by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 14.
- Trump’s repeal of landmark Obama-era climate rule: four key takeaways (“Environmental groups say ‘cynical and devastating’ reversal of endangerment finding has grave implications”)
- Britain’s relentless rain shows climate predictions playing out as expected
- Gavin Newsom Says Trump is ‘Code Red’ For Climate Leadership
- Rubio Warns European Leaders About Dangers of Western Decline (The media is whitewashing Rubio’s speech, LYING that it had a “more moderate tone.” I mean, Rubio referred to a “cliamte cult” and railed against immigration – that is NOT “mdoerate”)
- Rubio’s speech to European allies takes softer tone but sticks to Trump’s firm stance (“While offering a calmer and more reassuring tone than the one often heard over the past year, Rubio made clear that the Trump administration is sticking to its guns on policy. He denounced ‘a climate cult’ and ‘an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies.'” OK, so Rubio should not have received a single vote from Democratic Senators – but instead was confirmed UNANIMOUSLY. Why???)
- Munich Security Conference live: Zelenskyy criticises Orbán as he joins Starmer in calling for European unity
- Trump news at a glance: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts president’s ‘age of authoritarianism’ at European conference (“Democratic representative also condemns US capture of Nicolás Maduro, Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and US support for Israel’s war on Gaza”)
- US ‘not powerful enough to go it alone’, Merz tells Munich conference (“German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says ‘democracies have partners and allies’”)
- Exclusive: US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran operations
- U.S. and Iran set to hold second round of nuclear talks in Geneva
- Trump Says Iran Regime Change Could Be ‘Best Thing’ As Second Carrier Heads To Middle East (“Asked if he wanted regime change in Iran, Trump responded that it ‘seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.'”)
- Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Raid (“The use of the model through a contract with Palantir highlights the growing role of AI in the Pentagon.”)
- US strikes second alleged drug boat in a week, bringing death toll to 133 (“Strike appears to be first in Caribbean since November, with vast majority of recent strikes happening in the Pacific”)
- Scoop: Cuba hardliners ask Trump’s DOJ to indict Raul Castro
- Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped. (“Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.”)
- ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion turning warehouses into detention centers (Anyone who voted for this should be booted out of office in November!)
- Feds investigating whether 2 ICE officers lied about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis
- ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say (Arrest them.)
- Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts (“The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said.”)
- Don Lemon pleads not guilty to federal charges stemming from church protest (Of COURSE he’s not guilty; this is RIDICULOUS!)
- Trump officials condemned Don Lemon. He’s bigger than ever after arrest. (“The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.”)
- Judge Orders U.S. to Facilitate Return of College Student Who Was Deported in Error
- Much of DHS runs out of money after ICE negotiations falter
- ‘Even in Russia, they don’t treat children like this’: A family’s nightmare in ICE detention (“A Russian couple and their children sought asylum in the U.S. In a Texas detention center, they say they endured worms in the food and hourslong waits for medicine.” EVIL.
- The Battles Inside Kristi Noem’s DHS: Five Takeaways From the Journal’s Investigation
- Social Security Workers Are Being Told to Hand Over Appointment Details to ICE (That’s f’ed up.)
- Kristi Noem’s Audience of One (“The DHS secretary is suddenly talking about more than just mass deportations.” She is one of the most disgusting humans…period.)
- A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS (“The homeland security secretary faces fire for the confrontational immigration crackdown and her self-promotional style.” She is completely deranged.)
- How the Democrats Can Play Offense on Immigration (“Typically, Democrats run for the hills when immigration comes up. But as two blue-state governors are showing, the winning play is actually to confront ICE and MAGA xenophobia head on.”)
- DHS says immigration agents appear to have lied about shooting in Minnesota
- Health care, social assistance accounted for 95% of January’s strong jobs report (“Without health care, the country would have nearly 400,000 fewer jobs than it did a year ago, according to Labor Department figures through January.”)
