Iran talking/not talking; Kid Rock chopper party; Trump library: no books?; golden toilet statue graces National Mall; back to the Moon
It's International Taco Day!
Happy one-monthiversary of the Iran war! With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, Jon Stewart examines how global shortages are hitting everything from grain to helium to pickleballs. Meanwhile, Americans flood the streets for the No Kings protests while CPAC throws Trump his own Yassss Kings rally. Plus, the U.S. finally has a detailed explanation of the president's objectives and exit strategy... for the White House ballroom.
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The newsletter is published Monday through Thursday (holidays excepted).
—Kevin G. Barkes
(Most) everything you need to know for today:
March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 275 days remain until the end of the year. As of this writing, 1,025 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
The latest on the Iran war from the Associated Press.
Are there talks to end the Iran war? Depends on which side you ask. Trump says talks with Iran are happening. Iran says there is no negotiation. While progress may be playing out behind the scenes, there's little public indication that the war is coming to a diplomatic end.
Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting until Iran is decisively defeated. Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials. (AP)
Photos from the third nationwide ‘No Kings’ protest. More than 3,000 marches and rallies took place in cities and towns across America during the third “No Kings” event, where millions protested against the policies and actions of President Trump and his administration. (The Atlantic gift article)
GOP leaders plan to keep Congress out of session even as pressure to end DHS shutdown grows. Photos of South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham dining in Florida at Disney World over the weekend surfaced in tabloid TMZ, while Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia was spotted at a casino in Las Vegas. The images drew swift backlash as they rapidly spread across social media Monday. (CNN)
Apache helicopter flyby at Kid Rock’s Tennessee house prompts Army investigation. The Army is reviewing why the helicopters appeared at Kid Rock's house while on a training mission. (CBS News)
An insurer canceled a woman’s coverage over a nickel. The news was even worse: Not only had her insurance been canceled, but the 5-cent bill could be sent to a collection agency. (Washington Post gift article)
Trump releases his vision of a skyscraper presidential library complete with gold escalator and no books in sight. Critics mocked the design for not appearing to feature any books, while adopting grandiose gold statues akin to those in authoritarian regimes. (The Independent)
DeSantis signs bill to rename Florida airport for Trump. The airport near West Palm Beach will be rebranded the President Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 1, if approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. (New York Times gift article)
Golden toilet statue on Mall pays faux tribute to Trump renovations. It’s the latest work from Secret Handshake, a guerrilla art group that has installed several pieces of artwork on the Mall protesting the Trump administration. (Washington Post gift article)
NASA begins the countdown for humanity’s first launch to the moon in 53 years. (AP)
Late Night:
Last Week Tonight: John Oliver discusses the elections on the horizon for Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary and the longest serving current head of government in the EU, why conservatives in the US are so invested in him maintaining power, and what it all has to do with Rob Schneider. (Video)
Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Over eight million people marched in the third "No Kings" protest, President Trump appears to be making up his Iran war strategy on-the-fly, and the war is causing global economic pain and shortages of resources like helium. (Video)
Cold open: President Trump reacted quickly after The New York Times criticized the architectural plans for his White House ballroom. (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:
1889 – The Eiffel Tower was officially opened.
Quote of the day:
No man is so old as to believe he cannot live one more year.
--Sean O’Casey (Wikipedia link)
(More Sean O’Casey quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
César Chávez Day, Dance Marathon Day, Eiffel Tower Day, Holy Tuesday, International Taco Day, International Transgender Day of Visibility, National Anesthesia Technician Day, National Après Day, National Bunsen Burner Day, National Clams on the Half Shell Day, National Cream Cheese Frosting Day, National Crayon Day, National Farm Workers Day, National Prom Day, National “She’s Funny That Way” Day, National Tater Day, Terri’s Day, World Backup Day, and World Lipodystrophy Day.
On This Day:
2023 – A historic tornado outbreak occurred in the American Midwest and South.
2021 – Paul Simon sold his entire songwriting catalog of over 400 songs to Sony Music Publishing for an undisclosed sum.
1999 – “The Matrix” was released in the U.S. (Video)
1998 – Netscape released Mozilla source code under an open source license.
1995 – Pop star Selena was murdered by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.
1991 – The Warsaw Pact formally disbanded.
1983 – “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” was released in the U.S. (Video)
1968 – American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of “Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam” in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.” (Video)
1966 – The Soviet Union launched Luna 10 which later became the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama began his exile, crossing the border into India where he was granted political asylum.
1951 – Remington Rand delivered the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.
1949 - RCA introduced the 45 RPM record player and the 7-inch single, a vinyl disc more durable than the 78 RPM shellac disc.
1943 - The musical “Oklahoma!” premiered on Broadway.
1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps was established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.
1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code was instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.
1918 – Daylight saving time went into effect in the United States for the first time.
1905 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany declared his support for Moroccan independence in Tangier, beginning the First Moroccan Crisis.
1889 – The Eiffel Tower was officially opened.
1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
1774 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain ordered the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
1492 – Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile sign the Edict of Expulsion of the Jews from Spain, ordering all Jews in their kingdoms to either convert to Christianity or leave the country.
(For more comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1980 – Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1972 – Evan Williams, American businessman, co-founded Twitter and Pyra Labs
1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
1950 – Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress
1948 – Al Gore, American soldier and politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate
1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian
1945 – Edwin Catmull, American computer scientist and engineer
1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor (Video)
1942 – Michael Savage, American far-right radio host and author
1940 – Barney Frank, American lawyer and politician
1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2018)
1935 – Judith Rossner, American author (died 2005)
1935 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer (Video)
1934 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer (Video)
1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor (died 2025)
1932 – John Jakes, American author (died 2023)
1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (died 2007)
1927 – William Daniels, American actor (Video)
1927 – Cesar Chavez, American labor union leader and activist (died 1993)
1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author and academic (died 1998)
1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (died 2002)
1922 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (died 1999) (Video)
1905 – Robert Stevenson, English director and screenwriter (died 1986)
1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (died 1946)
1855 – Alfred E. Hunt, American businessman (Alcoa) (died 1899)
1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1809)
1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (died 1750)
1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (died 1650)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2025 – Sian Barbara Allen, American television actress (born 1946)
2024 – Barbara Rush, American actress (born 1927)
2010 – Jerald terHorst, American journalist (born 1922)
2005 – Frank Perdue, American businessman (born 1920)
1998 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer, activist, and politician (born 1920)
1995 – Selena, American singer-songwriter (born 1971) (Video)
1993 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (born 1965)
1986 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (born 1925)
1980 – Jesse Owens, American sprinter and long jumper (born 1913)
1935 – Georges V. Matchabelli, Georgian-American businessman and diplomat, founded Prince Matchabelli perfume (born 1885)
1931 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (born 1888)
1913 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier (born 1837)
1855 – Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (born 1816)
1727 (NS) – Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist and mathematician (born 1643)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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