by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, February 17. As Paul Krugman says, “Our Government Is Experiencing a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly,” as “Musk is moving fast and breaking important things.” Which is why, as Robert Hubbell explains, “We must do everything, everywhere, all at once” – “Leadership and coordination are welcome and desperately needed—but we must stop waiting for Democratic leaders to tell us what to do. Continue to do whatever you are doing. Do more, if possible, but do not exhaust your physical, emotional, or mental reserves. We are in a marathon and the winner will be the group that is still running four years from now. Endure. Abide. Outlast. Persist.” Meanwhile, as Margaret Sullivan writes, “Big Journalism’s leaders need to think hard — and fast — about whether they are just presenting facts — the latest developments — or actually getting the nightmarish reality across.”
- Al Gore: Action on climate is ‘unstoppable’, despite recent shifts in US policy
- At Munich, Trump’s chaotic approach has allies rattled
- John Major: Trump’s US isolationism threatens global democracy (Yeah, except it really isn’t “isolationism,” it’s much worse than that.)
- Europe holds Ukraine summit in Paris as Russia heads to Saudi for talks with US
- Europe clambers to form Ukraine plan as U.S. forges ahead with Russia on peace talks
- ‘It’s Trump’s world’: European leaders divided on how to navigate ‘cacophony’ (“Many feel JD Vance’s speech in Munich shows Trump 2.0 is a far more disruptive and chaotic force than their worst fears”)
- Can Europe and UK persuade Trump they’re relevant to Ukraine’s future?
- Trump offers Putin key concessions ahead of Ukraine peace talks (“The administration’s stunning shift toward Vladimir Putin has shattered Western unity on the conflict” Putin deserves ZERO concessions; to the contrary, he deserves to be arrested as a war criminal.)
- Trump Team Leaves Behind an Alliance in Crisis
- What’s behind Vance’s stunning decision to embrace Germany’s AfD? (“The superficial answer is that the Trump-Vance worldview dovetails with AfD-Weidel’s. Both have established brands, and appealed to base voters, largely in opposition to what they regard as out-of-control immigration. Both reject the idea that multiculturalism is socially and economically desirable. Equally important, both revile wokeness and its elite champions in politics, culture and education. And both are hostile to the power wielded by mainstream liberal democrats in the European Union”)
- Top Russian officials will hold talks with US in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
- Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy travels to UAE as momentum grows for war peace talks
- Ukraine recaptures frontline village amid signs of slowing Russian advance
- The US said Ukraine would meet with Russia to discuss peace. That was news to Kyiv. (It’s actually very simple: Putin needs to immediately, and unconditionally, withdraw his forces from Ukraine, then we can talk about massive reparations, war crimes, etc.)
- Ukraine Won’t Accept a Deal It Didn’t Help Negotiate, Zelensky Says
- Ukraine not attending US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, government source tells BBC
- Putin likely to strike NATO nations next, Ukraine leader warns
- UK ‘ready’ to send peace-keepers to Ukraine, prime minister says
- Squeezed Between Putin and Trump, Europe Sees a Moment of Truth
- China’s Xi urges entrepreneurs to ‘show their talents’ in sign of support for private business
- German voters demand change as Europe’s biggest economy stalls (“Ahead of a general election on Sunday, a national debate is raging about how to revive Germany’s economic fortunes.”)
- Netanyahu says Israel working closely with US on Trump’s plan for Gaza (Uh, that’s not a “plan” – you can’t just snap your fingers and say you own other people’s land, expel the residents, etc.)
- Released Gaza Hostages Face Long, Wrenching Recoveries (Hamas is pure evil.)
- World’s ‘first openly gay imam’ shot dead in South Africa (Horrible.)
- Trump policies make US ‘scary place to invest’ and risk stagflation, says Stiglitz (“Uncertainty created by tariffs and contempt for rule of law will deter investment, says top economist”)
- ‘This is a coup’: Trump and Musk’s purge is cutting more than costs, say experts
- Trump appears to channel Napoleon in vision for executive authority: ‘He who saves his Country does not violate any Law’
- The attack on USAID portends a war on the welfare state (“The effort to dismantle USAID tells us a lot about what programs Republicans tend to think of as ‘wasteful spending.'”)
- There’s No Way Elon Musk’s Job is Legal (“Checks and balances, at the moment, seem to be neutralized.”)
- Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Fire US Agency Head
- First Test of Trump’s Power to Fire Officials Reaches Supreme Court
- CDC ‘disease detectors’ among hundreds fired as Trump administration ramps up agency cuts
- Mass firings continue across nation’s health agencies
- As Trump Targets Research, Scientists Share Grief and Resolve to Fight (Every one of these scientists is worth infinitely more than anyone in the Musk/Trump administration.)
