by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, March 30. Also, check out the following video of Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) on MSNOW last night, talking about Trump’s incoherent, ineffective foreign policy, and also about how “[Trump’s relationship with Putin and Russia colors all of these decisions,” including lettting a Russian oil tanker through to Cuba”…
- The Iran war is driving a clean energy wake-up call (“China, Spain, and other countries increasingly rely on renewables, helping them avoid oil and gas price volatility as conflict in the Middle East continues.”)
- Brent heads for record monthly leap as Houthi attacks widen Gulf conflict (“Brent has soared 59% this month, the steepest monthly jump, exceeding gains seen during the 1990 Gulf War.”)
- Oil prices rise with Brent heading for record monthly surge as Iran war enters fifth week
- Government Bonds Rally Around the World on Slowdown Concerns
- The security council has allowed unchecked power and brutality. To protect peace, we must reform the UN (Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “A world without rules is an insecure world. It’s time for multilateralism that truly reflects the global order”)
- Oil Hits $116 a Barrel After Iran War Escalates
- The Strait of Hormuz Oil Shock Is Now Heading West
- Trump is contemplating the sheer folly of boots on the ground in Iran. How did it come to this? (It “came to this” because a slight plurality of U.S. voters in November 2024 MASSIVELY F’ED UP by voting for Trump!)
- Trump says his ‘preference’ would be to ‘take the oil in Iran’ (“Trump told the Financial Times that while his “favorite thing” would be to take the oil, some “stupid people” would ask, “Why are you doing that?””)
- How could US forcibly reopen strait of Hormuz and what are the risks? (“US ground troops have arrived in Middle East but military options to open strait risk strong retaliation from Iran”)
- Trump reportedly wants to ‘take the oil in Iran’ as Tehran targets water, power facilities in Kuwait
- Trump raises prospect of taking Iran’s oil and seizing Kharg Island
- Trump says he is considering seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, but deal could be made ‘very quickly’ (Another “Trump says” headline…)
- Trump Weighs Military Operation to Extract Iran’s Uranium (“The president hasn’t made a decision, U.S. officials said, as he considers the risk to U.S. troops” VERY dangerous.)
- Trump Says Iran Agreed to Allow 20 More Ships of Oil Through Strait of Hormuz (Broken record alert: why does the media write headlines with “Trump Says,” while not pointing out that Trump is a pathological liar whose every word should be assumed to be a lie unless/until proven otherwise? How is that helpful?)
- U.S. Special Operations Forces Sent to Mideast as Trump Weighs Next Move (“The commandos have not been assigned specific roles. But President Trump has expressed concern about the now-closed Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s store of enriched uranium.”)
- There Are Now Over 50,000 American Troops in the Mideast (“The arrival of 2,500 Marines and another 2,500 sailors is keeping the number of American troops in the region at roughly 10,000 more than usual.”)
- Pakistan says it will host US-Iran talks, while Iran warns US ground troops would be ‘set on fire’
- Trump, Iran, and the Shadow of Suez (“As Iran imposes a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, squeezing the global economy, Trump faces a crisis that echoes one of history’s most revealing strategic failures.”)
- New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows (“The Pentagon used missiles untested in combat in a deadly attack that struck civilian sites near a military compound on Feb. 28, according to visual evidence examined by The Times and weapons experts.”)
- What the Houthis’ entry into the Iran war means for the conflict and the wider region (“Fresh attacks on Red Sea shipping would be devastating – but the Iranian proxy has reasons to be cautious”)
- Iran defiant as Israel strikes Tehran and drones fired at Israel from Yemen
- U.S. cedes key war mission to Israel — killing top Iranians (“The division of responsibility has left Israel to hunt and kill Iranian leaders ruthlessly, using an intelligence apparatus built up to assassinate with lethal proficiency.”)
- Invoking faith in wartime, Hegseth breaks norms and worries critics (Here we go again with the WaPo hiding behind “critics” instead of just saying, flat-out, that Hegseth is a war criminal or whatever…)
- Pete Hegseth Just Revealed the Real Roots of His Sadism and Rage (“Does God want America to kill as many of our enemies as we can—in as violent a fashion as possible? We have a defense secretary who apparently thinks so.” Hegseth is completely unhinged and evil.)
- Pope seems to rebuke Hegseth in remarks about leaders with ‘hands full of blood’ (“Pontiff’s unusually pointed comments come after US defence secretary’s prayer for violence against enemies ‘who deserve no mercy’”)
- Will Trump bring peace, or more bombs? Shady speculators seem to bet right every time (“The president may not be benefiting directly from betting markets, but he has encouraged a culture that treats politics like a casino floor”)
- Weather tracker: Thunderstorms drench UAE and Saudi Arabia (“Abnormally strong jet stream triggers deluge in Middle East, while north Africa braces for 60-80mph gusts”)
- ‘Assault on justice’: how far-right attacks are threatening rule of law in Europe (“Judicial independence is under threat as populist politicians target judges and authoritarian governments attempt constitutional reforms”)
- Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of law (“Exclusive: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia actively pursue regressive policies, watchdog finds”)
- How Viktor Orbán became Vladimir Putin’s best friend in the EU (“From liberal dissident to MAGA darling, the transformation of the prime minister who brought Budapest back into Moscow’s orbit.”)
