by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, October 22.
- No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds (“‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers from LSE”)
- Global use of coal hit record high in 2024 (“Bleak report finds greenhouse gas emissions are still rising despite ‘exponential’ growth of renewables”)
- Trump’s anti-climate crusade crashes EU’s COP30 preparations
- Scientists say North Atlantic right whale population slowly increasing (“Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the most venerable of the leviathans now numbers 384, up eight from past year”)
- Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots (“Internal documents show the company that changed how people shop has a far-reaching plan to automate 75 percent of its operations.”)
- Exclusive: Russia reiterated previous Ukraine peace terms to US in private communique, sources say
- Putin’s war is “not just about Ukraine,” says Estonian ambassador
- Budapest bust shows pressure works on Putin
- 6 killed, 21 injured in Kyiv and oblast during mass Russian overnight missile and drone attack
- Children among victims in Russian air strikes, hours after Trump-Putin talks shelved
- Why Trump made breakthrough in Gaza but can’t with Putin over Ukraine (Not sure how much of a “breakthrough in Gaza” it actually was…got the remaining hostages out, after most were released during the Biden administration, but that’s about it?)
- Reality catches up with Trump’s Ukraine peace drive and threatens his Mideast push
- China’s $1 Billion of Daily US Exports Show Xi’s Bargaining Power
- Gaza health crisis will last for generations, WHO chief tells BBC
- Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
- World Court to give opinion on Israel’s obligations to allow aid to Palestinians
- </Japan says it plans to tell Trump it will build up military and upgrade security strategya>
- Trump beats the drums of war for direct action in Venezuela (In 2016 and during last year’s presidential campaign, some people – including on the far left – assured us that Trump was NOT interested in war, was basically an “America First”-style isolationist, etc. Hmmmm…)
- CIA playing ‘most important part’ in US strikes in the Caribbean, sources say
- Ethics Watchdog Group Seeks Investigation Into Border Czar and Contracts Following ProPublica Report
- ICE Still Won’t Answer Questions About Prosecutor with White Supremacist X Account
- ICE agent wounds deputy U.S. marshal and TikTok streamer, who is charged with assault
- ICE arrests Chicago man whose teenage daughter is fighting cancer: ‘He belongs with her’
- Military-Style Immigration Sweep Hits NYC as Masked Federal Agents Arrest Canal Street Vendors
- Fact check: Trump’s false claims about the Insurrection Act
- This week’s critical inflation report comes with a variety of doubts about the data
- Trump Expects The Justice Department To Pay Him $230 Million: NYT
- Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases (WILD/EXTREME levels of corruption – makes “Teapot Dome,” Watergate, Iran-Contra, etc. look like NOTHING!)
- Trump says he’d have final say on money he seeks over past federal investigations into his conduct
- US Government Shutdown Is Now Second Longest in History
- Democrats call on ‘disengaged’ Trump to get involved to end shutdown
- Senate GOP chatter rises on filibuster reform to end shutdown
- Democrats drafting counterproposal for federal employee pay bill
- Some Trump critics fear they could be the president’s next target for prosecution
- Trump fires another inspector general, raising fears about oversight independence
- ‘Rogue president’: growing number of US judges push back against Trump (“Pushback has come from judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats – and has slowed some extreme policies”)
- A new Supreme Court case could turn the National Guard into Trump’s personal army (“The justices could hand Trump the power to deploy troops anywhere, anytime — and against Americans.”)
- Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
- Scrutiny grows over Trump competence – but can an unfit president be removed?
- Republicans are ridiculing ‘No Kings.’ A striking new poll shows Americans aren’t laughing
- No Kings Means No Kings. No Wonder Trump Hates It. (“Who’s the patriot now?”)
- Leavitt Gives Wild Defense of Trump’s White House Teardown
- White House expands East Wing demolition as critics decry Trump overreach (“Much of the structure was torn down Tuesday to make way for President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, despite complaints about the project’s lack of transparency.”)
- Exclusive: Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing is nearly complete
- White House says it will submit ballroom plans for review, with demolition already under way
- Trump Keeps Attacking Americans. Why Does He Get Away With It? (“Republicans can insult half the country without consequence. Democrats say ‘deplorables’ once and never hear the end of it.”)
- Trump Empowers Election Deniers, Still Fixated on 2020 Grievances
- Hegseth’s top military aide tapped for No. 2 Army officer post (“Army Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as senior military assistant to the Pentagon chief since April.”)
- Hegseth: Pentagon staff now needs approval to interact with Congress
- ‘He lost us’: Generals, senior officers say trust in Hegseth has evaporated
- Jordan calls on DOJ to prosecute ex-CIA Director Brennan (That’s “Gym” Jordan…total scumbag.)
- Arizona AG sues to force House Speaker Johnson to seat Democrat Adelita Grijalva
- Arizona sues over Mike Johnson’s refusal to swear in Democrats’ newest congresswoman
- How the Proud Boys invented antifa
- How the Trump Administration Press Strategy of Trolling Journalists Could Backfire (“This is what Lindsey Halligan’s, Karoline Leavitt’s, and Pete Hegseth’s exercises in media intimidation have in common—beyond their being embarrassing.”)
- In Trump’s Washington, Hate Is Not a Deal Breaker
- Trump pick to lead federal watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages were revealed (This is how the media whitewashes far-right extremism, by using a vague word like “offensive” in their headlines.)
- Ingrassia withdraws nomination after racist texts (“On Monday, POLITICO reported that Ingrassia made a number of offensive remarks in a text message chain and said he had a ‘Nazi streak,’ according to the messages.”)
