| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, May 27.
- Climate crisis is accelerating antibiotic resistance across world, study says (Very bad.)
- Scientists have scrapped the worst‑case climate scenario – because action is making a difference
- ‘Mind-bogglingly crazy’: Europe’s deadly, early heatwave is smashing records
- ‘Planetary destruction on fast-forward’: witnessing the disappearance of Indonesia’s ‘eternity glaciers’ (“Researchers racing to document Oceania’s last tropical glaciers found the remaining ‘eternal snow’ in Indonesia’s West Papua region has lost almost all its ice”)
- Why temperature records are being not only broken but smashed
- Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish for New and Deadly Microbes (“‘Flesh-eating’ bacteria is spreading. Infectious fungi are emerging. Microbiomes may never be the same. Are we ready?”)
- How a wind and battery hybrid could replace a coal plant – and outperform it at almost every level
- The Great Depopulation (“Why is the birth rate declining in every country on Earth?”)
- What the Pope Said About A.I. (“Leo XIV’s new encyclical, ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ presents a remarkable case for placing moral concerns, and not profit, or competitive advantage, or efficiency, at the center of any discussion of artificial intelligence.”)
- UK spy chief: Time is running out for the West to confront threats from Russia and China
- Russia ‘relentlessly targeting’ critical infrastructure and democracy, GCHQ says
- Europe Is Starting to Think Putin Will Expand the War Beyond Ukraine
- Can EU find a Russia whisperer to mediate an end to war in Ukraine?
- Exclusive: Senior Ukrainian commander sees imminent ‘turning point’ in war (“Ukraine has a six-month window in which to seize the battlefield initiative from Russia and strengthen its hand for peace talks, a senior commander told Reuters.”)
- ‘Makes no sense’: experts doubt pause in US arms sale to Taiwan is due to Iran war (“While approval is due soon for $14bn deal, actual deliveries to Taiwan are years away – making ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in the Gulf an unlikely cause”)
- Taiwan Said to Suspect Nvidia Chips Smuggled to China Via Japan
- Iran deal progress is murky after US says it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes
- Why Trump Keeps Getting Rolled in Negotiations (“The president will try to spin any Iran deal he makes, but he’s ill-equipped to gain real concessions.”)
- Trump gathers Cabinet as he looks to seal deal to end war that some backers worry will embolden Iran
- Trump might not have a good way out of the Iran war
- Middle East crisis live: Tehran says no agreement reached on strait of Hormuz as Israel strikes Lebanon
- It’s Crow, Mr. Trump, Not Lobster (“But his supporters shouldn’t fool themselves or our allies: Even if he achieves those things, we will now have to pay for them by giving one of the world’s worst regimes a new lease on life, a permanent stranglehold over critical world oil supplies — and the resources to continue making terrible mischief in the region.”)
- The Epic Disaster of Operation Epic Fury (“Trump says that a deal to end the war with Iran is imminent. On key issues, it’s back to square one—or worse.”)
- Israeli strike in Gaza City kills new head of Hamas’s military wing
- Dozens killed in Lebanon as Israel intensifies strikes
- Israel Increases Attacks on Lebanon as US-Iran Talks Crawl On
- The chaotic, unique, beautiful Lebanon I knew has been reduced to rubble. When will it end?
- US to set up quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola, WSJ reports
- Syria Is Hoping to Hold 500 War Crimes Trials in the Next Five Years. Here’s How the First One Is Going.
- Nigel Farage’s Far-Right Party Is Now Central to British Politics (That’s truly f’ed up.)
- In Venezuela, Anxiety About Ramping Up Oil Production in the Heavily Polluted Lake Maracaibo Region (“Experts and local activists, wary of past exploitation, are hoping it will be different this time—but aren’t confident it will be.”)
- One person killed in latest US military strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific (“Nearly 200 people killed in Trump administration’s deadly campaign as strikes draw widespread condemnation”)
- ICE detainees are dying by suicide at an ‘alarming’ rate, an AP investigation finds (Outrageous and WILDLY unacceptable!)
- Energy Department takes steps toward allowing plutonium, historically used in weapons, in nuclear fuel (“… critics argue that repurposing plutonium for civilian energy could have security and other risks.”)
- Southern Poverty Law Center Accuses Justice Dept. of Vindictive Prosecution (“Defense lawyers are increasingly accusing the Justice Department under President Trump of using its powers to prioritize the president’s political imperatives above the pursuit of actual justice.”)
- Trump Is Dying (“He is seventy-nine. He turns eighty next month. He went to Walter Reed today, his third visit in thirteen months (“Totally normal! Just a third checkup in a year!”), and the White House would like you to believe this is a wellness influencer’s self-care routine rather than what it obviously is: the late-stage management of a long-abused body breaking down in public.”)
- RFK Jr. is now handling snakes. What does this mean? (This guy is completely deranged.)
- Todd Blanche Is Trump’s Legal Enforcer. But There’s One Wild Case From His Past He Can’t Seem to Escape. (“A fake Mossad agent. Twin grifters. The nation’s top lawman. A head-spinning legal drama has the attorney general fighting off accusations of forgery, malpractice, and more.”)
- FBI fires analyst who worked 2017 case of shooting at congressional baseball practice (“The shooting, which seriously injured Rep. Steve Scalise, was not labeled domestic terrorism at the time, angering GOP lawmakers.”)
- A new Supreme Court opinion is terrible news for federal workers (“Justice Barrett wants Trump to be able to fire everyone in the federal government.”)
