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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Wednesday, August 12. 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 Trump ditching Air Force One, the crazy ICE encounter in Bailey’s Crossroads, Trump’s vile plot to steal the midterms, John McGuire insanity, etc. And yes, as Jamelle Bouie says, “We need to accept that we elected an actual madman to be president”; “The ‘we’ here refers primarily to political journalists but could also extend to the tens of millions of Americans who are in denial about the fact that the president is insane.” But, of course, most political “journalists” refuse to state the obvious, that Trump is a madman, a fascist, etc.; instead, they normalize, sanewash, minimize, etc. The question, as always, is WHY do they do that???
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis, Trump’s secret flight “indicates severity of assassination threat from Iran”, Iran’s “survival economy,” the “Netanyahu two-step,” etc.)
- Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent. What is to blame? (“The climate crisis is hitting Europe hard in 2026, warming twice as fast as any other continent – and the consequences are deadly”)
- Ukraine war briefing: North Korean missiles hit Zaporizhzhia in deadly attack (“Zelenskyy warns Putin will use Russian election, in which opposition to the war is banned, as pretext for major call-up of troops. What we know on day 1,631”)
- Inside Russia’s New Gulag (“Human-rights groups estimate that more than ten thousand Ukrainian civilians have disappeared into the Russian prison system. This is the story of one cell.”)
- Scientists say U.S. will suffer if White House bars research with China
- Pakistan says US and Iran close to ‘some sort’ of deal despite attacks on shipping
- How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled
- Iran Said to Have Known Details of Trump’s Stay at NATO Summit
- With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy
- Iran Is Defying U.S. Pressure by Becoming a ‘Survival Economy’ (“President Trump’s strategy rests on an assumption that Tehran will crack before the U.S., but mediators warn that Iran has been living under sanctions for years.”)
- Trump’s secret flight switch indicates severity of assassination threat by Iran (“Iran lost top leaders in the war and US ‘humiliation … a form of revenge’, say experts, after administration’s flight ruse”)
- ‘Coward And Liar’: Critics Trash Trump’s New Air Force One Claim As ‘Utter Nonsense’ (“The president’s latest claim about secretly leaving Air Force One had some faulty logic.”)
- See How Trump’s Secret Air Force One Swap Unfolded
- Why the elaborate ruse Trump used in Turkey isn’t like other secret presidential trips
- Trump says Secret Service told him to switch planes because of threat
- Trump Used Air Force One Passengers As Decoys, Saved Himself
- Close Trump aides — but no Cabinet officials — made secret catering truck move (“The president was accompanied by some of his most loyal aides but no top administration officials as he made the clandestine switch to a different plane to leave Turkey last month.”)
- Trump leaves press, staffers, military on Air Force One to die so he can fly in peace
- Trump Claims Hormuz Control as US, Iran Harden Their Stances
- Houthi attack kills six in first fatalities in Red Sea in over a year; U.S. strikes container ship
- New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse (“The U.S. and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.”)
- Has Sean Hannity given up on the Iran war?
- Pentagon tells Congress US military airstrikes in Yemen resulted in 153 civilians killed
- Trump’s Gaza plan and Board of Peace face ticking clock
- Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say (“First responders, residents and environmental groups say military dropping flares to destroy forests and crops” Literally scorched earth? That’s truly evil if that’s the case.)
- ‘Tolerating the Netanyahu two-step’: Why the White House can live with Israel rejecting its peace plan
- Ceuta showed just how easy it is to divide Europe (“The migrant influx prompted recriminations and a tit-for-tat dispute between Italy and Spain. Putin, Erdoğan and others will have taken note”)
- ‘Every minute counts’ as rescuers race to find survivors after deadly Colombia earthquake
- Infantino’s opponents developing new framework for running world football
NATIONAL NEWS (ICE insanity in Bailey’s Crossroads and beyond; Trump’s “vile plot” to steal midterms – we’d better take his threats seriously!; “establishment strikes back in Wisconsin”; etc.)
- Video: US Citizen/Wife/Mother Near Bailey’s Crossroads Has Gun Pulled on Her by ICE Agent (Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) declares: “This kind of misconduct and threat of force against members of our communities cannot be tolerated”)
- ‘He could have shot me’ | Northern Virginia woman says federal agent pointed gun at her (“The incident happened around 3 p.m. Monday in Baileys Crossroads.”)
- Video shows ICE agent pull gun on Virginia woman who yelled at agents in parking lot (“An ICE agent can be seen holding a gun while arguing with the woman through her driver’s side window.”)
- ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks
- One Woman’s Message From the Hell of ICE Detention (“My husband, son, and I have been locked up for months—despite being permanent residents with no criminal record. It is an unendurable, unending nightmare.”)
- ICE’s Airport Crackdowns Are Designed to Spread Fear (“The agency is snatching and grabbing travelers without any regard for their immigration status—and with no effort to be transparent about what they’re up to.”)
- An inflation report Wednesday should be a big deal for the Fed. Here’s what to expect
- Trump Has His Own Communist Manifesto (“Seldom before has the U.S. government intervened so actively in the economy.”)
- Federal judge blocks Trump’s anti-mail voting executive order again — this time nationwide
- Trump says “stranger things have happened” after Wayne Allyn Root pitches his national security emergency idea on elections directly to him (This type of rhetoric is extremely disturbing and dangerous.)
- Trump Blurts Out Vile Plot to Steal Midterms as GOPers Grow Unnerved (“As Trump’s election-theft schemes grow darker, an election law expert explains why we must take his threats seriously, even if they’ll likely fail—and lays out how we can prepare for the worst.”)
- Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since joining supreme court, analysis shows (“Critics argue US high court justice should recuse himself from upcoming fossil fuel firms’ climate accountability case”)
- Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon picks raise questions over Trump family business ties
- David Ellison Says He’ll Pull Paramount Out of California Starting Oct. 1 if States Refuse to Negotiate Settlement in Antitrust Suit
- Paramount lawyer says company ‘happy to cooperate’ as Democrats vow crackdown on merger (“Top Judiciary Democrat Jamie Raskin said anyone involved in Paramount’s attempt to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery ‘should be prepared to answer under oath.'”)
- Nate Silver’s Midterm Election Model Has Dems Favored to Take Back the Senate (57.3%) and House (86.6%) (In VA, Silver has VA01 as Tossup, VA02 as Likely D, VA05 as Lean R)
- Four takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries in six states
- Rep. John Larson becomes 7th House Democrat to lose primary this year
- Former Hartford mayor ousts Larson in Connecticut House primary
- ‘Fireworks suck’: Removed El-Sayed videos urged getting rid of the 4th of July tradition, raised replacing 2nd Amendment (Agreed, fireworks really DO suck. And yes, the 2nd amendment is FUBAR.)
- El-Sayed’s Winning Path in Michigan
- The Socialist Threatening A 15-Year-Long Political Comeback (“The state party establishment fears Democrats are throwing away a once-in-a-generation chance at a trifecta.”)
- Left-Wing Surge Stalls in Wisconsin as Francesca Hong Narrowly Loses
- Crowley beats socialist Hong in Wisconsin Democratic governor primary (Thank goodness!)
- The far left hits a wall (“The movement had been riding high off a string of primary victories this cycle. But Francesca Hong’s loss Wednesday led to an immediate round of finger-pointing.” Keep putting unhinged extremists like that DSA co-chair nutjob on TV and see what happens…LOL)
- Establishment strikes back in Wisconsin and other takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries (Also, SANITY struck back against the loony-tunes, far-left Francesca Hong!)
- Moderate Crowley Projected to Win Wisconsin Primary in Upset
- David Crowley defeats Francesca Hong to win Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor (“Crowley pulls off last-minute victory in tight race after polls had shown his progressive opponent as a clear frontrunner” MASSIVE polling failure.)
- Graham, Norman advance to runoff in South Carolina GOP primary for Senate
- Michele Tafoya wins Republican primary for Senate in Minnesota, CBS News projects
- Trump comes up short with Lindell in Minnesota gubernatorial primary
- Peggy Flanagan wins Democratic primary for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat
- The Democratic money machine is coming for Max Miller
- Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction (“The price tag is much larger than what has been previously reported, according to a Post review of confidential contracts, and taxpayers would cover most of it.” Totally unacceptable!)
- We need the truth about Trump’s alleged ‘ballroom’ (“Plus, the day Trump left his press corps for dead.”)
- White House Asks Justice Department to Consider New Reflecting-Pool Prosecution (Completely insane. In fact, who SHOULD be prosecuted are #1 Trump, #2 the corrupt contractor who botched the job, etc.)
- Mamdani’s Honeymoon With New York Is Over (“New York City mayor faces messy rollout of pied-à-terre tax and fraying relations with local politicians”)
- Chesapeake Bay osprey populations are struggling (“Amid wildlife concerns, fishery regulator considers new harvest caps” Stop “considering” harvest caps and just do it already!)
VIRGINIA NEWS (John McGuire’s unhinged insanity; Spanberger on Dominion-NextEra; etc.)
- Video: Asked About Tom Perriello, Rep John “MAGA” McGuire (R-VA05) Spews Unhinged Insanity, Lies (“Soros!” “Communist Russia!” “Open Borders!”) (This guy is such an embarrassment and disgrace; gotta replace him in November!)
- Luria, Taylor say Trump, Republican incumbents are making life less affordable (“Virginia Democrats in two competitive congressional races are attacking their Republicans opponents’ records on affordability.”)
- Editorial: Va.’s congressional candidates should model respect in campaigns (This message overwhelmingly needs to go to John McGuire, Jen Kiggans, Rob Wittman, etc.)
- Video: Gov. Abigail Spanberger Says She’s “not trying to dictate the decision” on the Proposed Dominion-NextEra Merger, But Argues This Is “wholly unprecedented in Virginia’s history,” So She Intends to Advocate for Virginians (Spanberger pledges that Virginia “will continue to be a national leader in the requirements that we are putting on data centers”)
- Spanberger: We need poll workers for Election Day, now more than ever
- Lt. Gov. Hashmi hits the road to hear from Virginians on Dominion-NextEra merger
- Spanberger claims prison reforms; inmates say much more is needed
- Virginia schools prepare for new year with measles on their radar (“After a summer outbreak, schools are paying closer attention to vaccinations records as students return to classrooms.”)
- Va. resident seeks answers from state education superintendent over genocide definition (“Prince William County civil case continued to Sept. 8, 2026.”)
- Arlington County authorities investigating death of inmate at local jail (“Tyrone Hines, 62, died at Virginia Hospital Center after experiencing an apparent medical emergency while in custody at the jail, per a report from the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and the Arlington County Police Department.”)
- New Roanoke County superintendent lays out his vision at start of school year
- Virginia Beach approves golf course sale to housing developer
- Former Blacksburg school principal convicted of soliciting prostitution
- DC-area forecast: Storm chances come and go this week before a nice Saturday
