by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 28. What follows is just a small sampling of all the dangerous, unconstitutional, etc. sh** that Trump’s doing, and the lack of serious response from the Republicans who control Congress, etc. In sum, we’re in deep, deep trouble.
- Surge in ocean heat is a sign climate change is accelerating (And America elected a president who actually DENIES man-made climate change. Same thing with the MAGA GOP in general.)
- Dangerous temperatures could kill 50% more Europeans by 2100, study finds (“Net increase of 80,000 deaths a year projected in hottest scenario, with milder winters failing to redress balance”)
- Ukraine is pinning hopes on Putin exasperating Trump (“Washington and Kyiv are holding fast to separate assumptions about the prospect of ending the ongoing war — but both could be wrong.”)
- In a split second, Russia wipes out three generations of a Ukrainian family (Horrible.)
- At least 11 Baltic cables have been damaged in 15 months, prompting NATO to up its guard
- CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, upending expectations of an extended withdrawal (WILDLY irresponsible and reckless.)
- Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries (That’s just viciously cruel.)
- The US Seems to Be Deliberately Weakening its Global Position
- ‘It will kill people’: Chaos, confusion after Trump halts US foreign aid
- Trump Order Freezing Foreign Aid Halts Programs Worldwide, Prompts Confusion and Rush for Waivers
- DeepSeek just blew up the AI industry’s narrative that it needs more money and power
- Tech selloff deepens as DeepSeek upsets global AI race
- DeepSeek Challenges Everyone’s Assumptions About AI Costs
- China’s DeepSeek Surprise (“What to make of China’s suddenly popular new AI model”)
- Johnson bashes China on AI, Trump calls DeepSeek development “positive”
- Exclusive: Images show China building huge fusion research facility, analysts say (“China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research centre in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organisations say, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation.”)
- ‘A long, long road ahead’: Gaza rebuilds from zero
- Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ in Maps after government updates … (WTF Google???)
- Google’s Donald Trump-Inspired Move Has Critics Navigating Outrage
- Trump To Tariff Chips Made In Taiwan, Targeting TSMC (Uh, why???)
- Trump’s Victory Over Colombia Now Looks Less Clear Cut (Why was the media busy declaring Trump the “winner” of this in the first place???)
- Trump’s Colombia Spat Is a Gift to China (“Latin American leaders don’t like submitting to the United States in imperial mode. They also have an alternative.”)
- Murkowski and Chemnitz: Greenland “Ally, not an Asset”
- Egg prices are soaring. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon
- Trump said he’d bring prices down on Day One. That hasn’t happened (Of course not – there were actually people who BELIEVED this???)
- Trump rescinded a half-century of environmental rules. Here’s what that could mean.
- Donald Trump Orders Freeze On All Federal Grants And Loans In Huge Power Grab (“Democrats warned that Trump’s latest order could harm programs used by millions of Americans, including early childhood programs, and food and rent assistance.”)
- All federal grants and loan disbursement paused by White House (“The freeze is slated to take effect at 5 p.m. ET today and could impact trillions of dollars”)
- The Impoundment Crisis of 2025 (“The Trump administration’s Monday spending freeze is likely to provoke a crisis over the constitutionality of “impoundment”—one that the justices could well have to resolve *very* soon.”)
- Analysis Trump’s retribution agenda sends a chilling message
- Project 2025 proposed targeting local officials who resist mass deportation. Trump is following through.
- The birthright citizenship ban is unconstitutional, and it’s not even close
- Let’s Grade Trump’s First Week Against the Constitutional Promises He Made
- “Just as bad as we feared”: Experts on the chaos and carnage of Trump’s first week (“Trump’s first-week performance was calculated, expected — and highly traumatic. What happens next will be crucial”)
- The Awful Absurdity of Trump’s First Week Back in Power (“A watchdog purge. A proposal to “clean out” Gaza. Immigration raids starring Dr. Phil. It was an appalling return to Trump politics—and it’s only going to get worse.”)
- Welcome to Trump 2.0: Stupid and Evil at the Same Time
- Trump goes full dictator (“Trump has broken faith with the Constitution. He is no longer operating within the pale of the law. On Monday, January 27, Trump dropped all pretense of being a ‘president’ within the meaning of Article II of the US Constitution and began wielding power for his own benefit and without regard for constitutional restrictions.”)
- Scoop: Top House Dems plot first big battle with Trump (“Leading House Democrats are weighing legal, investigative and legislative options to respond to President Trump’s firing of at least a dozen agency inspectors general last week…”)
- Trump condemned over ‘blatantly illegal’ firings of watchdog chiefs (“Inspectors general dismissed by president sound alarm and say moves pave way for appointment of ‘political lackeys’”)
- What “law and order”? Trump’s first week will only unleash more crime
- Trump administration orders sweeping freeze of federal aid
- Fired Inspectors General Raise Alarms as Trump Administration Moves to Finalize Purge
- Trump administration fires DOJ officials who worked on criminal investigations of the president
- Trump-Appointed Prosecutor Opens Review of Justice Department’s Jan. 6 Cases
- Week One inside Trump’s DOJ: ‘It feels like a non-violent war’
- Why government needs independent inspectors general (“By keeping an eye out for waste and fraud, they make efficiency possible.”)
