Wednesday News: “What did Pope Francis think of JD Vance?”; “Youngkin backs Trump’s tariff plans” Even as Trump Mostly Caves; “Hegseth Aides’ Civil War Plunged the Pentagon Into Chaos”; “Americans sour on Trump’s handling of the economy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, April 23.

• A silent majority of the world’s people wants stronger climate action. It’s time to wake up (“About 89% of the public want their governments to do more to tackle the climate crisis – but don’t know they’re the majority”)
• What to Read to Wrap Your Head Around the Climate Crisis
• 84% of the world’s coral reefs hit by worst bleaching event on record (And yet humanity keeps pumping out C02 emissions, methane emissions, etc. Great job, humanity – NOT!)
• Who will be the next pope? Key candidates in an unpredictable contest
• What did Pope Francis think of JD Vance? His view was more than clear (“Francis was as outspoken as could be without naming names, when he criticized Vance in his February letter to US bishops”)
• The Trump “Final” Proposal For Ukraine (“It’s all there—Russia keeping the territory, Russia getting sanctions relief, no new aid for Ukraine, no NATO for Ukraine, no security guarantees for Ukraine. Even the negotiating respectfully with Putin and suspiciously with Zelensky was exactly what we have seen. Trump is what he has always been. The sad thing is still, even now, not all Europeans understand this.”)
• Vance issues Ukraine ultimatum after Rubio snubs key London meeting
• Vance Says Territory Concessions Needed for Ukraine-Russia Deal (FU JD)
• Trump administration unwinds efforts to investigate Russian war crimes (Pure evil.)
• Trump was once seen as an asset to right-wing populists abroad. No more (“In some countries, including those facing national elections soon, political leaders who’ve advocated a homegrown style of MAGA are suddenly scrambling to distance themselves from the U.S. president.”)
• IMF cuts growth forecasts for most countries in wake of century-high US tariffs
• Trump Promised ‘Big, Beautiful’ Deals. Delivering Has Been Tougher. (First of all, who the hell talks like this? “Big Beautiful” deals? If a salesman talked to you like that, you’d run in the opposite direction, right?)
• US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’
• Trump Floats ‘Substantial’ China Tariffs Cuts in Trade Deal (“Trump says he plans to be ‘very nice’ to China in any trade talks and that tariffs will drop if the two countries can reach a deal.”)
• Bessent says he expects ‘de-escalation’ in U.S.-China tariff fight in the ‘very near future’
• Trump Now Says Tariffs On China Will Be Much Lower Than 145%
• Trump says China tariffs will ‘come down substantially,’ hinting at potential U-turn
• Shock and anger after gunmen kill 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir
• Marco Rubio’s State Department Reorg Would Hit Programs Focused on Human Rights and War Crimes (VERY Putin-friendly. Again, why did the US Senate vote 99-0 to confirm Rubio?!?)
• Rubio unveils a massive overhaul of the State Department that would cut staff and bureaus (How the everlasting F*** was Rubio confirmed 99-0 by the US Senate?!?)
• The Mexican President Who’s Facing Off with Trump
• The Current Perfidy in El Salvador Harkens Back to a Huge Scandal Under Reagan
• Judge rips DOJ for not answering questions in Abrego Garcia case
• Gorsuch, Roberts side with left-leaning Supreme Court justices in immigration ruling (“Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion in the 5-4 court case – a possible sign of the court’s thinking as it gears up to hear high-profile immigration cases next month”)
• Trump fires more immigration judges even as he aims to increase deportations
• Trump Says He Has ‘No Intention’ of Firing Fed Chair Powell (Trump backing down on Powell, tariffs, etc?)
• Cronyism, Capitulation and Utter Chaos (“And what the hell was Scott Bessent doing briefing Morgan clients?”)
• Stock markets rise as Trump says he will reduce tariffs on China ‘substantially’ (“US president also says he has ‘no intention’ of firing chair of American central bank Jay Powell”)
• The domestic fallout from Trump’s tariffs, in 3 charts
• Press Freedom Center: Federal judge’s ruling in VOA case a win for First Amendment
• Federal judge orders Trump administration to rehire all Voice of America and Radio Free Asia staff (What Trump and Musk did in this case, as well as in many other cases, is WILDLY illegal and unconstitutional. Apparently, though, there are no penalties for them breaking the law, which is totally f’ed up of course.)
• Nearly Half of Americans Are Breathing Unhealthy Air as Pollution Exposure Numbers Reach Decade High (And Trump doesn’t GAF, in fact he plans to make it much worse!)
• The Supreme Court’s “Don’t Say Gay” argument went disastrously for public schools (“Many of the justices seemed eager to impose impossible burdens on schools.”)
• Too late to opt-out: Supreme Court ultimately can’t save the religious right’s futile book bans (“Even if SCOTUS allows LGBTQ books to get pushed out of classrooms, the right is still losing the larger culture war”)
• A Ticking Clock on American Freedom (“It’s later than you think, but it’s not too late.”)
• Measles Surge in Southwest Is Now the Largest Single Outbreak Since 2000 (Anti-vaxxers like RFK Jr. are a menace.)
• RFK Jr. Launches Into Bizarre Rant About Teenage Sperm Counts on Fox (RFK Jr. is deranged.)
• Law firms fighting Trump to ask judges to permanently block executive orders
• Appeasing Donald Trump Won’t Work
• Even on the gravest of issues, GOP can’t summon the will to question Trump (This party is completely worthless – far WORSE than worthless, actually – and should get literally ZERO votes. Unless, that is, you think voting for a death cult is in your interest.)
