See below for some international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, March 16. Be careful today; rough, potentially severe/dangerous weather expected today in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic more broadly.
- See which jobs are most threatened by AI and who may be able to adapt (“Most web designers will be fine, but many secretaries won’t. Women largely hold the most vulnerable occupations. Look up your job to see how at risk it is.”)
- How War in Iran Could Remake the Global Energy Landscape (“The oil crisis in the Middle East could spur countries to invest in wind, solar and other renewables. It could also spike reliance on coal”)
- Oil and gas prices are soaring. Some countries are ready with solar panels and EVs
- Ukraine’s urgent fight on the financial frontline
- Zelenskiy says Ukraine wants money, technology in return for Middle East drone help
- Iran War Hits Europe With an Energy Shock It Can’t Afford to Absorb (“The continent has limited options with borrowing costs surging and government debt at record levels in some countries”)
- Oil prices rise after Trump claims US ‘totally demolished’ Iran’s Kharg Island export hub
- U.S. oil soars past $100 a barrel as Iran war shows no signs of ending soon (“The Strait of Hormuz, responsible for 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains essentially closed.”)
- Trump eyes “Hormuz Coalition,” seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub
- Nations Respond With Caution to Trump’s Call to Send Warships to Strait of Hormuz (“President Trump has urged China, Britain, France, Japan and South Korea to send warships to help reopen the waterway, even though they are not involved in the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.”)
- Donald Trump warns Nato faces ‘very bad future’ if allies fail to help US in Iran (NATO should tell Trump to go do unnatural things to himself.)
- Yeesh, Who Would Have Thought That Allies Actually Mattered?
- No, America is Not Respected (“Thanks to Trump, we’re held in contempt even by our closest allies”)
- Entering War’s Third Week, Trump Faces Stark Choices (“As the conflict with Iran expands and intensifies, President Trump’s options — to fight on, or to move toward declaring victory and pulling back — both carry deeply problematic consequences.”)
- Exclusive: Trump Administration Plans to Announce Coalition to Escort Ships Through Strait of Hormuz
- UAE Port Hit in Strikes, Trump Presses Allies on Hormuz
- Oil Industry Warns Trump Administration That Fuel Crunch Will Likely Worsen
- Trump Leaves Allies and Foes Guessing on Endgame for Iran
- Intrigue, Power Plays and Rivalries: Inside the Rise of Mojtaba Khamenei (“The weeklong fight over Iran’s next leader pitted the Revolutionary Guards against moderates. The generals won, but only over spirited resistance.”)
- Behind the Curtain: Trump’s escalation trap
- Trump Floats Xi Summit Delay If China Doesn’t Help in Hormuz
- I’ve been talking to people in Iran. They face an impossible choice. (“People are terrified of the war — but some worry it will end too son to free them.”)
- Trump officials target media over Iran war reporting (WILDLY unacceptable.)
- AP finds an Israeli group discreetly organized the mystery flights evacuating Palestinians from Gaza
- Netanyahu posts video in response to Iran rumours that he is dead
- Poll: Israel’s standing plummets among Democrats, fueling primaries on the left (“More registered voters view Israel negatively than positively in the latest NBC News poll, driven by change among independents and especially Democrats.”)
- No wind farms in China? Trump claim torched by record year of new wind capacity, mostly in China
- Taiwan reports large-scale Chinese military aircraft presence near island
- Myanmar’s parliament meets for first time in 5 years with military controlling most seats (“The military and its allies hold nearly 90% of the seats in the two-chamber parliament, while major opposition parties were either blocked from running or refused to compete.” Total joke. A bad one.)
- Trump claims he has ‘absolute right’ to impose new tariffs after supreme court blow (In fact, the president – any president – doesn’t have an “absolute” right to do anything, outside of the constitution, the law, checks and balances, etc.)
- Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says (“Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, who was living in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his apartment on Friday morning while taking his children to school, AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said in a statement.” WTF???)
- How Trump’s Homeland Security Pick, a Prolific Investor, Got a Lot Wealthier in Congress (Sounds super corrupt: “A few days after Christmas, Senator Markwayne Mullin’s expansive stock portfolio got significantly bigger. Mr. Mullin reported buying shares in Chevron, the only major U.S. oil company producing in Venezuela. Five days after the purchase, President Trump attacked Venezuela, demanding that its leadership give better terms to U.S. oil companies. Chevron’s stock price has since jumped, even as the market as a whole has slipped.”
- Senate Braces for Showdown Over Trump-Backed Voter-ID Rules (“Republicans plan drawn-out debate over the SAVE America Act, which Democrats are poised to block”)
- Trump allies plan Senate floor takeover to pass SAVE America Act
- ‘We’re going to have a problem’: Republicans want Trump to move on from 2020 (“Facing a difficult midterm landscape, there’s a growing view in the GOP that revisiting election grievances risks distracting from the issues that matter most.”)
