Saturday (2/21/26) News Clips

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 21.

• Sustainable Switch Climate Focus: US issues ultimatum to IEA over net zero goals (Under the Trump regime, the U.S. is now a rogue nation – utterly disgraceful.)
• Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis?
• Civilians to soldiers: how four years of war has changed ordinary Ukrainians
• Ukraine is the biggest and most consequential of all the American betrayals
• Four years on, Russia is still paying for a fatal miscalculation in Ukraine
• A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them (“Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans to invade, and why most of Europe – including the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – dismissed them”)
• Exclusive: US intelligence agencies tie Chinese explosive test to push for a completely new nuclear arsenal
• Why Attacking Iran Could Be Riskier Than Capturing Venezuela’s Ex-Leader
• Dozens of U.S. Planes Are at Jordan Base, Satellite Images and Flight Data Show (“At least 60 attack aircraft are parked at the base, which has become a key hub for U.S. military planning for possible strikes on Iran.”)
• Trump’s Iran options: “Token” nuclear enrichment to taking out Khamenei
• Iran prepares nuclear counterproposal as US considers limited military strikes (“Trump orders massive buildup of naval forces in Middle East, leading to fears of an imminent war”)
• Trump Approaches Legacy-Defining Moment on Iran: A Deal or War (“If diplomatic efforts to end Iran’s nuclear program fail, the president’s appetite for a potentially lengthy war will be tested”)
• The Guardian view on Trump’s Board of Peace: serving private interests more than public good
• US envoy Mike Huckabee says it would be ‘fine’ if Israel took all Middle East land (“Rightwing Trump ally tells Tucker Carlson Israel has biblical right to land from ‘wadi of Egypt to the great river’” WHAT THE F***???)
• ‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks (“Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, ‘If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone’”)
• Government considers removing Andrew from royal line of succession
• The British royal family faces its worst crisis in generations
• Cuba’s health care system pushed to the brink by US fuel blockade, Cuban minister says
• Bridge Owner Donated $1 Million to MAGA Group Before Trump Blasted Competitor (“The PAC and the White House say the donation had nothing to do with President Trump’s tirade against a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.” MASSIVELY corrupt!)
• Republicans quietly celebrate the demise of tariffs. That relief might not last. (“Many in the GOP, especially those in battleground states, are happy to see the blanket tariffs go in a heated election year. Trump has already pledged to bring them back.”)
• After Tariff Decision, What Happens to Trump’s Deals With China, Canada and Europe?
• 5 takeaways as Supreme Court strikes blow to Trump’s tariffs
• Why the supreme court’s tariffs ruling is a win for world trade – but also tricky (“The decision adds to economic uncertainty, as deals Donald Trump struck with other countries are upended”)
• Get Ready for Zombie Tariffs (“Even after losing at the Supreme Court, Trump has plenty of ways to reconstruct his trade regime.”)
• ‘Disgrace To Our Nation’: Trump Rages At Supreme Court Justices After Tariff Ruling (Trump is a malignant, pathological narcissist who thinks following the constitution and the rule of law is an attack on HIM PERSONALLY. In short, Trump is completely unhinged and very dangerous – and anyone who voted for him is seriously misguided at best.)
• Trump signs order imposing ‘temporary’ 10 percent global tariff after Supreme Court ruling (“The tariff, issued under a different authority than the one the Supreme Court just struck down, can last for 150 days”)
• Trump to impose global 10% tariff after Supreme Court loss
• ‘Murky Waters’ for Global Businesses After Trump’s Tariff Loss
• Trump Demeans Himself as He Attacks the Supreme Court (“President Trump owes the Supreme Court an apology—to the individual Justices he smeared on Friday and the institution itself.”)