- Worry, Don’t Panic, Over Trump’s Efforts to Subvert the Elections (“America’s system is quite foolproof but he can still try to delegitimize it”)
- Ramping Up Election Attacks, Trump Does Not Let Reality Get in His Way
- Trump vows voter ID requirements for the midterms, ‘whether approved by Congress or not’ (Nope, he can’t do that.)
- Trump says he will issue executive order to get voter-ID requirements before midterms (That’s dictator shit.)
- Six Planks of RFK Jr.’s Year of Health Care Demolition (“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed the nation’s health systems away from science and toward conspiracy-fueled quackery”)
- Five months after Sen. Bill Cassidy asked RFK Jr. to testify, it still hasn’t happened
- Healthcare group urges RFK Jr to resign after remarks on cocaine and toilet seats
- Trump takes a beating from his own party amid Epstein files release and tariffs rebuke
- Meet the YOLO Republicans: Lawmakers with nothing to lose are threatening Trump’s grip on Congress
- Trump Is Having to Work Harder Than Ever to Keep GOP in Line
- Republicans worry shutdown will overshadow Trump’s State of the Union
- Trump privately lashes out at GOP lawmakers over racist video blowback, sources say
- The US Government Will Not Stop Sharing Nazi Propaganda (“And their supporters are loving it.”)
- Elon Is Back? (Edit: He Never Really Left.) (“In addition to getting back into the White House social circuit and pouring money into campaigns, Musk has been ceaselessly posting political recommendations on X.”)
- Peter Attia appears to be staying at CBS News despite Epstein communications (CBS is no longer a legitimate news operation.)
- Inside Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein’s Disturbingly Close Friendship (“The new Epstein files are a peek into the Trump consigliere’s chummy relationship with the sex offender, from late-night notes to private jet rides. Will MAGA even care?”)
- Western US states fail to negotiate crucial Colorado River deal: ‘Mother nature isn’t going to bail us out’ (“Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty” What a disaster.)
- Pentagon may bar tuition aid for top universities in Hegseth’s crackdown on ‘biased’ schools
- Four men in unredacted files named by Ro Khanna have no ties to Epstein (“Men appeared in photo lineup assembled in New York and had no apparent connection to late sex offender”)
- New images of White House ballroom show clearest look yet at Trump project (” The planned 90,000-square-foot project would represent the most significant change to the White House grounds in decades and is advancing even as it is challenged in court and questioned on Capitol Hill.”)
- Rod Dreher Thinks the Enlightenment Was a Mistake (“The influential author derides secularism and the modern world. Conservatives—including the vice president—are joining him on a march back to the Middle Ages.” Insanity.)
- Law enforcement swarmed a home near Nancy Guthrie’s as desperate search continues
- BREAKING: “Big win” as VA Supreme Court Says Redistricting Referendum CAN Be Held on 4/21 (Sam Shirazi: “this is much better for [VA Dems] than referendum not happening. And suggests court might ultimately rule for them”)
- Virginia Supreme Court: April 21 redistricting referendum can move forward
- Court says Virginians can vote on redistricting but timing means their votes may not count (Right, but very unlikely the VA Supreme Court would invalidate a couple million votes or whatever.)
- Virginia Supreme Court gives go-ahead on congressional map referendum
- Supreme Court of Virginia greenlights redistricting referendum (“‘Now it’s up to voters,’ Gov. Abigail Spanberger said Friday in response to the high court’s order.”)
- Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Endorses Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor for Congress (Taylor also has been endorsed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Sen. Tim Kaine, etc.)
- Virginia’s energy choices: No free lunch (By former VA House Democratic leader David Toscano)
- LGBTQ advocates hope Spanberger will restore funding cuts made under Youngkin
- State may ask the public to donate to a fund for wildlife crossings under highways
- Charlottesville boasts best crime report in years, 51% drop in gun vilence
- Mathews commonwealth’s attorney was found shot in chest outside her SUV, court documents say
- What’s going on at the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents?
- Virginia native Ilia Malinin falls twice in Olympic disaster, allowing Mikhail Shaidorov to claim gold
- Au pair sentenced to 10 years for her role in Virginia double killing
- CWG Live: Warmer and sunny today ahead of Sunday storm
********************************************************
