by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, June 30.
- American absence at climate talks met with regret — and relief (“Countries jostle to fill the vacuum left by Washington at midyear negotiations.”)
- In a world of low-cost batteries, performance matters (“Oversupply of lithium-ion battery precursor and active materials – and of lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, especially in China – has driven energy storage system costs down, fueling a record 330 GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) shipments in 2024. Edward Rackley, head of the energy storage team at Business intelligence specialist CRU, shares his analysis.”)
- Russia Masses 50,000 Troops Around Sumy, Putting Ukraine in Precarious Position (“Holding the Russians off has become a game of whack-a-mole for outnumbered Ukrainian troops, with Russia frequently opening new lines of attack”)
- U.N. Inspector Says Iran Could Be Enriching Fuel Again in a ‘Matter of Months’
- Leaked Iran Call Further Shreds Trump’s Narrative: Report
- Intercepted call of Iranian officials downplays damage of U.S. attack
- US must rule out more strikes before new talks, Iranian minister tells BBC
- In Sudan, where children clung to life, doctors say USAID cuts have been fatal (Musk, Trump and Rubio have a LOT of blood on their hands.)
- Hundreds of families displaced by wave of Israeli air strikes on Gaza, witnesses say (Horrifying; this needs to end!)
- Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites. The chain of command led to Damascus. (Absolutely appalling.)
- U.S. will send tariffs letters in coming days, deals not needed, Trump says
- Canada rescinds Digital Services Tax after Trump cuts off U.S. trade talks
- Trump says he has group of ‘very wealthy people’ ready to buy TikTok
- Trump says there will be ‘temporary pass’ for migrant farm, hotel workers
- Immigrants Revived Rust Belt Cities. Now They’re in Hiding. (Trump’s policy is cruel and insane.)
- Trump expected to visit the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention facility this week (“The immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades has drawn protests and faces a lawsuit.”)
- Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.
- DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship
- The Supreme Court must own the consequences of its injunction ruling
- GOP Declares Tax-Cut Extensions ‘Free’ to Obscure Megabill’s Cost (These Republican Senators are truly evil. Also pathological liars.)
- Republican Senate tax bill would add $3.3 trillion to the US debt load, CBO says
- Trump urges Senate GOP to overrule parliamentarian
- Senate Version of Trump’s Policy Bill Would Slash Medicaid Spending Even More
- How the reconciliation bill would change America
- GOP senators unveil amendment to shrink Medicaid by another $313B
- GOP Senator Thom Tillis Savages ‘Misinformed’ Trump for ‘Betraying’ Voters
- Tillis: Senate bill breaks Trump’s promise on Medicaid
- Retiring GOP senator savages Medicaid cuts in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” (Other Republican Senators should follow Tillis’ lead!)
- Sen. Thom Tillis won’t run for reelection in 2026
- Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Will Destroy America’s Climate Progress
- President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Is Quickly Running Out of Time Before His Self-Imposed July 4th Deadline
- The Republican shell game on tax cuts
- Trump Administration Weighs Eliminating Funds for Hospitals Offering Gender Care to Minors (“Mehmet Oz, a top federal health official, leads efforts to crack down on the treatments for young people” We are living in the stupidest possible timeline.)
- ‘He’s going to do everything to damage the president’: Former Musk friend on the Trump fallout
- Trump: Mamdani must “behave” if elected NYC mayor or face funding cuts
- Zohran Mamdani says ‘I don’t think we should have billionaires’
- How Zohran Mamdani Brought New Voters to the Polls (“He won over progressives with a populist message of making the city more affordable, in part by asking corporations and the wealthy to pay more, and he spread his vision through viral social media videos. He accumulated an army of volunteers and small donors, helping his campaign knock on more than one million doors.”)
- Multiple firefighters shot in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, while responding to a brush fire
- 2 Idaho firefighters killed, another injured in active shooter situation near Coeur d’Alene (Total insanity.)
- Video: On Face the Nation, Sen. Mark Warner Says the Trump Administration’s “doing damage to our flagship university…and frankly, if we don’t have some level of academic freedom, then what kind of country are we?” (On the budget bill, Warner says it’s an “albatross” that “will come back and bite [Republicans]”)
- Sen. Mark Warner warns that if Trump administration can pressure University of Virginia president to resign, “they can do it anywhere”
- Trump sent ‘explicit’ threat to cut funds from University of Virginia, senator says (“Mark Warner says school would face slashes to jobs and financial aid if its president did not resign over DEI practices”)
- Virginia Democrat: Trump bill will be ‘political albatross’ for Republicans
- VA11 Democratic “Firehouse Primary” Winners (Walkinshaw’s Campaign, the VA11 Dems, Turnout, etc.) and Losers (the WaPo, VA11 GOP, etc.)
- Race to Replace Connolly in VA-11 Ends with Little Surprise (“AKA: You Really Shouldn’t Claim a Race is Rigged When Everyone Likes Your Opponent…”)
- Democrats’ pick to replace Rep. Connolly wants to carry forward his legacy (“A record-breaking 37,000 Democrats cast ballots in the party’s special primary, compared with about 2,600 Republicans. The deep-blue district, which covers all of Fairfax City and most of Fairfax County outside the Beltway, went for Kamala Harris by about 34 points in last fall’s presidential elections.”; “If you loved Connolly, you’re going to love James”)
- New laws taking effect July 1 impact seat belts, waterworks and more
- Worries remain over Trump cuts as Virginia jobless rate rises, climate programs slashed
- Let’s hear it for the losers! (“Running against impossible odds can serve a purpose beyond dedication to the democratic process, writes columnist Ivy Main”)
- Pell Grant changes could raise college cost for Virginia students
- Roadless Rule rescission could open up Virginia forestland for road development, logging
- Hospital associations in Va., 13 states warn against proposed cuts to Medicaid and hospital funding
- How Virginia’s wealth works against poor rural homeowners getting FEMA aid for storm recovery (“Should FEMA’s calculation be based on regional instead of statewide real estate data? Or should Virginia use its wealth to provide direct aid when disasters strike?”)
- As Hampton Roads’ population grays, who will care for older residents? (This is one big reason why our country needs immigrants – badly!)
- And Then They Came for the Intellectuals, II (“Jim Ryan and UVA become latest casualties in war on Higher Education”)
- What the University of Virginia Should Have Done (“The university had viable legal options to block this effort, too. Harvard University has persuasively argued that the university has a First Amendment right to pursue programs that promote a broadly diverse community and deserves due process before grants are removed. While the Harvard case remains pending, most higher education lawyers predict success for the university.”)
- Appalachian Power cancels Southwest Virginia battery energy storage system (“The system would have served one of the electric utility’s most outage-prone circuits. Appalachian said that ‘many factors,’ including storm damage, led to its decision.”)
- /8 things to know about Google’s data center deal in Botetourt County
- “Missing Middle” zoning case headed back to a lower court
- Steamy today and Tuesday, with storm chances
********************************************************
