by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 1. Disturbing news today on multiple fronts…
- ‘Perfect rat storm’: urban rodent numbers soar as the climate heats, study finds (“Sharp rise in population in 11 of 16 cities expected to continue as rising temperatures make it easier for the animals to breed, say researchers”)
- Leaders in the Pacific raise alarm over ‘direct impact’ of Trump’s climate retreat and aid freeze (“Samoa’s prime minister says US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement is ‘very disappointing’ and puts the survival of Pacific countries at greater risk”)
- Australia tried to influence other countries and Unesco to keep Great Barrier Reef off in-danger list
- Counting up the costs if the U.S. chooses to lose in Ukraine (“Yes, by all means, Secretary of State Marco Rubio should be “realistic” about Ukraine. Let’s win.”)
- Ukraine says North Koreans may have pulled out of front line
- Hamas frees 3 hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners in 4th exchange of ceasefire
- British-Israeli hostage says Hamas held her at UN facilities
- ‘There will be many casualties’: Panama girds for war as Trump’s team teases a deal
- Germany’s far-right AfD party is obsessed with Trump and Musk
- Merz’s far-right gamble backfires (“Favorite to be next German chancellor loses bid to use AfD support to push through immigration law, after days of turmoil over weakening of Germany’s ‘firewall.'”)
- “People Will Die”: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That’s Not True.
- Trump is wreaking havoc at USAID. Is the goal to shut it down? (That would be illegal and unconstitutional. The question is, who is going to stop Trump?)
- Trump Threatens Widening Trade War as First Tariffs Loom
- Dow closes 300 points lower Friday as White House says tariffs will start Saturday
- Trump’s Tariffs Would Reverse Decades of Integration With Mexico
- Businesses, shoppers brace for higher prices if tariffs on Mexico and Canada imports start Saturday (Reminder: this will hurt AMERICANS, who will pay higher prices for whatever is being subjected to a tariff.)
- White House says Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China will come Saturday. No word on exemptions
- Looming tariffs threaten to interrupt Americans’ economic gains
- Trump tariffs on Mexico and Canada could land this weekend. Here are some goods in the crosshairs
- Threats, pleas and videotape: How North America is trying to head off Trump’s tariffs
- These Clowns are Economic Illiterates
- Pentagon plans to start migrant flights to Guantanamo this weekend
- Scoop: New White House video has “Angel Moms” blasting Selena Gomez on immigration
- Trump administration seeking access to database of immigrant minors
- Brett Kavanaugh has very bad news for Donald Trump (Until Kavanaugh caves.)
- Second judge blocks Trump’s federal aid funding freeze
- Federal Judge Orders White House to Keep Money Flowing to 22 States
- Clearing Out OPM (“Remember that OPM is essentially the HR department for the federal government — covering not only the immediate mechanics of employment but administering retirement and health care benefits as well as other programs.”)
- Trump administration directs 70% cut to internal OPM staffing, programs
- Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say
- Trump and Elon Musk Just Pulled Off Another Purge—and It’s a Scary One
- Elon’s Twitter Destruction Playbook Hits The US Government, And It’s Even More Dangerous
- Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency
- Who Can Stop Elon’s ‘Team’ Wilding Its Way Through the Federal Government?
- Elon Musk is reportedly taking control of the inner workings of US government agencies
- January 6 Was Nothing Compared to What We’re Going Through Now (“But Make No Mistake, This Too is Our Government Being Torn Apart by a Mob of Thugs”)
- The mercy that’s missing from this White House (“Why Donald Trump’s sense of morality matters.”)
- Wrecking ball: Trump’s power-hungry orders wage war on US government
- Trump and Elon Musk Just Pulled Off Another Purge—and It’s a Scary One (“Did Musk’s alleged effort to access the government’s payment systems have Trump’s blessing? Or was he going rogue? Either scenario is bad, but one’s a little worse.”)
- We’ve Now Learned the Three Principles of Trumpism, and They’re Ugly (“Trump 1.0 was a Jackson Pollock—splat splat all over the place. Trump 2.0 is painting within very precise lines. It’s terrifying—but it should help plan how to fight.”)
- Trump’s air-crash response shows how deep he sits in the right-wing bubble
- Trump is in it only for himself (“The president’s ugly hijacking of a plane crash adds to a pattern emerging from his administration.”)
- Trump’s Test of the Constitution
- Call it by its name: A coup. (“Soon, very soon, Americans will be called upon to leave the comfort of their homes and the anonymity of their computer screens to engage in massive, coordinated action to remind Trump and Musk that they are servants of the people, not vice-versa.”)
- D.C. U.S. attorney fires Jan. 6 prosecutors, launches new probes
- FBI Agents Are Stunned by the Scale of the Expected Trump Purge
- Trump appointee fires January 6 prosecutors and issues threat to FBI agents
- FBI Agents Are Stunned by the Scale of the Expected Trump Purge (“Seasoned members of the nation’s top law-enforcement agency are bracing for a mass expulsion as the president roots out anyone he sees as disloyal to him.”)
- FBI considering mass purge of agents involved in Trump investigations
- DOJ fires dozens of prosecutors who handled Jan. 6 cases (Total insanity; definitely NOT rule of law or how the US government is supposed to work. Is anyone going to stop this or…nah?)
