by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, February 26.
- Plants losing appetite for carbon dioxide amid effects of warming climate (“Earth’s plants and soils reached peak carbon dioxide sequestration in 2008 but proportion absorbed has been declining since, study finds” VERY bad!)
- US officials have been absent from global climate forums during Trump 2.0 (“Exclusive: The ‘deeply troubling’ move comes amid concerns US ignoring international climate ramifications”)
- EU to unveil ‘Clean Industrial Deal’ to cut CO2, boost energy security (“The bold plan aims to revitalize and decarbonize heavy industry, reduce reliance on gas, and make energy cheaper, cleaner, and more secure. But does it have teeth?”)
- ‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in Congo (“World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass.”)
- Ukraine war briefing: Calls grow to spend all of Russia’s frozen billions on Ukrainian defence (Yep!)
- The Peril Donald Trump Poses to Ukraine (“Some analysts hoped that Trump might end the war; they are stunned that the U.S. has now “changed sides.””)
- Under Trump, America’s New Friends: Russia, North Korea and Belarus (“When it comes to the war in Ukraine, President Trump finds common cause with the world’s outlier states and stands against traditional U.S. allies like Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy.” Evil.)
- Russia-Ukraine war live: Trump says Zelenskyy to sign minerals deal as Kremlin calls peacekeeper proposal a ‘deceit’
- The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Trump-Putin Drama
- Ukraine and U.S. agree to minerals deal: sources
- US and Ukraine near an economic deal with mineral rights but no security promise, officials say
- Zelensky expected in DC in coming days after US and Ukraine agree to terms on natural resources and reconstruction deal
- GOP lawmakers sound alarm over Trump’s Ukraine strategy (They need to sound the alarm a LOT louder – *and* take action!)
- Trump’s New Crackdown on China Is Just Beginning
- Australia to review impact of Trump’s USAID cuts on Pacific region, Bloomberg News reports
- Israelis bid farewell to a mother and her two young sons killed in captivity in Gaza
- Trump posts madcap Gaza ‘Riviera’ AI video featuring sunbathing Netanyahu
- The Pope Is Critically Ill. Far Right Catholic Trolls Are Out in Force. (“Why would we pray for God to grant Francis more time on this earth?”)
- Voters might like tariffs, but not on Canada and Mexico, new poll finds
- The predictable, horrific conditions at Guantanamo (“Here’s what a new investigation tells us.”)
- Judge gives Trump administration two days to release billions of dollars in blocked foreign aid
- Trump policy concerns send US consumer confidence plummeting to eight-month low
- Trump Proposes Fines, Prison Time for Migrants Who Don’t Join Registry (WTF?)
- Trump to Offer ‘Gold Card’ Visas for $5 Million to the Rich
- Techno-Fascism Comes to America (“The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musk’s rampage on the federal government.”)
- Congress Set to Vote on Repeal of Biden Administration Climate Regulations
- White House to take over press pool amid ‘Gulf of America’ fight with AP (Every other media outlet should walk out in solidarity with AP. Immediately. But they haven’t and almost certainly won’t, because they SUCK.)
- White House seizes control of press pool, will decide which outlets cover events with president
- White House Kicks Out HuffPost Reporter From Press Pool (“Breaking with decades of precedent, the Trump White House is insisting on the ability to choose which reporters cover the president.”)
- Meet the New State Media (“How the second Trump administration grants access and status to conspiracy theorists, propagandists, and far-right influencers.”)
- For Trump, 3 court losses in 90 minutes
‘He believes he is the law’: anti-Maga conservatives view Trump as threat to constitution (“Speakers at Principles First summit warned of peril Trump and allies posed, urging people ‘to be in the streets’”)- DOJ Hires A State Judge Who Was Once Suspended To Advise The Deputy AG
- “A woman is like a child”: MAGA quickly turns its sights on stripping Republican women of power (“Conservative women believe complicity will save them. But an emboldened far-right is gunning for their rights” Every woman in America should vote Democratic – in every single election!)
- LEADER JEFFRIES: “THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION WILL SET IN MOTION THE LARGEST MEDICAID CUT IN AMERICAN HISTORY”
- Trump Rescues Johnson From Budget Vote Flop After GOP Chaos (“The president had to whip a key vote himself to save Republicans’ “big” and “beautiful” budget bill, a source familiar told the Daily Beast.”)
- These 15 Congressional Districts Would See Large Medicaid Funding Losses Under Republican House Budget Resolution
- House Passes G.O.P. Budget Teeing Up Enormous Tax and Spending Cuts (This will harm 10s of millions of Americans, mostly lower income – including a LOT in rural/red areas! – and explode the debt while lavishing the wealthy and corporations with $$$ they don’t need. Completely insane, in other words, and also EXTREMELY damaging.)
