Tuesday News: “How to lose the 21st century, in three easy steps”; “Trump’s murderous freezing of [Ukraine] aid” Is Unconstitutional, Impeachable; “Trump Takes the Dumbest Tariff Plunge”; DOGE Could Cause “Social Security system ‘collapse'”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, March 4. As Laurence Tribe says: “Trump’s murderous freezing of aid that Congress enacted a law to send to Ukraine unconstitutionally usurps the power of the purse, violates the 1974 Impoundment Act, and is an impeachable “high crime and misdemeanor” akin to the extortion for which the Senate should have convicted Trump in 2020.”

• Cows, cats and rats: Why H5N1 spreading to more species is so worrisome (“New infections in animals should heighten concern of human H5N1.”)
• How to lose the 21st century, in three easy steps (“Trump is throwing away what could have been the next great American century.”)
• World’s largest iceberg runs aground off remote island
• Trump’s stunning string of Putin-friendly moves
• Trump pauses US military aid to Ukraine while pressuring Zelenskyy to move toward quick end to war (Illegal, unconstitutional and also insane.)
• Whoopi Goldberg calls Trump-Zelensky meeting ‘one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen’ (Yep, and disgraceful.)
• Trump and Zelenskyy’s White House clash a ‘deliberate escalation’ by US, says Germany’s Merz
• Trump’s ‘indecency’ endangers transatlantic alliance: French PM
• Ukrainians grapple with consequences of Trump’s pause on military aid
• Europe ‘ready to step up’ as Kremlin welcomes Donald Trump decision to pause aid for Ukraine (“EU ready to increase defence spending and military capabilities as Kremlin welcomes US ‘contribution’ to the cause of peace”)
• Even after the White House ambush and now Trump’s military pause, Ukrainians are defiant, but want a path to peace
• Ukraine Races to Salvage U.S. Alliance After Trump Halts Military Aid
• Calls Grow to Transfer Frozen Russian Assets to Ukraine (Do it!)
• GOP senators urge Trump to salvage negotiations with Zelensky despite ‘disappointing’ blowup
• Trump’s pause on Ukraine aid is like the U.S. switching sides in WWII, expert says
• Trump officials suggest Zelensky should step aside. Here’s why that’s nearly impossible (How about TRUMP step aside???)
• Fox News Star Breaks With Trump: Putin ‘Is the Bad Guy’
• Lech Walesa, Polish Labor Leader Who Fought U.S.S.R.’s Power, Joins in Horrified Letter to Trump
• Putin Agrees to Help Trump Broker Nuclear Talks With Iran
• Unable to count on the U.S. anymore, Europe needs its own army (“As Trump turns from Europe toward Russia, European leaders need to bolster defenses, quickly.”)
• Musk rallies the far right in Europe. Tesla is paying the price. (Definitely do NOT buy a Tesla, and seriously considering ditching yours if you own one.)
• Arab leaders gather to endorse counterproposal to Trump’s Gaza plan, with ceasefire’s fate uncertain
• Disarming ‘a red line’ amid Gaza truce impasse, says Hamas leader
• Trump Escalates Global Trade War, Sparking Tit-for-Tat Tariffs
• Beijing and Canada immediately retaliate against Trump’s tariffs
• Trump Takes the Dumbest Tariff Plunge
• US tariffs on Canada and Mexico take effect, as China takes aim at US farm exports
• Trump’s new tariffs could hike car prices by $12,000, report says
• Trump’s new tariffs are set to be his most extreme ever
• Warren Buffett: Tariffs are ‘an act of war’
• Ontario will cut off U.S. electricity exports ‘with a smile on my face,’ Ford says
• MAGA media admitted that Trump’s agenda could cause economic mayhem. Indicators suggest it may be happening.
• Dow tumbles more than 600 points, S&P 500 posts biggest loss since December as Trump says tariffs will proceed
• Pro-Trump techies enraged by president’s crypto reserve announcement, causing early rift
• The weirdness around Trump’s “US Crypto Reserve” announcement, briefly explained
• Monday check-in: Still no word from SCOTUS on USAID payments case
• Kennedy sends mixed vaccine messages amid Texas measles outbreak
• Trump’s Executive Order on Forests ‘A Devastating Blow,’ Activists Say (“Environmentalists say increasing timber production will harm the climate and environment and could worsen wildfire risk.”)
• Trump orders swathes of US forests to be cut down for timber (“President’s move to expand tree cutting across 280m acres evades rules to protect endangered species” Again, illegal/unconstitutional/evil. Sensing a pattern here?)
• Social Security Checks Could Stop Going Out by April, Ex-Head Warns
• ‘Prelude to privatization:’ Social Security confirms workforce reduction targets, continues to shutter offices
• O’Malley: DOGE cuts could soon trigger Social Security system ‘collapse’
• Trump Celebrates After Killing Anti-Money-Laundering Law (WILDLY corrupt – just imagine the reaction if Obama or Biden had done something like this???)
