by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, March 17.
- Revealed: the world’s worst mega-leaks of methane driving global heating (“Exclusive: Fixing a leak can be simple and equivalent to closing a coal power station, making lack of action maddening, say analysts”)
- Reduced physical activity due to global heating will lead to rise in health issues, study says (“Researchers project that reduced activity could contribute to half a million additional premature deaths annually by 2050”)
- ‘Very damaging’: how the Iran war is hitting energy-intensive industries (“Conflict pushes companies struggling with rising costs in sectors such as steel and chemicals to the edge”)
- War in the Gulf Is Now Churning the U.S.-China Relationship (“With a presidential summit most likely delayed, and tensions rising over Iran, vital issues for the U.S. and China are also being cast into uncertainty.”)
- Trump seeks to delay meeting with Xi in China
- The Iran war already has a winner (“The spiraling conflict is a lifeline for Vladimir Putin.”)
- Making Russia strong again (“Trump’s war is doing Putin’s bidding on multiple fronts.”)
- Slavery, Tariffs and the Dire Strait (“Or, why America is on its own”)
- How the Iran war is an economic world war
- Why Trump’s Kharg Island attacks could make the oil crisis worse
- Europe Rejects Trump’s Demands for Warships to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
- Iran targets UAE energy infrastructure as gas field set ablaze, tanker struck near Strait of Hormuz
- Trump Is Learning That His Bullying Has Consequences (“Allies are not eager to assist a superpower that’s shown them no loyalty.”)
- Trump Can’t Spin His Way Out of This War
- Don’t ‘blackmail’ us: Europe rejects Trump’s demand to help clean up Hormuz mess (“‘This is not Europe’s war,’ the EU tells Washington in a bruising rebuke on Iran even as oil prices rise.”)
- War planning on Iran conflict includes off-ramps for Trump should he choose them (“The military plans also include possibilities for escalation if the White House decides to increase the pressure on Iran, sources tell NBC News.”)
- Trump said he spoke to a former president about bombing Iran. Four denials suggest otherwise. (“Trump said twice Monday that he spoke to one of his predecessors about the Iran war and that the former president said he wished he had taken the action Trump did.”)
- Trump Claims an Ex-President Confided His Regrets on Iran. But Who? (“The New York Times reached out to people close to President Trump’s predecessors. They disputed Mr. Trump’s claims.”)
- We Need a White House Insider to Stand Up to Trump’s Wartime Insanity. I’m Not Optimistic.
- Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say (“The Ford is now entering its 10th month of deployment after arriving in the Middle East from the Caribbean.”)
- Live updates: Top Iranian security official and head of country’s Basij force killed, Israel says
- Israel says it killed two top Iranian commanders in targeted strike
- Trump predicts US will have ‘honour of taking Cuba’ amid power blackout (“US president declares he can do ‘anything I want’ after oil blockade plunges country into darkness”)
- Trump Administration Said to Tell Cuba That Its President Has to Go (“The United States has told Cuba that for meaningful progress to be made in negotiations, President Miguel Díaz-Canel must step down, said people familiar with the talks.”)
- Trump muses over ‘taking Cuba’ as island’s power grid collapses after weeks of US oil blockade
- U.S. intelligence says Iran’s regime is consolidating power (This is going just greeeeaaaat. Not.)
- Iran Unleashes New Crackdown on Its People to Head Off Uprising (“Battered by U.S. and Israeli attacks, Iranian security forces are launching new arrests and warning of no mercy for protesters”)
- Trump ramps up press pressure over Iran war coverage
- Scoop: Witkoff to brief bipartisan group of senators Tuesday on Iran (Witkoff is Wit-less.)
- ‘They hold the cards now’: Trump allies fear Iran is slipping beyond the president’s control (“Trump supporters who backed his promise to avoid new Middle East wars worry Iran’s attacks on shipping are pushing the U.S. toward escalation — and maybe even boots on the ground.”)
- At least 200 American troops wounded in Iran war, US military says
- Exclusive: Iran’s new supreme leader rejects proposals for reducing tensions with US, senior official says
- Israel’s Gulf-State Gamble in the Iran War (“Benjamin Netanyahu has predicted that the conflict could draw Israel closer to its Arab neighbors. That may be wishful thinking.”)
- Israel’s plan to expand Lebanon ground campaign fuels fears of prolonged occupation (“Israeli defence minister says IDF instructed to destroy ‘terror infrastructure’ in southern villages”)
- Afghanistan says 400 killed in strike by Pakistan on Kabul hospital (“Deputy government spokesman says death toll has reached 400 people ‘so far’ as Islamabad denies targeting facility for drug addicts”)
- Balcony solar approvals put on fast-track, as UK races to bolster energy independence
- How Canada’s embrace of Chinese EVs could scramble the American market (“Canada’s import plans reverse years of North American policy that treated the cheap, high-tech Chinese cars as an economic threat.”)
- Gregory Bovino, who led Minnesota operation, says he’s retiring end of March
- Last protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released
- Kristi Noem Bought 11 Warehouses to Use as ICE Jails. Now What? (“DHS’s next leader will inherit a fast-moving $38 billion plan for industrial-scale immigrant detention.” Concentration camps in America.)
- Top Architecture Firm Won’t Design More ICE Prisons After Employees Revolt
- Time to Give Up the Jerome Powell Case (“What matters is getting Kevin Warsh confirmed, not appealing a legal loss.”)
