| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, October 29.
- Rising heat kills one person a minute worldwide, major report reveals (“Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisis”)
- ‘Millions of Avoidable Deaths’: Climate Change Health Harms Reach Unprecedented Levels
- America’s super-rich are running down the planet’s safe climate spaces, says Oxfam (“Exclusive: Data shows wealthiest 0.1% of the US burn carbon at 4,000 times the rate of the world’s poorest 10%”)
- ‘Trump doesn’t represent us’: US activist groups to push for climate action at Cop30 in Brazil
- This beloved animal is back from the brink of extinction — with one big caveat (“Decades of protection helped these sea creatures recover. So why are some scientists worried?” There can never be just plain good news these days; always has to be a “but” – sigh.)
- AI is Decoding Whales’ Language. Could That Be a Turning Point in the Push for Their Rights?
- Trump says he will cut fentanyl tariff on Chinese goods and expects ‘great deal’ with Xi (We’ll believe it IF and when we see anything like this.)
- Ahead of Xi meeting, White House aides worry what Trump will say about Taiwan
- Fact check: 11 false claims Trump made to the troops in Japan
- As Trump meets Xi, it’s advantage China (“Trump’s brand of chaos has gifted China an opportunity to pitch itself to global partners seeking stability.”)
- Oh, No! Trump, 79, Attempts Indian Accent on Asia Tour (“The president went into full embarrassing grandpa mode at a summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.”)
- Trump scores golden gifts but no investment dollars during South Korea visit
- Gaza ceasefire tested as Israel and Hamas exchange fire and blame
- Netanyahu orders “powerful” strikes in Gaza as ceasefire breaks down
- Israel’s military says ceasefire is back on as death toll from overnight strikes in Gaza reaches 104
- Senate rejects Trump tariffs on Brazil
- 5 GOP senators vote to pass resolution terminating Trump’s Brazil tariffs (Reminder: these tariffs are illegal, unconstitutional and also corrupt/f’ed-up…)
- The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade
- Canada Learns the Limits of Diplomacy (“Trump’s attacks on long-standing allies are changing the balance of global power.”)
- With Every Boat Strike, Trump Exploits a Power Asymmetry
- US troops should be alarmed at Trump’s strikes on alleged drug boats
- Exclusive: US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say
- Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba after leaving trail of destruction in Jamaica (“Some 10 to 20 inches of rain are expected in eastern Cuba, with up to 25 inches expected over mountainous terrain. Peak storm surge of 8 to 12 feet was forecast along Cuba’s southeast coast.”)
- Flooded streets, inundated cars and tangled power lines – Jamaicans assess damage
- Hurricane Melissa Makes Cuba Landfall After Lashing Jamaica
- Trump administration shakes up ICE leadership across the country in major overhaul, AP sources say
- Judge orders Border Patrol official Bovino to meet with her daily on Chicago immigration crackdown
- 9th Circuit Vacates Trump Judges’ Ruling Allowing National Guard Troops To Deploy To Portland
- Border Patrol agents under fire for allegedly disrupting children’s Halloween parade in Chicago
- US citizen, 67, ‘has ribs broken’ by Border Patrol agents after being dragged out of car while driving home into street they’d blocked off (“The incident unfolded Saturday in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood, where residents say federal agents disrupted a children’s Halloween parade” Thugs.)
- Farmville ICE detainees report that they are being served food with worms
- All operational US liquefied natural gas terminals have violated pollution limits, says report (“All operational US liquefied natural gas terminals have violated pollution limits, says report”)
- Inside The Trump Family’s Global Crypto Cash Machine (“The U.S. president’s family raked in more than $800 million from sales of crypto assets in the first half of 2025 alone, a Reuters examination found.”)
- President for Life (“Donald Trump is trying to amass the powers of a king.”)
- The Empty Promises of Trump’s Imperial Presidency
- Right-wing figures and Trump allies are calling for Trump to declare a “national emergency” to prevent supposed election fraud (“Jerome Corsi has claimed he’s been involved in drafting an executive order ‘to be implemented for the 2026 elections'”)
- Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way (“Our election system is reaching a breaking point.”)
- Americans Are Getting a Look at Next Year’s ACA Premiums and Many Don’t Like It
- Dozens of States Sue Trump Administration Over Planned Food Stamp Cuts (But NOT Virginia AG Jason Miyares!)
- Shutdown pain intensifies as air traffic controllers lose pay, and food assistance is drying up (“Food assistance, health care costs, air travel, and military pay all face major strain if the shutdown extends beyond this week.”)
- Scoop: GOP senator pushes Vance for help on Trump (“Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) urged Vice President Vance during a closed-door lunch Tuesday to get President Trump to stop demanding that the Senate do away with the filibuster and traditions around judicial nominations, Axios has learned.”)
- Greene says Johnson refused to share health care plans on GOP conference call
- Marjorie Taylor Greene Rips Mike Johnson For Having No Health Care Plan To Replace ACA
- Fresh Republican shutdown divisions erupt in private call
- Johnson Dismisses Trump 2028 Talk — But Applauds the ‘Trolling’ (Johnson is a seriously f’ed-up person.)
- Trump Says ‘Pretty Clear I’m Not Allowed to Run’ for Third Term
- Trump Suggests He Knows He Can’t Run Again: ‘It’s Too Bad’
- Why Trump’s Third-Term Talk Might Backfire (“He’s leading MAGA supporters on, and J.D. Vance and the GOP could pay a price for it”)
- White House fires arts commission expected to review Trump construction projects
- White House fires commission charged with advising the president on design as Trump pushes construction projects
- Official’s Access to F.B.I. Files in Charlie Kirk Case Drew Pushback
- Another Trump-Appointed U.S. Attorney Found to be Serving Unlawfully, Federal Judge Rules
- Maryland’s Democratic Senate president blocks anti-Trump redistricting fight (“Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, two of the state’s top Democrats, want a special session to redistrict. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said no.”)
