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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, August 20. 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)…plus Trump losing the war with Iran and lashing out/threatening economic “D-Day,” “What Does Trump’s Open Respect For North Korean Nukes Tell Iran?”; massive Trump crypto corruption; “Cray Cray” Natalie Harp and Ossoff hitting a nerve; etc. Also, check out Jamelle Bouie talking about “Natalie”; as Bouie says, “What we see is a president who is narrowly focused on his pet projects in Washington, indifferent to larger global conditions, indifferent to the consequences of his policies and actions, and being fed a steady stream of absurd propaganda curated by someone who for all intents and purposes worships him like he’s a god. Natalie Harp is one of the most important and powerful people in government right now. And that simple fact should fill us with dread.”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis, Iran war fiasco, Canada tariffs, etc.)
- Without action wildfires in Europe will increase 39% even in best-case climate scenario, study finds (“Improvements in fire management however could mitigate increases by more than 70%, study shows”)
- We’ll soon get a glimpse of future temperatures, thanks to this record El Niño
- Europe Faces Surging Wildfire Threat, New Research Shows (“From the Scottish Highlands to coastal France and Belgium’s boggy forests, conflagrations are already spreading into new regions.”)
- The threatening thaw: climate professor on heatwave risks to tipping point of permafrost
- Giant whales move into Greenland waters as ice disappears
- Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial (“Arturo Béjar, former Meta safety engineer, tells jury tech company was aware of products’ potential harm to children”)
- Bessent Plan May Prove Short-Lived Remedy for Global Bond Slump (“Analysts cite persistent worries about fiscal woes and sticky inflation globally.”)
- A Russian missile and drone barrage kills at least 16 in Ukraine’s Kyiv region
- Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are increasingly getting through Ukrainian defenses
- Zelenskyy fires a top aide amid a graft probe as Ukraine’s ex-defense minister demands elections
- China Sentences Real Estate Giant’s Billionaire Founder to Life in Prison (“Evergrande, founded by Hui Ka Yan, was China’s fastest-growing property developer. Its collapse in 2021 brought the country’s financial system to the brink.”)
- After Six Months of War, Trump Is Still Losing to Iran (“The conflict marks a ‘precipitous collapse of American power and American prestige.'”)
- Trump’s Economic D-Day Threat Over Iran Branded A ‘Complete S**t Show’ (“Critics pointed out that following through with these threats would likely involve cutting off trade with China.”)
- Trump threatens Iran’s trade partners, as military strikes make way for economic pressure
- Trump threatens ‘Economic D-Day’ for Iran and ‘tremendous’ consequences for its backers
- Trump announces ‘most crushing economic operation ever’ against Iran
- U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through Hormuz (“The U.S. military has quietly established a shipping corridor in and out of the Strait of Hormuz to transport millions of barrels of oil each day — a notable success even as the broader war remains at a stalemate, two U.S. officials told Axios.”)
- What Does Trump’s Open Respect For North Korean Nukes Tell Iran? (“The president implied that his bond with Kim Jong-Un comes down to ’57 very powerful nuclear weapons.'”)
- Trump’s snub of South Korea sends region scrambling (“The Trump administration’s snub of South Korea has America’s allies in Asia rethinking how much they can depend on the U.S. for defense — and looking to each other to reduce their reliance on Washington.”)
- North Korea fires off barrage of missiles hours after Trump says he plans to meet Kim
- Israel Opens Criminal Inquiries Into Killings of Hind Rajab, 5, and of Medics
- Syrian foreign minister to Axios: Israeli bombing of airbase was unjustified
- Prices soar as Gaza smuggling booms. Officials, soldiers and middlemen are accused of cashing in
- Lula Wages His Final Campaign as Brazil’s Presidential Frontrunner (“A year after his popularity sank to career lows, Lula is a reelection favorite thanks to help from two right-wing nemeses: Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro.”)
- US Set to Cut Tariffs on Canada Metals, Autos in Trade Deal
- Trump backed down from 50 percent tariffs on Canada. It’s not a TACO.
- Fifth Fifa vice-president turns against Infantino, saying he has ‘lost confidence’ in him
- Soccer fans launch global petition urging FIFA boss Infantino to resign over World Cup ‘betrayal’
- Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK later this month
NATIONAL NEWS (ICE insanity; US debt hits $40B, crypto corruption, unhinged WH responsed to “Natalie” barb, etc.)
