by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, March 6.
- How UK cuts to climate finance could bankrupt ecosystems at home – and abroad
- Qatar energy minister warns war will force Gulf to halt energy exports within weeks, FT says
- Oil price heading for biggest weekly gain since 2020 as Brent hits $87 a barrel
- Maersk, a bellwether for global trade, suspends two key shipping services due to Iran war
- War Keeps Strait of Hormuz Almost Totally Shut, Raising Energy Prices
- Missile Interceptor Shortage Worries Flare in World’s Capitals
- How the Iran War Looks From Russia (“And what it could mean for Ukraine.”)
- As Trump Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes
- Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target U.S. forces, officials say
- The Glaring Oversight in the U.S. War Plan (“The Pentagon failed to adopt Ukraine’s best tools for downing drones.”)
- Donald Trump Has Lit a Global Match (“Trump and his aides think the United States has global leverage that his predecessors refused to use. He seems to forget that other countries have leverage, too—and they’re intent on using it to stop him.”)
- Trump says he wants Iran’s leadership structure gone and has preferences for a ‘good leader’
- Republican-led House declines to constrain Trump’s war in Iran, just as Senate did (“Most Democrats and a few Republicans voted for war powers resolutions that would have required President Donald Trump to get congressional approval for further military action.”)
- Exclusive: Trump says he must be involved in picking Iran’s next leader
- Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say (That’s been obvious all along based upon where the strike took place, which is in southeastern Iran along the Persian Gulf…definitely where U.S. forces are operating, almost certainly not where Israeli forces are because it’s way too far.)
- Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base (“The Feb. 28 school strike in Minab, which killed dozens, including children, appears to have been part of an attack on an adjacent naval base in southern Iran, where officials said U.S. forces were operating.”)
- No, There Was No ‘Imminent Threat’ From Iran (“Team Trump shows that words made to mean everything will cease to mean anything.”)
- Tehran residents describe ‘worst night’ of Israeli strikes so far as US warns attacks to intensify
- Iran’s Desperate, High-Risk Survival Strategy (“The regime in Tehran knows it likely can’t win the war, but it can certainly globalize the pain of the conflict—even if it’s ultimately at its own expense.”)
- Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies (“Iraq emerges as key front in new and often clandestine confrontation after launching dozens of attacks”)
- ‘You unbelievable coward’: conservative US media in open warfare over Iran (“Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin are all trading blows over US involvement – while Sean Hannity says he’s staying out of it”)
- The Iran War Spreads to Lebanon (“As the region spasms, the clash between Israel and Hezbollah is gathering force.”)
- Lebanon at ‘Tipping Point’ as It Seeks to Curb Hezbollah’s Influence
- ‘What is the game plan?’: The Iran war is unsettling China and its ambitions
- Israel strikes Tehran, Beirut while Trump wants a say in selecting Iran leader (“Three-man Iranian council planning to introduce new supreme leader, state media says. When exactly is unclear”)
- U.S. Capabilities Are Showing Signs of Rot (“When a military force begins to decline, the first symptoms may be subtle.”)
- Renewable Energy and National Security (“The wind and the sun don’t need to transit the Strait of Hormuz” Nor do energy efficiency, geothermal energy, etc, etc.)
- Trump’s “Warflation” Has Just Begun (“If he were trying to increase prices on purpose, would he be doing anything differently?”)
- South Africa’s president calls Trump’s policy to offer refuge to white Afrikaners ‘racist’ (“US president is ‘truly uninformed’ for spreading claims of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa tells New York Times”)
- U.S. and Venezuela reach historic agreement to re-establish diplomatic ties
- Dismay as Hegseth urges Latin American allies to join ‘offense’ against cartels (“Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs”)
- Attempted suicides, fights, pain: 911 calls reveal misery at ICE’s largest detention facility
- How a DHS shooting of a third U.S. citizen went unnoticed for months
- Trump says he ‘wasn’t thrilled’ with Kristi Noem’s $220M ad campaign on self-deportation (“Trump indicated in a phone call with NBC News that Noem’s dismissal was less about her performance and more about elevating Sen. Markwayne Mullin to his Cabinet.”)
- Kristi Noem Is Out. A Guy Who Tried to Start a Literal Fistfight at a Senate Hearing Will Take Her Place. (“That’s not even the wildest thing about him.”)
- Senate Democrat Pushes to Investigate Noem for Perjury (“Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Democrats had evidence to suggest Kristi Noem lied under oath during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.” Lock her up?)
- Trump fires Homeland Security Secretary Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership
- Why Trump Changed His Mind on Kristi Noem (“Congressional questions about contracts, ads, and extramarital sex ended her tenure.”)
- Noem’s bungling proves too much even for Trump
- Good riddance to Kristi Noem. Her replacement won’t be an improvement
- Noem handpicked contractors to lead a $100 million ICE recruitment campaign, sources say
- Bulletproof Vests and Rolex Watches: The Rise and Fall of Kristi Noem
- Trump Puts Noem Down Like a Dog (“Her tenure—with its illegal deportations, immigrant pain, and killings of U.S. citizens—ends this month.”)
