PNUT GALLERY

Donald Trump may have won Super Tuesday, but Chris Christie won the internet. The New Jersey Governor looked like a scared hostage on stage on Tuesday, spawning the #FreeChrisChristie hashtag that can be enjoyed here and here and here and here.

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

#pnut4prez: Carson Wakes Up, So Does The GOP Republican candidate Ben Carson seemed to wake up (finally) to the realization that there is no “political path forward” for him to become the next President. It’s hard to believe that at one point Ben Carson was leading in the polls over Donald Trump. After a series of mishaps and blunders during the debates, however, his campaign began to implode. 
What about the rest of the GOP? Parts of the Republican Party are adopting a “scorched Earth” policy to stop Donald Trump from becoming the nominee. Super PACs are about to drop millions into Florida for Marco Rubio, and Mitt Romney is going to give some speeches (that worked great four years ago). The rest of the world has come to the conclusion that Donald Trump is more likely than not the nominee for President… of the United States. 

Russia To Europe: What Do These Buttons Do? Across the pond, Trump’s soulmate and renowned shirtless hunter, Vladimir Putin, may be up to some no good of his own. NATO’s military commander Gen. Breedlove accused the Russian leader of “weaponizing the refugee crisis” and using it to create rifts in a vulnerable and bureaucratic Europe. This isn’t the first time Putin exploited European politics to sow divisions” last year it emerged that a Kremlin-tied bank offered loans to France’s far-right party, and Putin pretended to court Greece’s Alexis Tsipras during last summer’s Euro Crisis.

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

‘America’s Most Reckless Billionaire’ Found Dead After Indictment Aubrey McClendon, former CEO of Chesapeake Energy, died in a car accident that involved no other vehicles yesterday. This came just one day after he was indicted for rigging bids for oil and natural gas leases. Aubrey was largely accredited with America’s fracking boom, leasing more than 13 million acres (bigger than Switzerland) in his lifetime. He had a “colorful” career, full of lawsuits, booms and busts.

GOOD READ: “A Profile Of America’s Most Reckless Billionaire” Via Forbes  

Will Someone Please Give A Damn? The Mosul Dam Is In PerilThe engineers who built the Mosul Dam say that the structure is at risk of imminent collapse. This could cause a 20-meter-high (roughly 65 feet) flash flood affecting the 1 million people living along the Tigris River. Rather than replacing the failing machinery or assembling a workforce to remedy the porous rock problem, the Iraqi government hired Italian contractors and appear to be dragging their feet waiting for the best deal. In the meantime, they have issued a warning to those living on the Tigris to move three miles from the riverbank. Iraqi engineers are calling the decision “ridiculous.”

Evidence Of MH370? A Small, Shiny Glimmer Of Aluminum Hope  Debris from a Boeing 777 washed up in Mozambique yesterday, setting off speculation that it belonged to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Malaysia’s transport minister warned against jumping to conclusions. But since this is the closest thing to a lead officials have had since the plane went missing two years ago, he’ll have to excuse our optimism. US officials said the debris appears to be the tailfin of a B777 with a fiberglass external composite and aluminum honeycombing. The piece is being transported to Malaysia for investigation.

GOOD READ: My MH370 Mea Culpa

Keeping Our Eye On…

• Jordan: The country’s national intelligence agency carried out a series of raids after intercepting plans for an ISIS militant attack. Thirteen people were arrested and eight were killed in gunfire, including one of Jordan’s security forces. 
• Indonesia: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred off the coast of Indonesia. Tsunami warnings were immediately issued for Indonesia and Australia, but Australia has since cancelled their watch. 
• Alabama: A white police officer in Montgomery, Alabama is being charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man. The death of 58-year-old Gregory Gunn has sparked outrage across the country, but 23-year-old Officer Aaron Smith’s attorney believes his arrest is the work of “political witch hunts.” The case will be presented before a grand jury at a future date.

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Fed Up With Traffic, Elephant Started Chucking Cars Around In India Everybody hates rush hour. While celebrating a festival last week in Siliguri, India, one elephant felt a little claustrophobic in the congested streets (holiday traffic really is the worst) and decided to open up an extra lane by moving cars and crushing small vehicles. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the flustered, 6,000-pound commuter was able to relax after a few tranquilizer darts. He then travelled like a VIP, airlifted by crane and returned to the wilderness. 

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