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Valerie Richardson

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Valerie Richardson

vrichardson@washingtontimes.com

Valerie Richardson covers politics and the West from Denver. She can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Valerie Richardson

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, has said she won't support House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to be speaker. (Associated Press)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez anti-burger narrative imperils Green New Deal

Three weeks after it was introduced, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's signature climate-change resolution has become embroiled in a debate over whether Americans should continue to have it their way when it comes to the All-American burger.

March 3, 2019

This Jan. 20, 2019 file photo shows the grounds of Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Ky. Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School teen at the heart of an encounter last month with a Native American activist, is suing The Washington Post for $250 million. On March 1, 2019, the Post issued an editor's note to clarify its initial erroneous reporting, but stopped short of issuing an apology. (AP Photo/Lisa Cornwell, File) **FILE**

Washington Post issues editor’s note, but no apology, on Covington Catholic coverage

The Washington Post issued an extensive editor's note Friday and deleted a Tweet related to its early reports on the Covington Catholic students, two weeks after the newspaper was hit with a defamation lawsuit by a teen who became the face of incident at the Lincoln Memorial.

March 2, 2019

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell during a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Elizabeth Warren offered enrollment by the Una Nation, an unrecognized ‘mixed-blood’ tribe

Sen. Elizabeth Warren may lack the heritage necessary to qualify for membership in the Cherokee Nation, but she's got what it takes to become a Una.

February 27, 2019

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, following a closed-door meeting with House Republicans to counter then-President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ** FILE **

House Republicans adjourn climate change hearing after Democrats fail to show up

Climate change has long been regarded on the left as an existential threat to the planet, but only two House Democrats showed up for Tuesday's subcommittee hearing on the issue.

February 26, 2019

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Chuck Schumer pledges to defund ‘fake climate panel’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday to defund any effort by the Trump administration to form an advisory committee on climate change, calling it a "fake climate panel."

February 26, 2019

&quot;Empire&quot; actor Jussie Smollett, center, leaves Cook County jail following his release, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Chicago. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct and filling a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, a police official said. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Terrence Howard, Empire star: Jussie Smollett couldn’t fake hate crime

"Empire" star Terrence Howard defended Sunday his co-star Jussie Smollett on charges that he faked a hate crime, saying that the man he knows would never do anything "so unconscious and ugly."

February 24, 2019

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, top center, greets members of the Richmond 34 and other African-American leaders for a breakfast at the Governors Mansion at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The Richmond 34 were a group of African Americans who defied segregation laws in the 1960's (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Tom Perez says Northam’s ability to lead ‘compromised’

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez said Sunday he still thinks Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam should resign, saying, "I believe his ability to govern has been undermined."

February 24, 2019

Then-FBI acting director Andrew McCabe listens during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Andrew McCabe mocked for ‘speaking truth to power’

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe insisted Sunday that he has been "speaking truth to power" with his book about the Trump administration, prompting a round of eye-rolling from Republicans.

February 24, 2019

FILE - In this Monday, Jan 7, 2019, file photo, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks at a news conference in Albuquerque, N.M. Grisham has chosen an Albuquerque attorney to fill a vacancy on the bench that serves New Mexico's busiest judicial district. Erin O'Connell will fill the seat left open by the retirement of Judge Nan Nash, who served as the 2nd District's chief judge before stepping down. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras, File)

Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico governor, defends pulling National Guard troops from border

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defended Sunday her decision to defy the Trump administration by pulling National Guard troops along her state's border with Mexico, insisting there was no "real emergency."

February 24, 2019

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett leaves Cook County jail following his release, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Chicago. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct and filling a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, a police official said. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Tom Perez defends Democrats’ Jussie Smollett response

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez defended Sunday party members accused of rushing to judgment on actor Jussie Smollett's since-disputed hate-crime claim, saying that "we acted on the facts as we knew at the time."

February 24, 2019

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks with reporters after his panel voted in a closed session to send more than 50 interview transcripts from its now-closed Russia investigation to special counsel Robert Mueller, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Two associates of President Donald Trump have been charged with lying to the committee and Schiff said Mueller should consider whether additional perjury charges are warranted. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Adam Schiff: Democrats prepared to sue Trump administration, subpoena Robert Mueller to get report

House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that he was "absolutely" prepared to sue the Trump administration -- and to subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller -- if the Mueller report is not made public.

