Sunday (5/31) News: “‘Dire’ conditions at ICE” Facilities; “Blue states pitch [100%] tax on Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ payouts”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, May 31.

• What the Meat Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know (This industry is utterly heinous, and NOBODY should buy from it – certainly not anyone who claims to be an environmentalist, who claims to care about animal welfare, etc.)
• The household battery revolution that could change energy bills … and the world (“Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use, proving what is possible with the right policies”)
• Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial shows (“Jab brought ‘unprecedentedly strong responses’ in patients whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy”)
• How Trump’s Ukraine aid cuts undermine justice for Russian war crimes (Trump is evil.)
• Ukraine hits Russian energy targets and denies striking Kremlin-occupied nuclear plant
• Europe Needs Clarity from US, Top German Defense Official Says
• When will the EU punch its weight in a perilous world? That’s the question countries eager to join should be asking
• Japan defence minister denies militarism and criticises China’s ‘huge arsenal’
• The great Indo-Pacific hedge – deeper defence ties as US doubts grow and China ascends (“Caught between China’s rapid military rise and growing ​doubts about the U.S. focus on a region it has long dominated, Indo-Pacific nations are racing to arm themselves, and each other.”)
• Oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz might not return to levels seen before the Iran war (“Shipowners will have to weigh the risk of fighting breaking out in the Persian Gulf again and the consequences of cooperating with Iran.”)
• Trump requests edits to Iran deal his envoys negotiated
• US Says Deals With Iran for Safe Hormuz Transit Are Prohibited (“The US affirmed that deals with Iran to safely sail through the Strait of Hormuz — even those which don’t involve paying a toll — aren’t allowed.”)
• Trump Sends Tougher Terms to Iran for Peace Framework, Officials Say (“His changes to the proposed deal were potentially designed to speed up the process by pressuring Iran to accept the current framework, one official said.”)
• U.S. military hits commercial ship trying to reach Iran, as peace talks continue
• ‘To call it a ceasefire is a joke’: Israeli soldiers share rare accounts from Gaza with AP
• Israeli troops capture strategic Beaufort Castle as they push deeper into Lebanon
• US military strikes another boat in Pacific, bringing death toll above 200 (Another possible war crime?)
• Rights groups sue over conditions at largest US immigration detention center
• Hunger strike at New Jersey ICE facility enters ninth day as protesters face off with Trump supporters
• ‘Dire’ conditions at ICE facility severely violate human rights, lawsuit claims (“At US’s largest immigration center, Texas’s Camp East Montana, plaintiffs allege ‘dangerous and abusive’ situation”)
• Shackled, transferred, mocked: woman, 23, says she gave in to deportation after ‘humiliating’ ICE detention (“Exclusive: Ana María was happy working in the US with an open asylum case. But after ICE detained her for months, she said she requested to go back to her native country”)
• Trump’s immigration enforcers look into buying ad data. Industry insiders fear what comes next. (“Businesses that collect and sell information on Americans face an ethical debate about its potential use in federal immigration probes.”)
• Kevin Warsh Wants the Fed to Think About Inflation Differently (“To measure underlying inflation, the new chairman has urged the central bank to look at alternatives to its standard gauge.” Alrighty…)
• How Trump squandered the economic recovery (“In January 2025, the president was set up for success. Instead, he blew it” And he certainly didn’t deliver a “Golden Age,” as Glenn Youngkin and other MAGA pathological liars promised.)
• More Americans Are Aging Alone. One Woman Told Us What It’s Like. (“Solo agers must navigate complex financial, medical decisions without a built-in safety net”)
• Inside the Deal to Drop Trump’s $10 Billion Suit Against the I.R.S.
• Blue states pitch 100 percent tax on Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ payouts (“If you storm the Capitol and you take from this slush fund, too bad, we’re taking it” Virginia should do the same, maybe in its budget sessions in a few weeks?)
• A New ‘Wounded Bear Caucus’ in the Senate Means More Trouble for Trump (“Why the GOP’s split with the White House over a $1.8 billion fund could be first of many public fights”)
• Judge reopens Trump’s IRS suit to examine $1.8bn settlement with justice department (“Investigation to establish whether ‘anti-weaponization’ fund is ‘product of collusion and itself a fraud’”)
• Trump Administration Sees Striking Exodus of Legal Talent (“The departure of more than 10,000 federal lawyers has left some agencies without sufficient staff and has boosted the ranks of state attorneys general offices and advocacy groups.”)
