by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Wednesday, July 8.
INTERNATIONAL
- European countries top ‘scorecard’ on climate progress while US slips to 27th (“Estonia, Luxembourg and UK are the top three in biennial Yale University index in tackling pollution and other issues”)
- Record Heat Drives Wildfires in Europe, Forces Thousands to Evacuate (“The wildfires are part of a string of climate-driven extreme weather across the globe this week.”)
- Climate Change Is Helping an Invasive Predator Wreak Havoc on Iconic Alaskan Fish (“Warming rivers and the uncanny ability of northern pike to navigate saltwater have enabled the freshwater invaders to lay siege to Southcentral Alaska’s salmon and trout.”)
- The Age of Reading Is Over (“Can civilization survive the postliterate era?” Probably not.)
- Russian fuel shortages bite – but will Putin change tack in Ukraine war?
- Ukraine’s Zelenskiy signs ‘drone deals’ with three countries
- Facing barbs and pressure from Trump, Europe’s leaders close ranks
- NATO summit live updates: Danish prime minister vows to defend Greenland after Trump renews demand
- Greenland ‘is very important for US, but not important for Denmark’, Trump says at Nato meeting – Europe live
- The One Word Trump Won’t Say in Turkey (“While Recep Erdoğan reaps the fruits of hosting a NATO summit, Turkish democracy pays the price.” Erdogan is an authoritarian thug – just like Trump.)
- NATO Considers Skipping 2027 Summit to Avoid Tensions With Trump
- Trump orders halt to US trade with Spain over NATO spending, Iran (WTF???)
- Trump pours cold water on NATO allies’ united front
- Trump to meet with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and Syria’s al-Sharaa on final day of NATO summit (“In addition to meeting with the leaders of Ukraine and Syria, President Donald Trump will take part Wednesday in working sessions with allies he has at times maligned.”)
- Trump says Iran ceasefire “over” and talks a “waste of time”
- Trump says ceasefire with Iran is over, calling its leaders ‘scum’ (“The president declared an end to the truce after the U.S. and Iran exchanged dozens of strikes overnight, a major escalation of violence.”)
- U.S. Strikes Iran and Reimposes Sanctions in Retaliation for Tanker Attacks
- Exclusive: US commanders bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of strike that hit school in Iran, sources say (War crimes?)
- Palestinians brace as Israeli settler figures in coalition seek to cement West Bank gains before election (These West Bank settlements are ILLEGAL.)
- As Israel Loses Support in the U.S., Rahm Emanuel Criticizes Netanyahu (“The former Chicago mayor, a Democrat exploring a 2028 presidential run, is in Tel Aviv calling for an end to unconditional U.S. support of Israel.”)
- New AP-NORC poll reveals sharp divides among US Jews over Israel and Gaza
(“About 4 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jews say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, and only about 2 in 10 see Israel’s current operations in Gaza as justified. The vast majority, 74%, say they are ‘not too’ or ‘not at all’ emotionally attached to Israel, a sharp contrast from other Jewish adults.”) - Hungarian public media outlets halt broadcasting in post-Orbán shake-up
- Le Pen’s French presidential bid dashes EU hopes for a Meloni-like successor (“Brussels insiders had quietly come to see Jordan Bardella as the less disruptive of the far-right National Rally’s two leading figures.”)
- Le Pen Says She Will Run for Presidency After Court Lifts Ban
- Kushner-Linked Resort on Albanian Mainland Could Affect Sensitive Landscape (“A Times analysis of satellite imagery shows how a proposed luxury resort being developed by Jared Kushner’s partners may damage delicate habitats”)
- Farage’s rivals rule out standing in Clacton by-election
- Editorial: U.S. should speed help to Venezuela following June earthquakes (“The people of Venezuela have a hard and difficult road ahead, and the United States should be there at every step to help.”)
- How a top State Dept. official “went rogue” over Machado’s Venezuela plans
- MAGA Loves Trump’s World Cup Meddling—Until We Lose (“They cheered the president for helping to get a red card overturned—but once the U.S. team lost, soccer became ‘gay.'”)
NATIONAL
- ICE officer fatally shoots Mexican man in Houston during traffic stop (“The incident appears to mark the first deadly shooting by federal immigration officers since Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed in Minneapolis in January.”)
- ICE agent fatally shoots Mexican motorist in Texas during vehicle stop, agency says
- The asylum change nobody saw (“The Trump administration deleted the requirement that the government process asylum seekers’ initial work permits within 30 days, allowing immigrants to legally work for U.S. employers while their asylum applications are pending.”)
