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by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, June 16.
- Half of world’s children exposed to at least three climate hazards, Unicef says (“Almost every child, including those from high-income countries, is now exposed to at least one hazard”)
- Covid vaccination cut risk of adverse heart events, large study finds (“Vaccine may be cardioprotective, especially for older adults and those with comorbidities”)
- The War in Iran Has Permanently Altered the Global Economy (“Despite a framework deal setting the stage for an end to hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, the war has set in motion changes that will be hard to reverse.”)
- ‘Russia should make a deal,’ Trump says after ‘very good meeting’ with Zelenskyy at G7 – Europe live (“US president confirms he will meet with Ukrainian leader again later today after today’s earlier G7 meeting”)
- Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Poland
- Live updates: Trump and other world leaders discuss Iran and Ukraine wars at G7 summit
- US-Iran deal may get oil flowing again, but region’s root problems are unsolved (“Few analysts believe final settlement can be reached in 60 days – and even if it is, war and instability could soon return”)
- The U.S. Had No Choice but Diplomacy—Yet Again (“The new pact between the U.S. and Iran seeks to rewind the clock to the day before the war.”)
- Trump is urging tankers to sail through Hormuz. Vessels aren’t so sure yet. (“Vice President JD Vance said ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already increased since a peace deal was announced, but industry associations are urging caution.”)
- Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Won’t Have ‘Tolls’ but It Will Have ‘Fees’ (“Charging a toll is illegal under international law, but some fees are allowed for services. It is not clear what services Iran would provide, but there were no fees charged before the war.”)
- Exclusive: US using Iranian smuggling tactic to sneak oil out of the Gulf
- President Trump Lost This War
- Scoop: CIA director doubts Iran’s intentions on deal, sources say
- The Art of the Non-Deal (“With this ceasefire, Trump has capitulated to Iran.”)
- Trump Stages an Iran Retreat (“The regime gets financial relief to reopen Hormuz and hold more nuclear talks.”)
- The 8 unresolved questions in Trump’s Iran deal
- Senate Republicans Won’t Back Iran Deal Without Details
- Senate Republicans want a say on Trump’s Iran deal
- The Ceasefire Agreement with Iran Is Not Even Close to a “Deal” (“The fact that there’s still a 60-day window on the table for nuclear negotiations doesn’t really inspire hope.”)
- The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s Iran deal: a pause is not a triumph (“The US-Iran ceasefire is welcome. But the US president is trying to disguise a failed war of choice as a diplomatic victory”)
- The reported Iran MOU is driving a wedge between MAGA hacks and MAGA hawks
- The Iran war’s end is being greatly exaggerated (“There are many questions unresolved in the latest ceasefire deal and many ways the conflict could begin again.”)
- The Race to Land an Iran Deal Loomed Large Behind Trump’s UFC Birthday
- Interim US-Iran peace deal sparks anger among Israelis, who lash out at Netanyahu
- Israel Counts the Ways That Netanyahu’s Iran Strategy Failed (“The U.S.-Iran framework agreement appears to omit some of the most important provisions that Israel wanted.”)
- Iran deal presents political nightmare for Netanyahu
- Netanyahu Pays a Political Price for Trump’s Iran Deal
- Did Jared Kushner Inadvertently Touch Off an Albanian Revolution?
- Killed walking home from school: why did Somali children become targets of US drone strikes?
- Potential End of War Tests Trump’s Promise of Quick Economic Rebound (“Gas prices and other goods could remain elevated for months, adding to the political challenge facing the White House in the midterm elections.”)
- Republicans hopeful Iran deal could stop the pain at the pump — but it may be too late (“Even if gas prices ease, some Republicans, including those close to the White House, fear that voter perceptions of a sour economy are already baked in.”)
- RFK Jr under fire for ‘bullying’ letter to scientific journal (“Health advocates criticized Kennedy’s move demanding answers from journal that removed ‘flawed’ vaccine study”)
- Kennedy Orders Woman to Stay in Hantavirus Quarantine, Despite C.D.C. Recommendation (“Others who were in the facility have been allowed to return to their homes in recent weeks for monitoring by local health officials.”)
- RFK Jr. demands journal explain removal of vaccine study used to support his childhood immunization changes
- How an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet (“With support from Markwayne Mullin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the kratom industry is pursuing a potentially lucrative policy. Mr. Mullin owns equity in a company that could benefit.”)
- Thune says Senate will move FISA bill without SAVE America Act, rebuffing Trump
- Senate to confirm Jay Clayton as soon as Thursday
- The States Should Override Trump’s Indefensible Pardons
- Trump promised to bring order to AI oversight. That lasted 2 weeks. (“New restrictions on Anthropic are causing industry advocates to worry the White House’s plan for a laissez-faire approach to the technology is crumbling.”)
- The US government’s Anthropic models ban was never about an AI jailbreak
- Trump Administration Abandons Fight Against Wind Energy as Clean Energy Output Surges (“The clean energy sector is showing resilience despite challenges thrown at it by a hostile White House, a recent report found. A string of legal victories has further dampened the Trump administration’s efforts to halt wind and solar power.”)