- Nashville Reporter Who Has Detailed ICE Activity Detained in South Nashville Stop (“Estefany Rodríguez faced death threats in Colombia, came to the U.S. legally and has applied for asylum; her attorney says ‘she has been following the rules’”)
- Republicans confront the massive cost of Trump’s Middle East war (“The prospect of a ballooning new spending bill has GOP leaders bracing for a messy internal fight.” Need to raise taxes on the wealthy – like Elon Musk)
- More than 20 states sue over new global tariffs Trump imposed after his stinging Supreme Court loss
- Nature Report, Killed by Trump, Is Released Independently (“A draft assessment of the health of nature in the United States is grim but shot through with bright spots and possibility.”)
- Justice Department publishes missing Epstein files involving uncorroborated claim about Trump
- Justice Department publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump
- Paxton offers conditions for potential exit from Texas Senate race
- In Texas, Trump flirts with defying his own movement (“The president is looking to endorse a senator he once called a ‘RINO’ over a staunch ally who worked to try to overturn the 2020 election results, dismaying many in his MAGA base.”)
- Lindsey Halligan Is Under Investigation by the Florida Bar (“The actions of Ms. Halligan, who as a U.S. attorney brought criminal cases against President Trump’s enemies, are under review by the organization that licensed her to practice law.” She absolutely should be disbarred!)
- Tony Gonzales drops re-election bid after pressure from GOP leadership
- Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump gets life sentence for child sex crimes (“Andrew Paul Johnson promised one of his victims money he expected to receive from the Justice Department, authorities said.”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Shares Thoughts “on day six on President Trump’s war of choice against Iran” (Sen. Warner also talks about the redistricting referendum, the horrific murder of Stephanie Minter, etc.)
- Sen. Mark Warner Gets Classified Briefings on Iran. Here’s What He’s Worried About. (“What’s the plan? Who’s watching the homeland? And could this mean boots on the ground?”)
- Ben Cline announces launch of ‘grassroots effort’ to save his job in Congress
- Video: President Barack Obama Urges Virginians to Vote YES on April 21 Referendum to Protect Fair Elections
- Former President Obama throws support behind Virginia Democrats’ redistricting effort
- Video: Ahead of Early Voting, Governor Spanberger Releases Statement on Virginia’s Redistricting Amendment (Spanberger: “Virginians Have the Opportunity to Take Action”)
- Early voting on redistricting referendum begins after Virginia Supreme Court cleared the way
- Spanberger and redistricting amendment supporters stress that measure is temporary
- Voting begins today on redistricting amendment. It may not count. (It’s really, REALLY hard to believe that the VA Supreme Court would let Virginians vote – maybe millions of us – and then say, “nope, doesn’t count.”)
- From General Assembly pay raise to porn tax, here are 10 bills you might not have heard of
- Pope & Schapiro: The referendum begins, an end to the data center tax break, and college appointments
- Video: VA Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), Says re: Stephanie Minter’s Horrific Murder, “ICE had this guy in their grasp. They knew he was a violent criminal. They released him.” (“ICE seems focused on doing things other than…what they should be doing…keeping us safe”)
- Spanberger to breakfast with budget negotiators as talks begin
- Virginia Democrats brace for clash over data centers, other budget choices (“Democrats who control Virginia’s state Senate and House of Delegates have prepared competing budget proposals that disagree on a few key issues.”)
- Virginia Democrats want to sue gun manufacturers. It’s working in New York. (“Second Amendment advocates aren’t happy about it, but similar laws are working in other states.”)
- Virginia drops appeal of RGGI ruling, setting stage for re-entry into climate program
- General Assembly nixes bills that required data centers to get SCC certificate (“House Bill 155, carried by Del. Josh Thomas, D-Prince William, and Senate Bill 619, by Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun, met with fierce opposition and were both tabled for the year.”)
- Virginia moves to forbid schools from teaching that Jan. 6 was peaceful (HORRIBLE headline by the WaPo, implying that there’s some sort of question or controversy over whether the 1/6/21 was, in fact, violent AF. I really hate that paper.)
- Spanberger’s UVA Board of Visitors confirms the Scott Beardsley mistake
- Democrat launches write-in bid after party nominee’s X posts spark bipartisan backlash (“Pam Montgomery, a U.S. Army veteran and former Judge Advocate General officer, announced a write-in campaign Tuesday for the Woodbridge District seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. This announcement comes days after resurfaced social media posts sparked controversy over the Democratic nominee.”)
- Erika Kirk set to visit Western Albemarle as School Board considers new policy (“The School Board will hear a presentation on the proposed new policy at its Thursday meeting, but won’t be voting on it until March 12 at the earliest.”)
- Former NBC29 meteorologist guilty of two misdemeanors, most serious charges dropped
- CWG Live: Cooler today before warmth builds into next week
