by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Thursday, July 9. Also, check out Jamelle Bouie’s take on “Who is to blame for Graham Platner?” His answer, in short, is “A bunch of people floating around Democratic politics.” Also: ” if you are inclined to say that this is an op or a setup or he’s being framed or something, please please leave – that’s not the case.”
INTERNATIONAL
- Western Europe records hottest-ever June as heatwaves intensify (“Temperatures across ravaged region 3C above average as scientists warn of risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure” STOP BURNING FOSSIL FUELS ASAP!!!)
- An Inconvenient Moment for an Extreme Global Heat Wave (“Will it light a fire under politicians?”)
- ‘It makes your heart sing’: can a pioneering project show that rewilding really works? (“Intensive farming has all but destroyed England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands. On a farm in Lincolnshire a radical aristocrat hopes to show there’s money in protecting nature”)
- The Iran war has pushed some countries away from oil and toward clean energy (Everyone should move towards clean energy on an emergency basis!)
- The End of Reading Is Here (“Optimists once believed that universal literacy was inevitable. Now it seems that the age of reading might be a short anomaly in human history.”)
- Oil Market Calm Is Shattered by Fresh Hostilities
(“Oil prices are likely to remain volatile as long as the United States and Iran are unable to resolve the status of the Strait of Hormuz.”) - Putin likely to escalate Ukraine war, despite Trump peace push, sources say (“President Vladimir Putin is rejecting calls to negotiate peace with Kyiv, three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters, with Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on Russia’s oil refineries and ports strengthening his resolve to keep fighting for now.”)
- Trump says Ukraine to be allowed to make Patriot missile interceptors
- Ukraine’s Six-Part Strategy to Survive the Global Run on Patriot Missiles (“Kyiv is trying to mitigate the shortage of missile interceptors that has left its cities exposed to Russia’s ballistic missiles”)
- From menacing threats to comical misnomers: Donald Trump’s unlikely tale of love and darkness at Nato (“US president veers from praising the alliance to threatening Iran and confusing world leaders’ names”)
- Sabre-rattling to ‘tremendous love’: erratic Trump dominates final hours of Nato summit (“Alliance leaders, who had feared the worst, will hail US president’s renewed support for article 5 as key victory”)
- From ‘dear Donald’ to ‘Trump trillion’: Inside NATO chief Mark Rutte’s U.S. strategy
- Trump’s Unhinged NATO Stunts Turned a World Summit Into a Zoo (“When I say the president showed his ass, I really mean it. He’s a baboon.”)
- Trump yelled at NATO leaders in public. In private, it was a different story. (“President Donald Trump spent his first hours at the NATO summit publicly bashing the alliance and reciting a list of grievances that had allies fearing the worst. — Then he went behind closed doors and changed his tune.” Bizarre.)
- Security Precaution Led Trump to Use Old Air Force One in Leaving Turkey (“The Secret Service is said to have asked that the president not use the Qatari-donated jet when he left Ankara. The swap deepens questions about the retrofitting of the new plane.”)
- Trump flies partway home from Turkey in an old Air Force One, not the new Qatari-gifted jet
- Real Reason Behind Decision to Suddenly Switch Air Force One Exposed (“Officials laid out specific concerns about the new Qatari-gifted plane, a new report reveals.”)
- Is the US at war with Iran again?
- U.S. strikes Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz for 2nd straight day
- Iran, Not Trump, Is in Control of This War (“The cease-fire was always just a Trump fantasy.”)
- US, Iran Trade Airstrikes as Fears Grow of a Return to War
- Trump is bombing Iran again and blundering again. He has no grasp of his enemy (“The president is behaving as if the battleground is the same, but it isn’t. Iran has leverage and knows it”)
- Iran retaliates in Kuwait and Bahrain after second day of US strikes
- Atmosphere in Iran remains highly charged after Ayatollah’s funeral and escalation of grievances with US (“World is witnessing a turning point, says ministry spokesperson, as Iran seeks to assert independence amid rising tensions”)
- Paul Krugman Reveals Why Donald Trump’s New ‘Completely Crazy’ Threat Will Never Happen (“The renowned economist quickly torpedoed the president’s plan to cut off trade with Spain.”)
