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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, October 15.
Trump ignores a question from a woman reporter but says, “I just like to watch her talk. Good job. Thank you darling.” pic.twitter.com/IHLTAiOe4F
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2025
- Pentagon retreats from climate fight even as heat and storms slam US troops (Totally FUBAR.)
- The Rest of the World Is Following America’s Retreat on EVs (“Canada, the U.K. and the European Union are backing off from electric-vehicle targets as economic concerns arise. Even China is showing cracks.”)
- Trump threatens vulnerable countries before key shipping emissions vote (“American officials have threatened supporters of measure to reduce emissions with tariffs and other retaliatory action” They need to tell Trump to f*** off.)
- Russia blasts ‘freaks’ at Time magazine over cover that Trump hated (They are really trying to kiss up to Trump.)
- The Memo: Trump turns from Gaza to Ukraine as Zelensky comes to town
- Putin’s embarrassing cancellation of Arab summit signals waning influence in Middle East (“Trump’s Gaza summit may bring home to Russia how much Ukraine war has damaged its international standing”)
- Trump ‘optimistic’ he can broker peace in Ukraine after Middle East success (“President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet in Washington on Friday.”)
- Trump Threatens Retaliation for China’s Soy Boycott
- China, Betting It Can Win a Trade War, Is Playing Hardball
- China Has Overtaken America (“And Trump’s policies guarantee that we will never catch up”)
- Auto industry raises the alarm as China tightens export rules for rare earths
- Trump’s pardon request for Netanyahu marks shift from promoting U.S. values abroad (“The president has upended his predecessors’ tradition of promoting the rule of law and democracy overseas.”)
- Hamas fighters tighten grip in Gaza, clouding future of ceasefire
- After Israeli Withdrawal, Hamas Launches Violent Crackdown on Rivals in Gaza
- Trump demands Hamas disarm, as group moves against ‘collaborators’ in Gaza (Reminder: Hamas is pure evil, first and foremost to its own citizens.)
- Trump says U.S. will disarm Hamas if it does not do so itself
- Israeli military says one of the bodies handed over by Hamas is not that of a hostage
- Released Israeli hostages give accounts of torture, torment and extraordinary danger
- ‘Cruellest forms of torture’: freed Palestinians describe horrors of Israeli jail
- The Gaza peace deal’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness (“Trump-style diplomacy made the deal work, and could undo it.”)
- Trump says US will not ‘waste our time’ helping Argentina if Milei loses (That’s completely f’ed up.)
- Trump’s Bailout Of Argentina Gives Democrats A Big Opening (“‘For Trump, the leader of Argentina is more important than American families struggling with rising costs for health care,’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday.”)
- This is what led to Madagascar’s military coup
- U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says (Without any evidence to prove that the people being killed are actually comitting crimes, as opposed to just fishing or whatever, this is just murder pretty much.)
- US revokes visas for 6 foreigners over Charlie Kirk-related speech (Imagine the reaction on the right if the Biden administration had revoked visas for people over criticism of a liberal commentator.)
- Facebook removes Chicago-area page dedicated to ICE sightings after Justice Department intervenes (Republicans would have gone APESHIT if Biden, Obama or Harris had intervened like this with a social media company.)
- ICE Is Cracking Down on Chicago. Some Chicagoans Are Fighting Back.
- Feds ram SUV after chase down residential street in Chicago, then tear-gas crowd (Insanity.)
- Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids
- Absurdity inflates at Portland’s ICE protests
- U.S. House Speaker calls Portland naked bike ride ‘most threatening thing I’ve seen yet’ (Mike Johnson is a fascist AND a clown – great combo, huh?)
- An inflation pattern that has overtones of the dreaded 1970s is forming
- Supreme Court weighs whether to gut key provision of landmark Voting Rights Act (Worst court in US history?)
- John Roberts is slowly dismantling America (For years, journalists assured us that John Roberts was an “institutionalist” and a moderate. So…they were all completely full of crap, yet still have their jobs?)
- CDC union blasts lack of transparency from HHS in layoffs
- Blue States Are Setting Up a Shadow Public-Health Alliance to Counter RFK Jr. (“Initiative aims to help states detect and respond to disease threats in light of public-health funding cuts under Trump”)
- America Needs a Mass Movement—Now (“Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.”)
- The Beacon of Democracy Goes Dark (“For nearly 250 years, America promoted freedom and equality abroad, even when it failed to live up to those ideals itself. Not anymore.”)
- Trump news at a glance: Administration will produce list of ‘Democrat programs’ to be closed due to shutdown (As always, imagine if Obama, Biden or Harris had targeted red states or “Republican programs”)
- Panic as US federal workers scramble to find out if they’ve been fired: ‘I don’t have email access’
- Trump’s shutdown moves challenge the balance of power
- Trump and budget chief Vought are making this a government shutdown unlike any other
- Senate tanks GOP funding patch for eighth time amid shutdown gridlock
- US Senate again rejects Republican plan to end government shutdown (“Eighth Senate vote fails on 49-45 tally as Congress remains deadlocked on legislation amid now two-week shutdown”)
- White House Guts Education Department With More Layoffs (Illegal, unconstitutional and insane.)
