by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, July 4 – definitely the most troubling Independence Day for our country in many years, probably since the Civil War (because on July 4, 1942, at least we knew what we had to do and were overwhelmingly unified as a nation)…
- New Handbook Aims to Protect Scientists From Autocratic Threats (“Scientists, experts say, need to help protect democracy, ‘the system of government in which science, health and humanity are most likely to thrive.'”)
- Congress votes for “big beautiful lie” that will kill wind and solar, condemns world to 3°C warming
- Extreme heatwaves may cause global decline in dairy production, scientists warn
- Countries must protect human right to a stable climate, court rules (“Costa Rica-based inter-American court of human rights says states have obligation to respond to climate change”)
- UNAids chief ‘shaken and disgusted’ by US cuts that will mean millions more deaths (This is on Trump’s, Musk’s and Rubio’s hands…)
- Putin Plots Summer of Relentless Attacks on Ukraine
- Hegseth halted weapons for Ukraine despite military analysis that the aid wouldn’t jeopardize U.S. readiness (“The move blindsided the State Department, Ukraine, European allies and members of Congress, who demanded an explanation from the Pentagon.” Hegseth is utterly heinous.)
- Trump, disappointed by call with Putin, to speak with Zelenskiy on Friday
- Russian use of chemical weapons against Ukraine ‘widespread’, Dutch defence minister says
- Russia hammers Kyiv in largest missile and drone barrage since war in Ukraine began (This is 100% on Trump.)
- Kyiv hit by barrage of drone strikes as Putin rejects Trump’s truce bid (“Almost every district in the capital sustained damage after Russia fired a record 550 drones, Ukraine says.”)
- Putin Humiliates Trump With Unprecedented Attack Right After Their Phone Call
- Japan walks line between recession and submission as it seeks to overcome Trump tariffs
- Trump meets with Saudi defense minister, discusses Iran situation
- Under pressure, Hezbollah weighs scaling back its arsenal
- Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians
- The Middle East confronts a ‘be bold’ diplomatic moment (“A Gaza ceasefire deal could open the door to a much broader peace agreement.”)
- Trump looks for a win on Israel-Gaza peace deal during Netanyahu visit
- Trump Plans to Start Notifying Countries of US Tariffs Up to 70%
- Judge orders government to stop making public comments on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case (“Defense lawyers contended the government is denying their client his right to a fair trial by repeatedly trashing him in the media.”)
- ‘What American justice looks like”: The torture of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
- 200 Marines among those being sent to Florida to help ICE (This is NOT what US Marines are supposed to be doing.)
- Immigration Agents Appear to Urinate in Public at a California School
- How the GOP Megabill Would Turbocharge Local Immigration Enforcement (“Congress is pouring tens of billions of dollars into more immigration detention, private jails, and border operations, plus new ICE partnerships with local police and sheriffs.”)
- Parts of the US’ second biggest city are turning into ghost towns over ICE raid fears
- Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. detained by ICE and on track to be deported just days after fighting Jake Paul
- Supreme Court paves the way for Trump to send migrants to South Sudan
- SCOTUS allows Trump admin to send eight men to South Sudan with no process (The conservative majority on this court is lawless, contemptous of our constitution, and just plain evil.)
- Immigrants with no criminal convictions represent sharpest growth in ICE detention population (Absolutely inexcusable.)
- U.S. payrolls increased by 147,000 in June, more than expected
- Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Cases Involving Transgender Athletes
- Wall Street Worries as Crisis-Level Deficits Become the Government’s Default Mode
- Trump Claims Sweeping Power to Nullify Laws, Letters on TikTok Ban Show
- The Worst Parts of Trump and the GOP’s Disastrous Tax Bill (“The keystone of the president’s legislative agenda is a disaster for the environment, health care, and the nation’s dignity”)
- Congress passes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ spelling disaster for clean energy (STOP CALLING IT BY TRUMP’S BULLSHIT NICKNAME!)
- “Self-Inflicted Tragedy”: Washington’s Abrupt Turnaround on Climate Policy (This headline and subheader both say generic “Washington” and “lawmakers” instead of “Trump” and “Republicans.” This is exactly how NOT to report the news – massive FAIL by Mother Jones.)
- House Republicans Cheered as They Took Life and Liberty from Millions of Americans (“The GOP bill passed. Add it to the immortal catalogue of national crimes.”)
- Trump is set to cement a budget-busting legacy, adding to the national debt
- Trump ignored GOP warnings to gamble on a politically risky bill (“In the president’s eagerness to score a win and extend tax cuts, he walked away from a key campaign promise on Medicaid.”)
- Renewables face setback under sweeping federal spending bill
- The Biggest Flip-Floppers On Trump’s Enormous Tax And Spending Bill
- Congress just pushed the U.S. toward a debt crisis. The Fed can’t save us. (No, “Congress” generically didn’t do that, Congressional REPUBLICANS did it – why not say that, Washington Post???)
- Does Trump really not understand his huge bill cuts Medicaid? (“Republicans are at varying levels of misleading, avoidance, or denial about this.”)