- Atmospheric research group sues Trump over imminent science lab breakup
- The Fed Keeps Getting Hit With New Shocks in Its Yearslong Inflation Fight (“A series of supply setbacks has kept prices above target for five years. Now officials have to put a number on what that means for interest rates.”)
- US Diesel Tops $5 a Gallon as War Disrupts Supply Chains
- Judge Strikes Down Kennedy’s Vaccine Policies (“Ruling on a lawsuit brought by several prominent medical organizations, a district court said the federal government had not based its decisions on science in limiting Covid shots and revising the childhood immunization schedule.” EXCELLENT!)
- Axios-Ipsos poll: Americans distrust Trump vaccine policies
- US judge upends Kennedy’s overhaul of childhood vaccine policies
- Republicans collide with Trump over no-excuse absentee voting, SAVE Act
- Trump Officials Weigh New $1 Billion Deal to Stop Offshore Wind Farms (“Proposed settlements would block wind farms off New York State and North Carolina, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.” WTF???)
- The fight over transgender rights in America has entered a new phase (“The policy fight is moving well beyond sports and youth medicine. The political response hasn’t caught up.”)
- The Decay of American Journalism in a Disinformation Age (“The media industry is just one American institution that’s been badly shaken. Its revival may be crucial to putting the world back together.”)
- Trump is losing one battle after another. Cue the posts. (“The president’s Sunday night diatribe was most notable for his attacks on the highest court in the land.”)
- MAGA Turns on Itself, and It’s Ugly (“This is the only way they know how to do politics.”)
- How Will 2028 Democrats Handle Israel? (“The contenders will be far more skeptical of Israel than we’ve seen in many, many decades”)
- Scoop: Jeffries faces growing threat of 2027 rebellion
- Trump Airs a House Republican’s Terminal Diagnosis, Claiming to Have Reversed It
- A history of America First streamer Nick Fuentes’ extreme misogyny
- Trump allies might get their preferred Democratic Senate candidate from Illinois (“Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has raised much more cash than Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and other primary challengers”)
- Maine governor targets oyster farmer in competitive Democratic Senate primary (“Janet Mills, the two-term governor, is running ads in the state slamming insurgent Graham Platner’s past Reddit comments on sexual assault.”)
- Jeanine Pirro struggles after racking up a series of embarrassing defeats (She’s a total clown.)
- Trump appointees aren’t legally qualified to vote on ballroom, critics say
- A Hard-Knock Life: A Trump Cabinet Hopeful Is Moved Offstage (“Richard Grenell once hoped to be President Trump’s secretary of state. Instead, Mr. Trump just replaced him as Kennedy Center president.”)
- Trump’s Handpicked Kennedy Center Board Greenlights Two-Year Closure
- D.C. pipe bomb suspect argues he should be covered by Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons (“Lawyers for Brian Cole, who is charged with planting the bombs, say he is innocent — but if he weren’t, they said, he would be covered by President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon.”)
- How the storm forecast that scared D.C. fell short (“Meteorologists did their job but the alarm got carried away, highlighting the need for better communication of uncertainty.”)
- ‘Completely not dignified’: Rep. Eugene Vindman, U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner criticize Iran war
- Warner files for reelection, launching bid for fourth U.S. Senate term
- Video: Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07) – Pete Hegseth Saying “No Quarter Will Be Given” is “Plain and Simple” a Violation of the Geneva Convention (Rep. Vindman also says that supporting supplemental Iran war funding is the “exact opposite” of supporting the troops)
- Ben Cline draws 30 people in Botetourt County to back his referendum block (What a joke.)
- Trump’s Dangerous and Poorly Planned Attack on Iran Gets a Big Thumbs-Up from Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) (For that reason, and many others, Kiggans doesn’t deserve reelection in November)
- As states scrap 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…”)
- VPAP Stats: VA Democratic Legislators Overwhelmingly Had the Highest “Batting Averages” in 2026; Lots of Pitiful Scores Among Republicans (Sen. Tara Durant (R), for instance, managed to go 0/16; Del. Tom Garrett (R) went 0/15)
- From artificial intelligence to zoos, here’s what happened to some of the key bills in Richmond
- Data center bills dominated this year’s General Assembly. Here’s what passed.
- Housing bills to boost supply, protect tenants on way to Spanberger’s desk
- Fairfax casino legislation survives General Assembly session, other gambling bills don’t
- Outrage over Dominion Energy bills continues. Dominion says recent spikes were mostly because of weather. (I actually agree with Dominion Energy for a change; this winter was brutally cold – “December was the coldest we’ve had in 15 years…January into February, those temperatures were the coldest we’ve had since the 1940s.”)
- Fairfax County casino bill passes. Why a GOP state senator accused NoVa Dems of hypocrisy
- Fairfax County supervisors urge Spanberger to veto casino bill
- Fairfax County considers $167M land sale to data center developer
- Henrico County continues its ‘course of progress’ in FY27 budget (“County targets investments in education, public safety and facilities despite drops in state funding aid.”)
- Robert Tracci’s time as Western Virginia’s top federal prosecutor comes to a close
- Special election Tuesday for House District 98 in Virginia Beach
- Russia apprehends former Salem man at sea, sentences him to 5 years in prison
- For safety, JROTC students told not to wear their uniforms in at least two Hampton Roads school districts
- CWG Live: Back to cold with a breeze today, even some snowflakes possible (“Gradual warming after tomorrow as we get back to near or above 60 by Friday and Saturday.”)
