| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 23.
- UN’s climate crisis vote shows political momentum is growing, say experts (“Resolution backed by 141 states hailed as ‘new chapter’ that could improve climate diplomacy and litigation efforts”)
- A Bit of Good News for Right Whales (“With 23 calves born this season, what does the mini baby boom for the critically endangered species mean?”)
- Industry-Linked Studies Disproportionately Advocate Meat Consumption (This industry is a disaster on pretty much every level, and nobody should buy anything from it.)
- How the War in Iran Helped Ukraine Go From Problem to Solution (“The Middle East quagmire has given Kyiv an unexpected lifeline—and a new hand to play”)
- Exclusive: Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says proposal of associate EU membership ‘unfair’
- Putin vows retaliation after accusing Ukraine of hitting student dormitory
- Three months in, is Trump losing the Iran war? (“Trump’s repeated claims of complete victory ring hollow, some analysts say, as the two sides teeter between uncertain diplomacy and his on-again-off-again threats to resume strikes.”)
- Trump Weighs His Options in Carrying Out New Strikes in Iran (“There is no shortage of targets if he decides to strike: Energy facilities left untouched, the deep underground nuclear storage site at Isfahan and missile sites that appear to have been dug out.”)
- An ever-expanding catastrophe over Iran is not inevitable. Trump can and must be stopped (“Millions are being dragged into starvation, while people everywhere pay a Trump war tax. But there are plenty of powers who could bring him to heel”)
- Trump met top advisers on Iran as he weighs return to war
- Iran Mediators Race for Deal to Head Off Looming U.S., Israeli Strikes (“Goal is a limited framework to extend the pause in fighting and set the stage for deeper talks”)
- Iran Peace Deal Push Intensifies as Fragile Ceasefire Holds
- UAE Joins Saudis, Qatar in Urging Trump Not to Restart War
- Cable: US-Polish troop fracas due partly to bad US messaging (“President Donald Trump reversed the decision not to deploy troops to Poland, but the fallout has been severe.”)
- China mine death toll rises to 90 after gas blast
- Democrats renew effort to prevent US military action against Cuba (“Indictment of Castro seen as possible precursor for strikes”)
- Trump is putting pressure on Cuba – why and to what end?
- Ebola risk raised to ‘very high’ in DR Congo
- Board of Peace focus on Hamas risks return to war in Gaza, critics say (“US-backed board has put sole blame for stalled ceasefire on militant group despite Israel not fulfilling its obligations, analysts say”)
- Once Trump’s Co-Pilot Against Iran, Netanyahu Is Now a Mere Passenger (“A partner in the war, Israel has been largely left out of the peace talks, a humbling setback for Benjamin Netanyahu with significant risks for the country.”)
- Flotilla activists describe beatings, tasers and mistreatment by Israeli forces (WILDLY unacceptable; Israel has increasingly lost its way, heading down some really dark paths…)
- Australia’s biggest wind project and 8 battery hybrids among 19 winners of largest CIS renewable auction
- Why an immense marine heatwave off the US west coast has alarmed scientists
- Relief group is phasing out vaccines RFK Jr. believes are unsafe (“The health secretary has blocked $600 million for Gavi, which provides shots to poor countries, because of his concerns about a mercury-containing preservative.” There’s no evidence of any problem with that preservative; this is BULLSHIT!)
- CDC says green card holders who were recently in countries where Ebola is spreading can’t reenter U.S.
- Green Card Seekers Must Leave U.S. to Apply, Trump Administration Says (“The change is likely to affect hundreds of thousands of people. It could also lead to more family separations as spouses or relatives wait for application decisions, immigration lawyers said.”)
- Scoop: Trump escalates citizenship crackdown (“The Trump administration is temporarily moving immigration lawyers to the Justice Department to speed up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans, Axios has learned.”)
- Judge dismisses criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported (What a weird way to put it, using the word “mistakenly,” as if it was an innocent error by the Trump thugs. This is how the media sanewashes, minimizes, normalizes, etc. fascism.)
- You can’t hide your lying ICE: The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis (“A Minneapolis prosecutor charges an ICE agent, exposing how DHS shamelessly lied after its officers shot an immigrant, tear gassed two kids, and put a bullet in the wall of a child’s bedroom.” All of theese people should be in prison for a long time.)
