by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, March 31.
- ‘A win of epic proportions’: World’s highest court can set out countries’ climate obligations after Vanuatu secures historic UN vote
- Euro zone price rises cool significantly in March, but core inflation hits record high
- Russia’s isolation over Ukraine grows with US reporter arrest, NATO expansion
- Biden officials rebuke Russia over US reporter’s detention
- ‘Vulkan files’ leak reveals Putin’s global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics
- Secret trove offers rare look into Russian cyberwar ambitions
- The Kremlin takes an American hostage. Again.
- Finland Clears Last Obstacle to NATO Entry in a Blow to Putin (“Finland is poised to join NATO in a matter of days.”)
- Sweden’s Bid to Join NATO Remains Blocked by Turkey and Hungary (“Finland Clears Last Hurdle to Join NATO, Reshaping Balance of Power”)
- Climate, coups risk African goal of silencing guns by 2030
- Anger at Macron’s Pension Law Seeps Into Unexpected Corners of France
- Canada formalizes 30% federal ITC credit, other incentives
- Kushner Firm Got Hundreds of Millions From 2 Persian Gulf Nations (Totally legit, right? LOL)
- Taiwan’s leader, in US, stresses security for her island
- China’s Consumers Extend Economic Rebound
- Exclusive: Elon Musk plans China visit, seeks meeting with premier (U.S. intelligence hopefully is on top of this.)
- DOE releases strategy to reach 30 GW offshore wind by 2030, aiming to cut costs 30%, to $51/MWh
- Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare Requirement for Free Preventive Care (Totally lawless ruling by a far-right judge. Block it, reverse it, etc.)
- A Texas Judge Has Made Accessing Preventive Care a Whole Lot Harder (“And who is this jamoke who thinks people should sicken and die because his personal lord and savior is a homicidal nitwit? Glad you asked.”)
- The lawsuit that threatens everything from cancer screenings to birth control, explained (“A notoriously partisan judge has launched a new attack on one of Obamacare’s key provisions.”)
- The forces behind anti-trans bills across the U.S. (“Groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, the Liberty Counsel and the American Principles Project are behind a multimillion-dollar effort targeting LGBTQ rights through ‘parents’ rights’ bills.”)
- When Tucker Carlson, Christopher Rufo and Moms for Liberty Say Jump, Their Only Question Is ‘How High’?
- Even Donald Trump Should Be Held Accountable
- In watershed moment, Trump indictment sets US on uncertain course
- Grand Jury Votes to Indict Trump: Ex-President’s Odds of Prison Time Just Shot Up
- Biden silent on Trump’s indictment as he plots 20-state tour to talk jobs (“Biden is using the power of incumbency to draw an implicit contrast between himself and Trump, and allies see little political upside in being drawn into the fray.”)
- Trump uses indictment to unify GOP, even as his vulnerabilities are glaring (“After the indictment news broke, the Trump GOP machine rolled out a political playbook meant to insulate him with his base. It may work, but his brand is toxic with much of the rest of Americans.”)
- Accountability Arrives for Donald Trump (“A man of borderless corruption must prepare to face the consequences.”)
- An Astonishing, Frightening First for the Country (“The situation might be merely crass if not for the shadow of violence hanging over it.”)
- The Wait for the Trump Indictment Is Finally Over
- Analysis: Trump Faces Prosecution, and a Democracy Is Tested
- An American Tragedy, Act III (“The indictment of the former President by a Manhattan grand jury begins a perilous new phase in the Trump saga.”)
- Trump can still run for president in 2024 after being charged with a crime
- Trump Grand Jury Digs Into Hush Money Paid to Second Woman
- Inside Trump’s Risky Plan to Fight the Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Case (“Donald Trump’s lawyers are already building out his legal defense. But the strategy hinges on an assumption that may not be true.”)
- Fox News returns to the barricades for an indicted Donald Trump
- Trump is indicted, and justice is served
- The Trump indictment is a poor test case for prosecuting a former president (It would have been much better if the first case were about Trump trying to overthrow our democracy, the 2020 election, January 6th, etc., but how did they get Al Capone? LOL)
- Trump used his reinstated Facebook page to post a misinformation-filled statement in response to his indictment, and it’s already racking up interactions
- Indictment follows 50 years of investigation on many fronts
- Right-wing media react to report of Trump’s indictment
- The Immediate Political Fallout
- Trump’s criminal indictment unleashes a bitter new phase in American politics (Actually, Trump and Trumpism unleashed that “bitter new phase in American politics”)
- Trump’s historic indictment: Five takeaways
- Trump lashes out at indictment, says he’s ‘completely innocent’ (Spoiler: he’s the polar opposite of “completely innocent”)
- ‘He is a bad-ass’: Fox News makes amends with Trump as he faces indictment (That’s right, the right wing thinks Trump’s a “bad-ass” for committing numerous, serious crimes.)
- What We Know About Trump’s Legal Troubles
- After indictment, Trump will play the victim – and the tactic will work for many Republicans (“Trump has followed a pattern since 2016 – the bigger the alleged crime, the louder he airs grievances and claims he’s being persecuted”)
- Trump indicted by N.Y. grand jury, first ex-president charged with crime (This is the first indictment of what are likely to be many – and SHOULD be many – given Trump’s massive crime spree over his disgraceful life.)
- Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts related to business fraud
- Manhattan’s DA wanted a Friday Trump arrest. Trump’s team said no.
- Republicans Erupt in Outrage and Rush to Defend the Defendant (That tells you all you need to know about Republicans – against the rule of law, in a cult of personality, authoritarians, etc.)
- Trump Hush-Money Case Will Likely Hinge on Evidence of Coverup
- At Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Camp Is Caught Off Guard
- This is what will happen when Trump is arrested in the coming days.
- Trump’s Criminal Case Is Going to be Totally Wild
- Enraged Fox News Host Warns After Trump Indictment: ‘People Better Be Careful’
- Schumer on indictment: Trump ‘is subject to the same laws as every American’
- Pence calls Trump indictment ‘an outrage’ (Actually, Pence himself is an outrage.)
- Michael Cohen says he believes Trump is ‘petrified’ over indictment
- Report: Ivanka Trump “Loves Her Dad” but Is Keeping “Her Distance” Because Hush Money Is Bad for Her Brand
- DeSantis: Florida won’t cooperate with Trump extradition (DeSantis is a fascist.)
- How Disney’s lawyers brutally outmaneuvered DeSantis over control of Disney World
- Ron DeSantis F–ked With Disney, and Disney F–ked Back
- Why can’t Christina Pushaw bring herself to fight back against Donald Trump?
- How Disney just beat Ron DeSantis
- Florida Legislature approves carrying a concealed loaded gun without a permit (These people are nuts.)
- Arizona Democrats Are Suing to Stop a Third-Party Spoiler in 2024 Races
- Twitter pushes hate speech, extremist content into ‘For You’ pages
- Elon Musk Tried to Meet With F.T.C. Chair About Twitter but Was Rebuffed
- Musk’s Twitter Antics Keep Some Advertisers Away, Curbing Sales
- Texas GOP Proposes Bill To Allow Sec Of State To Overturn Election Results In State’s Largest Blue County (WTF???)
- Details about the Nashville shooter’s gender identity sow confusion and disinformation
- Mark Russell, Piano-Playing Political Satirist, Dies at 90 (R.I.P.)
- Irvo Otieno is gone; how many more Black people must die before real change comes?
- Tailored Community Programs Effectively Decreased Virginia’s Infant Mortality Rate. Now Sen. Tim Kaine Wants to Take the Idea Nationwide
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Warns House Republicans’ Inaction on Debt Ceiling “a political hand grenade”; Says He’s Tired of Politicians Who “offer thoughts and prayers [after mass shootings], and then do squat” (Warner also says military bases “shouldn’t be named after individuals who literally rose up in arms against the American military”; talks about threat of Chinese Communist Party via TikTok)
- Video: Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) Explains His Vote Against Republicans’ “Terrible Bill,” the “Anti-Science, Anti-Environment and Anti-Family” “Polluters Over People Act” (“We need new clean energy – and we need it fast”)
- DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker On The Indictment Of Donald Trump: “No one is above the law” (“Today, after years of alleged criminal activity, fraud, malfeasance, and treason, a grand jury in Manhattan has rightfully indicted a man who has habitually used his power and influence to mistreat others and evade the rule of law.”)
- UVA’s Larry Sabato discusses historic Trump indictment
- Youngkin voices support for Trump after grand jury indictment
- Youngkin: Trump indictment is ‘for pure political gain’ (OK, yeah, Youngkin is an extremist.)
- Youngkin’s Jeff Roe Rebound (“Sure, Glenn Youngkin plays the role of half-zip-clad, keep-it-out-of-the-classroom soccer dad. But he’s a private equity grinfucker at heart, and he’s not gonna let Jeff Roe’s DeSantis dalliance get in the way of his presidential ambitions. Plus, updates on the D.N.C. bake-off and Mike Pompeo’s ’24 wanderlust.”)
- Why Glenn Youngkin Is the Latest Trendy Pick to Topple Trump (“Pundits desperately want a kinder, gentler version of the former president. They’ll have to keep looking.”)
- Pope & Schapiro: Youngkin vetoes and another special election
- Youngkin breaks with recent tradition on rights restoration policy (A weirdly anodyne, sanitized headline for Youngkin engaging in large-scale voter suppression.)
- The pandemic kept eligible Virginians automatically on Medicaid for 3 years. That’s about to change.
- “Fairfax Schools did not intentionally withhold award notices, probe finds”; Will Youngkin, Sears and Miyares Apologize and Retract Their False/Malicious Accusations? (For Youngkin/Sears/Miyares, if you’re Democratic, you’re guilty until proven innocent…and even then, you’re probably still guilty.)
- Video: Democratic State Senate Candidate Stella Pekarsky Releases First Ad of Campaign, Vows “to stand up for our schools and stand up to Youngkin”
- Loudoun County Schools Employees Get One Step Closer To Collective Bargaining
- Judge orders GOP primary in Va. Senate race after party official sues
- Editorial: A court of dreams (“This could be a special weekend for Virginia as the women’s basketball teams at Virginia Tech and Christopher Newport University seek national titles.”)
- $6.5M green hydrogen fuel program projected to bring hundreds of jobs to Hampton Roads
- How Fairfax police handled a 34-hour barricade on a busy highway
- D.C.-area forecast: Warmer and breezy today. Gusts near 50 on Saturday.
