Sunday (4/19) News: “Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed again as vessels attempting to cross come under fire”; “Why the Stock Market Makes No Sense Right Now”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, April 19. Polls o9pen in <47 hours; make sure you vote YES (at your regular polling location)!

• Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial (“Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.” mRNA vaccine technology is amazing!)
• We spoke to over 30 central bankers, policymakers and politicians. Here are their top concerns (“CNBC spoke to more than 30 policymakers at the IMF World Bank meetings in Washington, DC, this week. The U.S.-Iran war, which is nearing its eighth week, dominated conversation. Uncertainty is weighing on the global outlook, with officials saying the war is already affecting inflation and growth.”)
• American pope’s popularity is on display as war erodes America’s global standing (“Catholics expressed love and admiration for Pope Leo XIV on his Africa tour, but not so much for Donald Trump as the war in Iran shatters his promise as a president for peace.”)
• Zelensky condemns US extension of Russian sanctions waiver
• Ukraine Has Finally Given Up on Trump (“Zelensky has written off the United States.”)
• At least six killed in Kyiv as gunman opens fire and takes hostages
• Hormuz at Standstill, Denting US-Iran Peace Deal Hopes
• Iran doubles down on closing the Strait of Hormuz as the ceasefire nears expiration
• Iran’s Hard-Liners Flex Their Muscle With a U‑Turn Over Hormuz
• Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed again as vessels attempting to cross come under fire
• For Iran, Flexing Control Over Waterway Is New Deterrent
• U.S. Military Prepares to Board Iran-Linked Ships in Coming Days, Officials Say
• Trump Can’t Even Surrender Right (“When you’re losing a war, but it’s not an existential defeat, your country, your government can continue pretty much as before. Aside from the humiliation, there’s a well-established technique, which is to declare victory and pull out.”)
• Scoop: Trump convenes Iran situation room meeting amid renewed Hormuz crisis
• Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears (“The president’s impulsive style has never before been tested during a sustained military conflict; ruminating on Jimmy Carter”)
• Trump and Tehran’s series of mismanaged posts stall progress towards peace (“US president’s desperation for war to end has seen him trying to speed through a process he does not fully control”)
• Trump keeps claiming victory in Iran. Our new poll shows voters aren’t buying it. (“A majority say the war is not in the national interest, and many lack confidence in the president’s goals — including some 2024 supporters.”)
• Iranian official says talks with US to end war have made progress but sides ‘far’ from deal
• Walz in Spain rips ‘feeble-minded’ Trump, Vance over Iran war
• Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on?
• Iran says it’s ‘far from final agreement’ with US, as Strait of Hormuz traffic halts
• Bibi torched U.S. support for Israel for a generation
• Justice Department Rebuffs French on X Probe, Musk Interview (“U.S. authorities say their French counterparts are improperly seeking to regulate an American company”)
• Kim Lane Scheppele on Hungary (“Democracy wins big”)
• Trump and FIFA Have Already Broken the 2026 World Cup (“Travel bans, ICE fears, and astronomical costs are ruining the tournament before it begins—not that Trump or Gianni Infantino care.”)
• ICE deported 174 Daca recipients through most of last year, agency head says in letter (“So-called Dreamers – undocumented immigrants who arrived as children – were allowed to stay in US under Obama-era program”)
• Poll: Trump’s immigration message changed. Voters’ opinions have not. (“A new POLITICO poll finds half of Americans — including one quarter of Trump’s 2024 voters — said his mass deportations campaign is too aggressive.” Should be 100%…)
• Mullin faces criticism on both sides less than a month into tenure
• Business groups resist anti-immigrant bills cheered by the White House (“Most of the roughly 200 bills targeting immigrants in red states have stalled or died this year, with help from business and Christian groups.”)
• Trump is savaging allies who criticize the Iran war. But he’s treating Joe Rogan very differently
• Joe Rogan joins Trump to sign order allowing psychedelic drug research (Seriously, F*** Joe Rogan.)
• Podcasters, Presidents, and Psychedelics: How Joe Rogan Got Trump Into Ibogaine (Among other things, Joe Rogan is a complete f’ing imbecile – raising the question, why would anyone listen to him, let alone take him seriously in any way???)
