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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, June 13.
- Why Solar and Wind Energy Together with Batteries will Dominate the Global Energy Supply
- The Critical Research That Unlocks Our Climate’s Past and Future May Be on Thin Ice
- Why taking apart buildings piece by piece is a climate solution
- Brazil to auction oil exploration rights months before hosting Cop30 (Lula is better than Bolsonaro, which isn’t saying much, but such a disappointment.)
- Amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Trump wonders why ‘everybody hates’ Russia (You really can’t “more stupider” than Trump)
- Ukraine receives fifth tranche of EU aid from frozen Russian assets, PM confirms
- Trump miscalculated on China. Now the administration is trying to fix the mess. (“The two nations have a chance for a reset. But both must recognize they remain mutually dependent.”)
- You can’t bully a supply chain superpower (“Trump misunderstood China’s leverage — and made the U.S. more vulnerable in the process.”)
- Oil jumps over 7% after Israel’s strikes on Iran
- Stocks Fall, Oil and Gold Jump as Israel Hits Iran
- Trump Urges Iran to Make a Deal ‘Before It’s Too Late’
- Israel’s strike on Iran was 8 months in the making
- Israel’s Bold, Risky Attack (“The Israeli campaign may be necessary, but preventive wars carry great moral and practical risks.”)
- After years of waiting, Israel’s Netanyahu finally makes his move on Iran
- Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear sites, kills military chiefs and scientists (“We are now in a strategic window of opportunity and close to a point of no return, and we had no choice but to take action”)
- Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, prompting Iranian drone-strike retaliation
- U.S. told Israel it won’t participate in an Israeli strike on Iran
- MAGA warns Trump of “massive schism” over Israeli strikes on Iran
- MAGA Warned Trump on Iran. Now He’s In An Impossible Position. (“The president ran on ending forever wars. But Israel’s Thursday night strike on Iran could force his hand.”)
- Hossein Salami, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, killed by Israel
- Israel has inflicted unprecedented damage on Iran’s elite – why now? (“Benjamin Netanyahu has been making the argument that Israel faces existential threat if Iran gets a nuclear bomb for many years.”)
- Israel strikes Iran nuclear sites and military leadership as Middle East braces for retaliation
- Three of Iran’s most powerful men killed as Israel targets top military and nuclear leadership (“Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, and a former national security chief have all been killed in Israel’s unprecedented Operation Rising Lion. Their deaths will send shockwaves through the nation’s military establishment and could seriously hamper the Islamic Republic’s ability to respond to Israel’s attacks.”)
- Trump didn’t want Israel to strike. They did it anyway.
- Trump Humiliated as Israel Strikes Iran Despite Frantic Plea (“The U.S. president’s pleas were ignored just hours before Israel’s launch.”)
- Iran says Israel’s strikes on its nuclear facilities are a ‘declaration of war’ as Trump warns of ‘even more brutal attacks’ to come – live
- What has Israel hit in Iran and who were the generals and nuclear scientists killed?
- Israel’s strikes on Iran show Trump is unable to restrain Netanyahu as Middle East slips closer to chaos
- Israel’s Ambition: Destroy the Heart of Iran’s Nuclear Program (“It may take days, or weeks, to assess how far Israel has set back Iran’s atomic capabilities.”)
- Before Attack, U.N. Agency Said Iran Was Breaking Rules on Nuclear Activity (Yep, that was ominous.)
- Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary (Of course, they have contingency plans for everything, but…WTF???)
- Exclusive: Trump administration tells migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela their legal status is terminated (That’s so f’ing stupid – and cruel – for absolutely no good reason.)
- Noem Says National Guard Occupation Is Meant To ‘Liberate’ LA From Its Mayor And Governor (This is completely insane. Also, just imagine MAGA’s and the media’s reaction if Alejandro Majorkas had said the National Guard should “liberate” Texas or some other red state from their governor, etc?)
- Judge sharply questions Trump’s Guard deployment to Los Angeles (“U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer says he’s poised to rule as soon as Thursday evening.”)
- Appeals court lets Trump keep National Guard in Los Angeles (“A lower court judge had declared Trump’s deployment illegal just hours earlier and ordered the president to return control of the Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom.”)
- Judge Slams Trump Admin in California National Guard Case
- One Supreme Court Justice Just Keeps Sliding Further to the Right (That would, of course, be Brett Kavanaugh)
- Biofuels Policy, a Mainstay of American Agriculture, Has Been a Failure for the Climate, a New Report Claims (Growing food to produce fuel for cars and trucks is one of THE stupidest things ever.)
- Donald Trump’s Dictator Cosplay (“Just how dangerous is the President’s week of militarized theatre?”)
- From Fort Bragg to L.A., Trump enlists the military in a slow-motion coup (“Trump’s abuse of the military to control civilians, as tanks roll into D.C., is where this was always heading.”)