• Hegseth Aides’ Civil War Plunged the Pentagon Into Chaos (“The defense secretary’s senior aides were locked in a brutal power struggle with his chief of staff when they were fired for allegedly leaking information to the press.”)
• The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon
• Trump unlikely to dismiss Hegseth, but officials are troubled by disarray in Pentagon chief’s inner circle
• Oops! Fox News Accidentally Introduces Pete Hegseth As ‘Former’ Secretary (The word “News” should be in air quotes when it comes to Fox “News”)
• Hegseth is in over his head. No wonder the Pentagon is a mess.
• HHS Plans to Cut the National Suicide Hotline’s Program for LGBTQ Youth (Just a reminder that RKF Jr. is evil.)
• Trump’s second term vision is playing out exactly as he promised (“America is no longer united by a common version of reality. Opinions on Trump’s second term illustrate that.”)
• In Trump 2.0, the mistakes are multiplying
• EPA starts layoffs of environmental justice employees
• Veterans affairs agency orders staff to report each other for ‘anti-Christian bias’ (McCarthyism run amok.)
• Trump’s inner circle weighs push for higher taxes on millionaires (At this point, I’d support going back to a top marginal income tax rate of 80% or whatever for those with wealth over $1 billion or whatever. Maybe a special 95% marginal tax rate for those over $100 billion? Also, slap a steep wealth tax on Musk, Bezos, etc.)
• What the Democratic Infighting Reveals (“The party remains in a state of disunion—not only about their future, but about how to address the present catastrophe.”)
• Al Gore draws parallels between Trump 2.0 and early Nazi Germany in speech (“Former VP said the administration was creating its ‘own preferred reality’ and slammed it for green energy U-turn”)
• Americans sour on Trump’s handling of the economy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds (“Trump’s economic approval rating falls to 37% in Reuters/Ipsos poll”)
• Harvard professor offers a grim assessment of American democracy under Trump
• Harvard Plans to Use Trump’s Haste Against Him as It Fights Funding Cut
• Musk to reduce Doge role after Tesla profits plunge
• Tesla Profit Sinks, Hurt by Political Backlash (Excellent – definitely do NOT buy a Tesla, and if you own one, seriously consider selling it!)
• Tesla warns that trade policy and politics are taking a toll as it announces sizable revenue decline
• Musk says he’ll spend less time in Washington and more time running Tesla after its profit plunges
• 3 Adams Case Prosecutors Resign Rather Than Express Regret to Justice Dept. (Adams is a scumbag and criminal who richly deserves to be prosecuted. By the way, if voters had done literally 5 minutes of Googling prior to the NY City Democratic primary four years ago, there’s NO WAY Adams would ever have been nominated. I looked at him back then and was like, this guy is going to be a DISASTER! But, apparently, most voters did no research at all. Pathetic.)
• ‘60 Minutes’ Chief Resigns in Emotional Meeting: ‘The Company Is Done With Me’ (This is VERY ominous – CBS completely caving to Trump?)
• Jury finds NY Times not liable in Sarah Palin defamation case
• Sanders says Arkansas in ‘dire need of federal assistance,’ but Trump says no
• 4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer: ‘The cruelty is apparent’
• DC’s Special Status Gets Ripped Up by DOGE’s Job and Cost Cuts (“The US capital usually enjoys a steady economy with stable employment. Elon Musk’s cost-slashing campaign is causing unprecedented upheaval.”)
• The $10M steered to Hope Florida by the state was Medicaid money, document shows (The guy who Glenn Youngkin said was a role model governor, Ron DeSantis, is wildly corrupt.)
• Video: Sen. Mark Warner Warns That If Trump Fires Fed Chair Jay Powell, “we would see a market meltdown that is unprecedented” (Sen. Warner also asks, “if Congress is continued to be ignored as we appropriate funds…and if this administration can then pull back those funds regardless of what Congress says, why do you even have a Congress?”)
• Youngkin backs Trump’s tariff plans at Virginia Ag Trade Conference (Youngkin is totally in the cult at this point.)
• Federal reports paint conflicting Virginia jobs pictures
• Elected Leaders and VEA President Call on Winsome Earle-Sears to Stand Up for Virginia Students (“Earle-Sears is more interested in supporting Trump than fighting for Virginia students.”)
• Freedom Virginia Announces 2025 Candidate Endorsements; “Backs Candidates Who Will Advance a Bold Economic Agenda in 2026 So Hardworking Virginians Can Get Ahead”
• Lack of statewide GOP primary might diminish turnout for down ballot primaries
• Virginia College Students Want More Climate Action on Earth Day
• Right-wing radio host John Reid will be GOP nominee for lieutenant governor (“His social media posts and issues page show he holds positions to the right of most Virginians’.”)
• Women candidates pack Virginia’s House of Delegates elections, tee up historic governor’s race
• Trump’s tariffs blamed for Volvo layoffs in Southwest Virginia
• Video: “After coming within just 183 votes of flipping the district in 2023,” Lily Franklin Launches Her 2025 Campaign in HD41
• Pittsylvania County hasn’t had a comprehensive zoning update since 1991, long before the arrival of data centers and solar farms. Now a rewrite is almost complete.
• A brighter future for Virginia’s rural schools (“Bipartisan-backed House Bill 1934 and Senate Bill 1192 provide a way for schools to significantly reduce their electric bills with rooftop solar, writes guest columnist Dr. Pete Gretz of Fluvanna County Public Schools”)
• ICE detains 2 men in Charlottesville courthouse raid
• More Roanoke City school buildings to get solar panels
• CWG Live updates: Staying beautiful until shower chances rise late Friday and Saturday