Newsweek interviews an anonymous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials who says ICE agents will hate helping TSA. read more
Musk's X posts bragging about DOGE may trigger reversals of its biggest wins. ... Elon Musk must defend himself against a lawsuit alleging that he unlawfully seized too much power as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a judge ruled Monday.
How's the economy?
Not bad if you're rich.
Demand for luxury yachts and private jets is surging thanks to last year's tax law. Sales of $10 million-plus mansions are booming as stocks hit new highs. And the wealthy and powerful will get to enjoy a new ballroom for galas at the White House.
Cracks are beginning to show in the Senate GOP's unity as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown stretches into its 38th day ... read more
Russia is pushing its Max messenger -- a social media platform without encryption -- onto its citizens with a massive promotion campaign and the simultaneous blocking of Whatsapp and Telegram, the country's two most popular messenger apps.
Pentagon to order 3,000 82nd airborne soldiers to Middle East
www.aa.com.tr
... The Pentagon is planning to deploy a brigade combat team from the US Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to support operations against Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday.
Citing two US officials, the WSJ said a written order to deploy the unit, made up of roughly 3,000 soldiers, is expected in the coming hours.
The Pentagon did not provide additional information when asked by Anadolu on Monday about media reports that have suggested elements of the US Army, including units associated with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, beginning deployments to the Middle East. ...
@#74 ... Yeah it's almost like when they sign a treaty with the USA, a new president comes in and just rips it up because he's jealous that the treaty signer had a bigger blacker dick than his. ...
But that agreement was not just between the US and Iran. It also incorporated many other countries.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
en.wikipedia.org
... also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, was an agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and other provisions.
The agreement was finalized in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) -- China, France, Russia, the U.K., U.S. -- plus Germany)[a] together with the European Union. ...
That's quite the collection of various nations that fmr Pres Obama pulled together for the agreement.
Yet, Pres Trump just tore it up, and seems to want to go it alone with his current assault on Iran...
Another view ...
John Fetterman's Net Approval Dropped By More Than 100 Points Since His Election In Pennsylvania
www.latintimes.com
... Democratic Senator John Fetterman has seen his approval level plummet by more than 100 points since he was elected three years ago, according to a new report.
"There's no historical analog to his unpopularity," CNN's Harry Enten said when describing the senator's current approval levels. "There's no historical analog to his unpopularity," he added.
Enten went on to detail that Fetterman's popularity among Democrats is worse than all sitting senators who lost their primary election this century. And several Pennsylvania Democrats are already angling for his ouster.
Some began making louder calls after Fetterman's vote to advance Markwayne Mullin's nomination to become the next Department of Homeland Security secretary.
"Once again Sen Fetterman shows why he is Trump's favorite Democrat. He needs to go," said Rep. Brendan Boyle, who also represents Pennsylvania, last week. Axios detailed that he is rumored as a potential primary challenger of Fetterman, and while he has criticized him in the past, it is the first time he calls for his removal.
The outlet went on to note that Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, also representing Pennsylvania, had urged her constituents to call Fetterman's office and ask him to oppose the nomination. She reacted to the development at a town hall on Thursday, saying he has "more success" working with the other side of the aisle. ...
Interesting ...
OpEd: John Fetterman Is Historically Unpopular, Brutal Polls Show
www.yahoo.com
... When Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was elected in 2023, the Democratic Party thought it might have a new kind of leader.
The gruff, hoodie-wearing Fetterman was able to win over the working class in the country's most important swing state and defeat his Republican challenger, Mehmet Oz, despite suffering a stroke in the middle of the campaign.
As it turns out, the Democratic establishment was right -- just not in the way they thought.
Since Fetterman's election, his net approval with Pennsylvania Democrats has dropped 108 points, from +68 in 2023 to -40 in 2026, as CNN's Harry Enten reported Friday.
"He's down there with the Titanic," Enten said. "There's no historical analog to his unpopularity."...
@#6,7 ... Meanwhile, Trump and buddies have been making billions and depositing it into Qatari bank accounts.
Anyone who thought a billionaire was going to help the middle class is an idiot. ...