• The Supreme Court Refuses Trump’s Tariffs
• Exclusive: Supreme Court tariff ruling makes over $175 billion in US revenue subject to refunds, Penn-Wharton estimates
• John Roberts’ Rebuke of Trump’s Tariffs Is Withering, Confident, and Genuinely Encouraging
• Trump Lost on Tariffs, but Trade Will Never Be the Same (“U.S. trade policy will be less chaotic, but it won’t go back to what prevailed before 2025”)
• The Supreme Court just blew up Trump’s foreign policy (“How will Trump get countries to do what he wants without tariffs?”)
• Tariff Ruling Rips Open Trump’s Relationship With the Roberts Court (“The decision was the president’s biggest high-court defeat, and he took it personally”)
• The Supreme Court’s Declaration of Independence (This is WILDLY overstated, utterly absurd actually, as this Supreme Court has gone along with Trump in the overwhelming majority of cases…and will probably continue to do so.)
• Handing defeats to the president, Supreme Court signals potential course change (“A pair of rulings on tariffs and National Guard deployment mark the justices’ first major decisions against the president. More may be coming.”)
• Quick Thoughts on the Tariff Decision and the President’s Angry Reaction (“A massive defeat for the president and an extraordinary affirmation of the Supreme Court’s power.”)
• Supreme Court Leaves No Clear Way For Consumers To Get Tariff Refunds
• Trump’s Tariff Fantasy Just Exploded
• The supreme court’s tariffs ruling puts Trump on notice with a bloody nose (“The conservative-heavy court had largely given Trump everything he desired – until now, when two of his three nominees turned their back on him”)
• The Supreme Court Delivers Trump a Humiliating Gift (“Finally, a check on the president’s tariff powers.”)
• Metadata Exposes Authors of ICE’s ‘Mega’ Detention Center Plans
• A Fatal ICE Shooting Occurred in Texas Months Before Renee Good’s Killing (“A 23-year-old American was shot last March in South Padre Island. ICE’s involvement in the shooting was not disclosed until this week.”)
• ICE’s Campaign Of Terror Is Not Over, Says Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
• Detentions and disappearances: how ICE has driven fear into Michigan’s Arab communities
• Health and Climate Consequences of EPA’s Endangerment Finding Repeal ‘Cannot Be Overstated’ (“In short: the agency will no longer be able to regulate carbon pollution or greenhouse gases—though a couple of scenarios might prevent President Trump from getting his way.”)
• Inside RFK Jr.’s long-running crusade against the flu vaccine (This guy is completely unhinged.)
• New Documents Reveal a Controversial Vaccine Study’s Unusual Path to CDC Approval (“A Rolling Stone investigation uncovered irregularities in the ethics review of a $1.6 million research grant to examine the effects of a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau”)
• U.S. Economy Grew More Slowly at End of 2025 (“Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the last quarter of the year, hit by the effects of the government shutdown.”)
• U.S. economic growth slowed sharply at end of 2025, dragging down the year (“New GDP figures reflect subdued growth from new trade policies and a weeks-long government shutdown.”)
• A Growing Number of Democrats Are Skipping Trump’s State of the Union Address
• Epstein files place renewed attention on US authorities’ failure to stop him (“Files show accuser in 2011 provided extensive account of abuse as questions mount over why action was not taken”)
• FCC’s Carr urges broadcasters to air ‘patriotic, pro-America’ content (This guy should NOT be FCC chair.)
• Conan O’Brien Breaks Silence on Rob Reiner’s Murder After Director Attended His Holiday Party: ‘I Was in Shock’ (“The comedian was at the center of the tragedy when news broke that the couple attended his holiday party the night before they were killed”)
• House Speaker Johnson rejects request for Jesse Jackson to lie in honor at Capitol (Mike Johnson continues to be an utter disgrace.)
• Utah Supreme Court upholds fairer map for midterm elections, rejects GOP appeal
• Rep. Tony Gonzales faces ethics investigation over alleged affair ahead of tough primary (“The congressman is sparring online with the husband of a former staffer who died by suicide, and his opponent is running ads referencing the alleged affair.”)
• ‘Dictator vibes’ as dear leader Trump puts name and face front and center (“Banner at justice department just the latest example of how president has imposed himself on daily US life” Kim Jong Un, basically.)
