by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, March 5.
- Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggests (“Analysis shows average levels are 30cm higher than thought, and up to 150cm in south-east Asia and Indo-Pacific”)
- Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition (“Pacific island says the US weakened its proposal to advance a key climate ruling but vows to hold major polluters accountable”)
- Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease (“Company will halt production of controversial paraquat weed killer by end of June as it faces thousands of lawsuits”)
- World’s largest krill harvester at centre of row over ‘blue tick’ sustainability label (“Aker QRILL is facing criticism of its fishery management amid calls by environmentalists for curbs on Antarctic fishing of the keystone species”)
- Russia Is Big Winner as Iran War Drains Supplies That Ukraine Needs (“Kyiv faces a shortfall of missile interceptors for its air defense, while surging oil prices are boosting Russia’s economy.”)
- Attack on Iran shows Russia losing clout but perhaps reaping war dividends
- Oil Rises as Iran War Piles Further Stress on Energy Supplies
- Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months
- Trump Wants a Quick Victory in Iran. But the War May Be Costly.
- Trump Has Lost the Plot in Iran (“Tehran hopes that he will declare a hollow victory and abort the mission.”)
- The American King Goes to War (“This is not what the Founders intended.”)
- Iran Has Friends, but Where Are They Now? (“Iran maintains ties with a number of countries, including Turkey, India, Russia and China. Yet in this war, their support is mostly rhetoric.”)
- The No-Explanation War (“The Trump Administration has decided that it need not make a case for military action. In the current media environment, that approach makes a disturbing kind of sense.”)
- Kurds backed by Mossad, CIA could lead next phase of war in Iran
- Iran had a plan to fight Israel and the US. It all collapsed after October 7. (In every way, shape and form, October 7 was a disaster. And it’s largely the fault of Iran, Hamas, etc.)
- Trump’s new plan for Iran doomed to backfire (“As the administration reportedly prepares to arm Kurds, history shows the risks of using militias for regime change”)
- As He Tries to Rationalize His War in Iran, Trump Cannot Stop Telling On Himself (“His explanations for why he went to war keep getting worse. His plans for the future aren’t looking any better.”)
- Live updates: Iran targets Israel and American bases as Israel strikes Lebanon
- Pro-American Kurdish Forces Are Preparing Possible Iran Incursion (“The C.I.A. has given small weapons to Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq in a covert program that began before the current war.”)
- Senate GOP gives Trump free hand in Iran as war powers vote fails (Now THAT is an accurate headline, unlike Axios whitewashing what Republicans did.)
- Senate votes down resolution to prevent Trump from continuing war with Iran (“War powers vote broke along party lines with almost all Democrats in support and most Republicans opposed”)
- Senate rejects bid to restrain Trump’s war in Iran (More accurate headline: “Senate REPUBLICANS reject bid to restrain Trump’s war in Iran”)
- ‘We’re in it’: Democrats won’t rule out giving Trump more money for Middle East war (“Democrats will have to balance a desire to criticize Trump’s offensive in Iran with pressure to support funding to defend the nation now at war.”)
- Poll: Majority of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled Iran
- Trump Follows His Gut. His National Security Advisers Try to Keep Up. (“Decisions come fast, even if contradictions and inconsistencies abound. But without much of a process, there is little preparation for how things can go wrong.”)
- Trump’s and Hegseth’s awkward comments about US troop deaths in Iran war (“Awkward” is one word for their comments; others are “disrespectful,” “disgraceful,” etc.)
- Pete Hegseth Treats Fallen American Soldiers as a PR Problem (“His use of the Iran war dead to attack the media was disgraceful.”)
