| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Thursday, July 16.
INTERNATIONAL
- How global heating supercharged floods in West Africa, displacing thousands (“Adaptation to frightening new normal and reducing emissions further and faster is critical, scientists warn”)
- As Climate Change Expands Mosquito Ranges, Better Monitoring Is Key to Preventing Disease
- Trumpworld Is Scared of the International Criminal Court (“Marco Rubio says the administration will try to ‘dismantle’ the ICC. Who is he trying to protect?” Trump, himself, etc.)
- Why does the US want to ‘dismantle’ the international criminal court? (“Marco Rubio has offered nonsensical rationale in attacking the court. The Trump administration’s real goal is impunity” Rubio himself deserves to face the International Criminal Court someday!)
- Protests in Ukraine’s cities against Zelensky’s removal of defence minister
- ‘Utterly baffling’: Ukrainians outraged, call for protest after Zelensky ousts Fedorov
- Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, a Proponent of Drone Warfare, Is Forced Out (“Mykhailo Fedorov announced he was leaving the ministry after conflicts with generals and military contractors over the role of innovative weaponry.”)
- China surpasses U.S. in global favorability, poll finds
- People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S. (“More also have confidence in Xi than Trump, according to a survey in three dozen countries”)
- Trump Leans Toward Expanding U.S. Military Operations in Iran (“While preferring diplomacy, Trump was briefed this week on options, including use of ground troops and bombing Pickaxe Mountain”)
- US expands strikes into northern Iran and disables ship trying to run blockade
- Iran warns U.S. of Hormuz ‘red line,’ says it will retaliate to Trump’s strike threats
- Exclusive: US military hasn’t conducted standard review of intelligence tied to strike on school in Iran, sources say (OUTRAGEOUS/UNACCEPTABLE!)
- Trump says Iran has released US citizen detained since 2024 (“Dena Karari, dual US-Iranian citizen, ‘now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition’, president posts on Truth Social”)
- Controlling Hormuz Would Take More U.S. Troops—and Even More Risk
- Netanyahu Rushes Disputed Laws to Lock in Allies Before Israeli Election
- In seismic shift, more than 100 House Democrats vote to end Israel aid (“The amendment to block military assistance failed, but partisan split cemented the increasingly polarized view of the U.S. ally.”)
- When Israel lost Democratic voters, in 3 charts (“A slow decline in Democratic support became a rapid falloff last year.”)
- More than 500 feared dead after reports of two shipwrecks off Myanmar, UN says (“Vessels believed to have departed from Myanmar in late June, with mostly Muslim Rohingya minority onboard” Horrible.)
- From Cambridge ‘impostor’ to New Labour star: Andy Burnham’s winding path to power (“In the first of a two-part profile, Daniel Boffey traces the incoming PM’s early forays into politics and his rise to prominence – ultimately leading to him leaving London for Manchester”)
- How the UK became ungovernable (“Why the UK is on its way to a seventh prime minister in a decade.”)
- US imposing a 25% tariff on some Brazilian imports starting July 22, citing unfair trade practices
- Senior defense officials looking at Cuba military options
- Heavy smoke from wildfires blankets the US Midwest and Northeast, prompting evacuations
NATIONAL
- ICE traffic stops were just halted, then swiftly reinstated, as feds try to curb shootings – and the inevitable backlash
- Report: Detainees at ICE facility in Texas report frequent beatings and other human rights abuses (Arrest everyone involved with this.)
- z
- DHS chief faces crisis moment amid mounting arrests, fatal shootings (“Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s attempt to quell an uproar over two fatal shootings by ICE has angered the president and his hard-line base.”)
- Inside Trump’s Reversal on ICE (“Attacks from immigration hard-liners had the president worried about looking weak.”)
- F.B.I. Searches for Drugs in Van Involved in Houston ICE Shooting (“Federal investigators believe illegal drugs were inside the vehicle, though the immigration agents involved in the encounter do not appear to have known that.”)
- Venezuelan man becomes 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year (“Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, 45, found ‘unresponsive’ while being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia” People need to be held accountable!)
- “I’m Ashamed of My Country”: Biddeford, Maine Locals Grieve Neighbor Killed by ICE (These agents committed murder, should have been arrested already.)
