News From Around the Web
#1 Trump Directs USDA to Prioritize Domestic Glyphosate, Phosphorus Production - Chris Clayton for Progressive Farmer, Zen Honeycutt/Toby Rogers, Vani Hari, Jimmy Dore/Dr. Alexandra Muñoz, Kelly McCarthy/Tom Renz, Kelly Ryerson, Tracy Beanz and Ann Vandersteel on X
Invoking the Defense Production Act, President Donald Trump on Wednesday designated glyphosate-based herbicides and elemental phosphorus as critical to national defense and ordered Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to prioritize and secure domestic supplies. The order also grants legal immunity to domestic producers that comply with federal directives and gives USDA authority to direct production and control distribution if necessary. Citing the Defense Production Act, Trump declared phosphorus and glyphosate products are essential not only for agriculture but also for military readiness as well. The threat of scarcity for either phosphorus or glyphosate would leave the U.S. vulnerable...
#2 Trump ‘Identifies Timeline for Strike on Iran’ as World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier Heads to the Middle East - Stephen M. Lepore for Daily Mail, Owen Shroyer, Liam McCollum, Kentucky Statesman, Polyline, Salman Nizami, and The US Sun on X
Donald Trump could make a decision on military strikes in Iran soon, with the US military ready to potentially launch an attack by this weekend. American military assets have been building up in the Middle East in recent days ahead of a possible strike, CNN reported. 'He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,' a source told the network, adding that Trump has found himself arguing both in favor of and against the military action. Trump has also spent the recent days taking informal polls of his aides and military advisors over what to do, but it remains unclear when the president will make the final call...
#3 RO Khanna, Thomas Massie Move to Force War Powers Vote as Trump Signals Possible Iran Strike - Benzinga, Thomas Massie/Ro Kanna (community note), Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Remarks, and Joe/Newswire on X
Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are set to compel a vote on their War Powers Resolution, requiring congressional approval for military action against Iran. This move comes in response to reports of a potential U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, with a 90% likelihood, according to Trump officials cited by Khanna in his X post. On Wednesday, Khanna and Massie announced their plans to force a vote on the bipartisan resolution, which would necessitate congressional authorization for any U.S. military action against Iran. “Trump is positioning two aircraft carriers, a dozen warships & hundreds of fighter jets to prepare for a possible war with Iran. I first got into politics to end the Iraq War. I won't let Trump launch a disastrous war without Congress voting to stop it,” Khanna stated in one of a series of posts...
#4 Eric Trump Invests in Drone Maker Xtend in $1.5 Billion Deal - Anna Massa for Bloomberg News/Mekka, Unlikely Buddha, CLH, DefenseNewsDigest, and Ron Paul on X
The son of the U.S. president, Eric Trump, participated in funding Xtend as part of a $1.5 billion deal intended to take the company public through a merger with Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings. Xtend is among the 25 participants in the first stage of the defense program Drone Dominance, worth $1.1 billion, Bloomberg reports. Eric Trump, the president’s second-oldest son, is contributing his funds to the deal, under which the drone manufacturer Xtend will become a public company via a merger with JFB Construction Holdings of Florida. Among the investors is also Unusual Machines, a drone manufacturer, whose adviser is Donald Trump Jr. The deal was organized by the investment bank Dominari Holdings, which has already worked on other Trump family projects. The bank’s headquarters are located in Trump Tower.“I am incredibly proud to be investing...
#5 Trump Gathers Members of Board of Peace for First Meeting, With Some U.S. Allies Wary - Associated Press/npr, Gucci_Clarity, Santiago Echavarria | AI & Cyber, RKS,
BREAKING NEWS - ALERTS, and i24NEWS English on X
President Donald Trump will gather Thursday with representatives from more than two dozen countries that have joined his Board of Peace — and several that have opted not to — for an inaugural meeting that will focus on reconstruction and building an international stabilization force for a war-battered Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal persists. Trump announced ahead of the meeting that board members have pledged $5 billion for reconstruction, a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war. Members are expected to unveil commitments of thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory...
#6 House Republicans Threaten to Force Russia Sanctions Vote After Giving Leadership ‘One Last Chance' - Elizabeth Elkind for Fox News, DC Brief, GMan | GMan’s Chronicle, Beefeater, Warsaw, Claretta Nijhuis, and Egalitmus on X
A pair of House Republicans could soon mount an effort to force a chamber-wide vote on sanctioning Russia for its war in Ukraine after months of back-and-forth between the House, Senate, and White House yielded little movement on the issue. "This coming week, Brian Fitzpatrick's sanctions bill … ripens, so we can actually submit it as a discharge petition on Monday or Tuesday, and I'll sign that," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told Fox News Digital. "But it's got to start from scratch," he added. "We've got to get 218 signatures on it, and so that has a lot more work to do there, but it's a really good bill that Brian has worked on both sides of the aisle to get it right. And I think it's one that could have support in the Senate."
#7 Mark Zuckerberg Testifies in Landmark Trial Over Social Media Addiction Claims - ABC News, Syeda Shabana Ashraf, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Business News, All About Lawyer, prabha17, and Byl Holte on X
Mark Zuckerberg took the stand on Wednesday in a landmark Los Angeles trial alleging that major social media platforms were intentionally designed to be addictive for children and teens. The case, which began last Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, centers on claims against Meta -- the parent company of Facebook and Instagram -- and YouTube, which is owned by Google. Plaintiffs argue the companies knowingly built features that encouraged compulsive use among young users, contributing to long-term mental health harm...
#8 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested and in Custody on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office - BBC, Piers Morgan, Shadow of Ezra, CNN, Tommy Robinson, New York Post, and Dr. Simon Goddek on X
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police say King Charles's brother is in custody and officers are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. Photos show vehicles, believed to be police cars, arriving at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk earlier this morning. It comes after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former prince with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein...
#9 Bill Gates Drops Out of AI Summit as He Faces Heat Over Epstein Files - Hugh Langley for Business Insider, Waheed Sheikh, Reuters, Divya yadav, Chuck Nellis The Phoenix, and 8JJ-NEXUS on X
Bill Gates pulled out of the India AI Impact Summit on Thursday, just hours before he was due to appear to give a keynote speech. The Microsoft cofounder's decision to cancel his appearance at the high-profile event follows mounting scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. "After careful consideration and to ensure the focus remained on the AI Summit's key priorities, Mr. Gates did not deliver the keynote address at the AI Summit," the Gates Foundation said in a statement provided to Business Insider...
#10 Grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Inventor Accuses Hershey of “Quietly Replacing” Ingredients - CBS News, Pop Base, Philip Lewis, Wall Street Mav, New York Post, and Crypto Bitlord on X
Brad Reese, the grandson of the inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, is criticizing The Hershey Co. for "quietly replacing" the candy's flagship chocolate and peanut butter ingredients. Reese claimed on LinkedIn last week that the company has replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut butter‑style crème across multiple Reese's products, a move he alleges has eroded the Reese's brand and jeopardized consumer trust. "How does The Hershey Company continue to position Reese's as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality, and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built Reese's trust in the first place?" Reese wrote in a Feb. 14 LinkedIn post in which he shared an open letter addressed to Hershey's corporate brand manager....