- Trump Just Went Absolutely Nuclear in Screwing Over MAGA Voters (“He has persuaded the media and many voters that he’s different from earlier Republicans on economics—but he’s now doubled-down on the GOP’s plutocratic agenda.”)
- What Trump Told Me About His Complete Domination of Congress (“Demanding a bill by Independence Day was a telling flourish for someone with zero tolerance for independence in the legislative branch.”)
- They Savaged Their Party’s Bill. Then They Voted for It.
- Trump appears at height of political power with policy bill passage
- Freedom Caucus insists it did not fold on Trump’s megabill (Yeah, they folded.)
- Inside the Freedom Caucus’ final surrender (“Thursday’s megabill vote cemented the hard-liners’ reputation for capitulation.”)
- Trump Takes Lie-Packed Victory Lap On Bill Slashing Medicaid, Food Stamps
- Trump’s big bill achieved what conservatives have been trying to do for decades
- The last breath of small-government conservatism (“The so-called deficit hawks in the GOP folded in the nation’s hour of need.”)
- Trump Kicks Off Celebration of America by Declaring His Hatred for Democrats
- ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Set to Slash Through U.S. Climate and Justice Drive (“Trump’s legislation will hurt clean energy, boost fossil fuels and end investment in environmental justice. Climate advocates vow to continue the fight.”)
- Trump Rails Against ‘Shylocks And Bad People’ In Iowa Speech (Classic anti-Semitic language.)
- Donald Trump Accused Of ‘Blatant And Vile Anti-Semitism’ With ‘Deeply Dangerous’ Trope
- After House Republicans ignored her appeals, Lisa Murkowski’s vote looks even worse (Murkowski is a disgrace to the US Senate.)
- Did the Republicans Just Blow Up the Trump Coalition? (“The Republican Budget bill is the same old GOP policies, but now the people that get hurt are their voters”)
- Where SNAP cuts in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” could hit Americans hardest
- Senate Democrat: Nation would be ‘sicker, hungrier, and less well-off’ if GOP megabill passes
- Trump and the GOP Will Regret the Day They Passed This Sick Bill (Will they, though? We’ll see…)
- Trump’s Megabill and the New Art of G.O.P. Capitulation (“Rarely have so many members of Congress voted for a measure they so actively disliked.”)
- Trump orders Interior to look at raising revenue at national parks
- Roughly 140 EPA staffers who signed ‘dissent’ letter are put on leave
- Too corporate to fight for a free press (“Why Trump’s shameless shakedown of American media is so successful”)
- Trump Targets Google After Meta and X Payouts (“Mark Zuckerberg paid $25 million. Elon Musk followed with $10 million. Now it could be Sundar Pichai’s turn.”)
- A new report shows that Trump was more desperate for cash in 2024 than we knew
- California just showed that a better Democratic Party is possible (“California Democrats finally stopped outsourcing their policy judgment to their favorite lobbies.”)
- How We’ll Personally Feel the Loss of Federal Workers (“From national parks to national security, cuts will hit home.”)
- Sexual assault survivors say Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs verdict a ‘step back’ for #MeToo movement
- How the Sean Combs Verdict May Have ‘Chilling Effect’ on Cases for Abuse Victims (Just appalling.)
- Virginia Democrats Blast House Passage of Trump’s “One Big Ugly Bill”; “cruel and immoral tax and budget scheme that prioritizes billionaires over working people” (Bill “Threatens Health Insurance for More than 322,000 Virginians”)
- Photos: Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) a “No-Show” as Suffolk Shows Up To Call On Her to Vote NO on Cruel Budget that Cuts Services For Veterans and Working Families (Kiggans also ended up voting FOR the devastating cuts to Medicaid etc., despite promising not to do so)
- The Republicans get their Big Ugly: We get higher taxes and closed hospitals (“Trump will use his sharpie to get it on the books on Friday, and Ben Cline, among others in the MAGAsphere, couldn’t be happier…And our home base – the Greater Augusta County area – y’all voted for this.”)
- Wittman, Kiggans back Trump bill, despite Medicaid cuts
- After comparing it to ‘slavery’ and ‘genocide,’ Earle-Sears now downplays opposition to abortion (“The Republican nominee for Virginia governor has a long history of taking extreme positions on abortion. The majority of Virginians support access to the procedure.”)
- Pope & Schapiro: To reelection or to gubernatorial bid? That is the question…
- Elimination of DEI played out differently at VCU and UVa
- New Survey Finds 80% of Charlottesville Voters Strongly Support Using Ranked Choice Voting in Future City Council Elections (“The results also illustrate how multi-winner ranked choice delivers proportional representation”)
- Ex-Richneck teacher’s lawsuit against former assistant principal can move forward, judge rules (“Newport News Circuit Court Judge Matthew Hoffman tossed the claims against former Richneck Principal Briana Foster Newton and former School Superintendent George Parker III, who were never seen as directly involved in what happened to Abby Zwerner.”)
- Buc-ee’s just opened its first Va. location. It is truly a behemoth.
- CWG Live updates: Summertime comfort for the Fourth, and similar tomorrow (“Low humidity today, then still nice Saturday. Rain chances return early next week with near normal heat.”)
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