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According to court filings in a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, Tucker Carlson wrote in a text message to a Fox employee on Jan. 4, 2021, that he hated Donald Trump “passionately” and that he “blew up at Peter Navarro today in frustration.” Peter Navarro was Trump’s assistant who supported the false claims about the 2020 election. The same filings show that Carlson criticized Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell for not providing evidence for her claims on his show.

According to Tucker Carlson, what happened during the Jan. 6 riots?

On Dec. 20, 2022, Fox News host Tucker Carlson announced that he had obtained exclusive access to about 44,000 hours of security video from inside and outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 from the Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. On Mar. 6 and Mar. 7, 2023, Carlson aired some clips of the video on his show that he claimed showed that most of the rioters were peaceful. Carlson faced bipartisan criticism from lawmakers and journalists who accused him of cherry-picking footage that downplayed or ignored the violence and chaos on Jan. 6 and endangered law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol.

The Wagner Group is a “Russian Ministry of Defense proxy force” formerly managed and financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch once close to Putin. The mercenary group has been involved in conflicts in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, and, most recently, Ukraine. In a video address on Mar. 5, 2023, Prigozhin said that the whole front would crumble if the Wagner Group retreated from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. He also said that the Russian Ministry of Defence was not supporting his efforts. On June 23, the Wagner force led the failed rebellion against Putin, and two months later to the day, Prigozhin was assassinated mid-air.

According to the International Energy Agency, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy production grew by 0.9 percent in 2022, reaching a record high of more than 36.8 billion metric tons. As reported on Mar. 2, 2023, this was mainly driven by the rebound in air travel, the switch from natural gas to coal in Asia, and extreme weather events that reduced hydropower and increased electricity demand.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the first child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, was born on May 6, 2019, in London, England. He is seventh in line to the British throne but does not have a royal title. Archie’s fourth birthday coincides with the coronation of his grandfather, King Charles III, who will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. Although they officially received an invitation on Mar. 5, 2023, it is not yet confirmed whether Archie and his parents will attend the ceremony or send their best wishes from afar.

Fun Fact: Harry appeared in a pay-per-view live-streamed conversation with author and therapist Gabor Maté on Mar. 4, 2023, where he said he felt “free” after the release of his memoir and “strange” being in the royal family.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, made this shocking statement after a gunman killed two Israeli brothers in the West Bank village of Huwara on February 26, 2023, and just after 400 Israeli settlers executed violent revenge on the village. He also said the state should do it, not civilians. Smotrich later retracted his statement but did not apologize and accused the world of ignoring Palestinian violence.

How did the international community react?

The international community, including the US State Department, the UN human rights chief, and the Palestinian Authority, widely condemned his remarks. Smotrich is scheduled to visit Washington to speak at the annual Israel Bonds conference from March 12 to 14. During his visit, he may face a cold reception from the US administration and the Jewish community.

Is there a legal reform in Israel?

Smotrich is also a supporter of a controversial legal reform that would limit the power of the Israeli Supreme Court and the attorney general. This would allow the parliament to override the court’s rulings. The reform could save Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his corruption trial and prevent the court from interfering with the government’s policies on settlements, security, and immigration. And yes, that’s scary. By March 7, 2023, hundreds of Israeli reservists, including three dozen reservist fighter pilots, have signed letters promising not to serve if the overhaul passes.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian-born artist who pioneered abstract art and painted Murnau mit Kirche II (View of Murnau with Church) in 1910, a crucial moment in his transformation to abstract painting. The painting was part of a collection that belonged to Johanna Margarete and Siegbert Stern, who were persecuted by the Nazis. The German-Jewish art collectors were murdered in the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, and their collection was stolen. The painting was discovered only a decade ago in a museum in Eindhoven, where it had been since 1951. It was returned last year to the heirs of the Sterns, who sold it for £37.2m (just under $45m) at Sotheby’s auction house in London on Mar. 3, 2023, breaking the record price for a Kandinsky painting. The previous highest amount paid at auction for a Kandinsky was £33m for Painting with White Lines (1913), sold at Sotheby’s in 2017.

“Sweet Home, Alabama” was written by Gary Rossington, Ed King, and Ronnie Van Zant, who was the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd and died in a plane crash in 1977. The song was a response to Neil Young’s songs Southern Man and Alabama, which criticized the South for its history of slavery and segregation. The song also references the Watergate scandal and Alabama governor George Wallace. It became one of the band’s most famous hits and a symbol of southern pride. Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member and guitarist of the band, died at 71 on Mar. 5, 2023.

In 1998, George Michael was arrested by an undercover police officer for engaging in a lewd act in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, California. The arrest led to him being outed as gay by the tabloids, who had been trying to expose his sexuality for years. As a result of the scandal, Michael released Outside, which featured him dressed as an LAPD cop dancing in a bathroom. The incident and its aftermath are explored in the documentary Outed. It aired on Channel 4 in the UK on March 6 and 7, 2023, followed by an American broadcast on March 13 and 14 on HBO. Watch the trailer.

Marvel Comics released the first issue of the Planet of the Apes comic book series on Feb. 29, 1974. This series was adapted from Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel. It ran for 29 issues until October 1977. Marvel Comics announced on Mar. 3, 2023, that the company would launch a new imprint focusing on 20th Century Studios’ movies, like Planet of the Apes, Alien, and Predator. This series is a new adaptation of the franchise that will feature original stories and characters. The first issue of the new Planet of the Apes comic book series is due Apr. 5.

“History of the World, Part I” was a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks, who also played five roles in the film. The film consisted of five shorts that spoofed different periods of history, such as the Roman Empire and the French Revolution. The film also teased a sequel with segments like “Hitler on Ice” and “Jews in Space,” which were never made until 2023, when Brooks collaborated with current star comedians to finally create “History of the World, Part II” for Hulu. The series debuted in the US on March 6, 2023, and has a March 13 airdate in the UK. Watch the star-studded trailer.

Chris Rock’s sixth standup special and his second for Netflix, Selective Outrage, was performed live from Baltimore on Mar. 4, 2023. The special featured jokes about Will Smith slapping Rock at last year’s Oscars ceremony, abortion, pronouns, O.J. Simpson, Meghan Markle, and more. Netflix’s first-ever global live show was preceded by a pre-show hosted by Ronny Chieng, David Spade, and Dana Carvey and followed by a post-show featuring Bono, Rosie Perez, Matthew McConaughey, and more.

The “Road House” remake features Jake Gyllenhaal as an ex-UFC fighter. On March 4, 2023, he staged a weigh-in and fought former UFC fighter Jay Hieron at UFC 285, where he knocked him out with a flying knee and kept hitting him.

Bonus Fact: Patrick Swayze played the bouncer with a mysterious past (including killing a man), now hired to clean up a rough bar in the 1989 original “Road House.”