- Justice Department Threatens Top Election Officials Over Noncitizen Voting (These Trump Justice Department people are unAmerican thugs.)
- New Rules Require Election Changes for States to Get Terrorism Grants
- Clarence Thomas Dreams of Monarchy (“In ruling after ruling, the Supreme Court justice has penned separate opinions to push for an expansion of executive power beyond what his conservative colleagues support.” Thomas is a f’ing disgrace, absolutely never should have been on the Supreme Court in the first place.)
- Ruling Away From America’s Second Founding (“This term shows that the Roberts court will become known for its turn away from the Reconstruction Amendments.”)
- Senate panel schedules Jay Clayton confirmation hearing for July 15 (“The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing next week on Jay Clayton’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence — paving the way for replacing the controversial acting director Bill Pulte” Politico goes with the anodyne, weak adjective “controversial” instead of “corrupt,” “unqualified,” “Trump thug,” etc.)
- Trump’s policy mayhem is making even the Maga faithful consider walking away (“Even voters who identify as foot soldiers of his political army are increasingly willing to blame Trump for their economic troubles”)
- How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027
- White House Pressures Top U.S. Grocers on Beef Prices
- MAGA media’s laughable propaganda about Trump’s popularity is instrumental to the plot to subvert elections (“Poll trutherism is the foundation of election denial”)
- Democratic Lawmakers Probe Lutnick’s Possible Ties to Cantor Fitzgerald Deal (“Firm previously led by commerce secretary helped USA Rare Earth raise private funds in connection with U.S. government’s investment”)
- Businesses Fear Politicization as Trump Gains More Power Over U.S. Agencies (“A Supreme Court ruling that presidents can fire independent regulators without cause has added volatility for industries that prefer stable enforcement.”)
- Under Trump, the agency at the center of the global AI tech race has slowed to a crawl
- Emil Bove’s Trump iPhone Wallpaper Might Be the Most Deranged Thing About Him (“The list of reasons Trump’s former lawyer is unfit to hold judicial office just got longer and weirder.”)
- Video: UVA Prof. Larry Sabato Says DSA Primary Wins, While Few, Represent “an image problem for Democrats whether they think it is or not” (Sabato also argues that “when you get frustrated and you lash out, you quadruple your problems”)
- Trump weighed in on Cabinet squabble over ride for July Fourth flyover
- A Federal Judge Just Smacked Down One of Trump’s Ridiculous Voter Fraud Crusades (“We need more government officials to stand up to the president’s delusions about the 2020 election.”)
- Judge Quashes Justice Dept. Subpoena in 2020 Election Inquiry
- Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks and his team won’t say why. Here’s what we know
- Mitch’s Wife Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission About His Health
- Republican leaders seek to quell Mitch McConnell speculation as rebellion grows (“John Thune says he spoke to McConnell on phone as secrecy over 84-year-old’s health prompts Maga backlash”)
- Maine Democratic Party Says Platner Will Have ‘No Role’ in Picking Next Nominee (“A top state party official said that Graham Platner’s team had ‘repeatedly’ tried to ‘put their thumb on the scale,’ but he would not influence how the party chose a new Senate candidate.”)
- Graham Platner’s campaign says it contacted state party to discuss process if he drops out (“The embattled Senate candidate’s campaign says voters and volunteers should decide his replacement — not the establishment.”)
- Graham Platner Got Way Too Many Passes (“The Maine Senate candidate was rocked by one scandal after another, and yet he kept being forgiven by a progressive cohort that was enamored of his working-class cosplay.”)
- Former Graham Platner girlfriend describes alleged violence, which he denies (Right, he denies it, but he also lies about EVERYTHING!)
- Perhaps the Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue (“Graham Platner’s unfitness for office was clear long ago.” Yep, and if you didn’t see that or even defended Platner, it reflects VERY poorly on you.)
- Why the Vetting of Graham Platner Failed (“To put it mildly, this is not supposed to happen in high-stakes Senate races.”)
- We didn’t need a rape accusation to know Graham Platner was unfit (“Despite months of red flags, his allies insisted he was the vision of positive masculinity the party needed.” It’s such a poor commentary on every single person who continued to support this guy, even with the gazillion red flags for months on end. Shows how broken a lot of people’s brains are.)
- Ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner says he removed condoms without consent during sex (This guy is a disgusting person on just about every level, from his pathological dishonesty to his Nazi tattoo to the horrendous/criminal way he treated women, etc.)
- Graham Platner is a bad dude — and data shows he’s a bad candidate, too (“Democrats now have an opportunity to nominate someone less troubled who polls better. Will they waste it?”)
- Graham Platner Must Go. Also, Though, He Has a Point. (“The Democratic Party simply can’t go back to status-quo candidates if it wants to swing the Senate.”)
- Troy Jackson files paperwork to explore replacing Graham Platner
- Here Are the Maine Democrats Who Might Replace Graham Platner
- Ken Paxton Vowed to Crack Down on “Illegal Voting.” He May Have Violated Texas Election Law. (Paxton is scum in every way.)
- Ken Paxton vowed to crack down on “illegal voting.” He may have violated Texas election law. (“The Texas attorney general appears to have used an address where he did not live while voting in six elections in the past two years — despite his warning voters that ‘it is illegal to misrepresent your residence on election records.'”)
- ‘We do need to defund the police’: 2020 interviews undermine Abdul El-Sayed’s claim he never advocated for unpopular movement (That’s HIGHLY problematic for this guy, both on the substance – defunding the police is insane – and also on the politics, as it could seriously hurt his chances of winning in November – and Democrats possibly taking back the U.S. Senate majority.)
- Yale Law School Fights to Stop Trump Deal (“The university has been in talks to resolve investigations into its admissions practices. The law school’s dean and some faculty have argued a deal could compromise its independence.”)
- The yin and yang of the New York Times in the Trump era (“Crucial stories but Trump-normalizing headlines — and why that’s not just nitpicking”)
VIRGINIA
- Warner meets farmers, officials at GATE Center
- Senator Kaine visits The Valley, highlights federal investments in education, workforce development, and housing
- RELEASE: Elaine Luria Releases First Ad, “Ready,” Highlighting Commitment to Fighting Corruption and Taking on Rising Costs for Working Families (“I believe that service doesn’t end when your tour is up.”)
- Harding, Ollivant, Smithers vie for GOP nomination in 7th Congressional District (These are all MAGA nuts, and the media should make that clear in their headlines, right up front in their articles, etc.)
- Getting to know Adam Dunigan: Former ‘wild kid,’ CIA officer running for Congress
- VA-8 congressional candidates to face off at Alexandria forum Thursday at Shiloh Baptist Church
- Virginia’s Atlantic coast should be protected, not turned into a sacrifice zone (“Introducing offshore strip mining into Virginia’s endangered aquatic animals’ habitat could compound threats and thrust them closer to extinction at a time when they need greater protection, not new stressors, guest columnist Rachel Mathews writes.”)
- Virginia ranks among top states for highway safety and mobility benefits, but challenges remain (“National study finds Virginia provides a significantly safer travel environment than other roads.”)
- Thoughts on VA Del. Holly Seibold’s Argument That Voters Get “frustrated with politics that feels more focused on protecting incumbents…keeping power concentrated among the same people” (Karen Duncan: “Robust, competitive primaries…[give] people a stake in real democracy “)
- Court battles leave Virginia’s new assault weapons ban in legal limbo (“Attorney General Jay Jones vows to defend new law as state and federal court challenges, along with competing injunctions, cloud enforcement across the commonwealth.”)
- Dr. Kimi Chernoby says reproductive freedom amendment would protect her patients (“Virginians will vote on Nov. 3 on whether to amend the state constitution to protect the right to reproductive freedom.”)
- Environmental group files court brief challenging air permit for new fossil fuel plant (“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation filed a court brief in support of challengers to the Virginia DEQ approval of an air permit for Dominion Energy’s proposed new fossil fuel power plant in Chesterfield County.”)
- Styrofoam food containers now banned at all Virginia restaurants (Styrofoam is nasty, for sure. Of course, single-use plastics are also really bad; Virginia should do something about them too.)
- Virginia Tech braces for expected grad student enrollment decline (“Fewer international students and waning interest in certain computer science programs are contributing to anticipated enrollment declines at colleges and universities across the country.” That’s because of Trump.)
- Prince William Co. supervisors deny 2,000-acre Dulles South data center plans
- Martinsville man tells state trooper, ‘I need to be arrested’: Then things got weird
- DC-area forecast: Mostly dry today; daily storm chances resume tomorrow