- The billionaires made a promise — now some want out (“The Giving Pledge’s numbers, reported Sunday by the New York Times, trace a steady decline. In its first five years, 113 families signed the Pledge. Then 72 over the next five, 43 in the five after that, and just four in all of 2024.”)
- Justice Dept. Struggles to Take Basic Steps in Targeting Trump’s Rivals (The NY Times strikes again, calling the targets of Trump’s retribution and vengeance “rivals.” Something’s seriously f’ed up at the NY Times.)
- Young voters helped elect Trump, but some have regrets over the Iran war
- Democrats face a post-Trump identity crisis for 2028
- ‘I’m sick of stupid’: from excoriating Noem to breaking with Trump, Thom Tillis goes for fiery final act in Congress (Better late than never, I guess…)
- Top Trump Goon Melts Down at Jimmy Kimmel After Oscars Diss
- Oscars 2026: Best, Worst, and Most WTF Moments (“It was a shaky show that was packed with minor production stumbles and few surprises. At least Conan was there to make us laugh”)
- Oscars 2026: Winners, Biggest Moments, and Highlights
- What Life’s Like for the Muslim Constituents of Congress’s Nastiest Islamophobe (“A visit to Nashville’s Little Kurdistan.”)
- Kennedy Center Board to Vote Monday on Trump’s Proposed Closure (Treating this as if it’s a serious, legitimate Board and a free-and-fair vote is absurd. The NY Times’ news section continues to downplay, normalize, sanitize, whitewash, etc. Trump’s insanity and authoritarianism.)
- Some D.C.-area schools to dismiss early or teach remotely due to Monday storms
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says Feeling It in Trump’s “Bones” Isn’t the “Right Criteria” for When to End the Iran War (On the ODU terrorist attack, Sen. Warner says “I knew [moving FBI officers from counterterrorism to immigration enforcement] was going to come back & bite us”)
- Warner on deadly Iranian girls’ school strike: ‘I want a thorough investigation’
- Virginia entrepreneurs on Trump’s dodgy tariffs: ‘It disrupts your business’ (“Refunds of the unconstitutional tariffs paid by companies across Virginia and the country will not come soon — if at all, guest columnist Jim Spencer writes.”)
- States have been scrapping for congressional seats. Virginia could tip the scales. (“The party’s well-funded canvassing and advertising campaign for a referendum that could add four blue seats to Congress has Republicans scrambling to respond.”)
- 2026 Bill Passage Rates (“The 2026 regular General Assembly session concluded this weekend, sending legislation passed by both chambers to Governor Abigail Spanberger. VPAP’s data visualization breaks down bill passage rates from the session. Choose filters for party, seniority, and gender to see how success rates change. You can also see how many bills each legislator introduced and the amount that passed.”)
- Virginia General Assembly Passes Historic Legislation to Allow More Than Half a Million Public Service Workers the Freedom to Collectively Bargain (Legislation now heads to Governor Spanberger’s desk)
- 10 things to know about the General Assembly that just ended (“Whether you liked what the legislature did or not, this was a consequential session.”)
- Is it time for Virginia to cut back on studies and commissions? Lawmakers are weighing it.
- Virginia gun activists acknowledge reduced support (Del. Dan Helmer: “one of those freedoms is to not be gunned down because people are irresponsibly and recklessly using firearms or handling weapons of war that ought to not be available in our society”)
- Judges decline to extend term of acting U.S. attorney; Western District may soon have no U.S. attorney (“Robert Tracci is likely to continue in office as the top assistant, but would report directly to a deputy attorney general. This is part of President Donald Trump’s disinterest in nominating U.S. attorneys in states with Democratic senators.”)
- Why I Oppose the Plan for a New Data Center in Fairfax County (Reasons include adverse energy, climate, pollution and affordability impacts)
- The UVa BOV has affirmed Beardsley as President. What Now?
- Virginia Beach leaders seething over failed bill meant to tame Oceanfront violence, crowds
- Virginia Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament
- High risk for damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes in Virginia on Monday
- Dangerous storms possible across Virginia; damaging winds, large hail and potentially strong tornadoes are threats
- Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes possible Monday with another sharp temperature shift (“Monday’s risk of severe storms across Virginia is a sequel to last week’s 80s-to-snow transition — and some snow is again possible in western Virginia by late Monday.”)
- CWG Live: Severe storm threat today with possible tornadoes, then sharply colder (“The most intense storms could produce wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph and/or tornadoes.”)
