by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, June 22.
- Oil Companies Fight Climate Lawsuits by Citing Free Speech
- Ukraine still holds ground inside Russia’s Kursk, commander says
- One million and counting: Russian casualties hit milestone in Ukraine war (“The estimate aligns with a recent study by the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which puts Russian military deaths at up to 250,000 and total casualties, including the wounded, at over 950,000. Ukraine has suffered very high losses as well, with between 60,000 and 100,000 personnel killed and total casualties reaching approximately 400,000.”)
- Lukashenko frees husband of exiled Belarus opposition leader in US-brokered deal
- Investors brace for oil price spike, rush to havens after US bombs Iran nuclear sites
- Strikes on Iran mark Trump’s biggest, and riskiest, foreign policy gamble
- This time, it’s Trump’s war
- Live Updates: Trump Claims Success After U.S. Bombs Key Iran Nuclear Sites
- Trump’s strike on Iran marks a momentous moment — and gamble — for the world
- Iran says it reserves all options after ‘outrageous’ U.S. strikes, launches fresh attacks on Israel
- World leaders react after Trump says U.S. has bombed 3 nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo
- The United States Bombed Iran. What Comes Next? (“President Trump is taking an enormous risk.”)
- Top Democrats left in dark on Iran strike plans
- Trump administration briefed top Republicans before Iran strikes, but not Democrats
- With fateful decision, Trump gambles his presidency on war
- Donald Trump Bombs Iran, and America Waits (“The U.S. strikes were unprecedented, and the repercussions are impossible to predict.”)
- Trump’s Two-Week Window for Diplomacy Was a Smoke Screen (“Even as the president suggested that he was open to negotiations, he had already made up his mind.”)
- Some lawmakers in both parties question the legality of Trump’s Iran strikes
- American Democracy Might Not Survive a War With Iran (“The United States is well down the road to dictatorship. Imagine what Trump would do with a state of war.”)
- U.S. Military Is Pulled Back Into Middle East Wars
- MAGA largely falls in line on Trump’s Iran strikes
- With Military Strike His Predecessors Avoided, Trump Takes a Huge Gamble
- Scoop: Trump’s back channel to Iran failed after supreme leader went dark
- The US has changed the course of the conflict – how will Iran respond? (“Whether the Middle East conflict escalates further will depend on Iran and its allies, writes the BBC’s Jo Floto.”)
- Trump’s Shocking Gamble to Prove He’s Not a TACO President (“The president risks his future by going to war with Iran.”)
- Trump Threatens More Iran Bombs if Mullahs Don’t Make Peace
- Trump did not prepare America for his war with Iran (“The president needs to explain what he wants to achieve.”)
- Trump strikes Iran hard, and the world waits for what comes next (“Trump hopes to emerge as a bold commander who achieved a goal long sought by the United States — destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities without being drawn into a lasting conflict. Middle East history shows the difficulty of achieving that goal.”)
- What a difference a week makes: Trump falls into the Netanyahu trap
- From shipping, to proxies, to targeting US bases, Iran’s options to strike back are limited (“Trump has warned of broader US involvement in Israel’s war if Iran attempts to strike back against US military sites in the region”)
- What is Iran’s Fordow nuclear site and why did Israel want a US strike?
- Trump warns of more attacks; lauds ‘spectacular military success’ on Iran nuclear sites
- Outcome of Israel’s war with Iran is uncertain even if US joins conflict
- Trump Claims ‘Peace’ With Iran Will Come While Threatening Further War (“The president spoke for less than four minutes and offered virtually no explanation or strategic rationale for joining Israel’s war.”)
- Facing a Grave Threat, Iran Is Isolated
- The Three Unknowns After the U.S. Strike on Iran
- The U.S. Used Its Biggest Bunker Busters in Warfare for the First Time
- Senate Democrats have regrets about Kristi Noem. If only someone had warned them. (Embarrassing.)
- New insight into Texas family detention reveals adults fighting kids for clean water (WTF???)
- Mahmoud Khalil Returns to New York After Months in Detention (“The Trump administration remains committed to deporting Mr. Khalil, a Columbia graduate and leading figure in the pro-Palestinian protest movement.”)
- ICE Detention Numbers Have Reached a Record High (“There are currently more than 56,000 immigrants in custody—the most since 2019.”)
- The People Being Disappeared by ICE in Los Angeles (“As communities across Southern California document and protest the escalating raids, loved ones grapple with the unimaginable.”)
- America slides into totalitarianism — and it won’t be easy to reverse (“‘Authoritarianism’ is so 2018 — Donald Trump and his minions want to conquer all of civil society”)
- Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines
- GOP’s food stamp plan is found to violate Senate rules. It’s the latest setback for Trump’s big bill
- Trump and GOP’s tax bill would sell off USPS’s brand-new EVs (That’s completely insane.)
- The Minnesota shootings illuminate the character of the Trump era
- Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker attacks was a ‘prepper’ who had drafted a ‘bailout plan’ for wife, according to court filing
- DNC leader faces growing scrutiny amid party turmoil (Personally, I supported Ben Wikler for DNC Chair.)
- New Texas law will require Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom
- D.C. region leaders criticize, endorse U.S. attack on Iran (“Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) accused President Trump of ‘horrible judgment.'”)
- Virginia Democrats React Negatively, Virginia Republicans React Positively, to Trump Ordering an Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities (Rep. Eugene VIndman: “This is the stuff of autocrats. Disgraceful.” Glenn Youngkin: “Promises made, promises kept”)
- Virginia leaders react to the United States bombing Iran
- Kaine, Warner criticize U.S. strikes on Iran; Youngkin backs Trump’s actions
- Video: At Glen Allen Town Hall Sen. Mark Warner Says Virginia’s 2025 Elections Will Be “Trump’s First Report Card”; If Dems Win Big, “That Message Will Be Received!” (“I am not going to lose hope. I am not going to lose faith. Your presence here reconfirms that.” )
- Democrats push unity in first day of bus tour
- Democrats’ statewide ticket boasts unity at first joint meeting in Richmond
- Winsome Earle-Sears Sears Touts Endorsers Who Equate Being Gay to Being a Pedophile and Say LGBTQ People Have “Confused Minds” (Earle-Sears also supports amending the constitution to “[preserve] the institution of marriage to be between a man and a woman”)
- After Virginia elections, governor’s race begins a new phase (“The newly formed Democratic ticket for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general kicked off a joint bus tour while Republicans stump separately.”)
- Where Did the Democratic LG and AG Winning Candidates (Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones) Rack Up Their Biggest Margins on Tuesday? (Ghazala Hashmi built a 20k+ margin in her home base; Jay Jones an 18k+ margin in Hampton Roads)
- Opinion: Sorry, but hating on Stoney won’t help Spanberger
- The fall of Levar Stoney: How Richmond cost him the race for Lt. Gov. (“Some Richmond residents stopped supporting the former mayor before January’s water crisis. “)
- Williams: Stoney’s ambitions ran aground in Richmond
- Editorial: Virginia’s cellphone ban will return students’ focus to education
- Experts warn of the economic and environmental impacts of federal cuts on Hampton Roads
- CWG Live updates: Heating up today, dangerously hot and humid starting tomorrow
********************************************************