- As Trump watches, Georgia Republicans brace for a bruising Senate primary
- What Elon Musk’s Version of Wikipedia Thinks About Hitler, Putin, and Apartheid (“The next step in Musk’s propaganda machine”)
- Grokipedia Is the Antithesis of Everything That Makes Wikipedia Good, Useful, and Human
- Musk’s Grokipedia Validates His Favorite Conspiracy Theories While Saying Nice Things About Him (“The billionaire has grown increasingly upset with Wikipedia in recent years and now aims to take it down with a ‘non-woke’ alternative”)
- Another Big Reason to Worry About Bari Weiss’ Tenure at CBS News (“Right now, a potential peril is at hand: the end of truth.”)
- Texas sues Tylenol for the dumbest reason (“Attorney General Ken Paxton beclowns himself to get Trump to endorse his Senate run” Paxton is evil.)
- Texas AG Whose Wife Divorced Him on “Biblical Grounds” Sues Tylenol Maker on Medically Unfounded Grounds
- Video: On Redistricting Special Session, Sen. Mark Warner Says “I completely understand the Democrats in Richmond saying we just can’t watch as states all around us, like North Carolina, take action without even input of voters.” (On the shutdown, Sen. Warner says Trump “gallivanting around Asia” is “putting America last and Americans are going to pay the price for that”)
- Here’s the redistricting plan Virginia Democrats want voters to approve (“A constitutional amendment unveiled Tuesday would give state lawmakers the option to draw new congressional districts, but the power would be limited and temporary.”)
- If Democrats succeed with redistricting plan, they could reduce Virginia’s Republican delegation to Congress to lowest level since 1952 (“If Virginia Democrats find a way to redraw the state’s congressional map, a delegation that’s now 6-5 Democratic could go to 9-2 or even 10-1 Democratic.”)
- Dems’ amendment would let legislature redraw map in response to other states
- [UPDATE: Day #2] Virginia General Assembly Meets for Possible New Redistricting Amendment
- Details of proposed redistricting legislation revealed
- Va. Democrats roll out redistricting amendment to counter GOP map changes in other states (“The last-minute effort faces sharp pushback from Republicans and Attorney General Miyares, who says timing breaches Virginia’s constitutional process.”)
- Yes, Virginia, our elections are secure (“Secure elections and voting rights protections are both critical to our confidence in Election Day outcomes. Just as important, though, is that citizens take their own responsibility to vote seriously, writes columnist Ivy Main.”)
- Abigail Spanberger stays laser-focused on closing economic message amid last-minute ‘curveballs’ in Virginia (“Republican Winsome Earle-Sears has sought to use the government shutdown, Jay Jones’ texts and redistricting to knock Spanberger off course ahead of the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election.”)
- Virginia Attorney General touted work fighting discrimination, but voted against LGBTQ workplace protections
- A modern history of split-ticket elections in Virginia
- Spanberger continues to dominate fundraising; Jones’ money faucet runs slow after text messages while Miyares’ gushes cash (“The final campaign reports before the election show a big change in contributions in the attorney general’s race, after Jones’ text messages were revealed.”)
- Miyares outraises Jones four-to-one after texting scandal (The media LOVES this, can’t stop talking about Jones’ texting scandal.)
- Fairfax County Democrats: “Jason Miyares Has Been Dangerous. Virginia Deserves Better.” (This election is “about whether we give Trump’s allies another term of control, or whether we take our Commonwealth back and keep it on the path of progress.”)
- Final Campaign Finance #s for the 2025 VA Elections Now Available (The Big Problem for Dems is AG; Everything Else Looks Good)
- Photos: Spanberger’s “Virginia Votes Bus Tour” Heads to the Westernmost Tip of Commonwealth & Tours Southwest Virginia (“Spanberger made clear that, as the next Governor of Virginia, she will never be afraid to stand up for Virginia and put Virginians first.”)
- Youngkin political stunt will at least keep SNAP families from starving (Youngkin “is earmarking $1 million – which ain’t much, but it’s something – to Virginia food banks…Wonder where the money for the $40 billion bailout of Argentina came from. Not to mention, the $300 million – and you know that’s a low-ball estimate – to build a 90,000-square-foot Trump Ballroom?”)
- Virginia SNAP substitute to roll out weekly through November
- Here’s how Virginia plans to feed residents when SNAP funding lapses (“Virginia has the money to cover the cost of distributing food assistance benefits for the month of November, said Gov. Glenn Youngkin as he discussed the state’s plan to stand up a parallel system to distribute benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.”)
- Some Virginia colleges and universities celebrating enrollment growth
- Blue Ridge Area Food Bank reports record levels of food insecurity
- Southwest Va. coal company to lay off 118 as it idles operations (“The job cuts by Grundy-based Wellmore Energy Co. come a few months after the company notified officials of 72 layoffs in Southwest Virginia.”)
- Trial begins in lawsuit filed by teacher who was shot by 6-year-old student (“Testimony began in a civil trial stemming from a lawsuit brought by Abby Zwerner, who was seriously injured when she was shot at a Virginia elementary school in 2023.”)
- CWG Live updates: Cloudy and cool today with scattered showers by afternoon; rain tonight (“Rain totals of 1 to 1.5 inches seem like a good bet. The rain is long gone by Halloween.”)
