by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 29. 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 lots more…see below.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Climate crisis/Nepal severely harmed despite playing basically zero role in causing the problem; “How Did the World Get to Be Held Hostage by Two Malevolent Cretins?”; Trump seizing Venezuela’s oil???; etc.)
- The Strongest El Niño in a Generation Is Wreaking Havoc on Global Economy
- Scientists fear Nepal’s disaster is just a glimpse of the carnage climate change could cause (“Global warming contributes to conditions that make a glacier collapses, floods more likely, experts say”)
- The Floods Nepal Didn’t Cause (“Flash floods, triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas, have killed at least five hundred people in a nation that has contributed little to climate change but is disproportionately affected by it.”)
- Missing toll from devastating floods in Nepal and China passes 3,000 (“Rescue efforts are in their fourth day but Nepali authorities are warning they are struggling to cope with the number of decomposing bodies recovered.”)
- Why a newly formed lake is sparking fears of more flooding along the Nepal-China border
- Nepal warns of new flood risk as hard-hit border region turns to ‘swampland’
- Nepal’s flood damage may cost up to a tenth of economy to rebuild
- Footage of Tibet floods isn’t being shown in China – and we know little about victims there
- Chinese rescuers find ‘nothing but ruins’ at border crossing as Nepal seeks help to ID and store the dead (“Nepal and China continue arduous search and rescue operations in flood-hit Himalayas”)
- Nepal wants technical help for flood, billions of dollars as bad weather hampers rescue
- An $18bn settlement – and Zuckerberg barely blinked. The tech titans must be stripped of their power, and soon (“Those who said Meta harms children struck a blow, but the ability of big tech to gouge profits and cause harm is barely diminished. That’s the battle to come”)
- Why Putin Is Fighting On, Even as His Problems Multiply (“There is little sign that public exhaustion, economic headwinds or increased Ukrainian strikes are changing the Russian leader’s view that he will eventually achieve victory.”)
- Russia ‘losing 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit’ (“Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day but western officials say it cannot keep up with casualty level”)
- How Did the World Get to Be Held Hostage by Two Malevolent Cretins? (“Trump’s America is a joke. And so is Putin’s Russia. But both countries, under their unstable leaders, are as dangerous as cornered badgers, and that isn’t funny.”)
- How Xi Jinping Turned Oil From a Weakness Into a Geopolitical Weapon (“China’s crude reserves have given it huge power over the global oil market—and a critical new defense against the West.”)
- Drain on U.S. Munitions From Iran War Raises Fears Over Ability to Deter China, Russia (“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversees the shift of munitions using an ‘orders book’ under longstanding Pentagon procedures”)
- For Trump, the Iran War Is Stuck Between Combat and Genuine Peace
- Disaster of Trump’s war in Iran laid bare six months on: Thousands dead, economic chaos and a region in flames
- The delusional right-wing media figures declaring victory in Iran (“The Trump administration’s war of aggression against Iran has failed to achieve its stated objectives. Just don’t tell that to its most die-hard sycophants.”)
- After 6 months of war, Iran’s battered regime remains entrenched
- ‘Winter panic’: EU gas stores at their lowest level in 13 years
- Trump’s Greenland threats cast a shadow on Iceland’s vote on whether to trigger EU membership talks
- Sovereignty, farming and fishing: Iceland votes on its future with the EU (“Country holds a knife-edge referendum that cuts across political divides on taking step closer to Brussels after Trump threats towards Greenland”)
- They laid down arms. Now ex-guerrillas in Colombia fear fate under new hardline president (“‘Total peace’ plan of previous government led only 99 of Colombia’s 30,000 armed combatants to disarm, but new president Abelardo De la Espriella opposes peace agreements”)
- Trump says US reaches deal with Venezuela to control 65 billion barrels of country’s oil reserves
- Trump says US has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves (WTF???)
- Trump Says U.S. Has Deal for Control of Large Share of Venezuela’s Oil (WILDLY corrupt. Also, just WTF???)
- Watch: ‘He’s losing it’ – Americans react to Lake Ontario name change
- Detroit despairs as ‘insanity’ of Trump’s Canada trade war punishes city
NATIONAL NEWS (“British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos faces deportation after a career in the American far-right”; RFK Jr. spews vaccine disinformation; Pete Hegseth’s military purges increase; corrupted National Park Service Green-Lights Trump’s Arch; etc.)
