by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, October 11.
- Number of wild bee species at risk of extinction in Europe doubles in 10 years (“Number of endangered butterfly species also surging amid habitat destruction and global heating, finds study”)
- Wind and solar smash grid market share records, even after heavy curtailment, coal at new low (This is in Australia, but it also really could and should be in the USA!)
- ‘Our job is to maximise their losses’: how Ukraine’s forces attempt to claw back against Russian advances (“Along Donetsk’s frontline, a small counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops aims to help change perceptions about the war among Kyiv’s western allies”)
- Melania Trump says she has ‘open communication channel’ with Putin about Ukrainian children
- Power being restored after Russian attack plunges thousands in Kyiv into darkness
- Global Chip Supply Chain Braces for Renewed US-China Trade War
- Trump announces extra 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting next month (Illegal and unconstitutional.)
- Trump to Hit China With Additional 100% Tariff, Citing Restrictions on Rare-Earth Elements
- Dow drops almost 900 points, S&P 500 declines the most since April after Trump’s new China tariff threat
- The Real Reason Trump Forced Netanyahu’s Hand on a Gaza Ceasefire (“The plain fact is that, quite apart from his self-entitled lobbying (which, if anything, would only have further alienated the committee), Trump has not really brought peace—not to the seven war zones that he falsely claims to have settled, nor as yet anyway to Gaza.”)
- Trusting Trump: Why Hamas gambled on giving up Gaza hostages (“Hamas has called Donald Trump a racist, a ‘recipe for chaos’ and a man with an absurd vision for Gaza.”)
- How Trump Pushed Israel and Hamas to Yes (“The president’s unconventional efforts have paid off in the Middle East, at least for now.”)
- Israel rejects freeing from prison the most popular Palestinian leader (“The most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader — Marwan Barghouti — is not among the prisoners Israel intends to free in exchange for hostages held by Hamas under the new Gaza ceasefire deal.”)
- Hamas gathering hostages ‘now’, says Trump, as Palestinians return to rubble in northern Gaza
- Militia drone strike kills at least 30 in Sudan displacement camp, says El Fasher group
- French PM Lecornu under immediate pressure ahead of budget deadline
- Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump for ‘decisive support’ (What a f’ing joke.)
- Hegseth announces Qatar will build air force facility at U.S. base in Idaho (WTF???)
- Trump’s Biggest Ally Turns on Him Over Shocking Move (“Far-right influencer and informal Trump adviser Laura Loomer blasted the Trump administration on Friday for gifting Qatar an air force base in Idaho. ‘Does this mean the call to prayer will be broadcasted in Idaho 5 times a day?’ she asked”)
- Here’s another winner of the Israel peace deal: Qatar’s lobbying machine (“‘I think it’s reasonable to assume that they put a certain amount of pressure on Hamas to accept the deal. That’s what a good negotiator has to do,’ said former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who has lobbied for the Qatari government for nearly a decade. ‘I think the people who look at this objectively are going to give credit to Qatar.'”)
- Trump administration has failed to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Africa (“Three African nations won’t accept the Salvadoran native, who was already deported illegally once and then brought back to the U.S.”)
- This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to a Far-Flung African Prison (“Israeli-American billionaires Michael and Gil Dezer’s Gulfstream IV plane flew 10 migrants to the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini, flight data shows.” Appalling.)
- ICE Pins Chicago TV News Producer to the Ground, Hauls Her Off in Unmarked Van (Does this sound like America to you?)
- Her Kids Are U.S. Citizens. Trump’s Admin Disappeared Them Anyway (“When Customs and Border Protection apprehended Jackie Merlos and her children, a lawmaker and a friend mobilized to find them”)
- Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens food price hikes (“The Labor Department warned in an obscure document filed last week that the president’s crackdown is cutting off agriculture’s labor supply and threatening ‘the stability of domestic food production.'”)
- WGN-TV producer detained during ICE enforcement action in Lincoln Square
- ICE Stranded a 17-Year-Old on I-20 After Arresting His Father. The Mississippi Dad Now Faces Deportation. (Disgusting.)
