While the majority of the media ecosystem has spent the first few days of Operation Epic Fury bickering over a predicted “forever war,” the real danger to the Iranian people, the United States, and the greater Middle East is being ignored. As impressive as the United States and Israel’s achievement is, we can’t afford for it to be momentary, can’t let outside forces take the opportunity to reassert control in a chaotic situation. The smoking crater that was once the top of Tehran’s Islamic regime, where they spent decades proudly chanting “death to America,” will not remain empty. There is not just one faction, one starry-eyed underclass “yearning to breathe free,” that stands ready and organized to safely take the reins. In reality, monarchists, Marxists, ethnic minority groups, secular republicans, and “moderate” — that is, slightly less brutal — regime officials are already preparing to vie for control. The most popular of these factions in Western media is headed by the 65-year-old son of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the former Pahlavi dynasty, Reza Pahlavi. The chants “Javid Shah” (“Long Live the Shah”) have been heard in Iran, but diaspora surveys show support for him at only 31%. That’s the biggest majority so far, but his support is far stronger outside the nation than inside of it — and he has no militia ready to back him between the Elburz and Zagros mountains. Far more concerning is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group that has rebranded itself as a “democratic” resistance force but carries a troubling legacy of Marxist-Leninist ideology and violent extremism. Led by Maryam Rajavi from exile in Albania, the MEK was founded in the 1960s as an opposition to the Shah, engaging in bombings against both Iranian and American targets before turning against the post-revolution Islamic Republic. Their alliance with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, which included attacks on their fellow Iranians, has cemented their reputation as traitors in the eyes of most citizens, eroding any domestic legitimacy. Today, through the National Council of Resistance of Iran, they claim underground networks and a vision for secular governance, but reports of cult-like practices — such as enforced divorces, mandatory ideological indoctrination, and isolation from the outside world — raise alarms about their true intentions. With minimal popular support inside Iran and a history of prioritizing power over principle, the MEK’s attempt to fill the current vacuum could ignite factional violence, impose a new form of authoritarian control masked as democracy, and destabilize the region further by alienating key allies and inviting prolonged internal conflict. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bewilderingly framed the MEK as “Iran’s democratic opposition … ready to step up and lead.” He was immediately mocked for promoting the openly Marxist group as the path forward for Iranians. China and Russia will most likely attempt to funnel weapons and resources to the MEK, which could quickly result in an effort to massacre ethnic minorities like the Kurds. This is the ethnic group that the Trump administration will most likely support should Iran begin to Balkanize. Over the past year, Iran has struggled immensely with the Kurds along its western border with Iraq, and of the factions inside the collapsing Iran, this is the only one other than the regime itself that has the force of arms. With their history of bitter treatment by Tehran and their relationship with the United States and Israel, the Kurds would be likely to split away. It’s unclear if the Khuzestani Arabs — the native Arab ethnic group inhabiting Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province — would temporarily ally with the Kurds to aid in this, or if Kuwait might assist the neighboring rebels — but the Trump administration is already in talks over potentially arming or training the Kurds, per the Wall Street Journal this morning. While the Iranian regime’s standing orders for provincial leaders are to govern and defend pseudo-independently for the foreseeable future, Tehran cannot deploy reinforcements to fight the Khuzestani Arabs and Kurds effectively. It’s unclear whether the Baloch separatists — a Sunni native ethnic group that primarily inhabits Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province — such as Jaish al-Adl, would be able to seek resources in the east, bordering Afghanistan, as the Pakistani-Afghan war is currently stealing attention and resources. The only other likely possibility is another collaborationist council or parliament and a new regime blending some of the rebels and representatives of dissident groups with former Islamic Republic officials. As we’ve seen in Syria and other recent “go along to get along” regimes, these often trade birthright for a bit of stew and act as satellite states for Russia or China. Kurdish groups, the MEK, and the regime hold roughly all of the firearms in the country. Rest assured that bad actors will funnel arms to whichever group is willing to take orders and give them exclusive access to Iran’s oil and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow transit checkpoint through which 20% of the world’s entire petroleum supply flows. The greatest danger is that outside powers will flood arms to those who have no interest in a non-authoritarian form of government, stealing the gift of victory from the United States and Israel to the Iranian people. *** Tony Kinnett is the national correspondent for The Daily Signal and host of its flagship nationally syndicated radio/TV show and podcast, “The Tony Kinnett Cast.” Follow him on X @TheTonus. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Remember when you were a kid, and you’d see a “coming soon” sign and get super excited? Back then, it was probably for a place like McDonald’s or Discovery Zone. You know, some places are really fun. As adults, our tastes are a bit more refined, and we get excited about buying in bulk and hot rotisserie chickens. If you really want to get us ready for a grand opening today, it better be a new Costco in the neighborhood. For six cities, that dream is about to become a reality, and we have all the details. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Costco (@costco) Costco Has Plans to Open Six New Stores The new Costco Stores will open in the coming weeks. So if you’re in one of these towns, the wait is nearly over. According to the company’s website, three new stores will open in March, and another three in April. Liberty Hill, TX – March 2026 Forney, TX – March 2026 S St George, UT – March 2026 North Visalia, CA – April 2026 New Braunfels, TX – April 2026 Winnipeg, MB Business Center – April 2026 In 2026, Costco will celebrate its 50th year in business. The first location opened in 1976 as Price Club in San Diego. Since then, the company has had tremendous success and now has more than 800 locations worldwide. Costco has become synonymous with quality and value. Shoppers can get just about everything they need at Costco, and they keep coming back day after day. “Today, as the company evolves, it stays true to the qualities that helped attract and retain millions of loyal members around the globe: Commitment to quality. Costco warehouses carry about 4,000 SKUs (stock keeping units) compared to the 30,000 found at most supermarkets. By carefully choosing products based on quality, price, brand, and features, the company can offer the best value to members,” according to the company. We can’t wait to see what Costco has in store for the new locations. This story’s featured image is by Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images.