- A Red-Alert for Democracy: The Patel FBI Purge Begins
- CBS staff alarmed by reports of settlement talks with Trump over ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview (As well they should be!)
- CBS News Set to Hand Over Transcript of ‘60 Minutes’ Interview to F.C.C. (This is very, very dangerous.)
- If Kennedy Is Blind to Science, Why Entrust Him With Our Health?
- The Mystery of Tulsi Gabbard (“Though the former Democrat has aligned herself with Trump, her true loyalties remain elusive as ever.” Bizarre.)
- White House faces decision on Gabbard after shaky confirmation hearing
- The Situation: Kash Patel’s “Odor of Mendacity”
- Trump Media gifts Patel, McMahon thousands of shares
- Trump’s Pentagon says it will ‘rotate’ out some media from offices (“…it would also remove National Public Radio, Comcast Corp-owned NBC News (CMCSA.O), opens new tab and Politico, which must vacate their spaces by Feb. 14. In their place, it would give dedicated office space to the New York Post, One America News Network, Breitbart News Network and HuffPost News.”)
- CDC removes gender, equity references in public health material
- CDC site scrubs HIV content following Trump DEI policies (WTF???)
- CDC Data Are Disappearing (Insanity.)
- Raft Of Government Websites Go Dark Or Remove Key Information About Diversity In Trump Purge
- Trump orders USDA to take down websites referencing climate crisis (Completely insane.)
- Martin or Wikler for DNC chair? Dems set to pick next leader after low-key campaign
- Democrats Need More Than a New Message (“Saturday’s Democratic National Committee chair election is a chance for the party to stop soul-searching and start rebuilding the brand to take on Trump 2.0. But from my conversations with top contenders, the party still isn’t meeting the moment with a bold vision for the future.”)
- New York doctor indicted for prescribing abortion pill in Louisiana
- Decision to dump water from Tulare County lakes altered after sending locals into a mad scramble (WILDLY irresponsible. Trump is nuts.)
- Trump’s emergency water order responsible for water dump from Tulare County lakes
- Trump says he opened California’s water. Local officials say he nearly flooded them.
- A medical plane carrying a child patient and 5 others crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze
- Former ‘Meet the Press’ moderator Chuck Todd exits NBC News after nearly two decades (Bye bye!)
- The Politics Hour: Local leaders give us the latest on the deadly plane crash at DCA (Sen. Mark Warner was on this show.)
- Democrat calls firing of FBI officials ‘deeply alarming’ as some federal websites appear to go dark – as it happened (“Mark Warner criticizes the Trump administration’s decision to fire top FBI officials; Census and FAA websites appear to be down Friday evening.”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says He’s “obviously going to vote against [Tulsi Gabbard for DNI]”; “if you can’t call [Edward Snowden] out as a traitor…”
- Warner: ‘I will definitely be voting against’ Gabbard
- Virginia Pilot Responds After She Is Falsely Targeted Over Black Hawk Crash
- Va. Sen. Tim Kaine says DC deadly crash was not the first ‘close interaction’ at Reagan National
- Video: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Rips Trump for “bring[ing] out his favorite boogeyman…that Black people or women working at the FAA caused this tragedy.” (Trump “ousted the head of the FAA and has created chaos since he’s come into office”)
- Commentary: Youngkin embraces Trump’s chaos machine
- Video: In Debate Over Bill on Clean Energy, VA Senate Republicans Show They’re Simply Not Serious (One Even Refers to the “Gulf of AMERICA”); Dem Leader Surovell the Exact Opposite (Fact/Reality-Based, Well-Informed, etc.)
- Video: VA Sen. Creigh Deeds Joins The Commonwealth Institute, SEIU Virginia State Council and Protect Our Care in Calling on Congressional Republicans Not to Cut Medicaid for Virginians (“…this is something that is going to affect real Virginians.”)
- VA AG Jason Miyares Threatens Hospitals, Says “chemical and surgical mutilation of children must stop immediately” (Meanwhile, “Most major medical associations, such as the…American Academy of Pediatrics…support access to transition care for minors and oppose restrictions on it.”)
- Virginia GOP Chairman Rich Anderson will not seek LG nomination
- Still reaping ‘Dirty Dancing’ windfall, Virginia mulls film incentives
- Independent pharmacies fight back as PBM reform gains steam
- House Democrats are blocking additional Youngkin appointees
- UVA, VCU end care for trans minors following Trump order, state guidance
- The NCAA settles lawsuit with Tennessee and Virginia over compensation rules for recruits
- Del. Dan Helmer Files Defamation Lawsuit Regarding Unproven Allegation That Damaged Run for Congress
- BREAKING: Del. Dan Helmer Files Lawsuit Seeking $15 Million in Compensatory Damages for What He Argues Was Defamation Leading Up to the June 2024 VA10 Democratic Primary
- Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach closes temporarily after positive bird flu tests
- Several Virginia figure skaters, coaches, parents among victims of DC plane crash
- ‘Tragic. Unimaginable. Devastating.’ Loudoun Skating Community Morns Crash Victims
- A Boy, His Parents and a Sudden Void in Fairfax
- Lawmakers press Virginia Beach to keep 10-1 voting system
- Virginia Beach sheriff’s office announces policy changes in wake of inmate’s death
- 6 dead horses, 22 suspected of neglect found in Suffolk, authorities say (Horrible.)
- CWG Live updates: February opens with a return of wintry chill this weekend
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