by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, August 20.
- Variations in climate change belief systems across 110 geographic areas
- Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of Cop30 (“Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans”)
- Why Putin is not ready to meet with Zelensky, and may never be
- Kremlin plays down Zelensky talks as Trump warns Putin may not want to make deal (What happened to Trump’s promise to solve this conflict on Day 1?)
- Trump’s Half-Baked Approach to Negotiation (“The president hasn’t shown much interest in dealing with the messy details of diplomacy.”)
- Trump Buys More Time for Putin (“The meeting at the White House today yielded little progress toward peace—but it could have been far worse.”)
- Adult Supervision From Europe Gone, Trump Reverts To Blaming Ukraine For Getting Invaded (“Not even a full day after hosting European leaders who expressed solidarity with Ukraine, Trump on Tuesday reverted to his usual pro-Putin self.”)
- Ukraine Diplomacy Reveals How Un-American Trump Is (“Trump doesn’t feel any gut need to bring Ukraine into the West or understand that Putin’s invasion of that country was just his latest march to break up the West.”)
- Rubio to head commission on Ukraine security guarantees
- After Putin Call, Trump Rang Orban Over Ukraine EU Membership
- ‘I Want to Try and Get to Heaven’: Trump Gets Reflective on ‘Fox & Friends’ (“President Trump cast his effort to broker peace in Ukraine in existential terms.”)
- White House eyes Budapest for peace talks with Zelenskyy and Putin (“Other lower level meetings planned for this week underscore the massive task ahead for European allies as they weigh plans for sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine.”)
- Trump’s Jaw-Dropping Ignorance Exposed During Putin Meet: Author (“The president’s comments left his lieutenants ‘basically helpless,’ Trump’s biographer says.”)
- U.S., allies to meet on security guarantees as Trump arranges a Putin-Zelenskyy summit
- Trump says US may provide air support to Ukraine as Nato military leaders prepare to meet
- Putin Calls Zelensky the West’s Illegitimate Puppet. Can He Talk Peace With Him? (Putin, of course, is 100% illegitimate.)
- Israel approves plan for Gaza City takeover and call-up of 60,000 reservists (“Israel also gave final approval Wednesday for a settlement project that would effectively split the occupied West Bank in two, possibly destroying hopes for a future Palestinian state.” Insanity.)
- Israel approves settlement project that could divide West Bank (If Kamala Harris were president, she’d be pushing back against this.)
- Israel demands release of all Gaza hostages, casting doubt on ceasefire proposal
- DR Congo rebels killed 140 civilians despite peace process, rights group says
- US destroyers head toward waters off Venezuela as Trump aims to pressure drug cartels
- Trump’s Tactics Mean Many International Students Won’t Make It to Campus (Killing a major source of US strength. Also money. And all for ZERO good reason!)
- Trump Wants to Paint Border Wall Black So It’s Too Hot to Touch (Deranged, sadistic bullshit. Remember, immigrants are a huge net POSITIVE for this country, commit crimes at LOWER rates than native-born Americans, etc. Everything else is just demonization, xenophobia, fear mongering, etc.)
- ICE Wrongly Suggests Lawmaker Doxxed Agents, and Racist Threats Follow
- Federal Agents Are the New Proud Boys (“It used to be far-right groups who flooded cities wearing masks and military gear, looking for a fight. Now it’s anonymous federal agents who are violently attacking people on the street.”)
- RFK Jr.’s Misguided War on mRNA
- RFK Jr. attacks pediatricians’ group over vaccine recommendations (“The American Academy of Pediatrics had earlier urged parents to get young children vaccinated against Covid — pushing back against the health secretary’s stance.” Definitely do NOT listen to RFK Jr – ever, on ANYTHING!)
- White House aims to fast-track key Federal Reserve pick (“Administration officials want Stephen Miran in place for a mid-September Fed meeting.”)
- Trump bypasses the Senate — and the courts — to install loyal US attorneys (This should be a massive crisis, with 10s of millions of Americans in the streets. But…nope.)
- Trump Moves To Use The Levers Of Presidential Power To Help His Party In The 2026 Midterms (This should also have 10s of millions of Americans in the streets in protest. But again…nope.)
- Voting officials are leaving their jobs at the highest rate in decades
Leading US economists urge peers to fight Trump’s attack on environment- The US Department of Agriculture Bans Support for Renewables, a Lifeline for Farmers (“The agency said it’s concerned that farmland is being consumed by wind and solar facilities—which occupy a tiny fraction of the country’s productive acres.”)
- ‘Come to America and lose $1B’: Trump drives more offshore wind pain
- Trump tariffs and green energy rollbacks push household electricity bills up 10%
- Trump Energy secretary: ‘We’re going to get blamed’ for rising power prices — but they’re Democrats’ fault (Nope, it’s 100% the Trump idiots’ fault…for the reasons noted in The Guardian story, linked above.)
- More than 2.8m people in US identify as trans, including 724,000 youth, data shows
- How Trump has stopped federal workers from challenging their firings
- IRS broke rules in firing probationary employees, Treasury Department watchdog finds
- Trump Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Former and Current Officials (APPALLING.)
- Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials
- Trump screed blasts ‘woke’ Smithsonian for showing ‘how bad slavery was’
- What Trump Is Really Up to in Washington (“Even as the president is putting on a show, he’s also doing everything he can to reach his ultimate aim.”)
- Hegseth’s expansive security requirements tax Army protective unit
- Elon Musk Pledged to Start a Political Party. He Is Already Pumping the Brakes.
