Wednesday (9/16 ) News Roundup: “The Long Doomsday of A.I.”; “Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, September 15. 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)…plus lots more…see below.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

• World’s top 20 private equity firms produce more greenhouse gases a year than most countries, report finds (“Firms manage $7.3tn in assets and could afford to transition away from fossil fuels yet invest in natural gas and coal-fired plants to power datacenters”)
• People protecting nature and land set up self-defence units amid threat of murder (“Defenders of forests and rivers killed at rate of one every three days in 2025, with 85% of deaths in Latin America”)
• Indonesian wildfires threaten leading orangutan research site in Borneo (“Critically endangered Bornean orangutans flee forests as staff at Rangkong research station work round the clock to stave off blaze” Horrifying and horrible!)
• OpenAI’s rogue agents probed Hugging Face two months before major hack (Totally normal stuff, huh?)
• The Long Doomsday of A.I. (“After industry-wide calls for regulation, what’s concerning isn’t that the problems are real. It’s that there are no guaranteed solutions.” There really aren’t.)
• The Liftoff Scenario That Terrifies A.I. Doomsayers (“‘Recursive self-improvement’ is the idea that artificial intelligence could learn to build and train itself, creating exponential new progress — and risk.”)
• Ukraine war briefing: New anti-drone weapon scores hit amid race against Shahed jets (“Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps announces Vivaldi counter-offensive is recapturing Russian-held territory. What we know on day 1,666”)
• As Russia attacks Ukraine’s grid, solar offers a path to resilience (“With help from government incentives, Ukrainian businesses and households are increasingly investing in solar.”)
• In wartime Russia, veterans who fought in Ukraine are running for parliament (They’re sham “elections.”)
• DOJ accuses Russian intelligence agents of plotting to murder U.S.-based dissident
• Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding (“Rep. Robert Garcia said the revelations that Umar Kremlev had bankrolled the wedding raise “serious national security and public corruption concerns” and requested the president’s son provide financial and other records about the arrangement.” This SCREAMS corruption!)
• Blanche says investigation into Russian oligarch’s wedding gift to Trump Jr. is unlikely (Every Senator who voted to confirm Todd Blanche should be VOTED OUT OF OFFICE!)
• Fox News all but ignores report that a Russian oligarch bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding
• Papa Johns, Propaganda and Putin: How a MAGA Influencer With Ties to Russia Became Trump’s Arctic Adviser (Absolutely do NOT eat at Papa Johns – the pizza’s crap, obviously, and also the owner is EVIL!)
• NHL star Alexander Ovechkin campaigns for pro-Putin party in new ad (Disgusting – but not at all surprising with this guy.)
• House votes to limit Trump’s power to strike Iran for 3rd time, as 7 Republicans defect (HORRIBLY written headline by CBS “News”; sounds like they mean that the limit is on Trump striking Iran for a third time, as if he’s only struck Iran twice. Presumably, what CBS “News” means is that the House voted for the third time to limit Trump’s power to strike Iran. But we wouldn’t want our “news” media to actually undertand the English language, let alone show proficiency in the English language, right?)
• New photos show widespread damage at U.S. positions caused by Iranian missile, drone attacks
• The Iran Blockade’s Growing Price Tag Is Draining America’s Global Military Power (“The cost of naval operations since the buildup began in January has topped $7.1 billion.”)
• Iranian security forces coordinated killing, torture and sexual abuse of protesters, says Amnesty
• Saudi Pipeline Attack Risks ‘Disastrous’ Loss of Millions of Barrels of Oil
• Saudi says Houthis targeted Mecca with a drone, Iran-backed group rejects claim
• Houthis Say They Downed a Saudi Fighter Jet and Deny Targeting Mecca
• Trump Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel, Including 40,000 One-Ton Bombs (So…helping to sabatoge Kamala Harris’ campaign really worked out great, huh?)
• At least 20 killed after war-damaged Gaza building collapses (“Locals said some 10 families had been living in the apartments despite warnings that they were unsafe.”)
• US Plans to Provide Thousands of Massive Weapons to Israel
• All of Ed Sheeran’s Openers Abandon Tour After Macklemore Debacle (“Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe withdrew after Macklemore was forced off the trek following a pressure campaign over his comments in support of Palestinians”)
• Al-Qaida and IS-linked violence in Africa’s Sahel belt set to hit record levels this year (“Twenty-five years after 9/11, figures compiled by conflict monitor underline how Sahel region has become centre of Islamist terror”)
• Ferocious fight among Brazil’s supreme court erupts on eve of presidential election (“Scandal explodes as country’s election campaign peaks, with polls suggesting dead heat between candidates”)
• EU chief opens door for Canada to become ‘associate member’ (“Canada is seeking closer ties with EU after a breakdown in relations with the US and its president Donald Trump.”)
• Carney’s new love-in with EU has everything to do with Trump
• Venezuela opposition leader Machado weighs return home amid US reticence
• Elon Musk Trains His Political Chaos Machine on the U.K. (Evil dude. On a related note, the Biden administration should have made a huge effort to block Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Why didn’t it???)
• The World Economy Is Becoming Wary of the U.S. (“America’s position of global economic stability is starting to look shakier as the Trump administration piles on debt and doubles down on sanctions.”)

