by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, May 20.
- Sea level rise will cause ‘catastrophic inland migration’, scientists warn (“Rising oceans will force millions away from coasts even if global temperature rise remains below 1.5C, analysis finds”)
- The U.S. Under Trump: Alone in Its Climate Denial (“The administration is not only allowing more greenhouse gases. It is undermining the nation’s ability to understand and respond to a hotter planet.” This alone means that the Trump administration will go down in history as an extreme disaster.)
- A deadly mission: how Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira tried to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction
- Putin just showed Trump how little he needs him
- Peace in Ukraine looks further away after Trump’s call with Putin
- Trump’s call with Putin exposes shifting ground on Ukraine peace talks (“Statements from both world leaders reveal two very different realities about ending the war in Ukraine.”)
- Trump-Putin Call Yields No Breakthrough on Ukraine Cease-Fire (“The leaders spoke by phone for two hours in their latest exchange over efforts to halt the fighting” To halt the fighting, it’s very simple: Russia should pull all of its forces out of Ukraine IMMEDIATELY and stop attacking it, then pay a few $100 billion in reparations, hand over its leaders to The Hague, etc.)
- Putin’s Still In Charge (“Trump can’t end the Ukraine war, and he knows it.”)
- In Trump Call, Putin Notches a Diplomatic Win, With an Economic Caveat (“The Kremlin has withstood pressure for a cease-fire as a precondition for peace talks, but Vladimir Putin’s push for normalizing relations with the U.S. appears in limbo.”)
- Trump’s embrace of Putin after call leaves Europe and Ukraine behind
- Trump’s Ukraine peace push is built on three illusions
- Strikes on Gaza kill at least 60 people, local officials say, as criticism against Israel mounts
- UN warns 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in next 48 hours without aid – Israel-Gaza war live
- UN says thousands of babies in Gaza could die without aid as UK, Canada and France warn Israel over offensive
- People flee Khan Younis after Israeli military orders evacuation of city
- Sources contradict Trump narrative about Qatar offering plane as ‘gift’
- The Inside Story of Trump’s Search for a New Air Force One (“Qatar had been trying to sell off a luxury jet for years, with no luck. Then President Trump’s team set its sights on it.”)
- Lawyer for Venezuelans deported to El Salvador prison arrested
- At least 50 migrants sent to El Salvador prison entered US legally, report finds (“Cato analysis goes against Trump administration’s claim that only undocumented people were deported to Cecot”)
- Scoop: First flight leaves U.S. under Trump’s $1,000 “self-deport” deal
- Trump Admin Must Facilitate Return Of Another Wrongfully Deported Man, Appeals Court Rules
- South Africa to Offer Musk Starlink Deal Before Trump Meeting
- Senate confirms Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law, as ambassador to France (“Kushner was confirmed with the support of one Democrat — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.” Huge mistake by Booker.)
- Trump proposal to repatriate Ukrainians, Haitians would use foreign aid funds (Sounds bonkers – and illegal.)
- Supreme Court allows Trump to revoke protected status for thousands of Venezuelans
- Migrant Labor Force Withstands Mass-Deportation Push (“Employment continues to grow since Trump took office, despite fears from immigration crackdown”)
- Jamie Dimon Says Tariffs Might Inflict More Economic Pain Than Investors Realize (“The JPMorgan CEO warns of complacency in the markets at the bank’s investor day”)
- Why Moody’s picked now to downgrade the United States (“Moody’s was trying to tell Republicans in Congress: Don’t do the big tax bill”)
- Kennedy’s placebo requirement for vaccine testing could cost lives
- The next stage of our democracy crisis: competitive authoritarianism (“America’s democracy is rapidly collapsing. Examining its present state offers clues to prevent catastrophe”)
- Judge strikes down DOGE takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace
- Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Environmental Grant Funding
- Under Trump, the division formerly known as ‘civil rights’ is in peril
- After ‘Backroom Deal’ to Make Medicaid Cuts Even Worse, GOP Passes Budget Bill Out of Committee (“The only reason this vote passed tonight is because they’ve plotted behind closed doors to hurt even more families.”)
- Debt cloud suddenly hangs over megabill talks (“Wall Street is warning Washington about another deficit-buster. Most Republicans aren’t worried.” So Republicans don’t care AT ALL about the deficit and the debt, despite claiming for years that they cared.)
