Good morning! Today is March 17th and here is your morning news rundown. Before I continue, my work is not funded by billionaires or ad companies. It’s funded by you. Your support has allowed me to do this work full-time, and just today. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today for access to exclusive lives and articles, and to support me:
With that, here is all the news you missed:
Donald Trump has issued a statement on his Truth Social account claiming that President Joe Biden’s pardons are “null and void” because according to Trump, Biden did not sign the pardons himself and instead used an autopen. This statement has led to alarm bells going off across the nation as a current President cannot undo a former President’s pardons. Read the full statement below:
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann has proposed that the U.S. should return the Statue of Liberty. He argues that since America has aligned itself with tyrants, it no longer deserves the gift: “We’re going to tell the Americans, ‘Return it.’ We gave it to you as a symbol of freedom, but if you no longer value that, it belongs back home.”
Axios reports that the White House defied a court order by refusing to turn back two planes carrying suspected Venezuelan gang members, arguing that the flights were already over international waters—sparking concerns of a constitutional crisis.
Paul Dans, the former director of Project 2025, claims the plan is exceeding expectations, stating, “It’s actually way beyond my wildest dreams.” Despite his departure, he notes that Trump is successfully pushing the agenda forward.
U.S. credit card debt has reached an all-time high of $1.21 trillion, marking a 7.3% increase from last year.
U.S. retail sales for February fell short of expectations, causing stock futures to decline.
Despite Elon Musk’s assertion that the foreign aid freeze hasn’t resulted in any deaths, journalist Nick Kristof presents evidence to the contrary. In South Sudan, he reports that the decision by USAID and the State Department to halt aid funding has already led to the deaths of Peter Donde, Achol Deng, Jennifer Inyaa, Evan Anzoo, Martha Juan, and Viola Kiden—HIV-positive mothers and children who lost access to vital medication.
Farmers are bracing for significant financial losses due to Trump’s policies. From funding cuts to tariffs, many are struggling to find markets for their products and face an uncertain year ahead.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
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