- The Pain in Spain is Mainly in Trump’s Brain (“This isn’t about economics, it’s about mental health”)
- Marine Le Pen launches France presidential campaign after ban reduced (“Far-right leader plans to take part in 2027 race despite appeal court upholding her conviction for embezzlement”)
- Belgium’s Trump Dance Exposes the Collapse of the President’s Soft Power (“Overturn this.”)
- Eleven more Trump deportees arrive in Eswatini from the United States, lawyer says
NATIONAL
- He Lived Here for 35 Years. Put Three Kids in College. ICE Killed Him. (“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was picking up a crew for a construction project when ICE shot him. It now claims he was the aggressor.”)
- Family demands an independent probe after ICE officer fatally shoots a man in Houston
- Trump immigration cuts could worsen US caregiver shortage, experts say (“The loss of protections for Haitian and Syrian workers could worsen shortages of nurses, aides and home care workers”)
- Trump Says He’ll Ask Supreme Court to Rehear Citizenship Case, an Unlikely Event (“The last time the justices granted a rehearing request after a case decision was in 1965. The court has only once reversed itself after rehearing a case.”)
- MAGA has a new villain: Amy Coney Barrett (“A new poll finds that Barrett is the least popular justice. A Republican revolt against her is the biggest reason why.”)
- ‘This is just the beginning’: 1 year in, there’s no end in sight for Congress’ Epstein probe
- Exclusive: Epstein survivors say his former assistant Lesley Groff lied to Congress about key details
- Do You Live in a Blue State? Good Luck Getting Federal Emergency Funds from the President.
- Trump denies disaster aid for 4 Democratic-led states (“President Donald Trump denied disaster aid to four Democratic-led states in a move that is raising new questions about whether he’s injecting political motivations into emergency management decisions.” They’re not “questions,” it’s glaringly obvious and should be reported as such!)
- Top lawyer for military joint chiefs stepping down early, citing ‘personal reasons’
- Williams: America needs to stop hiding behind masks and myths
- Scoop: GOP megadonor Ken Griffin says he’d back Rubio over Vance in 2028
- Planned Parenthood to target GOP with $47 million midterm blitz
- Kentucky governor asks Mitch McConnell for a health update (“The letter from Democrat Andy Beshear comes amid rampant online speculation.”)
- The Democrats Can’t Go On Like This
- Trump on Platner: ‘It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman’
- ‘A Slow-Rolling Disaster’: Inside the Implosion of the Platner Campaign (“Graham Platner’s Senate campaign in Maine inspired progressive Democrats, but was also messy, disorganized and ultimately doomed by a steady drip of scandal.”)
- Graham Platner Ends Senate Campaign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations (“The Democratic candidate who challenged incumbent Republican Susan Collins will be replaced by the state party in the coming weeks”)
- Does a Sex Assault Claim Kill a Political Career? It Depends. (“The swift exit of Graham Platner from the Maine Senate race followed Eric Swalwell’s similar exit from the California governor’s race, but Republicans have taken a different tack.” The HEADLINE should have said, “Sex Assault Claims Kill DEMOCRATS’ Political Careers, but Not REPUBLICANS’ Political Careers”)
- Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race after sexual assault claim sends Democrats fleeing his campaign (“Platner’s exit kicks off a mad dash to find a candidate to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins”)
- Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him (“His decision comes within days of a key deadline, allowing Maine’s Democratic Party to select a new candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a critical contest for Senate control.”)
- Collins loses her foil in Platner
- Graham Platner Ends Maine Senate Campaign After Sexual Assault Allegation (“Democrats scramble to find a replacement candidate in what they see as must-win race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins”)
- 9 possible candidates who could replace Platner on Maine’s ballot
- Senate Majority PAC back in (“Democrats’ top Senate super PAC said it was “committed” to defeating GOP Sen. Susan Collins now that Graham Platner has suspended his campaign.”)
- Maine Democrats approve 600-person convention to pick Graham Platner’s replacement
- Collins’ allies think Platner’s exit makes her reelection bid tougher
- Platner’s advisers urged him to go out with ‘gratitude.’ He led with grievance. (Just like Trump.)
