03/16/26
Good morning! It’s Monday, March 16th.
Act Happy Day.
Don’t gotta be. Just gotta act it.
And now, the news.
Iran
-via ABC News, NY Times, The Guardian, and NPR
Starting in Iran, where Energy Secretary Chris Wright thinks this whole thing will be wrapped up in the next few weeks, so don’t worry about any of it anyway.
"There's no guarantees in wars at all. This is short-term pain to get through to a much better place."
Now, yes, the short-term pain he was referring to was a $0.76 raise in gas, per gallon, on average since all of this began.
But also… the way this administration talks about this position they’ve put us in is truly abhorrent every single time they open their mouths. Without fail.
Short-term pain.
The number of American service members who have died since this conflict began two weeks ago is now at 13, after it was confirmed that three service members died in a refueling aircraft crash on Thursday.
Short-term pain.
Say it thirteen times. Say it to the faces of the friends, families, and kids. Babies. People for whom their pain, their “short-term” pain, will be the thing that shapes their lives. That is the biggest thing in the world right now. And it will get smaller, sometimes, because that’s what grief like that does. It gets bigger and smaller, and sometimes it fits in your pocket, and sometimes it’s your whole world, but it is forever. There is nothing short-term about it.
This administration put us here so they are the only possible people to be here for this but boy oh boy are they the worst people to be here for it.
In an interview with CBS News over the weekend, Trump said US strikes had “totally demolished” an Iranian oil terminal known as Kharg Island and then, because he can’t help himself, added, "We may hit it a few more times just for fun."
For fun!
And not for nothing, but I since they didn’t have a plan going into this thing, don’t expect a plan getting out of it.
Meanwhile, the head of the FCC, Brendan Carr, who thinks the Constitution’s amendments should start at #2, has threatened the broadcasting permits of networks that push what he decides are “hoaxes and news distortions.”
And by the way, that’ll be up to him.
Because the Trump administration doesn’t like the way the mainstream media is covering what the administration is doing in Iran. They didn’t say specifically what they don’t like but remember last week they Pete Hegseth kicked all pool photographers out because he thought the photographs of him were unflattering and also, you know, there’s the whole… we have incredibly targeted weapony and somehow through AI accidentally mistook a girl’s school for a military base and killed more than 175 civilians, the majority of whom were children.
So far, Trump has called out the NY Times and Wall Street Journal (normally a friend of Trump) saying: “They are truly sick and demented people that have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America.”
Super normal guy.
The Pentagon is currently planning to send 5,000 additional sailors and Marines into the Middle East, but Texas House Rep. Dan Crenshaw says this is not a boots on the ground deployment. Sooooo…. Don’t you worry about that!
Meanwhile, although the Energy Secretary thinks this is only going to last a few more weeks, and Trump told NBC News, "Iran wants to make a deal, and I don't want to make it because the terms aren't good enough yet,” Iran says: "We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation."
So… that’s where things are at as we head into week three.
Not… good. Not good is where things are at.
Midwestern Storm
-via CNN
Weather on the tens and twos!
The Midwest is bracing for a storm this week that has the potential to bring feet of snow as well as power outages and fire weather. Snow and fire! And thunderstorms! And tornados!
That’s… that’s almost all of the weather.
And it’s going to hit a loop of the country that starts from the Houston area of Texas, going up to Michigan, out down to North Carolina, and then all the way to Florida.
Just be so super careful everyone, okay?
And that’s it. That’s the news.
And not even because I want it to be!
It’s just – I’m recording this right before the Oscars and between the war in the Middle East and the Oscars it’s like… is this 2003 or what?
I’m proud of… well I haven’t seen the Oscars yet BUT Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue. So proud of her. She did so great. I mean, she is great but I like when she also reminds you that she has another gear and that’s what she did here.
Also, Tig Notaro’s Come See Me in the Good Light – you will love life in a whole new way. It’s beautiful and funny and overall exceptional.
And also… with the exception of those two movies, everyone is in deep trouble for not making at least 80% of their movie in LA. Come on, pull yourself together! Make movies in Los Angeles.
But more than Los Angeles, because you, too, are a tax-incentive and are accessible to every single weather-type in one day… I’m proud of you.