It does appear that grift is the major goal of Pres Trump and those close to him.
Trump Son-in-Law's Fund Rakes in Billions Amid Grifting Accusations
www.thedailybeast.com
... Trump's son-in-law's private investment fund has surged by billions of dollars in value, new regulatory filings reveal.
Affinity Partners, the firm Jared Kushner runs with money gathered largely from government-backed funds across the Middle East, saw its assets soar to $6.2 billion at the end of 2025, according to a filing seen by Bloomberg.
That 30 percent rise has come as Democrats accuse the president's son-in-law of using his front-row seat at some of the world's most sensitive diplomatic negotiations to line his own pockets. ...
Meanwhile, concurrently...
FAA issues ground stop at Newark Airport after smoke in control tower
www.nj.com
...The Federal Aviation Administration issued a brief ground stop Monday morning for all flights at Newark Liberty International Airport after an incident in an air traffic control tower.
All arrivals and departures from the airport were grounded around 7:30 a.m.
Flights resumed at 8:05 a.m., according to a spokesperson for the Port Authority.
ABC-7 reported air traffic controllers were evacuated due to smoke inside the tower.
The incident occurred hours after two pilots were killed and several others hurt when an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night. ...
So... two of the three very major airports in the NYC area were shutdown.
Hidden Climate Trigger? What Scientists Found Beneath Our Soil (March 1, 2026)
economictimes.indiatimes.com
...Alaska's permafrost remains one of the largest carbon reservoirs in the country. As Arctic temperatures rise faster than the global average, researchers closely monitor thawing ground. ...
Research in Nature Climate Change highlights the risk of permafrost thaw.
When frozen soil warms, microbes begin breaking down long-buried organic matter. This process releases carbon dioxide and methane, both of which trap heat.
Scientists describe this as a potential feedback loop.
More warming leads to more thawing, which leads to more emissions. ...
Tangentially related...
Middle East War Spurs Emissions From Oil and Gas Sites, Satellites Show
financialpost.com
... The conflict in the Middle East appears to have forced some oil and gas companies to directly burn off more natural gas than usual as their facilities have come under attack or exports have been blocked, releasing planet-warming pollution.
An increase in emissions is a relatively minor issue against the loss of life and economic chaos wrought by the war, yet it shows one of many unanticipated consequences from the fighting. Before the war, efforts to cut down on excess flaring had become a focus for investors keen to rein in waste and greenhouse gases.
From Feb. 28 to March 22, the United Arab Emirates' Das Island liquefied natural gas plant flared enough to add the equivalent of about 74,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to analysis by investigative consultancy Data Desk and Bloomberg calculations. Meanwhile, Qatar's Ras Laffan facility, the world's largest LNG export hub, added roughly 101,300 tons of CO2 equivalent, on par with the annual emissions from more than 20,000 cars.
Higher flaring volumes are "likely linked to facility shutdowns, whether following direct strikes, as a preventive measure, or because of limited storage capacity elsewhere," said BloombergNEF analyst Maria-Olivia Torcea. That "may have required a controlled release of gas from pipes, vessels and other equipment through venting and flaring," she said. ...
More from the article ...
... According to the plaintiffs, Musk needed Senate confirmation before directing DOGE on drastic actions like eliminating agencies, mass firings, and steep budget cuts. Allegedly going far beyond the authority granted in President Donald Trump's most expansive DOGE executive orders, Musk took every inch of power granted and then increasingly used it to overreach unlike any presidential advisor who came before, the suit says.
In her opinion partly denying a motion to dismiss, US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan did not buy the US government's defense that Musk held no office formally established by law -- and therefore did not need Senate confirmation and cannot be alleged to have exceeded his authority under the Constitution's Appointments Clause.
"Nobody thinks, for instance, that the White House Chief of Staff or White House Counsel are officers in any fashion, despite the fact they may exercise tremendous influence across the government," the government's motion to dismiss said.
Chutkan called the defense "disquieting."
"Defendants appear to make the extraordinary argument that an individual who holds an important office and wields immense power is not subject to the Appointments Clause so long as the office was unlawfully created, and the power was unlawfully seized," Chutkan said. ...