by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, March 14. Also, definitely check out the video of Paul Krugman and Phillips O’Brien talking about the FUBAR Iran war, the Trump regime’s insanity/incompetence/etc., and more broadly, “How clueless are our leaders? Very.” A must-watch, IMHO!
- World on course to breach 1.5°C before 2030, and other climate and nature news
- Austrian glaciers disintegrating due to climate change, say scientists
- It’s not just oil. Here comes Hormuz inflation. (“Garden supplies, birthday balloons and semiconductors could get hit by price inflation or shortages.”)
- Oil Shock Sends Tremors Through World Economy: ‘This Really Is the Big One’
- Scoop: Trump rejected Putin offer to move Iran’s uranium to Russia
- Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He Still Went to War. (“The president told his White House team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, the world’s most vital shipping lane”)
- Dire Strait: Trump’s Fox Cabinet ignored Hormuz in the month before the U.S. attacked Iran
- Hegseth, Trump faces perilous options in the Strait of Hormuz (We are truly in “dire straits”)
- Trump threatens to hit Iran’s Kharg Island oil network if shipping lanes remain blocked
- Trump says US forces destroyed military targets on Iranian island handling oil exports (“Forces ‘obliterated’ military targets on Kharg, according to president, who warns oil infrastructure could be next”)
- The Iron Law of TACO Faces Its Ultimate Test (“Mojtaba Khamenei is not seeming particularly surrender-y at the moment.”)
- Trump says U.S. bombed Kharg Island, striking core of Iran’s oil economy (“About 90 percent of the country’s oil exports move through facilities on the island, some 15 miles from the mainland in the Persian Gulf. Tehran has warned an attack on the site would mark an escalation of the conflict.”)
- U.S. conducts major bombing of strategic Iran Island, Trump says
- Trump says U.S. ‘obliterated’ military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island but didn’t ‘wipe out’ oil infrastructure
- Raging at Media, Pete Hegseth Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud (“He wants ‘patriotic’ coverage of the Iran war. He doesn’t understand: In a democracy, coverage that asks difficult questions of the government is itself ‘patriotic.'”)
- Trump wages war on Iran his own way: commander-in-chaos
- Pete Hegseth attacks media for not being positive enough about US attacks on Iran
- Trump faces a ‘personal Vietnam’ in Iran (“He is stuck in a quagmire. His goals are elusive. His bombing does not force a surrender. He has no exit strategy. Good morning, Vietnam”)
- Pete Hegseth Is Blaming the Media for His Mess in Iran (“Ah, yes, the real enemy: CNN.”)
- Hegseth claims Iran’s supreme leader is “wounded and likely disfigured”
- U.S. sending USS Tripoli, thousands of Marines to Middle East
- Pentagon Is Moving Additional Marines, Warships to the Middle East
- Hegseth, attacking press, declares victory is near amid ongoing Iran conflict
- Trump Says Iran War Will End ‘When I Feel It In My Bones’ (That’s insane.)
- Hegseth vows thorough probe of school strike that Trump blamed on Iran (The words “Hegseth vows” should be proceeded by “pathological liar and war criminal”)
- Secretary Of Defense Hegseth Promises Iranians ‘No Quarter’ – A War Crime (“The term is defined as refusing to spare surrendering troops and killing them instead, a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.”)
- Trump fundraising email uses photo from soldiers’ dignified transfer and promises ‘private national security briefings’ (That’s WILDLY inappropriate, callous, etc.)
- Analysis: The escalation trap: how the Iran war could become more costly and complex (“Iran is trying to create wedges between Gulf states and the US, but Trump is very comfortable on the ‘escalatory ladder’”)
- Lindsey Graham just triggered a MAGA revolt over Iran (Lindsey Graham is one of the most f’ed-up people in the country, certainly in the Republican Party.)
- ‘You are all worse than each other’: anti-regime Iranians turn on Trump (“Mood among some in Iran shifts from hope of being rescued to dismay at destruction of infrastructure, culture and lives”)
- Is JD Vance Rooting for the Iran War to Fail? (“Recent reporting leaves little doubt: Trump’s vice president thinks that if the war goes badly, it will help him secure the 2028 Republican nomination for president.”)
- Trump’s War Alliance With Israel Is Reshaping the Middle East. But It Carries Risks.
- Israel planning massive ground invasion of Lebanon, officials say (“Israel is planning to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, Israeli and U.S. officials say.”)
- War has already displaced nearly a million Lebanese, and aid groups warn of a humanitarian crisis
- Entire families wiped out and towns emptied as Israel’s war on Lebanon intensifies
- How Israel Used the War in Gaza to Accelerate Settlements in the West Bank (“The Netanyahu government is pushing expansionist policies, while America looks the other way.” If you voted for Trump or refused to vote for Kamala Harris, this is the type of disaster it led to. That was predictable AND predicted!)
- Scoop: Trump eases Venezuela sanctions on oil, fertilizer to blunt Iran war costs
- Jared Kushner Solicits Funds for His Firm While Working as Mideast Envoy (WILDLY inappropriate and corrupt. Just imagine how this would be covered if his name were “Hunter Biden”???)
- Senators Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff, Ruben Gallego Introduce War Powers Resolution for Cuba (“As if the disaster of the Iran War and the resulting spike in oil prices weren’t enough, Trump is now threatening to intervene in Cuba as well”)
- Is Latin America Ready to Abandon Cuba? (“Latin America’s left saw Cuba as its lodestar. Now leaders across the spectrum are hesitant to aid a nation in the Trump administration’s cross hairs.”)
- ‘Deliberate attack’: explosion damages Jewish school in Amsterdam (“Mayor condemns ‘cowardly act’ on south side of city that caused limited damage and no reported injuries” Appalling!)
