Fiona "Fi" Webster 🌎🌍🌏

CIA agents successfully executed a plan for regime change in Iran in 1953 – but Trump hasn’t revealed any signs of a plan A covert US campaign in the mid-20th century helped steer Iran toward the intense anti-American sentiment that has distinguished its government policy for decades.

Former practitioner of intelligence & national security policy in the WH explains lessons in effecting political change in Iran that can be taken from the very US & British-led clandestine campaign in the mid-20th century that set Iran on the road to intense anti-Western sentiment.

No pay wall.

Quit ChatGPT: right now! Your subscription is bankrolling authoritarianism | Rutger Bregman As a historian, I’ve studied the major consumer boycotts of history. We can take down ChatGPT and send a powerful signal to Silicon Valley, says author and historian Rutger Bregman

A grassroots boycott called QuitGPT has been spreading across the US and beyond, asking people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions. More than a million people have answered the call.

Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms The meeting’s participants included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security official in charge of election integrity.

The same people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have only grown better organized & are now embedded in the machinery of gov't. The administration appears to be laying the groundwork to improperly reshape elections ahead of the midterms or even go against the will of the voters.

Senate to vote on war powers resolution to prevent Trump from continuing Iran conflict Republicans are set to vote down the resolution introduced by Democrats, who have condemned Trump for launching strikes without Congressional approval

Wednesday Senate Republicans are expected to vote down a Democratic-backed war powers resolution to prevent 47 from continuing the war in Iran.

Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman said he will oppose the resolution, meaning Dems need at least 5 Republicans to join with them for it to succeed.

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James Talarico’s win over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary wasn't about policy or ideology; it would be a choice between two very different types of “fighters,” decided along racially polarized lines.

Free link: archive.ph/8S0A4

A Very Stable War J. D. Vance says this Middle East entanglement can’t be dumb—because Trump is smart.

JD Vance says that previous wars were bad because they were led by dumb presidents, but a Trump war would be good because Donald Trump is smart.

"Yet after the administration’s 2nd wave of air attacks on Iran, the president’s strategy seems more sundown than Sun Tzu."

Gift link.

Trump's DEI crackdown hit a wall in court. What's next? Sarah Hinger, deputy director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program, walks though how a federal judge's ruling could impact state law.

Trump's DEI crackdown hit a wall in court. What's next?

Norah O'Donnell spotlights overlooked women who shaped U.S. history in 'We the Women' America’s 250-year history features prominent men who built and shaped the nation. But less is known about the women whose contributions were just as important. In “We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who...

In “We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America,” Norah O’Donnell writes about 35 remarkable women and their pivotal roles in influencing the country we live in today. https://to.pbs.org/3MOMNvh

Why are we involved? And what comes next? As the war between the U.S. and Iran escalates, we asked you to send in your questions and passed them on to our reporters.

Here are their answers: bit.ly/4r8dg5i

📸: Andrew Craft, Tommy Gilligan, Cody Scanlan, Alicia Devine/ TODAY NETWORK; Getty Images

No, LGBTQ+ ally skater Alysa Liu did not say she doesn’t believe in pronouns
https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/03/04/no-lgbtq-ally-skater-alysa-liu-did-not-say-she-doesnt-believe-in-pronouns/?utm_content=1772632844&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

A Leaked Memo Shows How Opposing The ICE Crackdown Could Cost You Global Entry A Leaked Memo Shows How Opposing The ICE Crackdown Could Cost You Global Entry

Two people claim they were punished for acts of protest, and an internal government memo suggests they may not be the last.

Loose Talk of ‘Fake News’ Is Bad for Democracy The secretary of defense shouldn’t pit the military against the media.

"Over time, I learned that if you are honest with reporters, most—not all, but most—will respect your honesty." Respect goes, and must go, both ways.

New from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/40e1M5c

Inside Plastic Executives’ Late-20th-Century Campaign to Blame Consumers for Their Industry’s Waste This TPM Cafe article is an excerpt from PLASTIC INC.: The Secret...

The story of the moment when the US could have regulated the huge amount of disposable packaging we produce, and how that moment escaped.

‘I owe Iron Maiden my English A-level!’ The great literature our writers discovered through pop music Ahead of World Book Day on Thursday, Guardian music writers pick out the musicians whose literary references illuminated them – from Adam Ant on Joe Orton to the National on Grace Paley

"I bought Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray in my youth because Morrissey had mentioned him in the Smiths’ Cemetry Gates."

Take a break from the news with these stories about people discovering great literature through pop music!

No pay wall.

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You may think of Texas as red, but it's an increasingly urban state, w/ 6 of the 25 largest cities in the country & 2 of the 5 largest metropolitan areas. Republicans do not typically fare well in urban areas — they haven’t won a mayoral election in Houston in >40 years.

Free link: archive.ph/V9gv0

Jasmine Crockett concedes to James Talarico in Texas Democratic Senate primary Jasmine Crockett has conceded the Democratic primary in Texas’s Senate race. And the congresswoman is urging Democrats to unite behind state Rep. James Talarico.

Jasmine Crockett conceded the Democratic primary in the Texas Senate race to James Talarico, calling on the party to unify behind the state representative who clinched the nomination overnight.

As Iran Expands Attacks, U.S. Orders More Diplomatic Staff to Leave Embassies in 4 Countries On Tuesday, nonemergency staff and their family members were told to leave several posts as Iran continued to retaliate after U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday ordered more employees to leave their posts at embassies and consulates in four countries, citing risks to safety as Iran expanded its retaliatory attacks.

Trump's new reasoning for Iran strikes. And, takeaways from the first 2026 primaries President Trump offers new reasoning for the U.S. attack on Iran. And, results from the first midterm primary of 2026 are in, providing an outlook for the matchups for key Senate seats.

President Trump offers new reasoning for the U.S. attack on Iran. And, results from the first midterm primary of 2026 are in, providing an outlook for the matchups for key Senate seats. n.pr/3MK2K6e

Trump has been dead since Jan 6, he was hung by Mike Pence until dead.

Trump was then bit by JD "Fangs" Vancula, dipped in orange paint, and given a gold star by his daycare teacher.

He has been seen in public less often, although they use AI to make it look like daylight.

Thanks for the follow. Followed you back. 🦋

The answers are great for a laugh!

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour WATCH: Sen. Tillis calls for Noem's resignation in full questioning at oversight hearing

Tillis calls her out about the FEMA cap and everything else. Worth the 10 minutes to watch it.

youtu.be/ys-0r6sHV8M?...

Tell us about it, David from 1972.

My brain hurt like a warehouse It had no room to spare I had to cram so many things to store everything in there —David Bowie quotation is decorated with red squiggles

=shrug= Sometimes a news story is so funny it's worth posting whether it's true or not.

Republicans love them a slimy criminal like Paxton.

Totally agree! Jasmine is a rockstar.

Thanks for the follow, Mark. Followed you back. 🦋

Dem darling showered with Miriam Adelson-linked money A group funded by Adelson was the biggest donor to James Talarico’s campaign last year.

I wonder why I feel like we’re being duped? 🤔

I am going to enthusiastically support whichever Democrat wins the US Senate primary in Texas and hope for the sake of the country that all Democrats do the same.

I like your posts & reposts, Becky, so I'm following you.

Check out my recurring 🧵of editorial cartoons, pinned to my profile, to see if you want to follow me back. I think artistic humor is good medicine.