Thursday News: “Vladimir Putin manipulated Donald Trump’s ‘ego and insecurities’, book says”; “Oprah, ‘Coach’ Walz and Freedom Are the Stars at Democratic Convention”; “The Democratic Party Rebrands Itself Before Viewers’ Eyes”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, August 22.

• Scientists closely watching these 3 disastrous climate change scenarios
• Rubbish and disease could disrupt Antarctic ecosystems as ice buffers melt, study finds
• Heat deaths in Europe may triple by end of the century, study finds (“Countries in south most at risk, with rise likely to outstrip fall in cold-related deaths if global heating hits 3C or 4C”)
• Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show: ‘There’s nowhere left untouched’
• Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say
• Vladimir Putin manipulated Donald Trump’s ‘ego and insecurities’, book says
• Ukraine Encircles Russian Troops in Kursk and Digs In for Long Fight
• China’s coal-fired power boom may be ending amid slowdown in permits (“Permits for coal-fired power plants drop by 83% despite leading world in construction as focus turns to renewables”)
• Israeli tanks push deeper into Gaza, as Biden urges peace
• An eerie quiet as Biden races to silence the guns in Gaza (“A cease-fire deal is tantalizingly close, but negotiations are stalled.”)
• PBS’ Judy Woodruff apologizes for an on-air remark about peace talks in Israel
• Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism about the Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge
• Israel launches reprisal strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
• Oil tanker abandoned, adrift and ablaze after Red Sea attack
• Fed Minutes Show Several Saw Case for Cutting Rates in July
• Markets and households eagerly await Powell’s hints about Fed rate cut (“As concern grows that the Fed may have waited too long to ease pressure on the economy, Chair Jerome H. Powell will give his highest-stakes speech of the year.”)
• Democrats Are Building Their Blue Wall on More Than Just Good Vibes: “We Can’t F–k Around”
• Barack and Michelle Obama are done turning the other cheek — and Democrats couldn’t be happier
• Michelle Obama’s speech was hope, served up hot
• Republicans Don’t Have Anyone Who Even Approaches Barack and Michelle Obama’s Weight Class
• Harris builds 13-point lead over Trump with women: Poll
• Democrats Use the Convention to Try to Define Trump as a Self-Interested Fraud (Which Trump IS!)
• Tim Walz bolstered by Clinton, Pelosi and Oprah in formal debut as Harris’s VP
• Oprah, Clinton and the coach: Takeaways from Walz Night at the DNC
• Takeaways from the third night of the Democratic National Convention (“A moment of this magnitude was new for Walz. He leaned into aspects of himself not centered in politics.”)
• ‘Coach Walz’ rallies Democrats with personal pitch to middle America
• The TV star’s unannounced speech hit back at Republican jibes at “childless cat ladies”.
• Harris to face biggest test of her political life with Democratic convention speech
• Kamala Harris Settles the Biggest Fight in the Democratic Party
• Nancy Pelosi thanks Biden at convention and says Harris will ‘take us to new heights’
• I worked in Trump’s White House. Here’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris.
• A DNC Trend Emerges: Republican Officials Backing Harris
• PEAK SNARK: The 6 Most Memorable Attacks On Trump That Had DNC Crowd Roaring
• Tim Walz is selling liberalism in conservative packaging (“At the Democratic National Convention, Tim Walz reclaimed small-town values for the left.”)
• Oprah says in surprise DNC speech to choose ‘joy’ and vote Harris (“In ways both literal and figurative, Winfrey’s Wednesday night speech was indeed a homecoming in which she fulsomely returned to the political arena 16 years after her debut political endorsement of Barack Obama to once again bestow the full force of her celebrity and cultural power.”)
• Bill Clinton Skewers Trump: ‘Don’t Count The Lies, Count The I’s’
• Oprah, ‘Coach’ Walz and Freedom Are the Stars at Democratic Convention
• Oprah tells voters to ‘choose truth’ in surprise convention speech (“The TV star’s unannounced speech hit back at Republican jibes at ‘childless cat ladies’.”)
• Coach’s Clinic: Tim Walz Delivers Emotional, Energetic DNC Speech (“The Minnesota governor connected his life, and his family, to Democrats’ vision for the country — and explained how Kamala Harris plans to achieve that vision.”)
• The Wife Guy Convention (“Democrats try a new model of masculinity.”)
• “Weird is really just the opposite of empathy”: DNC delegates say what’s off about MAGA is the hate
• Tim Walz headlines third night of DNC with help from Clinton, Oprah and Stevie Wonder
• DNC Day 3 Live Updates: Walz’s Pep Talk Is A Hit
• The Democratic Party Rebrands Itself Before Viewers’ Eyes (“With Kamala Harris preparing to take the spotlight at the D.N.C., Party factions seek to project unity and joy.”)
• Donald Trump: ‘I Hate My Opponent’ (“DONALD TRUMP HAS NO PLANS TO HEED the advice of his aides and limit himself to policy contrasts when he debates Kamala Harris. He wants to make it personal.”)
• Climate change to get its moment in the sun at Democratic convention on Thursday
• DNC Crushes RNC’s Ratings Again on Night No. 2 by 39 Percent
• Wes Moore seeks to reclaim patriotism during DNC keynote speech (“Maryland governor, a retired Army captain, says that ‘true patriots don’t whine and complain — we put our heads down and get to work’”)
• Gus Walz wins over social media with emotion for father
• Coach Walz Gives Democrats a Pep Talk (“We’re gonna leave it all on the field.”)
• “Coach” Tim Walz Gave the Biggest Pep Talk of His Life Last Night (“The Minnesota governor and VP nominee drew deep from his football background to deliver a dramatic speech brimming with optimism and jabs at ‘weird’ Republicans like JD Vance.”)
• Trump’s cult of personality threatens to hasten the demise of the GOP (“Establishment Republicans’ DNC epiphany may have come too late”)
• Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassination
• Beyoncé Threatens Cease-and-Desist Over Trump Campaign’s ‘Freedom’ Video
• RFK Jr. as Trump’s health secretary? Here’s what he wants to do (“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist, appears to be angling for a Cabinet role. He has advocated dismantling core functions of federal health agencies.” That would be an unmitigated disaster.)
• RFK Jr. plans to drop out of presidential race by end of week: Sources
• What happens if Kennedy endorses Trump? (“The independent candidate doesn’t have much support — and it’s not clear how much of it would transfer.”)
• Florida quietly removes LGBTQ+ travel info from state website
• Video: Eugene Vindman Campaign releases First General Digital Election Ad—“Derrick Anderson’s Extreme Agenda” (This ad “will be the start of a program the Vindman campaign will run through election day and total 7-figures on digital platforms.”)
• Editorial: Virginia’s development of an ocean plan holds promise for region
• Virginia one step closer to creating single gaming agency
• RPS board votes to reinstate continuing contracts for ASL teachers
• Eviction Defense Center pop-ups hosted around Richmond as pilot program
• Blacksburg’s Liam Watson, facing election fraud charges, nixes leave of absence from town council
• Commentary: At Richmond’s airport, a government takeover would be costly
• Charlottesville city councilors approve their first raise in 28 years
• Dominion changes location of planned Chesterfield gas plant
• Investigations requested after Chesapeake mayor tasked city attorney with helping family member
• D.C.-area forecast: Sunny and dry through the weekend as temperatures slowly climb