- Here’s how the system to report problems in ICE detention has failed immigrants
- How Trump’s Deportation Machine Deprives Deaf People of Their Humanity (“An extra layer of cruelty is added by limiting communication access for Deaf people.”)
- The Supreme Court Has Basically Allowed Racial Profiling, and Now ICE Is Having a Field Day (“So these psychos are allowed to just pull over anyone they want without facing any consequences?”)
- Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting
- An alarmed bond market gets the Trump administration to act again
- U.S. Debt Hits $40 Trillion as America’s Borrowing Binge Continues (Insane.)
- Democrats Press Kevin Warsh to Disclose Calls With Trump
- James Braid to depart White House (“Braid was a key bridge between the White House and Congress”)
- A Stubbornly Naive Group of GOP Senators (“A small caucus of non-MAGA Republicans keeps falling for the president’s flimsy promises.” They’re cowards.)
- Senate Health Panel Chairman Voices Strong Reservations About F.D.A. Nominee
- Trump’s pick to lead the FDA faces uphill Senate battle (She’s completely unacceptable.)
- Trump, Who Has Amassed Enormous Wealth in Crypto, Hosts Industry Leaders (MASSIVELY corrupt!)
- Trump joins leaders of crypto companies in push for industry-backed bill (Does anyone understand what the purpose of crypto is, other than “criming,” as Paul Krugman says?)
- Crypto bank part-owned by Trump family offers depositors way to ‘gain favor’ with White House, experts say (“Democrats have called World Liberty Trust Company a stark example of corruption but officials claim there is no insider dealing”)
- Unhinged White House response shows senator’s ‘Natalie’ barb struck a nerve (“Senator Jon Ossoff, who is up for re-election, came up with arguably the standout line of the midterm elections so far“)
- Trump aide Natalie Harp worked at the White House without security clearance for a year (“The close aide to the president, known to filter much of the information reaching the commander-in-chief, ultimately relented in recent months after pressure from White House staff.”)
- Trump’s Human Printer Is Cray-Cray (“It would be much better if they *were* sleeping together.”)
- Sounds Like Trump Insiders Are Getting a Little Jealous of the President’s Weirdly Close Relationship with His Favorite Aide (“Maybe they’re just envious that Natalie Harp has the log-in to his Truth Social account.”)
- Trump Considers a Press Secretary Shakeup: Picking a Man (“The president is considering a man to prevent comparisons with outgoing spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, sources say.”)
- ‘It’s Bonkers’: Jennifer Hegseth’s Hands-On Role in Her Husband’s Pentagon (“After an 18-year career at Fox News, she is now her husband’s most influential adviser and de facto producer, shaping the job like no Pentagon spouse has before. — There has never been a Pentagon spouse quite like Jennifer Hegseth.” Just imagine the reaction if this had happened during the Clinton or Obama or Biden administrations???)
- New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth’s Army Pick Makes His Mark (“Gen. Christopher LaNeve takes aim at a cutting-edge drone unit, one of several moves he has made since taking over the Army”)
- 100+ specials since Trump’s return show Democrats in good position to reclaim the House
- What it means that Democrats are winning special elections in Trump country
- The rise of DSA is killing off Resistance 1.0 Democrats
- #Resistance Democrats are flopping in primaries (“Alexander Vindman’s Senate primary loss Tuesday is the latest stumble from a top Trump critic.”)
- Fox & Friends, echoing GOP memo, runs cover against “far-left” data center opposition (It’s deifnitely not “far left”)
- Voters Aren’t Waiting for November to Try Ousting Officials Over Data Centers
- GOP trails Democrats by 8 points on congressional ballot in new poll (It should be 100%-0% at this point…)
- Michael Cohen won’t say if he’ll use his Trump interview to seek a pardon (“Michael Cohen and President Donald Trump have apparently patched up their differences in private. Now, they can do it in public.”)
- Another democratic socialist victory – Angie Nixon in Florida – sends shock waves through party establishment
- The Freedom Caucus is having a brutal primary run
- Who is Angie Nixon, the democratic socialist who won big in Florida?
- The DSA Reckons With a Leader Going Viral for All the Wrong Reasons (“Megan Romer’s interviews with The New Yorker and Fox News have drawn groans even from some supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America. But what do other DSA leaders think?” Romer is beyond laughable; total freakazoid.)
- The Memo: Angie Nixon’s shock Florida win gives fresh boost — and a new test — for the left
- Florida Dems scramble to regroup after Nixon upset
- ‘Woefully underprepared’: Graham critics seize on her foreign policy misstep (She’s WILDLY unqualified to be a US Senator; might as well just randomly pick sombeody off the street in Charleston, lol.)
