“President Donald Trump’s war in Iran is extraordinarily unpopular, according to a poll conducted shortly after the US and Israel carried out massive strikes on the country Saturday. The survey, conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, found that just 27% of voters approved of the strikes, which have killed at least 555 Iranians as of Monday morning and resulted in retaliation from Iran that has killed at least four US service members, with more casualties expected according to a spokesperson for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. Meanwhile, 43% of respondents disapproved of the military action, while 29% said they were not sure. A majority of Republicans said they approved of the strikes, with 55% expressing support. Still, 13% disapproved, and a noteworthy 31% said they were unsure.” (03/02/26)
“The death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following coordinated U.S.–Israeli strikes in late February 2026 marks one of the most consequential geopolitical moments of the decade. In the immediate aftermath, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks across Israel and against U.S. and Gulf-linked infrastructure, while internet disruptions spread domestically and internal unrest intensified. Analysts, journalists and policymakers quickly filled the information space with competing interpretations — some emphasizing escalation risks, others focusing on humanitarian fallout or regime durability. Yet viewed through the lens increasingly guiding U.S. national security doctrine, the operation appears less as an isolated military escalation and more as part of a broader strategic transition already underway: the integration of economic security, technological dominance and supply-chain resilience into core American grand strategy.” (03/02/26)
“The Cincinnati City Council will consider in early March a reparations housing program that would use tax revenue on marijuana to fund a portion of it. The city is expected to discuss the ‘Cincinnati Real Property Reparations Program’, a proposal cosponsored by Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney and Councilman Scotty Johnson. The program would offer assistance to ‘low-to-moderate income residents’ and ‘any individual or family member of an individual who was prevented from buying a home due to discriminatory practices’, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The two officials want an initial investment of $5 million for the program using proceeds from marijuana tax revenue and the city’s capital budget, according to the Enquirer. The program would target residents in 15 of the city’s 52 neighborhoods, and would allow recipients to use the money for a down payment, pay delinquent property taxes or emergency home repairs.” (03/02/26)
“Once again, the United States and Israel are illegally attacking Iran, as they did last June. It is already a regional war, which will take a horrible toll on ordinary people in many countries, with reports a girls’ school was bombed, killing at least 85 people. Unlike the limited strikes in last June’s 12-day war, this is aimed not just at Iran’s nuclear or military facilities, but at regime change in Iran, as President Donald Trump declared, and government targets in Tehran have been hit, with Israel claiming Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. Predictably, Iran is firing back at Israel and at US military bases in the region.” (03/02/26)
“Rap music blared out around us at a campaign rally in the district of Chitwan, in Nepal. Supporters of 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah screamed out lyrics to an AI-generated campaign song which translates to: ‘Time’s up, Fake leaders, Game Over. We’ll ring the bell on 5 March.’ Crowds of all ages were chanting ‘Balen!’, as he’s referred to in Nepal. Giant banners of the political newcomer wearing his trademark black sunglasses were mounted across the rally. Balen Shah is running for prime minister after just three years as mayor of the capital, Kathmandu. He is contesting in what’s become a key race between Nepal’s entrenched political establishment and a new generation of politicians. His party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), came fourth in the last general election in 2022.” (03/02/26)
“How do destructive ideas and bouts of collective madness so quickly become policy, law, and the status quo? After all, most have little public support — and are not Western nations supposedly rationally governed? There is usually a multi-step process on the road to these self-destructive fits of society-wide insanity. The suicidal impulse so often begins with left-leaning researchers in elite universities (that is, the tenured in search of a novel, grant-getting theory). They begin insisting that a new existential threat requires immediate government intervention, novel legislation, ample funding and public awareness of the impending danger. So out of nowhere, the public is warned that the scorching planet will be inundated by rising seas in a mere decade.” (03/01/26)
“A long lost painting by Rembrandt has been rediscovered and authenticated by experts, after its whereabouts were unknown for decades. Rembrandt’s Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, from 1633, was excluded from a list of the Dutch master’s works in 1960, and disappeared after being sold to a private collector the following year. But it resurfaced when its owners presented it for tests at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which undertook a two-year examination. ‘When I saw it in our studio when it was restored, I was immediately struck by the incredible power it has,’ Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said. The Rijksmuseum receives many emails from people asking for information about paintings they have inherited or bought, Dibbits said. In this case, they knew it could be something special.” (03/02/26)
“The proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which the principals are trying to get done quickly before state attorneys general can react with a challenge, is terrible for a host of reasons, the most politically salient being the fairly explicit effort to convert a healthy chunk of American media organizations into a swamp of pro-MAGA propaganda. But perhaps the worst part is how bad a business deal it is, and that has implications for both the future of Hollywood and the ability for states to actually block it. The deal is tied up with so much debt that it virtually guarantees layoffs the likes of which Hollywood hasn’t seen before. That’s going to mean far less output from the suite of properties under Paramount and Warner’s control.” (03/02/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The US and Israel have launched their long-planned attack on Iran. President Trump said in a speech that the US military is engaged in ‘major combat operations’ intended to cripple Iran’s military and topple the Iranian government. Iran has reportedly been retaliating with missile strikes on Israel and US military bases in the region. This is going to get ugly, folks. I don’t even know what to write about this one, honestly. What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey everybody, they’re lying to us about this war?’ Everyone already knows that. Even the people who support this war know all the justifications for it are lies.” (03/01/26)
“Fresh off a record 18 gold medals at the February Winter Olympics, Norway heads into the March Winter Paralympics holding the most cumulative golds in the history of those games (140). But its international sports successes are not confined just to those performed on snow and ice, both of which are plentiful in Norway. The country of just 5.6 million people also fields winning athletes in soccer, tennis, golf – and even Olympic beach volleyball. This record is all the more notable for Norwegians’ unconventional approach to developing high-caliber athletes: When introducing children to sports, schools, parents, and local sports clubs seek to build on their innate joy in the fun and friendship of physical activity. Youthful curiosity and interest in exploring a variety of sports are encouraged, through high school and up to college age. National guidelines forbid competitive teams, scorekeeping, or ranking for children below age 12.” (02/27/26)
