by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 19.
- Women and girls bearing brunt of water shortages globally, UN warns (“Unesco calls for action as lack of access and sanitation hit health, education and food security of women”)
- War in Middle East Poses Economic Threat to Europe and Asia
- Weeks of War Are Reshaping the Global Gas Market for Years to Come
- Brent crude nears $115 as energy prices surge after Iran attacks Gulf energy facilities
- Trump Calls for De-escalation as Oil Rises Beyond $116
- Oil Spirals Past $115 After Iran Strikes
- Trump’s failed strong-arming of allies on Iran shows that pressure is losing its effect
- Trump Wants No More Energy Strikes, But Supported Attack On South Pars
- After Tehran strikes, Trump says Israel won’t attack Iran gas fields anymore
- Live updates: Energy prices soar as Trump threatens to blow up Iran gas field and Tehran intensifies Gulf retaliation
- Middle East war: why attacks on gasfields like South Pars are a major escalation (“Strike was first time a fossil fuel energy production facility has been hit. But why is it significant and who does it affect?”)
- Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war (Trump is going to bankrupt the nation.)
- Exclusive: US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase
- Will Trump Be Able to Stop His Own War? (“Almost nothing he has said or done suggests he knows what he is doing.”)
- How Trump Should Extricate Himself From His Iran Quagmire
- Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ world’s largest gas field if Iran’s attacks on Qatar continue (“Israel has been attacking Iran’s South Pars gas field and the US president warned he may do the same”)
- Live updates: Trump threatens to strike South Pars gas field if Iran attacks Qatar again
- (“As gas prices rise, the network has scarcely invoked the concept of “energy independence,” mentioning it a fraction as often as it did during the start of the Russia-Ukraine war”)
- US and Israel’s strategy to kill Iran’s top figures may prove counterproductive (“Attempt to ‘decapitate’ state may harden resistance instead of destabilising regime”)
- Resignation of Top Intelligence Official Exposes Bitter MAGA-Influencer Divide
- Joe Kent’s Resignation Letter Is Dangerous Because It’s Half True
- FBI investigates intelligence aide who resigned over war (“The investigation predates Kent’s departure, the four people said; one of them described it as being months-long. Trump aides and allies denounced Kent as a leaker immediately after his resignation became public.”)
- U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran’s Missile Capabilities Before War (“On Wednesday, the director of national intelligence and C.I.A. director contradicted one of the justifications the Trump administration had given for its attacks on Iran.”)
- What’s a Threat? Gabbard Says It’s Up to Trump, on Iran and Elsewhere. (Nope, that’s literally GABBARD’S JOB!)
- Gabbard defers to Trump when asked if Iran posed “imminent threat” (Gabbard is f’ing pathetic, total disgrace.)
- Vance is in a bind, supporting a war that could cost him politically
- Senate votes down measure aiming to limit Trump’s war powers by 53-47 vote (“Republicans block resolution to take up the measure, which Democrats vow to bring up ‘again and again and again’”)
- China Hoped Trump Summit Would Cement Its Superpower Status. Now Xi Has to Wait.
- Russian oil tanker heading to Cuba amid US economic blockade (“Vessel with 730,000 barrels of crude set to reach Cuba on 23 March, according to maritime data, after Donald Trump said he expects to have ‘honour of taking’ country”)
- US deportees face sudden, ‘traumatic’ separation from their children, report finds (“Dozens said they weren’t given chance to arrange care for their kids after being deported at short notice, study shows” Pure evil by ICE, etc.)
- One ‘freaking snake’ and no apologies: How the Mullin hearing went off the rails
- Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign
- ‘What is he doing?’: New threats emerge for Trump’s economy as war drags on (“Recent reports suggest the president may have only a thin buffer to rely on if a prolonged conflict starts to weaken growth and spur inflation.”)
- The national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to erase it
- Stocks Fall as Oil Surge Deepens Inflation Fears
- Fed keeps key rate unchanged as Powell vows to stay until DOJ investigation is finished
- A New Level of Vaccine Purgatory (“A judge suspended the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee but also said that the agency should be consulting it before making recommendations.”)