• Why the Stock Market Makes No Sense Right Now (Wildly irrational.)
• How the hell has the stock market not learned that Trump just lies? (“Trump is wishing away the Iran War the way he did Covid. What happens when the market finally has to tell the truth?”)
• Read the Supreme Court’s Shadow Papers (What needs to happen is: 1) Dems take back power; 2) they expand the Court to 13 Justices or whatever; 3) the Court overturns the entire Roberts Court.)
• U.S. Installs a Trump Loyalist to Lead ‘Grand Conspiracy’ Case Into Trump Foes (Completely insane.)
• Trump lawyer from effort to overturn 2020 election to oversee probe of ex-CIA director, DOJ official says
• White House officials ‘openly discuss’ firing Kash Patel as FBI chief threatens to sue over report about ‘excessive drinking’
• ‘A trend that can’t be ignored’: Dems have made up ground in nearly every election since Trump took office (“POLITICO’s analysis shows a clear trend in red and blue districts alike.”)
• Battleground Republicans are starting to worry about the Senate
• Trump is losing non-MAGA Republicans over prices and Iran (“Plus, why MAGA is not a durable majority, and a study on the effects of raising the minimum wage in red states”)
• Trump’s fixation on White House ballroom is increasing, Post analysis finds
• Construction on Trump’s White House ballroom can continue for now, US appeals court says
• Muslim Southerners Face a Fresh Wave of Hateful Political Rhetoric (“Some Muslim voters were once drawn to Republican positions on family values, but as politicians stoke anti-Islamic sentiment, many feel threatened.”)
• Ex-model, arrested by Aventura police and deported, causes White House stir
• Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
• Jon Ossoff calls out ‘Mar-a-Lago mafia’ amid presidential bid rumors
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren rallies with Graham Platner in Maine’s heated Democratic Senate primary (I’m so glad I never supported Warren for president.)
• D.C. police sought to arrest Rep. Cory Mills after assault call, records show
• Forced out of the military — and into the redistricting wars (All I have to say to this is that VA11 voters should reelect James Walkinshaw, who is doing a superb job!)
• With the Final Day of Early Voting TODAY and the Election on Tuesday, Sam Shirazi Looks at “Shy Yes Voters vs. Skeptical No Independents” (“I don’t know if the Republicans’ strategy of making this a referendum on Spanberger necessarily is going to work”)
• Photos: AAPI Leaders and Grassroots Activists Rally for “Vote YES” in Virginia (“Virginians must win this election for ourselves, our families, and our country!”)
• Virginia Voters Have Strong Feelings on Map Fight—Once They Understand It
• Why These Arguments Against Virginia’s Redistricting Don’t Hold Up (“I’ve spent years studying how political messaging works. Let’s deconstruct the messaging trying to convince us to vote “no.””)
• Spanberger hits redistricting campaign trail, former governor strikes back (The media should, but never will, mention that Youngkin’s a pathological liar. If they did that, of course, they would fear being attacked by the right wing and also falsely accused of not being “objective,” so they don’t, but it’s a MASSIVE failure.)
• Will the General Assembly come to a budget agreement this week?
• VIDEO: Virginia Public Service Workers Call on General Assembly to Reject Anti-Worker Changes Gutting Collective Bargaining Bill (“Protect the rights of all Virginia’s public servants and return the original bill to Governor Spanberger to sign”)
• Virginia’s Black residents are more likely to die from extreme temperatures, state data shows
• Williams: Spanberger disregards the Black electorate on cannabis
• Editorial: Murder-suicide puts spotlight on scourge of domestic violence
• Orange County, 60 percent-plus Trump in 2024, lost a major employer, because of Trump (“A solidly sourced and expertly reported story in Charlottesville Tomorrow on the shock closure of a major employer in Orange County buried the lede on what led to the immediate layoffs of more than 130 people – the disastrous Trump tariffs, and surging fuel costs.”)
• ‘I feel scared’: First night of Oceanfront curfew brings quiet — at a cost
• CWG Live: Much cooler today with morning to midday showers