by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, April 2.
- Global Climate Panel Faces Strife, Potential Funding Crunch (“Major reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are still on track, but procedural gridlock and a looming funding shortage hint at future problems.”)
- Arctic ice loss brings dual heatwaves to Europe and eastern Asia (“The Barents Sea might seem too far away to affect our weather – but research shows it does” UGH.)
- Next-generation geothermal needs more than a technology revolution (“A new wave of geothermal projects promises to unleash clean, around-the-clock energy. But piecemeal permitting and outdated standards could delay its progress.”)
- Global solar additions reached record 511 GW in 2025, says IRENA (“Latest figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency find solar contributed the majority of a record 692 GW of renewables capacity added worldwide last year.” Good, but still not enough – need to get closer to 1,000 GW of renewables per year to start really putting a dent into fossil fuels.)
- Global super-rich may have hidden $3.55tn from tax officials, says Oxfam (“Charity calls for a levy on the very richest and the closing of tax loopholes in its report on offshore wealth”)
- How the Iran war could shatter global food security (“Fertilizer shortages linked to the war are hitting just as planting seasons begin across much of Africa and Asia, raising the risk of lower yields or even crop failures.”)
- Oil gains with Brent surging more than 7% as Trump’s Iran war speech stokes fears of further escalation
- Oil Jumps and Diesel Tops $200 as Trump Threatens Escalation
- Why Trump Didn’t Predict the Gas-Price Spike (“The president doesn’t understand that markets are global.” MORON.)
- Hopes dim for swift end to Iran war after Trump speech, oil prices surge anew
- Stock futures fall after Trump says Iran war will continue for weeks: Live updates
- Markets Recoil After Trump Claims Success in Iran Without Offering Exit Plan
- Coordinated conflict: how the Ukraine and Iran wars are starting to overlap (“Battlefield outcomes are connected by the sharing of weapons and intelligence as well as the damage to the global economy”)
- Maybe Trump Should Not Have Given This Speech (“His address raised more questions than it answered about the war in Iran.”)
- Trump Says It’ll Be ‘Easy’ to Wrap Up the War With Iran ‘Very Shortly’ (“The president said during a prime time address that the conflict was “getting very close” to being done, but did not give an exact timeline.” Joke.)
- Takeaways from Trump’s address: No end date for Iran war and few details on strategy ahead
- Trump makes his best case for the war — but fails to ease worries about how it will end
- Trump Offers No Timeline Or Path Forward In Meandering Iran War Address (“The president also again lashed out at NATO, even though it is a defensive alliance and not obligated to join in a member’s war of choice and aggression.”)
- Tehran warns of ‘broader’ attacks after Trump says US will hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks
- Trump leaves key questions unanswered as he seeks to calm nerves over Iran war
- Every Trump Threat to Abandon NATO Hollows It Out
- Trump’s rage at NATO allies is binding them together — against him (“Leaders and defense officials have started hedging against the risk America will pull out of NATO, the bedrock of European security since 1949.”)
- UK gathers more than 30 countries to plot ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz
- Trump Isn’t Taking Cuba. He’s Starving It.
- Solar was poised to help Puerto Ricans survive blackouts — until Trump axed nearly $1B in funding (“The money is being redirected to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, a government-owned utility with a checkered past.”)
- ‘If he’d stayed on the golf course, we’d be in a better place’: experts on Trump’s tariffs, one year on (“Last April, the president unleashed a tidal wave of tariffs on ‘liberation day’. Analysts say the policy has failed, even by the Trump administration’s own terms”)
- Punished for Protesting, Talking to Press, and Having a Toothache: More Dilley Horror Stories (“A new batch of firsthand accounts from ICE’s family detention center depict vindictive treatment.” EVIL.)
- Medical Examiner Rules That a Rohingya Refugee’s Death Was a Homicide (“An autopsy showed that the man suffered dehydration and hypothermia after Border Patrol agents dropped him off on a cold night in Buffalo. Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned their actions as cruel and inhumane.” Pure evil.)
- Trump’s MAGA allies have a new plan for mass deportations. It could splinter the coalition. (“Surpassing 1 million deportations this year hinges on worksite enforcement — which would enrage farm and construction groups (and possibly voters).”)
- G.O.P. Leaders Strike Deal to End Homeland Security Shutdown
- DHS cancels policy requiring secretary to review contracts over $100,000
- Mike Johnson caves on Senate’s DHS deal, paving way to end shutdown (“In a sudden reversal, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced the House would accept the Senate deal on funding DHS.”)
- The Long Odds of Undoing Birthright Citizenship (“In arguments at the Supreme Court, a clear majority of the Justices seemed inclined to uphold the right.”)
- Trump Will Lose the Birthright Citizenship Case. But in a Way, He’s Already Won. (“When the Supreme Court rules against the Trump administration’s attempt to constrict birthright citizenship, we should applaud that result. We must not lose sight, however, of the opportunities the court won’t have to rein in the administration when it overreaches — and the court’s own responsibility for creating such an increasingly dangerous reality.”)