- Trump Administration Set to Receive $10 Billion Fee for Brokering TikTok Deal (“Investors in social-media platform’s U.S. business, including Oracle and Silver Lake, agreed to give the government several multibillion-dollar payments, sources say”)
- WADA to weigh barring Trump, US officials from LA Olympics and possibly World Cup over unpaid dues
- Is Trump Building ‘Concentration Camps’? These Experts Have No Doubts (“ICE’s immigrant mass-detention facilities fit a dark, century-old pattern”)
- ICE agents reveal daily arrest quotas and surveillance app in rare court testimony
- High Stakes, and a Low Bar, For Markwayne Mullin at DHS (“Trump’s nominee has one big thing going for him: He’s not Kristi Noem.”)
- Anti-ICE protesters accused of being part of antifa found guilty of support for terrorism in Texas (“Case was seen as major test of the first amendment and whether the US could use broad anti-terrorism statute to prosecute leftwing protesters”)
- S&P 500 falls to new low for year on Iran oil crisis, posts third-straight losing week
- Judge Throws Out Justice Department Subpoenas to Federal Reserve (“‘Abundant evidence’ exists that the subpoenas were designed to ‘harass and pressure Powell’ to yield to Trump, ruling says”)
- Judge blocks subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, citing ‘essentially zero evidence’
- Some Republicans warn Trump’s SAVE America Act is doomed to fail as Senate tees up a vote (“These senators see no way to get around the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Others in the GOP are frustrated that Trump appears more focused on this bill than on tackling the cost of living.”)
- Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab (“The laboratory, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, has been targeted for months by the Trump administration. In a social media post in December, Russell Vought, the White House budget director, called the Colorado center ‘one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.'” PURE EVIL.)
- Pentagon plan expands oversight of Stars and Stripes, limits content
- Trump policies set to increase rates of lung disease and death, study finds (EVIL.)
- DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down After Judge Order and Widespread Mockery (“The government asked a judge to stop the spread of the videos on YouTube. The judge agreed and ordered their immediate removal.”)
- House GOP leadership silent as more members post anti-Muslim statements
- Multiple Republicans in Congress post openly anti-Muslim statements
- Ghislaine Maxwell still seeking Trump pardon, her lawyer says
- Trump Judge Says Trans Rights Case Is About ‘Swinging Dicks,’ Berates ‘Woke’ Colleagues
- Trump blames recent attacks on ‘genetics’ of assailants (“President Donald Trump previously told a radio show that immigrants who become murderers had ‘bad genes.'” Virulent racism.)
- Trump Tells White Reporter Immigrants Don’t Have “Your Genetics” (“Donald Trump is saying the quiet part out loud about immigration.” Yep, it’s most definitely not mostly about the “illegal” part…)
- A Crash, Gunfire and Then a Race to Save a Synagogue Full of Children
- Sinema acknowledges affair with Senate bodyguard while in office (How the hell did Sinema ever get elected in the first place?)
- Kennedy Center’s President Is Leaving After Tumultuous Year (“Since Richard Grenell was appointed by President Trump, the arts center has endured waves of cancellations and departures. It will soon close for lengthy renovations.” Disastrous all around.)
- DOJ drops case against veteran arrested after burning American flag near White House
- How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post (“Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, and it worked well at first. But in the past two years, he has been involved in a series of jarring upheavals in strategy and leadership.”)
- Ground stop at 3 DC-area airports lifted after halting due to ‘strong chemical smell’
- Tim Kaine Is Forcing the Iran War Debate From the Minority
- Virginia General Assembly going to special session to resolve budget standoff
- VA Senate Finance and House Appropriations Chairs Joint Statement on Progress Towards Budget Agreement
- Virginia Right to Contraception Act Passes VA General Assembly, Heads to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for Her Signature (Youngkin vetoed this important legislation two years in a row; yes, elections really do have consequences!)
- Photos, Reels: Workers Deliver More than 20,000 Petitions from Virginians Calling for a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program on Day of Legislation’s Passage
- Redistricting voting, gambling legislation and the Virginia House’s historic mace
- Video: Speaking for the VA Legislative Black Caucus, Del. Cia Price Says We’re Now Living Through a “Horror Story…fascism, unconstitutional power grabs, wars, lynchings…legalized discrimination running rampant” (Del. Price: “There IS something you can do – you can vote between now and April 21st to fight back.”)
- General Assembly approves new state powers to tackle child abuse and neglect
- How are the 2020s treating Virginia? A new look at population and school trends (“Virginia’s population isn’t growing as fast as it used to, and many of its school districts are expected to see a drop in students in the next few years.”)
- Bomb threats investigated at UVA, Bridgewater College, George Mason
- ODU professor killed in terror attack was Staunton native, Charlottesville High School alum
- After shooting, ODU’s Constant Hall closed to classes for semester; future to be determined
- Veteran Army combat pilot mourned after shooting at Old Dominion University (“Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, 42, became an ROTC instructor at Old Dominion after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.”)
- The Lieutenant Colonel who died during the attack at Old Dominion was a loyal and dedicated soldier and teacher
- Case against man prosecutors say sold gun to Old Dominion shooter provides new details on the attack
- Jason Morgan appointed new General District Judge for Roanoke area
- BREAKING: Revised bill would allow temporary Tysons casino without local approval (“All gaming tax revenue generated by the temporary facility would go to Fairfax County Public Schools under the substitute bill presented by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34), who has led the push to add Fairfax County to Virginia’s list of localities eligible to host a casino.”)
- Environmental groups raise concerns about possible Fairfax Co. land sale to data center developer
- CWG Live: Mild and breezy this weekend ahead of Monday’s strong storm threat (“Another big cold front is coming. It’ll turn much colder Tuesday.”)
