by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, May 13.
- Climate change takes increasingly extreme toll on African countries
- ‘A horror movie’: sharks and octopuses among 200 species killed by toxic algae off South Australia
- ‘They want to feel like men’: Why are gen Z men turning to rightwing politics? (“Young men and women are pulling apart ideologically – in the US, UK, South Korea, France, Germany and elsewhere, young women now take far more liberal positions on immigration and racial justice than young men, while older age groups remain evenly matched.”)
- Russia launches smallest nighttime attack on Ukraine in months in run-up to possible peace talks
- Trump’s tariffs have already failed at their main job (“Trump’s team had grand ambitions for reordering global trade. They’re backing down.”)
- Despite China trade deal, Trump maintains 120% tariff on cheap goods
- America has given China a strangely good tariff deal
- Fed Official Still Bracing for Economic Shock Despite China Tariff Pause
- The Ultimate Bait and Switch of Trump’s Tariffs
- Xi says ‘bullying’ and ‘hegemonism’ will only backfire, in a veiled reference to the US just a day after agreeing to a tariff truce
China cautiously welcomes pause in US tariff war (“State media editorial says talks mark ‘step toward resolving differences’ but Xi again criticises US ‘bullying’”)- White South Africans arrive at Dulles as refugees under Trump order (This is completely laughable – and also VERY telling about Trump’s priorities, which are clearly racist.)
- Episcopal Church refuses to resettle white Afrikaners, ends partnership with US government
- Why Trump Suddenly Declared Victory Over the Houthi Militia
- Live updates: Saudi crown prince welcomes Trump as the US leader begins his Middle East tour (Two words: Jamal Khashoggi)
- Trump’s Middle East trip marked by potential private business conflicts
- Trump Faces $2 Trillion Hurdle to Win Money From Saudi Prince
- What the Gulf States hope to gain from Trump’s Middle East trip (“Trump will also travel to Qatar and the UAE this week, on the first major international trip of his second term”)
- Netanyahu must now work for support of US as Trump tires of Israel’s war in Gaza (“The US president will not visit Israel on a trip to the Middle East and his envoy has reportedly said Netanyahu’s government is drawing out the war”)
- Trump’s Gulf tour doesn’t bode well for Israel (“For the U.S. president, Gaza is a sideshow, and he doesn’t want it disrupting his bigger diplomatic agenda of resets and mega deals.”)
- Food security experts warn Gaza at ‘critical risk of famine’ amid Israeli blockade (This is a disaster and totally unacceptable.)
- Israel denying food to Gaza is ‘weapon of war’, UN Palestinian refugee agency head tells BBC
- Raids across Germany after ‘Reichsbuerger’ group banned (The US, of course, never cracked down on its own far-right extremist groups.)
- Anti-Democratic, anti-trans Facebook posts of Pope Leo brother draw scrutiny (This guy sounds HORRIBLE; hopefully the Pope isn’t anything like his brother.)
- Fox’s comically pathetic spin for a foreign government gifting Trump a $400 million plane
- MAGA media stars bash Trump’s reported Qatar plane gift
- Trump’s Luxury Jet From Qatar Is “a Very Dangerous Situation,” Says Former Bush Ethics Czar (“Think of what would’ve happened in World War II if the [German and Italian governments] were able to give lavish gifts to American politicians.”)
- Trump’s free plane is not so free (“The Boeing aircraft that Qatar may give the president would require a pricy and complicated overhaul to serve as Air Force One…could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”)
- Trump’s Plan to Accept Luxury Jet From Qatar Strains Bounds of Propriety (Super-weak headline in the NY Times – “strains bounds of propriety” as opposed to just saying “is corrupt as hell, violates the constitution” etc. The NY Times’ headlines consistently cover for Trump.)
- Trump’s gifted Qatari 747 would be a security problem, officials say
- Trump is the most corrupt President in U.S. history. Period. (Now THIS is a good headline!)
- Donald Trump’s Corruption Reaches New Heights (This is an excellent headline as well!)
- Corruption and a Security Catastrophe in Plane Sight (Also excellent, unlike the NY Times’ pathetic drivel.)
- Trump needs that Qatari 747 — for all his evasive maneuvers
- Qatari Jet Highlights Corruption Concerns in Trump’s 2nd Term (The pathetic NY Times goes with corruption “concerns” LOL)
- Trump’s gifted Qatari 747 would be a security problem, officials say
- What Trump’s Corruption Will Cost Us
- There’s No Such Thing as a Free Plane
- DHS terminates temporary protected status program for Afghans (They’re letting in WHITE Afrikaners while deporting “over 9,000 Afghans residing in the country” back to f’ing Taliban rule??? Can this be any clearer that Trump is driven by racism, Islamophobia, etc?)
- Hasan Piker Detained By CBP While Reentering The U.S. From France
- Avelo Airlines Faces Backlash for Aiding Trump’s Deportation Campaign (Inexcusable and unforgiveable.)
- The Terrible Optics of ICE Enforcement Are Fueling a Trump Immigration Backlash
- A Mother Took Her Sons to an ICE Check-in. She Never Saw Them Again. (“No criminal records. Pursuing green cards. Under Trump, it doesn’t matter.”)
- Markets Celebrate Total Trump Surrender on Signature Policy
- US Inflation Seen Picking Up in April With Modest Tariffs Impact
- The Supreme Court’s Radical Right Turn Is About Restoring Patriarchy, Plain and Simple
- Rule of law is ‘endangered,’ chief justice says (Yes, and that’s largely Roberts’ own fault, for giving Trump immunity for his crimes, etc.)
