Thursday News: “Iran, U.S. resume nuclear negotiations as Trump’s war clock ticks down”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 26.

• Can the IEA survive without the US? Or will it cave in to the fossil fuel lobby?
• Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study (“Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinators”)
• Toxic waste from screens ends up in endangered dolphins, study finds (“Gene-altering chemicals found in humpback dolphins and finless porpoises, raising alarm they may end up in human food chain”)
• New Study Finds Air Conditioners Will Exacerbate Climate Change As Planet Warms
• Antarctica’s Mineral Riches Exposed as Climate Warms
• Russia Launches Big Strikes Before U.S.-Ukraine Talks in Geneva
• ‘Time Is Not on Russia’s Side’
• Trump told Zelensky he wants to end war ASAP in call (Well then, put real pressure on PUTIN!)
• Hungary’s leader orders extra security at energy sites, claiming Ukraine plots disruptions (“Orbán has in recent weeks launched an aggressive anti-Ukraine campaign ahead of elections in April which will likely be the toughest he’s faced in his 16 years in power. He has cast the neighboring country as a grave threat to Hungary’s security, and himself as the only guarantor of its safety.”)
• Orban steps up oil accusations against Ukraine after vetoing EU loan to Kyiv (This guy is a DISASTER.)
• Satellite Images Expose Trump’s Claim of ‘Easy’ Victory in Iran (“If it decides to attack, the US would face a complicated set of targets because of Iran’s rugged geography and its efforts to protect military assets.”)
• White House officials believe ‘the politics are a lot better’ if Israel strikes Iran first
• Live updates: The US and Iran hold indirect talks in Geneva
• Iran attempts to crush dissent with a wave of arrests after deadly crackdown
• Iran says agreement with US ‘within reach’ as nuclear talks begin in Geneva
• Iran, U.S. resume nuclear negotiations as Trump’s war clock ticks down (“Tehran is expected to deliver a new proposal on nuclear enrichment in Geneva as the United States continues to amass military forces in the Middle East.”)
• U.S. and Iran to hold a third round of nuclear talks in Geneva
• US and Iran begin talks seen as crucial to prevent conflict
• In First, U.S. Deploys Combat Jets to Israel for Potential Wartime Mission (“The move marks a major step toward deepening U.S. and Israeli military cooperation.”)
• Israelis Are Waiting for War With Iran, Again (“The national mood is somewhere between anxiety, resignation and anticipation as President Trump considers whether to attack Iran.”)
• US to offer passport services to citizens in illegal West Bank settlements (“Israel welcomes move described by Palestinian Authority as undermining possibility of an independent state”)
• Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian boy and stood around as he bled to death, video shows (Truly horrible.)
• Cuba says it killed heavily armed exiles who attacked from US-registered speedboat (“Rare clash off island’s coast took place amid US oil embargo and heightened tensions between two countries”)
• 10 Cuban nationals on U.S. speedboat intended to carry out an ‘armed infiltration,’ Cuba says (“Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would carry out an independent investigation before responding. Four people on the boat were killed, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said.”)
• Rubio Says US Will Investigate Deadly Cuba Speedboat Shooting (“Cuban forces killed four people who opened fire from a speedboat with Florida tags, an incident with the potential to escalate an already tense standoff with the US.”)
• U.S. launches investigation after Cuba kills 4 on Florida boat
• Cuba Says Those Killed in US Boat Encounter Planned Uprising
• ‘Fear is everywhere’: BBC reports from Mexican city turned into war zone by drug cartel feud
• Trump administration’s third-country deportation policy unlawful, judge finds
• Trump policy allowing swift deportations to alternate countries rejected by US judge
• Far-Right UK Activist Tommy Robinson Visits US State Department (Insane.)
• Trump Officials Seek to Break Editorial ‘Firewall’ at U.S.-Funded News Agencies (“Two federally funded newsrooms received a draft funding agreement that could give President Trump’s appointees the power to veto their new hires for editors in chief and chief executives.”)
• Nurul Amin Shah Alam, Blind Rohingya Refugee Dumped by Border Patrol, Dies in Cold (“They just left him.” Pure evil.)
• Nearly blind refugee abandoned by US border patrol found dead in Buffalo (“Investigation under way after man was dropped off five miles from home but family wasn’t notified, officials say”)
• Trump Treasury official to exit after objecting to Minneapolis crackdown
• DHS official promises election officials that ICE will not be at polling places (We’ll see…)
• Kennedy’s war on vaccines is also a war on the elderly (“The miseries of aging are more linked to late-life infections than was previously understood.”)