• Proposed NDAs for federal workers spark diverse backlash
• Billionaire supporter of E Jean Carroll says inquiry meant to ‘silence’ Trump critics (“Justice department has opened investigation into Reid Hoffman’s backing of writer’s lawsuits against Trump”)
• An Epstein Survivor Grades Pam Bondi’s Testimony (w/ Annie Farmer)
• Bill Gates Spent Years Crafting His Image. Now It’s Cracking. (“The billionaire philanthropist was once ranked the world’s most admired man—but the revelations of his Jeffrey Epstein ties are eroding efforts to burnish his reputation”)
• Democrats Suddenly Have a Real Shot at Flipping the Senate
• Redistricting battle set to escalate ahead of 2028 elections
• District Lines Are Shifting Fast in the South. Voters Are Rattled. (“Republican officials are jubilant, some voters are confused and concerned, and civil rights activists are gearing up for the fight of a generation.”)
• Trump’s Brutal Mockery of Vance Exposed in White House Leaks (“The 79-year-old president has reportedly been fixated on his vice president’s embarrassing moments.”)
• Trump blasts judge over Kennedy Center ruling in angry statement
• Trump to headline Great American State Fair after music acts cancel (I hear Trump plays a mean guitar! LOL)
• The Terrifying New Wave of Republican Candidates on the Ballot This Year (“Ken Paxton is just one of several problematic right-wing candidates gaining traction this summer”)
• Trump Urges Canceling Freedom 250 Concerts After Artists Drop Out (They’ll always have Vanilla Ice, at least! Haha.)
• Donald Trump Offers to Perform at Freedom 250 Concert Himself: ‘Only Great Patriots Invited’ (“Several artists, including Martina McBride, the Commodores, and Bret Michaels, have pulled out, citing being told it was nonpartisan”)
• DNC Chair Ken Martin is digging in after fumbling the 2024 ‘autopsy’ report (“Martin has so far avoided an internal revolt, but critics say he’ll be in a precarious position if fundraising takes a hit.”)
• Chaos in California: state braces for its most turbulent election in years (“There is little sign of clarity in the closing stretch of a campaign season for governor, Congress and LA mayor”)
• What it means to be a man is a theme in Texas Senate race as Paxton attacks Talarico (This is PATHETIC!)
• Platner’s Wife Flagged His Sexual Texts With Other Women as Maine Senate Race Began (Susan Collins sucks and needs to be defeated, but this Platner dude is a disaster in so many ways, it’s hard to keep track.)
• Graham Platner’s wife says she’s ‘deeply hurt’ by public revelations of her husband’s extramarital sexts
• Platner’s campaign confirms he sent sexual texts to women while married
• How Trump Made Penn Quake in Its Boots (“Fearful of being labeled antisemitic, the University of Pennsylvania has acquiesced to the demands of a punitive Trump administration and vindictive donors—and it’s chilling speech both inside and outside the classroom.”)
• 4+ Months Into Abigail Spanberger’s Governorship, There’s Good News (e.g., Lots of Excellent Bills Passed) and Not-So-Good News (e.g., a Historic # of Vetoes of Bills by the Governor’s Own Party) (Also, major frictions among top VA Dems, communications breakdowns, etc…)
• Spanberger clashed with Republicans early. Now, it’s Democrats. (“The Virginia governor is being attacked from all sides for actions she considers moderate, including 31 vetoes of bills from the Democratic-led legislature.”)
• Clean Virginia raises issue with Spanberger Virginia Tech BOV appointment
• Fired Va. Tech rector says he won’t attend June 2 board meeting (“Despite previously refusing to resign after Gov. Abigail Spanberger fired him as Virginia Tech’s rector, John G. Rocovich Jr. said Saturday he does not plan to attend Tuesday’s quarterly meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.”)
• Editorial: On Beach shooting anniversary, work toward a future of peace
• Bratton, Misjuns, Taylor win Republican nominations for Lynchburg City Council (“The party-run nominating process was the first of its kind under a new state law that favors, but doesn’t explicitly require, state-run primaries. It produced a split ticket between two rival factions.”)
• DC-area forecast: So much great weather to look forward to (“June kicks off with uncommonly nice weather. Through midweek, expect plenty of sun and high in the 70s to near 80.”)