- Chief Corruption Prosecutor Resigns From Justice Dept.
- Interim D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin launches probe of Jan. 6 prosecutions (This is a dangerous assault on the rule of law in this country.)
- The MAGA terror has begun (“Their leader is glorifying political violence and weaponizing the threat of it.”)
- Scott Bessent confirmed as treasury secretary, giving him a key role in extending Trump’s tax cuts
- Banking regulator rescinds more than 200 job offers for examiners it needs (VERY bad!)
- Memos to Federal Employees Were Written By People With Ties to Project 2025, Metadata Shows (“James Sherk and Noah Peters appear as the authors of memos sent by the Office of Personnel Management.”)
- Top USAID career staff placed on immediate leave
- Trump jokes about running for a third term in speech to House Republicans (If Obama or Biden had “joked” like this, would the media have just laughed it off?)
- The Democrats’ Fear Factor (“It’s the consultants, stupid! Future candidates need to be themselves, take control on social media, and immediately push back on right-wing spin.”)
- Trump to sign order eliminating DEI from military
- Trump moves to ban transgender service members from military
- Trump Moves Toward Pushing Openly Transgender People Out of Military (Appalling and unacceptable.)
- Tillis Assured Hegseth’s Former Sister-in-Law Her Testimony Could Convince GOP Senators to Vote No
- Tucker Carlson’s son Buckley is joining JD Vance’s staff (Nepotism at its worst.)
- Acosta La Vista (“The anchor signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network, Status has learned.”)
- Coalition of Jewish groups say they’re leaving X over Musk’s behavior
- California Debunks Trump’s Claim He ‘TURNED ON THE WATER’ (Among other things, Trump is completely ignorant and moronic.)
- Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting “small town America” (“Good Daily, which operates in 47 states and 355 towns and cities across the U.S., is run by one person.” Bizarre.)
- Man Pardoned in Jan. 6 Riot Is Fatally Shot by Sheriff’s Deputy During Traffic Stop
- Pardoned January 6 rioter faces unresolved charges of soliciting a minor
- Video: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Worries About Pete Hegseth’s Drinking Impairing His Ability to Decide “whether we attack someone or…to what extent nuclear weapons could be used” (Rep. McClellan also says conditioning disaster aid “is a Rubicon Republicans should not cross.”)
- Spanberger and Earle-Sears want to make history in Virginia. But voters have election exhaustion
- “Covid tyranny,” “Social Justice’ is about modern racial revenge”; “mental insanity of trans ideology”; “guns save lives”; virulently anti-abortion; etc: Meet the Latest VA GOP Lt. Gov. Candidate
- Richmond radio host John Reid announces run for lieutenant governor (“Richmond radio host” is a generic, whitewashed way to describe him. And it’s a deliberate choice by the RTD to do so.)
- Richmond talk-show host John Reid joins race for Va. lieutenant governor (This article doesn’t clearly state what Reid’s extreme positions are. FAIL yet again by the WaPo.)
- 7 Dems now vying for party’s lieutenant governor nomination (Alex Bastani is the latest candidate.)
- Democrats on Virginia House panel nix Trump-inspired ‘no tax on tips’
- House panel defeats Youngkin’s proposal for tax deduction on tips
- Senate panel kills controversial campus terrorism bill amid free speech concerns (“The proposal sought to prohibit terrorist organizations, countries or groups supporting terrorism, representatives of such groups, and individuals attempting to recruit for terrorist activities from operating on Virginia college campuses. However, the bill faced strong opposition from speakers who argued that its broad language could stifle free speech and unfairly target student groups, particularly those advocating for Palestinian rights.”)
- Week 2: What’s Up at the Virginia General Assembly – Bills Passing the House, Senate; Things To Keep an Eye On
- The General Assembly wants to seal convictions for some crimes to help people get a job
- The Virginia Senate has passed several gun-related bills
- Virginia legislature kills bill to limit voice-activated purchases
- Commentary: Hold Virginia polluters accountable for extreme weather
- Commentary: Virginia must close the gap in state funding for schools
- New bills seek to close learning gaps for students using AAC devices
- Vice President Vance returns to Damascus, promises faster federal disaster response
- [Richmond] City Council votes to expand use of speed cameras
- Southwest Va. lawmakers’ solution to rising electricity bills fails to advance in Senate
- Appreciation: Henry L. Marsh III
- 2 children die in Virginia from flu-related complications, including in eastern region
- Missing Virginia Beach 12-year-old’s body found in nearby pond
- Richmond Public Schools promises “safe haven” amid potential ICE raids
- ‘One more thing’: Some Fairfax Co. teachers worrying about possibility of immigration arrests in their classroom
- Ku Klux Klan flyers found near elementary school in Loudoun County, sheriff’s office says
- Woman killed, man critically hurt in crash at major Arlington intersection (“At about 2:40 p.m. in the Ballston area, a man driving a pickup truck east on Wilson Boulevard at a high rate of speed struck a white sedan as it turned onto Wilson from N. Vermont Street, police said. The cars struck two other cars stopped at the traffic light at Wilson and N. Glebe Road.”)
- CWG Live updates: Sunny and milder weather sticks around, but winds howl
********************************************************
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
