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Happy Wednesday! Back in 2012, now-retired Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland introduced legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” telling a public broadcaster it was a satirical jab at the Mississippi legislature’s Republican majority. Little did he know.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), announced plans on Tuesday to step down by March 6. The military chief cited the army’s failure to prevent Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, as the reason for his departure. Throughout the war, Halevi frequently clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November. “On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens,” Halevi wrote in his resignation letter, adding that the military “must provide answers and conduct thorough, high-quality, and fully transparent investigations.” The IDF is currently conducting an internal probe into the intelligence failures that led to the success of Hamas’ invasion that day.
- The IDF launched airstrikes and a ground raid on the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday in what it described as a major counterterrorism operation. Dubbed “Iron Wall,” the raid targeted Iranian-backed terror groups operating in the Palestinian territory. Local media reported that 10 people died and 40 were injured in the operation. Also on Tuesday, a Moroccan national with a U.S. green card injured four people in a stabbing spree in Israel’s second-largest city of Tel Aviv. The assailant, who was shot dead by an armed civilian at the site of the terrorist attack, had entered the country legally on Saturday.
- A fire broke out at a popular ski resort in Bolu, Turkey, early on Tuesday, killing at least 76 people. The blaze began just after midnight, and survivors told reporters that there was an absence of fire alarms or clearly marked fire escapes. Turkish authorities have arrested nine people, including the property’s owner, as they investigate the causes of the disaster.
- Much of Southern California remained under red-flag fire risk warnings on Tuesday as strong Santa Ana winds returned and sparked several small fires in San Diego County. However, meteorologists have forecast small amounts of rain for later in the week, which will likely aid the efforts of firefighters still working to contain the large Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County. Some officials are warning that heavy rainfall on fire-scarred hillsides could increase the risk of serious mudslides.
- A group of civil rights and civil liberties groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, challenging the Trump administration’s recent executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for those born in the U.S. to parents there on an illegal or temporary basis. The order, which directly contradicts the 14th Amendment and decades of legal precedent, was also challenged by 22 states on Tuesday, including California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and joined by the cities of Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
- Aileen M. Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against President Donald Trump, blocked former special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday from releasing a section of his report on the case to Congress. “In short, the Department offers no valid justification for the purportedly urgent desire to release to members of Congress case information in an ongoing criminal proceeding,” wrote Cannon, citing the fact that the section contained sensitive information that has not been made publicly available, and the fact that the case was still active against Trump’s two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.
- President Trump announced Tuesday that software company Oracle, artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, and technology investment company Softbank would contribute up to $500 billion over the next four years to investments in U.S. AI infrastructure. In a White House briefing, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said that construction had already begun on 10 data centers in Texas, with more planned. The joint project will be called Stargate. “I think this will be the most important project of this era,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
World, Meet Trump (Again)
On January 20, 1981—just minutes after President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office—Iran’s revolutionary government freed 52 diplomats it had taken captive amid the country’s uprising, ending the 15-month hostage crisis. Exactly 44 years later, after helping to broker a deal that could soon see the return of seven American abductees from Hamas captivity, President Donald Trump channeled the famous Republican commander in chief on Monday.
“We will measure our successes not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,” Trump told attendees of the inaugural ball. “It’s called peace through strength.”
But it’s impossible to predict the shape of Trump’s approach to global affairs by looking to administrations of the past—even his own. The president has vowed to project military strength while waging “no new wars”; promised to “take” foreign territory without undermining global stability; and pledged to promote American prosperity while threatening the nation’s top trade partners with tariffs. As Americans wait to see how Trump’s slew of ambitious executive orders might transform the homefront, U.S. allies and adversaries alike are watching this idiosyncratic ...
As a non-paying reader, you are receiving a truncated version of The Morning Dispatch. You can read our 1,101-word item global reactions to Donald Trump’s inauguration in the members-only version of TMD.
