| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, March 13.
- ‘We Live in One Ocean’: Native Hawaiian Activist Calls for Inclusion in Deep-Sea Mining Decisions (“As policymakers meet in Jamaica to develop regulations for mineral exploitation in international waters, Solomon Pili Kahoʻohalahala highlights what’s at stake for Pacific cultures.”)
- Our Split-Screen World (“It can make you crazy. But it also makes clear what our mission is.”)
- World shares decline, while oil pops above $100 a barrel over Iran war worries
- Oil Prices Could Easily Go Much Higher (“If the Strait stays closed, look out above”)
- Why China could emerge a winner from Trump’s global energy shock (“Spiking oil prices may reveal how China has been more successful in electrifying its economy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels than the United States.”)
- China’s Clean Energy Push Has Made It Less Vulnerable to Energy Shocks, Including the Iran War
- China’s Solar Industry Is in Upheaval—The Effects Will Be Global
- Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict (So Trump’s helping Russia and China, hurting our own country.)
- Trump’s Inexcusable Unpreparedness for the Iranian Oil Crisis (“In the President’s first term, Iran demonstrated what tactics it would use in a confrontation with the U.S. Yet the Administration seems to have no game plan.”)
- 16 and Counting: Oil and Cargo Ships Are Growing Targets in War With Iran
- Trump and Iran Strike Defiant Tone as Oil Markets See Little Relief
- Trump administration underestimated Iran war’s impact on Strait of Hormuz (STUPID -also IRRESPONSIBLE!)
- Weakened by War, Iran Hits Back by Strangling a Vital Waterway
- The War Trump Doesn’t Want to Talk About (This war is a hot mess, debacle, etc., not thanks to the troops, but thanks to the politicians – Trump, Hegseth, etc. – mismanaging it, failing to provide any strategic clarity, etc.)
- Trump’s New Nuclear Nightmare in Iran (“This may be the worst planned war in history.”)
- Trump Surprised To Find He’s At War in Iran (“Once his not-even-half-baked plan failed to materialize in Iran, it’s clear that there’s no Plan B.”)
- Scoop: Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is “about to surrender” (Spoiler: Iran is NOT “about to surrender”)
- Tehran diary: dark and bitter, the terror of life under US-Israeli bombardment (“Elahi, a former political prisoner writing under a pseudonym, details a sleepless night in the Iranian capital”)
- The Iran War Has Four Stages. We’re in the Second. (“Regime change appears a lost cause, so what endgame are the U.S. and Israel pursuing?”)
- With the War in Iran, Trump Has Launched His Own Brand of Forever War (“A decade ago, Trump promised an end to military interventions like the disaster in Iraq. Instead, he’s merely reinventing them.”)
- Four US crew killed in Iraq plane crash as blasts rock Tehran during mass rally
- Trump Makes Chilling War Boast in Late-Night Meltdown Before More U.S. Deaths Announced (“The president said killing people was his ‘great honor.'”)
- Middle East crisis live: top Iranian nuclear scientists killed, Israel says, amid ‘extensive’ strikes on Tehran
- Israeli Officials Think Iran’s Regime Isn’t Likely to Fall Soon
- Emboldened by Oil Shock, Iran’s Leaders Play Diplomatic Hardball
- Hegseth’s Boasts of ‘Maximum’ Engagement Authorities Face Scrutiny After School Is Hit (Hegseth is an evil, sadistic, unhinged monster.)
- Netanyahu threatens Iran’s new supreme leader, defends joint assault with US
- The Iran war is not a video game (“Based memes, real blood.”)
- Exclusive: With Iran war exit elusive, Trump aides vie to affect outcome
- Trump and Hegseth Are Missing a Fundamental Thing About the War With Iran (“The U.S. and Iran are fighting different wars.”)
- Trump and the Putinization of the US Government (“The Iran Bombing As A Clarifying Moment”)
- Lebanon appeals to Israel’s allies to intervene and says hundreds are killed
- This military rebel group could join the Iran war next against the U.S.
- U.S. military plane crashes in Iraq as status of crew is unknown, officials said
- Turkey Says NATO Intercepted Third Missile Over Country
- Pro-Trump New York Post Hits White House Over A ‘Failure’ In Its Iran War (“The White House has dropped the ball on one thing, said the Trump-friendly tabloid’s editorial board.”)
- ‘Kast is more like Trump’: Chile’s environmentalists prepare to do battle for the country’s future
- ‘Like Humpty Dumpty’: It won’t be easy to put VOA back together again
- Trump names new head of VOA’s parent agency after court ruling against Kari Lake
- ICE buys Salt Lake City warehouse (One of the first items on the agenda if/when Dems take back power is to either abolish ICE, defund it and/or massively reform it.)
- Trump bragged about low gas prices. The Iran conflict has him doing an about-face (He had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with low gas prices. But the spike in gas prices is 100% due to Trump’s war of choice against iran.)
- Fears of a food shock rise as midterms loom
- The US slashed research for cancer, Alzheimer’s, mental health — and nearly everything else (Completely insane.)
- The Pentagon’s Lawyers Are Now Under Review (“A new Hegseth initiative could consolidate the ranks of JAGs, targeting those who act as legal guardrails.” Hegseth is a war criminal, wants to continue being a war criminal…)
- Majority of Americans Continue to Say Abortion Should Be Legal in All or Most Cases (“A 60% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.” And only 11% say “illegal in all cases”)
- A sharp warning in an ordinary news release: “President Trump’s Justice Department” (“Attorney General Pam Bondi has made clear since day one her view that DOJ’s lawyers are “his lawyers.” On Thursday, DOJ went further, claiming it’s “Trump’s Justice Department.””)