- Mahmoud Khalil’s attorneys to turn to US supreme court after ruling paves way for deportation (“We hope the supreme court will recognize how dangerous the third circuit’s decision was, not just for Mahmoud but for other non-citizens the administration has its vengeful sights upon”)
- Warsh Takes Charge of a Fed Facing Rising Inflation Threat (“The economic backdrop that Kevin M. Warsh inherits as chair of the Federal Reserve does not call for the interest rate cuts that President Trump wants.”)
- Trump Tells Warsh to Do ‘Own Thing’ as Fed Chair Sworn In (Uh, ok…)
- Kevin Warsh’s real Fed ‘regime change’ may happen deep inside Wall Street’s plumbing (“The debate centers on whether the Fed should continue using its balance sheet as a regular tool for financial conditions and markets or reserve it for periods of market dysfunction and economic stress. Any effort to change the system could have wide ramifications, potentially impacting Treasury yields, mortgage rates and other interest-sensitive areas of the economy.”)
- Trump’s pick for surgeon general sells supplement with ingredient banned by Pentagon (“Amazon opens an inquiry into Nicole Saphier’s product compliance following Guardian inquiry. White House says she will be a ‘powerful asset’ for Maha agenda”)
- Defiant After Bad Week, Trump Pushes Ahead on Politically Unpopular Ideas
- Fact check: 28 separate false claims Trump made this week (Basically, every word out of Trump’s mouth has to be assumed to be false. And yet the media overwhelmingly continues with its “Trump says” headliens – just amplifying lies and disinformation to the public. WHY???)
- The Week That Broke Trump’s Control Over Congress (We’ll see; this headline seems hyperbolic for now.)
- A tough week for Trump on Capitol Hill, as Republicans deal him setbacks (“During a chaotic week, Republican lawmakers began to flex their independence from the president.”)
- Trump’s inevitable clash with congressional Republicans has arrived. What happens next?
- ‘Senators are not happy’: How Trump pushed the GOP to the breaking point this week
- Trump defends ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ amid GOP blowup (“Republican opposition to the fund sank efforts to pass a reconciliation package on Capitol Hill this week.”)
- Ted Cruz says GOP senators were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during ‘anti-weaponization’ fund briefing
- There’s a Way to Stop Trump’s I.R.S. Slush Fund (“Members of Congress must act to reassert the exclusive power that the Constitution vests in the legislative branch — or else we will have gone a step further toward making Mr. Trump a king.”)
- Jan. 6 prosecutor, Trump administration targets sue over ‘weaponization’ fund
- Trump Is Now a World-Class Kleptocrat (“The president’s demand for a slush fund to pay billions of dollars to his cronies places him among the planet’s most infamous political criminals.”)
- Republicans are rushing to redraw districts before midterms. Here’s where things stand
- The turbulent 15 months of Trump’s unlikely US intelligence director (“Over 15 months, the ex-Democrat without an intelligence background took actions seemingly meant to flatter Trump”)
- US intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard leaving post after rocky tenure (“White House reportedly forced Gabbard to resign after she was sidelined from Iran and Venezuela operations and becomes fourth woman to depart Trump’s cabinet”)
- Gabbard resigns as Trump’s top US intelligence official (DNI isn’t really the “top US intelligence official,” but…ok.)
- Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Director of National Intelligence (“Ms. Gabbard had a difficult tenure in the Trump administration and was seldom seen in the room when the president made important national-security moves.”)
- Tulsi Gabbard Takes the Exit Ramp (“Excluded from Trump’s inner circle, she sought the president’s approval by spreading baseless claims.” Gabbard really went to the dark side, just utterly disgraceful.)
- Trump veers off-topic during speech in New York that was supposed to be on the economy (Vague, anodyne headline by AP about Trump’s latest unhinged ravings – which AP sanewashes into “veers off topic.” Seriously, f*** the media.)
- Justice Department deletes press releases on charges against Jan. 6 rioters (“The Justice Department confirmed that it had deleted the press releases as part of “stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.”” Orwellian.)
- Judges are Starting to Crack Down on Trump’s Courtroom Lackeys (“The bill for making a mockery of our justice system is starting to come due. Ah, Todd Blanche, you will be hung out to dry very soon.”)
- Donald Trump’s revenge tour against Republican dissenters is in full swing. Will it backfire?
- Lutnick Donated $5 Million to House Republicans Before Epstein Testimony (Lutnick is pure scum.)
