by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, October 23.
- There Are Mosquitoes in Iceland for the First Time. I Fear This Is Even Worse Than It Sounds. (“The country was one of only two mosquito-free havens in the world prior to last week.”)
- Top Meat and Dairy Companies Have Same Climate Impact as Biggest Oil and Gas Firms (Meat is a disaster on multiple levels; long past time to stop consuming this stuff.)
- Climate disasters in first half of 2025 costliest ever on record, research shows
- Can cargo shipping stay the course toward cleaner fuels? (“Clean-fuel producers and shipowners are in limbo after the International Maritime Organization delayed a decision on a landmark climate rule amid U.S. opposition.”)
- Renewable energy investment should come from defence budgets, say retired military leaders (“Former European officers say spending on low-carbon power would make nations more resilient to threats from potential aggressors”)
- Oil Jumps as Trump Steps Up Pressure on Russia With Sanctions
- The New US Sanctions Move Actually Protects Russia For Now (“Think Four Weeks, Not Two”)
- US sanctions Russian oil majors over Ukraine, prompting India jitters and Moscow fury
- EU joins US in heaping more sanctions on Russia to push Putin into Ukraine peace talks
- Finland to Trump: Now let Zelenskyy hit Russia with Tomahawks (“Prime Minister Petteri Orpo tells POLITICO Ukraine must be equipped to match or exceed Russia’s capabilities because Vladimir Putin only responds to strength. ” BINGO!)
- Russia acquired Western technology to protect its nuclear submarine fleet
- U.S. Lifts Key Restriction on Ukraine’s Use of Western Long-Range Missiles (“The move coincides with a Trump push to pressure Moscow into talks on ending the war and to withhold U.S. Tomahawk missiles from Kyiv”)
- Stony silence from Moscow after Trump turns on Russia, says talks with Putin ‘don’t go anywhere’
- Mixed Signals from Washington Cost Lives in Ukraine (“Dithering, delaying, and doubting only invite Russian attacks.”)
- Wildfires have consumed vast chunks of Ukraine. Is Russia deliberately fuelling the flames?
- Trump predicts deal on ‘everything’ in meeting with Xi
- An Emboldened Kim Nudges Trump for a Sitdown (Disgusting.)
- Tens of thousands to attend rival rallies as Hungary’s election campaign kicks off
- Marco Rubio warns Israel not to annex West Bank after Knesset vote in favour (“US secretary of state says preliminary move to apply Israeli law in occupied land is ‘counterproductive’ and a threat to peace”)
- Rubio will travel to Israel after Vance’s visit to ensure fragile Gaza ceasefire holds
- How China Raced Ahead of the U.S. on Nuclear Power (And WAAAYYY ahead on solar power.)
- Myanmar’s army is taking back territory with relentless air strikes – and China’s help (Myanmar has gotten orders of magnitude less attention than Gaza, despite arguably being as bad or worse. Why?)
- Islamic State Rises Again in Syria, Filling a Void Left by U.S. (“Attacks by the militant group are up as it exploits a reduced American presence and the collapse of the Assad regime”)
- Ecuadorians to Vote on Constitutional Rewrite, Possibly Gutting Rights of Nature (“Ecuadorians will go to the polls on Nov. 16 to decide whether to allow right-wing President Daniel Noboa to rewrite the 2008 constitution. Lawyer César Rodríguez-Garavito explains what that could mean for nature’s rights and Ecuador’s democracy.”)
- Argentina and Rural America’s Awakening (“Suddenly, Trump’s contempt for his base is showing”)
- Exclusive: Congress needs to hear more about Venezuela operation, GOP senator says
- U.S. strikes 2 more alleged drug vessels, this time on the Pacific side, killing 5 people
- ICE Stockpiling Warheads and Chemical Weapons as Lawmaker Fears Trump Planning Strike (“Spending went from almost $9 million under Biden in 2024 to $71 million in Trump’s first nine months.”)
