by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 22.
- An Economist’s Dire Forecast About Just How Much Climate Change Will Impact GDP (“Modeling shows an estimated loss of global GDP of up to 50 percent in coming decades—unless we make changes now.”)
- Fossil fuel firm’s $300m trial against Greenpeace to begin: ‘Weaponizing the judicial system’ (“Experts warn victory for Energy Transfer, whose CEO is a Trump donor, could have a ‘chilling’ effect on free speech”)
- Outcry as Trump withdraws support for research that mentions ‘climate’ (“US government stripping funds from domestic and overseas research amid warnings for health and public safety”)
- Europe targets homegrown nuclear deterrent as Trump sides with Putin (“Germany’s Merz says Britain and France may need to “share” their nuclear weapons as America can’t be relied on to defend NATO.”)
- EU Sees €28 Billion Hit From Trump’s Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
- Exclusive: US could cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources (Wild corruption and blackmail – impeachable offenses for sure.)
- Why Trump’s Russian Bearhug Is So Dire
- White House and Ukraine Close In on Deal for Mineral Rights (Definitely do NOT trust Trump on this – or on anything!)
- Final push for votes as German frontrunner vows to lead in Europe
- Trump’s hostility toward Ukraine creates a conservative rift
- US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’ (“Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leader”)
- ‘We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’: Two Columnists Unpack the Trump-Putin Alliance
- Williams: The U.S. shouldn’t support a far-right turn in Germany
- French leader cancels CPAC speech after Bannon’s apparent Nazi salute
- Steve Bannon’s Nazi Salute. Elon Musk’s Chainsaw. Is This What Republicans Really Want? (Yep!)
- With No Buy-in From Egypt or Jordan, Trump Appears to Back Away From His Gaza Plan
- The Israeli military says it has received the latest 3 hostages freed by Hamas
- Family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says new returned body is hers
- After 3,800 Days in Captivity, Longest-Held Gaza Hostage Is Free (“Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian-born Israeli, was detained in 2014 after crossing into Gaza on his own.”)
- US stocks post worst slide in two months on gloomy economic data
- Stock Market Sees Biggest Declines of Trump’s Presidency So Far
- Dow drops 700 points for worst day of 2025 so far on new fears about economic growth
- Imminent recession? DOGE’s mass layoffs spark fears of broader economic ripple effect
- Immigration Activists Hope the Courts Will Stall Trump’s TPS Orders Again
- Acting ICE director removed amid White House pressure to boost arrests
- Judge Rules Trump Can Demolish USAID as He Pleases (Trump judge, of course.)
- Supreme Court maintains pause on Trump bid to immediately fire watchdog agency head
- Judge largely blocks Trump’s executive orders ending federal support for DEI programs
- ‘Arbitrary and discriminatory’: Judge blocks Trump’s effort to deter DEI programs
- Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling
- A Friday Night Massacre at the Pentagon (“Trump’s purge started with his firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top Navy officer, and the vice chief of the Air Force.”)
- Trump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership (Like aspiring dicators and autocrats throughout history, Trump is consolidating control of the security services – military, intelligence, law enforcement, etc.)
- Firing military officers for perceived disloyalty endangers the nation (“Trump’s removal of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, others might only be the beginning.”)
- Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers
- Pentagon to fire 5,400 civilian employees in ‘initial’ purge
- Pentagon to fire up to 61,000 workers, starting with 5,400 next week, says DOD (Can you even imagine the reaction if Obama, Biden or any other Democratic president had slashed the US militarY???)
- Hegseth Fires Navy’s Top Officer
- Trump’s Military Purge Has Washington Asking ‘Who’s Next?’
- Dan Caine, Trump’s Joint Chiefs Pick, Had Unusual Path to Top Ranks
- House, Senate GOP to begin undoing Biden regulations (Disgusting.)
- Here Are the Digital Clues to What Musk Is Really Up To
- Tesla Takeover: How the Protests Against Elon Musk Signal a National Turning Point (“The protests erupting across the country hit the billionaire in the only place he can feel it”)
- DOGE’s Only Public Ledger Is Riddled With Mistakes
- Republicans put the sick in sycophancy as they compete to fawn over Trump
- Culture wars: Trump’s takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook
- Trump Issued Perhaps His Most Terrifying Executive Order on Tuesday (“Over the past month, many have warned that President Donald Trump is trying to make himself king or dictator. Trump’s defenders wave off such warnings as hysterical hyperbole. The past week has shown that they are very much not.”)
- Elon Musk is coming for our weather service
- FBI managers are told 1,500 staff, agents will be moved from headquarters
- Elon Musk’s Cringey Chainsaw Act Exposes a Deep Ignorance Fueling DOGE
- Trump to shut down all 8,000 EV charging ports at federal govt buildings
- U.S. Government Removing EV Chargers From All Federal Buildings Because They Are ‘Not Mission-Critical’ (This is bonkers. And presumably very corrupt…)
- Trump’s Own Pollster Just Hit Him with Very Bad News—and a Warning (“A poll of swing-district voters is already showing heaps of warning signs for Republicans bent on helping billionaires. That was fast.”)
- AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
- ‘Terrified’ Federal Workers Are Clamming Up (“Sources within the government reveal the true extent of the Trump administration’s crackdown on speech.”)
- The case against Ed Martin as U.S. attorney for D.C. gets even worse
- Back in their districts, GOP lawmakers get an earful on DOGE and Musk
- At town halls, Republicans feel the heat from Trump and Musk’s firing and cutting spree
- Frustrated Democrats Urge Leaders to Show More Fight Against President Trump
- Why Gen Z men love Trump’s reign of destruction (So…young people are NOT going to save us after all.)
- ‘See You In Court’: Maine Gov. Goes Head-To-Head With Trump Over Trans Athlete Ban
- Trump administration launches probe into Maine’s transgender sports participation policy (Right wingers are OBSESSED with gender.)
- LA mayor dismisses fire chief over response to most destructive wildfire in city history last month
- Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested on assault charge outside U.S. Capitol
- Virginia Democratic Members of Congress to Interior Department: Reverse Park Service Staffing Cuts (Notice that ZERO Republican members of Congress signed this letter, despite major national parks in their districts. Pathetic.)
- Audio: In Town Hall, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03) Asks If Trump Might Refuse to “relinquish power,” “cancel the [2028] election”; Wonders If There are 5 SCOTUS Justices Who “have the backbone to rule that we have a democracy and we’re not giving it away”
- Ranking Member Connolly Calls on Speaker Johnson to Condemn Violence and Bar Insurrectionists from the Capitol
- Democrats plan to use a special session to address federal workforce and spending cuts
- House Speaker Scott expects a special session to deal with federal cuts
- Virginia lawmakers propose budget deal for tax cuts and pay boosts
- DLCC: Virginia Legislative Session Wraps with Democrats Delivering For Working Families (“This November, the DLCC is prepared to build on that progress as we hold the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates.”)
- Virginia budget deal gives 1.5% bonus to state workers, lets localities keep gaming revenues
- Virginia Democrats send environmental bills to Youngkin’s desk, where his veto pen likely waits…
- Sludge laced with PFAS goes on Virginia’s farms. Fisherman fear the run-off.
- U-Va. board: Gender affirming care for some youth can continue for now (“But a board resolution says the health system should refer new patients to private providers ‘until further notice.'”)
- Bridge to the future? Virginia to study new James River crossing
- Charlottesville activist Zyahna Bryant running for school board seat
- CWG Live updates: Wind departs for the weekend and temperatures rise into early week
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