- DC National Guard members actively training to carry pistols in capitol mission
- Trump’s Takeover of D.C. Is Not a Distraction. It’s the Whole Point. (“Yes, his approval rating is tanking and he’s still trying to shake the Epstein scandal. But he’s been foreshadowing this authoritarian power grab for years—and yet Democrats still weren’t ready for it.” Democrats are never ready for anything, also never understand that everything Trump does isn’t a “distraction” from whatever, etc. So frustrating.)
- Trump’s Wacko Team of Attorneys Will Try to Prove D.C. Officials Faked Crime Data (Now THAT is a good headline!)
- Justice Department investigating D.C. police over alleged fake crime data
- Pirro’s office won’t pursue gun charges over carrying rifles, shotguns (“D.C.’s top prosecutor said her office would continue charging violent crimes and firearms trafficking that involve those weapons.”)
- Jeanine Pirro bragged about helping Trump and GOP while a Fox News host
- Documents Add Detail to Fox Hosts’ Desire to Help Trump
- ‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown (“Local restaurant owners hope for a Restaurant Week boost, but the heavy law enforcement presence in the city is keeping some diners away.”)
- GOP states pour National Guard troops into D.C. as Trump tightens control (“Republican governors of six states collectively mobilized roughly 1,200 additional troops to D.C.” Insanity. Also authoritarianism.)
- Texas state House on cusp of passing election map favored by Trump (“The Republican-controlled chamber will gavel back into session Wednesday with an intent to vote on a plan to help the GOP in the midterms. It’s part of an extraordinary nationwide redistricting fight that has been especially contentious in the Lone Star State.”)
- ‘Women Have Always Been on the Front Lines.’ How Five Women at the Texas Capitol Stood Up to ‘Fascism.’
- More Texas Democrats plan to spend the night in the state Capitol in protest amid redistricting fight (“After having fled the state over redistricting legislation, Democratic lawmakers had to agree to have security escorts to leave the chamber. Now, a number are refusing.”)
- Texas Democrat Sues After Republicans Lock Her In Capitol (“Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier was told she was not free to leave the building after refusing to sign a permission slip requiring a 24-hour police escort.”)
- Arkansas Housing Development Restricted to White Residents Sparks Legal Concerns
- How Gavin Newsom trolled his way to the top of social media (“Inside the MAGA-parodying strategy that has rocketed the California governor to algorithmic dominance — while annoying leading Republicans.” It’s brilliant; more Dems should do it!)
- Several schools in the DC area make US News & World Report best high schools list (“Schools making the honor roll in our area include Alexandria’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, ranked No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in Virginia…Langley High in McLean and Woodson High School in Fairfax also ranked in the top five in the state.”)
- Video: In Debate Last Night, VA11 Dem Nominee James Walkinshaw’s MAGA Opponent Spews Out Lies, Extremism: Here Are 10 of the Worst (This should provide motivation to get out and vote for James Walkinshaw early – or on 9/9!)
- Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08): “Thanks to Donald Trump, Glenn Youngkin, and Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s unemployment rate is rising faster than nearly every other state in the country” (“…this is happening entirely because of bad policy choices made by Republican leaders.”)
- Economic forecast says Virginia will lose jobs this year, have virtually no job growth in 2026 (“The report from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia says federal job cuts and tariffs will halt the state’s job growth.”)
- New economic report shows basically no job growth for Virginia next year
- Virginia unemployment rate up for seventh straight month, as MAGAs twiddle their thumbs
- Early voting in 2025 Virginia elections begins in one month, Sept. 19
- VoteVets Action Fund Launches $500k Ad Campaign in Virginia Governor’s Race, Hits Earle-Sears for Supporting Tariffs, No New Taxes on Billionaires
- The Facts Are Clear, as Is the Choice for Virginia’s Next Attorney General: Jay Jones Is Committed to Upholding the Law; Jason Miyares Has Repeatedly Misused His Office and Pushed an Extreme Right-Wing Agenda
- Virginia eyes transgender athlete restrictions amid national legal battle
- Virginia lobbyists clash over legalizing internet gaming
- iGaming debate heats up in Virginia: profits, risks, and regulation on the table
- RC Poll: Spanberger still leads Earle-Sears, but that margin has shrunk (The margins may or not be the case, but regardless, the Roanoke College “poll” is really bad – all kinds of major flaws to it, basically a garbage poll.)
- Charlottesville Dems blast Earle-Sears’ education platform — or lack thereof
- Virginia Regulator Approves Electricity Transmission Line and Towers in Alexandria To Serve One Proposed Data Center (“Commission approves new high-voltage project and rejects complaints from homeowners that the substation will be too close to the Bren Pointe community.”)
- Feds put five Va. school districts on ‘high-risk’ status over trans policies
- Richmond Democrats continue to ignore us out here in the hinterlands (The problem, of course, is that deep-red districts aren’t winnable; Democrats instead put their resources into competitive districts.)
- Meet the candidate: Former Del. Elizabeth Guzmán (“Democratic former Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzmán is challenging incumbent Republican Del. Ian Lovejoy in House of Delegates District 22.”)
- More Filipino cruise ship workers taken into federal custody while docked in Norfolk (These are NOT “crimninal illegal aliens” – they’re just workers.)
- As waters rise on Outer Banks, forecasters warn Erin may bring major flooding to Hampton Roads
- CWG Live updates: Warmer and more humid today; breeze from Hurricane Erin tomorrow
