Happy Friday! In one of the most predictable news developments ever, the Museum of Failure, slated to open in a few weeks in San Francisco, is embroiled in a property dispute that will probably ensure its, um, failure … before it even opens.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- Proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada, along with a tariff increase on Chinese goods, will go into effect March 4, President Donald Trump said Thursday. Following uncertainty about whether the White House would impose the tariffs after last month’s pause, Trump said on Truth Social that his concerns about drug trafficking across both the northern and southern borders had not been assuaged. “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” he wrote, adding that the planned 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico would go through, along with a 10 percent tariff hike on Chinese imports, bringing that rate to 20 percent.
- The government of Thailand on Thursday deported 40 asylum-seeking Uyghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group fleeing state-led persecution, to China after more than a decade in detention. Carried out at China’s request, the move to send the migrants, who were all men, back to their home country is viewed as a sign of China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia. U.N. officials condemned the decision, warning that the deportees would likely face imprisonment and possible torture once they returned to China.
- Andrew and Tristan Tate, misogynistic social media influencers who have been charged with human trafficking in Romania, landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday following the decision by a Romanian court to lift travel restrictions on the brothers. The Tates, along with two other associates, were arrested by Romanian authorities in 2022 in Bucharest for allegedly convincing women to fly to Romania, and then using debt and intimidation to force them to participate in pornographic videos. It is unclear exactly why travel restrictions on the Tates were lifted, although the Romanian foreign minister said last month that a Trump administration official had expressed interest in the case at the Munich Security Conference. However, Romanian foreign ministry officials stated that U.S. officials had not intervened in the brothers’ case, which remains ongoing.
- The Office of Personnel Management was ordered by a federal judge in California Thursday to retract orders directing federal agencies to conduct mass firings of probationary workers. U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s ruling blocks the directives to dozens of federal agencies until the case can be revisited in the near future, but does not reinstate any fired workers. “The Office of Personnel Management does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe, to hire and fire employees at another agency,” said Alsup, while making his ruling.
- An internal Pentagon memo on Thursday directed the armed services to create processes for identifying transgender troops and troops diagnosed with or being treated for gender dysphoria, and remove them within 30 days. Gender dysphoria is “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service,” Darin Selnick, defense undersecretary for personnel, said in the memo. The executive order signed by President Donald Trump that led to the policy is being challenged in court by six active-duty transgender service members.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House on Thursday, meeting with President Donald Trump and participating in a joint press conference. The two leaders reportedly discussed Britain’s recent announcement that it would increase defense spending, security arrangements for Ukraine, and a potential trade deal between Britain and the United States. Starmer also presented Trump with an invitation from King Charles III to make an official state visit.
A message from Philip Morris International
We can end smoking faster.
At PMI U.S., our mission is clear: to reduce smoking by replacing cigarettes with scientifically-proven, smoke-free alternatives, such as nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.
As the leader in smoke-free products in the U.S., we’re helping to end smoking for the almost 30 million legal-aged adults who smoke in the U.S.
See our progress
Staving Off a Nuclear Iran
Before retaking office, Donald Trump declared his intention of bringing “real peace, a lasting peace” to the Middle East. But it may not take long for the new president to get more than he bargained for in the tumultuous region.
As the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran grows, so too does the possibility of a preemptive Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic and a resulting broader war. From Trump’s perspective, all options for thwarting …
As a non-paying reader, you are receiving a truncated version of The Morning Dispatch. Our full 1,138-word story on Iran’s nuclear threat is available in the members-only version of TMD.
Worth Your Time
- In recent years, it’s become almost a doctrine of political science that new information rarely makes people reconsider their strongly held beliefs. Writing in the Washington Post, Annie Duke reports on a new study of more than 2,000 people who, when AI presented them with evidence debunking their beliefs, were much more likely to change their minds: “It is hard to walk away from who you are, whether you are a QAnon believer, a flat-Earther, a truther of any kind, or just a stock analyst who has taken a position that makes you stand out from the crowd. … And that’s why the AI approach might work so well. The participants were not interacting with a human, which, I suspect, didn’t trigger identity in the same way, allowing the participants to be more open-minded. Identity is such a huge part of these conspiracy theories in terms of distinctiveness, putting distance between you and other people. When you’re interacting with AI, you’re not arguing with a human being whom you might be standing in opposition to, which could cause you to be less open-minded.”
- “When Ukrainians make clear that they categorically and uniformly reject Russian control—three years into a brutal war that has destroyed many of their towns, killed tens of thousands of their fellow citizens, and uprooted millions more—the West should listen,” write Janina Dill, Marnie Howlett, and Carl Müller-Crepon in Foreign Affairs. The three researchers conducted an extensive public-opinion survey three years into the war, and found that Ukrainians are still willing to make huge sacrifices to avoid Russian domination: “When presented with strategies that would quadruple the number of Ukrainian military fatalities over the next three months, from 6,000 to 24,000, for example, respondents selected those costly options 43 percent of the time—suggesting that the rise in fatalities had relatively little effect on their choices, in contrast to having to make political or territorial concessions. … When participants were given a choice between an outcome that led to Russian dominance and one that resulted in full political autonomy, 77 percent chose full autonomy, even if it came at very high cost. This has changed little since 2022, when 81 percent of them did. In the instances when respondents accepted Russian control, they generally did so to pick a strategy that restored Ukraine’s full territorial integrity with its pre-2014 borders. High civilian casualties, military casualties, and nuclear risks had little effect on their choices.”
Presented Without Comment
President Donald Trump was asked about his comments calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.” His response:
Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.
Also Presented Without Comment
The crew for the upcoming spaceflight from Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ rocket venture, includes TV anchor Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, and Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.
In the Zeitgeist
The Oscars are this Sunday, and the TMD team eagerly awaits the sweep by Emilia Pérez! Just kidding … maybe. If you still need to catch up on the films in the running for the big prize, here’s a compilation of trailers for all the best picture nominees.
Toeing the Company Line
- In the newsletters: Nick Catoggio examines why Trumpism is more a moral project than a political one.
- On the podcasts: Our Dispatch Podcast crew talks about what Trump has actually done—as opposed to declared or tweeted—during his first month in office.
- On the site: Chris Stirewalt draws parallels between Woodrow Wilson and Donald Trump’s approaches on handling the media, Kevin Williamson looks at the one thing Christian nationalists have a point about, Joseph Roche reports from Ukraine on how Chechen soldiers view Russia’s ability to uphold a peace deal, and Erica Komisar explains why parents need to be able to control their kids’ online activities.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
With your membership, you only have the ability to comment on The Morning Dispatch articles. Consider upgrading to join the conversation everywhere.