by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, April 10.
- Meeting Climate Targets Requires Humanity to Reorient Its Relationship With Nature, New Study Says (“A team including scientists, Indigenous people and conservationists point to the ecosystem connecting Yellowstone and the Yukon as an example of a region where humans and nature are flourishing together.”)
- A rare sign of hope as mountain gorillas welcome two sets of twins in Africa (“In this week’s newsletter: Once close to extinction, the species is rebounding due to years of conservation work”)
- Artemis II’s grand moon finale is almost here with a Pacific splashdown to cap NASA’s lunar comeback (“All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.”)
- U.S. oil climbs above $100 as U.S.-Iran ceasefire fails to boost tanker traffic via Strait of Hormuz
- Strait of Hormuz stays shut as Trump demands Iran stop tolls
- Trump casts doubt on Iran war ceasefire over continued closure of strait of Hormuz
- Europe Is Done With Appeasing Trump
- Trump vented at Rutte over NATO inaction on Iran during turbulent meeting
- Apocalypse Later (“For much of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the stock market has curbed his worst impulses. What happens when traders no longer react to his threats of apocalyptic war?”)
- Trump ‘reaping bitter fruit’ of thinking Iran intervention as easy as Venezuela, says former diplomat
- White House Warns Staff Not to Place Bets on Prediction Markets Amid Iran War (“Well-timed bets about the war in Iran have raised eyebrows and calls from Democrats for more regulation”)
- Ceasefire or no ceasefire, the Middle East’s reshuffling is not yet done
- Trump’s Strategic and Moral Failure in Iran (“From the first day of his Presidency, Trump has posed an emergency to both his country and the world.”)
- Gulf states rethink security in light of US-Israel war on Iran (“Whatever outcome of ceasefire talks, the region will have to live with a continuing threat from the regime in Tehran”)
- Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US (“In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty”)
- Vance seeks to save fragile ceasefire at expected Islamabad trip (Vance – ugh!)
- Trump Lashes Out at Prominent Conservatives Over Iran War Criticism
- Megyn Kelly: Trump was “bamboozled” into striking Iran (Kelly: “I don’t know why. He was too weak to say no? He was too gullible to see through the lies?”)
- The Costs of Trump’s Iran-War Folly (“If this is “total and complete victory,” imagine what failure looks like.”)
- U.S. Races to Keep Israel’s Fight in Lebanon From Derailing Cease-Fire
- Netanyahu announces negotiations with Lebanon after U.S. pressure
- Lebanon will only take part in talks with Israel if ceasefire already in place, official tells BBC
- Keir Starmer: ‘I’m fed up’ with Trump and Putin affecting UK energy costs
- Starmer likens Trump to Putin as he laments soaring energy costs
- Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader people on both sides of strait are Chinese in rare meeting
- Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi Jinping in Beijing
- The Guardian view on Hungary’s election: a bellwether contest for the global far right (Reminder: The Guardian is a MUCH better news outlet than the vast majority – if not all – of the U.S. “mainstream media” and you should subscribe!)
- Hungary election campaigns enter final stretch as Orbán fights to remain in power (“… all independent pollsters appear to suggest that Péter Magyar’s Tisza party is on course for victory on Sunday.”)
- Who is Péter Magyar, the man leading the polls as Hungary prepares for election? (“Former Viktor Orbán loyalist and his Tisza party have enjoyed meteoric rise as opposition movement grows”)
- Even if Victor Orbán is ousted on Sunday, Hungary’s return to liberal democracy is not guaranteed (One thing at a time!)
- Cuban president tells NBC he won’t resign under US pressure, as Russia backs old ally
- Trump Administration Returns to Court for Yet Another Tariff Lawsuit
- Victim in ICE Shooting Suffered at Least Six Wounds, His Lawyer Says
- Kevin Warsh Fed chair confirmation plan hits snag as nomination hearing is delayed
- Consumer Spending, Engine of the U.S. Economy, Is Under Strain
- March inflation report to offer first glimpse of Iran war’s economic impact (“Economists expect March CPI to show inflation at 3.4 percent as the war in Iran drove a sharp rise in energy costs.”)
- Inflation probably picked up in March, fueled by Iran conflict
- Trump’s Economy: You’re Either an Insider or a Chump (“The president is enriching friends, pardoning criminals, and impoverishing everyone else.”)
- Hillary Clinton: How to Fix Affordability
- CDC delays COVID vaccine benefits report (F*** these people.)
- Sotomayor blames colleagues for slew of Supreme Court emergency appeals
- Anthropic Model Scare Sparks Urgent Bessent, Powell Warning to Bank CEOs
- Trump administration proposes gutting rules targeting coal plant ash that threatens groundwater (Insane, corrupt and evil.)
- These Republican-on-Republican disputes are keeping Congress frozen
- Pete Hegseth is a disaster of a defense secretary. It’s no surprise (“The former Fox host has misled the public, prayed for violence and clashed with the press. This is not a serious military leader”)
- Judge Rejects Hegseth’s Second Attempt to Restrict Reporters at Pentagon (“A federal judge gutted a set of rules that were adopted after the court declared an earlier press policy unconstitutional, in a case brought by The New York Times.”)
- Trump to break bread with journalists at annual dinner amid threats to jail them (These “journalists” are COMPLETELY F’ED UP to do this. Any that attend should be treated as illegitimate, henceforth…))
- 1979 Is the Year That Explains Donald Trump (“And pretty much all of the 1980s do too.”)
