Monday (7/6) News: “Incomprehensible,” “‘Painfully corrupt’: Criticism mounts as FIFA gives United States special treatment”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.), for Monday, July 6. Also, check out Virginia’s own Jamelle Bouie on why “Trump’s Fourth of July Party Was a Huge Failure”- “He rejects the founding ideals of the country and has nothing to say about them. No surprise that this translates to an incoherent attempt to mark the occasion.”

INTERNATIONAL

• World absorbs historic Iran war oil supply loss, but depleted stocks bring risks
• The fight for the future of OPEC begins now
• Zelenskyy calls for ‘strong decisions’ at Nato summit after Russia kills 14 in overnight strikes on Kyiv (“Ukraine’s president makes plea ahead of summit this week in Ankara as strikes leave 117 injured in capital city”)
• Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital kills at least 12
• Ukraine warns of interceptor missile shortage as 15 killed in Kyiv region
• Deadly Russian strikes hammer Kyiv on eve of Trump trip to critical NATO summit
• Trump Headed to NATO Summit to Meet Zelenskyy, Face Wary Allies
• After America’s 250th, Trump will test how far he can push NATO allies (“The president heads to Turkey today with fresh complaints about Europe, even as the alliance tries to show it is giving him what he wants.”)
• China tests long-range missile in South Pacific in move Australia condemns as ‘destabilising to region’ (“Launch comes just hours after Australia and Fiji sign defence agreement as expert says timing not a coincidence”)
• Mourners Chant ‘Revenge’ at Funeral Prayers for Iran’s Slain Supreme Leader (“On the second day of public mourning for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February, there was still no sign of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.”)
• Calls for killing of Trump at funeral of Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei (“New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father’s coffin”)
• ‘Don’t mention the special relationship’: how should UK’s next PM handle Donald Trump? (“Little-known abroad, Andy Burnham has a chance to define a new era of US-UK relations. Should he seek to charm or bargain with the bully in the White House – or treat him ‘like a poorly informed constituent’?”)
• Jilted Trump, 80, Taunts Female World Leader With Creepy Meme
• ‘F**king Nuts’: Critics Trash ‘Desperate’ Trump After New Attack On Italian PM
• Revealed: Nigel Farage secretly funded by convicted criminal
• Trump’s red card call stirs political storm around World Cup (“The president’s intervention will spark suspicions of political interference in the tournament”)
• Fifa decision on Balogun ban ‘incomprehensible’ – Uefa
• UEFA says decision by FIFA to let U.S. forward play at World Cup is ‘incomprehensible’ (“It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup”)
• Inside the White House Campaign to Overturn a World Cup Red Card (“The decision by FIFA to rescind U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension followed a rapid response from the Trump administration—and a personal call from the president.”)
• ‘Painfully corrupt’: Criticism mounts as FIFA gives United States special treatment
• Trump lobbied Fifa to lift Folarin Balogun suspension for World Cup game v Belgium
• Trump called FIFA president to get reversal on suspension: The bloom is off the USMNT rose (“We’ve now officially entered the U.S. is cheating! phase of the 2026 World Cup, with word that Donald Trump personally appealed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to lobby for a reversal of the one-game suspension for USMNT star Folarin Balogun…The national team’s run now goes from a story that was uniting a divided nation to most of us feeling like we need a shower to get this latest Trump stink off.”)
• Inside Lutnick’s back channel with FIFA brass (“A previously unreported dinner with Gianni Infantino and a handful of insiders shows how far the Commerce Secretary’s ties to soccer’s governing body extend — including a push to get Folarin Balogun’s red card lifted.”)
• Belgium set to appeal as FIFA reverses Balogun’s World Cup suspension after Trump reportedly intervenes