Worth Your Time
- In The Atlantic, Eliot Cohen argued that the “warrior” mindset that defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth hopes to promote in the Pentagon is a dangerous idol: “The archetype of the Western warrior is Homer’s Achilles. Superbly fit, the ‘swift runner’ Achilles is magnificent in battle,” Cohen wrote. “He is also the man who comes close to killing his boss, Agamemnon, over a favorite concubine; sulks in his tent; and weeps when he feels dishonored until his mother (a goddess) comforts him. In a rage over the death of his friend Patroclus in a fair fight, Achilles not only kills the Trojan prince Hector but then drags his body around Troy for his horrified parents and widow to see. … Warriors are people who exult in killing, who prize individual courage and daring, who obsess about honor (often in self-destructive ways), who frequently take trophies from the bodies of their enemies, and whose behavior on and off the battlefield often veers into atrocity.” American troops should be soldiers instead, Cohen wrote: “They are servants of the state. In well-governed countries, they are bound by discipline, the rule of law, and commitment to comrades and organizations—not to self-glorification. Their virtues are obedience, stoicism, perseverance, and competence. They serve a common good, and duty, not glory, is their prime motivation.”
- Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, sat down with Bloomberg Businessweek to discuss the future of artificial intelligence under the Trump administration. “I don’t support everything that Trump does or says or thinks. I don’t support everything that Biden says or does or thinks. But I do support the United States of America, and I will work to the degree I’m able to with any president for the good of the country. And particularly for the good of what I think is this huge moment that has got to transcend any political issues,” he said. Asked what the new president can do to spur AI innovation in 2025, Altman responded: “U.S.-built infrastructure and lots of it. The thing I really deeply agree with the president on is, it is wild how difficult it has become to build things in the United States. Power plants, data centers, any of that kind of stuff. I understand how bureaucratic cruft builds up, but it’s not helpful to the country in general. It’s particularly not helpful when you think about what needs to happen for the U.S. to lead AI.”
Presented Without Comment
The Hill: Constitution Page on White House Website Shows 404 Error
In the Zeitgeist
The Australian Open is underway, kicking of the 2025 tennis Grand Slam, and this quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz was… well, we’ll just let the play speak for itself:
Toeing the Company Line
- In the newsletters: Nick Catoggio wrote about (🔒) President Donald Trump’s eventful first days back in office.
- On the podcasts: For The Skiff (🔒), Adaam James Levin-Areddy spoke to Yediot senior reporter Nadav Eyal about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and what’s next for the Gaza Strip. Plus, Jonah Goldberg challenges John Podhoretz’s exuberance over the second Trump administration in today’s Remnant.
- On the site: Joseph Polidoro explains why homeowners insurance has become so expensive everywhere, especially California and Florida, and Goldberg argues that the reason Donald Trump’s victory feels like a “vibe shift” is because the president shattered the political consensus not just on the right but the left.
Charlotte Lawson is the editor of The Morning Dispatch, currently based in southern Florida. Prior to joining the company in 2020, she studied history and global security at the University of Virginia. When Charlotte is not keeping up with foreign policy and world affairs, she is probably trying to hone her photography skills.
Grayson Logue is a staff writer for The Dispatch and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the company in 2023, he worked in political risk consulting, helping advise Fortune 50 companies. He was also an assistant editor at Providence Magazine and is a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh, pursuing a Master’s degree in history. When Grayson is not writing pieces for the website, he is probably working hard to reduce the number of balls he loses on the golf course.
James P. Sutton is a Morning Dispatch Reporter, based in Washington D.C. Prior to joining the company in 2024, he most recently graduated from University of Oxford with a Master's degree in history. He has also taught high school history in suburban Philadelphia, and interned at National Review and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. When not writing for The Morning Dispatch, he is probably playing racquet sports, reading a history book, or rooting for Bay Area sports teams.
Cole Murphy is a Morning Dispatch Reporter based in Atlanta. Prior to joining the company in 2025, he interned at The Dispatch and worked in business strategy at Home Depot. When Cole is not conributing to TMD, he is probably seeing a movie, listening to indie country music, or having his heart broken by Atlanta sports teams.
