by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, (economic, environmental, etc.) for Wednesday, July 1.
INTERNATIONAL
- Ocean surface temperatures hit a record high for June (“European scientists warn of consequences for weather patterns, the global climate and marine life”)
- ‘But we’re just 1% of emissions’: do smaller countries’ climate efforts matter?
- Rapid spread of AI may worsen global inequality, UN warns (“Panel proses shared framework for responsible AI development as adoption grows unevenly across world”)
- Tech leads first half stock gains — but the biggest winners weren’t in the U.S.
- Putin Faces a Political Crisis as Fuel Shortages Ripple Through Russia
- Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries plunge Russia into a summer fuel crisis (Excellent, keep up the great work – Slava Ukraini!)
- China’s Xi urges ruling Communist Party to be adaptable, safeguard advances
- Oil prices wobble as breakdown in U.S.-Iran talks casts doubt over peace process
- After U.S.-Iran War, Oman Said to Propose Hormuz Fee Plan (“Under the proposal, Iran and Oman would collect payment for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials and diplomats with knowledge of the matter.”)
- US and Iranian officials are holding indirect, low-level talks in Qatar, source says
- A Dispute Over Opening Hormuz Drives a Wedge Into U.S.-Saudi Relations (“Saudi Arabia blocked Trump’s first big effort to open the strategic waterway, triggering a widening diplomatic rift”)
- ‘Witch-hunt’ in Niger as military regime rounds up LGBTQ+ population (“Fears of resurgence of HIV/Aids amid loss of access to PrEP drugs as at least 40 people arrested in ‘toxic’ climate” INSANE!)
- Why Meloni has hit back hard against Trump and his ‘made up’ photo claim (“With her popularity flagging and a general election looming, the Italian PM sees a strategic advantage in the rupture”)
- Canada celebrates its birthday as Mark Carney battles to keep it intact
- Poll: Canadian patriotism was fading. Then Trump came back.
NATIONAL
- A fourth appeals court rejects ICE mass detention policy
- Stephen Miller Wants To Take A Hard Look At Banning Travelers Who Happen To Be Pregnant
- Johnson Follows Kavanaugh’s Lead, Says Congress Will ‘Deal With’ Birthright Citizenship
- The Birthright Decision Was Surprisingly Close, Some Legal Scholars Say (“A bare majority of Supreme Court justices ruled that President Trump’s executive order was unconstitutional, reflecting a conservative shift on the issue.”)
- Birthright Citizenship Lives to Die Another Day (“The Supreme Court’s decision upholding birthright citizenship is a victory that may contain the seeds of a future defeat.”)
- Dissenting Conservative Justices Signal that Ending Birthright Citizenship Is Their Movement’s Next Goal
- Trump’s Birthright Loss Overshadowed Two Supreme Court Wins (“The justices gave him two consolation prizes on transgender athletes and campaign finance.”)
- Despite Some Losses for Trump, Supreme Court Delivers Enduring Conservative Wins
- Trump’s quest for untrammeled power just got a big boost (“The Supreme Court knew one of its new rulings could endanger democracy — and did it anyway.”)
- Jackson Delivers Scathing Birthright Opinion Aimed at Thomas (“The divide between the high court’s two Black justices was evident once again on Tuesday.”)
- The Supreme Court’s 5–4 Vote in the Birthright Citizenship Case Is a Scandal
- Amy Coney Barrett Faces Right-Wing Ire Over Recent Rulings (“Justice Barrett sided with Chief Justice Roberts and the liberal minority to uphold birthright citizenship and mail-in voting practices.”)
- Why the US supreme court’s birthright ruling brings only partial relief (“There is anger the decision was not unanimous, and worry that dissenting justices have given weight to fringe theories”)
- NPR retracts story about Alito retirement (“A misheard comment led to the error”)
- A Tough Day for NPR (“Are there any lessons to the newsroom’s Supreme Court error?”)
- Here’s Why Weather Forecasts Have Seemed So Inaccurate Lately (“Meteorologists simply aren’t able to gather as much data as they used to, and you’re suffering for it.”)
- G.O.P. Revolt Paralyzes the House, Stalling Trump Agenda (“A Republican blockade derailed a Pentagon policy bill and other legislation as the far right pressed for action on a voting bill championed by President Trump.”)
- House GOP leaders cancel votes, start recess early after member rebellion
- GOP gets new midterm spending weapon from SCOTUS
- Supreme Court Lifts Spending Limits on Political Parties and Candidates (“Republicans had asked the court to strike down restrictions on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates.”)
- Trump raked in more than $1bn from crypto businesses in 2025, filing shows (“President’s crypto ventures have eclipsed in revenue much of his property portfolio that took decades to accumulate”)
- Trump filing shows he took in about $1.2 billion from crypto businesses last year (MASSIVE corruption; if a Democratic president had done this, the uproar/outrage would have been deafening, and most definitely NOT just a one-day story!)
- Trump Made More Than $1 Billion on Crypto Deals, Part of 2025 Windfall
- Trump’s Moneymaking Run: Unrivaled in Presidential History (“The president’s move to open new business ventures, rather than eliminate potential conflicts, defies a long-held tradition.” VERY weak framing by the NY Times, which as usual pulls its punches with Trump.)