February 24, 2019

President Donald Trump shakes hands as he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump touts ‘great relationship’ with Kim Jong-un ahead of Hanoi nuclear talks

President Trump gave a shout-out Sunday to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, referring to their "[g]reat relationship" and touting the economic benefits of denuclearization for the communist nation.

February 24, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's 60th Annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Elizabeth Warren floats reparations for Native Americans

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has one-upped the Democratic 2020 presidential competition by saying she would consider reparations not just for the descendants of slaves, but for Native Americans.

February 24, 2019

In this Oct. 17, 2018 file photo California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., gestures while speaking to California Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, during a debate on in San Francisco. Ms. Feinstein is under fire for a video showing her appear to dismiss the concerns of children advocating the so-called Green New Deal, which Ms. Feinstein has said is unrealistic as public policy. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, file)

Dianne Feinstein hit with viral video after telling kids she won’t support Green New Deal

Democrats who refuse to jump on the Green New Deal bandwagon might find themselves trending on social media--and not in a good way--thanks to the Sunrise Movement.

February 23, 2019

Gov. Phil Scott, a pro-choice Republican, has said he supports protecting abortion access without saying he would sign a specific bill. (Associated Press)

Vermont House passes H. 57 no-limits abortion bill

The Vermont House passed overwhelmingly Thursday a sweeping, no-limits abortion bill that makes terminating a pregnancy a "fundamental right" and ensures access to the procedure at every stage of gestation.

February 21, 2019

A man polishes the sign for The New York Times at the company's headquarters, July 18, 2013 in New York. The newspaper has faced declines in print advertising and subscription revenue. The company has tried to offset those drops by increasing the number of digital subscribers. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

New York Times labels William Happer, Princeton physicist, a ‘climate denialist,’ faces backlash

Princeton professor emeritus William Happer's role in forming a White House climate security committee didn't sit well with a number of media outlets, including The New York Times, which called the eminent physicist a "denialist."

February 21, 2019

A teenager wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, center left, stands in front of an elderly Native American singing and playing a drum in Washington, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington in Kentucky is looking into this and other videos from a rally in Washington. (Survival Media Agency via AP) **FILE**

Covington teen Nicholas Sandmann cheered by conservatives for Washington Post suit

Even if The Washington Post never pays him a dime, Kentucky teenager Nicholas Sandmann may have already earned a bust in the conservative pantheon for his audacious $250 million lawsuit against the liberal media titan.

February 20, 2019

In this July 4, 1987, file photo, Martina Navratilova holds up her trophy after winning the women's singles championship on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, England. (AP Photo/Robert Dear) ** FILE **

Martina Navratilova slammed for calling out transgender ‘cheating’ in women’s sports

Martina Navratilova, one of the first openly gay major sports figures, has run afoul of the LGBT movement for calling it "cheating" to allow transgender females to participate in women's sports.

February 20, 2019

In this Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, file image made from video provided by the Survival Media Agency, Nick Sandmann, wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, center left, stands in front of Native American elder Nathan Phillips. (Survival Media Agency via AP) ** FILE **

Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic teen, sues Washington Post for $250 million

Attorneys for Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit Tuesday against The Washington Post, accusing the newspaper of targeting the teenager in "a modern-day form of McCarthyism."

February 19, 2019

Co-presidents of the 2019 Women's March Linda Sarsour, left, and Tamika Mallory, center, march along with others demonstrators on Pennsylvania Av. during the Women's March in Washington on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. The Women's March returned to Washington on Saturday and found itself coping with an ideological split and an abbreviated route due to the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Women’s March leaders Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour defend Ilhan Omar amid anti-Semitism uproar

Women's March leaders Tamika D. Mallory and Linda Sarsour have rushed to the defense of Rep. Ilhan Omar, blasting politicians who criticized the Minnesota Democrat for comments widely seen as anti-Semitic and blaming racism for fueling the uproar.

February 12, 2019