by Lowell
Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, May 10. Also, check out the video of SNL’s “cold open” last night, in which “Brett Kavanaugh (Matt Damon), Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) and Kash Patel (Aziz Ansari) discuss current events over drinks at a bar.”
- This Is What Happened When Trump Abandoned the World’s Poorest Children (Pure evil by the Trump administration.)
- Russia and China Dominate African Airwaves Following the Shutdown of Voice of America (“The abrupt closure of Voice of America by the Trump administration has allowed Russian and Chinese state media to dominate African news. The stakes are immense.” Insane, criminal, etc. by the Trump administration.)
- Steve Rosenberg: This year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow felt very different
- Vladimir Putin suggests Ukraine war is ‘coming to an end’ (It should end with Russia paying Ukraine 100s of billions of $$$ in reparations, Putin in The Hague, etc.)
- Putin’s Fear Is Showing. There’s Good Reason for It. (“Putin’s caution and Zelensky’s cheek reflect a changing tide in the war. It would go too far to say that either side is winning or losing—but the odds are tipping, a little bit, in Kyiv’s favor.”)
- An Emboldened New China Spells Trouble for Trump
- Trump is going to China hoping to talk trade. Iran may steal the show (“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already said Iran will be a topic in the meetings, which are due to take place May 14 and 15.”)
- Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing this week knowing that Xi holds all the cards
- Tehran, Taiwan, trade … what are the hazards facing Trump on Xi summit tightrope?
- Defence sovereignty: Europe races to build the low-cost weapons of future (“With Trump wavering on Nato and war in Ukraine, Europe is scrambling to spend billions on weapons such as drones”)
- US strikes Iranian oil tankers while awaiting Tehran response on peace plan
- US Awaits Iran Reply as Aramco Says Hormuz Opening No Quick Fix
- Iran’s two-tier internet access fuels anger and exposes cracks in the regime
- Trump news at a glance: Marco Rubio hopes for ‘serious offer’ from Iran on ceasefire proposal
- Iran threatens US sites in Middle East if tankers come under fire
- Mass Layoffs Hit Iran as Businesses Buckle Under Wartime Pressures
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Is MIA, Just When Negotiators Need Him Most (“Mojtaba Khamenei hasn’t appeared publicly since U.S. and Iranian officials say he was severely injured in a February airstrike.”)
- Scoop: Rubio and Witkoff meet Qatari mediator in Miami on Iran deal
- Iran ceasefire tested as cargo ship catches fire and Kuwait reports drone attack
- Israel Built and Defended a Secret Iran War Base in Iraq (“Israel set up the base for special forces and search‑and‑rescue teams, and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who almost discovered it early in the war.”)
- Deadly Israeli Strikes Erode Cease-Fire in Lebanon (“Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has shown little sign of abating, with Hezbollah also continuing to attack Israeli troops, and both sides accusing the other of violating a U.S.-brokered truce.”)
- Saudi Aramco Q1 profit jumps 26% as key pipeline reaches capacity amid Iran war (“Aramco’s East-West pipeline reached its maximum capacity of seven million barrels per day in the first quarter.”)
- Peter Magyar Takes Over as Hungary’s Leader From Viktor Orban (“The former opposition leader, who won a landslide election, now faces the formidable job of dismantling what his predecessor called an ‘illiberal democracy.'”)
- Péter Magyar sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister ending 16-year Orbán era (“Jubilation in Budapest as new leader invites people to ‘step through gate of regime change’”)
- We have a problem and have to move quickly, says Labour MP who’s willing to challenge Starmer
- Passengers start disembarking from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in Spain’s Canary Islands
- Experts wonder ‘Where is the CDC?’ as a hantavirus outbreak unfolds on a cruise ship
- ‘Largely slop’: Trump’s new counterterrorism strategy is scant on substance but heavy on enemies (Anything/everything by Sebastian Gorka is “slop”)
- Legislators Denounce “Appalling and Horrific Treatment” of Mothers in Immigrant Detention (“More than a hundred pregnant women are still detained. Many are not receiving proper medical care.” Appalling.)
- SCOTUS used faulty racial voter turnout data to shred Voting Rights Act in recent ruling (This Court is an unholy combo of: a) corrupt; b) illegitimate; c) extremist; d) incompetent. If/when Dems regain power, job #1 will be to completely reform this disaster, whether by expanding it, imposing strict ethical standards, mandatory retirement ages, etc, etc.)
- Democrats Who Are Soft on Republicans Have Got to Go
- With Trump’s low approval rating and Republicans’ ‘self-destruction’, can Democrats take the Senate? (Difficult but possible.)
- The DOGE-ing of the Humanities Is Being Reversed (“The Trump administration hastily canceled research grants last year—but just hit a roadblock in court.”)
- If You’re Winning, Why Do You Sound So Scared? (“When a political party and administration become more focused on engineering elections than persuading voters, people begin to wonder what they’re so afraid of.”)
- Poll: Republicans and Democrats agree on one big election issue (“As campaign spending hits record highs, voters across parties question how deeply money shapes elections.”)
- MAGA Religious Leaders Dedicate and Bless 22-Foot Golden Trump Statue at Doral (“A 22-foot, gold-leafed Trump effigy at Doral, blessed by Pastor Mark Burns and a circle of evangelical and Jewish clergy. The Catholic Church has a name for what just happened — and a duty to stop it.”)
- The Platner Trap (“The exact wrong answer to a Republican Party that’s flirting with fascism is a man who chose to put vile Nazi imagery on his own body.”)
- Person dies after being hit by Frontier Airlines plane that was taking off at Denver airport
- Pardoned January 6 rioter sentenced to seven years for Virginia burglary (“Zachary Alam spent four years in jail for his role in the Capitol attack before Trump pardoned him in 2025” Shocking that so many of these “patriots” or whatever bullshit they call themselves keep ending up back in prison.)
- Rearranging the deck chairs in the Fifth, Sixth after the Supreme Court ruling (“Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears outpolled Democrat Abigail Spanberger by 6.6 points in the Fifth District in 2025…The 2025 cycle was more favorable for Ds across the board, but the Sixth was still Earle-Sears +17.4 last fall.”)
- 10-1 doesn’t have to be dead, if Virginia Democrats could just show some courage
- Editorial: Ruling on redistricting leaves Virginia at a disadvantage (“Nullifying the public’s will means Virginians will participate in a November election unfairly tilted by actions outside the commonwealth’s control. “)
- Political Winners and Losers: Virginia Supreme Court Kills Redistricting Amendment
- ‘No Seat for Me’: Virginia Democrats Are Forced to Play Musical Chairs (“A court ruling that struck down an election map swiftly ended some Democratic House candidacies and pushed others into much tougher races.”)
- Questions linger in wake of FBI raid of Sen. Lucas, Norfolk CBD shop (“Two cannabis-related businesses raided by the FBI last week in Portsmouth and Norfolk have operated under the same parent company — VA Freedom Life — over the years. It’s unclear whether the raids are related, but business records show both Sen. Louise Lucas and Carlton Upton Jr., who was indicted last week, have ties to VA Freedom Life.”)
- Drought forces Appalachian Power to release less water from Smith Mountain Project
- CWG Live: Some sun and warmth for Mother’s Day, but late-day showers and storms