- Waging War Against America (“The authoritarian takeover isn’t on its way. It’s already here—and the Trump regime is just warming up its assault.”)
- Tanks, flypasts, missiles: what to expect at Trump’s ‘dictator chic’ military parade
- RFK Jr. blows up America’s vaccine policy (RFK Jr. is doing ENORMOUS damage to our country.)
- Who are the eight new vaccine advisers appointed by Robert F Kennedy? (Absolutely awful.)
- White House looks to freeze more agency funds — and expand executive power (“The latest move targets more than $30 billion in spending at EPA, the National Science Foundation and other agencies.”)
- This is truly the darkest, dumbest timeline (“Dr. Phil, ICE raids, the L.A. protests and why America 2025 feels uniquely surreal.”)
- Distributional Effects of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
- Reverse Robin Hood and Trumpian Totalitarianism (“Trump’s big beautiful bill is a sadistic monstrosity”)
- Trump’s Big Bill Would Be More Regressive Than Any Major Law in Decades
- Trump Tax Bill Would Help the Richest, Hurt the Poorest, CBO Says
- GOP tax bill would cost poor Americans $1,600 a year and boost highest earners by $12,000, CBO says
- House Republicans vote to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid, NPR and PBS
- Padilla was pushed to the ground and handcuffed. It highlights a growing trend in the Trump administration
- Sen. Padilla Pushed to Ground, Handcuffed for Demanding DHS Not Lie (“Forcibly removing a sitting US senator, as they opposed the president’s immigration policy, is a part of a broader slide.”)
- Tensions explode on House floor over Padilla incident
- Right-wing media immediately cheer Sen. Alex Padilla being thrown to the ground and handcuffed at Noem press conference
- GOP Rep. James Comer Snaps At Democrat Maxwell Frost: “Shut Up! Just Shut Up!” (“Frost was asking the GOP committee chair to subpoena DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after federal agents assaulted a Democratic senator at her press event.” Comer is heinous.)
- Obama Isn’t Going to Save You (Definitely not.)
- Trump’s birthday parade may be cancelled over thunderstorms (That would be hilarious. Regardless, massive waste of money.)
- Democrats slam military parade as Trump’s multimillion-dollar ‘birthday party’ (“The Army has allocated between $25 million and $45 million for the parade.”)
- Trump Withdraws From Agreement With Tribes to Protect Salmon (Psychotic.)
- Sen. Mark Warner: “This footage is outrageous — it’s something I’d expect out of an authoritarian nation, not the United States of America.” (Sen. Tim Kaine: “This is despicable.”)
- Tim Kaine on Trump’s troops in LA: ‘An unprecedented and illegal action’
- Virginia vulnerable to Trump’s proposed cuts in emergency management and disaster relief (“Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin thinks the state can shoulder the burden, but Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner warns of ‘bankrupting’ states that suffer heavy hurricane damage.”)
- Virginia economic analysts debate impact of Trump’s budget reconciliation bill
- Black Virginia leaders condemn Earle-Sears’ comments about slaves, DEI
- Brutal Reviews of Winsome Earle-Sears’ Appliance, Plumbing and Electric Business: “worst company I have ever dealt with”; “this place is a complete scam”; “won’t be around much longer with her around… she’s a [wack] Job”
- VA Senate Majority Leader Surovell Letter to UVA Rector Says Cuccinelli Nomination is “Dead”; Any Board of Visitors Member Who Facilitates Cuccinelli’s Continued Service Would Be Engaging in “malfeasance and incompetence” & Subject to Removal (As for Jason Miyares, he’s just totally wrong of course…)
- Virginia Senate committee casts symbolic vote against Youngkin BOV appointees
- Democratic field makes closing arguments in crowded Virginia LG race
- Victor Salgado envisions a powerful lieutenant governor for Virginia
- Miyares leans in on law-and-order message ahead of 2025 election (Why does the media constantly use right-wing framing, like “law and order,” when of course that is NOT what Miyares or Republicans are about at all – more like “lawlessness and chaos”)
- Some primaries to watch next week
- Dozens of communities in the Commonwealth plan No Kings protest
- Thousands to rally in Hampton Roads as part of ‘No Kings’ protests (“More than 2,000 cities across the country will host “No Kings” demonstrations on Saturday to protest Trump administration policies. In Hampton Roads, protests are planned in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Yorktown.”)
- National parks lose superintendents in Richmond, Petersburg amid ‘tough time’ (“The superintendents of national battlefield parks and a historic site in Richmond and Petersburg retired early amid pressure by President Donald Trump to reduce the size of the federal workforce.”)
- Commentary: No, Martinsville County is not a sanctuary city. I should know
- CWG Live updates: Toasty and muggy today, then less weekend heat; periodic storms likely
