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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, March 31.
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- The world economy is experiencing the most severe oil shock in decades. The worst could still be on the way. (“Analysts say rising gas prices are just the start. The most serious consequences of the war with Iran could hit the global economy in the coming weeks and months.”)
- Pope vs. Trump: Pontiff takes aim at U.S. policies
- America Is Now a Rogue Superpower (“Washington’s conduct in the Iran war is accelerating global chaos and deepening America’s dangerous isolation.”)
- Iran War Chokes Off Helium Supply Critical for AI (“Customers for the gas are being told to expect supply cuts and surcharges as Persian Gulf supplies dry up”)
- Huge fires at Russian oil facilities following Ukraine strikes, satellite images show
- China’s Pivot to Vietnam Blows Hole in Trump’s Made-in-USA Plan
- Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting until Iran is decisively defeated
- Trump Tells Aides He’s Willing to End War Without Reopening Hormuz (“Administration officials assess that forcing the waterway back open would mean extending the military mission”)
- Giant oil tanker off Dubai hit by Iranian strike after Trump’s latest threats
- Pete Hegseth’s broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war: Financial Times
- Hegseth’s Broker Tried To Make Big Defense Investments Before Iran Strikes: Report
- America Is Abandoning Morality(“Should the U.S. military act on an order from Mr. Trump to indiscriminately destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure, it will be a flagrant violation of the laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law…”)
- Trump threatens to destroy Iran’s desalination plants. Here’s what that could mean for the Mideast
- Trump Orders War Crimes. Then What? (“For one thing, we’d learn a lot about America.”)
- Trump’s Propaganda Machine Is Flailing on Iran
- Iran’s Fractured Leadership Is Struggling to Coordinate, Officials Say (“As leaders are killed and replaced, Iranian negotiators may not know what their government is willing to concede in any negotiations.”)
- Vital U.S. radar aircraft was destroyed by Iranian strike on U.S. base in Saudi Arabia, photos show (“Images geolocated by NBC News showed a command and control E-3 Sentry jet heavily damaged after the Iranian strike that also wounded soldiers.”)
- Italy refuses US aircraft use of Sicily base for Middle East operations, source says
- Sean Hannity predicts Iran war will end “no later than three weeks from today”
- President Trump told his followers to “Watch Mark Levin.” The Fox host called for U.S. troops to seize Iran’s uranium. (“Under Levin’s plan, U.S. troops would try to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of buried nuclear material while under fire”)
- Israel Passes Law to Hang Palestinians Convicted of Deadly Attacks (Stupid, bad, etc.)
- Exclusive: US counterterror officials plan antifa summit (Deranged.)
- US directs American embassies to wage campaign against foreign ‘hostility’ – with Musk’s help (Alrighty…)
- Viktor Orban’s problems undercut Trump’s new world order (“A loss by the Hungarian strongman in the country’s April 12 election would have ramifications for MAGA”)
- Viktor Orbán has the support of both Russia and the US. Here’s why that doesn’t seem to be doing him any good (“In Hungary, the Iran war is exposing tensions. On April 12, voters may decide that Orban’s geopolitical contortions are a liability… Reliable polling suggests Orbán is on the ropes, with a widening gap – as much as 15 percentage points – between the governing party and the opposition. Even in Hungary’s skewed electoral system, this is a polling deficit that will be difficult to overcome.”)
- Two-year-old held by ICE sick and not getting adequate care, Democrat warns (“Congressman Joaquin Castro calls for release of boy, Kaleth, and mother from much-criticized detention Dilley facility”)
- ICE agents will be stationed outside Marine Corps graduation events in South Carolina (“As the U.S. continues to fight the war in Iran, the Marine Corps has boosted protection measures on bases, requiring everyone to present REAL IDs, passports or birth certificates to access any sites.”)
- The DHS shutdown might never end (“The strongest impetus for a deal — the hourslong security lines at some U.S. airports — is already dissipating.”)
- Trump’s disconnect in DHS stalemate fuels Republican infighting: From the Politics Desk
- GOP’s DHS funding battle turns up the heat on House-Senate Republican civil war
- Trump Lawyers Cite White Supremacists in Birthright Citizenship Case (“The Trump administration believes white supremacists are legitimate sources to cite in arguments before the Supreme Court.”)
- T.S.A. Workers Get Paid but Wonder When Next Check Will Come
- Gas hits $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly four years (“A Kuwaiti tanker was struck Tuesday in Dubai’s waters, the latest in a number of attacks on energy assets as the Iran war spikes oil prices and roils markets”)
- Average Gasoline Price Hits $4 in U.S., a ‘Headache’ for Drivers and Trump
- Tariffs Put Businesses in Crisis. Waiting for the Refund Could Be Worse.
- US gas prices hit $4 a gallon, as Iran attacks Kuwaiti oil tanker (“Prices at the pump now the highest since 2022. Meanwhile, Iran says desalination plant on Qeshm Island out of service after airstrike.”)
- The market is sending a worrying signal about the economy
- Trump to revoke protections for endangered species in Gulf of Mexico (“President is convening so-called ‘God squad’ to override provisions of Endangered Species Act for ‘national security’” ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT.)