- Trump’s Absurd Citizenship Arguments Went Nowhere (“The scandal is that the case got this far.” Exactly; a sane Supreme Court wouldn’t have even heard this laughable, insane case.)
- Trump’s grip on the Supreme Court seems to be slipping
- Justices Express Skepticism Over Birthright Citizenship Case They Never Should Have Taken in the First Place
- Moment Humiliated Trump Fled SCOTUS Captured for History
- It Was Another Supremely Humiliating Day for Trump
- Ending birthright citizenship would change the meaning of America (“The supreme court appears poised to reject Trump’s attack on a foundation of US identity. We must hope it follows through”)
- C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Pox Viruses (“The diseases were removed from a list of tests the agency conducts for state and local health departments. Experts worry that with drastic staff reductions, the testing may not resume.” Insane.)
- Public Anger Is Rising (“Even TMZ is channeling the national discontent.”)
- Democrats sue Trump administration over mail-in-voting order (“The DNC and the party’s campaign committees asked a judge to block the executive action that seeks to limit mail voting.”)
- Trump polled advisers about replacing Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief (“Exclusive: Pressure intensifies for Gabbard after president’s displeasure with Iran war testimony”)
- Trump has discussed ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi, sources say
- Exclusive: Trump’s DOJ says he’s not required to turn over official records (“The finding is an indication Trump will be reluctant to give all of his official records to the National Archives at the end of his term, as presidents have done for nearly a half-century under the Presidential Records Act of 1978.”)
- BREAKING: Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service (“The headquarters is going to Utah. Every regional office is being shuttered. The research program is being destroyed.” Unconstitutional, illegal, f’ed up, etc.)
- The Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters Say You Owe Them Money. Trump’s DOJ Might Agree. (That is beyond f’ed up.)
- Trump Suffers His Fourth—and Worst—Legal Blow in Just Hours (“A federal judge has ruled that President Trump can be held accountable for his actions on January 6. Bring on the lawsuits.”)
- Artemis II successfully launches for historic Moon mission
- ‘On a whole other level’: rapid snow melt-off in American west stuns scientists (“Experts say brutal March heat has left critical snowpack at record-low levels – and key basins in uncharted territory”)
- Trump’s VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it (Heinous.)
- Ballroom commission changed documents at White House’s request (“Records show a staffer asked the panel to soften language about its own authority over the president’s project — and it complied.”)
- Plan to reinforce sewer pipe was delayed for years before Potomac disaster (“A Washington Post investigation found that D.C. Water delayed reinforcing an aging sewer line for years before it collapsed in January as the National Park Service undertook a prolonged environmental review of the project. The pipe continued to degrade before its collapse released a quarter-billion gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.”)
- Reactions by Virginia Democrats to Trump’s Attempt “to both claim victory and blame others for his own ineptitude” (“All this man cares about is bombs and ballrooms.”)
- Sen. Mark Warner: “Trump’s threat to pull the United States out of NATO is reckless, dangerous, and plays directly into the hands of our adversaries” (“Our commitment to NATO is ironclad, and we will use every tool available to defend it.”)
- Mark Warner slams Trump’s NATO threat
- Del. Adele McClure announces congressional run in Va.’s proposed 7th District
- Video: NAACP Virginia Confronts Jim Crow Disinformation in Redistricting Referendum Affecting Black Voters (“On this April Fools’ Day, don’t be misled into voting NO”)
- Chris Ambrose: We Absolutely Need to Vote YES by 4/21, But the Current System, Including the Designed-to-Fail Redistricting Commission, Remain Critically Flawed (“Trying to [eliminate gerrymandering] state by state is a fool’s errand”)
- Spanberger declines ex-Gov. George Allen’s request for redistricting debate
- Virginia AG Jones promises to fight Trump’s mail-in voting executive order
- Virginia leaders pledge to fight Trump’s ‘illegal’ executive order restricting mail-in voting
- Va. court ruling, budget fight put data centers on defensive (“Former Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, says the data center industry is in retreat after the Virginia Court of Appeals threw out rezoning decisions for the Prince William Digital Gateway this week.”)
- After record losses, Virginia Republicans look to pick up the pieces
- Attorney General recommends that commonwealth attorneys enforce new vape regulation
- Editorial: Long-term transportation plan aims to improve connectivity, mobility (“Long-term transportation planning may not be flashy, but this methodical, deliberative work carries tremendous weight in Hampton Roads.”)
- Across Europe and the Mideast, the star of TV news coverage is a former Virginia legislator with ties to Franklin County (“Former Del. David Ramadan, who grew up in Lebanon and now teaches part-time at George Mason University, is an in-demand analyst about Middle Eastern news.”)
- Citing safety concerns, Hampton Roads schools to close or go virtual for April 21 election
- Henrico residents raise awareness of toxic chemical used in two local plants
- Undocumented teen’s alleged school assaults trigger Trump administration probe
- Naked burglar strikes again in Fairfax County. This time, he was caught on camera
- Suspect in attack on Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler pleads not guilty to all charges (“The trial of Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes is scheduled to begin April 20.”)
- CWG Live: Cooler air filters in from the northeast today, but warmth returns Friday