• RFK Jr. downplays vaccine agenda as Republicans warn of midterm risks
• A Vaccine Skeptic for Surgeon General (“Casey Means won’t restore confidence in public-health advice”)
• Surgeon General Nominee Sidesteps Questions on Vaccines at Senate Hearing
• Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Proves Devoted to MAHA’s Dangerous Talking Points (“The wellness influencer deflected on key issues such as vaccines and birth control.”)
• Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm (“In more than half of U.S. states, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation that would boost adoption of DIY solar systems.”)
• The nation’s largest public utility is reviving coal amid political pressure and the AI boom (“The Tennessee Valley Authority once prided itself on political independence. Data center demand and political pressure have it changing course from clean energy.”)
• Anthropic ditches its core safety promise in the middle of an AI red line fight with the Pentagon (Very very dangerous – and should be 100% unacceptable!)
• Anthropic’s Pentagon Showdown Is About More Than AI Guardrails (“The high-stakes conflict between the Defense Department and a $380 billion tech powerhouse goes to the heart of just how far AI can go in warfare.”)
• The Trump ‘Affordability’ Pivot That Never Came (“In his record-breakingly-long SOTU, the president spent more time talking about Venezuela than prices.”)
• The State of the Union Revealed a Sad Reality (“Donald Trump misused the annual presidential tradition in ways so radical as to call the ritual itself into question.”)
• Trump’s Push for Election Power Raises Fears He Will ‘Subvert’ Midterms
• Trump DOJ’s own goals could stymie its efforts to undermine midterms
• Trump adds pressure on Thune to pass voting bill despite ‘talking filibuster’ misgivings
• I Cannot Believe I Watched Trump’s Entire Speech (“But, alas, I did. And I have a few thoughts. The short version is that the president’s State of the Union was a remarkable demonstration of his contempt for any part of the country that did not vote for him.”)
• Trump dazzles right-wing media with bigoted State of the Union (“MAGA media outlets declare the president’s 107-minute address the best in history” MAGA media loooves lies and bigotry. Utterly disgusting.)
• Trump Attempted Poetry in His State of the Union. Instead, We Got a Salesman’s Tired Patter. (“For the most part, the president spewed his poisonous stew of arrant bullshit and xenophobic detritus. But toward the end, when he tried to do something profound, he failed miserably.”)
• US hockey star Hilary Knight responds to Trump’s ‘distasteful joke’ about women’s team
• The US men’s hockey team at the State of the Union showed proximity to Trump is never neutral (“The newly crowned Olympic champions were warmly greeted by both Republicans and Democrats. They were also used as props by the president”)
• How Bill and Hillary Clinton are preparing for their landmark depositions about Jeffrey Epstein (“Bill Clinton’s team has been preparing for what is anticipated to be long and intense questioning about ties to Jeffrey Epstein”)
• Trump stirred rumors for years. Now, it’s the Clintons’ turn to speak about Epstein. (“Bill and Hillary Clinton have survived decades of scrutiny and conspiracy theories. Often, their adversaries come out on the losing end.”)
• Hillary Clinton set for deposition with House Oversight Committee in Jeffrey Epstein probe (“Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to sit for a similar deposition Friday.”)
• Epstein Files Are Missing Records About Woman Who Made Claim Against Trump (“Documents released by the Justice Department briefly mention a woman’s unverified accusation that Donald J. Trump assaulted her in the 1980s, when she was a minor. But several memos related to her account are not in the files.”)
• DOJ to Review Whether Epstein Files About Trump Were Improperly Withheld (The Trump DoJ is going to investigate the Trump DoJ? LOL!)
• Democrats Ask Pam Bondi If Trump Is Under Active Investigation Related To Epstein
• After right-wing media spent weeks insisting the Epstein files “exonerate” Trump, new reporting says missing pages allege Trump committed sexual abuse
• Stephen Miller Melts Down in Petty 8-Hour X Fight (This guy is COMPLETELY deranged.)
• How Can Republicans Defend Kash Patel’s Outrageous Private Plane Usage?
• Patel Ousts F.B.I. Personnel Tied to Inquiry Into Trump’s Retained Classified Records (Utterly appalling.)
• Exclusive: FBI obtained Kash Patel and Susie Wiles phone records during Biden administration
• Aileen Cannon’s Campaign for a Supreme Court Seat Just Reached a New Low (“The Trump-appointed judge had no business blocking Jack Smith’s special counsel report.”)
• The Media Merger You Should Actually Care About (“An under-the-radar, Trump-approved deal could create a broadcasting behemoth that controls local news stations across more than forty states. Why do some MAGA diehards oppose it?”)
