Wednesday (2/18/26) News Clips

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, February 18.

• US threatens to quit energy agency if it doesn’t drop green transition (Evil.)
• Excruciating tropical disease can now be transmitted in most of Europe, study finds (“‘Shocking’ data shows the climate crisis and invasive mosquitos mean chikungunya could spread in 29 countries”)
• Coffee-growing countries becoming too hot to cultivate beans, analysis finds (“Five countries responsible for 75% of world’s coffee supply record average of 57 extra days of coffee-harming heat a year”)
• Epstein files suggest acts that may amount to crimes against humanity, say UN experts (“Independent experts appointed by human rights council speak of ‘grave’ nature regarding scale of atrocities against women and girls”)
• Trump stalls vote on bipartisan Russia sanctions bill (Doing Putin’s bidding as always.)
• Zelensky says Ukrainian public won’t let him hand Russia territory
• Envoys signal no breakthrough on bridging Russia and Ukraine’s political and military differences
• ‘Difficult’ Russia-Ukraine peace talks end without breakthrough
• Zelenskyy says no agreement on key issues in peace talks as he accuses Russia of ‘dragging out negotiations’
• Ukraine sports minister slams Russia’s Winter Paralympics entry as ‘deeply outrageous’
• Marco Rubio’s warm words to Viktor Orbán reinforce EU fears that US seeks disunity in Europe (Rubio is a f’ing disgrace.)
• Without US military support, we need a European defence union. Here’s what that looks like
• Trump moves closer to a major war with Iran (“The Trump administration is closer to a major war in the Middle East than most Americans realize. It could begin very soon. A U.S. military operation in Iran would likely be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like full-fledged war than last month’s pinpoint operation in Venezuela, sources say…Such a war would have a dramatic influence on the entire region and major implications for the remaining three years of the Trump presidency.”)
• Netanyahu Plays Trump and American Jews for Fools
• As Israel takes steps to claim land in West Bank, U.S. stands by
• The country that beat its Trump (“What Brazil got right that America got wrong.”)
• Wealthy Americans top ‘golden visa’ surge in New Zealand and applications from China double (“New rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April 2025, lowering investment thresholds, removing English-language requirements and cutting the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish residency from three years to three weeks. Successful applicants can only purchase homes in New Zealand worth more than $5m.”)
• Exclusive: Rubio’s secret squeeze on Raul Castro’s Cuba
• Records tumble as nine wind and solar projects, 1 GW of batteries join grid in just three months (Great job, Australia!)
• The Truth About ICE’s Violent Tendencies (“Recently released emails show that after Trump was elected, a dangerous trend arose—and DHS leadership didn’t think it was a problem.”)
• Kristi Noem’s law-and-order pitch is collapsing
• Democratic-led cities move to block ICE, setting up clash with Trump (“In New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere, elected Democrats are taking steps to try to limit immigration crackdowns like the one winding down in Minneapolis.”)
• “Corrupt,” “cruel”: Americans send Trump, GOP a midterm warning (“Nearly half of Americans would describe President Trump as ‘corrupt,’ ‘racist’ and ‘cruel’ in new polling full of midterm warning signs for Republicans.”)
• Trump’s immigration approval hits new low, according to Reuters/Ipsos poll
• Cracks emerge in Trump’s ‘ruthless’ midterms strategy (“Donald Trump rallied a historic coalition of voters to win the 2024 election. Now there are doubts about whether he’ll be able to turn out key portions of his base to limit his party’s midterm losses.”)
• Republicans, Braced for Losses, Push More Voting Restrictions in Congress (Truly evil people.)
• Trump’s election bill tops 50 Senate votes, but Democrats could still block it (“The SAVE America Act has passed the House and enjoys President Trump’s support, meaning the Senate’s 60-vote threshold is the only thing standing in the way of its becoming law.”)
• GOP sidesteps Trump’s mail voting demands
• U.S. rejection of new mRNA flu vaccine ‘sends chills,’ epidemiologist says
• Trump officials sued over effort to ‘erase history and science’ in national parks
• Hegseth Is Said to Have Ordered Pentagon Spokesman’s Firing
• Hegseth’s Firing Campaign Reaches Down Into the Ranks (“The ouster of the spokesperson Dave Butler, a colonel, shows that the defense secretary’s culling is far from over.”)
• Trump wants to prosecute anti-fascists as terrorists. This Texas trial will test his power.
• Where Christian nationalism is most dominant in the U.S. (“The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict Christian values, even as the country becomes less religious and more racially diverse.”)
• Epstein files offer new clues about FBI interest in his billionaire benefactor (“Epstein files offer new clues about FBI interest in his billionaire benefactor” Scum.)
• White House Shrugs Off Lutnick’s Epstein Ties
• DHS spokesperson to leave Trump administration amid agency turmoil
• Obama, Trump and Biden lead tributes to Jesse Jackson: ‘one of America’s greatest patriots’ (Trump??? LOL)
• Trump picks his White House assistant for panel reviewing ballroom (“Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old White House aide and the president’s longtime executive assistant, is set to be sworn in Thursday.”)
