by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, April 8.
- World held hostage by reliance on fossil fuels, Christiana Figueres warns – and climate health impacts are ‘mother of all injustices’ (“Exclusive: Former UN climate chief to co-chair Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality”)
- The Global Energy Supply in a Decade ‘Is Not a World We’re Going to Recognize’ (“With the U.S. bombing Iran and the Strait of Hormuz closed, energy experts say countries transitioning to renewables will be more resilient in the ‘face of the shock.'”)
- Earthrise to Earthset: how the planet’s climate has changed since the photo that inspired the environmental movement
- The Most Beautiful Moment of the Artemis II Mission
- Pope issues stiffest rebuke yet to Trump over war threats
- As Trump Bullies NATO, Europeans Question Its Deferential Chief
- Europe cannot bet on a post-Trump US turning back to sanity (Agreed – nobody can.)
- Even as They Praise Iran Cease-Fire, World Leaders Are Whipsawed by Trump
- World exhales — a little — as US, Iran agree to ceasefire (“Iran hawks in the U.S. have already started to question whether the Trump administration is taking the right approach.”)
- Russia and China veto watered-down UN resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz
- Oil prices plunge and markets surge on Iran war ceasefire but ‘significant hurdles remain’
- Why You Can’t ‘Flick a Switch’ to Get Oil and Gas Flowing Out of the Persian Gulf (“Some wells can be turned on in days or weeks, but bringing the Gulf’s energy system back to normal will take months.”)
- 4 ways Trump has suggested the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened — and why they’re a tough lift (“President Donald Trump has floated several — at times contradictory — ways for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iran’s blockade is already driving up prices and squeezing economies amid an uncertain future.”)
- Oil prices plunge following U.S.-Iran ceasefire
- Large-scale resumption of oil shipping isn’t guaranteed
- How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran (“In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here’s the inside story of how he made the fateful decision.”)
- Trump delays end of Iranian civilization for ‘two weeks,’ because of course he did
- U.S. AND IRAN AGREE TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE
- Explainer: What is in Iran’s 10-point ceasefire plan and will the US agree to it? (“Two-week ceasefire comes after Trump spoke to Pakistan’s leaders, with China also believed to be exerting influence over Tehran”)
- Trump Finds His Offramp With Iran. But the Causes of War Remain Unresolved.
- Exclusive: How Iran’s supreme leader reached a truce with Trump
- ‘There Will Be No Genocide Tonight’: Conservatives Rip Media ‘Hysteria’ Over Trump Iran Threat
- Ceasefire wins Trump instant gratification but Iran can enter talks with stronger hand (“US is in weaker position than before war as Tehran has shown capacity to inflict pain on Trump administration”)
- Trump Ally Says Attacking Civilian Targets Would Be ‘Huge Mistake’
- Hegseth’s boastful claims about Iran war contradict reality, officials say (“The defense secretary’s portrayal of U.S. success in the conflict risks misinforming the public and the president, observers worry.”)
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Struggles to Justify Trump’s Threats
- Did Trump Just Threaten to Use Nuclear Weapons in Iran? (“If such an order comes to pass, the military can and must refuse.”)
- Exclusive: Intelligence report warned of Iran’s ‘persistent threat’ to US as White House downplayed the risk
- American journalist released a week after being kidnapped in Iraq (“Freelancer Shelly Kittleson was reportedly held by Iran-backed militia which says she must now leave country”)
- Israel strikes southern Lebanon after US-Iran ceasefire
- Negative views of Israel, Netanyahu continue to rise among Americans – especially young people
- Vance’s Trip to Trump Ally Hit by Humiliating Putin Call Leak (“The vice president is in Europe to show support for a far-right leader.”)
- Vance praises Orbán on Ukraine during his ‘unprecedented’ Hungary visit (This alone should disqualify Vance from ever being president. Utter f’ing disgrace to our country.)
- ICE agents shoot man in car in northern California (“Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez hospitalized after shooting in rural Patterson as officials say investigation under way” F*** ICE.)
- The Government Really Thinks It Can Get Away with Lying About ICE’s Brutality (“Do they not realize that video evidence is everywhere? It’s 2026, you meatheads.”)
- Under Trump, the Department of Agriculture Has Ditched Conservation and Climate Efforts (“An Inside Climate News analysis found the department lost 21 percent of its workforce in 2025. Those cuts have thrown it into disarray.”)
- Over 50 Democrats push 25th Amendment as Trump threatens to kill ‘a whole civilization’ (Will go nowhere, unfortunately.)
