Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds as residents were forced to evacuate in some areas. The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a combination of critically dry fuels and very low relative humidity. In South Carolina, where more than 175 fires burned 6.6 square miles, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Sunday to support the wildfire response effort, and a statewide burning ban remained in effect.” (03/03/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/03/wildfires-north-south-carolina/
Source: The New Republic
“‘Sick’: GOP Senator’s Harsh Takedown of Trump Hints at a Darker Story.” (03/03/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/192204/sick-gop-senators-harsh-takedown-trump-hints-darker-story
Source: Washington Post
by Philip Bump
“Myriad claims made by Musk and his team have been shown to be false. (Journalist Marcy Wheeler is keeping a running list.) The most notable example of this pattern was that a site purportedly articulating ‘savings’ effected by Musk’s team was riddled with errors, overstating some savings by billions of dollars and claiming as ‘savings’ money that had already been spent. There has been no demonstrated evidence of fraud, except when using the term ‘fraud’ or ‘waste’ in the way that was always intended: to describe spending that doesn’t comport with how the political right wants to spend federal money.” (03/03/25)
https://archive.is/Oj7NS
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Jianlu Bi
“The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Trump at the White House ‘devolved into a shouting match’ in the Oval Office. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Zelenskyy’s approach, with Trump accusing him of ‘gambling with World War III.’ Meanwhile, Zelenskyy voiced concerns that deals with Russia would not be kept and that Ukraine needed stronger security guarantees. The recent clash between the two wasn’t merely a diplomatic hiccup; it was a stark illustration of the West’s eroding credibility and the precarious position in which Ukraine finds itself. The fallout from this meeting reverberates far beyond the walls of the Oval Office, exposing deep fissures and eliciting widespread repercussions that shake the very foundations of the global order.” [editor’s note: Yet another distortion of what actually happened there – SAT] (03/03/25)
https://fpif.org/a-diplomatic-debacle-when-the-wests-facade-crumbles/
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An Illinois man has pleaded guilty to a deadly shooting at a 2022 Independence Day parade in a Chicago suburb that killed seven and injured dozens. It is a surprise reversal for Robert Crimo III, who previously pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and attempted murder charges. Crimo, 23, entered his guilty plea on Monday moments before opening arguments were due to begin in his trial. He is accused of shooting at celebrating crowds from a roof in downtown Highland Park, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Chicago. Authorities had arrested him on the day of the shooting after a manhunt. Crimo pleaded guilty before Judge Victoria Rossetti in a Lake County circuit courtroom, and did not say anything else before he was dismissed.” (03/03/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78e7gjz387o
Source: The Daily Economy
by Iain Murray
“If DOGE and agency heads succeed in their mission, it will be nothing less than the greatest deregulatory achievement seen in the modern world.” (03/03/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/doge-gets-serious-in-its-war-on-the-administrative-state/
Source: Bloomberg
“American farmers will soon start receiving the first tranche of $30 billion in funding approved by Congress to fight a downturn in the markets, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. Speaking at the Commodity Classic event in Denver, Rollins said that the first $10 billion in assistance should start moving in the next few weeks.” (03/02/25)
https://archive.is/W8dNz
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will the Trump, Zelensky Argument End US Support for Ukraine?” (03/03/25)
https://rumble.com/v6q1otk-will-the-trump-zelensky-argument-end-us-support-for-ukraine-coi-765.html
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Full details are yet to emerge of the ‘peace plan’ that the UK, EU and Ukrainian leaders worked out in London on Sunday, and are to present to the Trump administration. But from what they have said so far, while one part is necessary and even essential, another is obstructive and potentially disastrous.” (03/03/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/uk-france-ukraine-meeting/
Source: Reuters
“A car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least two people and seriously injuring several others, overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police had been on alert for attacks. Police detained the car’s driver and later said he had acted alone, with no broader threat seen for the public. The suspect is a 40-year-old German man from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate who did not appear to be politically motivated, they said. People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, a witness told Reuters. It was unclear whether the driver acted deliberately or if there was any connection to Germany’s carnival celebrations, which culminated on Rose Monday with a number of parades, although not in Mannheim, which held its main event on Sunday.” (03/03/25)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/car-drives-into-crowd-german-city-mannheim-newspaper-reports-2025-03-03/