by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, September 15.
- “Prudent” for Australia to plan for 2-3ºC temp rise says grim climate assessment
- Warning of climate breakdown and soaring heat deaths a ‘wake up call’ for Australia, PM says (“National climate risk assessment report finds heat-related deaths would surge 450% in Sydney if global heating surpasses 3C”)
- Rising seas will threaten 1.5 million Australians by 2050, landmark climate report
- China, climate crisis and Cop31: five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum (“A key climate crisis funding treaty struck as Pacific leaders backed Australia’s bid for Cop31 despite some criticism of its environmental credentials”)
- Europe’s summer of extreme weather caused €43bn of short-term losses, analysis finds (“Greatest damage from heat, drought and flooding done in Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Bulgaria”)
- The World Wants More Vaccines. An Anti-Vaccine America Isn’t Helping.
- Boosted by summits in Alaska and China, Putin moves against Europe, Ukraine (The Alaska summit was a massive f’up by Trump and his entire foreign policy team.)
- Romania 2nd NATO nation in a week to report Russian drone in its airspace
- Russia tries to blame Ukraine for drone incursion into Romania (Don’t ever believe a word coming out of Putin’s Russia.)
- Exclusive: US Democrats press Trump for a trade deal that curbs China’s production
- Nvidia Broke Antitrust Law, China Says, as Tensions With U.S. Mount
- British politicians condemn Elon Musk’s comments at anti-migrant rally (“Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest party in Britain’s Parliament, urged Starmer and Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch to join him in condemning Musk’s attempt ‘to sow discord and incite violence on our streets’ and interfere with British democracy.”)
- U.S., U.K. aim to usher in “golden age of nuclear” in series of deals (Very very unlikely.)
- Far-right AfD’s vote triples in elections in German bellwether state (“Party takes 16.5% of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia, behind governing CDU and Social Democrats”)
- Rubio, in Israel, Meets Netanyahu as Trump Grows Impatient
- Israel’s military destroys multiple buildings in Gaza City, after warning residents to leave
- US Official Offers Regrets Over Detention of South Koreans (Too late, presumably.)
- Trump says foreign experts welcome after South Korean outrage over raid
- South Korea to probe potential human rights abuses in US raid
- No breakthrough in Korea-US talks on $350b tariff deal
- The U.S. Government’s Extraordinary Pursuit of Kilmar Ábrego García (“The Trump Administration’s maneuvers are rising to a political prosecution.” Absolutely.)
- Amid mass deportations, Democrats cling to bipartisan solutions (“Trump and the GOP are more radical than ever, but some Democrats still think they can work together” Terminal naivete.)
- The Quiet Force Imperiling Our Booming Stock Market (“There is a puzzling contradiction at the heart of America’s economy. Investors are sinking more and more money into the stock market. Indexes are reaching record highs. But a growing number of American companies are refusing to participate in public markets at all.”)
- RFK Jr. has the federal vaccine court in his sights. Attacking it could threaten vaccine production in the U.S. (RFK Jr. needs to be reined in and/or fired immediately. He’s a menace to public health in America.)
- Long-term unemployment hits post-pandemic high, straining workers and the economy (“Golden Age,” amiright? LOL)
- ObamaCare fight meets shutdown politics: What to know
- Knives are out for embattled FBI Director Kash Patel, despite Trump support
- FBI Director Kash Patel criticized for his actions and posts during Charlie Kirk shooting investigation
- Senators worry political violence ‘baked in’ after Kirk assassination
- Kirk Shooting Suspect Held ‘Leftist Ideology,’ Utah Governor Says
- After Kirk’s killing a growing chorus of conservatives wants his critics ostracized or fired (It’s one thing to celebrate someone’s murder – that’s completely unacceptable and disgusting. But criticizing someone’s political/ideological views? That’s free speech.)
- GOP senator urges leaders to tone down rhetoric: ‘When there’s a fire, you pour water on it, not gasoline’
- Trump Snubs Kennedy Center’s Charlie Kirk Vigil After Weekend at Golf Club (“The president was nowhere to be seen at Sunday night’s prayer vigil.”)