- The Situation With the Shirtless Oyster-Farmer Democrat’s Nazi Tattoo Is Getting More Ridiculous by the Second (“Graham Platner’s Senate campaign had progressives fired up. He … hasn’t had a great week.”)
- ‘I’m not a secret Nazi’: Maine Democratic Senate candidate addresses tattoo (“Graham Platner says he didn’t know historical associations of skull-and-crossbones tattoo he got on his chest in 2007” Riiiiiight! LOL)
- Platner says he’ll remove tattoo that resembles Nazi symbol (“His former political director said he ‘knows damn well’ what the tattoo signifies.” Along with all the other offensive, nasty, crazy shit this guy’s written, the Nazi stuff is 100% disqualifying. Hell no.)
- Star Fox host Laura Ingraham is now in business with the president’s son
- Republican nominee’s ally draws outrage with remarks about Jews, gay marriage (“An unpaid adviser to the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey advocated for a ban on same-sex marriage and insisted he personally isn’t ‘taking money from Jews.'”)
- Republicans Are Making One of the Most Gerrymandered States in the Nation Even More Rigged (“North Carolina Republicans just passed a new Trump-inspired congressional map to oust a Black Democrat.”)
- North Carolina Senate Approves New Map in Effort to Add G.O.P. Congressional Seat
- I’m suing DC Metro Police for body cam footage of US Institute of Peace raid
- Economic forecast sees ‘continuous stagnation’ for Virginia economy next year (“Unemployment is projected to rise to 5.0% with virtually no job growth expected in 2026 and very little in 2027, according to an economic forecast from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.”)
- Dr. Nila Devanath (D) Launches Campaign for Congress in VA02, Currently Misrepresented by Trump Loyalist Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) (Devanath correctly points out that Kiggans “broke her promise to protect Medicaid, voted to take health care away from 300,000 Virginians and put our hospitals at risk of closing”)
- Will Virginia’s race for governor be bellwether for congressional midterms? (Certainly possible.)
- New Poll: Spanberger Leads 53%-43% (+10); Hashmi Narrowly Up 48%-44% (+4); AG Race in “Dead Heat” (47%-47%) (“It is imperative that Jones continue to spread the word to Virginians of Trump’s ‘complete and total endorsement’ of Miyares”)
- VCU poll, weighted to 2021 electorate, makes Virginia races seem closer than they are
- Spanberger’s lead narrows as Virginia races tighten in new VCU poll
- New polls: Spanberger leads by clear margins, but attorney general’s race could be close (“A new VCU poll gives the Democratic candidate for governor a lead of 7 percentage points, but State Navigate, in its inaugural poll, says 13 points. Here’s why they’re different.”)
- NEW: President Barack Obama to Rally with Abigail Spanberger in Norfolk; First Campaign Visit to Hampton Roads by Any Democratic President in Over a Decade
- Obama, Trump each lend support to Virginia candidates ahead of Election Day (It’s like a mindless reflex of the “mainstream media” to “both sides” EVERYTHING.)
- Trump endorses ‘she’: Which is all Winsome Earle-Sears is going to get from him
- Spanberger hosts rally in Charlottesville with Buttigieg, Bill Nye
- NEW TV AD: Winsome Earle-Sears Declares “Murder is Murder and One Day It’s Going to Be Your Turn” to Reproductive Healthcare Providers (“Sears wants a near-total ban with no exceptions for rape and incest, and she talks about violence against those who disagree with her.”)
- NEW TV AD: John Reid Plans to Close Public Schools, Funnel Taxpayer Dollars Into Wealthy Private Schools (John Reid: “So do we continue letting them exist?’”)
- Public education skeptic John Reid says some Virginia schools probably should close (“The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia posted on social media in 2022, ‘It TRULY may be time to just close the public schools and hand out vouchers.’” Extremist.)
- VCU poll, weighted to 2021 electorate, makes Virginia races seem closer than they are (“Take the weighting away, and the poll, released on Tuesday, has Spanberger, the Democrat, with an 11.2-point lead on Earle-Sears, the MAGA nominee, and we also get different renderings than the headlines you read about the poll for the downticket races. The weighted-to-2021 report has Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic Party nominee for lieutenant governor, with a one-point lead on MAGA nominee John Reid; the raw numbers give Hashmi a five-point lead. The 2021 weighting gives MAGA nominee Jason Miyares a three-point lead on Democrat Jay Jones; the raw numbers have Jones with a narrow 1.2-point lead in the two-way race.”)
- Miyares ahead of Jones in Virginia’s attorney general race, VCU poll finds
- Virginia GOP candidate stages ‘debate’ against AI-generated opponent (The Bezos Post LOOOVES stunts like this by Republicans.)
- VA Speaker Don Scott on Trump-Pardoned January 6 Rioter Charged with Threatening to Murder House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (“Donald Trump spit in the face of law enforcement and public safety when he pardoned dangerous January 6th rioters”)
- Virginia independent colleges say they’re hurt by One Big Bill
- A slow month for Virginia casinos raises concerns about expanded gambling options
- UVA, Trump administration close to striking far-reaching deal
- Trump Officials Move Toward Deal With University of Virginia After Standoff
- Virginia patients, nonprofits cope with loss of federal funding for HIV/AIDS patients
- Commission adopts study to improve Va.’s special education compliance system
- Northern Virginia farm tests if solar and agriculture can live in harmony
- Lee Vogler attends Danville City Council meeting in first public appearance since attack (“The Danville City Council member was moved out of the intensive care unit earlier this month, after being set on fire in July.”)
- CWG Live updates: Cool, quiet fall weather through the weekend
