by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, August 14.
- Why our broken food system remains a climate disaster: ‘broiling the planet to stuff our faces’ (“Author Michael Grunwald reckons with the challenge of food-based climate emissions in his new book We Are Eating the Earth”)
- ‘No country is safe’: deadly Nordic heatwave supercharged by climate crisis, scientists say (“Historically cool nations saw hospitals overheating and surge in drownings, wildfires and toxic algal blooms”)
- As Ukraine battles to hold lines, Trump may find Putin difficult to persuade (“Despite huge numbers of casualties, Russian leader believes he is slowly winning war – so he can afford to string talks out”)
- Which Donald Trump will negotiate with Putin in Alaska?
- Why Putin Thinks Russia Has the Upper Hand
- How a Call From President Trump Ignited a Frantic Week of Diplomacy by Ukraine
- Zelenskiy in London as Ukraine braces for Trump-Putin meeting
- What Trump needs to remember on his way to Alaska (“Trump rightly wants to end the Ukraine war. He needs to be willing to pressure Russia to do it.”)
- European leaders tentatively hopeful after call with Trump ahead of Putin summit
- Ahead of summit, Trump questions what’s changed about Putin
- Putin’s War Exposes the Cracks in Russia’s Economy (“The Russian economy is spluttering under the weight of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine just as Presidents Putin and Trump meet to talk peace”)
- Trump warns of ‘very severe consequences’ if Putin continues Ukraine war
- Even before Alaska summit, Putin is redrawing global order to his liking (“The meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin represents a return to great-power politics in which big countries call the shots.”)
- Trump to offer Putin minerals for peace (That’s not mostly what Putin cares about, though.)
- Trump told Zelenskyy and allies he won’t discuss territory divisions with Putin this week, sources say (“President Donald Trump told European leaders that his goal in Friday’s meeting with the Russian president is a ceasefire in Ukraine, sources tell NBC News.”)
- Mr. President, Stop Coddling Putin
- Trump and Putin to have one on one meeting before wider meeting with delegations, says Kremlin (“US and Russian presidents to meet at 11.30am local time in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday 15 August”)
- How China Went From Clean Energy Copycat to Global Innovator
- With Arson and Land Grabs, Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank Hit Record High
- Israeli minister announces settlement plans ‘to thwart Palestinian state’
- Gaza is already emerging as a foreign policy litmus test for 2028 Dems
- Vance Meets Farage, Another Right-Wing Populist, in Britain
- Trump Administration Can Withhold Billions in Aid, Appeals Court Rules (That’s absolutely appalling – totally wrong ruling.)
- A court victory for Trump’s foreign aid cuts, briefly explained
- ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Is a Moral Stain (“Kristi Noem said it will be used to “lock up some of the worst scumbags”—but its inmates haven’t been convicted of violating any laws.” Noem is pure evil.)
- Trump’s New Stats Boss Exposed as Part of Jan. 6 MAGA Mob
- Trump Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee was a ‘bystander’ outside Capitol on Jan. 6, White House says (“The White House said E.J. Antoni was in town for meetings unrelated to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.” In other words, this guy’s an insurrectionist.)
- Kennedy’s case against mRNA vaccines collapses under his own evidence (“RFK Jr.’s ‘evidence’ doesn’t support ending the research — it makes the case for expanding it”)
- CDC shooting marks latest in a string of hostility directed at health workers. Many aren’t surprised
- Trump revokes Biden order promoting competition in the US economy (“Move further unwinds initiative to crack down on anti-competitive practices in agriculture, drugs and labor” Disgusting.)
- The CEO in chief: How Trump is getting what he wants from big business
- Big Tech’s A.I. Boom Is Reordering the U.S. Power Grid (“Energy costs for individuals and small businesses could rise as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other tech companies build data centers and enter the energy business.”)
Proponent of Medicaid cuts set to brief House Republicans as they plot another megabill (“Brian Blase has pushed the GOP to make deeper cuts to the safety-net health program.”)- What Is a Far-Right Ideologue Going to Do With the US Institute of Peace? (“Fired from the first Trump administration, Darren Beattie is back in government despite a record of racist statements.”)
- The GOP plot to gain 40 seats without winning any more votes (“Party operatives think gerrymandering, a new Census and a friendly Supreme Court can help keep Republicans in power”)
- Bessent Has Yet to Fully Divest Assets, Raising Concern at Ethics Agency (“The Treasury secretary has been slow to shed assets, including farmland, posing potential conflicts of interest.”)
- Bombshell New Report Casts More Doubt on Trump’s Epstein Claims (“In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein referred to Donald Trump as his ‘closest friend for 10 years.'”)
- “Alarming”: Trump’s Threat of Troops in Cities Just Got Much Scarier (“Top Democrats are demanding that the Pentagon release documentation of internal conversations about future militarization of domestic law enforcement.”)
- Trump says he’ll seek ‘long-term’ control of DC police and signals he’ll target other cities next (“President’s comments come as White House takes credit for dozens of arrests as part of campaign to fight ‘crime crisis’ city’s leaders say doesn’t exist”)
- Trump floats circumventing Congress to maintain control of DC police (“The president must secure congressional approval to extend the 30-day federal takeover.”)
- Why Trump Always Wants a Crisis (“He is abusing lawful authority, as well as outright breaking the law, so that he can construct something above the law — an emergency government that imposes upon and runs roughshod over American freedom…I suspect that, as Trump inevitably works to extend his personal dominion over the entire country, we’ll find renewed value in the insights of our revolutionary forebears. We may even decide to put them to use.”)
