Bombing "just for fun"; casket photo fundraising; freak out over dirty talking A.I.; fly brain uploaded to Matrix; Oscar wrap-up
It's National Artichoke Heart Day!
Trump threatens more strikes on key Iranian island vital for oil exports
I’m away until later in the week. Having a bone marrow biopsy, among other things. Stay tuned.
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—Kevin G. Barkes
(Most) everything you need to know for today:
March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 290 days remain until the end of the year. As of this writing, 1,040 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
The latest on the Iran war from the Associated Press.
Trump leaves allies and foes guessing on endgame for Iran. The past 48 hours have only deepened the confusion among once-stalwart allies. (Bloomberg via Yahoo)
Not just gas; Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz could raise consumer prices across the board. (CBS News)
Trump backs FCC chief’s threat to broadcasters, criticizing Iran war coverage. The president endorsed FCC chair Brendan Carr’s warning to broadcasters to correct course or lose their licenses, amid sparring over Iran war coverage. (Washington Post gift article)
Trump tells white reporter immigrants don’t have “Your Genetics”. (TNR)
Trump-linked PAC sends fundraising email using dead soldier’s casket photo from dignified transfer. Several fundraising messages from Trump-connected groups have invoked Iran war to raise money for his campaigns. (The Independent)
OpenAI’s bid to allow X-rated talk is freaking out its own advisers. Warnings surface that the company risks creating a ‘sexy suicide coach’ if it begins allowing sexually explicit chats. (Wall Street Journal gift article)
We have reached end-stage polarization. In a 25-country survey, which included a cross section of European, Asian, African and American nations, the United States was the only country in which a majority of adults surveyed said that the morality and ethics of their fellow citizens were either bad or somewhat bad. Even countries torn apart by violence and civil strife — countries such as Nigeria and Mexico — had higher views of their fellow citizens. (New York Times gift article.)
Researchers upload fly’s brain to Matrix, let it control virtual body. "The ghost is no longer in the machine. The machine is becoming the ghost."
Oscars 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ takes best picture. (AP)
Late Night:
Saturday Night Live:
Cold open: President Trump (James Austin Johnson) and Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) address the rising cost of gas in the United States. (Video)
Weekend Update: Trump posts “Make Iran Great Again,” says U.S. won war on day one. (Video)
Weekend Update: K-Pop Demon Hunters sequel announced, Apple unveils new emojis. (Video)
Keep scrolling… lots of interesting stuff in Quote of the Day, Holidays, On This Day, Birthdays, and Deaths. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn something new.
History highlight:
1995 – Mississippi formally ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865.
Quote of the day:
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.
--Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Wikipedia link)
(More Daniel Patrick Moynihan quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Act Happy Day, Black Press Day, Curlew Day, Dribble to Work Day, Everything You Do is Right Day, Freedom of Information Day, Goddard Day, Lips Appreciation Day, National Artichoke Heart Day, National Curl Crush Day, National Panda Day, National Wellderly Day, St. Urho’s Day, and TUBB3 Variant Awareness Day.
On This Day:
2022 – A 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing 4 people and injuring 225.
2020 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.
2008 – Bear Stearns collapsed, sold to J.P. Morgan Chase
2005 – Actor Robert Blake acquitted of wife’s murder.
2003 – American activist Rachel Corrie was killed in Rafah by being run over by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer while trying to obstruct the demolition of a home.
1995 – Mississippi formally ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865.
1988 – Iran–Contra affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter were indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
1988 – President Reagan ordered troops into Honduras
1985 – Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson was taken hostage in Beirut; he was not released until December 1991.
1984 – William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Lebanon, was kidnapped by Hezbollah; he later died in captivity.
1978 – Supertanker Amoco Cadiz splits in two after running aground on the Portsall Rocks, three miles off the coast of Brittany, resulting in the largest oil spill in history at that time.
1978 – Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped; he was later murdered by his captors.
1970 – Motown soul singer Tammi Terrell died. (Video)
1969 – The Tony award-winning musical “1776” premiered on Broadway. (Video)
1968 – Vietnam War: My Lai massacre occurred; between 347 and 500 Vietnamese villagers were killed by American troops.
1966 – Gemini 8 launched with astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott. It would perform the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit.
1936 – Warmer-than-normal temperatures rapidly melted snow and ice on the upper Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, leading to a major flood in Pittsburgh.
1926 – Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket.
1850 – “The Scarlet Letter” was published.
1802 – The Army Corps of Engineers was established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1991 – Wolfgang Van Halen, American bassist
1990 – Josh Johnson, American comedian and writer
1986 – Alexandra Daddario, American actress
1978 – Brooke Burns, American fashion model, television personality, and actress
1971 – Alan Tudyk, American actor
1964 – Gore Verbinski, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1964 – Patty Griffin, American singer-songwriter
1961 – Todd McFarlane, Canadian author, illustrator, and businessman
1959 – Flavor Flav, American rapper and actor
1954 – Nancy Wilson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress
1953 – Richard Stallman, American computer scientist and programmer
1953 – Isabelle Huppert, French actress
1949 – Erik Estrada, American actor
1949 – Victor Garber, Canadian actor and singer
1944 – Andrew S. Tanenbaum, American computer scientist and academic
1941 – Chuck Woolery, American game show host and television personality (died 2024)
1941 – Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2018)
1927 – Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American sociologist and politician, 12th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2003)
1926 – Jerry Lewis, American actor and comedian (died 2017)
1920 – Leo McKern, Australian-English actor (died 2002)
1916 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (died 2004)
1912 – Pat Nixon, American teacher, First Lady of the United States (died 1993)
1911 – Josef Mengele, German physician, captain and mass-murderer (died 1979)
1906 – Henny Youngman, English-American violinist and comedian (died 1998)
1751 – James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States (died 1836)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2019 – Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (born 1937)
2016 – Frank Sinatra Jr., American singer and actor (born 1944)
2008 – Ivan Dixon, American actor, director, and producer (born 1931)
1983 – Arthur Godfrey, American actor and television host (born 1903)
1971 – Thomas E. Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of New York (born 1902)
1970 – Tammi Terrell, American singer (born 1945)
1903 – Roy Bean, American justice of the peace (born 1825)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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