- Republicans revise federal benefits cuts in reconciliation bill (“…the proposal to increase the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate to 4.4% for all federal employees appears to be fully off the table. Lawmakers removed the provision from the newest version of the House reconciliation bill.”)
- No deal on key tax deduction after late-night talks
- Trump is heading to Capitol Hill to persuade divided GOP to unify around his ‘big, beautiful’ bill
- One Big Bad Bill (“Johnson is trying to sneak the shocking details past us”)
- GOP battles threaten to torpedo Trump package
- The GOP’s Budget Hawks Will Bankrupt the Country (“The Republicans’ tax cut plans are an exercise in bad faith, aimed squarely at the American people.”)
- Senate advances a major crypto regulation bill on a bipartisan vote
- Analysis: Trump’s FBI bosses are angering the MAGA media bubble they once stoked
- STUDY: Interacting with these popular right-leaning comedy podcasters can turn your TikTok feed into a swamp of Andrew Tate-style misogyny and conspiracy theories
- Trump Signs Bill Cracking Down on Deepfake Revenge Porn
- Trump says after 2020 loss, he thought ‘I’ll run again and shove it up their a**’ (Charming.)
- Trump Goes Off Script And Says What He’s Really Thinking About Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis (“Trump played into unverified conspiracies surrounding Biden’s illness and his fitness for office.” Nutjob.)
- The Delusional Political Media Is Once Again Missing the Point by Obsessing over Biden’s Health
- I’ve reported on presidents’ health for 53 years. No public evidence suggests Biden’s doctors mishandled prostate cancer testing
- Trump DOJ Lawyer Floats ‘Criminal Charges’ for Jill Biden (Completely insane.)
- Head of CBS News Is Forced Out Amid Tensions With Trump (“Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News and Stations, had allied herself with Bill Owens, the “60 Minutes” executive producer who recently resigned.”)
- Democratic Rep. McIver charged with assault after skirmish at ICE center, New Jersey prosecutor says
- Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet (“All the lefties fled to Bluesky following Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. But CEO Jay Graber says the app is for everyone—and could revolutionize how people communicate online.”)
- U.S. to pay nearly $5 million to family of Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt (Completeley insane.)
- Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launches run for Georgia governor
- Sen. Mark Warner Argues “GENIUS Act” on Stablecoins Is “not perfect, but it’s far better than the status quo” (Sen. Warner’s view contrasts strongly with Indivisible, Paul Krugman, etc., who argue that this will make matters even worse…)
- Video: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Says “I have honestly not had time to think about Joe Biden,” Because “I am focused on…the harm that President Trump is doing right now” (“I am hearing from even people who support President Trump that they are concerned”)
- Virginia lawmakers react to proposed federal moratorium on AI regulation (VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell: “”A 10-year moratorium is crazy. We’re going to have the machines from the Terminator taking over our country if we wait that long to do anything about it. The states need to act, and we need to act soon and start figuring this out”)
- ‘It’s going to be tough’: Virginia Republicans brace for a grim November (“Winsome Earle-Sears has had a sluggish start to her campaign. Republicans are urging her to turn it around — or face a bloodbath this fall.”)
- Jay Jones, running for AG, launches ad featuring former Gov. Ralph Northam
- Decline in preschool access continues in Virginia, despite legislative efforts
- 5 new factors that are shaping the governor’s race
- Va. statewide GOP nominees refuse to buck Trump in a state where he’s a proven albatross
- Youngkin urges vigilance to combat antisemitism
- Video: VA Sen. Aaron Rouse Releases First Ad of LG Campaign; Joins Ghazala Hashmi and Levar Stoney on the Air (Early voting underway now; primary on June 17)
- Meet the candidate: Del. Joshua Cole (“The second-term legislator is seeking reelection in Virginia House of Delegates District 65.”)
- A veterans’ reunion sits at the center of an online storm in Norfolk (“The Liberty Veteran’s Association will hold its 58th anniversary reunion from June 6-9 at the Sheraton Waterside in Norfolk. The event has been the focus of days of online criticism.” Such a wimpy way to report this; the headline tells you basically nothing about this.)
- ‘An injustice to our students’: VCU staff, alumni push back on anti–DEI actions
- New book tells the story of six activists who organized against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia
- Parents ask Va. AG to investigate why Loudoun Co. theater teacher was placed on leave
- Roanoke council settles on 3% raises for city employees
- CWG Live updates: Wet weather moves in tonight and lasts through Thursday
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