Monday (5/11) News: “Checkmate in Iran”; “As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, May 11.

• 2 passengers test positive for hantavirus as a third shows symptoms after cruise ship evacuation
• Hantavirus is a warning. The Trump admin isn’t listening (“The Dutch cruise ship incident probably isn’t the next pandemic. That doesn’t mean we’re risk-free from outbreaks”)
• Brent oil tops $103 after Trump dismisses Iran’s peace proposal response
• ‘Degree of complacency’: are supply chains prepared for impact of ongoing Iran war?
• Trump and Netanyahu Say Iran War Is Not Over
• Iran responds to US ceasefire proposal but Trump rejects it as ‘unacceptable’
• Iran’s Lengthy Response to the U.S. Leaves Some Gaps
• Checkmate in Iran (“It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored.”)
• Netanyahu: War with Iran ‘accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over’
• Trump to Axios: “I don’t like” Iran’s peace plan response
• Trump news at a glance: Trump wants to ‘go in’ to Iran to secure nuclear material, Netanyahu claims
• Putin’s Forces Are Barely Inching Along on the Battlefield
• As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight
• Here’s how Trump’s meeting with Xi could spark a crisis over Taiwan
• Trump and Xi set for talks spanning Iran, nuclear, trade and AI
• US experience fighting Iran offers lessons for China, experts say (“Experts are warning Beijing about overconfidence as US combat operations reveal importance of defenses and drone warfare capabilities”)
• What Middle Powers Fear About the Trump-Xi Summit (“Asian nations worry that the president might trade security commitments for better economic terms with China during his planned meeting with Xi Jinping this week.”)
• Trump Aims to Press Xi Over China’s Approach to War in Iran (Unfortunately for Trump, it looks like Xi holds the “cards”)
• Xi’s China: Dazzling Technology, Military Muscle—and an Economic Mess (“Government pours money into AI, electric cars and military power, while consumer confidence sags and job market grows bleak”)
• Former Polish Justice Minister Ziobro flees to US (“Zbigniew Ziobro is wanted in Poland over the alleged misuse of public funds and the deployment of Pegasus spyware against political opponents.”)
• Former PM Philippe launches presidential campaign to take on far right in France
• Spain just became one of Europe’s cheapest power markets. Here is how.
• Europe should behave more like China does if it wants to survive this age of chaos
• EU to approve sanctions on Israeli settlers, says Kallas
• The U.S. Tied His Bank to Iran Proxies. Now He’s Trump’s Choice to Run Iraq. (“Prime Minister-designate Ali Al Zaidi is under pressure from Washington to curtail the influence of Tehran-backed militias”)
• Cubans Deserve America’s Generosity, Not Its Cruelty
• Disappearances in Mexico involving state at ‘alarming’ rate, says report (“Exclusive: Human rights group warns of ‘deep collusion’ between criminals and officials in some parts of country”)
• Researchers find 42% drop in Canadians visiting US metro areas amid Trump 2.0 (“Data from University of Toronto suggests Canadians are avoiding US cities during the second Trump administration”)
• US Senate expected to confirm Kevin Warsh as next Federal Reserve chair
• As Coal Rebounds, More Toxic Mercury Is in the Air (“Coal-burning power plants released more mercury last year, according to an analysis by The Times. It reverses a downward trend of emissions of a metal that interferes with brain development.”)
• Republicans would rather self-destruct than save themselves from Trump (“As the president’s popularity withers, the party has no will to stage an intervention against him”)
• Obamacare Subsidies: Are Republicans More Stupid Than They Are Cruel? (“Many predicted last fall that if the Obamacare subsidies ended, millions would forgo health coverage. Gee, guess what’s happened?”)
• Trump Promotes Claim He Has A ‘Better Understanding’ Of The Bible Than Pope Leo
• Lawyers: Biden to fight DOJ plan to release audio of his talks with ghostwriter (“The former president is facing a deadline of Tuesday to take legal action.”)
• OpenAI sued over ChatGPT’s alleged role in guiding FSU shooter
• Democratic Angst Could Lead California to Change Its Primary Rules
• G.O.P. Fatigue in Iowa Strains the Republican Primary for Governor
• The Post’s Opinion Divide (“As Adam O’Neal carries out Jeff Bezos’ vision for The Washington Post’s opinion section, staffers tell Status they question the paper’s priorities in the wake of sweeping layoffs.”)
• Virginia Democrat: ‘All options on the table’ after redistricting state Supreme Court decision (They’re really not, though, as far as I can tell…)
• NY Times Reports on the “fury and desperation that has gripped [Dems] after Friday’s ruling” – and Some Radical (Unlikely?) Options Being Considered (Virginia Dems mostly aren’t commenting, but Rep. Subramanyam (D-VA10) says he’d even support “replacing the state’s Supreme Court justices”)
• Should Democrats fire the Virginia Supreme Court that ruled against them? 8 things to know about an idea making the rounds
• After SCOTUS voting rights ruling, Virginia leaders warn minority representation could erode
• Over 80% of Virginia experiencing severe drought conditions
• EDITORIAL: Spanberger falls short of delivering on her promises for higher education (“Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s amendments to HB 1385 delay reform that is nothing short of imminent for the betterment of University governance”)
• During a tight budget year, millions in pandemic relief and former school money available in Roanoke budget (“The city has at least $18 million — and maybe millions more — to decide how to spend.”)
• Appalachian School of Law considers merger with Kentucky’s University of Pikeville (“School officials hope the partnership could alleviate the law school’s financial woes while keeping it in Buchanan County.”)
• CWG Live: Some rain today and Wednesday before a late-week warming trend