Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, August 25. Also check out President Obama’s speech at the National Clean Energy Summit in Nevada.

*China is unable to stop stock market plunge (“As markets plunged for the fourth straight day, Chinese authorities stood aside. But many other markets in Asia and Europe showed signs of recovery.”)

*The Stock Market Drop Exposes The Dangers Of Privatizing Social Security

*Obama calls out fossil fuel interests, Koch brothers for fighting solar, clean energy

*Scott Walker falls flat on his face (“This is what happens when you try to trump the Donald.”)

*Walker Calls On Obama To Cancel Chinese President’s Trip Amid Market Woes (Utterly unfit to be president…or anything, really.)

*Scott Walker adds Virginia strategist

*State GOP leaders plot to tie Donald Trump’s hands (That includes Virginia’s Republican Party and its chair, John Whitbeck.)

*Top Democratic fundraisers invited to meet with Joe Biden at Naval Observatory

*Donald Trump Is Not a Populist. He’s the Voice of Aggrieved Privilege.

*Barack Obama calls opponents of Iran deal ‘the crazies’ (Some of them definitely are, but some of them simply won’t agree to anything coming from Barack Obama, whether he cured cancer or stopped a nuclear arms race or whatever.)

*Krugman: A Moveable Glut (“Whatever the precise mix of causes, what’s important now is that policy makers take seriously the possibility, I’d say probability, that excess savings and persistent global weakness is the new normal.”)

*Why Hillary Clinton’s “Emailgate” Is a Fake Scandal (“The real scandal is about journalism and the weak standards employed to manufacture headlines.”)

*Bernie Sanders is wrong about the Koch brothers: They’re even more dangerous than he thinks (“Sanders says his campaign is about a ‘political revolution.’ If so, he’ll have to take his enemies more seriously”)

*Don’t fast-track pipeline process, Kaine says

*Walker to speak at Family Foundation gala

*Brat, Warner respond to stock market plunge (The last person in the world I’d ever listen to on economic issues is supposed “economist” Dave Brat.)

*No prison for McDonnell until chief justice weighs in on bail issue

*Our view: Why Roush should say no and decline reappointment (Hmmmm…not sure I follow this but alrighty.)

*Newspaper: Police fatally shot man in Portsmouth, handcuffed him (Time for criminal charges against the officers who did this, assuming the report is accurate.)

*The crisis in state’s empty classrooms (“FINDING GOOD teachers is never easy. But years of stagnant wages and job insecurity have made it harder than ever to retain and attract talented educators. As The Pilot’s Mike Connors reported Monday, summer break this year winds down with a raft of area and state public classrooms without permanent teachers. School opens just after the Labor Day weekend.”)

*Sigma Nu Fraternity suspends ODU chapter after display of offensive banners

*Mountain Valley Pipeline may use controversial surveying law, judge rules

*Norfolk officer connects police, gay community

*D.C. area forecast: Fantastic through Friday, humidity returns by weekend

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, August 24. Also, check out the discussion last night on the Georgia-based Kudzu Vine radio show about Virginia politics.

*Harry Reid: I will back Iran deal (“His support moves the Obama administration nearer to a veto-proof support”)

*Global Stocks Plunge Further Amid Doubts About China

*Joe Biden Is Leaning Toward a 2016 Run (“Vice president’s deliberations show how the presidential race is in flux for both parties”)

*Donald Trump’s nativist bandwagon (“That is the kind of thinking that Donald Trump, and the Republican presidential candidates who are pathetically jumping on his nativist bandwagon, would bring to this country.”)

*Where Black Lives Matter Began (“Hurricane Katrina exposed our nation’s amazing tolerance for black pain.”)

*Scott Walker Takes His Third Position On The Hottest Issue In The Republican Primary (This guy is a complete joke.)

*Jim Webb: I met privately with Biden

*Editorial: Donald Trump’s immigration lunacy (“Trump is the candidate of the primal scream. Like a primal scream, his campaign has no coherent message, no organizing principle, no concrete agenda. It is an emotional volcano, a geyser of raw id. Like a volcano, it is a phenomenon to behold. But if it isn’t capped soon, both the GOP and the nation could end up badly burned.”)

*Allen: Unilateral economic disarmament (Wow, for once I actually agree with George Freakin’ Allen? “Pass a long-term reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank with reasonable reforms before any more damage is done to American jobs and manufacturers.”)

*Ex-Midlothian man hailed as hero in helping subdue train gunman

*Nationals are looking at long odds, ‘have to get hot’ to reach postseason

*D.C. area forecast: Summer’s best weather week begins, save today’s storm chance

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, August 23. As for Donald Trump, just remember that he’s not an aberration, he personifies the Republican “base” – its anxieties, fears, hatreds, etc. – to a “t” (as in “Trump”).