- ICE’s Violence Is No Accident. It’s Part of the Job. (“After ICE agents killed a man in Maine, the Department of Homeland Security suspended traffic stops, then reversed course. But the official policy is just optics, anyway: Agents know what they’ve been hired to do.”)
- America already tried permanent daylight saving time. It lasted less than a year. Could it work now? (“People may not like making the change, but history shows they also don’t like living with even less morning light in the winter months, when daylight hours are shorter than in summer.”)
- Blanche Faces Crucial Hurdle After Rocky Hearing (“Even a single Republican ‘no’ vote would block Mr. Blanche’s nomination from consideration by the full Senate, which could sink his confirmation.”)
- CDC nominee struggles to convince senators she’ll stand up to RFK Jr.
- Trump promoted companies on Truth Social days after buying their stocks (WILDLY corrupt – just imagine the reaction if Joe Biden or Barack Obama or Kamala Harris had done this???)
- GOP leaders face frustrations, time pressure on $95 billion reconciliation package
- Vance pitch does little to quell House GOP angst over reconciliation 3.0
- Johnson rushes to launch Recon 3.0
- House Republicans resurrect Save America Act by adding it to spending bill (“Effort is latest attempt to pass bill that seeks to ban mail-in ballots and imposes voter identification requirements”)
- Trump approval stuck in the 30s amid pessimism on Iran and economy, poll finds
- Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone
- Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members (This seems like some sort of bad/crazy joke, but apparently it’s real. WTF?)
- Hegseth Plans to Screen All Troops, Including Women, for Low Testosterone (“Pete Hegseth, as defense secretary, has sought to cultivate an image as a manosphere-friendly leader.” Deranged.)
- Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency (There’s something seriously wrong, psychologically/mentally, with Hegseth.)
- Americans are angry about data centers. Politicians are feeling the pressure
- Trump is poised to bring his administration’s “chum cycle” tactic to election denial (“On Thursday night, Trump plans to use a White House address to relitigate his Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him. While details are sparse, reports suggest he could use declassified intelligence documents to accuse China and Venezuela of election interference and target the 2020 Senate elections in Georgia. Allies in the election denial community have suggested such claims could be used as a “predicate” to declare a “national emergency” that would justify an executive order implementing voter suppression policies by fiat.”)
- Trump’s Primetime Speech Has Republicans ‘Scared S***less’ (“The president is not expected to use his address to discuss anything most Americans actually care about.”)
- Trump to allege Chinese meddling in U.S. elections in primetime speech, sources say (Trump is an insane person.)
- EXCLUSIVE: Trump DOJ’s Top ‘Antifa’ Prosecutor Marched With Crowd on Jan. 6 (“It was not known publicly that a federal prosecutor marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6. He was appointed this year to run a national task force targeting alleged left-wing political violence.”)
- United States of Disbelief (“The spread of conspiracy theories about Senators Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell underscores the lack of trust in American society.”)
- Trump’s barbed eulogy for Lindsey Graham reveals how fragile his ego is (“In interviews and social posts, the loyalty-obsessed president couldn’t help but weave criticism into his praise”)
- New York Times Files Motion to Quash Subpoenas of Its Journalists (“The Justice Department is seeking to compel grand jury testimony as part of an investigation into Times reporting on the president’s new Air Force One jet.”)
- New York Times seeks to block subpoenas to reporters over Air Force One reporting
- New $1 coin featuring Trump in production at US Mint, treasury says (“Coin commemorating 250th anniversary will be released this fall and marks first time a living president appears on currency” Insane and, presumably, illegal.)
- Vance’s security detail ‘fed up’ with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests (“Secret Service sources said the Vance family asks included getting their young son to a golf lesson on a military helicopter.”)
- Maine Democrats aren’t coalescing behind a Graham Platner replacement (“Platner’s former volunteers and supporters are splitting across a number of the newly-announced Senate candidates to succeed him.”)
- Maine Senate candidates sprint to build early edge in delegate race (“Democratic candidates are pushing grassroots networks to attend county party events this weekend, hoping their supporters become delegates at the July 25 nominating convention.”)