NATIONAL NEWS 

• Revealed: ICE lost count of miscarriages, while detaining a record number of pregnant women
• The successful campaign to make a terrifying Supreme Court immigration case disappear (“For now…”)
• How Trump’s war on EVs derailed America’s auto-factory revival
• ‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season
• Fed Readies for Momentous Rate Decision (“The central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates on Wednesday, less than two months before the midterm elections.”)
• Trump wants lower rates. His new Fed chairman is poised to raise them
• Americans’ income hits record, but lower earners lose ground (“On paper, Americans look richer than ever. But broader measures of financial security show millions still getting squeezed by medical costs, uneven income gains and a thinning public safety net.”)
• Mail-in disaster averted as Trump in angry froth after court defeat
• Trump Goes Postal On Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett (“What did the Justices tell Trump during their interviews to make the President think otherwise?”)
• New report reveals prevalence of physical and sexual violence in US (“Study finds more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence and nearly half sexual violence” Crazy.)
• Trump’s third surgeon general nominee, Nicole Saphier, to face Senate (“Chris Klomp, vying for the health department’s No. 2 slot, and Timothy Westlake, the pick for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will also face questioning.”)
• Right-wing media downplay AI safety concerns as a hoax by comparing them to climate change and “COVID hysteria” (These people’s heads are all filled with rotten mush.)
• An aging Congress attempts to regulate AI without using it
• AI panic sparks rare bipartisan moment on Capitol Hill
• Trump escalates war on federal data (“Across the federal government, agencies are changing how they collect and publicize information. More and more, politics and ideology are part of the equation.” This is disastrous!)
• Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry (“The landmark legislation, known as the Clarity Act, stalled in the Senate as Democrats raised concerns about President Trump’s personal investments in crypto.”)
• Landmark Crypto Bill Fails in Key Vote, Casting Doubt on New Rules and Hitting Stocks (“Clarity Act aimed to deliver regulatory framework for digital assets, but Congress remained divided over curbs on Trump’s crypto investments”)
• Trump considered dangerous, corrupt by majority in new poll (If you don’t consider Trump dangerous and corrupt at this point, you’re either part of the MAGA cult or an imbecile or…both?)
• Trump Has Made More Trades Than All of Congress Combined (“Most Americans support a ban on lawmaker stock trading. Trump is in favor of a prohibition that doesn’t apply to him.”)
• Scoop: Trump pollster gives GOP a data center survival guide (“Fabrizio specifically advises candidates not to say, ‘I support building more data centers,’ warning: ‘It will be clipped and show up in ads.'”)
• A ‘Blue Wave’ May Be Building, but How High? (“A Times/Siena national poll suggests Republicans are reeling. Can they come back by depicting Democrats as too far to the left?”)
• Trump’s $5,000 pledge to voters is a shameless bribe (“Not only would the plan do vast economic damage – it assumes that Americans are easily bamboozled”)
• Rebel Democrats again help House GOP advance floor agenda (“It’s the second time in three weeks that Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden backed a Republican ‘rule.'” What. The. F***???)
• FBI director faces sharp questions from senators about his firing of agents
• Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality (Again…just imagine if a Biden adminisration top official had said this???)
• Kash Patel’s FBI Recruiting Standards Have Gone to the Dogs (“The bureau will no longer automatically disqualify applicants who’ve engaged in bestiality. And we’re not talking about the canine units.”)
• Chuck Grassley Tells Dem. to “Shut Up” About Kash Patel’s Incompetence (Grassley is scum.)
• Kash Patel suggests FBI agents may be at polls
• Pentagon Wants Only the Fittest Troops to Attend Upcoming Hegseth Speech (“Servicemembers must meet waist-to-height standards and have ‘impeccable’ grooming”)
• The trans CIA official ousted by Trump: ‘We’re a government crippled by its own decisions’ (“Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, speaks on Trump administration’s purge of national security staff, attacks on DEI and failures in Iran war”)
• Federal Employees Were Paid $9.5 Billion Not to Work in 2025 Under DOGE Effort (“As part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s program to shrink the federal work force, paid administrative leave costs rose by 435 percent.”)
• ‘60 Minutes’ Debuts to a 21% Ratings Drop After Revamp (“The CBS newsmagazine’s audience fell 33% in the key 25-to-54 demo, according to Nielsen data”)
• Bari’s ‘60’ Bust (“Bari Weiss blew up ’60 Minutes,’ ostensibly to create a better show. Instead, her revamped premiere just suffered its worst debut ratings of the 21st century” Why would anyone watch “60 Minutes” at this point???))
• House GOP’s Epstein files headache is back
• Trump Plans Blitz of $138 Million and Counting to Save Midterm Republicans
• Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders Don’t Agree on Much. They Agree AI Could Kill Us All. (No way in HELL should a Democrat, let alone a democratic socialist, be teaming up with a dangerous fascist on ANYTHING!)
• The Only Thing Capable of Uniting Bernie and Bannon (“They both fear that AI could wipe out humanity.”)
• Senate control could hinge on this ex-lawmaker’s ability to win back working-class voters (“Democrat Sherrod Brown is seeking to return to the chamber two years after losing his seat when many blue-collar voters embraced Donald Trump.”)
• A Shouting Match and an Ultimatum at the Kennedy Center (“President Trump berated a congresswoman during a board meeting, then posted that he would abandon the Kennedy Center if his name isn’t added to it.” This guy is completely unhinged.)
• Trump’s Kennedy Center sabotage is complete (“Trump can’t put his name on the building — so he’s closing it instead.”)
• Kennedy Center board votes to close for renovations after chaotic call with Trump
• Kennedy Center Closes Its Doors Despite a Judge’s Order (“The announcement came after President Trump said he would cancel a $257 million renovation of the venue if his name is not returned to the building.” I’ve said this before and will say it again: this is INSANE, also almost certainly ILLEGAL, and people should be outraged. So…any protests? Or nah?)
• The Next Change Trump Has Planned for the Smithsonian (“A letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed new details about warning signs the White House will install near the American-history museum.” Also INSANE!)
• 2 more Pennsylvanians die with measles, reigniting fight between RFK Jr. and Josh Shapiro (Politico frames this, neutrally, as a “fight” – in this case between a sane, fact-based human, namely Josh Schapiro; and an insane, unhinged scumbag, namely RFK Jr. Great job, “mainstream” “news” media!)