- Lindsey Graham’s Sister Gives Bonkers Excuse for Debate Flop (She’s a disgrace.)
- All Michigan Democrats Have to Do to Win Is to Find Peace Over the Middle East (“One of the state’s prominent Democrats explains why he’s not ready to endorse Abdul El-Sayed—at least not yet.”)
- Mike Lindell says he’ll pay for recount after double-digit loss in Minnesota governor primary (This dude is completely insane.)
- Ties to data centers could cost Ohio Sen. Jon Husted his seat, memo warns
- Trump administration was warned about peeling Reflecting Pool nearly a month before it brought vandalism case
VIRGINIA NEWS (NoVA members of Congress demand “immediate” FBI/DoJ investigation into ICE agents who pointed gun at Carolina Molina; NY Times’ failed, dishonest, cowardly coverage of Ben Cline; Spanberger’s budget speech; 100% unaceeptable for former NextEra attorney not to recuse herself from Dominion-NextEra merger case; etc.)
- Sen. Warner & Sen. Kaine pressure Pentagon on impacts of extended deployment on military families
- Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA08), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10), James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Call for “Immediate” FBI and DoJ Investigation “Into ICE Agents Threatening U.S. Citizen With Gun” in Falls Church (“Who are the ICE agents depicted in the videos recorded by Carolina Molina? Please provide [their] names, titles, positions…”)
- Editorial: Federal agents threaten Virginia woman in latest outrage (For some reason they have a random photo of a completely unrelated incident. Why is the media like this?)
- Beyer joins congressional investigation into ICE agent who pointed gun at Virginia woman (“Six lawmakers ask the FBI and DOJ Civil Rights Division to investigate an Aug. 10 encounter in Bailey’s Crossroads, and dispute DHS’s account of it”)
- Analysis | How Trump’s dismissive comment could damage GOP chances in a key House race
- Meet the candidates in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District
- Virginia Republicans fear ‘dismissive’ Trump’s could sink party in key race
- Two ways to write about Ben Cline: The nice way, and the honest way
- Video: Speaking to the General Assembly’s Joint Money Committees Gov. Abigail Spanberger Rips “Catastrophic” Trump Policies – and the Damage They’re Doing to Virginia (Spanberger also takes some well-deserved shots at her predecessor, Glenn Youngkin)
- Virginia’s economy continues to grow as Spanberger warns of fallout from federal cuts
- State revenues exceed forecast; Spanberger urges ‘prudent budgeting’
- Balancing optimism and caution, Spanberger says Va.’s revenues grew $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2026 (“In address to lawmakers, governor and Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles say the state lost nearly 44,000 jobs in the same period.”)
- Former NextEra attorney won’t recuse herself on NextEra-Dominion SCC vote (100% unacceptabl; for one thing, there’s the appearance of impropriety; for another, Kelsey Bagot PROMISED, during her confirmation process, several Virginia State Senators and at least one delegate that she WOULD recuse from NextEra matters that came before the SCC. So…if she won’t recuse, time for impeachment and/or the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission?)
- Could the Dominion-NextEra merger inspire the General Assembly to expand the State Corporation Commission? The constitution allows it. (Good idea; put half dozen new members on there or whatever; also, get Kelsey Bagot off of there!)
- General Assembly launches effort to study tax exemptions, consumption tax for data centers (“The effort is part of a compromise reached during biennial budget negotiations that took place in the spring.”)
- USDA advances Roadless Rule repeal; advocates, lawmakers say it puts 400,000 acres in Va. at risk (Virginia should move to protect these forests.)
- November glut of school referendums signals necessity of taxing option in Virginia
- Spanberger administration revokes Virginia youth psych facility’s license, calls system ‘broken’
- City of Charlottesville names Joshua Barr to chief prosperity officer post
- Lynchburg Police to pause, review use of Flock license plate cameras
- Augusta County: We have met the enemy; it’s the Board of Supervisors
- Williams: Campus violence harms our past, present and future
- Must schools named after Confederates change after the Shenandoah schools ruling?
- Richmond City Council to discuss immigration ‘trust policy’
- Danville plans comprehensive assessment of animal services as shelter controversy continues
- Severe storms, tornadoes possible Thursday across Hampton Roads
- DC-area forecast: Scattered afternoon storms, some strong
