by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Wednesday, July 22. Today’s biggest developments and headlines include the climate crisis (always at the top of these news highlights because it’s existential and should be a massive story every single day), Oil nears $100 as Red Sea attacks threaten new chokepoint in Iran conflict, “Trump’s Saudi nuclear deal risks igniting a Middle East arms race”, “The White House Correspondents’ Association takes another futile crack at celebrating the First Amendment with Donald Trump”, “Local U.S. TV News Will Soon Be Entirely Right Wing Propaganda”, and “A free clinic in Appalachia says they anticipate ‘unprecedented’ number of people to lose Medicaid.”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate, Russia/Ukraine, Iran, UK, tariffs, etc.)
- Climate crisis-driven heat ‘sucking soils dry’ as extreme drought hits Europe (“Analysis shows how heatwaves are making atmosphere thirstier, damaging water supplies, food production and power generation”)
- ‘This year is off to a really rough start’: Climate scientist on the Canadian wildfires
- Google Hit With $1 Billion Fine for Abusing Its Power in Europe
- Zelenskyy under growing pressure to reinstate sacked defence minister (“Campaigners in Ukraine pledge to continue nationwide protests until Mykhailo Fedorov gets his job back”)
- Inside Ukraine’s kill zone
- Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
- Widening Ukrainian attacks on Russian online retailer Wildberries shutter another warehouse
- Trump’s Iran trap
- Trump’s air war in Iran may be reaching its limits (“President Donald Trump is trying to put more pressure on Tehran — but the regime isn’t budging, so far, and there’s no clear endgame for the war.”)
- Speaking for Fallen Soldiers, Trump Says They Supported the Iran War (Disgusting/disprespectful!)
- Donald Trump Called ‘Beyond Repulsive’ After Remarks About Soldiers Killed In Iran
- U.S. Surges Forces Toward Middle East, Giving Trump Options to Expand Iran War (“The influx of troops, medics and weaponry follows the deaths of three American soldiers in Iranian attack at a base in Jordan”)
- Trump appears to downplay Iran war deaths in social posts comparing them to previous conflicts
- The American People Need the Truth About the Iran War (“The president and the Pentagon are not being up front about what has happened in more than 20 weeks of hostilities.”)
- Houthis say they attacked 2 Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as US carries out 12th night of strikes
- Houthis Open New Front in Iran War by Targeting Ships in Red Sea (“While it’s unclear if the ships were hit and damaged, the move could effectively close another maritime chokepoint.”)
- Oil nears $100 as Red Sea attacks threaten new chokepoint in Iran conflict (“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Trump’s Iran policy as “a head for an eye,” as Washington and Tehran trade threats.”)
- ‘What was their crime?’: BBC visits Iran school where strike killed 120 children
- This Nuclear Deal with Saudi Arabia Could Go Down as the Worst Idea Trump Has Ever Had
- Democrats prepare to resist Saudi nuclear deal (“Another Foreign Relations Democrat, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, said he’s “pretty nervous” that the Saudi pact doesn’t meet the so-called gold standard set by the US’ nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates.”)
- Trump’s Saudi nuclear deal risks igniting a Middle East arms race, lawmakers warn
- Israelis fear Saudi nuclear deal could ignite Mideast arms race
- US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for domestic nuclear enrichment
- A nuclear deal for the Saudis. A media blackout for Kushner’s corruption. (“On Wednesday, the Trump administration signed a 30-year nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that paves the way for the kingdom to enrich its own uranium. The Saudi government has been aggressively seeking such a deal for years, eager to gain an edge over regional rivals. The agreement lacks safeguards that previous administrations, and many independent foreign policy analysts, viewed as essential to prevent nuclear proliferation.”)
- Why would Trump agree to the Saudi nuclear deal?
