“Heat waves that lead to sudden and damaging drought are spreading across the globe at an accelerating rate, highlighting how climate change-fueled extremes can build dangerously off each other, a new study found. Researchers from South Korea and Australia looked at compound extreme weather — a one-two punch of heat and drought — and found it increasing as the world warms. But what’s rising especially fast is the more damaging type when the heat comes first and that triggers the drought. In the 1980s, that kind of extreme covered only about 2.5% of Earth’s land each year. By 2023, the last year the researchers studied, it was up to 16.7%, with a 10-year average of 7.9%. The average has likely gone even higher with 2024’s record global heat and a 2025 that was nearly as warm, the study’s authors said.” (03/07/26)
“The U.S. economy lost jobs in February, a month marred by severe winter weather and a strike at a major health-care provider, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls fell by 92,000 for the month, compared with the estimate for 50,000 and below the downwardly revised January total of 126,000. February marked the third time in the past five months that payrolls declined, following a sharp revision showing a drop of 17,000 in December.” (03/06/26)
“A Florida woman was mauled by seven dogs in front of a registered sex offender’s home as neighbors looked on in horror, according to a report. The victim — who survived — was instantly trampled as the dogs tore into her flesh while she was face down on the ground outside Edward Hayes’[s] Dade City home, neighbor Lourdes Estrada told Fox 13. ‘It was terrifying. I was shocked and freaked out,’ Estrada, who dialed 911 after the horrifying incident, told the outlet. ‘I had never seen anything like that before.’ Hayes tried in vain, Estrada told the station, to pull the savage pets off the woman, who was airlifted from the grim scene in critical condition around 11 a.m. by Pasco County Fire Rescue. The victim was attacked when she approached the Fiesta Drive home to speak with Hayes — and his pets came rushing out, a source told The Post.” [editor’s note: What does him being a “registered sex offender” have to do with it? – TLK] (03/07/26)
“Cuban officials said they expect to restart a large thermoelectric plant on Saturday after it shut down earlier in the week, sparking a massive blackout. Felix Estrada Rodríguez, a top engineer at Cuba’s Electric Union, told state-owned Canal Caribe that the Antonio Guiteras plant should be operating by Saturday afternoon. Crews have repaired a broken boiler at the plant that caused the outage on Wednesday, leaving millions without power in the island’s western region. … Cuba’s Electric Union said in a statement Saturday that only 1,000 megawatts of power were available, less than half of the island’s current demand. It did not say how many customers remained without power. The blackout, the second such outage to affect western Cuba in three months, was blamed on a crumbling electric grid and a lack of fuel.” (03/07/26)
“A counterprotester demonstrating against a ‘Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City’ event Saturday lit and threw a device containing nuts, bolts and screws at the protesting crowd after someone from that group used pepper spray on the counterprotest, police said. Police are investigating the incident that started late Saturday morning when someone from the anti-Islam protest associated with conservative influencer Jake Lang shot pepper spray into a counterprotesting group near the mayoral residence Gracie Mansion, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Tensions continued to heighten, she said, when someone in the counterprotest lit and threw a device she described as smaller than a football into the protesting crowd of about 20 people. The device struck a barrier and extinguished itself ‘a few feet from police officers’. The same person then ran, and another person gave a him a second device, which he then dropped. … All three people have been arrested, and an investigation is underway, Tisch said.” (03/07/26)
“Kari Lake was illegally empowered to run the U.S. Agency for Global Media — the federal agency that oversees Voice of America — and her actions in that role were illegitimate, a federal judge ruled Saturday. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth concluded that Lake was ineligible to serve as USAGM’s acting CEO when she was formally elevated to the position on July 31 in an ‘acting capacity’ and without Senate confirmation. She relinquished that position on Nov. 19. Lamberth said any actions Lake took in that four-month timeframe must be treated as ‘void,’ including an Aug. 29 reduction in USAGM’s workforce.” (03/07/26)
“Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a move Republicans are blasting as a stunning act of partisanship after his assassination. Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at a Sept. 10 Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, lived in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and two children. The proposed specialty plate, referred to as the ‘Charlie Kirk memorial’ plate or the ‘Conservative grassroots network special plate,’ featured a photo of the late Kirk and the TPUSA logo in front of an American flag background.” (03/07/26)
“Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said neighbouring countries will no longer be targeted unless an attack originates from there, as the war launched by the United States and Israel, which triggered sustained retaliation from Tehran across the Gulf and beyond, enters its second week. … Pezeshkian said the Iranian interim leadership council approved the motion to stop attacks on neighbouring nations. In remarks carried by Iranian media, the president also apologised to neighbouring countries for the strikes that took place in recent days.” (03/07/26)
“The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration agreed to conduct anti-drone laser tests in New Mexico after the military’s deployment of the lasers led the FAA to suddenly close airspace in Texas twice in the last month. The newly announced testing was being carried out to ‘specifically address FAA safety concerns’, the military said Friday in a statement. It was to take place Saturday and Sunday at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Lawmakers were concerned about an apparent lack of coordination after the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser in early February without notifying the FAA. The federal agency that ensures safety in the skies decided to close the airspace over El Paso for a few hours, stranding many travelers. The Trump administration said it was working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.” (03/07/26)
“A man from Colorado unlawfully entered an occupied home in Provo Thursday evening before being confronted and shot by a resident inside the home. According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, an adult male unlawfully entered a home in Provo Canyon that was occupied. Upon arrival, a resident verbally confronted the man. Despite being told to leave, he continued into the home and began damaging property. Because of the disturbance, a second resident locked themselves in a bedroom. The first resident then armed themselves with a handgun and again verbally confronted the man. The suspect attacked the resident, who then fired multiple shots at him. After being hit, the man left the home. As he was leaving, he stole a truck from outside and fled. Deputies en route to the scene observed the suspect and stopped him, taking him into custody.” (03/06/26)