- Iran’s Underground ‘Missile Cities’ Have Become One of Its Biggest Vulnerabilities (“U.S. and Israeli aircraft are circling over the subterranean bases, destroying missile launchers as they emerge to fire”)
- Iranian TV and Social Media Project Defiant and Distorted View of the War
- Iranian TV and Social Media Project Defiant and Distorted View of the War
- Israel, Iran Continue Strikes as Middle East Conflict Enters Sixth Day
- Netanyahu asks White House if secret Iran talks are happening
- Civilian Death Toll in Iran Passes 1,000, Says Rights Group
- US submarine sinks Iranian warship as conflict spreads beyond Middle East (“Frigate goes down off Sri Lanka as Washington and Israel step up their offensive and promise to hit ‘deeper’ targets in Iran”)
- Azerbaijan vows to respond after Iranian drone attack; Iran says it hits US tanker
- No Help and Few Options for Travelers Stranded by Mideast Conflict
- Spain’s government denies cooperating with US operations in Mideast, contradicting White House
- Right-wing pundits want Trump to heal the MAGA rift over the Iran war via the mass deportation of American Muslims (Insane and evil people.)
- Christian media figures have claimed that the Iran war could signal “the second coming” or the “End Times” and said “we are watching incredible prophecy in this time come to pass” (More insane and evil people.)
- China Sets Economy’s Growth Target Below 5% for First Time in Decades
- Scoop: Trump officials broker massive U.S.-Venezuela gold deal (I’m sure that’s not corrupt AT ALL. Riiiiight…)
- Judge Orders Government to Begin Refunding More Than $130 Billion in Tariffs (“More than 2,000 lawsuits have been filed by companies in the court seeking to recoup their money after Supreme Court invalidated tariffs last month”)
- ICE taking steps to close detention center at Fort Bliss, document shows
- ICE Comes to the American Heartland (“After the government declares mission complete in Minneapolis, aggressive ICE occupation continues in small-town Minnesota”)
- House panel subpoenas Pam Bondi over handling of Epstein files (Great, but Bondi’s just going to lie and lie and lie some more – under oath.)
- Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on the environment. Where’s the pushback? (“Climate deniers expected more resistance to the fossil fuel blitz. But Democrats, billionaires and activists have gone silent” Bizarre and f’ed up.)
- Judge moves, cautiously, toward civil contempt in case over treatment of trans people in prison
- Justice Dept., Under Pressure From Trump, Fails to Build Autopen Case Against Biden (Laughably absurd.)
- Things Are About to Get Ugly in Texas (“A runoff, resentments, and the question of whether a Democrat can win statewide”)
- GOP anxieties rise in Texas after Talarico victory
- Dreaming of a Blue Texas (“Will economic progress turn Texas progressive?”)
- The Future in Texas Is Bright and Terrifying (“Democrats are once more dreaming of what could be. Republicans are dreaming of Rhodesia.”)
- Crockett concedes to Talarico, says Texas ‘primed to turn blue’
- James Talarico Says ‘New Politics Is Being Born’ After Texas Primary Win
- Trump Is Expected to Endorse Cornyn
- GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana says he won’t seek re-election (“The two-term senator endorsed Kurt Alme, the U.S. attorney for Montana, as his successor.”)
- ‘Substantial reason to believe’ Tony Gonzales had sex with his staffer, House probe finds
- ‘Nazi heaven’: Inside Miami campus Republicans’ racist group chat
- Colorado governor likely to grant clemency to election denier Tina Peters, lawyer says (Totally unacceptable.)
- Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Says “I don’t know what the work of the Senate is” If It Doesn’t Include Debating “whether it’s a good idea to send our sons and daughters into war” (“…we especially shouldn’t go into a dumb war; in my view, this is a dumb war.”)
- Video: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11) Warns of “real risks” that “we get bogged down in [Iran] in some way, shape or form” (Also says War Powers vote is important as an indicator of potential lack of Congressional support for additional funding and appropriations.)
- “BREAKING: Virginia Supreme Court halts trial court order blocking preparations for congressional redistricting referendum” – Marc Elias (“The special election will move forward with early voting beginning on Mar. 6. A defeat for the GOP and victory for Virginia voters.”)