- Following Trump, Republicans in Congress Propose to Ban Most Voting by Mail (” A restrictive voter I.D. bill under consideration in the Senate could severely limit mail-in voting. Conservatives are pressing to end the practice outright, taking aim at an option that is widely used by voters.” This is just pure voter suppression, absolutely nothing to do with basically-non-existent “voter fraud”)
- GOP debate on SAVE America Act morphs into ‘circular firing squad’
- Gabbard dodges questions about foreign threats to midterms (Gabbard is heinous in every way.)
- FBI and IRS to investigate nonprofit groups for domestic terrorism links, sources say (WTF???)
- Furious Dems threaten Bondi impeachment, contempt after briefing (“She basically set up a fake hearing under the guise of a briefing, she has defied subpoenas that we’ve put out already and then she has continued to be evasive and combative with us.”)
- There Will Be No Post-Presidential Peace For Donald Trump (“The president and his allies will face impeachments, lawsuits, and maybe even The Hague.” All of the above is definitely needed.)
- We Have Not Forgotten About The Epstein Files
- Under Trump, the government’s watchdogs are losing their independence
- Trump’s face on a gold coin? His hand-picked panel will decide.
- ‘We’re Just Seen as Sex Objects’: Dolores Huerta’s Years in the U.F.W. (“The co-founder of the United Farm Workers talked about her relationship with Cesar Chavez, and the night he raped her.”)
- Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years (“An investigation by The New York Times found extensive evidence that the United Farm Workers co-founder groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the movement.” This story is a combination of depressing, infuriating, horrifying, disgusting and deeply disappointing.)
- A Statement from Dolores Huerta (“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.”)
- Kiley switches parties, loses committees
- Scoop: How the left plans to start winning primaries again (“Progressives plan to exert more pressure in Democratic congressional primaries to get the left to coalesce behind one viable candidate rather than split the vote and create an opening for moderates, Axios has learned.”)
- Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look (That’s really disturbing.)
- Illinois results solidify JB Pritzker’s ‘powerhouse’ role — and set up a White House run
- Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine Slam “SAVE America Act” as Voter Suppression Measure That Could Disenfranchise Millions (“Millions of Virginians could face new barriers to voting: 40% lack passports, and nearly 2 million women may need additional documents to register to vote”)
- Sens. Warner and Kaine on how the SAVE America Act would suppress citizens’ votes (“The bill would complicate voter registration for some 2 million Virginia women who changed their names at marriage.”)
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Discusses “serious concerns about the erosion of safeguards that protect both our democracy and our security” (Sen. Warner also questions Tulsi Gabbard on Iran, U.S. elections, etc.)
- Mark Warner highlights Trumpers’ flub on claims of election interference
- Senator Tim Kaine advocates for end to Iran conflict, calls for transparency
- Sam Shirazi Looks at “Rare GOP Overperformance” (in HD98 Last Night), Analyzes What That Might Mean for the VA Redistricting Referendum (It’s not that “Democrats are definitely going to lose the redistricting referendum,” but “it’s important for the Virginia Democrats not to take anything for granted”)
- Virginia joins national push for refunds after US Supreme Court voids Trump tariffs (“Attorney General Jay Jones, coalition urge Congress to repay billions collected under illegal trade policy, citing burden on businesses and consumers.”)
- Another no-budget adjournment. Aren’t we used to that already? (“The lesson drawn from all those years of protracted, post-adjournment dealmaking is that it’s a pain in the ass, but the sun still rises.”)
- Public college faculty left out of Virginia’s collective bargaining expansion
- An effort to remove Confederate statues in Capitol Square was unexpectedly killed in budget talks (“‘I would have preferred the bill passed just to make it explicit, but I’m confident that it’ll be in the final budget agreement,’ Ebbin says. ‘And I’m very hopeful that that will prevail.'”)
- Spanberger appoints 65 Virginians to state boards and commissions
- Louisa County officials push back against Valley Link Transmission proposal (“Regional grid operator supports major transmission project that could span nine counties to meet rising demand, but residents and officials raise concerns over routing and cost.”0
- The number of ICE detainees in the Roanoke jail more than tripled last year
- ODU shooter was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in 2017. How was he out on March 12, 2026?
- Williams: The Congo’s dark history envelopes VUU landmark
- Lynchburg Republicans move forward with firehouse primary plan for upcoming city council elections
- CWG Live: Milder today, then even warmer Friday into the weekend (“We leave the cold of recent days behind as spring arrives. It’ll feel the part in the days to come.”)