- UFC Fighters to Train FBI Agents in ‘Historic Seminar’ This Week: We’ll ‘Be Even Better Prepared to Protect the American People,’ Kash Patel Says (WTF is this crap???)
- I Watched 6 Hours of DOGE Bro Testimony. Here’s What They Had to Say For Themselves (“Over the course of a six hour long or so deposition, Justin Fox, a former investment banker turned DOGE bro, refused to define what he believes counts as DEI; admitted he used ChatGPT to scan government contracts”)
- Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power (“Palantir CEO Alex Karp thinks his AI technology will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the power of working-class men.”)
- The X algorithm really is trying to radicalize you—researchers just proved it (“A new study shows that X’s ‘For you’ algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes traditional media, effectively shifting users’ opinions.”)
- ‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up
- Democrats are trouncing Republicans in state elections since Trump took office (“Voter turnout in state elections over the last 14 months has Republicans concerned as the midterms approach.”)
- After Latest Attack, Some Jews Wonder How Much More Security Is Possible (“In the eight years since a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Jewish institutions have upped security. But one rabbi said, ‘We are not Fort Knox.'”)
- Violent attacks at Michigan synagogue and Virginia university rattle sense of safety in American communities
- Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack lost family in recent airstrike in Lebanon, source says. Here’s what we know.
- Armed man rammed vehicle into Michigan synagogue and was fatally shot by security, AP source says
- Florida’s Legislature passes its version of SAVE America Act. But there’s a catch. (“The new proof of citizenship requirements won’t take effect until next January, after the crucial midterm elections. Florida legislators also made no changes to the state’s excuse-free use of mail-in voting.”)
- Bezos Cornered by Own Reporters on $75m ‘Melania’ Deal (“The billionaire Washington Post owner’s overtures to the MAGA administration haven’t gone down well with people who still work at his newspaper.”)
- Virginia Senator Mark Warner attends black lung roundtable
- Video: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Says Jeffrey Epstein Left His Accountant (Who Absurdly Claims He Had No Personal Relationship with Epstein) $25M (“It just flat out doesn’t add up. It is not credible.”)
- A Walk Down Memory Lane on Virginia Redistricting – and Republicans’ Long History of Gerrymandering (For instance, remember when Virginia Republicans drew *72 seats* (!) in the House of Delegates that favored the Republican candidate?)
- Millions of $$$ in MAGA Dark Money Fuel “NO” Campaign in Virginia (Includes “outright lying about Gov. Spanberger’s public approval of the YES Campaign”; “offensive and deceptive mailers sent to about Black voters”)
- A McAuliffe is running for Congress: Might be time to rethink the referendum
- Anti-redistricting PAC mailer falsely implies Spanberger opposes referendum (“The same group was behind another ad campaign denounced by the state NAACP as racist and ‘aimed at deterring Black voters.’”)
- Jason Miyares to bring his ‘grassroots’ referendum block campaign to Verona next week (“Jason Miyares, who couldn’t win re-election in a race with a guy who sent threatening texts about a former state legislator, thinks he can rally rural Virginia to block the congressional redistricting referendum.” LOL, exactly!)
- A voter’s guide to the redistricting referendum in Virginia (The Bezos Post still hasn’t covered the “NO” campaign’s racist, dishonest mailers and texts. Gee, wonder why not.)
- Virginia joins states challenging Trump admin regulations that limit free birth control access
- Bills on data center siting and water usage remain unresolved as General Assembly session winds down
- Virginia Democrats Fail to Reach Compromise on Data Center Tax Exemption (“Debate on adding clean energy requirements, recovering billions in revenue needs more time.”)
- Another round of ‘Momnibus’ bills are headed towards the governor this year
- Pope & Schapiro: A budget impasse and the legacy of the 2026 session
- $2B data center tax break fight pushes Virginia budget negotiations
- Only a dozen of the nearly 100 known lynching sites in Virginia have historic markers. A new state program seeks to change that. (“The General Assembly allocated $76,008 to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to cover the costs of 15 new markers at or near the sites of lynchings.”)
- After Henrico Doctors’ baby injuries, a tough reporting bill passes the legislature (“A bill by Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Henrico, says that hospital officials who fail to report suspected abuse within 24 hours are guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail.”)
- Va. Senate shoots down bill to add terrapin protections to recreational crab pots (PATHETIC.)
- Virginia to become second state that allows balcony solar
- The quiet irony of Cedric Wins’ return to Virginia higher education
- Terror suspect in deadly Old Dominion shooting in Virginia was subdued by students, officials say (“When a convicted ISIS supporter stepped into an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University on Thursday and opened fire, the group of students inside barely hesitated before leaping up to subdue their attacker…The FBI is now investigating the Thursday morning attack as an act of terrorism, identifying the shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard member who has served prison time for attempting to aid the Islamist militant group a decade ago.”)
- Developing: One victim dead, two injured in shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk
- Update: ODU students disarmed and killed gunman who attacked classroom, source says
- Man killed in ODU shooting identified as head of university’s Army ROTC (“Lt. Col. Brandon Shah completed tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a host of commendations, including two Bronze Stars.”)
- Two of Virginia’s three biggest jobs announcements have been in Pittsylvania. It could soon be three of the top four. Here’s why.
- Editorial: Sierra Jenkins scholarship supports next generation of journalists (“On her birthday, we remember our former colleague Sierra Jenkins, who was killed in a Norfolk shooting four years ago.”)
- New Prince William Co. supervisor wants to make sure Woodbridge District isn’t left behind
- CWG Live: Gusty, occasional clouds today. Mild weekend to a warm, stormy Monday.
