“An iconic 354-year-old Canadian retailer is going out of business and shutting down all of its stores. And it’s pointing the finger at America and the ongoing tariff war. Hudson’s Bay, a retailer and an anchor to dozens of malls across Canada, is preparing for an ‘immediate’ liquidation after failing to secure enough money to stay afloat. Clearance sales will begin as early as next week at all 80 Hudson’s Bay locations, as well as three Saks Fifth Avenue and 12 Saks Off 5th stores it operates in Canada. Hudson’s Bay blames its collapse on sluggish consumer spending, post-pandemic declines in foot traffic, and even trade tensions between Canada and the U.S.” (03/18/25)
“A hapless arsonist who tried to burn down a Tesla charging station in protest at President Trump and Elon Musk ended up setting himself on fire, according to authorities. Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, burned down three EV chargers in a South Carolina parking lot Friday — where he scrawled ‘f–k Trump’ and ‘long live the Ukraine,’ according to federal prosecutors. He was seen throwing five Molotov cocktails — one of which left him on fire, according to witnesses who saw him fleeing the North Charleston lot. Witnesses said that ‘the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices,’ the initial police report said. Clark-Pounder, a mechanic from James Island, was arrested later on Friday after the police issued a public appeal to help find him. It was not clear how badly hurt he’d been by the fire.” (03/18/25)
“Hunter Biden and his half-sister Ashley Biden will be stripped of their Secret Service protection, Donald Trump announced Monday. ‘Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer,’ President Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social. ‘He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned.’ The directive will remove 18 agents assigned to protect Hunter and 13 who guard Ashley, Trump wrote. Only former presidents and their spouses receive lifelong Secret Service protection while coverage for their immediate family members typically ends when they leave office under government policy. It’s unclear why Hunter, 54, and Ashley, 43, continued to receive Secret Service protection after former President Joe Biden left office earlier this year.” (03/17/25)
“The organizers of San Francisco Pride (SF Pride) shared financial concerns due to major companies pulling funding this year. SF Pride executive director Suzanne Ford said that the show will still go on, but organizers are going to have to make due with a smaller budget. Ford expressed suspicion this was part of a wave of businesses distancing themselves from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs under the Trump administration. ‘I’m very concerned. Obviously, there’s pressure from the federal government,’ Ford told a local FOX affiliate. ‘The tone has changed in this country. Businesses already hedge their bets, and I think people who, this isn’t their hard core value of their corporation, maybe they’re rethinking their investment,’ Ford said. SF Pride is a nonprofit that runs an annual parade and festival for two days in San Francisco.” (03/18/25)
“NATO members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa convention banning anti-personnel mines due to the military threat from their neighbour Russia, the four countries said on Tuesday. Quitting the 1997 treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations but not by Russia, will allow Poland and the three Baltic countries to start stockpiling landmines again. ‘Military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased,’ the countries’ defence ministers said in a joint statement.” (03/18/25)
“The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work. The remaining three members of the group’s board (Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin) fired President and CEO George Moose on Friday, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. An executive order that President Donald Trump signed last month targeted the organization, which was created by Congress over 40 years ago, and others for reductions. Current USIP employees said staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency entered the building despite protests that the institute is not part of the executive branch. USIP called the police, whose vehicles were outside the building Monday evening.” (03/18/25)
“Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, on Monday postponed a multicity tour to promote his forthcoming book, citing security concerns amid backlash to his decision to vote with Republicans for a stopgap spending bill to stave off a government shutdown. Mr. Schumer was scheduled to participate in promotional events in Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, as well as a few stops in California, for his new book, ‘Antisemitism in America: A Warning.’ Many Democratic activists, desperate for their leaders to stand up to President Trump, have been staging protests outside of Mr. Schumer’s Brooklyn home and calling for his resignation. Online, they have been organizing protests for every stop on his book tour.” (03/17/25)
“Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza, killing 326 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, collapsing a two-month ceasefire with Hamas as Israel vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in the strip. … Strikes in Gaza were reported in multiple locations. Officials from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said many of the dead were children. … In hospitals strained by 15 months of bombardment, piles of bodies in white plastic sheets smeared with blood could be seen stacked up as casualties were brought in. The Israeli military said it hit dozens of targets, and that the attacks would continue for as long as necessary and extend beyond airstrikes, raising the prospect that Israeli ground troops could resume fighting.” (03/18/25)
“The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird flu strain that has infected humans and caused egg prices to hit record highs. The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged flocks around the world, disrupting supply and fuelling higher food prices. Its spread to mammals, including dairy cows in the U.S., has raised concerns among governments about a risk of a new pandemic. The strain that has caused most damage to poultry in recent years and the death of one person in the U.S. is H5N1. But the H7N9 bird flu virus has proved to have a far higher death rate, killing nearly 40 per cent of the humans infected since it was first detected in 2013, the World Health Organization said.” (03/17/25)
“Lebanese and Syrian defense officials reached an agreement late Monday for a ceasefire to halt two days of clashes along the border, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported. … Lebanon’s president earlier Monday ordered troops to retaliate against the source of gunfire from the Syrian side of the border after more deadly fighting erupted overnight along the frontier. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that seven Lebanese citizens were killed and another 52 injured in the clashes, including a 4-year-old girl. The fighting happened after Syria’s interim government accused militants from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group of crossing into Syria on Saturday, abducting three soldiers and killing them on Lebanese soil.” (03/17/25)
