

During his annual pre-Super Bowl interview, Trump refused to commit to making the results of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation public. He also said that the U.S. will maintain military presence in Iraq in order to monitor Iran, and called football a “dangerous sport.”

ICE officers arrested rapper 21 Savage on Sunday, claiming that he is in the U.S. unlawfully on a visa that expired nearly 13 years ago, and have placed him in deportation proceedings. The Atlanta-based rapper arrived in U.S. from the U.K. as a teenager in 2005.

The Super Bowl happened. It was the lowest scoring “big game” in history, and it was boring as hell. Some highlights: Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine took his shirt off (why?), Bud Light picked a fight with America’s corn farmers (lol), Kylie Jenner didn’t get a ring, but Tom Brady did (again).

Trump has nominated former oil lobbyist/Interior Department deputy chief David Bernhardt to serve as secretary of the Interior Department, months after Ryan Zinke left office in disgrace amid a record-breaking number of ethics scandals. Big shoes to fill.

An opponent of New York City’s deal to bring Amazon to Queens, State Senator Michael Gianaris, has been appointed to the Public Authorities Control Board, where he will have veto power to potentially block the project’s development plan. The state’s Democratic Senate majority appointed Gianaris, though Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who worked to bring Amazon to New York in the first place, will have to approve the appointment.

Trump’s still getting a shitload of “executive time.” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says this “[allows] for a more creative environment,” and we admit his tweets about TiVo’d Fox News segments are very lively.

A high-ranking Venezuelan Air Force General has publicly pledged allegiance to opposition leader Juan Guaidó, alleging that “90 percent of the armed forces are not with [Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro].” The support of the country’s military has been a major source of Maduro’s power amidst growing calls for his resignation.

Over 20 nations (including the U.S.) have recognized Guaidó as the country’s interim president, though China, Russia, and Turkey have backed Maduro (great company, dude). Maduro has proposed moving up the country’s parliamentary elections in order to oust Guaidó, whose claim to the interim presidency stems from his role as the National Assembly’s head.

The heat is finally back at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, after hundreds of incarcerated people lived without heat, light, and access to phones in below-freezing temperatures for several days. Hundreds of supporters gathered to protest outside the facility, while inmates banged on their windows.

Actor Liam Neeson took it upon himself to share that he once considered committing a racist murder after a woman close to him was allegedly raped by a black man. He seemed to realize that this might not be the best memory to share during an interview, saying “I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist...” while his co-star Tom Bateman can be heard beside him saying “holy shit.” Holy shit is right. These aren’t the very particular set of skills we had in mind.

New Jersey has become the latest state to hike its hourly minimum wage to $15 over the next five years. The state’s current minimum wage of $8.85 will jump to $10 in July, and rise by $1 each Jan. 1 until 2024.

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