- Inside the Trump Administration’s Assault on Higher Education (“How conservatives learned to stop worrying and love federal power.”)
- Jack Smith Calls Idea That Politics Infected Trump Prosecutions ‘Ludicrous’
- Jack Smith speaks out against the Trump administration in rare interview
- ‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
- The Next Generation of GOP Politicians Are Outing Themselves as White Supremacists (“No longer do we have to wonder where they find these people. Leaked messages revealed the true nature of the Young Republicans.”)
- Young Republicans demand leaders involved in “vile” racist chat resign
- Robert De Niro urges Americans to ‘stand up and be counted’ in anti-Trump protests
- MAGAs hyping ‘No Kings’ | They must want us to go, because they can’t stop talking about it
- Five major broadcast networks say they will not sign new Pentagon press policy
- Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy
- The Pentagon Is Ordering Staff to Watch Hegseth’s ‘MAGA Garbage’ Speech… Or Else (“Defense Department sources tell Zeteo that staff have been warned that if they don’t watch or read the speech, or if they speak negatively of it, they could face severe consequences.” Insanity.)
- Pete Hegseth’s attempt to gag journalism is a resounding failure
- The sleeper issue that could play a huge role in Virginia and New Jersey — and the midterms (“Data centers are spreading across the country and contributing to rising electricity bills. It’s becoming a political issue as lawmakers are still workshopping their response.”)
- Florida Court Blocks Transfer of Miami Land for Trump Library
- Trump’s Midcycle Gerrymandering Disease Spreads to North Carolina
- Cory Mills slapped with restraining order after Florida judge sides with accuser (If Mills were a Democrat, Republicans would be DEMANDING that he resign immediately.)
- Have I Got Nuzzi For You (“Olivia Nuzzi is set to address her relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a forthcoming book, galleys of which are circulating among a select group of readers, Status has learned.”)
- U.S. Attorney Was Forced Out After Clashes Over How to Handle Russia Inquiry (“The departures of Todd Gilbert and his deputy in the Western District of Virginia show the pressure being brought on prosecutors to pursue the president’s perceived foes.”)
- Warner: Directive to lay off CDFI staff likely came from OMB
- GOP ‘afraid to do anything’ unless Trump approves, says Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (Yep, that’s been obvious for years now.)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA08), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10), James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) “call out the Trump Administration for their illegal mass firing of thousands of dedicated public servants in the midst of the Republican shutdown”
- Interview: Lisa Vedernikova Khanna | Soon-to-be new mom running for Congress (“Wittman won his most recent re-election run by a healthy 12.8-point margin, but the district was tighter at the top of the ticket, going to Donald Trump by just five points in 2024, suggesting Democrats are at least within shouting distance with the right candidate.”)
- Video: Speaking to VA Farm Bureau, Abigail Spanberger “emphasizes the importance of agriculture & forestry to Virginia’s economy, pledges her support to farmers”
- Video: SEIU Virginia 512 Home Care Worker Elisha Joined by Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger to Walk-a-Day in Her Shoes (“Home care workers are an essential part of America’s healthcare system, but their jobs are one of the most unrespected, unprotected and underpaid in the country.”)
- Video: John Reid Doubles Down That Winsome Earle-Sears Is Against Gay Marriage (John Reid: “There’s no question Winsome is not supportive of gay marriage”)
- Commentary: Jones’ texts will test Virginia’s single-ticket sweep trend
- Jones text scandal reshapes Virginia’s attorney general race — and tests Spanberger’s ticket (The Virginia Mercury focused on the Jay Jones text scandal, which is fine for them to do, but zero on John Reid’s many years spewing out far-right-extremist crap on the radio, minimal on Winsome Earle-Sears’ long history of outlandish comments/actions, etc.)
- Va. gubernatorial candidates make case to build workforce at chamber conference (This headline should read, “At chamber conference, Va. gubernatorial candidates make case…” As it is, it sounds like they’re wanting to build a chamber conference workforce or something, lol.)
- Youngkin administration keeps details of paused federal grants under wraps
- For Virginia farmers, a bumper harvest amid growing uncertainty
- Scott calls for special advisory board to look into men’s and boys’ challenges
- Can farmland thrive with solar? This Virginia nonprofit is finding out. (“The agrivoltaics demonstration project is experimenting with growing crops under solar panels to determine what works and help educate a wary public.”)
- Some employees to be furloughed, but Virginia finance secretary says state is still weathering shutdown
- Va. to furlough some state employees paid with federal money
- In House District 22, candidates tackle data centers, rising costs in race for legislature’s future
- Editorial: Additional dry dock will boost regional shipbuilding at critical time (“Shipbuilding has long been a staple of the Hampton Roads economy, and Colonna’s has been a part of that for 150 years.”)
- Fairfax County special ed leaders address Department of Education cuts
- Fairfax Co. recommends fee for middle school after school program, but decision is up to school board
- Facing removal, almost all Alexandria public housing commissioners resign
- Fantastic fall weather into this weekend
