| 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 Sunday, August 9. 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 US burns through weapons, as Russia and China definitely are watching; Hormuz deal still “out of reach”; Trump squanders Republicans’ advantages; Trump bases funding decisions on “politics, revenge”; Joe Biden’s cancer has spread…ugh.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis, Russia/China watch as US depletes weapons stocks; no Hormuz deal in sight; etc. )
- As the Climate Warms, Beavers are Coming for Canada’s Arctic (“Drawn by a warming climate, Canada’s furry national symbol is colonizing new territory, evading Inuit hunters and reshaping the world they find.”)
- Plastics contamination an ‘overlooked’ concern in food waste schemes, experts say (“Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soils”)
- ‘Super El Niño’ could bring wet winter and flooding to western US, climate scientists warn
- Costa Rican diplomat emerges as strong contender to be first female head of UN (“Rebeca Grynspan seen as continuity candidate with tacit support from current secretary general, António Guterres”)
- The Wild History of the Russian Online Retail Giant Being Bombarded by Ukraine
- Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their aerial war. Civilians are paying the price (CNN goes for classic false equivalence/”both sidesism” on this one)
- Typhoon Dolphin hits China’s east coast, over 1 million evacuated
- Iran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz as deal still out of reach (“Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missile”)
- The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note.
- Iran Issues List of Demands, Complicating Efforts to Reopen Strait (“The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions.”)
- Pentagon presses defense firms to build weapons as Iran war depletes stocks
- Iran Rejects US Talks for Now as Wait for Hormuz Deal Drags On
- Vance Talks ‘Delicate’ Iran War ‘Dance’ Before Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud (“The pursuit of oil was not among the stated reasons Trump gave in February, when the war was launched. He claimed, and maintains, that the conflict’s purpose was to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”)
- Trump’s Iran War Is Going Backward (“Iran’s demand that the US reopen a key oil shipping lane looks like June’s interim ceasefire deal.”)
- Beware the Bros of War(“Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth could stand to learn a thing or two about sea power. They’re too busy obsessing over testosterone”)
- Houthis attack Saudi refinery after kingdom signs defense pact
- How Saving Brazil’s Rainforest Pushed the Crisis Into Bolivia (“Destruction of the Amazon has declined dramatically in Brazil thanks to stepped-up enforcement. Across the border in Bolivia, it’s rampant.”)
- Israel accused of weaponising archaeology at ancient West Bank sites (“Israel is planning large-scale land expropriations in historic, Palestinian areas of the West Bank.” Illegal and unacceptable.)
- The Suspected Gangster Causing Headaches for Kushner’s Albania Deal (“Villagers say they warned Trump’s son-in-law their beachfront land was stolen by Artur Shehu, who now faces drug-related charges, which he denies”)
- Trump Amps Up Pressure on Billionaire Sargeant to Exit Venezuela (“The Trump administration is dialing up pressure on oil magnate and Republican Party donor Harry Sargeant III to divest from Venezuela.”)
- State of emergency declared as fast-moving Canada wildfire doubles in size
- Wildfires force 20,000 to flee as British Columbia declares state of emergency
- Fifa criticises campaign to oust president Infantino
NATIONAL NEWS (MAGA obsessed with Fauci; New CDC director supports “abortion surveillance”; Trump squanders Republican advantages; Trump’s funding decisions driven by politics and revenge; etc.)
- ICE says it expects to equip every field officer with body cameras by the end of August
- ‘They kidnapped a hard-working kid off our streets’: the gardener seized by ICE – and the New York town fighting back
- (“Conservatives meet to make birthright citizenship their long-term project” White nationalists.)
- Fear of lettuce is making RFK Jr.’s food messaging harder for consumers to swallow
- Why MAGA Is So Obsessed With Fauci (“In the aftermath of pandemics, people either try to forget them or find others to blame for them.” MAGA is completely unhinged.)
- Fauci contempt vote presents DOJ with ‘incredibly messy’ choices
- Rest assured, the new CDC director thinks ‘abortion surveillance’ is essential (“Erica Schwartz’s testimony … should alarm everyone who believes private medical decisions belong to patients, not politicians”)
- The strange reason flu shots have been so hard to improve (“America finally has an mRNA flu shot. Now comes the fight to actually use it.” This technology is amazing!)
