by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, August 8.
- Oil exploration in the Congo basin rainforest could be a disaster for nature and the climate (“The Democratic Republic of Congo is putting one of the best-preserved tropical ecosystems left on Earth up for auction, and the impact could be felt worldwide”)
- Australia can cut emissions 85 pct by 2035, if government and business seize the moment
- As Trump Administration Plans to Burn Contraceptives, Europeans Are Alarmed (“The U.S. government intends to incinerate $9.7 million in already-purchased birth control in Belgium after U.S.A.I.D shut down. Destruction may have already started.”)
- How Trump and Putin Reached a New Make-or-Break Moment on Ukraine (“The threat of more U.S. sanctions jump-started stalled peace talks but might not produce a deal to halt the fighting”)
- Five ways the Russia-Ukraine war could end
- Can Russia’s Economy Withstand Trump’s Pressure? (“The Russian economy was slowing even before President Trump’s latest threats. But the Kremlin has enough money to keep fighting in Ukraine.”)
- Netanyahu’s Gaza Takeover Plan Puts Israel Firmly on the Road to Perpetual War
- Netanyahu, Aiming to Capture Gaza City, Reverts to a Failed Military Strategy (“Time and again, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to defeat Hamas by force. The decision to capture Gaza City risks ending in a familiar deadlock.”)
- Israel’s Gaza City plan sparks global condemnation with warnings of more destruction and suffering (As well it should – this is totally unacceptable.)
- Satellite images show Israel building up forces for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, sources say (“The buildup comes during a tense time for the U.S. and Israel after Trump and Netanyahu’s last private phone conversation devolved into shouting over humanitarian aid.”)
- Israel announces plan to retake Gaza City in another escalation of the war (This is f’ing bonkers – will lead to more humanitarian disasters/suffering and also is just counterprodutive and stupid.)
- Netanyahu divides Israelis and allies with plan for new military push in Gaza
- Israel’s Cabinet approves new plan to occupy Gaza City (Netanyahu will go down in history as one of the most disastrous leaders in Jewish history.)
- Israel plans to retake Gaza City, escalating the war with Hamas and fueling worries for hostages
- Trump doubles reward to $50 million for arrest of Venezuela’s president to face US drug charges
- Treasury Secretary Admits Trump’s Tariffs Are Paid by Americans (This is a TAX on American companies and consumers. Period. Foreign countries do NOT pay the tariffs!)
- Inside the alliance between right-wing media and Trump “Border Czar” Tom Homan
- Lawsuit: ICE Agents Deported Citizen Children in Secret, Including 4-Year-Old on Chemo (Wildly wrong and sadistic.)
- Judge orders temporary halt to construction at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center
- ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Is Worse Than You Realize (“Kristi Noem calls it a “model” prison. Does she know about the maggots?”)
- Jailed by Trump’s ICE, Children’s Hospital Chaplain Was Thrown Into ‘Solitary’ (“Ayman Soliman is locally renowned for helping the families of dying kids. Now, friends say he’s been ‘tortured’ in isolation as the Trump administration tries to deport him” This is horrendous.)
- A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
- Dean Cain, Who Played Superman, Says He Is Joining ICE (SuperMORON.)
- Scientists decry Trump energy chief’s plan to ‘update’ climate reports: ‘Exactly what Stalin did’ (“Ex-fossil fuel executive Chris Wright said administration is reviewing national assessments made by past governments”)
- Energy chief suggests Trump administration is altering previously published climate reports
- On Vaccines, Kennedy Has Broken Sharply With the Mainstream (“While many officials and scientists embrace other parts of the secretary’s agenda, his stance on vaccines is alienating allies who fear a public health crisis.”)
- “This Is What We Voted For!” MAHA World Celebrates mRNA News (Experts Say It Will Kill People) (“‘This was the most dangerous public health decision I’ve ever witnessed,’ said one infectious disease doctor.”)
- Trump to nominate Stephen Miran to serve on Fed’s board until January (“Miran is a key architect of Trump’s tariff war” ‘Nuff said.)
- Trump defends the US economy with charts after job reports showed warning signs (Embarrassing.)
- There’s only one type of American who still trusts the Supreme Court
- Mass arrests, purges, show trials, our very own homegrown Gulag: Is this the U.S.A. or the Soviet Union?
- Things Aren’t Going Donald Trump’s Way (“He hasn’t ended the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. His economy looks shaky. And then there’s Jeffrey Epstein.”)
- Donald Trump, Master Builder of Castles in the Air (“The Mar-a-Lago-fication of the White House may be the least bad part of the President’s legacy.”)
- American Nazis: The Aryan Freedom Network is riding high in Trump era (“With Donald Trump’s return to power, a neo-Nazi group buoyed by his rhetoric is expanding its reach and changing the face of white extremism in America. Its leaders: a Texas couple, both born to Ku Klux Klan leaders.”)