- G.O.P. Appears to Boost Socialist’s Primary Campaign for Wisconsin Governor (“Republicans seem to view Francesca Hong as their weakest opponent in a general election. They are spending $2.2 million in an apparent attempt to aid her primary campaign.”)
- Exclusive: Officials asked to turn over phones at the White House as Wiles, Patel lead intensifying leak probe
- Drained Reflecting Pool reveals Trump’s ‘American flag blue’ liner is now closer to gray
VIRGINIA
- Ahead of Trump’s Speech Tomorrow on Elections and Voting Machines, Sen. Warner Issues Memo, “Election Security Claims: Facts and Context” (Sen. Warner: “conspiracy theories about stolen elections cannot become a pretext for weakening our democratic system”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Presses ODNI Nominee Jay Clayton for a Promise That He “will not interfere with or comment inappropriately on US elections” (Clayton: “Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States. Election denial is is something we cannot have.”)
- Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam to hold town hall in Rappahannock County (“Rappahannock residents can question Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam at a July 18 town hall in Washington.”)
- Former U.S. Navy Commander Elaine Luria Releases Plan to “Right the Ship in Washington” (“From gas to groceries, working families are being left behind by corrupt Jen Kiggans and Donald Trump and their failed policies”)
- In reversal, Luria backs congressional stock-trading ban in House comeback bid (“Luria’s support for the stock-trading ban marks the starkest policy shift that the former Navy commander released in a platform Wednesday.”)
- Ben Cline has the Daughters of the American Revolution in his crosshairs (“Sixth District Congressman Ben Cline is signaling that he plans to introduce legislation that would require the Daughters of the American Revolution to limit membership to biological women, which is to say, he is trying to get headlines over something that DAR itself says would impact, at most, five trans women who want to join the group, which is congressionally chartered. Seriously, this is apparently happening.” Cline is a clown.)
- Four VA-01 Democrats ask state party to reaffirm neutrality after DCCC backs Shannon Taylor (“Candidates urge DPVA chair to distance the state party from the national committee’s promotion of a particular rival during early voting in the crowded Democratic primary.”)
- Judge cites technicality, dismisses challenge to abortion rights amendment
- Legal challenge seeking to block Va.’s reproductive rights constitutional amendment dismissed (“A Campbell County Circuit Court judge dismissed an effort that sought to invalidate the amendment Tuesday”)
- Eight Thoughts on the New VCU Poll, Which Has Gov. Abigail Spanberger “Underwater” Six Months Into Her Governorship (Data centers are almost certainly part of it, but there are numerous other possible factors…)
- Awful VCU poll for Spanberger is a ringing indictment of her first six months
- VCU poll: Voters like Spanberger’s key policies but are mixed on the governor herself. Here’s why.
- Spanberger has negative approval rating in new VCU poll
- Virginia SCC weighs Dominion data center transmission cost allocation
- Dominion Files NextEra Merger Application, Starts Clock Ticking on Proposed $66.8B Deal (“Merger Is Designed to Speed-Run the Data Center Boom — With Virginians Guaranteeing the Bill”)
- Clock starts for state regulators to review proposed Dominion-NexEra merger (“State Corporation Commission now has six months to review the merits of the deal and decide to approve or reject it”)
- Dominion files paperwork with SCC to begin NextEra merger
- Bennett: My father spent 33 years working in Virginia’s prisons. Here’s how we should judge prison reform. (“Correctional officers are often absent from our public conversations about criminal justice.”)
- Virginia sees rise in diarrhea-causing parasite cases, new data shows (“Health officials have observed more cases of the cyclosporiasis than normal in statewide and in eastern Virginia as the infection spreads across the country, but it’s not enough to be considered an outbreak yet.”)
- State officials: drought conditions in Roanoke area, Southside Virginia are at an emergency level
- Roanoke Region moved into Drought Emergency Status: What this means
- Williams: In Richmond and Norfolk, fond but overdue farewells to one-time linchpins
- It’s time to clean house at Waynesboro Public Schools: As in, starting over, from scratch
- Former longtime Norfolk councilman Paul Riddick dies
- Inspection of Danville animal shelter found incorrect drug dosages, lack of veterinary care, contaminated food
- DC-area forecast: Another scorcher today, smokier Friday, and Saturday rain chances