- Trump Treats the Constitution Like He Treated His Workers (“I saw how he operated in New York—why would it be different now?”)
- Trump Has Posted a Lot of Psychopathic Things Online. His Latest Truth Social Update Might Be His Worst. (“How do we live our lives when the president is a psychopath who openly threatens genocide?”)
- After clashes with Hegseth, Army secretary says he isn’t going anywhere
- What Tucker Carlson’s big break with Trump means
- Justice Dept.’s Civil Rights Division is investigating Cassidy Hutchinson, a star witness against Trump (That is COMPLETELY f’ed up; no civil servant should participate in this.)
- Stung by Voters, Republican Legislators Move to Curb Citizen Initiatives (When Republicans lose elections, they move to curtail voting and democracy. That’s authoritarianism.)
- ‘A wow moment’: Democrats make big gains in key battlegrounds
- New polling: Trump is underwater in 135 GOP House and Senate seats (“New local polling estimates show Trump is unpopular even in deep red districts, as calls for war powers reform and impeachment swirl in DC”)
- Georgia, Wisconsin Elections Show Declining Appetite for Republican Candidates
- Democrats just posted their biggest swings of the 2026 cycle in WI and GA (“Democrats did better in elections on Tuesday than they did on average in 2025 and 2026 so far”)
- Democrats lost in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old district. They still had one of their best election nights in recent memory
- Trump Faces Midterm Disaster After MTG Seat Special Election (“Democrats dramatically cut into the margins in the deep red district.”)
- Chris Taylor wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race, expanding liberals’ majority
- The New York Times Got Played By A Telehealth Scam And Called It The Future Of AI (Yikes!)
- Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed declines to disavow Hasan Piker’s past comments (“Piker has been accused by Democrats and Republicans of making antisemitic and pro-terrorist comments.” Disqualifying!)
- Sen. Mark Warner: “[Trump] Threatening to end an entire civilization is beyond depraved” (Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11): “Unhinged. Out of control. Criminal”)
- Warner: Trump rhetoric “sounds more like a Middle East dictator than an American president”
- Senator Tim Kaine gives update on Creeper Trail reconstruction
- Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA06)’s Hollow Claim to Back Farmers While Trump’s War Threatens Them (Cline “cannot claim to celebrate farmers while supporting the president’s policies that have single-handedly thrown their very futures into jeopardy”)
- Rep. John McGuire Only Shows Up for Trump—Not for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District (Citizens in VA05 deserve a lot better than this guy)
- Former Rep. Wexton backs Dorothy McAuliffe in crowded Democratic field for proposed 7th District
- Video: Vote YES Campaign Manager Briefing on “Super Saturdays” Early Voting Expansion, Campaign Update (“As of yesterday, we’ve already seen a staggering 740,000 early votes cast…Virginians understand what’s at stake.”)
- If Virginia votes ‘yes,’ Democrats will take the lead in the national redistricting battle
- A War In the Middle East, a Gas Pump—and a Farm—in Virginia (Global oil shocks and Trump’s policies are hitting the Commonwealth faster than most people realize)
- Poll shows Spanberger’s approval rating starts out lower than the last eight governors. Here’s why. (“What’s changed is not a drop in Spanberger’s support, but an increase in her opposition”)
- Opinion | Why Abigail Spanberger became unpopular and how she can fix it (Utter crap by the Bezos Post’s right-wing editorial board.)
- Diving into the supposedly bad poll numbers for Abigail Spanberger
- New Virginia laws take aim at ‘forever chemicals’
- Key gun control bills advance in Virginia as firearm sales surge (“Several bills expand restrictions on certain firearms and how they can be carried, if signed into law.”)
- A bill on the governor’s desk would outline how Virginia schools teach January 6th insurrection (“The curriculum and instruction materials can’t say it was a peaceful protest. It can’t say that there was extensive election fraud that would have overturned the election. And it does have to reflect that it was an unprecedented and violent attack on the United States…This is not partisan. These are just facts.”)
- McEachin: Why this Virginia bill would make our streets more dangerous
- Casino bill a bad bet for Virginia Democrats (By Paul Begala)
- As Virginia SOL demands increase, psychologist offers advice to prepare students
- Court blocks construction of 37 data centers beside historic battlefield in Manassas
- Va. Court of Appeals stops major data center development in Prince William County
- CWG Live: Cool again today. More frost possible tonight. (“Then, 60s Thursday become noticeably warm 70s Friday into the weekend.”)
