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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 1. Also, check out Jamelle Bouie’s latest, in which he talks about our corrupt Supreme Court, “what we can do to reform the Supreme Court, reduce its power, and give ourselves the space to govern ourselves.”
- Hope is contagious and science is king: 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel era (“At world-first Santa Marta climate meeting, delegates say it was ‘euphoric’ to finally be focusing on concrete solutions”)
- The World Met to Talk Climate Change. The U.S. Wasn’t Invited.
- Scientists know how to phase out fossil fuels. Some countries are listening (“Representatives of more than 50 nations gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, this week at what was billed as the first global summit on phasing out fossil fuels. A panel of scientists will be advising them”)
- As Energy, War and Climate Collide, a Conference in Colombia Charts a Path Beyond Fossil Fuels (“Participants broke a long-standing taboo by openly linking oil and gas not just to emissions, but to war, displacement and economic instability.”)
- The climate crisis is making our hay fever worse – and affecting our enjoyment of nature
- Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis finds (“UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia” Appalling.)
- UN warns women in public life face increasingly sophisticated online violence (“UN Women report says AI, anonymity and lack of effective laws are increasing the risks of engaging in digital spaces”)
- Iran war may cause food shortages in Africa, world’s largest fertiliser firm says (“Yara CEO warns of global auction that would leave poorest countries scrambling for supplies they can ill afford”)
- Ceasefire hangs in the balance as impatient Trump awaits response from Iran (“As a stalemate between the US and Iran drags on, the possibility of the resumption of war looms”)
- Iran war’s true cost closer to $50 billion, not $25 billion, U.S. officials say
- Iran Is Grasping for a Solution to an American Blockade It Can’t Break
- Trump Is the One Without the Cards at the Poker Table
- Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline
- Trump Poised to Defy Congress on War Authorization (“Defense Secretary Hegseth tells lawmakers that the U.S.-Iran cease-fire stopped the clock on the war authorization deadline” Absolute BULLSHIT, utterly lawless.)
- GOP unity cracks with latest Iran war vote (“Susan Collins was the first Republican senator to change a vote on the Iran war.”)
- Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities
- Trump bets on quick Iran oil crunch. Experts see prolonged pain and rising costs.
- Trump’s Iran War Is Smashing His Fossil Fuel Dreams (“The president wanted to ensure American hegemony and global energy dominance. Instead, he might be torpedoing both.”)
- UAE says Iran cannot be trusted over Hormuz, peace efforts at an impasse
- To Fully Appreciate What Trump’s Iran War Has Squandered, You Have to Go Back 11 Years (“Wendy Sherman was there at a moment when peace between Iran and the U.S. seemed possible. Now she reflects on all that’s been lost.”)
- Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv claims victory over ‘shadow grain fleet’ shipment to Israel
- China warns US about Taiwan ahead of Trump’s visit to Beijing (“Beijing urges Washington to ‘make the right choices’ on Taiwan to maintain ‘stability’ between the two powers”)
- Trump threatens to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain (“The US president said he would carry out of a review of US military presence in Europe after public criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran” Trump is insane, on top of being a Putin puppet.)
- Trump’s call to reduce US troops in Germany shocks Pentagon
- Trump news at a glance: president doubles down on rift with Germany’s chancellor
- Myanmar ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved to house arrest, military says (She shouldn’t be under any arrest at all; she should be in charge of Myanmar!)
- Mali attacks spotlight the growing reach of militants across West Africa (“Major gold, lithium and uranium mining operations are increasingly at risk, as are a string of countries along the coast.”)
- As Israel Entrenches in Lebanon, Frustration With Hezbollah Turns to Support
- Hezbollah Has Learned How to Pilot Deadly Drones Into Israeli Troops
- Brazil’s congress approves bill reducing prison sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro (“President Lula’s veto of the bill was overturned by Brazil’s congress and senate, meaning it now awaits confirmation by supreme court”)
- Trump scraps Scotch whisky tariffs ‘in honor’ of King Charles
- King Charles has saved the special relationship – for now (“The King charmed Americans – including the president – while artfully asserting his views on climate and executive power”)
- In Trump’s America, It Takes a King to Praise Democracy (“Reflections on Charles’s state visit.”)
- Trump signs DHS legislation, ending record-breaking shutdown (“The shutdown concluded after more than 10 weeks, as agencies prepared for more furloughs and missed paychecks.”)
- Mike Johnson ekes out wins, but at a cost
- Republicans’ faith in Mike Johnson is fading fast
- Johnson quells revolts to pass major bills — but faces lingering anger and looming headaches
- House Republicans cave to Senate with vote to end 75-day DHS shutdown
- FEMA Is Reversing Job Cuts Made Under Kristi Noem
- FEMA is welcoming back 15 whistleblowers placed on leave during Kristi Noem’s tenure
- Kevin Warsh’s challenges become clear after Fed chair Powell’s last hurrah
- Democrats say EPA head’s budget cut proposal ‘reads like climate change deniers’ manifesto’ (Zeldin is heinous.)
- You Can Have Democratic Self-Government or the Corrupt Court — Not Both
- The Slaying of the Voting Rights Act by the Coward Samuel Alito (Alito is scum.)
- ‘We are ON IT!’: Trump DOJ vows to weaponize Supreme Court ruling against minority voters
- Trump’s next redistricting targets (“Once more unto the gerrymandering breach.”)
- How the Voting Rights Act Bolstered Black Representation in the House
- Republicans Rush to Redraw Maps After Supreme Court Race Ruling
- Speaker Johnson calls for redistricting Southern states before November (Johnson is evil incarnate.)
