Tuesday News: “War is hell. To this, Russia has added torture.”; “Security increases for judge assigned to Donald Trump’s January 6 criminal case”; “How Ohio’s ballot vote could preview the 2024 politics of abortion”; “Dominion Energy, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Virginia’s Push Toward Renewables”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, August 8.

• Even frozen Antarctica is being walloped by climate extremes, scientists find
• 2023 is on track to be the hottest year on record. And 2024 may be hotter.
• European scientists make it official. July was the hottest month on record by far
• Ukraine Detains Woman Accused of Trying to Track Zelensky’s Movements
• Western allies receive increasingly ‘sobering’ updates on Ukraine’s counteroffensive: ‘This is the most difficult time of the war’
• Ukraine declares war on Russia’s Black Sea shipping
• Russians tied to Putin or military sidestep sanctions, drawing protests
• War is hell. To this, Russia has added torture. (“A new report substantiates reports of systematic torture carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine in territory they have occupied.”)
• Twin Russian missile strikes wreak chaos (“Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs said at least seven people were killed. Another 81 were injured, including rescue workers and children.” War crimes.)
• The Mystery Behind Russia’s Secret VIP Flight to North Korea
• China’s Trade Plunges in Blow to Recovery
• China hacked Japan’s sensitive defense networks, officials say
• China’s summer of extremes has farmers worried about crops the world needs
• China and Philippines’ dispute over grounded warship heats up
• Organise or fight? Three years in exile, Belarus opposition divided about path
• Israeli finance minister suspends funds to Arab towns, East Jerusalem
• Acting US deputy secretary of state meets with military junta members in Niger (“Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with some of the members of the military junta in Niger Monday – a significant diplomatic push to restore democratic rule in what has been a key US partner nation.”)
• Methane pollution “pouring out” of Australian gas infrastructure, study finds (Disastrous.)
• The Protests Inside Iran’s Girls’ Schools (“From the start, women were at the center of the demonstrations that swept Iran last year. Schoolgirls emerged as an unexpected source of defiant energy.”)
• Carbon credits – land grab or the Amazon’s future?
• Brazil’s Lula pushes end to deforestation, stumbles on fossil fuels
• Argentina’s Next President Is on a Collision Course With Hyperinflation
• EU tech envoy: ‘The winds have changed’ on regulating Silicon Valley
• Powerful storm kills 2 people and leaves 1.1 million without power in eastern US
• Moody’s Cuts US Banks on Mounting Funding Costs, Office Exposure
• The future of cities, according to the experts (“Cities aren’t going anywhere, but they do need to change.”)
• A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy (I’m mostly including this to show how bad the NY Times’ headlines are. In this case, in fact what Republicans are proposing is a TRASH-THE-CLIMATE “strategy,” not a “climate strategy.” What a joke.)
• The Weaponization of Loneliness (Hillary Rodham Clinton: “To defend America against those who would exploit our social disconnection, we need to rebuild our communities.”)
• FDA policy allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood goes into effect
• G.O.P. Contenders Feed Voter Distrust in Courts, Schools and Military
• Security increases for judge assigned to Donald Trump’s January 6 criminal case
• Trump objects to strict limits on sharing evidence in election interference case
• Trump and his new lawyer are not on the same page about judge’s recusal
• A former federal prosecutor dissects the latest Trump indictment
• ‘Fake’ elector plot raised concerns over legal peril, indictment shows
• Judge asks prosecutors to justify use of 2 grand juries in Trump documents case (Cannon has no business being a judge or even a lawyer, really.)
• Judge Cannon Blows Off Concerns about Walt Nauta’s Conflicted Representation
• Exclusive: Trump ally Bernie Kerik meets with special counsel investigators
• Trump’s legal drama loses shock value
• Do Trump’s Social Media Threats Count as Witness Tampering?
• Donald Trump’s Lawyer Can’t Stop Going on TV and Making Donald Trump Look Ridiculously Guilty of the Crimes He’s Been Accused Of (“The guy is extremely committed!”)
• Judge dismisses Trump’s defamation claim against E. Jean Carroll
• John Eastman, awaiting potential indictment, asks judge to postpone his disbarment proceedings (Hell no. Also, this guy should be in prison for the rest of his pathetic life.)
• John Eastman shows the path from misinformation to revolution
• John Eastman Is a Clear and Present Danger (“It’s a good time to remind everyone that the Declaration of Independence is not a legal document. The Constitution is.”)
• The Mind-Bending World of Trump, His Indictments, and the 2024 Election (“After weathering the former President’s assaults in late 2020 and early 2021, the American justice system, and its commitment to the rule of law, is about to be tested again.”)
• “Anti-woke” darling Richard Hanania is exposed: What this says about the “intellectual” right (“While Trump feeds red meat to the base, the alt-right grifts educated conservatives with ‘respectability’ packaging”)
• Republicans are talking up the possibility of impeaching Biden. Is it what voters want to hear?
• Mike Pence’s 11th Commandment (“Thou may speak ill of Trump, but carefully.”)
• Trump ratchets up attacks on Pence after Jan. 6 indictment
• One key figure is missing from the Trump indictment: Will he be revealed as a MAGA “traitor”? (“We now know many of the facts about the Jan. 6 conspiracy — but there’s much more. Will Meadows spill the beans?”)