- What is the US-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal and why is it causing concern? (“The US will help Saudi Arabia establish a civilian nuclear program, but critics have said it could lead to domestic enrichment and set off a regional arms race”)
- Iraq’s impossible predicament: why the country is trapped between Iran and the US
- Mamdani says he can’t arrest Netanyahu as mayor and urges US to enforce ICC warrant (Netanyahu is horrible, but Mamdani should focus on being the mayor of New York City, which as the home of the United Nations pretty much HAS TO allow all kinds of international scumbags to attend U.N. meetings.)
- Indian police cracked down on ‘cockroach’ protesters. They went home and made memes about it
- Trump administration weighing military options in Mali, officials say
- Will data centres save the wind industry or kill our climate targets? Or could they do both? (“Will data centres save the Australian renewable sector? Or will they blow the country’s renewable and climate targets out of the water? It’s a polarising debate, almost as deep as the arguments around social licence, location, and to what extent this so-called AI boom is in fact real.”)
- Carney Has Tried the Carrot and the Stick With Trump—but Neither Is Working (“Canada’s prime minister has spent little political capital in making concessions, but offering more comes with risks”)
- Mexico seeks accountability in Chicago-area ICE death and 16 others. Can it force the U.S. to act? (“Mexico has filed criminal complaints with state and county prosecutors seeking investigations into the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals, including Silverio Villegas González, who was shot and killed by ICE in Franklin Park nearly a year ago.”)
NATIONAL NEWS (ICE, Cyclosporiasis, energy efficiency, Maine, primaries, etc.)
- Trump’s Latest Under-the-Radar Mass Deportation Moves Are Truly Creepy (Stephen Miller is a ghoul. As is his boss, Donald Trump.)
- Democrats press ICE on oversight, say 1 officer referred for discipline over use of force
- You Opened a Credit Card. ICE Now Knows Where You Live
- Tension between Mullin and White House appears to be growing, sources say
- Trump’s war on Iran is unpopular and expensive. He’s perfectly OK with that (“Trump’s response to the Iran war’s mounting death toll and astronomical costs? ‘It won’t have any impact on me’”)
- Trump scoffs at ‘affordability’ as he touts economic policies at Georgia rally
- ‘We’re getting into an ugly phase’: Trump’s new tariffs are angering voters and U.S. allies alike
- CDC cuts leave US less prepared for disease outbreaks, former officials warn (“As measles, hantavirus and cyclospora spread, experts say lost staff and expertise are slowing the response”)
- Iran War — Americans (Including Virginians) Are Paying the Price While the Trump Family Profits (“War Profiteering Is a Shameful Legacy”)
- OpenAI’s models broke free and launched a cyberattack. Congress wants new rules before it happens again.
- House Republicans pass hard-right defense bill, handing wins to Trump (“The GOP-led bill authorizes over $1 trillion for the military and would codify President Donald Trump’s rebranding of the Pentagon as the Department of War.”)
- ‘Do the math’: GOP budget hits wary Senate
- Senate feeling good about avoiding pre-election shutdown
- 6 Democrats cross aisle, join GOP to back annual defense policy bill (Stupid. No Democrat should vote for this monstrosity.)
- House Republicans Ram Through Reconciliation 3.0 Despite Little Senate Buy-in (“The framework includes money for defense, farm assistance and changes to voting laws.”)
- House Republicans adopt $95 billion package for the Iran war and Trump’s priorities
- This Is What’s Keeping Me Up at Night (“In hindsight, the contours of President Trump’s plan to steal the 2020 election were almost painfully obvious.”)
- Todd Blanche Denies Telling Democrats He ‘Made A Mistake’ With Trump’s Slush Fund (“Except Sens. Dick Durbin and Richard Blumenthal say the acting attorney general told them directly he shouldn’t have created the $1.8 billion fund.”)
- Lisa Murkowski is undecided on Blanche’s confirmation. Her state is getting a windfall from DOJ.
- Trump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities
- The White House Correspondents’ Association takes another futile crack at celebrating the First Amendment with Donald Trump (I can’t tell you how much contempt I have for these “journalists”)
- Local U.S. TV News Will Soon Be Entirely Right Wing Propaganda (“Thanks to the destruction of media consolidation limits, Republicans will soon enjoy propaganda and market domination over what’s left of local U.S. news.”)