- Jeffries lays out more targets for gerrymanders in response to GOP’s renewed push
- Voting rights advocates vow to ‘relocate’ fight after supreme court gutting (“The organizations that fought for majority-minority districts across the US south are organizing their next steps”)
- What is the US supreme court’s voting rights ruling about and will it affect midterms? (“Rightwing justices in Louisiana v Callais led 6-3 vote to redraw congressional maps in blow to Voting Rights Act”)
- The Roberts Court Shows Its True Partisan Colors (“A Republican power grab triumphs over minority voting rights.”)
- Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage (HORRIBLE headline by the NY Times, which blames “Congress” generically, instead of REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS, who bear 100% of the blame. F’ed-up “mainstream” media.)
- Database in Medicare portal exposed health providers’ Social Security numbers
- The Trump Administration Tried to Stop the National EV Charging Program. It Has Kept Rolling Along Anyway.
- ‘Just go to Hell’: Ed Martin, Thom Tillis squabble amid Tillis’ anti-Jan. 6 litmus test (“‘Being hated by idiots is the price you pay for not being one of them,’ Sen. Thom Tillis wrote on X Thursday.”)
- Senate Moves Forward With 3 Wildly Unfit Nominees To Be Trump’s U.S. Attorneys (“One participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, protests. Another compared prosecutions of the rioters to the Salem witch trials. The third embraced a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory.”)
- Nationwide May Day protests expected to pick up mantle of ‘No Kings’
- MAHA moms are losing faith in Trump (“RFK Jr.’s ‘wellness’ movement is collapsing under its own contradictions”)
- The Trump Administration Casts Out the ‘Soul’ of MAHA (“The withdrawal of Casey Means’s nomination for surgeon general is the latest blow to the movement.”)
- Trump drops MAHA favorite for surgeon general pick who has critiqued RFK Jr.
- MAHA scores on farm bill but loses ally for surgeon general
- Trump nominates Fox News doctor to be the next surgeon general
- Casey Means: Murkowski sank my nomination
- Trump DOJ Pursuing Separate Comey Probe for Classified Leaks
- ‘Seashells’ case was on back burner until Bondi fired as AG, say sources
- Jeffrey Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden From Public View (“An inmate said he discovered the note after Mr. Epstein was found injured in his jail cell, weeks before his death. It’s now locked in a courthouse.”)
- Americans really don’t like Trump’s attempts at ornamentation
- Don’t Underestimate the Fury of Democratic Voters (“One lesson of the Democratic Senate primary in Maine is that no one should underestimate the white-hot fury of the party’s voters.”)
- What Janet Mills’ fall signals for the Democratic Party’s future: From the Politics Desk
- Louisiana sued for suspending active election, nullifying votes to draft GOP gerrymander
- Senate Bans Prediction Markets for Its Members and Staff
- House Ethics Committee investigating allegations of sexual harassment against GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards
- The pastor of the nation’s largest Methodist church is running for the US Senate in Kansas
- Platner-Mills ending in Maine leaves Democrats questioning Schumer strategy
- Graham Platner’s triumph, explained by a Maine reporter (“Can we read big national trends into Janet Mills’s defeat? Or are these candidates — and this state — just singular?”)
- 60 Minutes journalist decries ‘spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear’ at CBS News (“Sharyn Alfonsi, whose report on Cecot prison was pulled by Bari Weiss, admits uncertainty over her future at network”)
- Dem Star, 23, Takes Victory Lap for Jennings’ F-Bomb Meltdown (“Adam Mockler said the MAGA pundit ‘loves to dish it but can’t take it.'”)
- Video: After Hegseth Absurdly Claims 60-Days War Powers Deadline Not in Effect Because “we are in a ceasefire right now,” Sen. Tim Kaine Says the 60 Days Runs Out Tomorrow (Sen. Kaine also questions assumptions behind, legality of strikes on alleged drug boats)
- Sen. Mark Warner and colleagues back Puppy Protection Act (“The bill would require breeders to treat dogs humanely and safely.” How about BANNING puppy mills? THey’re horrible. Also, NEVER buy from a breeder, just adopt/rescue!)
- Sen. Kaine questions military actions in Iran, demands congressional oversight
- Video: Far-Right Fmr. VA AG Ken Cuccinelli (R) Says He “would not be surprised…to see a 7-0 vote” to Overturn the Redistricting Referendum (Cuccinelli also argues that Virginia has “a less-political court than most other states”)
- With Louisiana redrawing its districts, Virginia Supreme Court, you’re on notice
- Low turnout in Southwest and Southside helped cost ‘no’ the election. Here are the numbers. (“Republicans missed an opportunity to win the special election. Turnout in Democratic areas was down, while turnout in some Republican areas was up. Not all of them, though. Two key Republican areas, Southwest and Southside, posted some of the lowest turnout rates in the state.”)
- Pope & Schapiro: Redistricting, the Voting Rights Act, and Spanberger’s signature
- New court challenge targets Virginia abortion amendment ballot language (“Suit filed in Tazewell County also echoes earlier claims over process as courts weigh multiple constitutional questions.” Utterly ridiculous.)
- King Charles III visits Virginia, meets with Gov. Abigail Spanberger
- Spanberger signs rideshare safety bills tightening driver-checks, in-app protections (“New laws require stronger identity verification, expanded background screenings and optional audio, video recording during rides.”)
- Can a carbon price lower power bills? Virginia is betting yes.
- Immigration enforcement in Virginia has risen sharply in the last year
- Hampton Roads consumers find rising cost of groceries hard to stomach
- Chesapeake considering tax rate increase, zoning changes for future data center projects
- Is Liberty University expanding? Lynchburg officials are backtracking.
- UPDATED: Have questions about Google’s data center project in Botetourt County? We have some answers.
- CWG Live: Mild today, cooler weekend, then warmer early workweek (“Another cold front arrives tonight with a few showers and seasonably cool air”)