- Why is Trump deploying national guard troops to Washington DC? (“The DC takeover is, first and foremost, an attempt to deflect from the Epstein case. But that’s not all that’s going on…it is also an attempt to bring the attention of his base back to the core of their bond with Trump, namely authoritarianism and nativism (which are, as always with the far right, closely connected). There is a clear pattern in the cities Trump links to disorder and violence. Cities like Baltimore, DC and Oakland are broadly identified as Black cities in the US, while cities like Los Angeles (Hispanic) and New York (the quintessential melting pot) are also often excluded from the “real” America in rightwing narratives.”)
- Williams: Today, it’s D.C. Your city could be next
- Editorial: Crime data doesn’t justify Trump’s extreme action in Washington (The media keeps assuming that Trump’s acting in good faith, in this case that it’s actually about reducing crime. In fact, it’s about Trump wanting to be a dictator.)
- Trump’s Military Crackdowns Are Only Going to Get Worse (“L.A. and D.C. are only the beginning, as the president’s team has been drawing up plans to unleash federal forces in other Democratic strongholds”)
- Trump orders relaxed rules for rocket launches, appearing to benefit Musk and Bezos (“Companies like SpaceX and Blue Horizon may be able to forgo reviews required under National Environmental Policy Act”)
- Illinois judge denies Paxton’s request to help arrest Texas Democrats
- A Monument Celebrating “The Lost Cause” Will be Returned to Arlington National Cemetery (“If both the distant and near past can be so easily colored, Botoxed, and perfumed, then the prospects for real racial reconciliation and healing, and for the survival of truth itself, are dim indeed.”)
- Scoop: Schumer courts Peltola for Alaska Senate race
- Please God, Let Ohio Reelect Sherrod Brown Next Year (“In 2024, the state stupidly voted out its pro-worker senator. He’s officially running again.”)
- Some Democrats Panicked Over Mamdani. Obama Called Him.
- Trump Picks Stallone and Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors (“The actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford, the singers George Strait and Gloria Gaynor and the rock band Kiss will be honored later this year.”)
- Kaine visits Culpeper to discuss issues in agriculture
- Former Alexandria City Councilman Mohamed Seifeldein (D) Announces Candidacy in VA08, Challenging Incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (Seifeldein says he’s “positioning himself as a next-generation leader ready to challenge decades of entrenched politics and bring fresh energy to Congress.”)
- TWO PEAS IN A POD: Tara Durant Ties Herself to Winsome Earle-Sears’ Job-Cutting, Medicaid Slashing Agenda
- Earle-Sears accepts CNN invitation to Virginia governor’s debate
- Earle-Sears ducks AARP debate; Spanberger gets surprise police endorsement
- Virginia police group splits ticket, backing Spanberger and downballot Republicans
- Police group endorses Spanberger, Democrat running for Virginia governor
- VA Police Benevolent Association, a Strongly GOP-Leaning Group Which Previously Endorsed Glenn Youngkin, Ed Gillespie, Ken Cuccinelli and Bob McDonnell, This Time Surprisingly Goes with Abigail Spanberger Over Winsome Earle-Sears (Of course, as her campaign notes, Spanberger’s “a former federal law enforcement officer herself”)
- AARP Virginia Cancels Debate Due to Winsome Earle-Sears Declining to Participate: “This isn’t about politics, it is about showing up and respecting the communities we serve.” (“…when it counts, [Winsome Earle-Sears] won’t show up.”)
- Earle-Sears declines invite for People’s Debate at VSU
- MAGA Miyares Shows His True Colors, Stands with Extreme Group Working to Ban Abortion in Virginia (“During the event, MAGA Miyares praised the Family Foundation,” “one of the most extreme anti-abortion institutions in the nation”)
- The political consequences of Virginia’s new population projections: Slower economic growth, more power for urban crescent
- Youngkin defends ICE’s detainment of 19-year-old Henrico County student, son of Afghan ally (“Momand entered the US lawfully after his father aided the U.S. military in operations in Afghanistan. The family got the visa after approval from U.S. Military Command and it opens the door to permanent residency after four years.”)
- New data: Public school enrollment will continue to decline in Virginia
- Survey finds gaps in use of top-tier teaching tools across Virginia
- VA hospitals are finding it harder to fill jobs, watchdog says
- Mass kidnappings in Virginia? State Police debunk viral social media posts
- Social media posts claiming mass kidnappings in Virginia are false, police say (“Virginia State Police said viral videos claiming swaths of children have been abducted aren’t true. Here’s what they said about the process for reporting missing children.”)
- Virginia State Police push back against viral videos about missing children
- ‘It saves lives’: Virginia Job Corps centers face uncertain future in national pause
- Loudoun schools to maintain gender policy despite Education Dept. order
- Meet the candidate: May Nivar (“Democratic House of Delegates candidate May Nivar is challenging incumbent Republican Del. David Owen in the 57th District.”)
- Loudoun County neighbors fight proposed Dominion transmission lines for Data Center Alley
- Massive new housing project will ‘change the skyline of downtown Newport News,’ mayor says
- 3 Virginia sheriff’s deputies who were injured in gunfire while executing a search warrant are OK
- Dominion Changes Its Answer—Admitting There Was No Independent Review–On Key Application For Natural Gas Plant (“Months ago, the Virginia utility said it used an outside monitor to review its bid process for a gas plant in Chesterfield. Now it said that never happened.” WTF?)
- Update: Henrico developer buys former Tyson plant in Hanover for $5 million
- CWG Live updates: Steamy weather may set off storms later today (“Humidity and storm chances ease some this weekend.”)
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