by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Tuesday, August 4 – primary day in Virginia Today’s biggest developments and headlines include the climate crisis (always at the top of these news highlights because it’s existential and should be a massive story every single day)…also the Iran War, ICE, Todd Blanche, primaries in Michigan and Virginia, etc. Also note that Virginia polling locations are open from 6 am to 7 pm today; make sure you vote!).
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis, Ukraine/Russia, Trump met his “obstinate match” in Iran’s “hardball regime”; Iran to cement its hold on Hormuz?; etc.)
- We launched a war on nature. Now we are in a climate war zone (“Summer is not what it once was. We have been robbed of one of life’s great joys”)
- These are some of the last pristine ocean ecosystems. Now, they’re losing protections
- Five dead in Moscow region as Ukraine continues warehouse strikes
- Trump accuses oil companies of ‘making too much money’ from his war on Iran (They’re making that money because of…yep, Trump!)
- An Emerging Deal Could Cement Iran’s Control of Strait of Hormuz (“The deal would address President Trump’s most urgent political problem by allowing ships to move again. But it would give Iran strategic leverage it did not have before the war.”)
- Trump insists Iran talks are underway despite Tehran’s ‘duplicitous’ denials (It’s pretty pathetic when Iran’s horrible regime has as much or more credibility than the U.S. president, but that’s where we’re at right now?)
- Trump keeps making threats. The world has stopped flinching.
- “Last chance before decapitation”: Trump threatens Iran over stalled peace talks (“The president raged on Monday after Iranian officials denied any active peace talks with the U.S.” Just what we want, a president who “rages” – brilliant, MAGA cultists, media, etc!)
- Iran Sees US as Weak After Trump Backs Off Strikes, CSIS Says (So do Putin, Xi, etc, etc.)
- Trump warns Iran talks are ‘last chance’ to end war — oil prices rise as Tehran denies negotiations
- Trump meets his obstinate match in Iran’s hardball regime (“US president reduced to bemoaning Tehran’s ‘unbelievable duplicity’ as he struggles to find solid negotiating ground”)
- The Iran War’s Forgotten Captives: Sailors Trapped in the Persian Gulf
- An Emerging Deal Could Cement Iran’s Control of the Strait of Hormuz
- US has used ‘virtually all’ of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
- A Currency Trader at Heart, Bessent Bets on Japan’s Yen
- Ceuta was a carnival of anti-migrant content for hateful opportunists on the right – and a lesson for the left
- More than 150 migrants rescued after boat catches fire in Channel
- Australia will not hit 82 pct renewables by 2030, BNEF says, despite record solar and battery investment
- Distributed solar supplied 27% of Pakistan’s electricity in 2025
NATIONAL NEWS (Dems’ missed opportunity on Trump’s immigration cruelty, Blanche unfortunately on track for confirmation after “completely hollow” deal, the GOP’s ridiculous “red scare,” Republican scumbag Max Miller, “Senate primary in Michigan is a fight for the Democratic Party’s future,” etc.)
- MAGA Erupts at Trump DHS Chief—and Accidentally Exposes Big MAGA Scam (“Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin committed the ultimate sin in the eyes of MAGA personalities, triggering vicious attacks and even calls for his ouster. What was this grave transgression?”)
- Democrats’ missed opportunity on Trump’s immigration cruelty (“The lack of focus on the president’s deportations on the campaign trail is a strategic and moral error” Agreed.)
- How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics (“Its Critics The agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements”)
- Immigrant Held at Delaney Detention Center Has Died, Officials Say (“The mayor of Newark identified the dead man as Edwin Lopez-Cornejo. The New Jersey center has been the focus of intense scrutiny for its treatment of detainees.” WILDLY unacceptable!)
- Judge blocks New York ban on face coverings for ICE (“The ruling allowed another state law that bars agreements between ICE and state or local law enforcement agencies.”)