- Obama jumps into campaign for Virginia redistricting amendment (“Former President Barack Obama is campaigning again in Virginia, this time to persuade voters to support a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to redraw its congressional map.”)
- Supreme Court of Virginia says redistricting election can proceed
- Virginia Supreme Court orders early voting to move forward in Tazewell County (“The high court’s decision, issued late Wednesday, is the latest in a litany of lawsuits and rulings over the redistricting effort. Tazewell had been the only locality in the state that was set to sit out the referendum.”)
- Virginia AG Jay Jones Issues Opinion: “electoral boards and general registrars are required under Virginia law to provide for in-person absentee voting beginning 45 days prior to Election Day”
- Early voting begins Friday for Virginia redistricting referendum (“Democrats say amendment would counter GOP map changes elsewhere; high court clears way for April 21 vote after lifting lower court order.”)
- Virginia Supreme Court clears way for redistricting referendum to happen
- Virginia Supreme Court rules, again, that April 21 redistricting referendum may proceed
- Immigration arrests spark bills to guarantee K-12 education rights for all Va. students (“Bills would prevent Virginia schools from excluding students based on immigration status and provide guidance for educators and school boards”)
- As GOP dings Spanberger for leaving ICE agreements, many of their home localities never had them
- Virginia to Join Northeast Public Health Collaborative
- Excellent News: Virginia Joins Northeast Public Health Collaborative Aimed at Countering Trump’s Anti-Science, Anti-Vaccine Lunacy
- Lawsuit seeks to block Virginia’s abortion referendum from November ballot (“Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit this week in the Circuit Court of Bedford County to block a referendum from appearing on general election ballots in November for voters to decide whether to enshrine abortion access into Virginia’s Constitution. The firm, a Florida-based Christian ministry that has offices in Virginia and Washington D.C., filed the lawsuit on behalf of Bedford County Supervisor Charla Bansley.” Screw that.)
- Some rural legislators worry that ending tax incentives for data centers would also end rural Virginia’s opportunity to cash in (“The House and Senate are at odds over whether to do away with the state’s tax abatement for data centers.”)
- Last-minute tweak to bill could double Virginia’s medical malpractice payment caps for plaintiffs (“An incremental cap would go from a maximum of $3 million to $6 million starting next year.”)
- BREAKING: Fairfax County casino bill passes House of Delegates
- Del. Josh Thomas wants to put Virginia’s boys and men on a better path
- “iGaming” continues to be one of the hottest topics of debate in Richmond this year
- Spanberger: Pentagon targeting of William & Mary over ideology is ‘just outrageous’
- Williams: Palestinian solidarity goes off message in Brookland Park
- Fairfax Co. considers crackdown on students caught making, sharing intimate images
- Virginia Department of Health tracking possible measles exposure in Lynchburg
- Survivor of brutal Fairfax County domestic stabbing recounts ‘bloodbath’ scene (“In an exclusive interview, Santosh Basnet tells WUSA9 he’s still trying to figure out why his father-in-law would stab and kill his daughter and wife.” Ugh, horrible.)
- Man arrested in Virginia is latest in series of Jan. 6 riot defendants to face new charges (“Jonathan Munafo is the latest pardoned U.S. Capitol riot defendant to again run afoul of the law. Court records reviewed by CBS News said Munafo was arrested Tuesday in Richmond, Virginia, where he was found allegedly violating supervised release conditions in a federal threat case. “)
- Fairfax County police emails warned about stabbing suspect in woman’s death (“News4 has obtained a series of emails from 2025 in which Fairfax County police commanders at the Mt. Vernon station began pressing the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to find ways to keep Abdul Jalloh behind bars.”)
- CWG Live: Warmer today and into the weekend, but cool air questions remain (“Today and tomorrow feature a battle between 70s south and 50s north. By Saturday, the whole area should make the 70s.”)