- The real aim of Trump’s New York Times leak investigation is to punish reporters
- FCC Chair Says ABC’s Decision to Not Broadcast Trump Speech Live Will Be Part of Agency’s Review of Station Licenses (That’s f’ing appalling.)
- Jim Jordan refers Jack Smith to DOJ over alleged false statements (“Gym” is lying/evil/scum.)
- Fox News Poll: Voters want major change amid economic and political discontent
- “The DCCC is not God”: Tensions erupt over Dem primary meddling
- Inside the Democratic Socialist uprising
- The Next Big Tests for the Left: Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota
- The DSA primary challenge House Dems couldn’t care less about (“In the telling of both progressive and moderate House Democrats, Thanedar’s anomalous political profile and the makeup of his district will make it difficult to extrapolate from the results of his race.”)
- In Arizona, House Democrats’ Campaign Arm Is Dealt a Primary Defeat (“Dr. Amish Shah, who beat the choice of the party’s House campaign arm, will face Jay Feely, a Republican, in a battleground district that covers parts of Phoenix.”)
- Maine Democrat Troy Jackson has raised $1M for his Senate bid so far (“Jackson has to catch up fast to GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who’s sitting on an $11 million warchest.”)
VIRGINIA NEWS (Sen. Warner’s AI plan, Rep. Wittman’s stock trades, weather, etc.)
- Sen. Mark Warner says if reelected this year, it would be his last term (VERY weird that the Virginian-Pilot made this its top headline today, when Warner’s been saying this repeatedly for months now…so it’s not “news” by definition.)
- Video: Frontrunner for 2026 VA GOP U.S. Senate Nomination Calls Birthright Citizenship “a post-Civil War loophole” (Far-right extremist Bert Mizusawa also rants about “anchor babies” skewing US House representation)
- Even without a new map, Buttigieg says Va. Dems can win with focus on healthcare, affordability (“The former transportation secretary and 2020 presidential contender endorsed Shannon Taylor, Elaine Luria and Tom Perriello ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.”)
- REMINDER: Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01) Has Traded $2.5M Worth of Stock in Congress, “boosting his own bottom line” (“He is part of the culture of corruption…”)
- What could Subramanyam’s new transmission line route option mean for Golden to Mars? (“Subramanyam thinks there’s another option: running the line along Route 606”)
- Virginia Is Fighting Back Against Election Interference (“We Have the Power to Protect Our Right to Vote”)
- State legislators ask Spanberger to call special session on Dominion-NextEra merger
- Va. hospitals predict $31B reduction in state’s Medicaid funding if proposed CMS rule passes (“Healthcare leaders say the proposed rule ‘goes well beyond’ the requirements of H.R. 1.”)
- Report suggests Virginia could do more to support adult learners
- Judge wants more information to allow lawsuit to continue with governor’s chief of staff and Democratic operative
- A free clinic in Appalachia says they anticipate ‘unprecedented’ number of people to lose Medicaid (This is the fault 100% of Republicans, and also why NOBODY in Appalachia should vote Republican!)
- Amid a late accusation, apology and a response to an assault charge, Roanoke’s Democratic city council primary to be decided on Aug. 4 (“Voters have plenty to consider as five candidates seek three spots.”)
- Crime in Roanoke continues to drop: Down 19% compared to last year
- Hanover plans local cannabis rules ahead of 2027 retail market
- Galax cancels its mural project that turned controversial. Here are 5 things to know. (“Is it because there’s a Black person on there?… I don’t know what else it would be.””)
- Chesapeake puts 8-month pause on data center applications
- DC-area forecast: Top-notch July weather today, and nice into the weekend (Instead of subjective words like “nice” and “top-notch,” they could use actual metereological words like “dry,” “sunny,” “warm,” etc.)