- As US Offshore Wind Disappears, a Generation of Workers Is Left Behind (“Building trades spent the past five years preparing for an offshore wind boom that went bust. Now, U.S. workers mourn the well-paying careers they don’t see coming back.”)
- Senate Confirms Todd Blanche As Attorney General Despite All His Corruption (Senate REPUBLICANDS did that – should make that clear in the headline!)
- In Confirming Blanche, Senators Endorse a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway (This should say *REPUBLICAN Senators” – why doesn’t it???)
- Blanche’s confirmation fight was tough. Being Trump’s AG may be tougher.
- Editorial: Trump admits his funding decisions driven by politics, revenge (“Governing in such a manner is contemptible and contradictory to the founding principles that Americans celebrated on Independence Day this year.”)
- Senate Bows to Reality, Leaving Trump’s Voting Bill Undone
- Trump has squandered Republicans’ typical advantages in 2 key areas (“Polls show that the president greatly miscalculated fallout from the Iran war, global tariffs”)
- How a Businessman With Legal Troubles Bought a Huge Chunk of Trump’s Cryptocurrency (Sounds totally on the up-and-up, huh?)
- Democrats plan Trump investigations over impeachment if they win House (Agreed.)
- What Mitch McConnell Did (“The former Senate GOP leader’s legacy will make America harder to govern for years to come.” McConnell is an utterly heinous individual.)
- Parties Are Seen as Too Extreme, Except Voters’ Own Candidates (“A New York Times/Siena poll of battleground states suggests that national parties seem too far to the right or the left, while nominees themselves are more moderate.”)
- ‘Voters are fed up’: Michigan primary forces Democratic party to accept leftwing shift (“With Abdul El-Sayed’s win, the party’s leftwing insurgency had breached the walls of a midwestern swing state, forcing a reckoning about Democrats’ direction and leadership”)
- In Michigan, a Former Trump Critic Shifts Toward Election Skepticism (DISQUALIFYING!)
- After bitter primary, El-Sayed faces daunting task of unifying Democrats
- Hunter Biden says Joe Biden’s cancer is spreading: ‘It’s very debilitating’
- Kamala Harris barnstorms New Orleans, talks voting rights, urges Democratic ‘ruthlessness’
- Hang Elon Musk Around Susan Collins’s Neck
- Max Miller, Republican Accused of Abuse, Won’t Drop Out, Spokeswoman Says
- Max Miller stays in as GOP replacement window closes (“Rep. Max Miller appeared to let a crucial Saturday withdrawal cutoff pass in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, effectively closing Republicans’ last practical window to replace the embattled incumbent on the November ballot.” That gives Dems a decent chance of picking up this seat.)
- Moderate Democrat in Hawaii Defeats Progressive House Challenger
- Rep. Ed Case Holds Onto His Congressional Seat In A Landslide
- Tucker Carlson could derail the GOP’s 2028 plans (“A third-party bid by the disaffected MAGA podcaster would be difficult — and beneficial to Democrats”)
- Public will get to weigh in on proposed changes to Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest (“Fishery managers are considering cutting the bay’s catch limit by up to 50%.” Do it!!!)
VIRGINIA NEWS (Godawful article in the Virginian-Pilot, “Are progressive candidates gaining momentum in Virginia?”; Six-month delay in release of VA DEQ study on data centers’ water usage; etc.)
- Are progressive candidates gaining momentum in Virginia? (This article is BIZARRE; the case for the Democratic Party moving left is mostly made by the “vice president of policy at the Jefferson Forum, a conservative think tank” – this is seriously f’ed up “journalism,” as Republicans call ALL Democrats socialists, are NOT a serious source for claims like this, etc. That’s the best this reporter could come up with for her article???)
- Primary turnout signals strong interest in November races, analysts say (“Turnout this summer in districts Democrats are targeting to flip was significantly higher than in the much-energized summer of 2024.”)
- Six-Month Delay in Release of Virginia DEQ Study on Data Centers’ Water Usage – as the Public Turns Strongly Against Them
- With stream restoration projects, Roanoke ‘nudging’ creeks to be more natural
- Williams: The ballot, or bite the bullet? Let’s stay the course on Code Refresh.
- Staunton: City wants to make throwing something in the trash ‘the last option’
- DC-area forecast: Heating up today. Storm chances trend higher again this week.