- RFK Jr. Swims in Washington Creek That Flows With Sewage and Bacteria (Your daily reminder that RFK Jr. is completely insane and will absolutely NOT “Make American Healthy Again” – the total opposite, actually!)
- RFK Jr. Took His Grandkids for a Dip in a Sewage-Contaminated Creek For Mother’s Day
- Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
- RFK Jr. Took His Grandkids for a Dip in a Sewage-Contaminated Creek For Mother’s Day
- Trump Signs Executive Order Asking Companies to Lower Drug Prices (Key word is “asking”)
- Trump drug pricing proposal puts GOP senators in a tough spot (Can you even IMAGINE what they’d have said/done if Biden or Harris had proposed such a thing???)
- 5 Big Questions About Trump’s Plan to Lower Drug Prices (“Trump’s new executive order doesn’t look very promising.”)
- Trump Is Trying to Take Control of Congress Through Its Library (“The Trump admin is trying to take over the Library of Congress, “a major component of the legislative branch” that confidentially advises lawmakers”)
- Hill leaders question Trump’s attempted Library of Congress takeover (Don’t just “question” it, DO SOMETHING!)
- Deputy attorney general who defended Trump in hush money trial is named acting librarian of Congress (Yep, that guy TOTALLY sounds like a librarian!)
- Trump Appointees Blocked From Entering US Copyright Office
- Trump is illegally trying to overturn state climate laws (So much for “states’ rights!”)
- House GOP lays down marker to triple cap on state, local tax deduction, add income limit
- Republicans Target Federal Anti-Hunger Program as They Prepare Trump Tax Package (EVIL – they’re cutting anti-hunger programs to give tax breaks to super-rich people and corporations.)
- House GOP reveals Trump’s tax breaks for tips, overtime and car loans, but costs run high
- Republicans Try to Cram Ban on AI Regulation Into Budget Reconciliation Bill
- GOP Unveils Sweeping, Brutal Medicaid Cuts (“At least 8 million people would lose coverage, with hundreds of billions slashed from the federal health budget.” Evil.)
- US House targets big climate, clean energy rollbacks in budget proposal (Heinous.)
- Amy Klobuchar Says She’s Not Worried About Trump’s Latest Threat. Is She Not Paying Attention? (“Democrats haven’t figured out that they can run against economic chaos and the destruction of American democracy at the same time.”)
- Air Traffic Staffing Shortage Forces Delays at Newark Airport (Another weak NY Times headline, which in this case doesn’t get at WHY there’s a staffing shortage – including DOGE, Trump, etc.)
- Sean Combs Prosecutors Led with ‘Shock and Awe,’ Legal Experts Say
- Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is in Talks With Government Over Amtrak Project (Pure corruption.)
- Bowser tosses Trump resistance playbook for a new strategy (“The dramatic shift from Trump’s first four years in office is the result of a political environment in which Democrats have far less leverage.”)
- Trump endorses Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey governor’s race (Game/set/match; now the question is, who will Democrats nominate to be New Jersey’s next governor? Abigail Spanberger’s friend Mikie Sherrill, I presume?)
- DLCC Announces Seven New Board Members, Including VA Speaker Don Scott (“Our board members represent the next generation of Democratic party leaders, and I’m excited to partner with them to build our plan for victory for cycles to come.”)
- New push from Kaine aims to close retirement gap for Virginia’s youngest workers
- Virginia Gov. Youngkin vetoes measure to let African American history courses count toward graduation (Youngkin is the worst.)
- Video: In Interview with Meidas Touch, Abigail Spanberger Says “We’re going to [win] in Virginia this November, and we look forward to seeing the rest of the country follow our very very good example!” (Also: “the fact that [Rs] are not even acknowledging the impact on our economy…it’s just unbelievable – it’s stunning, actually.”)
- Virginia AFL-CIO Responds to Gubernatorial Candidate Spanberger’s Refusal to Support Repeal of Virginia’s So-Called “Right to Work” Law (“Our message is clear: Repealing ‘Right to Work’ is not a political talking point—it is a moral imperative.”)
- Why did Abigail Spanberger come out against repealing Virginia’s right-to-work law? (“Getting something like this out of the way now, let’s have our little spat in the Democratic Party about the right-to-work law and whether we’re going to repeal it, let’s get that done now here in May, so that it becomes less of an issue when we get to the fall…Maybe she’s figuring that rather than try to shore up her base, what she needs to do is really reach out to disgruntled Republicans and moderates, and that’s where she needs to go, and that’s where she’s kind of always been more comfortable, I think too.” Bingo.)
- Editorial: Virginia teacher salaries increase, but there is much left to do
- ‘I won’t feel truly free until I can vote’: Legal case challenges Virginia’s voting restoration system
- Planned Parenthood’s Role in Virginia Health Care — What’s at Stake if It’s Defunded? (“This push to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood would block patients from using Medicaid — a primary way to pay for care.”)
- Trump-China tariff reductions welcomed by Virginia businesses
- Virginia signals it’s ready to explore geothermal energy with new legislation
- Curran launches write in campaign for LG (Uh huh…)
- Sea levels in Hampton Roads continue to rise, but at a steady pace (Why “but?”)
- Roanoke approves budget, tax increases; past mismanagement alleged
- Richmond City Council signs off on $3B FY26 budget
- $5.5 million federal grant boosts UVA scientists’ unique cancer research
- In the crosshairs: Shenandoah Valley, mountains at ‘highest risk’ of flooding
- CWG Live updates: Rain is heavy at times today; shower and storm chances linger a few days (“Scattered shower and storm chances continue through Saturday.”)
