by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, February 16.
- Turning Our Back on Clean Energy (“Why does MAGA hate the planet?”)
- Why changes in a Florida ocean current could wreak havoc worldwide
- Rampant AI Demand for Memory Is Fueling a Growing Chip Crisis (“The fundamental reason for the squeeze is the buildout of AI data centers.”)
- Trump Risks Igniting a Nuclear Wildfire
- Ukrainian civilian casualties surged by 26% in 2025, say researchers (That’s largely Trump’s fault for not providing Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself.)
- EU foreign policy chief criticises ‘fashionable euro-bashing’ by US (“Kaja Kallas says other countries ‘look up to us’ and rejects idea Europe faces ‘civilisational erasure’”)
- Trump’s damage is done. Democrats – and Europe – are struggling to define what’s next
- Trump’s new world order has become real and Europe is having to adjust fast
- Offer to join Trump’s new era is met with growing sense of European steeliness (“Talk of a stronger, independent Europe was the dominant mood in Munich amid bitter disagreement on Ukraine”)
- Europe aims to rely less on US defence after Trump’s Greenland push
- Marco Rubio Doesn’t Get It (“The Trump administration continues to lambast friends and empower foes.” Rubio is a f’ing disgrace.)
- In Xi’s Purge of the Military, a Search for Absolute Loyalty
- World Leader Sounds Off on Trump’s Unhinged Peace Prize Text
- Hungary backs US peace efforts in Ukraine and ‘remains ready’ to host talks, Orbán says (Orban is a Putin lackey – f*** him.)
- Rubio meets Orbán in Budapest as US and Hungary are to sign a civilian nuclear pact (Disgusting.)
- A Defector Explains the Remote-Work Scam Helping North Korea Pay for Nukes (“Kim Jong Un’s cyber operatives have faked their way into IT jobs at American firms and elsewhere, pocketing big revenue for regime”)
- Iran says potential energy, mining and aircraft deals on table in talks with US
- Trump Promises Billions in Aid to Gaza as Israeli Airstrikes Reportedly Kill 12 Palestinians
- Trump told Netanyahu he would support Israeli strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program, sources say
- Trump’s Stinging Attack on Israel’s President Touches a Nerve (“President Trump called President Isaac Herzog of Israel ‘disgraceful’ because he has not yet pardoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption trial”)
- Israeli cabinet approves West Bank land registration, Palestinians condemn ‘de-facto annexation’ (If Biden or Harris were in office, they’d be pushing back hard against this crap.)
- Female Israeli soldiers rescued after being chased by ultra-Orthodox men (Wildly unacceptable.)
- The Trump admin argument that masks “are for officer safety reasons” is actually an admission (“Tom Homan highlights how secrecy aims to block accountability, the immoral lawlessness at the core of the Trump administration.”)
- Trump’s border czar says a ‘small’ security force will stay in Minnesota
- US teen who pushed for her father’s release from ICE custody dies of cancer (“Ofelia Torres, 16, spotlighted her dad Ruben’s illegal detention last fall during Trump’s crackdown in Chicago”)
- Tom Homan: Minnesota Should Say “Thank You” for DHS Operation (Hahahahahah – riiiight.)
- What to Know About the Homeland Security Shutdown
- Here’s how the DHS shutdown is impacting air travel, TSA
- The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation (“Our studies in civil resistance offer insight into the level of popular organizing needed to repel assaults on democracy”)
- With Latest Rollback, the U.S. Essentially Has No Clean-Car Rules (Insane.)
- RFK Jr.’s allies are trying to free anti-vaccine doctors to speak their minds (“They want the Supreme Court to allow physicians to buck the medical establishment when they advise patients and the public.” Why do anti-vax doctors still have their medical licenses? That’s GROSS malpractice!)
- RFK Jr.’s battle with the public health establishment has turned to trench warfare (“The health secretary turned his agencies toward skepticism of processed food and vaccines, but he’s faced pushback at every turn — including from Republicans.”)
- Trump’s New Voter I.D. Threat Is His Gravest Attack on Democracy Yet (“The president says he’ll do it “whether approved by Congress or not!” He can’t legally do that—but that hasn’t stopped him before.”)
- Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump (“The official oral history of the Obama White House is a stark and extensive reminder of the values and the principles that are being trampled.”)
- Concerns over autocracy in the U.S. continue to grow
- GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Nails Trump With Absolutely Devastating New Epstein Label
- Trump’s Obama and Bad Bunny posts crystallize his political philosophy (“Maga is a recapitulation of the dark side of American history that cohered into nativist nationalism a century ago”)
- The backlash against Trump is showing up in hard data, not just polls (“New data on protest activity shows organized anti-Trump actions are 4x the size they were in the president’s first term”)
- Democrats’ struggles could be partly because they’re just too old, says Obama (“There is an element of, at some point, you age out”)
- No evidence aliens have made contact, says Obama after podcast comments cause frenzy (“Former US president clarifies ‘they’re real’ answer that he gave during quick-fire interview round”)
- Pelosi’s new campaign: Boost Newsom for 2028
- Warner Bros. Weighs Reopening Sale Negotiations With Paramount (“Warner Bros. still has concerns about Paramount’s offer, but this is the first time the board has considered it could lead to a better deal.”)
- Progressive Texas organizers hail shock win as far-right Republicans left reeling (“Elation as anti-extremists fight back against influence of billionaire megadonors through grassroots organizing”)
- FBI: DNA recovered from glove found near Guthrie home that appears to match glove worn by suspect
- ‘No other choice’: Top senator says ‘100 per cent’ chance US will deliver on AUKUS (“Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator who was Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate in the 2016 election, said China would weaponise any collapse in the AUKUS plan, making it crucial for the US to deliver on its promise to a close ally.”)
- Video: House Dem Leader Hakeem Jeffries Says That VA Redistricting Referendum Lets Voters Decide, Shows “When they go low, we strike back” (“Republicans started this redistricting war, and Democrats have made it clear we’re going to finish it”; Vows to spend “tens of millions” to make sure redistricting referendum passes)
- FULL INTERVIEW – Rep. John McGuire Discusses his support of the SAVE Act (McGuire is a far-right extremist who supports massive voter suppression, unsurprisingly but appallingly.)
- Beth Macy won’t change course if redistricting pits her against Tom Perriello
- A direction on data centers emerges in General Assembly
- State bill aims to designate local zoning districts for homes on small lots
- Future of program that helps low-income Virginians with HIV remains unclear (“Cuts to the program stem from billing errors and problems within the Health Department’s rebate claims process.”)
- Buchanan County tentatively agrees to give $3.4 million to struggling law school
- Abortion opponents pack Lynchburg council meeting for vote on zoning change (“The amendment, which restricts where abortion providers can locate in the city, passed 4-2 after four hours of public comment.”)
- Census: Roanoke’s population decline is accelerating, city on pace to rival its steep drop in the 1960s
- 650 acres at Dragon Run protected for its ecological and cultural significance (“Researchers and volunteers now documenting wildlife, native flora and the area’s deep ties to Indigenous communities”)
- Perdue Farms tractor-trailer goes off Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel; driver dies
- ‘A huge loss to the citizens of Mathews’: Colleagues reflect on prosecutor who died of gunshot wound Tuesday
- Charlottesville agrees to school support staff raise after nearly backing out of deal
- CWG Live: Here comes the mildest week since November
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