| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (economic, environmental, etc.) for Wednesday, August 5. 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)…also the Iran War, Ukraine out of interceptors thanks largely to Trump, ICE “torture,” Todd Blanche being an “unqualified hack,” “establishment” wins in Virginia Democratic primaries.)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis, Ukraine/Russia, Trump met his “obstinate match” in Iran’s “hardball regime”; Iran to cement its hold on Hormuz?; etc.)
- El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year (“UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity”)
- Europe’s rivers are running dry, and the knock-on effects are disastrous (“Droughts that were once a century now happen every year, and the impact on wildlife, industrial output and culture itself is catastrophic”)
- Three lions die of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo zoo as Japan swelters (“Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summer”)
- Under Patel, FBI Forges Unprecedented Law Enforcement Ties With China, Russia (“The partnerships represent a major break with the past and have raised concerns within the broader counterintelligence community.”)
- Russian missile and drone barrage in Ukrainian capital region kills 17 (Putin is pure evil.)
- Russian strike kills at least 17 as Zelensky says interceptors could have saved lives
- How the Ukraine War Became a Fight for the Skies
- Ukraine fails to stop any missiles overnight, after Zelensky says no interceptors remain (“U.S.-made systems are Kyiv’s only means to shoot down ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian president said supply delays are causing ‘horrific casualties and destruction.'”)
- Deadly Missile Attack on Kyiv Exploits Ukraine’s Depleted Air Defenses
- Oil prices move higher after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claim Saudi tanker strike
- Nearly 80% of interceptors for a key missile defense system depleted, sources say
- Iran’s president denies threatening to resign during talks over strait of Hormuz
- Iran Stakes Everything on Controlling Hormuz (“The hard-line approach in the showdown with President Trump threatens Iran’s economy and its ties with neighbors.”)
- Escalating Attacks in Gaza Undermine Trump’s New Peace Plan (“President Trump announced a proposal aimed at achieving the disarmament of Hamas and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel ramped up strikes on the Palestinian enclave”)
- Trump administration revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to US in spat with Lula (The word “spat” should never be used by the news media. In this case, as usual with Trump, it’s not a “spat” – “a brief, minor quarrel” – it’s Trump being a thug.)
- Fifa accused of using ‘blackmail’ to force support for Infantino’s re-election bid
NATIONAL NEWS (ICE “torture”, Blanche is an “unqualified hack who shouldn’t be U.S. Attorney General,” Pirro struggles to give Trump what he wants, mixed results in primaries, too close to call in Michigan; etc.)
- ‘What they’re doing qualifies as torture’: new details of ICE force-feeding revealed (There’s going to need to be a reckoning for ALL these crimes and human rights abuses!)
- Protesters occupy 200-year-old tree at US-Mexico border to stop its destruction: ‘She’s our Statue of Liberty’
- US refunds $100bn of Donald Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs
- Appeals Court Says E.P.A. Cannot Block Billions in Climate Grants (“The funds have been frozen since early in President Trump’s second term.”)
- Jay Clayton sworn in as US director of national intelligence
- CDC reportedly expands scope of US cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states
- This federal judge ruled against Trump. Then the threats began. (“U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s experience is emblematic of the climate facing jurists, whether nominated by Democratic or Republican presidents.” OUTRAGEOUS!)
- Let’s Be Clear: Todd Blanche Is an Unqualified Hack Who Shouldn’t Be U.S. Attorney General (“If Congressional Republicans had any spine at all, they wouldn’t let something like this happen.”)
- Trump’s Irrationality Is Dangerous (“The president’s recent rant is a sign of serious dysfunction in the Oval Office.”)
- Is Trump the GOAT of Presidential Corruption? (“The president’s gluttony for graft is the only truly remarkable thing about his political career.”)
- Trump whips Senate votes for permanent daylight saving time (STUPID!)
- Editorial: Pentagon turns away from institutions with centuries of service (“Defense Secretary Hegseth, a Princeton and Harvard graduate, wrongly believes that those institutions and others are no longer fit for service members.”)
- Hegseth’s Pick for Top Army Job Is Losing Republican Support (“Some lawmakers and experts say Gen. Christopher LaNeve lacks experience at the four-star level.”)
- Oh Look, Another Far-Right Extremist at the Pentagon
- Senate GOP scrambles for August exit strategy that doesn’t anger Trump
- New reports show the Trump admin denied disaster requests and cancelled energy grants for blue states — Fox covered neither
- Jeffries-skeptic Democrats face Black Caucus hostility
- Jeanine Pirro struggles to give Trump the wins he craves the most
- Lawyers in Reflecting Pool case say Justice Department knew case was flawed
- Inside the Oval Office Showdown Between Trump and Jeanine Pirro (“Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told President Trump that his interior secretary, Doug Burgum, had misled him with a self-serving cover story for his own mistakes.”)
- Pirro brought box of evidence to show Trump what caused Reflecting Pool damage
- ‘I can win’: Defiant Max Miller says he’s staying in race amid abuse claims (“The Ohio Republican compared his reelection contest to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.” So he’s saying they’re both scumbags.)
- Max Miller doubles down on staying in Ohio House race (This guy’s a psycho.)