- Voting officials fear DHS may actually be a threat to elections this year
- Trump’s Personal Lawyer Was Said to Be Part of a Billionaire’s Criminal Defense (“Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn denies any relationship with Indian businessman Gautam Adani, who faced federal fraud charges”)
- GOP sparks fury with apparent meddling in Democratic primaries
- Records reveal $600M estimate for Trump’s ballroom project, with half from taxpayers
- Don’t expect a repeat. UFC boss Dana White says ‘never again’ to another White House fight night
- Trump’s Bloody, Garish Birthday Gift to Himself: A White House UFC Fight
- I’m Starting to Think the White House UFC Fight Was All Just a Weird Crypto Scam
- Trump facing pressure to condemn UFC fighter for disparaging Michelle Obama (“Josh Hokit’s comment, made after the match at the White House, was condemned widely, but not by the president”)
- ‘Absolute Worst Of America’: Critics Torch Trump UFC Event After ‘Disgusting’ Comment (“Josh Hokit won his fight, then claimed Michelle Obama is a man.”)
- A Garish Spectacle of American Decline
- Justice Department Decision to Allow Paramount Deal Surprised Staff Investigators (“Career antitrust officials investigating Warner acquisition were leaning toward recommending a challenge to the merger, people familiar with the matter say”)
- Newsom Says Trump’s Justice Department Is Investigating Him and His Wife
- We’re about to find out how powerful Brian Kemp really is with Georgia Republicans (“Tuesday will prove whether he has the juice to overcome a Trump endorsement in the Senate race and overcome a firehose of cash in the race to succeed him.”)
- A Muslim Texan sought to find his place in the party at the state GOP convention. He left in tears. (“Muslim delegates and attendees hoping to participate in the state Republican convention were shunned and rejected by members as they espoused themes of party unity ahead of the November election.” Also, to the extent Gaza is a huge issue for Muslims, why on earth would they ever support Republicans, who are strongly anti-Palestinian – hell, Trump uses the word “Palestinian” as an insult! WTF? – pro-right-wing-Israeli-government, etc?)
- 8 people died in B-52 bomber crash at US Air Force base in Southern California, officials say
- Trump Ordered ‘American Flag Blue’ for the Reflecting Pool. It’s Green Again. (“Algal blooms have hit the site, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, after a $14.2 million repair project.”)
- Washington mayoral candidates outline how they would stand up to Trump
- Polls open DC on primary day with big changes on the ballot
- EXCLUSIVE: Autopsy reveals new details in death of Sen. Mark Warner’s daughter, manner ruled undetermined (“Madison’s medical history was listed to include: Type 1 diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, Von Willebrand’s disease and ulcerative colitis.” Kind of a strange article, by the way…very confusing.)
- Luria to face Democratic challengers before a potential rematch with Kiggans in 2nd District (“Physician Devanath, USAID worker Mosolf and regional government official Fleming make their pitches”)
- Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07): “The outlines of [Trump’s Iran] deal are still not completely clear, but the strategic folly here ranks among America’s worst.”
- Rep. Vindman: Trump’s Iran agreement looks like a ‘terrible deal’
- Video: Gov. Abigail Spanberger Declares “There is no other option but to have a budget [by 6/30]…every member of the General Assembly…must have that as their priority” (Also: “we’re going to be releasing the full details of that [cannabis] bill tomorrow.”)
- Meeting Trump’s SNAP fraud demands will likely cost Virginia hundreds of millions of dollars
- Virginia to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“On July first, Virginia will return to RGGI – joining 10 other eastern states. Benforado says consumers may still pay more for power – but they should blame data centers and continued reliance on fossil fuels.”)
- 7News sits down with Sen. Louise Lucas, who is fighting to scrap data center tax breaks (I make a point of never linking to Sinclair, WJLA7, or right-wing-propagandist Nick Minock. The only reason I’m linking to this story is that Sen. Louise Lucas had some pointed things to say about Gov. Abigail Spanberger, House Democrats, etc.)
- The House and Senate both released new budgets. Here’s how they align and diverge. (“Lawmakers present different ideas on how the state should fund key priorities in healthcare and education, while data centers’ tax exemption remains a sticking point.”)
- Spanberger stresses predictability for Virginia businesses at Google event
- Virginia Sen. Lucas talks FBI raid, data centers and recreational cannabis (“No arrests, no charges made, nothing”)
- Amid budget battle, legislators pass the buck on concrete data center reforms. Again. (“v”)
- Data center supply chains are moving into rural areas that need jobs. This complicates the debate over taxation. (“The growth of power-related manufacturing jobs tied to data centers is giving rural areas a different stake in the data center taxation debate than they’ve had previously.”)
- As university workers struggle with low pay, Pence paid $150K by George Mason (“The George Mason chapter of a faculty union obtained Pence’s compensation through a Freedom of Information Act request.” GMU is Koch Brothers University.)
- A rural hospital paid for the children of 2 top executives to become doctors. It won’t say how many other people have gotten similar help. (“Buchanan General Hospital’s tuition assistance program is designed to recruit clinicians to work in its rural community. The hospital declined to disclose information about other program recipients or its conflict of interest policy.”)
- ODU prez Hemphill has ‘unwavering confidence’ of board, gets contract extension
- DC-area forecast: Wonderful weather today before heat builds back
