| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, August 22. Oh, and thought for the day: one stupid, offensive protestor/sign does NOT represent the entire Democratic Party, the Spanberger campaign, etc, and implying otherwise – as Republicans are doing – is WILDLY dishonest. Which, of course, is what they do and who they are…
- Scientists are ‘most trusted’ source of climate information in global-south survey
- EU wildfires worst on record as burning season continues (“Data shows more than 1m hectares torched so far this year, with records also broken for CO2 and other air pollutants”)
- Pence calls for secondary sanctions on Russia
- ‘Flying Blind’: Trump Strips Government of Expertise at a High-Stakes Moment (“President Trump has few sources of independent advice just as he is trying to broker an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, perhaps the trickiest negotiation of his presidency.”)
- Vance Recounts Telling Zelensky to ‘Behave’ in Trump Meeting (“It was not the first time that the vice president had addressed Ukraine’s leader with words more commonly spoken to toddlers than heads of state.” Vance is pure evil.)
- Top European diplomat says Putin is setting ‘a trap’ by demanding Ukraine concessions
- Putin wants to ‘wriggle out’ of meeting, Zelenskyy claims, and says Russia does not want to end war
- What It Would Actually Take to End the War in Ukraine (“With Ukraine drained by more than three years of fighting, time is on the side of Vladimir Putin.”)
- How Trump’s Ukraine Peace Push Stalled Out in Four Days (“Recent optimism for peace has faded, and President Trump is looking for new answers.”)
- Famine declared in Gaza City as Israel vows to open ‘gates of hell’ on besieged area (It’s time for this war to end.)
- Israel Says It Killed a Hamas Commander. It Killed a Pulitzer-Winning Journalist. (Unacceptable.)
- Famine grips Gaza’s largest city and is likely to spread, authority on food crises says (This has to end.)
- Gaza City will be razed if Hamas does not agree our terms, Israel minister says (This is unhinged.)
- Amid crackdown, Mexicans are sending less money home. It’s leaving a mark.
- Trump Starts Investigation That Could Lead to Tariffs on Wind Turbines (“The tariffs would hamper a clean energy industry that the president has often railed against.” Evil.)
- Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with US visas for any violations (F’ing crazy.)
- Immigrant Population in U.S. Drops for the First Time in Decades (That’s horrible news; immigrants are a HUGE net positive for our country!)
- Judge rules ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ can stay open for now, but no further detainees or construction are allowed
- Huge Blow to Trump as Judge Kills Beloved Alligator Alcatraz
- Judge bars Florida from bringing more detainees to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
- Florida ordered to dismantle Alligator Alcatraz over environmental impact (“The ruling, which gives the state 60 days to act, comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to convert a prison in North Florida into a second immigrant detention site.”)
- No new detainees can be brought to ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which a federal judge is effectively shutting down
- New visas paused for commercial truck drivers, Rubio says
- ICE chief threatens to ‘flood’ Boston with agents after mayor won’t abandon sanctuary policy
- Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push (This court is a DISASTER.)
- The Supreme Court hands down some incomprehensible gobbledygook about canceled federal grants (“My brain hurts.”)
- The umpire who picked a side: John Roberts and the death of rule of law in America (“The chief justice of the US has painted himself as a modern institutionalist over the past 20 years. Experts say he’s emboldening Trump’s drive toward authoritarianism.”)
- Fed chair Powell to give high-stakes speech at Jackson Hole amid Trump attacks
- Trump’s Attacks on Institutions Threaten a Bulwark of Economic Strength (“President Trump’s efforts to control the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Labor Statistics are among a series of moves that pose a larger threat, economists warn.”)
- Taking on the Fed, Trump Combines Retribution Tactics With a Power Play
- Kilowatt Madness (“Trump’s electricity crisis — and ours”)
- Judge Says Habba Has Served as U.S. Attorney Without Legal Authority
- Judge says former Trump lawyer Alina Habba has been unlawfully serving as US attorney in New Jersey
- Divided Court Eliminates Trump’s Half-Billion-Dollar Fine in Fraud Case (“New York appeals judges said that the judgment was excessive, but agreed to uphold the case so the appeal could continue.”)
- IRS is canceling its layoff plans, will ask some it fired or pushed out to return
- FBI association accuses Director Kash Patel of violating due process in high-profile firings
- F.B.I. Plans to Lower Recruiting Standards, Alarming Agents
- Steve Bannon just laid out the MAGA media playbook to subvert the midterms (“The right-wing media plan for undermining the 2026 elections includes pushing for ICE to stalk polling sites and sending a band of election deniers on tour”)
- Trump Budget Office Is Withholding H.I.V. Funds That Congress Appropriated
- A Leader of the Religious Right Just Died. His Terrible Legacy Still Looms over Modern Politics.
- How Jeanine Pirro Became Trump’s Most Loyal—and Rabid—Attack Dog
- ICE aims to spend millions on decked-out vehicles for D.C. operation
- Trump thanks officers and National Guard troops in D.C. stop
- The Rise of Right-Wing Nihilism
- ‘Make McCarthy Great Again’ (“Laura Loomer has become the Joseph McCarthy of the Trump era.”)