• With a new banner, Trump models himself in the authoritarian aesthetic
• Margaret Sullivan on how Trump coverage still falls short (“A different, more skeptical approach is absolutely necessary.”)
• Judge who allowed FBI to search Washington Post reporter’s home rips into Justice Department
• How an Embittered Brit Decimated the Washington Post (“Inside Will Lewis’s disastrous attempts to revitalize the paper. podcast”)
• Turns Out There Was Voter Fraud in Georgia—by Elon Musk (“The state board of elections found Musk’s PAC sent prefilled ballot applications.” Charte Musk with a crime, then!)
• Justice Department swiftly fires lawyer chosen as U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia
• Va. state senator pushes for water testing after 243 million-gallon sewage spill in Potomac River (“Officials say there is no impact on drinking water, after Virginia Department of Health issued a recreational advisory for 72.5 miles of the Virginia coast along the river”)
• The Politics Hour: Latest on Potomac River sewage spill and Montgomery County’s data center debate
• ‘Friday Follies’: Tim Kaine accused of politicizing Lent (I’m including this simply as an illustration of how Fox “News” is: a) not real news; b) right-wing propaganda; c) nasty; d) stupid; etc.)
• Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08): “Even Trump’s Supreme Court allies, who have bent over backwards to give him unprecedented powers over and over again, had to admit that his tariffs are unconstitutional and illegal.” (“While this is a win for the American people and American businesses who will no longer have to pay these taxes, much of the damage is done”)
• General Assembly passes bill containing new congressional map, primary date
• NEW ADS: ‘Commission” and “General” — Underscore Trump’s Threats to Fair Elections (“New Ads Featuring Former Member of Virginia’s Bipartisan Redistricting Commission [James Abrenio], Virginia Veteran [Major General Randy Manner]”)
• Kyle Ford on Yesterday’s Tazewell Court Virginia Redistricting Ruling: “If a court lacks equity jurisdiction to enter the order, the order is void. Not wrong on the merits. Void.” (“This TRO doesn’t preserve the status quo. It destroys it.”)
• Virginia Democrats’ proposed 10-1 map heads to Gov. Spanberger’s desk (“House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott said Friday that he was confident Gov. Abigail Spanberger would sign the legislation that houses the map within 24 hours.”)
• Spanberger signs Virginia Democrats’ proposed congressional map despite ongoing court battle
• Nearly 1,000 bills died this year: What’s in Virginia’s legislative graveyard (“More than 2,000 bills survived Virginia’s crossover. But not every bill becomes law.”)
• A bill legalizing online gaming was passed when some ‘no’ votes were out of the room
• The Virginia Republicans who voted in favor of a legal weed market
• Virginia House Delays Action on Bill Banning Paraquat (“The lethal pesticide is banned in Europe, China and many other countries. But not a single state in the U.S. has followed suit, despite research indicating that paraquat exposure increases the risks of Parkinson’s disease”)
• UVA team develops faster, cheaper technique for making vaccines
• CASA seeks to secure first state funding increase since 2008 amid rising demand for services (“The organization, which provides volunteer advocates for children navigating the foster care system, has a budget amendment on the table in Richmond that would more than double the funds it receives from the state.”)
• Patrick County votes to block registrar from holding election until court rules on legality of redistricting; Lynchburg sets similar vote (“They are part of a movement inspired by former Virginia Beach Del. Tim Anderson to force a Supreme Court ruling. Early voting is scheduled to begin March 6.” Sen. Mark Peake, a conservative Republican: “Unfortunately, I don’t think it is a wise idea for people in our area to not vote for the full 45 days if people in Richmond, Fairfax and other cities are going to be voting for 45 days.”)
• UVa names new rector after Spanberger reshapes board
• CWG Live: Mild today with snow a good bet Sunday into Monday (“Details are still coming together, but a couple inches could fall as a powerful storm intensifies off the Mid-Atlantic coast.”)