- Marc Benioff Says Trump Should Send Guard Troops to San Francisco (This guy owns Time Magazine. Yep, our media is f’ed.)
- Right-wing media say Portland is a war zone under siege. On-the-ground coverage paints a different picture. (“Local coverage has highlighted the peaceful nature of protests and the violent response of federal agents”)
- MAGA Implodes over Kristi Noem’s “Stare Down” with Man in Chicken Suit (“A good New York Times piece on Portland nevertheless demonstrates how the conventions of objective reporting fail to accurately capture the bad faith driving pro-Trump propaganda.”)
- Trump Might Get to Send the National Guard Anywhere He Wants (“The Supreme Court has shown remarkable deference to this president.”)
- ‘Judicial Crisis’: Federal Judges Fault Supreme Court Emergency Orders
- Trump Disgraces American Justice
- RFK Jr.’s attack on mRNA vaccines will cost lives (“HHS shouldn’t pull the plug on vaccine breakthroughs”- Dr. Howard Dean)
- Stephen Miller Accidentally Says “I” When Discussing Trump’s Powers (“Miller’s slip of the tongue reveals who’s really in charge.”)
- Why Democrats Think They’re Winning the Shutdown Fight (“They’ve clearly succeeded in elevating the issue of health care.”)
- Trump’s Shutdown Layoffs Deepen Impasse, Angering Democrats
- “This gets real”: GOP escalates shutdown fight with rescissions, layoffs
- Trump says federal layoffs targeting ‘Democrat oriented’ workers (Can you even IMAGINE THE REACTION if Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Kamala Harris had said they were targeting *REPUBLICAN-oriented workers?!?”
- Republicans, playing defense on health care, uncertain of path forward
- These are the federal agencies Trump is targeting for layoffs
- Some Americans Are Starting to Feel the Impact of the Government Shutdown (“Farmers trying to plan next year’s crops don’t have all the tools they need. Some medical services have been curtailed in Native communities.”)
- Democrats refuse to fold over shutdown as Republican outrage builds (“Party sticks to its guns on healthcare and says it’s willing to hold out – much to the delight of its progressive supporters”)
- Vought sounds layoff siren: ‘The RIFs have begun’
- Collins says she ‘strongly’ opposes White House federal layoffs
- “This is a disaster”: Congress erupts at Trump’s shutdown mass firings
- Firings of federal workers begin as White House seeks to pressure Democrats in government shutdown
- Some House GOP lawmakers want to get back to work
- Democrats fume as Mike Johnson cancels third week of votes
- Mike Johnson raises fresh doubts about an Obamacare compromise
- Democratic troop pay bill blocked in House amid shutdown
- Johnson says House will remain closed until shutdown ends
- Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering
- GOP Leaders Call ‘No Kings’ Protest A ‘Hate America’ Rally, Baselessly Suggest Terror Link (“‘The Antifa crowd and the pro-Hamas crowd and the Marxists, they’re all going to gather on the Mall,’ Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said of pro-democracy groups.”)
- Report on Soros Cited by Justice Dept. Does Not Show Funding for Terrorism
- The insidious legal strategy Trump and Stephen Miller are using against their enemies (“They’re bringing weak cases that will likely fail — again, and again, and again.”)
- James Comey. Letitia James. Who’s Next?
- Criminal charges against Bolton expected as early as next week
- Trump eyes a triumphal arch to mark America’s 250th anniversary (Very Trumpian.)
- “You Could Cut the Tension With a Knife”: Bari Weiss Gets to Work at CBS (“As the Free Press cofounder takes the helm at CBS News, all eyes are on its preeminent newsmagazine—inside and outside the building.”)
- WGA Urges CBS News Staffers to Not Respond to Bari Weiss Info-Seeking Memo Until Company Provides Details on Purpose of Her Email (EXCLUSIVE)
- Surprise! Vivek Ramaswamy’s Turning Point Event Derailed by Racism (“Event attendees asked Ramaswamy why he felt he could be the governor of Ohio even though he isn’t Christian.”)