- Twenty five states sue Trump administration over latest global tariffs
- Democratic-led states sue to block Trump’s latest wave of tariffs
- The AI Boom Is Transforming the American Economy Beyond Recognition
- How the War in Iran Is Complicating Trump’s Agenda at Home
- The Major Climate-Change Warning Our Country Has Been Ignoring for Far Too Long (“Something tells me our president isn’t going to anything about it either.”)
- The Great Inflammation Panic (“The wellness world’s favorite buzzword has gone federal. For those of us with real inflammatory disorders, the misinformation isn’t just annoying—it’s harmful.” RFK Jr. should be nowhere near having any sort of power, certainly not over Americans’ healthcare!)
- How to Save Congress From the Supreme Court (“Much of what ails us can be blamed on the steady degradation of the legislature as the other branches of government grabbed power for themselves. It’s time to start undoing the damage.”)
- Blanche assures anti-abortion supporters that Dobbs will be ‘permanent in every single state’ (Wuuuuut?)
- ‘Completely hollow’: critics denounce Blanche deal to halt Trump slush fund
- Trump still really wants a slush fund (“The $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” appears dead. Trump’s bigger push to personally control federal money is not.”)
- Republicans Let Trump Keep Unparalleled Benefit: I.R.S. Immunity (“The rebellion against Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, now seemingly contained, at no point fundamentally questioned President Trump’s new protections from the I.R.S.”)
- The legal loophole that could revive the Trump administration’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund (“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order saying the $1.8 billion fund had been “rescinded,” but critics note he’s not the only one who has a say in the matter.”)
- Still some drama left in Todd Blanche’s confirmation fight (“He is expected to get through the Judiciary Committee, but confirmation is not a done deal.”)
- White House Whipsaws Silicon Valley (and Itself) Over A.I. Rules
- Capital One says it closed hundreds of Trump’s bank accounts in 2021 ‘for anti-money laundering reasons’
- Wall Street finds new edge behind Trump’s presidential paywall
- Why Trump Media’s sale of fast access to market-moving social posts is controversial (Because it’s WILDLY inappropriate and corrupt?)
- Trump blasts Pirro, saying U.S. Attorney ‘choked’ in handling of Reflecting Pool case
- How Trump’s claims of vandalism at the renovated Reflecting Pool crumbled (Would it kill the Bezos Post to put the word “false” in the headline and/or subheader? Apparently so…)
- Trump doesn’t fire Pirro at White House meeting hours after saying she ‘choked’ over Reflecting Pool case
- Trump: Pirro ‘choked,’ ‘folded like an umbrella’ in Reflecting Pool case
- Trump Keeps Finding New Targets to Blame for His Ridiculous Reflecting Pool Fiasco—and a Key Ally Is Now in His Sights (“Just goes to show that there’s no reasoning with a madman.” Exactly right by Charles Pierce!)
- Americans Are Turning on Trump (“The president’s big gains with Black, Hispanic, and young voters in 2024 suggested a major shift. Less than two years later, he has lost those new supporters.”)
- Wait, Did the Republican Party Only Just Realize That It Hired a Bunch of Yahoos and Morons, and That’s Why It’s Falling Apart? (“I’ve seen this coming ever since Reagan opened the Gates of Mordor back in 1980.”)
- What the Hell Happened to Sean Duffy’s Road-Trip TV Show? (“Three months after it was announced, the secretary of transportation’s summer show—funded by companies he regulates—hasn’t aired a single episode.”)
- Poll: Talarico has slim lead over Paxton in Texas Senate race (“Three consecutive polls have now shown Democrat James Talarico narrowly ahead of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in that state’s crucial race for the U.S. Senate. The latest, released Tuesday morning, has Talarico up 47%-45%.”)
- Michigan Democrats pick between moderate and progressive in high-profile Senate primary
- How A $60 Million Flop In Michigan Could Change Democratic Politics (“Democrats are a lot less afraid of the AI, crypto and AIPAC-backed super PACs than they were a year ago.”)