• DeSantis claims agents can tell traffickers from migrants in call for deadly force (“Asked how authorities would distinguish cartel members from migrants, governor likens Mexico border strategy to Iraq war” This guy is a fascist and really evil.)
• Ex-Trump Attorney Ty Cobb Blows A Hole In Latest Trump Legal Spin (“The former White House lawyer used a bank robber analogy to explain why the defense doesn’t fly.”)
• The Memo: Trump’s legal troubles put GOP rivals in a bind
• Why Don’t Some of Trump’s Biggest Critics on the Right Want Him Prosecuted? (“Ex-GOP Rep. Justin Amash, a stalwart Trump opponent, wants him punished at the polls, not the courtroom. But the ex-president committed crimes, beyond politics.”)
• Editorial: The USWNT lost on Sunday, but the team’s critics revealed their true colors (Almost all the critics are Trump cultists.)
• Donald Trump, Who Is Said to Regularly Cheat at Golf, Taunts Megan Rapinoe Over World Cup Loss (“He also connected the loss to Joe Biden, because why not.”)
• The right-wing backlash against the US women’s national soccer team, explained
• Mississippi Officials Made 161 Voting Precinct Changes Since November 2022
• Arizona ‘audit’ leader wants texts with Michigan lawyer indicted over voting machines to stay secret (Nope, let’s see them!)
• Georgia set to take over the Trump indictment spotlight
• Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan subpoenaed in Fulton’s Trump probe
• The impeachment effort losing steam in the House GOP (“The Homeland Security secretary was supposed to be an easier impeachment target for Republicans. But after months of work, they still don’t have the votes.”)
• Biden to Designate Monument Near Grand Canyon, Preventing Uranium Mining
• Biden is creating a new national monument near the Grand Canyon
• One of the Most Brazen Republican Schemes Around Abortion Is Happening in Ohio
• The Cardboard-Box Billionaires Are at It Again, This Time in Ohio (“The Uihleins have put millions of dollars toward preventing a vote on abortion in the state.” This family is heinous.)
• How Ohio’s ballot vote could preview the 2024 politics of abortion
• What is the Ohio special election – and what does it mean for abortion rights?
• Proposed constitutional change before Ohio voters could determine abortion rights in the state
• Ohio’s Issue 1 referendum is a proxy fight on abortion
• Trump broke his promise to these Ohio workers. Will Biden step in?
• Low-Income Puerto Ricans to Get $450 Million for Rooftop Solar
• Could A Democrat Actually Win Mississippi’s Governorship?
• Charles Ogletree, a teacher of presidents, inspired greatness by example
• The real lesson from the Lizzo saga: Don’t deify celebrities
• New Orleans archbishop ignored board findings on clerics accused of abuse
• Newsmax Ropes Matt Gaetz Into Battle to Become GOP’s Comms Shop
• Elon Musk says he may need surgery before proposed ‘cage match’ with Mark Zuckerberg
• X Corp accuses climate group of helping anti-hate researchers target Twitter
• Spanberger could run for governor. It’s exciting Democrats and Republicans.
• Video: Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) Statement: “America’s nascent push to develop fusion energy has seen a series of wins in the past year along many fronts”
• Youngkin: What looked like recession last year looks like soft landing now (Youngkin won’t say it, of course, but…thank you Joe Biden and Democrats!)
• Glenn Youngkin’s New Ad Is Pure Propaganda and Is “Memorable for what it doesn’t say: push for abortion restrictions, anti-LGBTQ, hostility to DEI.” (Perhaps most absurdly, Youngkin claims he “promised all Virginia’s kids a best-in-class education,” while he wages war on public education.)
• Gov. Youngkin speaks to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.
• They’re All Bad, But Where Exactly Does Every Virginia Republican Candidate for State Senate, House of Delegates Stand on Women’s Reproductive Freedom? (Fortunately, a lot of these extremists won’t win, and some of the others can be beaten.)
• Meet the Candidates in Virginia’s Hottest House Seats
• TV and movie strike ignites calls for greater Virginia film incentives
• Lawsuit accuses ICE of illegally detaining men in Virginia (“If Democrats lose the Senate, then you’re going to see a lot of things get repealed. The electric car mandate will probably get repealed. The Clean Energy Act will probably get repealed. Certainly RGGI will get repealed. These will all come off the books.”)
• Q&A: Dominion Energy, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Virginia’s Push Toward Renewables (“State Senator Chap Petersen on the Commonwealth’s progress on [reining] in the monopoly utility’s sway over legislation, and how Dominion may view Gov. Youngkin’s move to exit RGGI.”)
• Virginia Tech-led researchers to study large solar farms’ impact on soil and water
• Four takeaways from Southwest Virginia’s critical mineral investigation
• CASEY: Pulling badge at Roanoke County School Board meeting was OK, sheriff says
• Virginia Beach School Board to revisit debate on transgender student policies
• Virginia Beach considers $22.5 million road construction for warehouse, distribution center projects
• D.C.-area forecast: Breezy break from storminess with warm sunshine (“Lower humidity arrives today with only slow buildup toward the weekend. Shower and storm chances return Thursday.”)