- British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos faces deportation after a career in the American far-right. Here’s what to know
- ICE Has Detained British Media Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos
- Milo Yiannopoulos, far-right British commentator, detained by ICE
- Kanye Exec Milo Yiannopoulos Detained by ICE in Louisiana (Leopards eating faces and all that…)
- Trump’s new mass deportation target (“The Trump administration is going after Haitian immigrants after ending deportation protections.” Pure racism.)
- Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Foreign Students Who Criticized Israel
- She fled Iran. America sent her to Africa (Pure evil by the Trump regime.)
- The Fed confronts a powerful new economic force (“In meetings on how to steer the nation’s financial path, central bank officials regularly debate the effect of artificial intelligence on the economy, a Post analysis found.”)
- Vaccine misinformation spreads as RFK Jr suggests two measles deaths were ‘fabricated’ (“Anti-vaxxers are spreading conspiracy theories after two recent measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania”)
- Trump administration appeals latest ruling blocking his mail voting order from taking effect
- Trump Administration Appeals Ruling Halting Mail-In Voting Rules
- Republicans Are Worried About the Midterms. Trump Is Focused on His Legacy. (“As Trump faces political challenges and sagging poll numbers, he is on a mission to cement his legacy”)
- Are We Sure Trump Wants Republicans to Win the Midterms?
- FBI no longer treating an applicant’s experience with prostitution as automatic bar against hiring
- At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired
- Trump pledges to allow cattle ranchers to process own food amid beef imports backlash
- So, where exactly does the US energy transition stand? (“Analysts are trying to measure the damage President Trump has done to the energy transition so far — and determine where federal climate policy should go from here.”)
- Pentagon Pete’s Third Wife Plots His Dramatic New Power Grab
- Hegseth Blocks Promotions of Four Army Officers as Purge Widens (If this happened in any other country, the U.S. political media would be reporting on it as deepening authoritarianism, a prelude to a coup, etc.)
- Pete Hegseth is talking about a possible run for president in 2028, sources say
- Trump announces creation of US Space Academy
- Hegseth Weighs Summoning Top Military Leaders to Quantico for Second Time (“The defense chief declared ‘no more beardos’ in speech last year”)
- MAGA’s 2028 Civil War Is Already Here (“JD Vance’s allies believe there is a mysterious plot underway to thwart his prospective 2028 run. Are they right—or just paranoid?”)
- House GOPer in Private Meeting: Trump’s Exhausting Our Voters (“We’re not helping ourselves today when we decide to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America.’”)
- Are voters finally realizing GOP presidents are disasters? (Nah.)
- How Karoline Leavitt Debased Her Job (“In an administration where everybody’s job is to lie on television, the role of the press secretary is redundant.”)
- Trump officially plans for civilian federal pay freeze in 2027 (“The alternative pay plan that the White House issued this week carves out exceptions to give larger raises to federal law enforcement and military personnel.”)
- Trump Administration Looks to Give a Swath of Yosemite to Developer (“The proposed land swap would allow easy access to the crown jewel of the national park system. Democrats and former Park Service officials are incensed.”)
- Super PAC Targeting Conservatives Against Clean Energy Touts Fifth Republican Primary Win (“A coalition of solar entrepreneurs and VCs mounted a pugilistic ‘Revenge Tour’ to show candidates eager to hobble their industry that they’ll fight back. So far, it’s working.”)
- Trump Launches Vile Attack on Female Reporter for Revealing His 9/11 Diva Fit (“Trump lashed out at a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for reporting on his 9/11 plans, then seemingly proved her right.”)
- Lawsuit alleges Freedom Fuel gas stations touted by Trump are selling stolen fuel
- Scoop: AOC shakes up team ahead of 2028 decision
- Ron DeSantis, America’s Favorite Meathead, Has Put Himself in Quite the Pickle (DeSantis was Youngkin’s self-proclaimed model governor. That says it all.)
- Prominent Texas Republican predicts GOP losses over data centers
- Texas Dems’ Leader Pulls No Punches: Abbott, Paxton Are “Full of Sh–”
- Democrats think the New Hampshire Senate contest is in the bag. But the Granite State has surprised us before. (“Democrats think the New Hampshire Senate contest is in the bag. But the Granite State has surprised us before.”)