*‘White power!’: Trump’s Alabama ‘pep rally’ brings out folks who want to shoot ‘illegals’ at the border (Yes, this is today’s Republican Party…”Party of Lincon” long dead and buried.)

*Photos: The Worst People In America Gather For Donald Trump Rally (“The rally descended into brain-numbing stupidity faster than you can scream ‘white power.’)

*Donald Trump, Alabama and the ghost of George Wallace (“The South rises for Trump, but only 20,000 of them.”)

*CNN Report: Joe Biden Meets Privately With Elizabeth Warren In DC

*Biden, Warren huddle amid 2016 speculation

*The courage of Jimmy Carter

*Kentucky GOP greenlights joint Senate, presidential run for Rand Paul

*Brent Scowcroft: The Iran deal: An epochal moment that Congress shouldn’t squander

*Joe Lieberman’s new betrayal: The transparent cynicism in his Iran warmongering (“The progressive reformer I met in the ’70s has morphed into a self-righteous fearmongerer” Very sad; what happened to this guy?!?)

*Not Just Anti-Hispanic (“The GOP could be angering Asian voters with its latest nativist turn and dooming itself to a repeat of 2012.”)

*Analysts see little electoral bounce from special session (“This election is going to be about the base for both sides”)

*The political mess Richmond has made (Some good points, but also “both sides” false equivalency drivel. Sigh.)

*Schapiro: 50 years ago, VMI valedictorian in 1961 was gunned down in Alabama

*Pay gap widens between VRS, other state workers

*Thomas: ‘The Virginia Way’ is a euphemism for corruption (So true!)

*Editorial: Virginia needs merit selection of judges (Fortunately, in this case, Judge Roush has a great deal of merit.)

*Is Virginia trying to turn the carpool lane into a ‘cash cow’?

*Pulaski scrambles to explain dumping of raw sewage

*Giant Panda At National Zoo Gives Birth To Two Live Cubs (That’s great, but what we really need to be doing is protecting pandas and every other species in the wild.)

*Nationals get boost from struggling veterans in win against Brewers

*D.C. area forecast: Superb Sunday with more splendid weather to come

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, August 22. Also, check out Trump’s freak show in Alabama and just remember, THIS is the Republican Party of “birthers, truthers, and Internet trolls.”

*Mr. Trump’s immigrant-bashing rhetoric breeds violence

*Donald Trump at the wheel: He’s driving the GOP over a cliff, and the establishment can’t stop him (“The GOP is being overrun by ‘The Donald’s’ xenophobia. But even if it wanted to, the establishment cannot stop him”)

*Donald Trump: Spokesman for birthers, truthers, and Internet trolls

*Large Southern rally is part of Trump’s strategy

*Stock market plunge wipes out this year’s gains

*The Absolute Insanity Of Donald Trump’s Big Alabama Pep Rally, In 17 Tweets

*Donald Trump Just Stopped Being Funny (“Win or lose, Trump’s campaign threatens to unleash the Great American Stupid”)

*Webb: Super PAC money ‘screwing up’ the political process (Ya think?)

*Hillary Clinton’s Woes Pushing Joe Biden to Reach Out to Those Who Could Back a Campaign

*Jeb Bush Super PAC Sends Mailer To 86,000 Iowans With Jeb’s Head On A Black Body (WTF?!?)

*Maybe This Time Really Is Different (“Historical precedents augur against Donald Trump-but perhaps the old rules no longer apply.”)

*The plot to destroy Shaun King: How Breitbart turned a ludicrous conspiracy theory into national news

*Scott Walker makes a complete clown of himself: Now he says he has no position on birthright citizenship (Definitely not ready for prime time.)

*The simple-minded populism that controls the GOP (“Just keep telling the voters that all problems have easy solutions”)

*For Carly Fiorina, just ‘press one’ to solve the nation’s problems (Just press 1 if you think Carly Fiorina is utterly unfit to be elected to anything!)

*Documents detail facts of Lynchburg oil train derailment

*Pulling the plug on Virginia’s bogus coal-vs-renewables argument

*Kaine calls for shift in way drug abusers are treated

*Dominion’s donations partially subsidized by its customers

*Warner still studying gig economy

*Warner says new economy demands new policies

*Captain gave another reason for taping prosecutor in Geer case, e-mail shows

*Former Virginia first lady appeals corruption

*ODU takes aim at region’s challenges

*Nats fall to Brewers, 10-3, to open crucial homestand with a big thud

*D.C. area forecast: Mostly pleasant as far as the eye can see