- U.S. Allows Russian Oil Tanker to Reach Cuba, Despite Blockade (“The tanker full of crude oil could reach its expected destination by Monday, providing a lifeline to the island amid intense U.S. pressure”)
- Trump says he has ‘no problem’ with Russian oil tanker bringing relief to Cuba despite blockade (Putin gave Trump his marching orders, apparently.)
- A New Boss Takes Over Homeland Security With Less Flash but Same Mission (Seriously, the NY Times used the word “flash” in its headline to describe sadistic, sociopathic, corrupt, evil scumbag Kristi Noem. The NY Times is, indeed, f’ed up.)
- Airport travel chaos continues as DHS funding freeze becomes longest partial shutdown in history
- Deaths in ICE Custody Are Growing. ‘They Let Him Rot in There.’ (We’re going to need Nuremberg-style tribunals for crimes like these.)
- Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order at Supreme Court Splits Conservative Scholars (“Before President Trump’s order to limit birthright citizenship, there was widespread agreement that the 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship for U.S.-born babies.”
- Trump officials cite white supremacists in bid to end birthright citizenship (That says it all!)
- Birthright Citizenship Case Pushes Trump’s Relationship With Supreme Court to Brink (“President fumes at justices as they prepare to take up his next big case”)
- Exclusive: Wind projects pile up as Pentagon reviews stall (“More than two dozen wind farms across the U.S. are being delayed as the Trump administration sits on military reviews that were once considered routine…At roughly 200 to 300 megawatts each, that’s about 7.5 gigawatts of stalled capacity.”)
- This Weekend’s No Kings Rallies Were Historically Massive
- Poll: The battle for MAHA that could sway the midterms (“A new POLITICO Poll finds cracks in the coalition that helped put HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump in office.”)
- MAGA Was Supposed to Be Antiwar. Nope.
- The Manosphere Turns on Trump (“How many times can a coalition crack before it shatters?” Infinite?)
- Some Dems’ 2028 strategy: a straight, white, Christian man (“Their fear, divulged with dismay in group chats, at cocktail parties and increasingly in public, is that parts of the electorate are too biased to support a woman or other diverse candidate for president. Former first lady Michelle Obama fueled such talk recently, saying the U.S. is ‘not ready for a woman.’ Democratic strategists have put it bluntly, with several saying a version of ‘It has to be a white guy.'”)
- College Republicans director made racist and sexist remarks on live streams (“Review of Kai Schwemmer’s broadcasts undermines claim ‘process of growth’ had led him to abandon bigoted views”)
- Lindsey Graham Vacationing at Disney World Amid Shutdown
- Trump’s Ballroom Design Has Barely Been Scrutinized. Architects Say It Shows.
- McGuire defends Trump takeover plan to make DC ‘safe and beautiful’ (This headline probably should read, “John McGuire, who would literally support Trump on ANYTTHING, supports Trump on this too…)
- ICYMI: VA Speaker Don Scott and Sen. Louise Lucas — Stand Up for Democracy by Voting YES (“We are patriots. We believe in the Constitution and in representative government. But this moment requires action.”)
- Video: Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi Explains Why It’s Crucial for “Saving Our Democracy” That Virginians Pass the Redistricting Amendment (Also: “I know we’ve got legal action that is taking place to stop those people who are disseminating false ads” (featuring Spanberger and Obama))
- Spanberger order, RNC lawsuit highlight divide over Virginia voter roll maintenance (“Executive action to rejoin ERIC contrasts with GOP legal push to preserve noncitizen removals ahead of elections.” Weird, false equivalence/”both sides” subheader; sadly typical from the “mainstream media”…)
- Proposed redistricting map splits Christiansburg between two congressional districts. Here are some other splits. (“The current congressional map minimizes the number of localities divided between congressional districts. The proposed map increases them. Here are some of the ways localities in the western part of Virginia would be divided.”)
- Williams: Virginia doesn’t need a cabinet position on energy. It needs a different energy law. (I’m linking to this garbage by far-right-Republican Del. Wren Williams just to note that he’s a far-right Republican and a fossil fuel industry tool…and that should be noted prominently by the “Cardinal News”)
- Trump’s policy flurry has ravaged University of Virginia leadership
- Largest turnout yet in Blacksburg for third ‘No Kings’ protest
- Augusta County doesn’t want to have to pay county employees what they’re owed
- A Palm Sunday protest in support of immigrants (“Members of various congregations rallied in Charlottesville on Palm Sunday to sing, pray and protest the way this country has treated immigrants.”)
- CWG Live: Near 70 today with a shower possible, 80s Tuesday (“Wednesday is also warm, before a showery and unsettled second half of the week.”)