- President Trump’s Approval Sinks to 33% in New UMass Poll (“Amidst war with Iran and deepening disapproval over his handling of inflation, immigration, jobs and tariffs, 17% of 2024 Trump voters now express reservations about their vote choice”)
- At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over (“Disagreements about Gaza and Zionism have divided congregations.”)
- “An Abomination”: How the Epstein Files Exposed Victims Instead of Perpetrators (“President Trump’s Department of Justice shielded banks and billionaires while exposing Epstein’s alleged victims in the release of six million files. Now some survivors have filed suit against the federal government.”)
- Army reviewing after helicopters hovered alongside Kid Rock’s swimming pool as he saluted (WTF???)
- “CEO Said A Thing!” Journalism (“‘CEO said a thing!’ journalism involves parroting the claims of a business leader or executive with absolutely no context, correction, or challenge whatsoever, no matter how elaborate the delusion.” Add that to “Trump said a thing!” and “Youngkin said a thing!” and a million other examples of the political media in this country sucking…badly.)
- JD Vance appears at secretive conservative donor summit as 2028 presidential speculation grows (Vance is a DISASTER.)
- The People Trump Pardoned Are on a Crime Spree
- Members of Jan. 6 mob sue police who fended off Capitol attack (INSANE!)
- Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump gets prison sentence for possessing ‘enormous child pornography collection’ (“Daniel Tocci’s attorney had previously argued that the case should be dismissed because ‘all the evidence’ stemmed from his Capitol siege case.”)
- ‘I Think That MAGA Is Dying’: Inside the Youth Movement at CPAC (“At a sparsely attended Conservative Political Action Conference, young Republicans were eager to start the post-Trump era.”)
- Rep. Eric Swalwell sends cease-and-desist letter to FBI director
- States Plow Ahead With A.I. Regulation, Defying Trump
- Florida Gov. DeSantis signs bill to rename Palm Beach airport after Trump (Pathetic.)
- Trump Administration Sues Minnesota Over Transgender Student Athletes (We’re at war with Iran, gasoline prices are soaring, etc, etc., and they’re obsessed with this…)
- A Democratic Electrician Nabs a State Senate Seat in Republican Florida (“With Brian Nathan’s victory certified, Democrats won two of three state legislative races in this month’s special elections, all in Republican-leaning districts.”)
- ‘Unflattering’ Photo Yanked After Karoline Leavitt Meltdown
- The Greatest Threat to Our Elections Is No Longer Foreign (“First, Congress must assert its constitutional role. That means rejecting efforts to nationalize election administration and conducting rigorous oversight of how federal authorities are being used or misused. State and local officials must also hold the line. They are the stewards of our election system, and their adherence to the law is one of our strongest defenses against interference…Most of all, the American people must remain vigilant. Democracies rarely fail in a single moment. They are tested when the boundaries between lawful authority and political power are deliberately blurred. The idea that a president could fabricate an emergency to take control of elections would have been unthinkable not long ago. It must remain unacceptable now.”)
- Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine on the Iran War, DHS funding fight
- Saying “YES” to Virginia’s Redistricting Amendment Is a Great Way to Say “NO” to Republicans’ Voter Suppression Tricks (As Sen. Louise Lucas’ granddaughter Natalie Lucas (Shorter) puts it, “Virginia is not ceding even a scintilla’s worth of ground…We will not go gentle.”)
- WATCH NEW AD: “Tough” — Virginia Veterans Fight Back (“Fighting fire with fire is a tough choice. But it’s the right one.”)
- Del. Lily Franklin to Serve as Campaign Manager for Tom Perriello’s U.S. House Campaign (Franklin previously served as Chief of Staff for Del. Sam Rasoul, a potential rival of Perriello’s for the VA06 Dem nomination)
- Perriello hires Del. Lily Franklin as his campaign manager
- Split deepens in Perriello-Macy Sixth District primary race with new hire (“The campaign manager for Perriello’s rival for the nomination, Beth Macy, is Morgan Pavelka. Pavelka was on the campaign team for Franklin, as the deputy campaign manager, last year, as Franklin worked to flip a Southwest Virginia House of Delegates seat.”)
- What happens in April will set the political direction in Virginia for years to come
- Spanberger considering assault weapons ban, other gun restrictions
- Planned Parenthood presses Virginia to restore state funding for contraception program
- Virginia’s moment to lead on clean energy while Washington wavers (It’s not that generic “Washingto0” “wavers”, this is 100% the fault of *REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON* – they are intentionally, consciously waging war against clean energy!)
- Virginia’s gambling expansion must be matched by recovery support
- Weapon offenses rise on Virginia university campuses
- A local Kroger store banned a woman of color: Was it racial discrimination?
- Contaminated groundwater identified at Virginia Beach Oceanfront road project
- ‘Chaotic and erratic’: Fairfax Co. families call for changes to school calendars
- Roanoke County family files lawsuit against VHSL, school board over homeschool sports rule
- CWG Live: Breezy burst of warmth today as spring flirts with summer (“Highs aim for the low 80s today with warmer weather tomorrow. A few late-day showers and storms possible tomorrow.”)
