I can't believe it's not war; Trump urged to use emergency powers before midterms; hobbits were real, may still be around; what will replace humans?
It's National Cheese Doodle Day!
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—Kevin G. Barkes
(Most) everything you need to know for today:
March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 301 days remain until the end of the year. As of this writing, 1,051 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
The latest on the Iran war from the Associated Press.
The real reason Trump went to war. Trump has called for sending American forces to Iran since 1980. He finally has, and must own the consequences. (The Atlantic gift article)
‘MAGA is Trump’: President fires back at right-wing mutiny over Iran. Some of the loudest conservative voices online say attacking Iran doesn’t fit with the president’s “America First” agenda. (Washington Post gift article)
See the Strait of Hormuz shutting down. Ship traffic slowed to a halt after the Iran conflict broke out, stalling oil and container ships. (Wall Street Journal gift article)
Trump’s allies suggest he invoke emergency powers ahead of midterms. Allies of President Trump have floated the idea of him invoking emergency powers to make changes to voting rules. They've also floated sending federal agents to police the polls. (NPR)
A virus without a vaccine or treatment is hitting California. A majority of Northern California communities have seen high concentrations of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, detected in their wastewater. (Los Angeles Times)
Probe into autopen use by Biden and aides closed by D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office. The matter has been closed because prosecutors were never able to find a legal hook to be able to pursue the matter further. (CBS News)
Ancient ‘hobbits’ existed, some say they still do. An anthropologist has spent years investigating reports of ape-like creatures on Flores Island. (history dot com)
The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds. (AP)
Which animal will replace humans as Earth’s dominant species? Scientists think they know. Hint: not land-based. (earth dot com)
Late Night:
The Daily Show: It only took five days for America's war on Iran to go off the rails, as Trump ponders the worst-case scenario, a nepo baby emerges as a top candidate to lead Iran, Sen. Markwayne Mullin stumbles over his war semantics, and Michael Kosta challenges Pete Hegseth to rethink his villainous “no mercy” speech. Plus, a s**t-faced Grace Kuhlenschmidt nominates Trump as Iran’s new supreme leader. (Video)
Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jimmy looks back in time at one of our monologues from 2011 to see how much things have changed, there were primary elections in North Carolina, Arkansas and Texas, James Talarico beat out Jasmine Crockett, Trump took a vigorous stroking at the White House today where he convened a meeting of executives from major tech companies, everyone on Team Trump is confused about whether or not what’s happening in Iran is WAR, they have been throwing out a conflicting array of reasons as to why they decided to launch the attack, Bill Gates is reportedly going to come in to testify about the Trump-Epstein FilesTM , Kristi Noem got grilled today about suspiciously appropriated funds in the Department of Homeland Security, she was asked about a rumored affair with top advisor Corey Lewandowski, and we talk to Donald Trump’s badly bruised hand about what’s going on with the big red rash on his neck. (Video)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: President Trump keeps undermining his administration's own talking points about the combat operations against Iran, Israel's foreign minister threatened "elimination" to anyone selected as Iran's next supreme leader, and the CEO of McDonald's is making food influencer videos. (Video)
Colbert cold open: What is it good for? (Video)
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Seth takes a closer look at Republicans in Congress who said Trump would end foreign wars having a new strategy for defending the Iran war. (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:
1946 – Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain“ speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
Quote of the day:
You have to be careful as a libertarian because you can sound very Republican.
--Penn Jillette (Wikipedia link)
(More Penn Jillette quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Cinco de Marcho, Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day, International CVS Awareness Day, International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, Multiple Personality Day, Nametag Day, National Absinthe Day, National Cheese Doodle Day, National Hospitalist Day, National Potty Dance Day, National Poutine Day, Reel Film Day, and World Energy Efficiency Day.
On This Day:
1982 – Soviet probe Venera 14 landed on Venus.
1981 – The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, was launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 1.5 million units around the world.
1979 – Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all were hit by “off the scale” gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
1970 – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons went into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
1970 – The film “Airport” premiered in New York City. (Video)
1963 – American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes were killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
1963 – The Hula Hoop was patented.
1953 – Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, died at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
1946 – Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain“ speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
1933 – Adolf Hitler‘s Nazi Party received 43.9% at the Reichstag elections, which allows the Nazis to later pass the Enabling Act and establish a dictatorship.
1868 – The impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson began.
1770 – Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, were fatally shot by British troops in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence) five years later.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1992 – Sam Bankman-Fried, American businessman and fraudster
1975 – Jolene Blalock, American model and actress
1974 – Eva Mendes, American model and actress
1966 – Aasif Mandvi, Indian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1963 – Joel Osteen, American pastor, author, and television host
1958 – Andy Gibb, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor (died 1988)
1956 – Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2010)
1955 – Penn Jillette, American magician, actor, and author
1954 – Marsha Warfield, American actress
1948 – Elaine Paige, English singer and actress
1946 – Murray Head, English actor and singer
1939 – Samantha Eggar, English actress (died 2025)
1938 – Fred Williamson, American football player, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1936 – Dean Stockwell, American actor (died 2021)
1934 – James B. Sikking, American actor (died 2024)
1932 – Paul Sand, American actor
1927 – Jack Cassidy, American actor and singer (died 1976)
1923 – Laurence Tisch, American businessman, co-founded the Loews Corporation (died 2003)
1922 – James Noble, American actor (died 2016)
1908 – Rex Harrison, English actor (died 1990)
1898 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese politician, 1st Premier of the People’s Republic of China (died 1976)
1874 – Henry Travers, English-American actor (died 1965)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2016 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer, invented email (born 1941)
2014 – Geoff Edwards, American actor and game show host (born 1931)
2013 – Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1954)
1999 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (born 1922)
1996 – Whit Bissell, American character actor (born 1909)
1990 – Gary Merrill, American actor and director (born 1915)
1984 – William Powell, American actor (born 1892)
1982 – John Belushi, American actor (born 1949)
1981 – Yip Harburg, American songwriter and composer (born 1896)
1980 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (born 1912)
1974 – Billy De Wolfe, American actor (born 1907)
1974 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American businessman (born 1888)
1963 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter (born 1932)
1953 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (born 1878)
1953 – Herman J. Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and producer (born 1897)
1953 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1891)
1929 – David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-American businessman, founded Buick (born 1854)
1827 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician and astronomer (born 1749)
1827 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and academic (born 1745)
1815 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologist (born 1734)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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