| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, June 5.
- Rich Countries’ Energy Transitions Threaten Indigenous Peoples and the Environment
- Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’ (“Exclusive: Melbourne team demonstrates way to make the virus visible within white blood cells, paving the way to fully clear it from the body” Wow!)
- What Trump Doesn’t Understand About Putin (“There’s no point in trying to convince the Russian leader to abandon his obsession with Ukraine.”)
- Scoop: Trump admired Ukraine’s “badass” attack, but worries what’s next
- U.S. Is Redirecting Critical Antidrone Technology From Ukraine to U.S. Forces (“The action underscores the Trump administration’s waning commitment to providing military aid to Kyiv.”)
- Ukraine’s valor is reminiscent of Britain’s in 1940 (I am NOT a George Will fan, but this nails it.)
- Trump will meet German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Here’s what to know
- US vetoes Security Council resolution demanding permanent ceasefire in Gaza (“The text, co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia – collectively known as the E-10 – received 14 votes in favour, with the US casting the lone vote against.”)
- Israel says it has recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli-American hostages from the Gaza Strip
- 5 mayors are suspended from duty as authorities expand the crackdown on Turkey’s opposition (The US *should* be condemning this!)
- Annual births fall to another record low in Japan as its population emergency deepens (“The Health Ministry’s latest data showed that Japan’s fertility rate — the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime — also fell to a new low of 1.15 in 2024, from 1.2 a year earlier.”)
- ‘We don’t want them’: Trump bans travel from 12 countries to the US
- Trump signs travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, restrictions on 7 more (“Mr. Trump’s proclamation fully bans the entry of foreigners from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. With certain exemptions, Mr. Trump’s order bans citizens of those countries seeking to come to the U.S. permanently as legal immigrants, as well as temporary visa holders, like tourists. The president also partially suspended the entry of travelers and immigrants from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.”)
- After Boulder attack, Trump revives Muslim travel ban with targeted changes (“Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, told Jewish leaders the order is being tailored in response to the Egyptian-born suspect charged in the firebombing of Jewish marchers”)
- Trump’s Administration Has Asked Ally Serbia to Accept Deportees
- Judge orders Trump administration to provide due process to some migrants deported to El Salvador
- ICE Quietly Scales Back Rules for Courthouse Raids (“A requirement that ICE agents ensure courthouse arrests don’t clash with state and local laws has been rescinded by the agency. ICE declined to explain what that means for future enforcement.”)
- Families in Tears and Panic Outside Immigration Office as ICE Accelerates Round-Ups (“Over the course of Wednesday, THE CITY witnessed at least 15 people arrested at routine, mandatory check-ins with the agency as the Trump administration escalates its crackdown.”)
- ICE arrests record number of immigrants in single day, including hundreds at scheduled appointments
- Guatemalan deportee arrives in US after judge orders Trump to facilitate return
- Months after detaining 47 people accused of being Tren de Aragua in Austin, authorities offer no evidence of gang ties
- U.S. Is Trimming Back Its Collection of Consumer Price Data (Uhhhhh…why???)
- Economists Raise Questions About Quality of U.S. Inflation Data (“Labor Department says staffing shortages reduced its ability to conduct its massive monthly survey”)
- Top CDC covid vaccine adviser quits after RFK Jr. ended recommendations
- Republicans Try to Discredit Experts Warning About the Cost of Tax Cuts (“President Trump and his allies have united around a new foe: the economists and budget experts who have warned about the costs of Republicans’ tax ambitions.”)
- A federal court’s novel proposal to rein in Trump’s power grab (“Trump shut down the agency that protects civil servants from illegal firings. An appeals court has a plan to fix that.”)
- No One Can Offer Any Hope (“Even if most Americans haven’t abandoned their private sense of empathy, many don’t seem terribly bothered by the rancidness of their leaders.”)
- Trump orders investigation into Biden’s actions as president, ratcheting up targeting of predecessor (This is third-world-despot-style shit.)
- Trump launches investigation into whether Biden aides concealed alleged decline
- Biden calls claims he wasn’t making decisions in White House ‘ridiculous and false’
- Trump Orders Investigation Into Biden’s Actions As President, Ratcheting Up Targeting Of Predecessor
- With its shoot-first style, Trump team often shoots itself in the foot
- Here’s More Damning Evidence That Trump’s Administration Is Re-Establishing White Supremacy (“The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act is poised to deal irreparable financial damage to Indigenous colleges.” Yep. Now please stop using Trump’s nickname for the Big UGLY bill!)
- Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ losing momentum in Senate
- Elon Musk Really Does Not Understand What’s Going On Here (“There are lots of things to dislike about Trump’s big bill. Musk picked the most vapid one.”)
- Musk whips opposition to Trump tax plan: ‘KILL the BILL’
- GOP rage with Musk spills out privately after break with Trump
- Trump Is Losing Patience With Musk’s Outbursts Over Megabill
- Dems eye a villain-to-ally arc for Musk (Ro Khanna again…this guy is really dumb. Also, what is this “WelcomeFest” idiocy? LOL)
- House Democrats investigate alleged Elon Musk drug use
- There’s a Foul Wind Blowing Out of Parts of American Christianity
- Columbia failed to meet accreditation standards, US government says (“The U.S. Department of Education said on Wednesday it has notified a university accreditation body that Columbia University had violated federal anti-discrimination laws by its alleged failure to protect Jewish students on its campus.” Everyone realizes, of course, that the Trump administration doesn’t actually GAF about anti-Semitism or about protecting Jewish students, that this is all an excuse for their real goal, to go after these private universities, and after academic freedom more broadly?)
- Trump Pushes to Restrict Harvard’s International Students From Entering U.S.
- Trump Issues Proclamation Banning International Students at Harvard From Entering U.S. (“More than 10,000 international students and scholars study at Harvard — and admitted students for Harvard’s incoming classes largely have yet to travel to campus for the fall semester…Harvard swiftly clapped back, arguing that the entry ban on University affiliates was unlawful.”)
- “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention (“One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.”)
- Defying Trump, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet is still at work (“The president said he had fired the museum leader — setting up a standoff between the White House and the Smithsonian.”)
- White House threatens to pull billions from California’s high-speed rail project
- Karine Jean-Pierre writes book on ‘broken’ Biden White House
- Karine Jean-Pierre is leaving the Democratic Party. Her former White House colleagues have some thoughts. (“Several who worked alongside the former press secretary responded to her book announcement with derision and contempt.”)
- Blue crabs continue to decline in the Chesapeake Bay (“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation called the latest numbers ‘extremely distressing.'”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says the More the “big ugly bill gets exposed, the uglier it becomes”; “if interest rates go up simply 1% more…this $2.4 trillion deficit more than triples” (Sen. Warner also talks about how “the long bromance between the world’s richest man and the president looks like it’s finally coming to breakup time”)
- “Kiggans and Wittman voted to gut clean energy tax credits that are currently bringing $18.2 billion in investment and almost 11,000 jobs to Virginia”
- Virginians react to Earle-Sears’ suggestion that consent to sex is consent to pregnancy
- Will the Republican statewide ticket appear together this election cycle? (“It’s been more than a month since the Republican Party officially nominated all three of their statewide candidates. And the party’s candidate for governor does not appear to have plans for a unity event any time soon.”)
- Tomorrow: Winsome Earle-Sears to Headline Event Alongside Far-Right-Extremist (climate denier, anti-reproductive-freedom, “described homosexuality as Satan’s work”; denied that Joe Biden was the legitimate president, etc)
- Virginia’s Democratic lieutenant governor candidates discuss taking on Trump, federal cuts
- JLARC: Moving juvenile justice department won’t boost services
- Clean Virginia places six-figure attack ad against Shannon Taylor in AG race (Of course, if you’re going to attack one candidate for taking money from Dominion, then what about the many other Virginia politicians – including the VA House and Senate Dems, Democratic Party of Virginia, Louise Lucas, Scott Surovell, Don Scott, etc, etc, etc., not to mention everyone who’s taken money indirectly, via those who’ve received money from Dominion?)
- A closer look at claims of state prison success
- Youngkin administration has missed deadline to set AI rules for state police
- Virginia LGBTQ+ Caucus Celebrates Pride 2025 as Both “a celebration” and “an ongoing protest against efforts to criminalize and delegitimize the lives and identities of LGBTQ+ individuals” (Note: there’s not a single Republican signing this…)
- Lawmaker pressures Virginia to put history scores in school accountability system
- Cyberattack on Times-Dispatch owner compromised the data of 40,000 people
- Commentary: Under President James Ryan, UVA is flourishing
- From trash to takeoff: Virginia eyes sustainable fuel future for aviation
- Meet the candidate: Del. Nadarius Clark (“He will face Republican Felisha Storm, a former Vermont state representative and a former lobbyist for the Koch Brothers’ limited-government group Americans for Prosperity, in the Nov. 4, 2025, general election.” Yuuuuuck.)
- CWG Live updates: Warm and humid as rain chances increase heading into the weekend (“Highs are in the 80s for the foreseeable future.”)