- Kirk’s death reinvigorates Republicans’ redistricting race (“In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Republicans gathered at a summit in Indiana, where they memorialized the conservative activist and rallied the party to press forward with redistricting in the state.”)
- Trump administration seeks $58 million security boost after Charlie Kirk assassination (“The funding request would enhance security for the executive and judicial branches of government.”)
- New poll reveals warning signs for Trump with Latino voters (“Trump’s approval rating on the economy — a top issue for Latinos — also dropped significantly, with just 36 percent of those polled supporting Trump’s handling of it. Only 25 percent of independents gave Trump high marks on the economy.”)
- Even as they look ahead to midterms, Democrats keep rehashing Biden
- Trump starts construction on long-held dream: A White House ballroom (The next Democratic President is going to have a great deal of work to undo all this damage.)
- Trump Says ‘Smart People Don’t Like Me’ (Well…uhhhh…yeah? LOL)
- Florida vaccine mandate rollback falters after Trump criticism (“Surgeon general Joseph Ladapo retreats on his plans after the US president says: ‘You have vaccines that work’”)
- Why I Am Endorsing Zohran Mamdani (by NY Gov. Kathy Hochul)
- Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executed (This guy’s been horrible for years. Also, presumably he was told by his management to “apologize”)
- Fetterman says Democrats have ‘forgotten why we lost’ and Trump is ‘not an autocrat’ (Fetterman is an ignoramus if he believes that you can’t be an autocrat just because you won an election – or two elections, for that matter. Read some history, perhaps?)
- Adolescence triumphs at the Emmys while The Studio breaks records
- Emmys 2025: The Best, Worst, and Most WTF Moments (“From shocking upsets to weird tributes and a well-meaning bit that fell seriously flat, here are our picks for the night’s highs and lows”)
- The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2025 Emmys
- The Key Missing Piece to the Megahit “Adolescence” (“many policy experts and commentators are warning of a rising mental-health crisis among young people that appears to be exacerbated, or possibly even driven, by digital technology”)
- The House Republican risking GOP backlash to save Obamacare subsidies (“Rep. Jen Kiggans has stepped into a political minefield in her quest to secure an extension of enhanced health care tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year.”)
- Video: New Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Provides Highlights from First Few Days, Including Being Booed by House Republicans for Telling the Truth About Trump’s Disastrous Policies; Signing Epstein Files Discharge Petition; etc. (Rep. Walkinshaw also signed a discharge petition “for legislation that would restore the collective bargaining rights that Trump stripped from federal employees”)
- Youngkin, Earle-Sears, Reid, Miyares All Appeared with Brian Kilmeade, Who Just Called For “involuntary lethal injection” of Homeless People; But None Have Condemned Those Remarks. Why Not?
- Both candidates for governor have legislative records. What do those tell us about whether they’d work with the opposite party if elected? (This article has some decent information, but it really doesn’t answer the question.)
- Five things every Virginia candidate (and voter!) should know about energy (“If you are going to talk about energy, you have to talk about data centers”; “You can’t get from here to there without solar”; “Batteries: For all your reliability needs”; “Advanced nuclear is still in Maybeland”; “Pretending climate change isn’t real won’t make it go away”)
- Migration trends have changed. Most rural counties in Virginia are now seeing an influx of young adults. (“A University of Virginia demographer attributes this shift to high housing costs in metro areas and the rise of remote work.”)
- Virginia superintendent warns action will be taken against those who praised Charlie Kirk’s death
- UPDATE: Heffron to step down from Chesterfield School Board at end of year
- Richmond | Half-day summit explored solutions to housing-affordability crisis
- Mayhem in Albemarle, Charlottesville as erratic driver ignores rules of road
- Hokies fire Brent Pry in wake of program’s worst start in 38 years
- CWG Live updates: Nice today before increasing chances for welcome rain (The garbage word “nice” really needs to be banned from weather reports. Right now, for instance, we’re in a pretty bad drought and need rain badly, yet they keep telling us it’s “nice.” So dumb.)