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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, August 7.
- Norway’s Hedged Bet on Europe’s Energy Future: A Garbage Disposal for Emissions
- Climate change is revealing – and destroying – these archeological treasures
- Pakistan’s deadly monsoon floods were worsened by climate crisis, study finds
- Zelenskiy says Russia seems more inclined now to a ceasefire
- For Putin, Trump Summit Is Key to Securing Ukraine Goals
- I’ve Seen How Russia Is Torturing Prisoners of War
- Trump Tells European Leaders He Intends to Meet With Putin and Zelensky
- Russia Says Putin-Trump Summit to Take Place Within Days
- Trump and Putin to meet in coming days, Kremlin aide says
- From Russian Interference to Revisionist Innuendo: What the Gabbard Files Actually Say
- Gabbard overrode CIA officials’ concerns in push to release classified Russia report (Gabbard is heinous.)
- Tulsi Gabbard’s Russiagate conspiracy theory can’t even survive a softball Fox News interview (Pathetic.)
- Assault on Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp may have killed more than 1,500 civilians
- U.S. plans to ease human rights criticism of El Salvador, Israel, Russia (That’s completely f’ed up.)
- As experts warn of a famine unfolding in Gaza, here’s how right-wing media are reacting (“Many are denying the existence of famine or blaming Hamas and the UN. But some acknowledge the reality.”)
- Israel is weighing its options in Gaza. Here are 4 scenarios for where things may be heading
- Man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted on federal hate crime charges (Pure evil.)
- Trump doesn’t oppose Netanyahu plan for full Gaza occupation: U.S. officials (A Harris administration almost certainly would be opposing this!)
- 80 years later, Hiroshima bombing survivors warn of new nuclear warfare
- Staggering Tariffs on More Than 90 Countries Snap Into Place (“The tariffs took effect after midnight Thursday, the latest escalation in a global trade war that has started to exact a toll on the U.S. economy.”)
- Trump’s tariffs take effect, potentially upending global trade and prices
- Trump tariffs expected to hit Thursday
- Trump’s historic new tariffs are now in effect. Here’s what you need to know
- Trump tariffs live updates: US import taxes will hit levels not seen in nearly 100 years
- Dozens more countries face higher levies on exports to US as new Trump tariffs come into effect
- Trump says he plans to put 100% tariff on computer chips, likely increasing electronics costs
- The Emperor’s New Trade Deal (“Tariffs are bad. A deluded president is worse.”)
- ‘Horrific’: report reveals abuse of pregnant women and children at US Ice facilities (“Report from senator Jon Ossoff’s office found 510 credible reports of human rights abuses since Trump’s inauguration”)
- Migrants Vanish Into Opaque ICE Detention System (“Frequent long-distance moves leave families and lawyers struggling to keep track of people facing deportation—and undermine their legal defense”)
- ‘This is sending a message’: DOJ moves to sanction lawyer who took pro bono deportation case
- Dozens of Wind and Solar Projects Stall as Trump Cracks Down on Renewables (Trump waging war on American energy!)
- RFK Jr. defunds a medical miracle (“mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives. RFK Jr. is attacking them anyway.”)
- Huge cuts to mRNA research spark fears about future pandemics
- RFK Jr.’s slander of mRNA technology will harm Americans (“Canceling research will slow down lifesaving innovation and increase U.S. vulnerability to pandemics.”)
- Federal mRNA funding cut is ‘most dangerous public health decision’ ever, expert says
- ACA premiums set to spike
- How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2026 (“For 2026, across 312 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, this analysis shows a median proposed premium increase of 18%, which is about 11 percentage points higher than last year.”)
- The economy is cracking. This trend is most alarming.
- ‘The neutrality of the agency has been eliminated’: Stats-based feds decry BLS chief’s firing (“Employees express concern Trump’s firing of the commissioner, which followed a weak jobs report, will lead to future interference with their work.” HUGE problem!)
- What Happens to Public Media Now? (“Republican-backed funding cuts go way beyond NPR and PBS. Radio and TV stations from Alaska to the Allegheny Mountains may never be the same.”)
- Donald Trump Doesn’t Want You to Read This Article (“The president keeps trying to change the subject from Jeffrey Epstein, but his tactics are only making it worse.”)
- Trump faces Ghislaine Maxwell conundrum
- Administration Begins to Strip Federal Workers of Union Protections
- Pro-Trump group wages campaign to purge “subversive” federal workers (“Federal employees faced a barrage of intimidation and harassment after a group linked to the Trump administration posted their personal information on online “watchlists” denouncing them as liberals. Some have been fired. Two have moved abroad, fearing for their safety.” EVIL!)
