by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, June 20.
- Deadly weekend heat in England ‘100 times more likely’ due to climate crisis (“High temperatures likely to cause deaths and will worsen in future as global heating intensifies, scientists warn”)
- Ukraine war briefing: Russia ‘on verge of recession’, Putin minister tells economic showcase
- Trump extends TikTok ban deadline by another 90 days (“The latest extension is the third Trump has given TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance.” Seems blatantly in violation of the law. But of course, nothing will happen.)
- A U.S. Attack on Iran Would Show the Limits of China’s Power (“China, which depends on Iran for oil and to counter American influence, has much to lose from a wider war. But there’s little it can do about it.”)
- Russia says any use of tactical nuclear weapons by US in Iran would be catastrophic, TASS reports
- Under attack from Israel, Iran’s supreme leader faces a stark choice
- The Three Dramatic Consequences of Israel’s Attack on Iran (“Great battles, won or lost, change the entire course of events.”)
- Israel’s War on Iran Is Costing Hundreds of Millions of Dollars a Day (“The high price tag will weigh on Israel to wrap up the conflict quickly”)
- Israel Tests Theory That War Can’t Be Won With Air Power Alone
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Poised for More Power (“Ousting or killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could lead to a more radical, anti-Israeli Iran”)
- Trump caution on Iran strike linked to doubts over ‘bunker buster’ bomb, officials say
- Americans largely disapprove of U.S. involvement in Israel and Iran war: Poll
- Trump Buys Himself Time, and Opens Up Some New Options
- Iran has what it needs to produce a nuclear weapon in ‘a couple of weeks,’ White House says
- Trump to decide on Iran action ‘within two weeks,’ White House says
- Trump administration boosts monitoring of possible Iran-backed cells in U.S. — as Trump weighs strikes, sources say
- For Trump, ‘Two Weeks’ Is the Magic Number (“‘Two weeks’ is one of President Trump’s favorite units of time. It can mean something, or nothing at all.” It mostly seems to mean absolutely nothing, other than that he has no clue what the hell he’s doing and may or may not ever make a decision.)
- A New Middle East Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes
- Oil tumbles, stocks rebound after Trump Middle East pause
- Maduro Locks Up Economists Sharing Data on Venezuela’s Decline (Trump would probably love to do this in our country as well.)
- Appeals court extends order allowing Trump to deploy National Guard to L.A.
- Appeals court blocks Newsom’s bid to reclaim control of National Guard from Trump
- ICE agents say posting names endangers them, Nashville mayor says real problem is masking
- ICE Imposes New Rules on Congressional Visits
- ICE agents covering their faces should rattle all Americans
- LA Dodgers says it denied ICE access to stadium grounds
- Employees Terrified of ICE Raids Are Failing to Show Up at Work
- Federal judge says Trump administration can’t block state funding over immigration
- Parsing ICE’s mixed-up, hard-to-believe assault claims (“ICE officials keep touting a 413 percent increase in assaults on officers to justify officers masking their identities.”)
- Why the Fed is on Hold (“Trump, Powell and the fog of inflation”)
- Where is the outrage over Skrmetti? (” The response to Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s law barring transgender minors from obtaining gender-affirming medical care has been muted at best”)
- The Nation Encourages Political Violence by Allowing It to Seem Normal
- Instead of defending budget bill, GOP touts one that doesn’t exist
- Trump’s megabill hits more trouble as Senate conservatives demand changes
- Trump Celebrates Juneteenth With Wild Rant Threatening to Cancel It
- The Hollowness of This Juneteenth (“The holiday was always an implicit warning that what had been done could be done again.”)
- Juneteenth Goes Uncelebrated at White House as Trump Complains About ‘Too Many’ Holidays
- Trump says U.S. has ‘too many non-working holidays’ on Juneteenth
- Trump is silent about Juneteenth on a day he previously honored as president
- How cities are scaling back Juneteenth celebrations after Trump-era DEI rollbacks
- Hegseth reportedly orders ‘passive approach to Juneteenth’ at Pentagon
- Focus groups: Latino Trump voters diverge on deportations but largely still back the president
- Trump Insists MAGA ‘HATES’ Fox News After Embarrassing Network Poll (Hahahaha.)
- 62 percent of Democrats agree party leadership should be replaced: Survey
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes on test stand (Ready to go to Mars yet? LOL)
- GOP congressman says he was run off the road by ‘deranged man’ on the way to work
- Tim Kaine on Kristi Noem: ‘Definitely wouldn’t vote for her’ today (The fact is, nothing’s changed – Noem was always an incompetent, nasty, fascistic, puppy-killing psycho and she continues to be an incompetent, nasty, fascistic, puppy-killing psycho. We knew that before she was confirmed, we know that after she was confirmed.)
- Blue Virginia Interview: VA11 Dem Candidate James Walkinshaw Vows, “I would absolutely continue Gerry [Connolly]’s legacy and work of fighting Republicans tooth and nail when they’re going after our values…our democracy” (Argues for the importance of local, regional and Capitol Hill experience.)
- Walkinshaw’s frontrunner status sparks debate over fairness in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District Primary
- Crypto group wades into Virginia special election (“Protect Progress will use its funds to support Democratic candidate James Walkinshaw, the former chief of staff for Connolly.”)
- Party like it’s 2018: Democrats look to 1st Trump midterms for 2025 races and 2026 momentum
- Democrats in Virginia have a hefty fundraising advantage heading into November general election
- Both parties face challenges this year in Virginia. Here are some of the big ones.
- Pope & Schapiro: Primary results and the Trump effect
- John Reid would vote ‘no, no, no’ on in-progress constitutional amendments
- Senate draft of ‘big, beautiful bill’ could cut funds for Virginia hospitals, also affect Medicaid (Stop calling it that – there is literally NOTHING “beautiful” about it, that’s just Trump’s Orwellian nickname for this ugly, nasty, cruel bill.)
- Virginia doesn’t have statewide data center regulations. Localities are making their own rules.
- Commentary: Under Youngkin, Miyares, academic freedom is under assault
- Virginia group plans nuclear test reactor to boost research efforts (“The Virginia Innovative Nuclear Hub, or VIN Hub, was recently awarded $1.2 million to advance nuclear-energy research and workforce training in the commonwealth.”)
- Va. professors warn against governance boards politicizing tenure processes
- Virginia commission approves Barbara Johns statue for U.S. Capitol
- UVA professors ask university board to halt DEI dismantling
- Virginia Beach sheriff’s deputy who claimed he was fired for political reasons has been rehired
- State agencies begin moving out of James Monroe Buildin
- BREAKING: Tens of thousands without power in wake of destructive storms (Those were nasty!)
- Storms knock out power to 54,000-plus across Central Virginia
- Norfolk superintendent blasted School Board members in memo before her dismissal
- CWG Live updates: Brief respite Friday before major heat wave develops this weekend