- Mike Johnson breaks his silence on Max Miller, calls for ‘process to play out’ (Johnson is a f’ing disgrace.)
- Rep. Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid after censure recommendation
- Authorities arrested a man with ammo and apparently monitoring security at Trump golf course near LA
- Democrat exits Senate race in South Dakota, clearing way for independent (“Julian Beaudion withdrew after resisting pressure to step aside, making South Dakota’s contest the third Senate race without a Democratic candidate.”)
- Kansas Rejects Measure to Elect Its State Supreme Court Justices (“The rejection of a measure to begin electing justices was a victory for abortion rights groups who defended the Kansas high court’s ruling that abortion was protected in the state constitution.”)
- Progressives didn’t get the big election night they wanted
- Progressives dreamed of Michigan domination. Now they’re sweating a tight Senate race. (“Early returns in Michigan and the results in Missouri are not as decisive for the Democratic Party’s left flank as they’d hoped.”)
- Democrats’ biggest primary is on a knife’s edge (“The race between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed — with the party’s direction hanging in the balance — is coming down to the final votes.”)
- Michigan Senate Democratic primary race remains too close to call as El-Sayed holds narrow lead
- Stevens and El-Sayed are in a close race for Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination
- El-Sayed clings to narrow lead over Stevens as vote counting nears end in Michigan Senate primary
- Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez survives Washington’s crowded primary
- Rep. Wesley Bell defeats former Rep. Cori Bush in a Missouri Democratic primary rematch
- Progressives’ anti-AIPAC wave hits a snag in St. Louis (“Rep. Wesley Bell defeated Cori Bush for a second cycle in a row.”)
- Missouri secretary of state blocks referendum seeking to undo the GOP’s redrawn congressional map (“Opponents of last year’s redistricting push tried to put the issue on the ballot, but the secretary of state said the effort was unconstitutional.”)
- Arizona’s Democratic Governor Set to Pick a Republican Running Mate (“Gov. Katie Hobbs, locked in a competitive re-election battle, plans to tap a moderate former mayor of Mesa, Ariz., John Giles, to serve as her lieutenant governor if she wins in November.”)
- The Ellison Credibility Crisis (“The Paramount boss tried to convince the public he can be trusted with CNN. But staffers inside the network torched his Times essay in brutal comments to Status, pointing to his disastrous record at CBS News.”)
- A veteran was detained by the National Guard in her front yard. Now she’s suing
VIRGINIA NEWS (Virginia primary results – boring/”no drama” or surprises, “establishment” wins easily)
- Mark Warner leading Senate effort to hit back at DOJ election monitors
- Live Blog: Virginia Primary Election Results 8/4/26
- Virginia Primary Day (8/4/26): Open Thread, Info on the Candidates, Plus Predictions and Preferences
- Bert Mizusawa wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Virginia (This guy is a NUTJOB – check him out!)
- Virginia primary voters pick Mizusawa to face Warner, finalize key US House races (Total whitewash of MAGA extremist Mizusawa by the Virginia Mercury. Disgraceful.)
- Virginia Democrats pick establishment nominees for 2 US House seats they hope to flip in November
- The lesson from Virginia’s primary: The establishment won on both sides. (“Virginia Democrats aren’t taking part in the party’s leftward drift…McGuire showed why it’s so hard for a Democrat to win in the 5th District”; “calling Perriello a communist is not a serious statement and makes McGuire look less serious if he really believes this jibber-jabber”)
- Luria wins 2nd District nomination, setting up rematch against Kiggans in November
- Virginia’s key 2nd District to host rematch between incumbent GOP Rep. Jennifer Kiggans and Democrat Elaine Luria
- Luria Wins House Primary in Virginia, Setting Up a Rematch With Kiggans (KICK KIGGANS OUT OF CONGRESS!)
- Kiggans, Luria to duke it out in rematch for battleground Virginia House seat
- Elaine Luria wins Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District
- Voters set congressional races across Virginia
- Beyer squashes challengers, GOP newcomers prevail in Va. primary ahead of pivotal midterms
- Result: It’s McGuire vs. Perriello in Virginia’s 5th District (Total whitewash by VPM of far-right-extremist/insurrectionist John McGuire)
- In Charlottesville, Tom Perriello celebrates Democratic nomination (“Tracinski released a statement Tuesday night pledging his support for Perriello while continuing to focus on what he’s labeled the Constitutional abuses of power by the Trump administration.”)
- No surprises in Virginia congressional primaries: Nov. 3 election ballot set
- Shannon Taylor speaks on how she plans to unseat GOP Rep. Rob Wittman
- Spanberger launches new advisory council on jail, prison reforms
- Data Centers and a Disturbance in the Force (“Time for a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to deal with this issue…”)
- What we reported: How Virginia lobbying reached a record $24.3 million
- “No drama” in Northern Virginia’s 2026 primary elections (“This was a big snoozer. I can’t remember a primary that had no drama whatsoever” – Larry Sabato)
- Democrats choose Moore, Clawson, Sanchez-Jones in Roanoke City Council primary
- First-time candidates Moore and Clawson top Roanoke City Council Democratic primary
- Cars stall out on streets across Norfolk after heavy rain
- DC-area forecast: Scattered showers and storms today with a flood watch this morning