- We Might Have to “Shut Down the Country” (“Anthony Romero, the A.C.L.U.’s executive director, talks about what he thinks could happen if the Trump Administration defies the authority of the courts.”)
- Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data, raising alarm at IRS (This is WILDLY unacceptable.)
- DOGE-affiliated employee has accessed IRS system with sensitive taxpayer information
- DOGE Worker Says He Was Radicalized by Reading Writer Who Later Denied Holocaust
- Boycotting President Elon
- Musk and Trump Are Cutting Popular Programs. That’s Deliberate. (“This is how you sever the positive relationship between people and government—ensuring there’s nothing left to defend.”)
- Trump Fired, Then Unfired, National Nuclear Security Administration Employees. What Were Their Jobs?
- DOGE data release criticized by intel community; Trump admin says it’s public data
- The Vast Dangers of Trump’s War On Information (“With dramatic cuts to departments and efforts to restrict access to certain research, the administration is reshaping a vast data-driven world in its autocratic image.”)
- Refusing to Carry Out Trump’s Flagrantly Dishonest Orders
- After triumphant return to White House, Trump is still fixated on Biden: ‘It’s his fault’ (Deranged.)
- It’s never been more important to stay tuned in (“I’m far from certain that staying engaged will make a difference. What I do know is that if we all tune out, there’s no hope at all”)
- Trump to Fire Hundreds From FAA Despite Crashes on His Watch (“Insiders say the cuts would be ‘dangerous’ and ‘unconscionable’ after recent air disasters.”)
- Jan. 6 Rioters Argue Pardons Apply to Charges Including Murder Plot, Child Porn (As always, just imagine if Biden, Obama, Harris, etc. had pardoned people who were involved in murder plots, child pornography, etc. Republicans – and the media – would have gone NUTS! But it’s Trump, so…yawn? Totally f’ed up.)
- Trump Targets a Growing List of Those He Sees as Disloyal (“In his first month in office, President Trump has carried out a campaign of retribution that has little analogue in history.”)
- Washington Post backs out of ‘Fire Elon Musk’ ad order (“The Washington Post this week backed out of a ‘Fire Elon Musk’ advertising order that was to run as a wrap on some of its Tuesday editions, according to the advocacy group Common Cause. “)
- ‘Border Czar’ Doubles Down on Asking if DOJ Should Prosecute AOC for Informing Immigrants of Their Rights (“I’m asking the Department of Justice, who are the prosecutors and decide who they prosecute and what the standards of that prosecution is,” Tom Homan said after suggesting “AOC’s gonna be in trouble now” That’s fascistic by Homan.)
- The real victims of Eric Adams’ NYC corrupt bargain might go to Gitmo
- Adams Forcefully Resists Calls to Resign: ‘I Am Going Nowhere’ (What on earth does “forcefully” mean?)
- Trump border czar Tom Homan call Eric Adams quid pro quo allegation ‘ridiculous’ (It definitely sounds like one.)
- House and Senate Republicans having a ‘hard time’ getting on same page, says Tim Kaine
- Video: In Munich, Sen. Mark Warner Riffs on Democrats’ Tarnished “Brand”; “Ideological Purity” and “Over-the-Top ‘Wokeism’” Being a “Recipe for Disaster,” Splintered Media, the Importance of Culture, etc.
- Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07): When It Comes to Ukraine, Trump Is Engaged in “not just appeasement,” but “an endorsement of Russian aggression” (“Trump has never valued democracy and will choose fascism at home or abroad any day.”)
- Federal cuts could affect all of Virginia — a new committee hopes to determine how
- Virginia: With peace on tax rebates, gaming on the table in budget talks
- Data center tax break extension to be decided by conference committee
- Speed camera reform stalls in Virginia Senate
- Gov. Youngkin requests “Expedited Major Disaster Declaration” for winter storm relief
- In plan to change Arlington governance, the county board is not on board (“The Arlington County Board is skeptical about a bill that could reshape how many people are on the governing body and how they are elected.”)
- Spanberger makes her case for governor to Hampton Roads voters (“Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democratic candidate for governor, spent the second weekend this month in Hampton Roads introducing herself to voters.”)
- Weekend deluge leaves destroyed homes, washed-out roads and at least 1 death
- Over 100 people rescued from floodwaters in Southwest Virginia
- CWG Live updates: Windy today, while snow is possible midweek
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