- Platner Just Made Things Harder for Democrats (“The party now has an even bigger mess to clean up.”)
- Platner’s disastrous candidacy exposes rifts that could dampen Democrats’ Senate hopes
- What we know – and don’t – about how Maine Democrats will replace Graham Platner
- The Red Flag That Led to Graham Platner’s Implosion Was Hiding in Plain Sight (“Maine’s populist Senate candidate made a costly miscalculation when he doubled down on his troubled background.”)
- Smithsonian head disputes White House report in memo to staff (“Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III defended the work of staff under fire from the White House, according to an email obtained by The Post.”)
- Trump’s Smithsonian Critique Is Pathetically Weak (“The White House’s Domestic Policy Council is desperate to find fault with the National Museum of American History. It has failed miserably.”)
- Smithsonian head says White House report unfairly characterized US history museum
- Bonnie Tyler, who topped the charts with epic ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ has died at 75 (Rest in Peace -and music!)
- Multistate outbreak of foodborne parasitic illness reaches Virginia and Maryland (“An intestinal illness that can cause nausea and watery, sometimes explosive diarrhea that’s been reported in several states has reached Virginia and Maryland. The illness, cyclosporiasis, is caused by cyclospora, a food- and waterborne parasite.”)
VIRGINIA
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Speaks with Roland Martin, Compares Trump to Orban, Says There Has to Be Accountability (Also says there’s “no real newspaper anymore” in Richmond; he’s “fascinated with Mamdani”; etc.)
- Sen. Kaine visits Lynchburg YMCA to announce $1.4M federal grant for ADA upgrades
- U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine tours Virginia Innovation Accelerator in Buena Vista
- Candidates in 4th Congressional District prepare for November general election (The main analysis of this race is that Jennifer McClellan will win in a landslide.)
- New state funding aims to help Virginians who were priced out of health insurance after loss of federal subsidies (“Late last year, thousands of Virginians canceled their Marketplace insurance plans due to rising premium costs. The new state subsidy could provide relief for 200,000 consumers.”)
- Virginia might’ve accidentally legalized weed sales, prosecutor says (“The agency responsible for drafting legislation for the General Assembly disagrees, maintaining existing marijuana laws are appealed effective July 1, 2027.”)
- Virginia State Police clarifies marijuana enforcement after internal email sparks confusion over new law
- Virginia is joining the DMV’s legal cannabis market. Here’s what changes
- Virginia prosecutors debate whether state budget accidentally repealed marijuana laws
- Virginia AG Jay Jones Joins Multistate Opposition to Postal Service’s Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights (“The people will not let these strikes on fundamental rights go without a fight”)
- Jones joins Democrats fighting Trump executive order on mail-in voting
- Virginia’s outdoors is a treasure we must preserve: The perspectives of two young conservationists
- Virginia budget expands Medicaid access to sickle cell gene therapy (“New gene therapies have changed what may be possible for some sickle cell patients. But providers say the path to treatment remains long, expensive and difficult to access.”)
- Prince William supervisors reject Dulles Cloud South data center proposal (“State senator says Northern Virginia county’s shifting sentiment towards data centers will have ‘statewide ramifications.'”)
- Inside Data Center Alley’s growing impact on Loudoun neighborhoods (“Like much of the US, housing in Loudoun County is facing an affordability crisis. Unlike much of the US, 53 million square feet of data centers bear some of the responsibility.”)
- By water use, Google’s Botetourt site would be its 8th largest data center complex in the world (“Those figures come from the tech company’s annual environmental report. Here’s what else it says.”)
- Who put up the ‘Republicans for Tim Brown’ signs across Montgomery County?
- 16-year-old girl who vanished near Newport News lake died of accidental drowning, Medical Examiner’s Office concludes
- Why did two groups of teens attempt to flee a Goochland psychiatric facility?
- Fairfax Police arrest man who stopped to chase family of geese, and killed a baby goose (Anyone who abuses animals is a menace, wouldn’t at all be surprised if they go on to do the same thing to a human being.)
- DC-area forecast: Warmer today, and late-day storms could be strong with some flooding