- White House Lists Smithsonian Exhibits It Finds Objectionable (“The Trump administration highlighted material dealing with topics such as sexuality, slavery and immigration.”)
- Congress is set to receive the first batch of Epstein files. It’s not likely to quell the drama. (“The DOJ is expected to make heavy redactions for an initial tranche of Epstein documents.”)
- Hispanic Voters in Texas Are Starting to Turn on Trump
- Newsom signs California redistricting measures in response to Texas bill
- California Democrats Pass Redistricting Bill to Counter Trump’s Texas Gerrymander
- Doggett says he won’t run against Casar if Texas maps are approved
- Sherrill leads Ciattarelli in New Jersey governor race, but polls show many undecided (“The latest Rutgers/Eagleton poll found Sherrill with a 9-point lead over Ciattarelli with three months left until Election Day, but pollsters noted that the dynamics could shift as 17 percent of likely voters remain undecided.” That’s actually not what 17% undecided means, but…ok, The Hill.)
- Red Envelopes With Cash Are Changing Hands at Adams Campaign Rallies (“New York Times reporters witnessed supporters of Mayor Eric Adams handing out cash-filled envelopes. Sometimes, that money went to reporters from Chinese-language outlets.”)
- Erik Menendez Denied Parole: ‘Unreasonable Risk to Public Safety’
- Gilbert’s resignation as U.S. Attorney takes Kaine, Warner by surprise
- Boy, that escalated quickly: Trumpers run off Todd Gilbert from U.S. Attorney post
- Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) Blasts Trump’s Refusal To Enforce D.C. Gun Laws (“Trump and Jeanine Pirro are making it clear that the point of their unwanted and unjustified occupation of the nation’s capital has nothing whatsoever to do with public safety or crime prevention.”)
- Video: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) Says He Would Have Rather Heard from Alex Acosta and Pam Bondi than Bill Barr in Monday’s Deposition on the Jeffrey Epstein Files (Also: “What do the Clintons have to do with the Trump administration’s cover up of this?”)
- Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) Visits ICE Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia to Conduct Oversight (Also: “Introduces WATCH ICE Act to Bring Transparency to Immigration Enforcement and Hold Trump Administration Accountable”)
- The 6th Congressional District could see two Democratic challengers to Cline in 2026 midterms (“Pete Barlow, a former official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has announced his campaign to challenge Republican Rep. Ben Cline in the 2026 election. Ken Mitchell, who ran against Cline in 2024, is expected to enter the race as well.”)
- Will 2025 be another “wave election” year for Virginia Democrats?
- Pope & Schapiro: A delayed debate better than no debate?
- Virginia candidates sparred over possible debates. Here’s what they finally agreed to. (“Now candidates running for governor and attorney general have finally agreed to a debate in each race. Both events are scheduled for October.”)
- Virginia’s top Senate Democrat wants to cover Trump cuts with weed tax revenue (“Virginia decriminalized marijuana possession back in 2021, but the substance remains illegal to sell.”)
- Commentary: Wind, sun or gas: Why do you think energy costs spike? (Hint: it’s not the clean energy sources.)
- Virginia has one of the highest utility disconnection rates in the nation. The data center boom will make things worse. (“Data center companies are some of the biggest and most powerful businesses in the world. They are using some of their political might to ensure that they don’t have to pay for all this new electrical infrastructure themselves.”)
- Virginia school divisions’ transgender stance worthy of support, not sanction
- Earle-Sears assails NOVA schools’ trans policies in parents’ rights push (“On Thursday evening Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for governor, showed up at a school board meeting in deep blue Arlington County to blast the school system’s transgender policies.”)
- Winsome Earle-Sears to Target APS at Tonight’s School Board Meeting; Rally Planned From 6:15-7:15 pm to Show “that Arlington will not be bullied into doing what is wrong for our students “ (Fmr. Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey warns, “Likely Earle-Sears will bring press and outside agitators to the event.”)
- Virginia airports land $48M in federal funding for upgrades
- Editorial: Regional walking and biking network progress is worth celebrating
- (“We’re learning more about a Fairfax County man detained by ICE on the National Mall on Wednesday. Telemundo 44 spoke with his wife”)
- Meet the candidate: Nicole Cole (“Democrat Nicole Cole, a member of the Spotsylvania County School Board, is challenging incumbent Republican Del. Bobby Orrock in House of Delegates District 66.”)
- Virginia regulators hit pause on gas compressor plan near Chesapeake neighborhood
- ‘Confused and a bit perplexed’: Fairfax Co. superintendent reacts to ‘high-risk status’ from Education Department
- Federal officials to take over inspections when troubled Boar’s Head plant reopens
- Update: Winchester mother shot, killed by son was Newsmax makeup artist
- CWG Live updates: Sunny, comfortable and dry today through Saturday