VIRGINIA NEWS 

• Video: Mark Warner for Virginia Campaign Launches First TV Ads, “Safe and Fair” and “Data Exploitation” (Ads highlight “Warner’s Fight to Set a National Standard for AI and End Exploitive Surveillance Price Gouging”)
• Video: Elaine Luria Releases Two Ads (“Vet Like Me,” “Burn Pits”) Contrasting Her Passage of the PACT Act to Expand Veterans’ Health Care with Jen Kiggans’ Record of Putting Trump Ahead of America’s Veterans
• Virginia’s federal lawmakers lock in on regulating data centers
• Ben Cline brags about NRA endorsement, A+ rating: Because, of course he would
• How does Ballot Question 1 affect Virginia’s abortion regulations? (“Experts say a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in Virginia’s constitution would not prevent the General Assembly from regulating health and safety. That’s contrary to an anti-amendment campaign’s central claim.”)
• Virginia shrinks list of disenfranchising crimes, complying with federal ruling (“Virginia has implemented a landmark federal court order and now no longer strips someone’s voting rights away over any felony conviction except three: murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.”)
• Virginia nurses face workplace violence, yet assaults remain misdemeanors (Assaulting a health care professional should be a felony, no?)
• Opioid authority awards $12.3 million for prevention, treatment and recovery in Virginia (“Funding will support 39 projects across 18 agencies and public institutions.”)
• FBI to consolidate Norfolk Field Office under Richmond supervision (“FBI Norfolk Field Office Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans will leave her role at the end of the month as the reorganization goes into effect Oct. 1.”)
• Fairfax Chair Jeff McKay Announces Board of Supervisors Approved $700k to Restore Crossing Guards at Multiple High Schools for the Remainder of the School Year (Fairfax Chair Jeff McKay Announces Board of Supervisors Approved $700k to Restore Crossing Guards at Multiple High Schools for the Remainder of the School Year)
• Crossing Guards will be at Fairfax County High schools for rest of year
• UPDATED: Fairfax supervisors restore crossing guard funding after residents rally for action
• Loudoun County board pauses data center applications (“The board chair made it clear the measure was not a ban or a moratorium, describing it as a way to give the county time to craft new laws concerning the facilities and how they affect nearby communities.”)
• Why the SCC should hold a field hearing on the proposed Dominion merger in St. Paul (I mean, Southwestern Virginia isn’t in Dominion’s service area, so…yeah, Dwayne Yancey just wants to be able to cover it? LOL)
• Virginia school board settles with parents, reverses policy that blocked LGBTQ+ student club (“King George School Board updates policy to expand non-curricular clubs, enhance parental input”)
• Arlington board directs removal of county’s Flock cameras
• County Board directs Manager to Discontinue use of Flock Technology (“This decision reflects concerns raised by Arlington residents regarding the use of Flock technology”)
• Section of I-81 in Roanoke Valley expands to 3 lanes each way (Expanding highways is almost never the right answer, and yet here we are, with a myriad of severe environmental problems due largely to fossil fuel dependency, and…yep, not only do we keep doing the same shit, we even call it an “Improvement.” UGH.)
• CSX says extreme heat caused July train derailment in Richmond (“While the derailment only spilled non-hazardous corn into the James River, a CSX spokesperson declined to identify hazardous cargo the company transports through the area of the incident.”)
• Editorial: Two open houses invite public input for Fort Monroe’s future
• Augusta County deputy in trouble over lip-sync of Lil Wayne’s ‘Mrs. Officer’ (“Here we go, with Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith throwing one of his Black cops under the bus again.”)
• Did Waynesboro Schools really hire the superintendent’s former romantic partner?
• DC-area forecast: Still nice today despite the start of a warming trend