- Senate primary in Michigan is a fight for the Democratic Party’s future
- The war to succeed Bernie Sanders is already underway (“Walking into Democrats’ contentious Michigan Senate primary, Sanders’ inner circle thinks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is more likely than Ro Khanna to be the heir.” AOC is far better than Khanna.)
- What Does It Even Mean to Be a Moderate? (“The Michigan Senate primary has turned into a referendum on a word that has never had a fixed meaning.” It’s mostly a meaningless word, misused all the time by political “journalists”…)
- Reliably red Ohio suddenly a red-hot mess for GOP
- Scoop: Trump tells Max Miller his candidacy is in trouble (Miller should be in prison!)
- ‘He should quit’: Republican senators sound alarms about Max Miller accusations (“The calls came after Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, said he should not serve in the House.” He should not serve ANYWHERE…except maybe serving meals to his fellow inmates!)
- Democrats mull whether to push Max Miller expulsion (Seems like an obvious call.)
- Ethics panel urges censure of Rep. Chuck Edwards over sexual harassment violation
VIRGINIA NEWS (Virginia primaries today; Sen. Kaine says US murdered people in Caribbean/Pacific; etc.)
- Sen. Tim Kaine Sends Letter to Trump, Says “the United States has killed individuals [in the Caribbean, Pacific] who are not involved in narcotrafficking…They are murder victims.”
- ‘They are murder victims’: Senator suggests US strikes have killed people who weren’t involved in drug trafficking
- New FiftyPlusOne Election Forecast Has Dems Favored to Take the US House (85%), Senate (55%); VA01 a Toss-Up, VA02 Likely Dem (If this comes to pass, VA’s US House delegation could go from 6D-5R to 8D-3R – or maybe even 9D-2R)
- Data analytics guru has Virginia with an outside shot at a 9-2 map after midterms
- Virginia Primary Day (8/4/26): Open Thread, Info on the Candidates, Plus Predictions and Preferences (Polls open 6 am to 7 pm)
- Candidates with the most money tend to have the most success in Virginia, including in primaries (Yeah, although apparently NOT in the Michigan Democratic primary for US Senate?)
- Virginia Primary Election Day — live updates and results
- What to expect in Virginia’s state primary
- Editorial: Take time to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primary elections
- Spanberger restores civil rights to more than 66,000 Virginians. But that doesn’t mean we’re getting 66,000 new voters. Here’s some math. (“Not everyone eligible to register to vote does so. And not everyone who is registered actually votes. Here’s a guess at how many voters this action will produce.”)
- Virginia faces a collision of policy choices on data centers and energy (“We have built an economy that is requiring difficult choices, on the environment, on jobs, on land use, on lots of things. Is government capable of handling all these?”)
- DEQ study throws cold water on data center development east of I-95 (“And its delayed release becomes a problem for Spanberger.”)
- ‘Deeply alarming’: Virginia senators urge special session on groundwater report (“In a joint letter sent last week by Sens. Russet Perry, D-Leesburg, and Richard Stuart, R-Montross, the legislators referred to the findings of a DEQ report on the state’s groundwater as ‘deeply alarming.'”)
- Virginia shoppers set to save as sales tax holiday returns this weekend
- Subcommittee fails to recommend changes to Virginia’s election cycle
- Cardiovascular health spending has tripled, but death rates are rising in major Hampton Roads cities (“Doctors say medical advances alone cannot close the gap between rising spending and stagnant death rates without stronger prevention and better access to care and healthy lifestyle.”)
- What Fairfax County voters need to know for the dual congressional primaries Tuesday
- ‘Concrete jungle’: As Amazon details plans for new Ashburn data centers, some residents are fed up
- Waynesboro School Board lays out its plan for a rush job superintendent search
- Roanoke College cutting programs, adding health school and potential development
- Pulaski unveils new mural, as Galax cancels its mural over controversial debate
- Buchanan County says it has recovered most of the money stolen in a construction-related scam (“Almost $3.3 million out of about $4.6 million had been returned to the school district as of Monday.”)
- DC-area forecast: Drier air today before heat, humidity and storms return