- Biden struggles to adjust to private life as Trump, Democrats attack (“As Democrats move on, the former president also has to grapple with whether to respond to an unusual onslaught of attacks from his successor.”)
- M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment (Good – every other university should do the same, ASAP!)
- Man will plead guilty to threatening Pride event after Charlie Kirk’s death (“Joshua Wayne Cole to admit in court to making online posts about shooting people at an LGBTQ+ parade in Texas”)
- From Medicine to Mysticism: The Radicalization of Florida’s Top Doc (“Joseph Ladapo was a normie—until he met his wife and a guru into levitating and communicating with spirits.”)
- The Politics Hour: Why a candidate’s text messages are shaking up Virginia’s elections
- Tim Kaine: Senate should vote to end the Trump energy emergency
- Audio: Sen. Tim Kaine Says Abigail Spanberger Showed at Debate She Has the Right “temperament for the tough times,” While Earle-Sears Demonstrated an “unsteady, combative, mercurial temperament” (Sen. Kaine also says he weighs “25 years of knowing this guy” vs. Jay Jones’ “abhorrent texts,” and “for me the scale still tips toward I’m a…Jones supporter.”)
- Sen. Kaine ‘shocked’ by Earle-Sears’ ‘that’s not discrimination’ gay rights remark (“To say that being against people marrying who they love is not discrimination, or it’s okay to fire somebody because they’re LGBTQ is not discrimination, that was a shocker…It’s shocking to me that that thought would cross your mind, and it’s even more shocking to people when you say it. That is something that’s not going to sit well with a majority of Virginians.”)
- Sen. Kaine ‘shocked’ by Earle-Sears’ ‘that’s not discrimination’ gay rights remark
- Virginia Dems Slam Trump, Vought “Over Reports of Illegal Mass Firing Scheme During Shutdown” (Abigail Spanberger: “Just last night on the debate stage, my opponent refused to call on President Trump to stop this chaos.”)
- As Premium Hike Notices Hit Americans’ Mailboxes in Virginia, DNC Launches Republican Accountability Ad Campaign in CD-1 and CD-2 (“Digital ads, billboards, and bus shelter ads reach voters in the First and Second Congressional Districts starting today”)
- Commentary: Government shutdown: Crisis of GOP’s making (By Rep. Jennifer McClellan)
- NEW: Spanberger Responds to Sears Saying Firing Virginians for Being Gay, Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Is “Not Discrimination” (“The Lieutenant Governor Last Night Showed Virginians That She Is More Focused on Dividing People Than Solving Problems”)
- John Reid Silent As Running Mate Winsome Earle-Sears Bizarrely Claims Opposing Gay Rights Is “Not Discrimination” (Ghazala Hashmi: “As lieutenant governor, I will always fight for John Reid’s right to marriage equality — even if he won’t.”)
- Three sheriffs who backed Jay Jones silent on whether they still support him (“Meantime, the Republican Attorneys General Association donates $2.5 million more to Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, bringing its contributions in the race to $8.5 million.”)
- Virginia Republican delegates scrub anti-abortion positions from their websites (“At least five GOP members of the House of Delegates have toned down or deleted anti-abortion language.”)
- Commentary: When victims become criminals: AG’s betrayal of Katie Orndoff
- Virginia may soon lift restrictions on catching invasive blue catfish
- In the Eye of a Political Storm, a Tiny Yellow House in Norfolk, Va. (“Attorney General Letitia James of New York purchased the $137,000 home for a grandniece. Prosecutors say it is an impermissible investment property.”)
- Here’s the Norfolk house at center of mortgage fraud case DOJ brought against Letitia James (“An unassuming house in Norfolk’s Fairmount Park neighborhood is at the center of a mortgage fraud case the Justice Department brought against New York Attorney General Letitia James.”)
- Regent University breaks ground on 31-acre athletic complex to include 2,000-seat arena and stadiums
- Loudoun Co. students’ suspension on hold while legal action over locker room incident proceeds
- CWG Live updates: Showers develop late today; wetter and windier Sunday into Monday
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