Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Berkeley union leader under fire for sending child to private preschool while fighting reopenings
The head of the Berkeley teachers' union is being accused of hypocrisy for sending his daughter to an in-person preschool despite leading the fight against school reopenings over novel coronavirus concerns. Published March 1, 2021
Michael Che, SNL joke decried as anti-Semitic
Protesters gathered outside NBC Studios in New York City to demand an apology for a "Saturday Night Live" joke suggesting that Israel was only vaccinating Jews, a quip decried as anti-Semitic. Published February 28, 2021
House votes to set aside 3 million Western acres in ‘massive land grab’
The House voted Friday to cordon off nearly three million acres of Western land in the name of environmental protection, overriding Republicans who called it a "massive land grab" that will kill jobs, increase wildfire danger and reduce access to public lands. Published February 26, 2021
House passes Equality Act despite objections over religious freedom, women’s sports
House Democrats passed Thursday the Equality Act, taking their cues from President Biden as he pushes transgender rights to the forefront despite warnings of dire repercussions for religious freedom, women's sports and parental rights. Published February 25, 2021
Marjorie Taylor Greene hangs ‘two genders’ sign after Marie Newman posts transgender flag
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, and Marie Newman, Illinois Democrat, may be neighbors -- their House offices are across the hall from each other--but their neighborhood is unlikely to be confused with that of Mr. Rogers. Published February 25, 2021
Deb Haaland, Biden’s Interior pick, tells Senate panel she supports Keystone XL pipeline shutdown
It took four tries, but Rep. Deb Haaland finally acknowledged Wednesday that she supports President Biden's hotly criticized decision to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline. Published February 24, 2021
Five Oregon counties to vote on leaving state, escaping to ‘Greater Idaho’
Five Oregon counties will ask voters in the next election whether they want to detach from the deep-blue state and join neighboring red-state Idaho. Published February 24, 2021
Biden administration accused of deserting female athletes by exiting transgender case
Attorneys accused the Biden administration Tuesday of deserting female athletes by withdrawing its support for a federal lawsuit in Connecticut seeking to bar transgender participation in girls' high school sports. Published February 24, 2021
Deb Haaland, Interior pick, backs down on ‘Republicans don’t believe in science’ tweet at hearing
Interior nominee Rep. Deb Haaland's past came back to haunt her Tuesday as Senate Republicans grilled the New Mexico Democrat over her well-documented hostility to fracking, pipelines and oil-and-gas production on federal lands. Published February 23, 2021
Joe Biden accused of ignoring science on coronavirus, climate change, women’s sports, abortion
President Biden is all about following the science -- unless it conflicts with his policy positions on hot-button issues, as far as his critics are concerned. Published February 22, 2021
Newt Gingrich calls on Andrew Cuomo to resign after ex-Trump official says state ‘stonewalled’ probe
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Monday on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign after an ex-Trump official said that the state "stonewalled" Justice Department investigators seeking information on nursing home deaths. Published February 22, 2021
‘Antisemitic trope’: NBC under fire over ‘SNL’ sketch on Israeli vaccine rollout
NBC officials are facing calls to apologize over a "Saturday Night Live" sketch that accused Israel of vaccinating only its Jewish citizens against the novel coronavirus, a claim that critics lambasted as untrue and anti-Semitic. Published February 22, 2021
Jen Psaki punts on Joe Biden support for Andrew Cuomo
White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to say Sunday whether the president still views New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the "gold standard" on pandemic leadership as the Biden administration comes under pressure to address the nursing-home scandal. Published February 21, 2021
Greg Abbott: Grid operator insisted ‘we are ready’ for storm that knocked out power to millions
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took aim Friday at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, saying the grid operator assured him beforehand that "we are ready" for the deadly Arctic blast that paralyzed the state, leaving millions without power. Published February 19, 2021
Andrew Cuomo’s nursing home directive may have led to 1,000 more coronavirus deaths: Study
A newly released study found that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's nursing home directive may have resulted in as many as 1,000 additional deaths from the novel coronavirus, making "a bad situation worse." Published February 19, 2021
Biden reenters Paris climate agreement, reversing Trump without Senate ratification
President Biden announced Friday that the U.S. has officially rejoined the Paris climate agreement, reentering the international accord without Senate ratification a month after signing a directive to reverse the Trump administration's exit. Published February 19, 2021
Andrew Cuomo impeachment talks sparked by nursing home scandal
Another impeachment may be looming, only this time the target isn't former President Donald Trump. The nursing home scandal engulfing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raising the specter of impeachment as federal investigators examine his administration's handling of data on novel coronavirus deaths. Published February 18, 2021
SC governor signs abortion ban; Planned Parenthood sues
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed Thursday legislation banning most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, prompting an immediate legal challenge from Planned Parenthood. Published February 18, 2021
Kamala Harris dodges questions on requiring teacher vaccines for school reopenings
Vice President Kamala Harris made it clear Wednesday that nobody's going to make her take a public position on whether teachers need to be vaccinated before returning to K-12 classrooms. Published February 17, 2021
Tim Boyd, Texas mayor who told residents to ‘quit crying’ over blackouts, resigns
A Texas mayor who scolded residents struggling without heat or water in freezing conditions, telling them to "quit crying and looking for a handout," has left office. Published February 17, 2021
