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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Monday, June 22.
INTERNATIONAL
- El Niño is back with a vengeance – and fears of ‘Godzilla’ strength may be the least of our worries (“UN’s World Food Programme and agriculture agency issue joint appeal for funds to avert global hunger crisis before it happens”)
- Europe suffers under record heatwave as temperatures forecast to reach 44C (“Rail services, schools and sports events hit, with deaths of three elderly people in France partly blamed on intense heat”)
- Environmental Defenders Remain Among World’s Most Targeted Activists (“A new report found that environmental defenders are increasingly encountering overlapping networks of government officials, corporations, criminal groups and private security forces.” Nightmare.)
- Is Climate Change Supercharging El Niño? A Debate Rages. (“As a new, potentially record-breaking El Niño begins, researchers are vigorously debating whether climate change is driving the phenomenon’s intensity.”)
- US pushes World Bank climate target to the brink (“The bank’s goal of steering 45 percent of its financing toward climate projects is being attacked by the White House before it expires at the end of June.”)
- Climate fight will not stall because certain countries drop out, China says
- Ukraine intensifies attacks on Crimea to raise cost of Russian occupation
- Zelenskyy pledges to ‘bring war back to Russia’ after drones swarm toward Moscow – Europe live
- The Warrior-Witches of Ukraine’s Resistance (“An underground intelligence network uses subterfuge and honey traps to direct drone strikes deep inside Russian-occupied territory.”)
- Russian troop build-up threatens city seen as key to seizing Ukraine’s Donbas
- You Can’t Be a Superpower Without Allies
- What the Iran war cost the Pentagon, the economy — and Trump
- Oil Rises Amid Uncertainty Over Strait of Hormuz
- Victory Over Iran Is Still Possible (Mike Pence: “The current deal falls well short, but the next 60 days provide an opportunity to achieve America’s goals.” Suuuuure.)
- US-Iran talks strained as Trump threats spark Iranian walkout
- High-level U.S.-Iran talks conclude with a road map for peace, mediators say (Uh huh.)
- Trump faces new hurdles after deal: Iran’s leverage, Israel’s attacks, MAGA’s backlash (“The ceasefire reopened diplomacy, but it left unresolved the question at the heart of the conflict: what limits, if any, Tehran will accept on its nuclear program.”)
- Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail.”
- Inside U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland
- Iran Cites ‘Major Progress’ After All-Night Talks With US (“Plenty of obstacles remain, however, including Israel’s war in Lebanon against Hezbollah.”)
- Iran’s regime survived the war. Can it make peace with its own people? (“If war triggered a rare moment of solidarity in the divided country, many doubt it will be used for reform”)
- Trump Broke Biggest ‘Taboo’ In Diplomatic History With 1 ‘Adolescent’ Threat: Analyst (“If there is one taboo in the history of diplomacy going back to the Peloponnesian War, is you do not threaten envoys, no matter how opposed you are…And there he is, threatening envoys.”)
- Iran and Trump Blame Israel First (“To protect his bad deal, Trump makes the Jewish state the scapegoat.”)
- Ten Years After Brexit, the Dismal Verdict Is In (Massive f***up by British voters.)
- Keir Starmer’s fatal flaw? The blankness on to which voters projected their years of frustration (“His government was directionless and confused, and from that murk emerged the Peter Mandelson scandal”)
- Frozen by the challenges of power: how Starmer turned triumph into tragedy (“Starmer appeared ruthless in banishing the influence of Jeremy Corbyn, and winning power – but far less certain on how to wield it”; “Firstly, he never worked out what the job was – what does the prime minister do? Secondly, he never knew what he wanted to do, above all not on economic policy. And thirdly, he didn’t know who to appoint.”)
- Keir Starmer went from election landslide to downfall after his supporters deserted him
- Live updates: Keir Starmer announces he’ll resign as UK prime minister, launching contest for successor
- Andy Burnham: Who is the man who may be the next PM?
- How paragliding soldiers carrying bombs rain destruction on Myanmar’s villages (“Military evades sanctions by using hobbyists’ motorised aircraft to bomb civilians in opposition-held territory” EVIL.)
- ‘We want a new Albania’: protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort turn anger on government (“Opposition to plans for ‘small paradise’ island of Sazan becomes wave of dissent against establishment”)
- Far-right millionaire wins Colombia’s razor-tight presidential election (“Leftwing opponent alleges vote count irregularities after Trump-endorsed lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella secures narrow majority” Very, very bad.)