- To stop leaks, the Trump administration wants federal workers to sign NDAs (HELL NO.)
- Trump’s new plan to quash leaks (“The Trump administration want federal employees to sign NDAs.”)
- Scoop: Trump appoints Bondi to White House AI panel (Pathetic.)
- ‘Scum’: Trump attacks US states’ efforts to regulate prediction markets (“President says federal government must retain regulatory authority as concerns grow over ‘addictive’ platforms”)
- Court blocks Alabama Republicans’ congressional map
- Florida judge blocks effort to halt new GOP House map
- South Carolina’s Trump-backed redistricting push fails in the state Senate amid GOP opposition
- Redistricting effort in SC Senate dies as 12 Republicans cross party line on 1st day of early voting
- Donald Trump’s revenge tour might not end in 2026 (“Coming off his recent successes, the president could seek to oust even more not-entirely-loyal GOP lawmakers next cycle.”)
- Trump-backed Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in heated Texas primary after scandal-plagued campaign (“Race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into midterms, where Paxton will face Democratic candidate James Talarico”)
- Trump will regret endorsing Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary
- Cornyn Crushed: 7 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Runoffs in Texas
- Speed bumps ahead for Republicans after Ken Paxton’s victory (“GOP operatives and senators have long opposed Paxton. Now they face a Democrat generating major enthusiasm and fundraising.”)
- John Cornyn’s defeat raises a new question: Will he join the Senate Republicans rebelling against Trump?
- The Texas Senate election is a tossup (“Democratic candidate James Talarico has very good shot against Ken Paxton in the Lone Star State”)
- Cook Political Report shifts Texas Senate rating toward Democrats after Paxton runoff victory
- As Republicans Battled in the Runoff, Talarico Sought to Unify Democrats (“James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, has been raising money and looking to unite his party for the general election.”)
- Democrat Johnny Garcia wins Texas House primary after rival’s antisemitic comments drew national rebukes (“Garcia defeated Maureen Galindo, NBC News projects, despite big spending for Galindo from a super PAC with GOP links. The district could be competitive in November.”)
- Christian Menefee beats Al Green in Democratic primary runoff in new TX-18, according to AP (“The race was an election rarity: two incumbents of the same party facing one another. Its outcome could prove to be a bellwether for Texas Democrats.”)
- Colin Allred, Former Lawmaker, Wins Democratic Runoff for House Seat (“Mr. Allred beat the incumbent, Representative Julie Johnson, and is now favored to win the general election in a heavily Democratic Dallas-based district.”)
- Biden Sues to Halt Release of Interview Tapes With Ghostwriter (“The 70 hours of partially redacted audio recordings were obtained during a 2023 probe into Biden’s handling of classified documents.”)
- ‘I’m not going to cower’: Josh Shapiro on Antisemitism, 2028 and a Democratic Reset (“Over South Philly pizza, the Pennsylvania governor dismissed talk of 2028 while laying out his vision for the Democratic Party.”)
- Exclusive renderings of Penn Station overhaul show Trump’s name with presidential seal
- UFC arena under construction on White House lawn to mark Trump’s 80th birthday
- Video: Sen. Mark Warner Says Even Trump, “with all his bluster,” Will Be Pressed “to find a way to claim victory” in Iran; “Now it becomes a question of what is the least-bad option”
- Video: In Interview with Tevin Davis, Gov. Abigail Spanberger Defends Her Amendments, Vetoes (on Cannabis, ICE, Collective Bargaining); Says She Knows “a lot of people are not pleased”, but “I do think it’s an obligation to get it right”
- Spanberger addresses veto backlash in new interview (“We just keep facing disappointment after disappointment, and I know that I have added to that”)
- Wave of vetoes from Gov. Spanberger tables Democratic priorities
- Why Are People Trash Talking our Governor? Post-Vetoes, It’s Time for Grace, Better Communication and Collaboration…and Working to Defeat the Trump Regime This November
- Spanberger on criticism of her 31 vetoes: ‘Does that mean that I’m supposed to just accept and sign any bill?’
- Virginia House Democrats Celebrate Over 700 Bills Signed Into Law
- Virginia voters will decide 3 ballot measures in November general election (“The measures are not affected by a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that blocked redistricting referendum results.”)
- Va. launches maternal mental health campaign: ‘Behind every statistic is a mother trying to hold everything together’
- Kratom product sales to be regulated in Virginia (“Virginia joins national movement to enhance consumer information or outright ban the herb”)
- “Missing Middle” zoning case could have statewide implications (“Missing Middle zoning in Arlington County allows for people to build a duplex or a triplex or a quadplex on land previously zoned for single-family housing. Opponents filed lawsuits, and now the Supreme Court of Virginia is hearing a case about how the zoning challenges should work. Jason Schwartz at YIMBYs of Northern Virginia says he expects the merits of the case to be heard eventually, but for now, he says the uncertainty is undermining the Expanded Housing Options known as EHO.”)
- Why a building remains vacant in the busiest part of downtown Blacksburg (“Decades after the building last had business, town officials continue to incentivize prospective business owners and issue maintenance violations in the process.”)
- Newport News police chief, commonwealth’s attorney defend officer after viral video at City Center
- CWG Live Updates: Wet streak capped off with storms today; much drier air moves in tomorrow (“Scattered storms likely this afternoon into evening. A few could produce strong winds and isolated flooding.”)
