by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, July 25.
- States have an obligation to curb emission and protect climate, world court rules
- ‘Intrinsically connected’: how human neurodiversity could help save nature (“Biodiversity is linked to people’s diversity, and nature lends itself to people who are different, says author Joe Harkness”)
- Lessons From a Climate Disaster (“Bolivia’s record-setting 2024 wildfire season makes clear that emergency responses to climate disasters are not enough and governments must address the root of the problem, a new report says.”)
- In Russia, Corruption Cases Following Battlefield Failures
- New Reports on Russian Interference Don’t Show What Trump Says They Do (“The administration’s claims are overblown, but newly declassified information provides some messy details about a January 2017 intelligence assessment of Moscow’s election interference.”)
- Gabbard and White House ‘lying’ about intel on Russian interference in 2016, ex-CIA official says (“‘We definitely had the intel,’ Susan Miller, who helped oversee the 2017 intelligence assessment of Russia’s efforts in the 2016 election, told NBC News.”)
- School-leavers losing their lives for Russia in Putin’s war with Ukraine (“Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised that no 18-year-olds called up to serve Russia will be sent to fight in Ukraine, but a BBC Russian investigation has found at least 245 soldiers of that age have been killed there in the past two years.”)
- China calls for global AI cooperation days after Trump administration unveils low-regulation strategy
- The US is nearing a trade deal with Europe. Will Trump stand in the way?
- EU-US Trade Agreement Now Hinges Mostly on Trump’s Verdict
- EU chief to meet Trump in Scotland in push to avoid a transatlantic trade war
- Trump says ‘great to be in Scotland’, as he lands for four-day trip
- Trump Spending $10 Million Of Taxpayer Money To Promote His Scotland Golf Course (“The five-day trip will also raise his second-term golf tab to $52 million in just six months. He spent $152 million during his first term.” As always, just imagine the reaction if Biden, Obama, Harris, Clinton, etc. had done ANYTHING like this!)
- ‘People have seen through him and he’s not welcome’: Scotland tees up for Trump visit
- Cracks widen in Japan and US’s interpretation of tariff trade deal (“Tokyo officials contest Washington’s claim that American investors assured of vast share of profits from joint investment”)
- Exclusive: US diplomats asked if non-whites qualify for Trump refugee program for South Africans
- At least 25 people killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza, some while seeking aid
- Amid starvation scenes in Gaza, Trump administration hardens tone on Hamas
- Is anyone going to stop a looming death spiral in Gaza?
- Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas
- Trump tells Israel to “finish the job” against Hamas, weeks after suggesting ceasefire deal in sight
- Frustration and alarm drove Macron toward Palestine recognition
- The 12 days that turned back the clock on Iran’s nuclear program (“Israeli and American assessments agree Tehran’s infrastructure to finish a bomb is shattered.”)
- US lifts some Myanmar sanctions, says no link to general’s letter to Trump (WTF???)
- Shaheen and Kaine Lead Colleagues in Urging Trump to End Threats of Tariffs on Brazil
- Venezuelan Little League team denied entry into US amid Trump travel ban (F’ing stupid.)
- ICE is about to go on a hiring spree (“Former ICE officials think the Trump administration will have to lower standards and hire private contractors”)
- Immigration agents told a teenage US citizen: ‘You’ve got no rights.’ He secretly recorded his brutal arrest (Every one of these thugs should be arrested.)
- US states to get $608 million from FEMA to build migrant detention centers
- Judge throws out Trump’s lawsuit against Illinois over sanctuary policies
- I Watched 20 Arrests In Trump’s America. Here’s What They Looked Like.
- Second Whistleblower Backs Up Claims Emil Bove Told DOJ Lawyers To Defy Court Orders (Bove should receive zero votes, but of course Republican Senators are spineless and horrible, so they’ll go along.)
- The Supreme Court Has Hit Rock Bottom (“For the court’s conservative bloc, the line between upholding the Constitution and serving as Donald Trump’s personal attorneys has all but disappeared.”)
- “Another Big Lie”: Trump’s EPA Plans to Stop Regulating Greenhouse Gases (“And put the whole planet on the chopping block.”)
EVs had a decent quarter. The next could be record-breaking.- Chart: Public EV chargers are growing steadily in the US (“If the current climb continues, the U.S. could meet an ambitious Biden-era charging goal. But Trump-imposed hurdles won’t make that easy.”)
- EPA Plan to End Greenhouse Gas Regulations, Expected Imminently, Will Harm Human Health, Experts Say
- Kennedy considering firing members of preventive services task force (“The United States Preventive Services Task Force plays an important role in protecting access to low-cost or free cancer screenings and tests for chronic diseases.” This guy is absolutely insane.)
- RFK Jr. to Oust Advisory Panel on Cancer Screenings, HIV Prevention Drugs
- Exclusive: ‘A more vulnerable nation’: FEMA memos lay out risks of plan to cut $1B in disaster and security grants
- Trump administration releases billions it withheld from schools (Again, it’s illegal and unconstitutional to withold funds appropriated by Congress.)
- Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace (“Darren Beattie once said on X that ‘competent white men must be in charge.’…Beattie, who was fired from his job as a speechwriter during the first Trump administration for speaking at a conference attended by white nationalists, will keep his current role running the State Department’s worldwide public diplomacy efforts.”)
- Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants
- Fox News gave new classified email revelation in Hegseth Signal scandal just 40 seconds of airtime
- FCC to Appoint a Babysitter to Make Sure CBS Isn’t Anti-Trump
- FCC Chairman: President Trump is fundamentally reshaping the media landscape
- Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis (“Scrambling to pay legal fees, Media Matters has dialed back its criticism, trimmed its staff and contemplated closing entirely.”)
- Paramount gets green light for $8 billion merger. But what is the psychic cost for company?
- CBS: Caving. Bowing. Scraping.
- Polls turn sour on Trump as he hits new lows with independents
- Elizabeth Warren Says Trump Is Turning the White House Into a “Crypto Cash Machine”
- The Epstein Files Timeline Raises Real Questions for Trump (“The administration’s rhetoric has shifted in notable ways.”)
- Trump just made a problematic Ghislaine Maxwell situation look even worse
- Ghislaine Maxwell received limited immunity during meetings with deputy attorney general: Sources
- After Ghislaine Maxwell Interview, Concerns Mount Over Possibility of Pardon
- Ghislaine Handed DOJ 100 Names in Shameless Pardon Quid Pro Quo
- Scoop: Dems think they can get ahold of Epstein’s birthday book
- Democrats request copy of Epstein ‘birthday book’ that reportedly contains Trump poem
- Why Trump can’t shake Epstein
- Scoop: DNC targets vulnerable House Republicans with Epstein ads
- Exclusive: Schumer probes $50 billion rural hospital “slush fund”
- Yes, Dems Should Push to Repeal Trump’s Big Bad Law—but Not Stop There (“James Carville had a decent idea, for once. But it’s easily improved upon.”)
- Two high-ranking NOAA employees connected to ‘Sharpiegate’ are put on leave (“The agency is down hundreds of employees after staffing cuts and voluntary buyouts implemented by the Trump administration.”)
- Two Democratic Governors Say if Texas Redraws Congressional Maps, They May Too
- Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds
- Layoffs, Votes of No Confidence and a Leader on Leave at One of the Nation’s Oldest Environmental Groups (“After mounting pressure from staff, managers and volunteers, the Sierra Club put executive director Ben Jealous on leave this month.”)
- Tony Evers Did What Too Many Senior Democrats Have Not
- Columbia agreed to a monitor, stoking fears about independence
- David Valadao battles backlash in his swing district after voting for Medicaid cuts that hit close to home (“Democrats are planning to make the California Republican’s support for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ a focal point of their campaign in a key midterm race.”)
- Texas GOP Rep. Giovanni Capriglione admits affair, denies abortion allegations (“A conservative news site published an interview with a woman who alleges a 17-year affair with the Southlake representative, who said this week he wouldn’t seek reelection.”)
- Republican Con Artist From Queens Reports to Prison
- Sens. Mark Warner, Tim Kaine; Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA03), Eugene Vindman (D-VA07), Don Beyer (D-VA08), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10) Call Out Trump’s “attacks on the federal workforce, this time through wasting taxpayer dollars to relocate key USDA facilities”
- Sen. Mark Warner Joins Statement Declaring “humanitarian conditions in Gaza…appalling and unconscionable”; Urges “”the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza” (Also, excellent piece by Rabbi Doug Kahn, which argues that while “Hamas is a brutal enemy…there are certain Israeli actions that are simply indefensible”)
- No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say
- Frustrations are mounting with the regional electric grid, which includes Virginia. Here’s how it affects your energy bill.
- Could uncertainty over ACA tax credits spur a special legislative session? (“As the deadline to renew special health care tax credits nears with no action from Congress, Virginia lawmakers and industry experts try to map the best course forward.”)
- Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on the state of her campaign for governor
- McGuire makes surprise roadside campaign stop in Charlottesville for Earle-Sears (McGuire is a far-right extremist, insurrectionist, complete failure as a legislator, etc. The fact that he’s campaigning for Earle-Sears says it all about her…)
- Virginia Democrats look to reform university board appointment system in response to GOP influence
- Battle over university boards rages in Fairfax courtroom
- Flip and Defend-a-District 2025, Vol. 8: “The Virginia GOP is panicking about their weak candidates and unpopular policy positions.” (Featured candidates this week: Del. Josh Cole, Del. Atoosa Reaser, Shane Boswell, Jac Bennington)
- Meet the candidate: Kacey Carnegie (“Democratic House of Delegates candidate Kacey Carnegie faces Republican nominee Mike Lamonea in the open 89nd District.”)
- Meet the candidates: Virginia House of Delegates District 97 (“Democratic Del. Michael Feggans faces former Republican Del. Tim Anderson in the Nov. 4 election.”)
- 28-person committee set to determine next UVa president
- Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Whose District Includes GMU: “I am deeply alarmed by the actions of the Trump Administration, the Youngkin Administration, and the GMU Board of Visitors regarding President Gregory Washington’s leadership.”
- How did we get here? The road to felony charges against Purcellville vice mayor and town manager
- City officials announce new deputy CAO for finance and administration
- CWG Live updates: Heat persists through the weekend into next week
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