- The majority of Americans are proud but worry about direction of the country
- Judge rules Trump abuse protest signs, ‘86 47’ flag are protected speech (“Judge Randolph Moss ruled that an activist group can continue to display anti-Trump signage without fear of interference from the National Park Service.”)
- ‘Historic Event’: Trump announces Republican midterm convention
- Scoop: Harris reaches out to Mamdani, pro-Palestinian activists in run-up to 2028
- Control of the Senate Is Up for Grabs, Times/Siena Polls Find (“Republicans are defending seats in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas as they try to maintain their majority. Democrats are competitive in all six states — but not leading in enough to take the chamber.”)
- Fox News Poll: Maine Senate race is tight, with concerns about both candidates (If anyone can blow this eminently winnable race, it’s Platner and his team.)
- A Tabloid Story Gives Talarico a New Opening to Test Attacks on Paxton (“After a salacious report about Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, his Democratic rival, James Talarico, seized on the news — but focused on corruption and affordability.”)
- Voters are angry with Washington, and other takeaways from the Colorado primaries (“A sitting House member and a sitting senator both lost key races in the state.”)
- DeGette loses reelection bid to DSA challenger in major upset for Denver-based House seat
- Left-Wing Insurgent Ousts 15-Term Congresswoman in Colorado (“Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, unseated Representative Diana DeGette in a Democratic primary to represent the Denver area.”)
- Here’s why Melat Kiros’ candidacy scares me as a liberal Jewish woman in Colorado (“Kiros recently refused to call last years fire attack on Jewish protesters antisemitism” That was pure, virulent, deadly anti-Semitism; if you can’t bring yourself to call it that, you should not be in public office.)
- Michael Bennet Loses His Bid for Governor (“Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the Democratic gubernatorial primary on his record of suing Trump.”)
- Trump’s Mount Rushmore fireworks show reignites fire fears (“‘Fireworks at Mount Rushmore is a terrible idea,’ said Jay Davis, chair of the Sierra Club’s South Dakota chapter. ‘We are enduring a serious drought.'”)
- Texas Republicans may regret mandating Bible in classes (“Debating Christianity in class will likely create more non-believers”)
- Why Elon Musk is so obsessed with this violently xenophobic Armie Hammer movie (“Citizen Vigilante, the bizarre movie that took over Elon Musk’s brain, explained.” Utterly deranged.)
- Hagiography for a Dumbass (“Dave Portnoy’s Cancel Me if You Can is a memoir written with maximum disdain for its reader.”)
- Tom Kean Jr. kept his depression a secret. Colleagues are questioning that decision. (In contrast, John Fetterman revealed his diagnosis almost immediately.)
- Crowd size gripes, state fair troubles: The problems of an America 250 celebration tied to Trump
- Scoop: Trump’s late July 4 speech throws D.C. fireworks timing into flux (“Trump is supposed to begin speaking at 9:50pm, according to a Secret Service official who wasn’t able to go on the record because plans are, well, very much in flux.”)
- Sen. King urges FERC to reject $67B NextEra-Dominion merger (“NextEra Energy’s efforts to kill the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project is a sign of how the combined utility could stifle competition and harm consumers, the Maine senator said.”)
VIRGINIA
- Virginia Reactions to US Supreme Court’s Birthright Citizenship Ruling, Also the Transgender Youth and Other Decisions
- Video, Highlights: VA08 Democratic Primary Candidates Forum, Including Their Top Priorities If They’re Elected (Candidates in this forum: Rep. Don Beyer, Michael Duffin, Adam Dunigan, Mo Seifeldein)
- Political Winners and Losers: Virginia Democrats Pass a Budget Deal…After Months of Internal Disagreements and Discord
- 10 questions about Virginia’s new laws and budget
- Here are some of the new Virginia laws taking effect July 1
- Tech stocks among the most widely-held by members of the General Assembly
- Promises. Promises. Don’t Ask Virginians to Trust You. Ask Them to Measure You.
- A ‘banner year’ for tenant protections in Virginia (“Virginia tenants will have more time to respond to eviction notices and bring up the conditions of their homes in court even when behind on rent.”)
- RGGI rebate won’t cut flooding, energy efficiency efforts, Spanberger says (This headline is very confusing; sounds like it says “RGGI rebate won’t cut flooding,” when it means “won’t cut flooding efforts”)
- Virginia budget funds long-awaited research on menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay
- Stack Infrastructure says it’s moving forward with AI data center in Pittsylvania (“With state tax exemptions for data centers in place, the Colorado-based company plans to locate in Southside.”)
- Central Virginia residents demand moratorium on data center construction
- Augusta County sheriff goes rogue, declares he won’t enforce new gun laws (“Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith has now declared himself, in effect, a constitutional sheriff – the final arbiter within his jurisdiction on new state laws set to go into effect on July 1 on gun rights.”)
- Staunton: Mary Baldwin University put on probation by accreditation body
- $750M battery storage project eyed in Loudoun (“The project is expected to reach the planning commission in November, with a final decision by supervisors targeted for next March. If approved, construction would likely begin in 2028, with the facility expected to become operational by 2030.”)
- Hampton Roads gun shops busy with sales before Virginia’s assault weapons ban
- Ex-state senator files $1.35M slander suit over social media post
- Extreme heat watch issued for Hampton Roads; indices could hit 110-plus July 4
- DC-area forecast: Blistering heat wave begins today. It’s here through the Fourth.