• James Talarico Says Trump’s FCC ‘Colluded’ With CBS To Keep Colbert Interview Off Air (“I think it’s safe to say that their plan backfired”)
• Colbert Slams Trump Administration After CBS Pulls Senate Candidate Interview
• Stephen Colbert says CBS didn’t air interview out of fear of FCC
• Trump Doesn’t Want You To See This — So, here you go! — Dan Rather and Team Steady
• Colbert’s James Talarico Interview Hits 3 Million YouTube Views, Surpasses Bad Bunny Appearance
• What to know about the ‘equal time’ rule Stephen Colbert says led CBS to pull his Talarico interview
• Paramount is mangling CBS — and CNN may be next (“Trump’s corruption makes capitulation a media business plan”)
• Scoop: Dems eye forced vote to censure Randy Fine
• GOP congressman who says he supports dogs over Muslims faces calls to resign
• ‘Professor Uthmeier’: Inside Florida attorney general’s $100k teaching job at UF (Remember how Glenn Youngkin gushed about Ron DeSantis’ Florida being a model for him as governor??? Of course, the “mainstream” media ignored that.)
• The definition of sh*posting: Trump using sewage spill to score political points (Trump brain is a reeking cesspool.)
• Millions of gallons of sewage spilled into the Potomac. Here’s what we know. (“Concerns of environmental impact and costs rise after more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River.”)
• Video: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Asks, “Why does [Trump] keep lying [about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein]? Why has he done everything in his power to cover this up?” (Also: “we have a subpoena separate from the Transparency Act…following the money,” which “will continue to be in effect” if Dems take back the US House in November)
• [UPDATED with Official Announcement] Audio: VA Del. Dan Helmer Says He’s Running for Congress in the Newly Drawn VA07, Has “the endorsement of 40 [House of Delegates] colleagues”
• An Architect of Virginia’s Redistricting Will Run for a New Seat Himself (“Though Mr. Helmer helped to whip votes for the constitutional amendment last fall, he said he was not involved in drawing the proposed new maps, an assertion confirmed by several people involved. Still, there was a widespread belief among Virginia Democrats as the new maps were being debated that a new Democratic seat would be drawn for Mr. Helmer.”)
• Editorial: Overt lawlessness forced Spanberger to sever immigration ties (“If federal agents won’t honor the Constitution or adhere to numerous court rulings constraining their behavior, Virginia officers shouldn’t be made to work with them.” BINGO!)
• Gov. Spanberger Is Delivering on Her Promises (“Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam defends the new governor’s record.”)
• 30 Days of Action: Attorney General Jay Jones Delivering for Virginians, Defending the Commonwealth (“When corporations break the law, we will hold them accountable. When the Trump administration overreaches, we will meet them in court.”)
• What’s alive and what’s dead at the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 midway point (“Democrats advance constitutional amendments, gun restrictions, immigration limits and a minimum wage hike as budget negotiations loom in session’s second half.”)
• Virginia to enforce new law limiting kids’ social media time
• Spanberger says Virginia is losing nearly half its college graduates. Here’s who they are. (“The retention rate of STEM grads has stayed the same or, in the case of biomedical jobs, improved. It’s the non-STEM grads who tend to leave, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”)
• Virginia General Assembly passes paid family and medical leave (“The Virginia House and Senate passed bills that would create an insurance program for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.”)
• The 2026 session halfway mark: Retail marijuana and minimum wage increase survive, ‘right-to-work’ repeal fails
• Virginia on track to establish paid family medical leave program for workers
• A repeal of Virginia’s ‘Right to Work’ law didn’t even get considered this session
• As Virginia legislature hits its midpoint, housing advocates and home builders point to supply-side successes
• Youngkin Gutted High-Hazard Dam Funds, Dems Can Restore Them
• In effort to reduce animal-vehicle crashes, wildlife corridor fund bill advances to the Senate (DO IT!)
• Guest column: Virginia’s HIV safety net is fraying. Lawmakers must act
• Rouse has switched sides in the battle between Clean Virginia and Dominion Energy (“State Sen. Aaron Rouse, a longtime Clean Virginia candidate who has received $360,000 from the group for all of his races in the past, appears to have made the switch over to Dominion’s side, and the investment is already paying out for the utility company.”)
• Video: Alexandria City Council Democratic Candidates Debate, with “Firehouse Primary” This Saturday and Special Election on 4/21 (The seat is vacant due to Kirk McPike being elected to the House of Delegates, replacing Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who’s moving to the State Senate to replace Adam Ebbin)
• Roanoke County supervisors aim to use zoning laws to restrict abortion clinics (“‘They’re trying to show their constituents how anti-abortion they are,’ said Jamie Lockhart of Planned Parenthood Advocates.”)
• CWG Live: Mild afternoons with some rain late Thursday into Friday; Sunday snow? (“Sunday is a low-confidence forecast with anything from a little rain to accumulating snow in play.”)