- 4 US citizens arrested during ICE crackdown on NYC’s Canal Street, congressman says
- Scoop: Homan says fentanyl as WMD “at least” merits discussion (Homan should be in prison.)
- Federal agents sent to San Francisco area and mayor says it’s meant to incite ‘chaos and violence’
- US hits $38 trillion in debt, after the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion outside of the pandemic
- At least 25 states plan to cut off food aid benefits in November
- Trump Claims He’d Give His $230 Million Justice Department Grift to Charity. Yeah, Right. (Exactly, Trump is LYING – as always!)
- Trump’s potential $230 million DOJ payment would be astonishing — even for him
- Even by Trump Standards, Demanding $230 Million from His Own Justice Department Is Remarkable
- Republicans divided over Trump’s role in ending shutdown
- Trump sets new shutdown record
- Trump Is Trying—And Failing—To Shield MAGA From the Shutdown (“The administration has tried to hurt only ‘Democrat things.’ It’s not that easy.”)
- Exclusive: Government shutdown signals weakness to foes, ex-Defense Secretary says
- The longer the shutdown lasts, the harder it is to mask
- What we know about the donors funding the White House ballroom (“A White House dinner about the project included many tech and crypto companies.”)
- Trump Is Turning the White House Into a ‘Branded Estate’
- Trump’s Vile New $230 Million Shakedown of DOJ Just Got Even Worse
- ‘It’s your house. And he’s destroying it’: Trump demolishes White House East Wing
- Trump Moves Into Full Twilight Zone ‘Anthony’ Phase
- The White House Wrecking Ball (To our entire democracy, country, etc.)
- Can anyone stop Trump’s teardown of the East Wing? (“Many preservationists fear the answer is no. A pro-Trump review board is expected to approve the president’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, too.”)
- Trump Said He Wouldn’t Touch the East Wing. Then He Tore It All Down.
- Trump Administration Live Updates: White House Changes Course and Will Demolish Entire East Wing
- We Will Tear Down the Trump Palace Ballroom and Casino (Absolutely – the next Democratic president needs to tear down all this crap.)
- Trump shits on America. Why doesn’t the media care? (“For many news orgs, Trump’s fascist coalition is uniquely legitimate.”)
- Drag Us to Hell (“If there’s something Trump can make worse for everybody, he will. He thinks that’ll help him politically, and sometimes it might.”)
- Pentagon’s plan to limit contact with Congress is ‘not going to work,’ lawmakers say
- Pentagon announces a new right-wing press corps after mass walkout (“A new crop of conservative media and influencers — including the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, Human Events and the National Pulse — signed an agreement with the Defense Department.”)
- Fox viewers were told “there is no violence from the right” hours after arraignment of Jan 6 rioter for allegedly threatening to kill top Democrat (Fox is a relentless, dangerous right-wing propaganda network)
- Jeff Merkley wraps up marathon speech warning of ‘authoritarian’ rule (“The Oregon senator surpassed the 22-hour mark set by Wayne Morse in 1953.”)
- Trump Administration’s Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks
- Graham Platner Is a Disaster. Democrats Need More Candidates Like Him. (“Well, maybe not exactly like him.” Democrats absolutely do NOT need anyone like this guy, but sure…young, authentic, social media-savvy, progressive, etc. – fine.)
- Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner admits using ‘indefensible’ antigay slurs in unearthed Reddit posts (This guy is a DISASTER. And apparently an ignorant idiot, in addition to having expressed racist, misogynist, anti-Semitic, etc, etc. sentiments over many years, plus of course had a Nazi tattoo for many years.)
- ‘Democracy is worth fighting for’: Obama rallies California redistricting supporters
- DC-area housing market holds steady, but risks of recession grow
- “A real loss”– Virginia legal observers worried about staffing changes in federal prosecutor offices
- Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Reinforce Opposition to West Bank Annexation (“As longstanding supporters of Israel’s security and Palestinian aspirations for statehood, we are unified in our opposition to unilateral measures by either party that undermine the prospect of lasting peace through negotiations to achieve a two-state solution”)
- Health Care Premiums Are Skyrocketing in Virginia. But Don’t Worry, Jen Kiggans Signed Another Letter! (“Kiggans has also admitted she opposes extending ACA tax credits beyond just one year, saying: ‘We don’t need these.’”)