- ‘Illegal’ forest service overhaul risks causing ‘chaos’ across US public lands, union claims
- Exclusive: How Roger Stone persuaded Trump not to fire Tulsi Gabbard
- Trump administration plans to attack Biden DOJ as ‘anti-Christian’ in new report (In no way/shape/form was Biden’s DoJ “anti-Christian”; that is a wild lie and NBC News should have noted that in its headline. Yet another example of the cowardly media not reporting “without fear or favor,” as they sanctimoniously like to intone…)
- Trump news at a glance: Melania Trump’s weird disavowal of Epstein is getting weirder (“It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly – key US politics stories from Thursday 9 April at a glance”)
- Melania Trump’s surprise Epstein statement prompts bafflement (“Reporters search for answers to why first lady chose to make speech – and whether president knew it was coming”)
- Melania Trump tried to sweep the Epstein saga away, but she ended up reviving it
- Melania Trump Desperately Tries to Distance Herself From Epstein (“Is the first lady trying to get ahead of something?”)
- Melania Trump denies ties to Epstein: The bigger question – why?
- Melania Trump Says She Was Not Associated With Jeffrey Epstein (“Responding to what she said were smears, the first lady said she never had knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and was not a victim of his. She called for a congressional hearing for his victims.”)
- Melania Trump denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein and urges hearing for survivors
- Labor secretary faces discrimination complaints tied to her husband’s alleged misconduct
- EFF is Leaving X (Everybody else should do the same. That certainly includes Democrats – national and Virginia.)
- Justice Department Opens Investigation Into NFL
- Trump posts graphic video of woman’s killing in Florida (“President’s post on Truth Social is in keeping with a pattern of using shocking video to sow fear about immigration and justify mass deportation” )
- Agriculture secretary’s religious Easter message to all employees sparks internal backlash and a formal complaint
- Democrats fret in Maine as Schumer’s pick stumbles
- White House confirms Trump visiting Charlottesville on Friday (“According to a press release, Trump is scheduled to participate in a MAGA, Inc. meeting at 6:30 p.m. and a roundtable at 7:15 p.m.” Yuuuuuck.)
- U.S. Sen. Mark Warner: Economic woes from war could be long-lasting
- Warner aims to protect kids online with Sammy’s Law
- Senator Tim Kaine Gives Heinemann Lecture (“Sic Semper Tyrannis: Virginia’s Anti-Tyranny Roots”)
- Leaving NATO Would Be National Self-Sabotage (By Sen. Tim Kaine.)
- Video: Four VA07* Democratic Candidates (Saddam Salim, JP Cooney, Adele McClure, Dave Kennedy) Speak to the Arlington Democrats (*The new “blue lobster” VA07, assuming the redistricting amendment passes on 4/21)
- Virginia labor union, Congressman Walkinshaw urge ‘Yes’ vote on redistricting
- House Speaker Mike Johnson headlining anti-referendum rally in Bridgewater (Johnson is one of the worst people in America.)
- The Outrage Over Racist Mailers Is Not Translating Into Action (“If you are serious about countering the disinformation targeting Black voters, get off the sidelines. Join our phone banks. Share this now.”)
- Slate of new Virginia laws address health care and housing affordability (“Building on campaign promises by the governor and Democratic lawmakers, health care and housing affordability bills dominated the 2026 legislative session.”)
- Video: Gov. Abigail Spanberger Asks “if everybody hated me, why is everybody putting my face on their mailers for the referendum?” (Also says there have been “outrageous” false things said on Twitter and in the media, but the fact is , “Virginia is not a sanctuary state, full stop.”)
- After Spanberger signature, Virginians will soon have a right to contraception
- Virginia House Democrats Celebrate $15/Hour Minimum Wage Being Signed into Law (“…inflation and tariffs have driven up prices, and wages have fallen behind – this law is a key component of rectifying that divide”)
- Virginia to raise minimum wage to $15 by 2028 under new law (“Measure wins broad public support but carries growing fiscal impact and draws GOP concern.”)
- Minimum wage increase bill signed into law: Still not a living wage for most (“…a single adult with no kids in Augusta County needs to earn $22.92 an hour to be at a ‘living wage’ level, and a single adult with two kids would need to make $45.92 an hour, or $95,513.60 a year.”)
- Spanberger weighing whether to eliminate Fourth Amendment waivers in plea deals
- Spanberger signs bills to aid low-income utility customers, manage power demand
- Governor Abigail Spanberger Vetoes Proposed Fairfax Casino (Fairfax Chair thanks Spanberger, says “Our residents have been clear in their overwhelming opposition to a casino in Fairfax County”; Sen. Scott Surovell “deeply disappointed”)
- Behind the failed push to bring a casino to Tysons
- Spanberger vetoes Fairfax casino legislation citing local opposition
- Sands’ legacy isn’t just in Blacksburg; it’s statewide. (“The president of a major state research university isn’t just a college administrator, he or she is a key player in the state’s economy.”)
- Tim Sands to step down as president of Virginia Tech (“Sands, who has been at the university’s helm for 12 years, is credited with helping to land Amazon’s HQ2 project for Virginia and strengthening Virginia Tech’s ties to Roanoke’s burgeoning biomedical sector.”)
- Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands to step down
- CWG Live: Warm 70s return today. Turning hot next week.