• Top FBI official forced out after criticizing Trump pursuit of agents who investigated Jan. 6 (That’s completely f’ed up.)
• U.S. Attorney Rebuffed by Justice Dept. in Push to Escalate Inquiry Into Schumer
• The attack on democracy you probably missed (“The Justice Department on Friday quietly took revenge on prosecutors who’d worked to hold Trump’s allies accountable.”)
• Justice Dept. to Review Election Tampering Conviction of Pro-Trump Clerk
• 
  Linda McMahon, wrestling industry billionaire, confirmed as US education secretary (Yuck.)
• Trump Bid to Take Over Postal Service Could Threaten Mail Voting
• Trump Orders Permanent Govt Shutdown – No, Really …
• Poll: Majorities say state of the union is not strong, and Trump is rushing change
• Democratic boycott builds against Trump speech to Congress
• Negotiations to avert a shutdown sputter as disputes over DOGE cuts persist (“Trump and congressional leaders have lost hope in a full government funding deal and pivoted toward a stopgap bill for the rest of the fiscal year. Even that is proving difficult.”)
• Senate tees up major tax fight after House squeaks through on budget
• Democrats Are Serious About a Shutdown (“Hakeem Jeffries’ House caucus is itching for a fight: “At some point you’ve got to have a goddamn backbone.””)
• Democrats Can’t Just Play Dead (“The public is frustrated with Trump and Elon’s DOGE-ification of government. It’s time for party leaders to stand up.”)
• Elon Musk’s $1 Spending Limit Is Paralyzing Federal Agencies
• DOGE Is Trying to Close a Field Office That Directly Manages a Nuclear Waste Site
• Struggling With Errors, DOGE Deletes Billions More From List of Savings
• DOGE Secretly Changes Receipts for Almost Half Its Supposed Savings
• DOGE moves to cancel NOAA leases on key weather buildings (Insane.)
• Tesla for Sale: Buyer’s Remorse Sinks In for Elon Musk’s E.V.-Owning Critics (Tesla is a Nazi-mobile, pretty much.)
• Planes receive mysterious false midair collision alerts near Reagan National Airport
• Where Jeff Bezos Went Wrong With The Washington Post (“The billionaire handled his ownership admirably for more than a decade. But his courage failed him when he needed it most.”)
• US natalist conference to host race-science promoters and eugenicists (The main motivation for being a “natalist” – one of the stupidest things EVER – is racism. Period.)
• Virginia’s U.S. Senators Have Picked Guests for State of the Union Address
• Video: At a Rally in Support of NOAA Employees, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) Says We Need to Drive Down Trump’s Approval Ratings, Adds, “Elon Musk’s are already in the toilet – please don’t buy a Tesla!”
• Constituents Deluge Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) with Comments Calling Out Her Lies; Failure to Stand Up for Her District or for “veterans, federal workers, senior citizens and active duty military”; Voting for the Draconian House GOP Budget; Not Holding a Town Hall; etc.
• Where’s Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA01)? Henrico County Residents Demand Action on Healthcare and Layoffs (“He was invited…Wittman has not done a face-to-face town hall in years”)
• Education Secretary tells Virginia colleges to eliminate discrimination on campus (Godawful headline by the RTD – in fact, the Trump administration is NOT trying to get colleges to stamp out “discrimination,” generically, and certainly NOT against people of color; this is just part of their war on “DEI”…)
• Editorial: Virginia leaders must push back against potential Medicaid cuts (Stupid headline – in fact, Democrats HAVE been pushing back; it’s REPUBLICANS who are the problem, not “leaders” generically. What is wrong with the media???)
• Virginia schools still struggling to fill critical teaching positions, new report finds
• Does the number of bills a Virginia delegate passed matter in this fall’s election?
• Lawmakers press for better education behind bars
• Video: Mother of Timothy McCree Johnson Says “Gov. Youngkin’s Actions [in Pardoning Police Officer Who Shot Her Son] Are Egregious, Malicious and Prejudiced”; Adds, “if this is the legacy that Gov. Youngkin wants to leave behind, then so be it – that’s also between him and his god.”
• Descano slams Youngkin’s decision to commute prison sentence for former police officer
• Victim’s mother cites systemic racism after Youngkin commutes officer’s sentence
• Youngkin grants clemency in Fairfax officer case; legal experts weigh in
• ‘Protect Your Parks’ protest held in Yorktown amid national park layoffs
• Commentary: Wind costs nothing. So why kill offshore projects?
• ‘Dangerously understaffed:’ Inmates describe fear and violence behind Red Onion’s walls
• Black graves are being moved to make way for an industrial park, drawing a mix of emotions
• Charlottesville unveils Court Square historical marker
• CWG Live updates: Trending warmer; showers tomorrow and possibly some strong storms (“There’s a chance a few storms could be severe tomorrow afternoon or evening, with downpours and damaging wind gusts.”)