- Williams: In Trump’s America, the South is rising again
- US national parks staff in ‘survival mode’ to keep parks open amid Trump cuts
- Trump Comes for Public Universities, With UCLA Now in His Sights (“University of California system agrees to negotiate after more than $500 million in federal research funds are frozen”)
- VP Vance meeting to discuss Epstein fallout canceled, source says
- JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip (WTF???)
- Federal court filing system hit in sweeping hack
- Amid Texas gerrymandering, Senate Dems reintroduce voting rights bill
- How Democrats Tied Their Own Hands on Redistricting
- Texas Democrats plea for donations to extend their walkout and block Trump’s redistricting plan
- Paxton launches investigation into Beto O’Rourke’s political group for funding Democrats who left state (Paxton is a corrupt, far-right thug.)
- Pete Buttigieg Doubles Down on Comments About the “Fairness” of Trans People in Sports (“During an interview on Substack Live with attorney and political strategist Aaron Parnas, Buttigieg briefly followed up on comments he made to NPR last week saying that trans women in women’s sports raise “serious fairness issues” that should be handled by sports leagues and local communities rather than politicians.”)
- Republicans quietly fret about ‘disturbing’ Cory Mills allegations (“So long as national party operatives view the Florida lawmaker’s seat as safe, there is little incentive for GOP leaders to engage.”)
- Trump ally Marsha Blackburn launches bid for governor of Tennessee (“The Republican senator and vocal abortion foe supported Trump’s baseless claims of fraud during the 2020 election” YUCK.)
- Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor’s Race
- Army sergeant shot 5 soldiers before he was tackled and arrested at Fort Stewart, officials say
- Audio: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Talks About GOP War on Voting Rights, Immigrants; Right-Wing “Backlash” Involving “propaganda,violence and voter suppression” (In Reconstruction, the “villain was Black men who were gaining social, political, and economic power. Now, it’s immigrants…and trans children.”)
- Meteorologist Sean Sublette Announces Campaign for Democratic Nomination to Take on the Abysmal Rep. Rob Wittman (R) in VA01 (There now appear to be eight Democrats vying for this nomination)
- Spanberger avoids addressing anti-Israel rhetoric from top Virginia Democrat (“Sen. Tim Kaine said he ‘forcefully rejects’ state Del. Sam Rasoul’s characterization of Zionism as ‘evil’”)
- Virginia Court of Appeals rules NAACP’s voting rights FOIA lawsuit against Youngkin isn’t over
- Virginia business, health care leaders press for renewal of ACA tax credits
- NRA Endorsement of GOP Statewide Ticket Is A Reminder That Republicans Won’t Keep Virginians Safe (“Virginians deserve leaders like Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi, and Jay Jones who are committed to keeping Virginia’s communities safe.”)
- RNC attacks Spanberger for taking money from Chinese man who also donates to the RNC (“… he held at least a green card—making political contributions legal. Even if that weren’t true, the RNC, the NRCC, former Vice President Mike Pence and several other Republicans who received donations from Ni would have broken the law with Spanberger.” Soooo stupid by Virginia Republicans and the Sears campaign – lol!)
- Awkward! Gay MAGA LG candidate campaigns with ‘Pete Buttplug’ slur guy
- VADEMS Women’s Caucus Endorses More Than 50 Candidates – Women Leading the Way in 2025
- Curious Commonwealth asks: Why don’t the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads get along?
- Did UVa and the DOJ cut a ‘backroom’ deal to push out Jim Ryan?
- Meet the candidate: Leslie Mehta (“Democratic House of Delegates candidate Leslie Mehta is challenging incumbent Republican Del. Mark Earley Jr. in the 73rd District.”)
- Fairfax County to hire bodyguard for schools superintendent after threats (“Brian Lambert, the school division’s chief of security, said in an interview that he had been pushing for more security for Reid for months. She initially resisted efforts to institute a security detail, Lambert said, but the threats made against her, political tensions and recent targeted violence across the country helped make the case.”)
- Nearly 3 years after it was established, RPD’s civilian review board still isn’t operating (“Joseph Lowery — the former FBI agent and police officer appointed to manage the board in 2024 — has earned an annual salary of $119,600 since taking the post.”)
- Community praises reopening of damaged Richmond school as proof of good state spending
- Avula: Youngkin open to ‘flexibility’ on $5.8M Grimm restitution deadline
- Attack suspect held at psychiatric facility; Lee Vogler faces at least 6 months in hospital
- James W. McGlothlin, Southwest Virginia business leader and philanthropist, dies at 85
- Coal magnate, casino founder, philanthropist Jim McGlothlin dies (“McGlothlin, who parlayed a successful coal business into a hospitality company that opened the state’s first casino in Bristol, also will be remembered for the causes he supported, including education and the arts.”)
- CWG Live updates: Big heat holds off for several more days
