by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, February 7.
- What’s Up With This Big Freeze? Some Scientists See Climate Change Link (“A warming Arctic can stretch the polar vortex, a high-altitude air ribbon, one says. The ‘wobble’ can disrupt the jet stream”…)
- A New Crypto Winter Is Here and Even the Biggest Bulls Aren’t Certain Why
- Exclusive: US aims for March peace deal in Ukraine, quick elections, sources say (“U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious March goal for Russia and Ukraine to agree on a peace deal, though that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement on the key issue of territory, according to three sources familiar with the matter.”)
- Ukraine’s coldest winter: Russia’s energy strikes collide with waning supplies
- Exclusive: US plans initial payment towards billions owed to UN, envoy Waltz says
- The Epstein scandal is taking down Europe’s political class. In the US, they’re getting a pass. (“As Europe moves to address its shame, it’s highlighting the comparative lack of accountability in the U.S.”)
- Anne Applebaum on Trump’s betrayal of Europe (“They’re bewildered we’ve allowed this to happen.”)
- Squeezed by U.S. and China, the World’s Middle Powers Are Teaming Up
- Trump threatens tariffs for countries trading with Iran
- Sustainable Switch Climate Focus: Deadly Storm Leonardo hits Spain and Portugal
- Storm-battered Portugal heads to polls as rivals unite to keep out far right (“Socialist António José Seguro on course for victory but gains by André Ventura’s Chega could herald watershed”)
- Latest U.S. Boat Strike Kills 2 in Pacific
- Vance Brutally Snubbed on World’s Biggest Stage
- JD Vance Is Booed at Olympic Opening Ceremony in Milan (“Before the event, protesters marched in Milan in opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose personnel are in Italy to advise local officials in securing the Winter Games.”)
- NBC appears to cut crowd’s booing of JD Vance from Winter Olympics broadcast (“Vice-president given hostile reception by some in Milan; US broadcast cuts out crowd’s show of dissent”)
- The Fall of the House of Assad (“A detached ruler, obsessed with sex and video games, refused every lifeline he was offered.”)
- Study: Fox News smeared Alex Pretti dozens of times following his killing by federal agents (“In the week following Pretti’s killing by DHS, figures on Fox News made at least 75 claims blaming Pretti for his own death or contradicting video evidence”)
- Republicans are the party of separating and destroying families. Never forget that
- DHS warned its independent watchdog that Noem can kill its investigations, senator says
- Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop. (“Several career federal prosecutors in Minnesota balked at a new approach, which they viewed as legally dubious. Many left the office in protest.”)
- Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school (“A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public view.”)
- Trump Opens Marine National Monument in Atlantic to Commercial Fishing (“Off the coast of Cape Cod, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is a unique stretch of ocean that had been protected for a decade.”)
- Is Samuel Alito Preparing to Disrobe? (“In this installment of Elie v. US, our justice correspondent explores the week’s big legal news, including a possible Alito retirement. Also, the anti-trans mob’s latest target: tight clothing.”)
- TrumpRx claims to offer the lowest prices. But many drugs have cheaper generics (“STAT analyzed every drug on TrumpRx. For some, consumers could save by shopping elsewhere”)
- Scientists worry finalizing ‘Schedule F’ rule will further politicize NIH grant decisions
- Demanding Support for Trump, Justice Dept. Struggles to Recruit Prosecutors
- Trump’s Midterm Redistricting Master Plan Is Falling Short (“An unfavorable Supreme Court ruling and surprise Democratic enthusiasm in Texas show limits to president’s plan”)
- House GOP digs in on push for voting bill in hopes of pressuring Senate
- Alarm bells sound over Trump’s ‘take over the voting’ call (“Democracy experts say there is little doubt about president’s desire to interfere in elections this November”)
- Federal judge rules DOJ can ‘no longer’ be trusted in voter roll crusade
- Trump’s toxic, racist video surpasses previous levels of debasement (“Video deleted by White House breaks through numbness barrier and raises further questions about fitness for office”)
- Trump’s Obama Derangement Syndrome
- If Trump Didn’t Post That Racist Video of the Obamas, Who Did? (“More than 12 hours after President Donald Trump shared a grotesque video of Barack and Michelle Obama on Truth Social, the post was deleted. Then the blame game began.”)
- Trump’s racist post, briefly explained (“The president’s racism is making his party antsy.”)
- Racist video is merely the latest in a long line of Trump’s ugly social media posts
- The Big Lie was always a racist project (“Trump’s racist video had two parts: a Big Lie rehash and a Jim Crow cartoon. They’re not separate stories.”)
- Trump refuses to apologize over video showing the Obamas as apes (Trump’s never apologize for his “birther” smear or for his many, many years of racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc. comments.)
- House Dem Leader Jeffries: “F*** Donald Trump”
- Trump condemns racist video showing Obamas as apes after removing it, but says he won’t apologize
- The Obama Meme on Trump’s Truth Social Was Exactly What It Looked Like (“The White House took 12 hours to remove a video depicting the former president and his wife as apes.”)
