by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, November 17.
- Have courage to create fossil fuel phaseout roadmap at Cop30, Brazilian minister urges (“Marina Silva says contentious plan would be ‘ethical answer’ to climate crisis but does not commit Brazil to it”)
- In Brazil, Agribusiness Giants Hire Celebrity Influencers to Win Hearts and Minds (“Doctors and models extol the virtues of meat as climate impacts of industrial farming face scrutiny at COP30 — the global climate summit.”)
- Thousands March for Climate Action as U.N. Talks Enter Second Week (“As the talks continue, some countries are pushing for a detailed ‘road map’ for a global transition away from oil, gas and coal.”)
- Key takeaways from COP30 halfway through the UN climate summit
- Hydropower Is Getting Less Reliable as the World Needs More Energy (“Demand for power is growing fast, but hydro plants, the oldest source of clean energy, are struggling because of droughts, floods and other extreme weather linked to climate change.”)
- France’s birds start to show signs of recovery after bee-harming pesticide ban (We should do the same.)
- Zelenskiy says Ukraine will obtain 100 French-made Rafale warplanes (“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he had signed a deal with France to obtain 100 Rafale warplanes as he seeks to bolster the country’s long-term military capacity to fight Russia’s invasion.”)
- Russian missile strike kills three, wounds 10 in Kharkiv region, Ukraine says
- Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region sparks fires at port
- New Nuclear Arms Race Pits U.S. Against Both Russia and China (Ugh.)
- China Escalates Japan Spat With Threats of Economic Retaliation
- ‘We haven’t sold our soul to the devil’: Switzerland’s trade deal with the U.S. divides opinion
- Iran’s foreign minister says the nation is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country
- Saudi crown prince visits US with security, AI and nuclear on the agenda
- MBS comes to Washington. Regrettably.
- Trump pulling out all the stops to welcome Saudi crown prince for first White House visit since Khashoggi killing (What’s going on here? $$$$ and massive corruption, obviously.)
- Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody have surged. A prison guard describes rampant abuse
- Hamas’s Popularity Rises in Gaza, Complicating Trump Plan to Disarm Militants
- Trump considers talks with Venezuela’s Maduro even as U.S. ramps up military pressure
- Trump Floats Venezuela Talks as US Labels Maduro a Terrorist (Maduro’s a really bad guy, but just because someone’s a really bad guy doesn’t make them a terrorist.)
- Trump’s Bid to Control the Western Hemisphere Is Upending Politics in the Americas (“President Trump has tightened the U.S. grip on the Americas by rewarding allies and punishing rivals, overhauling the region’s politics.”)
- US may have discussions with Maduro as aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean, Trump says
- US military carried out 21st strike on alleged drug boat, killing 3 (This is illegal, for starters. Also note that the Trump administration is presenting NO EVIDENCE that the people they’re killing are smuggling drugs or doing anything illegal, let alone being “terrorists” or whatever. In some cases, at least, they apepar to have been fishermen.)
- Ex-Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death over brutal protests crackdown
- Ecuador Referendum Voters Deliver Stinging Defeat to Noboa
- Pentagon to Withdraw Some National Guard Troops From Chicago and Portland
- Gregory Bovino is exactly who E.B. White — author of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ — warned us about (“DHS named its North Carolina anti-immigrant effort “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” In 1940, White wrote of the ‘smell’ that ‘rises’ from those who ‘adjust to fascism’ over freedom.”)
- Dozens arrested in North Carolina immigration enforcement surge, Border Patrol official says
- The Crypto Industry’s $28 Billion in ‘Dirty Money’ (“As President Trump has championed crypto and the industry has gone mainstream, funds from scammers and other criminal groups have flowed onto major crypto exchanges.”)
- The Grift Bubble (“A Political Theory of American Collapse”)
- ‘This Is Corruption’: ’60 Minutes’ Reports Trump Pardoned Binance Boss After He ‘Enriched’ Crypto Business Tied to Trump Family
- Grand theft government (“President Trump is in the process of sending millions of dollars in taxpayer money directly to his political allies — and himself.”)
- Hatchet Man (“The F.B.I. director isn’t just enforcing the President’s agenda at the Bureau—he’s seeking retribution for its past investigations of Donald Trump.”)
- Trump’s Republican Party insists there’s no affordability crisis and dismisses election losses
- Trump does Epstein U-turn as House Republicans prepare to spurn him
- Trump Backs Vote to Release Epstein Files in Sharp Reversal (“President had urged House Republicans to reject the proposal but faced defections within the GOP”)
- In reversal, Trump says House Republicans should vote to release Epstein files
- Trump’s investigation into Epstein ties to political foes might be ‘smokescreen’, Republican says (“Thomas Massie says move could be Trump’s ‘last-ditch effort’ to keep Epstein files from becoming public”)
- Why Trump can’t make the Epstein scandal go away (“His ordinary scandal management techniques are not working.”)