- Trump Turns the Screws on the Fortune 500 (“Trump has systematically taken on every institution he’s come across — academia, government, the legal system, and the media — and bent them to his will. Now the Fortune 500 is being put through the wringer.”)
- FBI ousts ex-acting director, other agents, in latest purge, people briefed say (This is completely f’ed.)
- Senior Agent Who Helped Oversee F.B.I.’s Response to Jan. 6 Is Fired (“Deepening its purge, the bureau forced out Steven Jensen, whose ascent had angered Trump supporters, and Brian Driscoll, the acting director in the early chaotic days of the administration.”)
- Trumpers sack former acting FBI director who refused to name names
- V.A. Just Terminated Most Federal Union Contracts, National Nurses United Included
- F.A.A. Plans to Hire 8,900 Air Traffic Controllers but Still Expects Shortages
- Trump actually is ‘canceling’ the 2026 midterms, starting in Texas
- Cornyn Says F.B.I. Will Help Find Texas Lawmakers Who Left State (“Democrats said federal law enforcement was being misused.” They NY Times didn’t have to hide behind “Democrats said”; they could have just written that federal law enforcment is being misused – badly. But they’re cowards.)
- A Legal Standoff in the Lone Star State (“Can Gov. Abbott compel their return or remove them from office? And what the heck is a ‘quo warranto’ action, anyway?”)
- Why Evangelicals Couldn’t Care Less About Trump’s Epstein Scandal (“They have a long history of falling for narcissists posing as Saviors.”)
- US Air Force to deny retirement pay to transgender service members being separated from the service (Cruel, bigotry, pure evil really.)
- Exclusive: US Air Force denies early retirement for group of transgender service members (Appalling.)
- Trump Throws Absolute Fit In Middle-Of-The-Night Meltdown At Ex-GOP Official (“The president targeted frequent critic Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor of Georgia who switched parties this week.”)
- How the Right Shaped the Debate Over the Sydney Sweeney Ads (“Right-wing commentators suggested there was widespread criticism of Ms. Sweeney over her new ad campaign. There wasn’t, at least at first.”)
- Trump orders federal law enforcement to patrol DC
- Atlantic menhaden board raises ‘red flags’ on Chesapeake Bay fishery, directs study of new regulation
- Sen. Tim Kaine visits Lee County Community Hospital amid rural health care concerns
- NEW TV AD: Winsome Earle-Sears Putting Donald Trump Ahead of Virginia Jobs is a Real Issue (“Winsome Earle-Sears: so far right, she’s wrong for Virginia.”)
- Following Two Articles in Jewish Insider About VA Del. Sam Rasoul’s Remarks Calling Zionism “evil” and a “supremacist ideology,” Sen. Tim Kaine and Abigail Spanberger Weigh In Against Anti-Semitism (Spanberger: “one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.”)
- Spanberger avoids addressing anti-Israel rhetoric from top Virginia Democrat
- Spanberger responds to Rasoul’s Israel-Palestine remarks as Democrats face internal divide (“Rasoul did not respond to a request for comment from Virginia Scope on Thursday.”)
- NRA backs Virginia candidates Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid, and Jason Miyares (“The National Rifle Association worked to block bills this year aimed at expanding background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of kids.”)
- One-on-One with Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor
- Video: Dem AG Nominee Jay Jones Releases First Ad of the General Election, Pledges to “put violent criminals and drug traffickers where they belong – behind bars.” (Jason Miyares has been running ads for weeks, attacking Jones as supposedly “soft on crime”)
- Pope & Schapiro: Redistricting, federal job losses, and a potential endorsement
- There’s a dental hygienist shortage in Virginia. And it won’t end anytime soon.
- Virginia’s proposed extension of Beltway toll lanes into Maryland won’t solve our mobility crisis (Building more lanes of road is pretty much never the answer, just encourages more sprawl and more traffic.)
- Virginia’s federal broadband plan should cover entire state, save $200 million, governor says (Maybe so, but remember, Youngkin lies CONSTANTLY.)
- Amtrak Virginia ridership increased exponentially this year. But is future growth in jeopardy?
- The state’s highest jobless rate is now in the New River Valley, not Northern Virginia
- Community members rally to oppose father’s ICE detainment in Williamsburg
- Professors, campus community rally against Trump attacks on GMU, UVA
- U.Va. Counsel conducting University-wide compliance review, document shows (“The Office of the University Counsel circulated a document to University leadership in late May, outlining guidelines for compliance with federal and state civil rights laws”)
- Martinsville fires city manager for cause following closed session (“In its motion before the vote, councilors related the termination to a number of factors, which included commission of an act involving malfeasance and dishonesty, violation of city charter and codes, unsatisfactory performance, and behavior deemed by the city council to adversely affect the confidence of the public or integrity of the city.”)
- Highs in the 80s through the weekend with plentiful sunshine
