"Half" ahead DST; billionaire tax avoidance; Iran heating up; judges slam ICE; Pope Leo says no to Trump; A.I. may boom then bust
It's National Chocolate Mint Day!
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—Kevin G. Barkes
February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 315 days remain until the end of the year. Unfortunately, as of this writing, 1,065 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
Something I’ve been suggesting for years: ‘Half-daylight saving time’ could become permanent under new bill. Split the difference: turn the clocks ahead a half-hour once, and be done with it.
Billionaires’ low taxes are becoming a problem for the economy. Tax avoidance by the superwealthy is an economic issue as well as a political one.
U.S. military moves into place for possible strikes in Iran. Trump has given no indication that he has made a decision about how to proceed, as diplomatic talks continue.
Iran is getting ready for war with the U.S. Iran is preparing for war by deploying forces, fortifying nuclear sites, and expanding domestic crackdowns amid military threats.
Minnesota judge holds lawyer for DOJ in contempt as tensions flare over immigration cases. And Patrick Schiltz, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Minnesota, accused ICE of violating court orders nearly 100 times in the month of January.
Federal judges slam ICE for putting pregnant and nursing women at risk in detention. Pregnant and nursing women in ICE facilities have claimed that they have been separated from their nursing infants while being held in harrowing conditions that put their health in danger, leading some to have miscarriages.
Pope Leo rejects Trump’s invite to join ‘Board of Peace’ and backs UN.
FDA’s reversal on Moderna flu shot bid followed White House pressure. President Trump called Commissioner Marty Makary to the White House to discuss his frustration with the agency handling of vaccine issue.
Move over, Epstein: Hugh Hefner’s widow voices alarm over Playboy founder’s explicit scrapbooks being made public. Crystal Hefner and the nonprofit controlling Hefner's documents are in a dispute over the materials, which she contends feature intimate images of women, including possibly "girls who were underage at the time." Hefner's sons dispute the claim.
A.I. agents are taking America by storm. “Once a computer can use computers, you’re off to the races.”
The worst-case future for white-collar workers. Maybe white-collar types have 12 to 18 months left. But then…
Oxford researcher warns that A.I. is heading for a Hindenburg-style disaster. “The Hindenburg disaster destroyed global interest in airships; it was a dead technology from that point on…”
Researcher skeptical of ‘Havana syndrome’ tested secret weapon on himself. In 2024, a Norwegian researcher skeptical that pulsed-energy weapons could do damage to human brains built a device and tested it on himself. It didn’t go well.
Late Night:
Stephen Colbert:
The Pope turned down Trump's invitation to join the made-up Board of Peace, the president's approval numbers have never been lower, RFK Jr. and Kid Rock posted a cringe workout video from Kid's home gym, and Stephen has heartwarming news about a young monkey named Punch. (Video)
Colbert’s Talarico interview is now his most-watched video on YouTube in 3+ years.
Bookmark KGB Report Notes and check periodically for cartoons, memes, news, commentary and other stuff that didn’t fit or broke between e-mail newsletter issues. It’s also a great place to comment and chat.
Keep scrolling down. 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:
1878 – Thomas Edison patented the phonograph.
Quote of the day:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.
--Helen Fielding (Wikipedia link)
(More Helen Fielding quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Global Information Governance Day, International Tug-of-War Day, International Kazoo Day, Iwo Jima Day, National Arabian Horse Day, National Boston Terrier Day, National Chocolate Mint Day, National Lash Day, National Vet Girls RISE Day, Prevent Plagiarism Day, The Great American Spit Out, and World Anthropology Day.
On This Day:
1985 – William J. Schroeder became the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, was rescinded by President Gerald Ford‘s Proclamation 4417.
1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan‘s The Feminine Mystique reawakened the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
1945 – World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima.
1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
1913 – Pedro Lascuráin became President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
1878 – Thomas Edison patented the phonograph.
1847 – The first group of rescuers reached the Donner Party.
1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr was arrested for treason.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
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Some Birthdays:
2004 – Millie Bobby Brown, English actress, model and producer
1998 – Chappell Roan, American singer and songwriter
1977 – Andrew Ross Sorkin, American journalist and author
1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican actor, director, and producer
1966 – Justine Bateman, American actress and producer
1960 – Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, second son of Elizabeth II
1959 – Roger Goodell, American businessman, 6th National Football League Commissioner
1958 – Helen Fielding, English author and screenwriter
1957 – Falco, Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician (died 1998)
1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright
1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (died 1974)
1943 – Lou Christie, American singer-songwriter (died 2025) (Video)
1943 – Homer Hickam, American author and engineer
1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer (Video)
1930 – John Frankenheimer, American director and producer (died 2002)
1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (died 1987) (Video)
1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (died 1967)
1913 – Frank Tashlin, American animator and screenwriter (died 1972)
1912 – Saul Chaplin, American composer (died 1997)
1893 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (died 1964)
1911 – Merle Oberon, Indian-American actress (died 1979)
1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Prussian mathematician and astronomer (died 1543)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (born 1932)
2016 – Harper Lee, American author (born 1926)
2007 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (born 1921)
2003 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)
2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (born 1913)
1998 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (born 1913)
1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, paramount leader and 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (born 1904)
1997 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (born 1908)
1969 – Madge Blake, American actress (born 1899)
1962 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the Pap smear (born 1883)
1951 – André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1869)
1916 – Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (born 1838)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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