- Epstein’s emails are the end of America as they ruined it (“If the evil banality of the world’s most powerful people exposed in the Epstein emails doesn’t cause a revolution, nothing will.”)
- Trump, 79, Launches Late-Night Pity Party After Humiliating Epstein Reversal
- John Oliver Unloads on Megyn Kelly’s ‘Pedophile Math’
- Megyn Kelly Goes There on Epstein (She is horrible.)
- Trump Defends Tucker Carlson After Nick Fuentes Interview (There’s no defense for Tucker Carlson.)
- How Ezra Klein’s power play is guiding Democrats (Ugh, why???)
- As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ (“When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.” Scumbag.)
- Indiana Republican called out by Trump on redistricting is swatted
- Gavin Newsom Is Winning the “Attention Primary.” Insiders Say He’s Building Infrastructure to Win an Actual Primary
- Trump plans to meet with Mamdani, says he’ll ‘work something out’ with New York City’s mayor-elect
- Don’t Be Fooled: Marjorie Taylor Greene Still Wants to Reconcile With Trump
- Video: On “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine Explains Why “I switched my no vote to yes”; Talks About “a vantage point I had that a lot of folks [like AOC and Ro Khanna] who were lobbing criticism didn’t [have]” (Kaine says AOC, Ro Khanna, etc. “should focus on their own leadership and let Senators do what they need to do to keep this country moving forward.”)
- Sen. Tim Kaine defends Schumer, says House Democrats ‘should focus on their own leadership’
- Tim Kaine goes at progressives, Schumer, on ‘Meet the Press’ TV hit (He didn’t really “go at” Schumer, he actually DEFENDED Schumer pretty strongly.)
- Tim Kaine Defiant in Defense of Shutdown Vote: ‘I Don’t Need a Permission Slip’ From Chuck Schumer | Video
- Sen. Tim Kaine defends Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from liberal backlash
- Video: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Explains – “Trump is the hero in QAnon and Pizzagate,” But Now “MAGA is crashing out” Because, “at a minimum, Trump knew that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were trafficking young girls” (Predicts 50+ House Rs will vote to release the Epstein files)
- CASEY: Can journalist Beth Macy beat Rep. Ben Cline in the 6th Congressional District? (If it’s redistricted in a favorable way to Democrats, sure. If not, then extremely unlikely, given that it went overwhelmingly for Trump, Earle-Sears, etc.)
- Women now have more representation in Virginia government. Now what? (“While more women now hold office, they still continue to fight against double standards and additional scrutiny that their male counterparts do not face, according to experts who study women and politics.”)
- After years of vetoes, Virginia poised to launch adult-use cannabis market
- Youngkin touts success in cutting fentanyl deaths, maybe a little too aggressively (As usual, Youngkin lies and exaggerates…because that’s what he does!)
- House Republicans reelect Kilgore after leadership challenge
- Police killed my son. Virginia Republicans compounded the damage. (“Bijan Ghaisar’s mother reflects on Virginia’s election results.”)
- State senators may call UVA leaders to the carpet over agreement to end DOJ investigations
- Lynchburg turned blue for about a week, but late votes kept it red. What election trends tell us about the Hill City.
- After 18-vote loss, Blacksburg mayor candidate Peter Macedo pursues recount
- CWG Live: Cold start to the week with rain late Tuesday; milder by Thursday (“Highs struggle to top 50 through Wednesday.”)



![Video: On “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine Explains Why “I switched my no vote to yes”; Talks About “a vantage point I had that a lot of folks [like AOC and Ro Khanna] who were lobbing criticism didn’t [have]”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kainemtp1-238x178.jpg)
![Sunday News: Trump About to Start War with Venezuela?; “Trump buys at least $82 million in bonds since late August”; “Why Trump Gets Away With It”; “‘SNL’ Skewers Trump’s Desperate Epstein Distraction Tactics”; “[MTG] says she’s had ‘warnings for my safety’ after posts by Trump”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/montage1116-238x178.jpg)






![Video: On “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine Explains Why “I switched my no vote to yes”; Talks About “a vantage point I had that a lot of folks [like AOC and Ro Khanna] who were lobbing criticism didn’t [have]”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kainemtp1-100x75.jpg)
![Sunday News: Trump About to Start War with Venezuela?; “Trump buys at least $82 million in bonds since late August”; “Why Trump Gets Away With It”; “‘SNL’ Skewers Trump’s Desperate Epstein Distraction Tactics”; “[MTG] says she’s had ‘warnings for my safety’ after posts by Trump”](https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/montage1116-100x75.jpg)