- Fox News has completely ignored Trump’s since-deleted racist Truth Social post (“Fox has so far failed to cover the post, which depicted the Obamas as apes, and the uproar it generated”)
- Clintons call for their Epstein testimony to be held publicly (“Bill Clinton says closed-door depositions would be akin to ‘kangaroo court’ as Hillary Clinton says they have already told House committee what they know”)
- Lutnick and Epstein were in business together, Epstein files show (“…documents show they were in business together as recently as 2014.”)
- Members of Congress will be able to view unredacted Epstein files next week (“Lawmakers will be able to review the files on computers at the Justice Department starting Monday, according to a letter obtained by NBC News. They can take notes but can’t have electronic devices.”)
- John Phelan, Trump’s Navy secretary, listed in Epstein flight logs
- RFK Jr.’s Bizarre Trip With Epstein and Ghislaine Exposed in Files (“The trip took place on a Native reservation where collecting fossils without explicit tribal permission is considered looting.”)
- White House excluding Dems from its annual governors meeting (“It’s a break from a decades-long bipartisan tradition.” Another important norm trashed by Trump.)
- The Hilarious Decline of MAGA’s Brief Cultural Relevance (“A year ago, everyone was doing the “Trump dance.” Now the president is too scared to show his face at the Super Bowl, and the right’s ‘alternative’ halftime show features the cringey, washed-up Kid Rock.”)
- Pentagon says it’s cutting ties with ‘woke’ Harvard, discontinuing military training, fellowships
- Judge rules in favor of New York and New Jersey for now in $16B tunnel fight with Trump
- Nevada Republican Mark Amodei to retire (“Amodei’s decision comes just three months after President Donald Trump blessed him with a ‘Complete and Total endorsement for Re-election.'”)
- Border Patrol boss Gregory Bovino tossed from Las Vegas bar
- White House Suggests Smithsonian Add a Trump Display
- Blood droplets, a white van, a ransom note: where is Savannah Guthrie’s mother? (“The astonishing case of the missing Today morning show anchor’s mom is six days in so far and without resolution” This is really f’ed up, disturbing, sad, etc.)
- Rich Liberals: Please, Please Step Up and Save The Washington Post (“You will lose money. Piles of it. But you will help save something far more important than money.”)
- ‘It’s all gone’: Veteran Washington Post sports reporter on what sports section layoffs means for the D.C. region
- 8 Winners and 8 Losers (and 8 Mixed) from the New Virginia Redistricting Map
- Video: Gov. Abigail Spanberger Signs Bills to Set Referendums on Proposed Amendments – Reproductive Freedom, Marriage Equality, Voting Rights Restoration, Redistricting
- Spanberger signs bills to send constitutional amendments to voters this year (“Three civil rights amendments will be on November ballots while a Congressional redistricting amendment could be decided in April.”)
- Video: As New Congressional Maps Are Released, Virginians for Fair Elections Launches First Ad of Campaign (“This is a temporary, emergency measure to protect Virginians’ voices”)
- Rep. James Walkinshaw Launches Re-Election Campaign for Virginia’s (New) 11th Congressional District (The current VA11 is a compact Fairfax seat; the new VA11 stretches from Chain Bridge precinct in Fairfax County to Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, but is still solid blue)
- Current VA01 Democratic Candidate Shannon Taylor Announces Intention to Run for Redistricted VA05 “upon passage of new maps” (The current VA05 runs from Albemarle to Southside; the new VA05 runs from Henrico and Chesterfield in the east to Campbell County in the west…)
- All but one Virginia House district could go blue in Democrats’ proposed map
- Virginia Dems drop new map (“It’s worth noting that Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger won 10 of the state’s 11 seats last November with 55% or more. Spanberger had an unusually strong win and a flawed opponent, but her margins in the revised districts are a good sign this map will perform well for Democrats. But privately, some Democrats questioned why two of the districts remain so competitive by 2024 presidential numbers. The 2nd and 6th districts could easily draw millions of dollars in outside spending by GOP-aligned groups. And while Democrats are favored in both, victory is not certain.”)
- VA legislative leaders offer temporary congressional map to counter GOP state gerrymanders (“The redistricting plan would require Virginia voters to approve a constitutional amendment in April.”)
- US House candidates respond to redistricting maps
- Limits on ICE activities head to the Virginia House of Delegates floor
- House panel advances bills limiting ICE activity in Virginia (“Package would require judicial warrants for courthouse arrests and restrict immigration enforcement in schools, polling places and other public spaces.”)
- Proposed redistricting map splits Fairfax County into five Congressional districts
- Walk for Peace brings rolling road closures to Arlington on Monday and Tuesday
- Former Virginia House Dem candidate pleads guilty to PPP fraud (“According to court documents, Sheila C. Bynum-Coleman, 54, filed for and received at least nine fraudulent COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling over $225,000 on behalf of eight different businesses she and her husband, Rashad H. Coleman, 48, purportedly operated.”)
- FCPD: Monks’ Walk for Peace to arrive in Fairfax soon, expect road closures
- I asked UVA for a comment on the victim in the Edrine case: You already know the response
- CWG Live: Dangerous wind chills and the potential for damaging wind gusts today (“Wind gusts are mainly 45-55 mph, but some could be near 60 mph. It feels like it’s near zero even during the afternoon.”)
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