- Virginia faces ‘crisis’ if shutdown disrupts food benefits
- New Non-Partisan State Navigate Poll: Spanberger +13 (55%-42%); Hashmi +11 (53%-42%); Jones +5 (50%-45%); HoD Dems +12 (53%-41%) (Youngkin’s approval rating at just 46%-47% (-1 point): Trump at 40%-59% (-19 points))
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro heading to Virginia in final stretch of Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign (“CBS News has learned that Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will campaign with Spanberger in the Hampton Roads area on Sunday as the race to lead Virginia reaches its final days.”)
- Former Virginia Republican Elected Officials (Barbara Comstock, David Ramadan) Endorse Ghazala Hashmi for Lieutenant Governor (“Her strong respect for democracy and the rule of law are essential”)
- The debate that didn’t happen, and what it tells us about AI in Virginia politics (“The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, John Reid, staged a debate with AI reading lines his campaign wrote for his opponent, Ghazala Hashmi. Is AI here to stay in Virginia politics?”)
- ‘Office’ references that Jay Jones could have made that would have kept him out of trouble
- Special prosecutor appointed to investigate Jay Jones 2022 reckless driving case in New Kent
- Youngkin petitions Virginia Supreme Court amid NAACP’s challenge over voting rights restorations (“While litigation plays out, an in-progress constitutional amendment could enshrine voting rights”)
- Va.’s private colleges and universities seek additional funding amid federal cuts
- Virginia homeschool numbers trend upward, spark oversight debate
- BREAKING: UVA Interim President Paul Mahoney Announces, “This afternoon, I signed an agreement with the federal government that suspends the five remaining Department of Justice investigations into the University.” (Says agreement “does not require the University to make any monetary payments,” “preserves the academic freedom of our faculty, students, and staff,” “does not involve external monitoring.”)
- University of Virginia reaches deal to pause Trump administration probes
- Justice Department reaches deal, suspends remaining investigations into U.Va.
- UVA bends the knee on DEI to get the Trump Justice Department off its back (“You don’t have to read much between the lines to come up with the word capitulation as being what happened here…It’s pretty obvious what is going on here: as long as the newly MAGA-fied UVA leadership plays ball, the Trump DOJ will find somebody else to pick on.”)
- Williams: UVa, on Trump deal, goes from defiance to compliance
- University of Virginia agrees to Trump administration demands over admissions and hiring
- Virginia housing market continues to be good for the already well-off
- Housing, jobs and taxes dominate many races for local offices across Southwest and Southside
- State delegate candidates see similar needs, different solutions in Lynchburg area (“The political divide and nearly 40 years in age separate Del. Wendell Walker and his challenger Risë Hayes in the 52nd District. The gap leads them to see the growing metro area in different ways ahead of the November election.”)
- Three months after being set on fire, Danville’s Lee Vogler returns to dais (“According to Vogler’s wife, Blair, her husband had five operations following the July 30 attack. She said he had third-degree burns on more than 60 percent of his body and struggled with infection and shock. His lungs were also reportedly damaged due to smoke inhalation. Vogler, a Republican, was expected to remain in the hospital for at least six months but was released just shy of three months.”)
- Chesapeake Public Schools superintendent announces retirement
- Landfill in Richmond’s East End to be converted into a solar meadow
- Augusta County B&B owners being run out of town over Charlie Kirk post
- Judge dismisses suit by Lynchburg candidate whose first name on ballot was listed as ‘Christopher’ rather than ‘Chris’ (“White sought more than $900,000 in damages and asked for voting to be stopped until the ballots were corrected and previously submitted votes were scrapped and redone.”)
- CWG Live updates: Dry and cooler than normal through the weekend