- 71 percent of Trump voters oppose Medicaid cuts: Poll
- House Republicans Adopt Their Budget After Sending Members Home — And Then Calling Them Back
- House Republicans hit the brakes on town halls after blowback over Trump’s cuts
- Warning signs of a revolt against Musk sharpens risk for Trump and GOP
- Musk has inside track to take over contract to fix air traffic communications system (WILDLY corrupt!)
- Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding
- Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE
- Elon Musk’s Federal Worker Ultimatum Is a Brazen Power Grab
- Judges, the Economy, and Even Elon Musk’s Own DOGE Team Are Turning Against His Wild Plans
- Cuts for thee, but not for me: Republicans beg for DOGE exemptions (“Have GOP lawmakers forgotten that they control spending?”)
- DOGE to cancel government contracts that help veterans, records show
- Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE’s acting administrator by the White House? (“The acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency is a low-profile executive who has expertise in health care technology and worked in the first Trump administration.”)
- DOGE Quietly Deletes the 5 Biggest Spending Cuts It Celebrated Last Week
- The Next Phase of Trump’s Large-Scale Work Force Cuts Is Underway
- The Social Security Administration “eliminated” its civil rights office
- Trump targets Washington law firm that aided Jack Smith (Appalling – and another sign of growing authoritarianism.)
- Board agrees to pause firings for some feds, potentially upending Trump’s widespread terminations
- Editorial: Restoring old names to military installations does more harm than good
- Two Planes, in Washington and Chicago, Abort Landings to Avoid Collisions
- What’s Happening at MSNBC Is Such an Orgy of Bad Faith That It May Be an Industry Record
- Rachel Maddow staff to be let go as part of MSNBC overhaul (“News comes as leading network star criticizes management for decision to cancel shows hosted by non-white anchors”)
- “That Feels Indefensible”: MSNBC’s New Direction Leads Rachel Maddow to Speak Out
- As Texas measles outbreak grows, parents are choosing to vaccinate kids (Duh.)
- Utah could become the first state to ban fluoride in its drinking water (Idiocracy.)
- Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Speaks on US Senate Floor About His Trip to Finland, the Importance of NATO
- “All Virginia House Republicans Vote YES to Rip Away Healthcare for Virginians to Give Handout to the Rich” (“These cuts are being proposed in order to pass President Trump’s tax plan, which would disproportionately benefit the ultra-wealthy.”)
- House Oversight Committee Ranking Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), Others Call on President Trump to Cease All DOGE Activities that Endanger America’s Cybersecurity (“This reckless disregard of critical cybersecurity practices creates opportunities for hostile actors to access sensitive information.”)
- Video: Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07) Says Trump, a “Mad King” Surrounded by “third-rate fanatics and clowns from the MAGA world,” Is Turning “American foreign policy from a force for good in the world to a force for evil”
- Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Unleashes a Torrent of Easily Refutable False Statements
- Trump’s Cuts Are Hammering Virginia in an Election Year
- DOGE’s Latest Cut: Glenn Youngkin’s Balls
- Virginia’s disabled community asks Congress to not cut Medicaid funds (It’s not “Congress” generically that’s the problem, it’s 100% Republicans who support cutting Medicaid – Democrats 100% oppose doing that.)
- Commentary: Youngkin’s K-12 policies are failing Virginia’s students (Exactly right by State Senator Ghazala Hashmi)
- New Roanoke College Poll Finds Spanberger with 15-Point Lead Over Earle-Sears; Trump at 37%-58% Favorable; Youngkin at Just 48%-42% Favorable (As Sam Shirazi correctly points out, these are “rough numbers for GOP to run with an incumbent President”)
- Early Roanoke College poll shows 15-point lead for Spanberger over Earle-Sears
- New poll shows big lead for Spanberger
- What will the governor sign, amend or veto? Here are 10 bills to keep an eye on. (“Gov. Glenn Youngkin has until March 24 to act on the bills the General Assembly just passed. Some outcomes are easy to predict. Others, not so much.”)
- Who is running in the three most competitive House districts
- An internal report shows state prisons are dangerously understaffed
- Virginia juvenile justice reforms await Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision
- Southwest Virginia awaits decision on federal disaster declaration, 10 days after catastrophic flooding (Trump and MAGA Republicans are in charge. ‘Nuff said.)
- Power struggle at VMI: Governor, lawmakers clash over Black superintendent’s future
- Fires of desperation at Red Onion are a call for dignity and justice
- Henrico plans tax cut on real estate, increase taxes on data centers
- Richmond approves affordable housing complex, despite concerns over lost industrial land
- CWG Live updates: Still feeling like spring, with some showers possible tomorrow