- There’s One Thing All Democrats Must Agree On, or They’re Dead in 2028 (“So autopsy, schmautopsy. Stop arguing about 2024, Democrats. Talk about the future. And talk about the bad guys who are making working people’s lives harder. That’s where today’s ‘vital center’ is—they’re sick and tired of getting screwed—and that way lies victory.”)
- Gaza Wasn’t the Biggest Omission in the Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy (“Two other issues went unmentioned in the report—and were even more decisive in the party’s loss to Donald Trump.”)
- NYT publisher calls out news outlets for ‘capitulation’ to Trump administration (The NY Times, of course, has been one of the problems in terms of normalizing, sanewashing, normalizing, etc. Trump.)
- Solar Electricity Is Poised to Overtake Coal in—of All Places—Texas (“Looks like clean power isn’t a woke scam after all.” In fact, it’s super cheap, quick to buil, with no C02 or methane or particulate or NOx or SOx emissions, etc, etc.)
- Trump Scrambles After Awkward Wedding Snub to Own Son (“After Donald Trump announced he would not attend his eldest son’s wedding this weekend, his schedule, which stated he would be at his Bedminster golf course, quickly changed.”)
- Scoop: DCCC targets Maureen Galindo with 11th-hour ad buy (She’s an insane, f’ed-up person.)
- Tim Kaine: “A big Marie Antoinette style ballroom is not reading the room” (“Virginia senator says Americans need relief from gas and grocery prices, not gold-plated ballroom”)
- Spanberger veto of proposed criminal defense for those in a behavioral crisis disappoints advocates
- Gov. Spanberger taking brave stand on behalf of data center developers (The House of Delegates Democratic leadership – Luke Torian, for instance – also appears to support keeping the data center tax breaks.)
- Virginia closes loophole in invasive plant law (“Some plants may start disappearing from nurseries in coming years.” Good riddance.)
- NextEra Energy wants to buy its way into Data Center Alley (“The utility’s proposed merger with Dominion Energy would connect it with data center-rich Virginia. Consumer and clean energy advocates are wary.”)
- How Virginia’s new balcony solar law could cut your utility bill (“Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed a proposal that will allow homeowners and renters to begin using plug-in solar systems. Introduced by Del. Paul Krizek and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, the plan made its way through the General Assembly earlier this year.”)
- Buckingham County measles outbreak illuminates vaccination gaps
- Virginia man who posted thousands of threats of Dems gets prison time (for now) (“Who knows, Frank Lucio Carillo, 68, of Winchester, could end up being in line for some of that sweet Trump slush fund money for his troubles.”)
- The birthplace of one of Virginia’s most powerful historical leaders is in danger of development (“Tribal Nations in Virginia are trying to stop development just outside Richmond at the historical birthplace of Powhatan— the father of Pocahontas and a sacred chief of their ancestors.”)
- Southwest Virginia needs to solve its housing shortage if it wants economic growth, new jobs, governor says
- Cabinet secretary: Southside county loses two economic development prospects due to uncertainty over data center taxes (“Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles says a data center company looking to build two projects in Greensville County has scratched Virginia from its site list. Southside officials say they’re being denied economic opportunity.”)
- MAGA-connected data center developer wants to move forward with Northern Virginia project
- Leadership of Norfolk teachers’ union ousted, president accused of misappropriating funds
- Norfolk law enforcement recount night of chaotic car meet; residents vent frustrations (“City leaders briefed residents of West Ghent on the latest updates following a raucous takeover event featuring car donuts and a flamethrower.”)
- ‘Shopping cart killer’ sentenced to life in prison for 2021 murders (“Anthony Eugene Robinson, also known as the “shopping cart killer,” was sentenced Friday to life in prison for the 2021 murders of two women in Harrisonburg, Virginia, whose bodies he transported in a shopping cart and concealed in an undeveloped lot.”)
- Hairs found on handheld power saw in Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance, presumed death (“Prince William County police have submitted more physical evidence found on a handheld power saw discovered in Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s Manassas, Virginia, home, after she disappeared in August 2024. Bhatt’s husband, Naresh, is charged with murder, concealing a dead body and physically defiling a dead body.”)
- See what artists want to do with Charlottesville’s melted Confederate statue (“The bronze ingots left over from a Robert E. Lee statue that once ignited violence will now be part of a new work of public art.”)
- CWG Live updates: More rain today and unsettled through Memorial Day
