Happy Tuesday! First Waffle House, now America’s Diner. Denny’s recently announced plans to implement egg surcharges as the bird flu drives nationwide poultry shortages. Who knew humble IHOP would be the last bastion of affordable chain restaurant breakfast fare?
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- The United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted a Ukrainian- and European-backed resolution condemning Russia’s invasion on the third anniversary of the war’s start. The United States—along with North Korea, Hungary, Haiti, Israel, and 12 other countries—joined Russia in voting against the measure, while China, Iran, and Argentina were among the 65 that abstained. Later on Monday, the U.S. once again aligned with Russia in support of a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate peace agreement but refrained from calling Moscow the aggressor or acknowledging Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The resolution passed the 15-member body by a vote of 10-0, with the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstaining.
- President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met at the White House on Monday to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. In a joint press conference following the meeting, Trump said the conflict could end “within weeks” and alluded to a possible trip to Russia, while Macron insisted on referring to Moscow as the aggressor and stressed the importance of security commitments to Ukraine in the event of an eventual peace agreement. “Peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine, it must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees,” the French president told reporters.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered American companies the opportunity to do business deals with Moscow to develop mineral deposits in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine. During an appearance on Russian state television, the Russian leader said his country had an “order of magnitude” more rare earth metals than Ukraine. The remarks came as Washington and Kyiv are reportedly nearing an agreement in which Ukraine would give the U.S. a cut of its revenues from natural resources and the U.S. would declare its desire to keep the embattled country “free, sovereign and secure.”
- The Treasury Department on Monday imposed sanctions on an international network—including more than 30 vessels, entities, and individuals from China, India, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates—that it accused of facilitating illicit Iranian oil sales. According to U.S. officials, proceeds from the oil sales are used to fund Iran’s regional proxy groups and military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. The penalties are part of Trump’s effort to reinstate a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Tehran in response to its sponsorship of terrorism and nuclear advances.
- A federal judge in D.C. on Monday declined to grant the Associated Press’ emergency motion requesting that the Trump administration immediately restore its access to presidential events. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, encouraged the White House to reconsider its position but said the wire service’s circumstances were not a “dire situation” that would warrant the court’s intervention. The AP, which accused the administration of violating its First Amendment rights, was barred from press events after refusing to change its style guide to comport with President Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Another hearing to consider the case is set for March 20.
- Vivek Ramaswamy—who ran for president in the 2024 Republican primary and was later tapped by President-elect Trump to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk—announced Monday that he is running for governor of Ohio in 2026. The 39-year-old Ohio native departed the commission in late January in preparation for his bid to replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term limited. President Trump endorsed his run in a Truth Social post hours after the announcement, writing that Ramaswamy is “a very good person, who truly loves our Country.”
We can end smoking faster.
A Far-Right Resurgence in Germany?
After more than three years with Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Germany’s helm, Sunday’s election cemented the country’s lurch to the right.
Germany held the early election after its three-party governing coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens collapsed late last year, ending with Scholz of the center-left SPD losing a vote of no confidence in December. But after this week’s election the balance of power has shifted, inviting praise from the Trump administration and raising questions about the nation’s future.
A center-right alliance between the Christian Democrats and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) carried the largest share of the vote at 28.5 percent, setting up the CDU’s Friedrich Merz to become the next chancellor. But the biggest story of the night was the runner-up. In line with polling in the leadup to the election, the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its support from the last election in 2021 with 20.8 percent of the vote, making it the second-largest party in the parliament.
After the historic showing, AfD leader Alice Weidel spoke in front of a crowd that chanted “Alice für Deutschland”—a play on the Nazi secret police slogan “Alles für Deutschland,” or “Everything for Germany.” Along with flirtations ...
As a non-paying reader, you are receiving a truncated version of The Morning Dispatch. You can read our 1,380-word item on Germany’s election in the members-only version of TMD.
Worth Your Time
- Writing for Quillette, Ronald W. Dworkin mapped out the spectrum from imperialism to expansionism—and considered where Trumpism fits in. “When President Trump and his supporters criticise USAID and other American agencies for failing to put America first, they do so from an expansionist perspective. Their complaints are nothing new in the arena of international relations. After all, most countries have traditionally put themselves first. When Trump complains that Europe is not paying its ‘fair share,’ he is being expansionist. When he seeks to negotiate bilateral trade treaties and circumvent the multilateral world economic system, he is being expansionist. When he threatens allies with tariffs to further American interests, he is expansionist. When he says he wants to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, he is being expansionist. The whole premise of his ‘America First’ campaign is expansionist by definition,” he wrote. “Does America’s conversion from imperialism back to expansionism herald danger? History suggests it might. War and darkness usually descend upon the world when empires decline. The decline of the Roman Empire led to the Dark Ages. The decline of the Holy Roman Empire led to the Napoleonic Wars. The decline of the British Empire led to the two World Wars. We tend to think of empires as violent enterprises plagued by constant warfare, but the opposite seems to be true once the empire has been established. They bring stability. … And yet, while American imperialism may be waning, American power and influence are not, which is something of an historical anomaly.”
Presented Without Comment
New York Times: [Former White House Press Secretary] Jen Psaki Gets Nightly Prime-Time Show at MSNBC
Also Presented Without Comment
The Hill: Trump Administration Backtracks From Latest Musk Storm
The Trump administration on Monday appeared to be quickly retreating from Elon Musk’s demand that all federal workers send an email by the end of the day highlighting their achievements or resign. The missive from Musk, which echoed a tactic he used during his 2022 takeover of the social platform X, then known as Twitter, led to a chaotic weekend for thousands of federal workers
…
By Monday afternoon, responding to the email was voluntary, according to guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), a clear signal that even within the administration, some saw Musk as having gone too far.
Also Also Presented Without Comment
President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, had the following exchange during a joint press conference on Monday:
Trump: Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine, they're getting their money back.
Macron: No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60 percent of the total effort.
In the Zeitgeist
More than two years after Andor first aired, a second season of the Star Wars spinoff series is finally on its way. Disney+ just released its first teaser for the new season, which is set to premiere on April 22, and it looks like the wait may have been worth it.
Toeing the Company Line
- In the newsletters: Kevin Williamson argued that Elon Musk’s DOGE team has “a professional and patriotic obligation” to be more competent and Nick Catoggio contemplated the repercussions of our current rule by trolls.
- On the site: Charles Hilu reports on the House and Senate’s competing budget bills, Grayson Logue explains the Federal Communications Commission’s targeting of broadcasters, and Mike Warren writes about Vice President J.D. Vance’s social media use. Plus, Garry Kasparov and Uriel Epshtein argue that helping Ukraine defeat Russia would advance the Trump administration’s goal of containing Iran.