• Leaked Documents Show Meta Cracking Down on Access to Abortion Information
• A White House Staffer Appears to Run Massive Pro-Trump X Account (“A popular right-wing account that called a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes “a masterpiece” appears to be run by a White House staffer, according to records reviewed by WIRED.”)
• Rep. Ilhan Omar demands investigation after State of the Union guest arrested
• Vance says Minnesota’s Medicaid funds halted as part of Trump’s ‘war on fraud’
• Vance, Oz announce pause in Medicaid funds to Minnesota amid fraud probe
• Vance launches into Trump’s ‘war on fraud’ by suspending Medicaid payments to Minnesota (“The announcement came a day after Trump announced the vice president would take on a new role leading the administration’s anti-fraud efforts.”)
• Trump Administration Withholds $259 Million in Medicaid Funds From Minnesota (Illegal, I presume?)
• Democrats Win Three Big Elections During Trump’s State of the Union
• FBI searches Los Angeles school district headquarters and the superintendent’s home
• Kansas Sends Letters To Trans People Demanding The Immediate Surrender Of Drivers Licenses (“The legislature did not include a grace period.” Unhinged. Why???)
• Epstein Used His Fortune to Infiltrate America’s Most Prestigious Universities (“The sex offender positioned himself as a patron of the sciences. It earned him prestige and access, and it fueled the myth of his intellectual genius.”)
• Summers To Resign From Teaching Appointments, Relinquish University Professorship Over Epstein Ties
• Former Senator Bob Kerrey Resigns From Nebraska Start-Up Amid Epstein Emails
• Republicans’ alarm grows about holding Texas Senate seat (“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the man to beat ahead of Tuesday’s primary — and could put Senate Republicans’ majority at risk”)
• When will the Potomac River be free of sewage? (“A sewage spill has contaminated the Potomac River. Each year, nearly three times as much wastewater flows into the river from D.C.’s pipes.”)
• Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Presses Trump’s Surgeon General Nominee Regarding the Efficacy of the Flu Vaccine; Gets Evasions in Response
• Tim Kaine says Iran war powers resolution likely to come up for vote next week (“The Virginia senator said Trump has failed to make a ‘real case … as to why we should be in a war with Iran’”)
• Video: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Says Trump’s Claim of an Economic “Golden Age” Is “Absurd and Laughable”
• Virginians facing high health care costs attend Trump speech with Democratic lawmakers (“Virginia Beach small business owner Becky Winstead-Roberts hoped her presence at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech would ‘put a face to the Affordable Care Act.’”)
• Ben Cline on the State of the Union, Spanberger: Somebody is truth-challenged
• Video, Transcript, Reactions: Gov. Abigail Spanberger Says Trump “lied…scapegoated…distracted…offered no real solutions to our nation’s pressing challenges — so many of which he is actively making worse”
• Virginia Democrats sharpen focus on ICE limits after Spanberger’s State of the Union rebuttal (“Following Trump’s border security claims, legislative leaders point to measures restricting local cooperation and detention expansion.”)
• Virginia legislators consider state funds to backfill Trump healthcare cuts
• As federal drug pricing program reforms lag, Va. senator’s bill seeks state-level solutions (“Known as 340B, the program helps hospitals and clinics that care for underserved patients to purchase discounted drugs. But abuse of the program has led to years of calls for reform with little to show for it.”)
• “Safe storage” bill and other gun violence prevention bills headed to Spanberger’s desk
• ‘I am appalled’: Here’s how much money Virginia cities, counties made from speed cameras last year
• The effort to crackdown on last minute agenda changes is moving forward
• The future is uncertain for some Virginia farmers after VSU researchers fired
• Virginia Beach School Board OKs changes to seclusion and student demonstration policies (“The Virginia Beach School Board voted to make changes to a couple of high profile policies at its meeting Tuesday night.”)
• Roanoke school division receives grant for solar-powered microgrid (“Such microgrids generate power from the sun and store it in batteries for future use.”)
• Loudoun sheriff pushes for SROs in elementary schools (“Others had concerns about overpolicing in schools.”)
• Proposed Arlington budget eliminates youth gymnastics program (“Arlington County says it’s facing a $37 million funding gap. The county is considering raising the real estate tax rate and proposing a few cuts. Cutting the gymnastics program would save a little more than $900,000 a year.”)
• CWG Live: Rain or snow showers possible today. Sunnier the next several. (“It should be around 60 Saturday, but snow is in the forecast for Monday.”)