NATIONAL

• Trump’s Meddling Threatens Warsh’s Fed Leadership
• Killing wind and solar subsidies will make US electricity more expensive
• Former CDC chief medical officer says RFK Jr. caused ‘irreparable harm’
• RFK Jr. wants you to get more preventive care. Some experts say that’s a bad idea. (“But the health secretary has allies among some patient advocates and makers of tests that detect disease.”)
• Trump Said a Bunch of Weird Stuff About History in July 4th Speech (“The president evoked storming the beaches of Normandy in insisting he would deliver the address despite inclement weather”)
• What Trump’s July 4 Speech Revealed (“The president demanded credit for a history that he regards as a sucker’s mistake.”)
• What’s inside the one bill Trump most desperately wants to become law (“A sweeping set of national requirements for voters. An empowered DHS. What would happen if the SAVE America Act passed?”)
• Speaker Johnson says House will pass Trump’s voter ID bill through arduous process after GOP revolt
• Johnson says House will pass SAVE America Act ‘one more time’ in reconciliation bill (How many reconciliation bills can these fascists do?)
• The Collective Identity Crisis of Jewish America
• How Hakeem Jeffries is handling the most divisive issue in Democratic politics (“The minority leader is letting his caucus hash out their Israel disagreements over a series of private conversations, withholding his own guidance for now.”)
• What Rahm Emanuel’s Upcoming Israel Speech Reveals About Democrats
• Trump Spirals Over Crowd Size After Delivering Speech to Empty Seats (“The president ranted about the turnout for his July 4th speech after videos showed him addressing a visibly thin audience.”)
• Trump Makes Stunning Confession in Truth Social Rampage
• President says he overruled plan to cancel July Fourth celebration amid weather evacuations
• Donald Trump Has a New—and Stupid and Likely Ineffective—Favorite Word (“He thinks he’s finally found a winning message to rescue the Republicans’ dim midterm chances. But as usual, he’s probably fooling himself.”)
• On America’s 250th, Mamdani called for unity – while Trump rewrote the past
• NASA Leader Flew His Vintage Jet at DC Air Show Over FAA Objections (“The regulator initially denied Jared Isaacman’s request to fly in the Freedom 250 celebration, calling the aircraft too dangerous for densely populated areas”)
• Let’s fix America with grammar (“In the MAGAsphere, sloppy language leads to foolish thoughts, and much worse”)
• Obama’s influence shadows Democrats’ race to 2028
• Flinching from Power: Three Mistakes Democrats Need to Own (“If Democrats want to understand how Trump ended up back in the White House, they need to come to grips with these seminal failures over the last 30 years — and clean up their own house.”)
• Anti-incumbent mood sweeping country in troubling sign for GOP majorities
• White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can’t be trusted (In fact, the Trump White House is filled with “radical activists”/far-right extremists, racists, etc.)
• White House Criticizes Smithsonian Museum for ‘Extreme Political Activism’ (“A scathing report released on the Fourth of July says the National Museum of American History downplays the role of the founders while emphasizing social justice.”)
• Trump’s administration won’t seek new bids to repair the Reflecting Pool
• Interior secretary says Trump administration will use the same company to repair Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage (This company completely botched the job, so let them try again?)
• ‘The View’ throttles back political candidate bookings following FCC inquiry
• Mallory McMorrow ends her U.S. Senate campaign (Might not make much difference, given that McMorrow was only polling at like 9% or whatever. We’ll see where her supporters go.)
• McMorrow suspends Michigan Senate bid in shock move (Why was it a “shock move,” given that McMorrow was trailing badly?)
• The GOP Is Boosting A Progressive Candidate In Michigan. He Says He’ll Make Them ‘Rue The Day.’ (“Abdul El-Sayed is very confident he can win the state’s Senate race, and the establishment might not be able to convince voters otherwise.”)
• Collins dominates Platner on World Cup ad spending
• The Democratic Socialist and Anti-Israel Activist Giving Democrats Heartburn (“Darializa Avila Chevalier won a New York primary with Mamdani’s backing, but Democrats fear her rise carries political risk”)
• National Guard troops fatally shoot a man in downtown Memphis

VIRGINIA

• Affordability, jobs, election integrity take center stage in Va.’s 7th Congressional District race (This is a PERRFECT example of how the media whitewashes and sanewashes/normalizes right wingnuts/MAGAs. At this point, it’s got to be intentional.)
• Early voting begins in Virginia’s August primary — here’s what’s on the ballot (“Voters registered in the Charlottesville area will narrow down a field of three Democrats and two Republicans running for the U.S. House, and pick from three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate”)
• New study ranks Del. Hope as most effective legislator in Richmond; Rep. Kiggans is tops in Washington (Take a look at this “study,” and decide for yourself if it makes literally any sense at all. As far as I can tell, the answer is a resounding NO. I mean, it looks more like they just threw darts at a dart board or something – very random and nonsensical.)
• State budget extends Virginia higher education displacement commission funding for two years (“The additional funding comes as the commission broadens its research, public engagement and work toward recommendations on the long-term impacts of university-led displacement of Black communities.”)
• How Virginia became the world’s data center capital and how it’s going (“From AOL’s arrival in Ashburn to today’s AI-driven boom, Virginia became the backbone of the internet economy. Now lawmakers are debating how to manage the industry’s soaring energy demands and economic influence.”)
• Data Centers Win-Lose in Virginia (“In an era of austerity, Virginia’s state budget deal puts its lawmakers supporting Big Tech and its tax exemptions on a crash course with their constituents.”)
• Kenny Boddye on July 4, 2026: “Rights can be won. They can also be weakened, ignored, or taken away. Democracy requires participation.” (“Progress is not linear, and nothing in this experiment is guaranteed.”)
• State budget delivers unexpected $15M for Richmond Coliseum demolition
• Two Central Virginia school districts exit Head Start
• We are a nation of laws: Even the Augusta County sheriff has to follow them (At this point are we, though?)
• DC-area forecast: Humid as downpour chances increase tonight; drier midweek