- U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat kills 2, leaves 6 survivors in the eastern Pacific Ocean (“Boat strikes by the U.S. military have killed more than 210 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls ‘narcoterrorists’ in early September.”)
- Mark Carney Plays Hardball (“On the world stage, Canada’s prime minister is a statesman. In Ottawa, he is a ward boss.”)
NATIONAL
- Why Trump has been attacking the Supreme Court, with 3 key rulings ahead (“As the court prepares to rule on several of the president’s priorities, tensions are running high — even with his own appointees.”)
- Congress is finally set to pass a housing bill: Here’s what it would do
- Republicans Are Dismantling a Key Tool in the War Against Kleptocrats (“GOP lawmakers are pushing forward a bill to repeal a vital shell company database—completely undoing the biggest anti-kleptocracy step forward the U.S. has seen in decades.” INSANE.)
- Krugman: Trump’s Unnerving Mental Breakdown Signals Nation in Decline (“Economist Paul Krugman discusses all the ways Trump is causing our country to deteriorate—and what it means that our country puts up with his worsening megalomania and desecrations of our republic.”)
- Conservatives spent heavily in key Democratic primaries, filings show
- The military helped Black Americans find belonging. Pete Hegseth wants to reverse course (“The military has been a powerful force for social progress in the US. Under Trump, it is being used to undo it” Heinous.)
- Democratic-led states balk at ‘Great American State Fair’
- The MAGA stars freaked out by their own movement (“The right’s leading lights are looking for anyone to blame for the right’s growing extremism — except themselves.”)
- Trump, Without Evidence, Blames ‘Disgraceful Vandalism’ for Reflecting Pool Do-Over (The media uses phrases like “without evidence” instead of “falsely.” Why?)
- People caught vandalizing Washington Reflecting Pool to be fully prosecuted, US Attorney Pirro says (HORRIBLE headline – should say “People Trump Falsely Accuses of Vandalism Will Be Prosecuted Regardless”; god, the media sucks so bad.)
- Vandalism at the Reflecting Pool? Yes—It Was Committed by Donald Trump (“Sadly, the historic water feature is a reflection—of the president’s bone-deep corruption and his administration’s neglect.”)
- The Empty Confessions of J.D. Vance (“The vice-president’s memoir of religious conversion is long on hubris and short on wisdom.”)
- What is there to teach a Kennedy about politics? As Jack Schlossberg has found out, a lot
- The NY-12 Primary Is Awash with Money but Short on Belief (“The race—whose candidates include Micah Lasher, Alex Bores, George Conway, and Jack Schlossberg—is at once glitzy, confusing, and uninspiring.”)
- Poll: Americans draw a new line in the betting bonanza sweeping over Wall Street — politics. (“A plurality of Americans believe betting on election outcomes should be illegal, The POLITICO Poll finds.”)
- The ‘Mad Scientist’ Behind Graham Platner’s Scandal-Plagued Rise (“Dan Moraff rushed vetting of the Maine Senate candidate. He says he’s trying to blow up the way Democrats run campaigns.”)
VIRGINIA
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says U.S.-Israel Relationship “Fractured”; They “have made a strategic error by putting all their eggs in the basket of Donald Trump” (On data centers, Sen. Warner says we need “responsible restrictions,” that a “national moratorium” is not going to “put the AI genie back in the bottle”)
- McGuire faces primary test as Democrats eye more competitive 5th District race (“After courts struck down Virginia’s redistricting amendment, Republicans and Democrats prepare for an Aug. 4 primary election in a district shaped by affordability concerns and Trump-era politics.”)
- Virginia localities raise $119M for school construction through targeted sales tax (“Lawmakers advanced proposals this year to give counties and cities statewide the option to levy the tax”)
- Virginia’s transportation board approves $28.5B six-year plan
- Virginia’s technical workforce faces uncertainty as funding runs out for middle school program (“GO TEC, a program to introduce middle schoolers to engineering and technical careers, has been a game changer for Southside’s economic development. Without state funding, it could end this year, supporters warn.”)
- Amid statewide drought conditions, data centers face same restrictions as all water customers (“Most localities in the state don’t have specific standards to manage water conservation for the digital facilities during dry periods, which use massive amounts of water daily.”)
- Governor Spanberger, don’t let poverty penalties undermine Virginia’s cannabis promise
- Law behind ODU’s criminal history survey was intended for second chances, not questionnaire, lawmaker says
- The Water Is Rising in Chesapeake Bay. Can Tangier Island Be Saved?
- State lawmakers want to cover cost of demolishing Richmond Coliseum
- DC-area forecast: Steamy with possible storms today, then cooler and calmer
