Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Noelle Swan
“If there is one thing about politics that Americans can agree on, it’s this: There’s never been a U.S. president quite like Donald J. Trump. President Trump has already signed more executive orders than any president in the past 40 years issued in their first 100 days – in less than half the time. With the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, he empowered Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to reshape the federal workforce. Taken together, many of the president’s moves seem geared toward a fundamental shifting of the balance of power toward the executive branch, as the Monitor’s Henry Gass and Linda Feldmann explore in the cover story featured in the March 17 issue of the Monitor Weekly. So, what will this shake-up mean for the U.S. government long term? Some will tell you that it marks the start of a slide toward authoritarianism.” (03/17/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/From-the-Editors/2025/0317/Donald-Trump-government-disruption
Source: ABC News
“Lithuanian authorities on Monday accused Russian military intelligence of being behind an arson attack at an IKEA store in the Lithuanian capital last year. The Lithuanian prosecutor’s office said it filed an indictment in the case of a person charged with the arson of the Ikea shopping center in Vilnius on May 9, 2024. It said the suspect was a minor at the time and acted ‘in the interests of the military structures and security services of the Russian Federation.’ The prosecutor general’s office said in a statement that the suspect and another person undertook during a secret meeting in Warsaw, the capital of neighboring Poland, to set fire to and blow up shopping centers in Lithuania and Latvia for a reward of 10,000 euros. The reward also included a BMW, the statement said.” (03/17/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/lithuania-russian-military-intelligence-arson-attack-ikea-store-119867327
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump, Netanyahu Seek African Nation to Take Palestinians.” (03/17/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-771-trump-netanyahu-seek-african-nation-to-take-palestinians
Source: Cato Institute
by Ryan Bourne
“Rather than a rigged game of dynastic wealth, today’s economy is still one of dynamism, churn and creative destruction.” (03/17/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/inheritance-really-dominating-economy
Source: Fox News
by Sarah Huckabee Sanders
“Long before I was governor of Arkansas or White House press secretary, I came to Washington as a bright-eyed college graduate for my first real job at the Department of Education. I thought I was there to change the world and found myself spending more time changing coffee filters. But I walked away with one, crystal-clear lesson: it’s time to abolish the federal Department of Education. I’m a mom of three, so I know that no two kids – not even in the same family – learn the same way. It’s ridiculous, then, to assume that every kid in every community in America would have the same education needs or goals. But that’s exactly the way the Department of Education functions.” (03/17/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/get-rid-education-department-give-power-parents
Source: US News & World Report
“Plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed to halt deportations under a rarely-used 18th century wartime law invoked by President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Monday to force officials to explain under oath whether they violated his court order by removing more than 200 people from the country after it was issued and celebrating it on social media. … District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered the administration not to deport anyone in its custody over the newly-invoked Alien Enemies Act …. Told there were plan[e]s in the air headed to El Salvador …. ‘any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,’ Boasberg told the government’s lawyer Saturday night. … El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, on Sunday morning tweeted ‘Oopsie … too late’ above an article referencing Boasberg’s order and announced that more than 200 deportees had arrived in his country.” (03/17/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-03-17/aclu-asks-judge-to-force-the-trump-administration-to-state-under-oath-if-it-violated-his-court-order
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Harvard University has announced that it is making tuition free for families who earn less than $200,000 (£154,000) a year. For families earning less than $100,000, Harvard will also cover expenses like housing and health insurance. The move is aimed at making Harvard more affordable for middle-income families, and it comes as the Trump administration targets university funding as a part of a crackdown on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. ‘Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth,’ said Harvard President Alan Garber. The policy — which will begin in the 2025 to 2026 academic year — will ‘help make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student,'” (03/17/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2d5jllx60o
Source: Persuasion
by Philip Graham
“For five months in 2023 my wife and I traveled through 28 states across the United States, in a hopeful, slightly crazy, deeply personal, and sometimes grueling search for Little Free Libraries. I had a book to deliver, a copy of my latest novel, What the Dead Can Say — and the journey revealed an astonishing range of cultural landscapes that we hadn’t expected to discover.” (03/17/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-joy-of-forgotten-books
Source: Common Dreams
by Colm Byrne
“St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by millions of Americans every year. It’s a recognition of the shared heritage of two great countries. But the meaning of St. Patrick is something most Americans get exactly wrong. This misunderstanding reveals why these two nations (once so similar) are now worlds apart. Here’s what Americans need to know: [Sound of a bullet chambered, waves breaking in indifference.] Venice Beach, twilight. I’m minding my own business when — [Flash] A gun is pointed at my face. Random violence. Pointless. American. But this isn’t just about crime. It’s deeper. In America, violence isn’t a national crisis; it’s a block-by-block lottery. You’re safe until you’re suddenly not. I grew up in Ireland, and we simply don’t live this way. Why? Because violence isn’t just about guns: it’s about trust.” (03/17/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/u-s-understand-st-patrick-s-day
Source: Associated Press
“Electricity service in Cuba was gradually restored Sunday, more than 36 hours after a substation failure left the entire island in the dark. Union Electrica, the state agency responsible for the electric grid, reported that most of the capital, Havana, and eastern parts of the country had power. It expected service to return to western areas on Sunday, too. The massive blackout that began Friday night was the fourth in the last six months as a severe economic crisis plagues the Caribbean country. The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed it to a failure at a substation in the suburbs of Havana.” (03/17/25)
https://apnews.com/article/cuba-power-outage-economic-crisis-a16ae160efce06b00bc8532a1a3dd2df