- Tennessee national guard fatally shot armed man in back, autopsy shows
- National Park Service Green-Lights Trump’s Arch
- National Park Service backs Trump’s arch, despite its impact on Washington’s sightline (If this monstrosity is built, it will have to be torn down, along with the “ballroom” etc.)
- The White House says its ballroom is 65% complete. Its documents suggest otherwise. (“The claim, made in government filings to the Supreme Court, is contradicted by budget and other records.”)
VIRGINIA NEWS (MAGA Jen Kiggans campaigns with the odious Dr. Oz; pathetic lying extremist John McGuire; “Group of hikers from Virginia among those still missing in Nepal after deadly floods”; “Remaining Confederate-related monuments removed from state capitol grounds”; etc.)
- Sen. Warner visits Abingdon Elementary to break ground on new inclusive playground
- John McGuire fights back at insider trading jab: ‘I don’t even do trades’ (“Cville Right Now broke the story on McGuire actually doing trades, reporting back on July 13 that McGuire, after voting with the House majority to pass the 21st Century Road to Housing Act “sold off over $1,000 of BlackRock Inc. stock, partially divesting himself from one of the companies the legislation targets three days before the bill became law,” and “also divulged purchasing between $1,001 and $15,000 in Space Explorations Technologies Corp., the company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.” The latter sale is noteworthy because McGuire is a member of House subcommittees on cybersecurity and information technology.”)
- Far-Right-Extremist, Worse-Than-Worthless Rep. John McGuire (R-VA05) Terrified of Debating the Infinitely Smarter, More Articulate Tom Perriello (First, McGuire wants Perriello to apologize for hurting his very sensitive wittle fee-fees…)
- Rob Wittman says he has law enforcement support, not Taylor (Proper grammar here would be “Rob Wittman says he, not Taylor, has law enforcement support.” Also, of course, thsee are very conservative/right-wing sheriffs, so…whatever.)
- Kiggans campaigns with Dr. Oz, touts support for GOP healthcare initiatives (“The U.S. Rep. and the federal administrator endorsed recent Trump administration efforts by way of Medicaid and vaccines.”)
- Video: At 2026 March on Washington, Gov. Abigail Spanberger Announces She’s Now “restored the [voting] rights of 100,000 eligible Virginians” (Spanberger slams Trump, GOP for attempting to “undermine the basic machinery of American democracy and keep Americans from voting”)
- Banning Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers – Polluting, Loud, Bad for Habitats, etc. – Should Be a No-Brainer. So Why Doesn’t Virginia Explicitly Allow Localities to Ban Them? (Also, how about folks ditch the lawns and “leave the leaves”?)
- Attorneys Seek Criminal Investigation of ICE Officers in Arlington Injury Case of José Mejía Hernandez
- Man who says he was assaulted by ICE agents asks Arlington police to investigate (“José Mejía Hernandez says he was approached by two people he didn’t know were federal agents. He says he tried to run but the agents assaulted him. ICE says agents used necessary force to take him into custody.”)
- José Mejía Hernandez Wants “immigration agents [to] face charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault for the injuries he sustained on August 11” in Arlington, VA (Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney: “No one is above the law, and I will do my part to ensure that in my community.”)
- Amazon Air’s drone delivery is coming to Virginia
- Group of hikers from Virginia among those still missing in Nepal after deadly floods (“Dozens of Americans, including community leaders from Northern Virginia, were traveling to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash when catastrophic flash floods struck the border region”)
- 10 Northern Virginia hikers remain missing near China-Nepal border amid massive floods
- ‘My grandfather is missing’ | Northern Virginia’s Nepalese community grapples with devastating floods as family members remain missing
- 5 Loudoun County hikers among hundreds missing after deadly Nepal floods
- Three remaining Confederate statues removed from Virginia’s Capitol (“A former state senator who spearheaded the effort said it was not erasing history but making room for a conversation about whom to honor next.”)
- Remaining Confederate-related monuments removed from state capitol grounds (Good f’ing riddance – these are all about white supremacy, NOT about “history” or whatever bullshit Republicans claim.)
- Dean pleads guilty to fraudulently altering public records in her role as Danville’s humane investigator (“The shelter director submitted identical records for a five-year period to the police department. A judge said there’s enough evidence for a conviction, but sentencing has been deferred.”)
- Power frequently going out at Fairfax County schools, superintendent says
- DC-area forecast: Pleasant sunshine today, before heat and humidity ramp up