Records show she has since been released

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Three innocent people dead

Last week, GNN reported that fungi were being trailed by scientists in Austria for their potential to extract valuable metals from electronic and industrial wastes. Now from the ISS comes a very similar story where, rather than ‘mushroom mining,’ scientists were able to extract platinum and palladium with ‘microbe mining.’ It’s actually ‘microbe meteorite mining,’ […] The post Scientists Successfully Mine Meteorites for Precious Metals on International Space Station appeared first on Good News Network.

News Sarah J. Maas New Court of Thorns and Roses Books Get Release Dates as Sarah J. Maas Shares Adaptation Update The wait is almost over By Molly Templeton | Published on March 5, 2026 Screenshot: Call Her Daddy/YouTube Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Call Her Daddy/YouTube Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s appearance on the podcast Call Her Daddy begins with a lovefest—Maas and host Alex Cooper trading compliments and gushing—but their conversation eventually gets down to details. And those details include adaptations, which have yet to come to pass for Maas’s work. A Throne of Glass series adaptation never came to pass, and the announced adaptation of the Thorns and Roses books was such a big deal, potentially, that it made news when the series was “officially scrapped” last year. But Maas is in control now. “I have the rights back to everything now,” she told Cooper. And if an adaptation happens, Maas wants to do it her way: And it’s something that I want to be in charge of, I want to be figuring out, I want to be learning everything that I can. I’m a Type A control freak a little bit, but I want to know everything about how it gets made, not because of that control, but just because I love movies. I love TV. I want to be a part of that, and I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it and the way I know fans want it. It is very uncommon for authors to have the level of adaptation control that Maas seeks. “So when I do it,” she says, “it’s gonna be me, and I will dedicate everything that I have to making it right. But I’ll be in there, looking at all the design. But also like, ‘What does it sound like?’ because music plays such a big part.” The most recent installment in the ACOTAR series, A Court of Silver Flames, was published in 2021, meaning fans have had a fairly long wait for the next book (though Maas published two novels in her Crescent City series in the meantime). Maas had good news on that front, though: the next book will arrive later this year. The sixth ACOTAR volume has a pub date of October 27, 2026, and the seventh will follow hot on its heels, arriving January 12, 2027. Perhaps more adaptation news will come along before then. Or perhaps not.[end-mark] The post New Court of Thorns and Roses Books Get Release Dates as Sarah J. Maas Shares Adaptation Update appeared first on Reactor.

Books Five Books About Five SFF Books That Pair Heavy Topics With a Heap of Whimsy Author Rachel Griffin shares five books that assure the reader is safe in the story with whimsy and magic By Rachel Griffin | Published on March 5, 2026 The Elsewhere Express cover art by Haylee Morice Comment 0 Share New Share The Elsewhere Express cover art by Haylee Morice If there’s one thing I absolutely love in novels, it’s whimsy. I adore whimsy. Give me quirky characters, delightful magic, and unpredictable circumstances, and I’ll be turning pages all night long. On the surface, whimsical elements may seem like they’re there solely for the charming tone they evoke, and while I’m all for that, these elements also provide a softness, a gentle reassurance that the reader is safe in the story. Some themes feel too heavy to explore in the reality of our world, but somehow feel safer in the context of a story. When I was writing The Sun and the Starmaker, the whimsy created a comforting space for me to dig deeper into the parts of immortality that I wanted to explore, namely the guarantee that an immortal will outlive every person they’ve ever loved. That theme is a reflection of my greatest fear in life, but the magic of the world allowed me to pull on that thread without feeling like I’d completely unravel. So without further ado, here are 5 books with whimsy that I absolutely love. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber Stephanie Garber always delivers when it comes to that fairy tale feeling I can’t get enough of as a reader. Her stories are vibrant, romantic, and full of wonder and hope. Once Upon a Broken Heart has all the hallmarks of her writing that I love, and the whimsy in this book is just top-notch. Garber’s prose has a dreamlike quality that is so easy to sink into, lyrical and romantic and fitting for the most beloved of storybooks. We’ve got humans turned to stone, lethal kisses, enchanted celebrations, and poison apples–just a handful of the whimsical delights found in this book. And tucked between all that magic are themes of love and loss, self-discovery and sacrifice. Once Upon a Broken Heart explores how far is too far to go for love—or if there’s even such a thing as too far. Is it possible for us to want something too much? These are big themes that ask big questions, but they don’t feel quite as daunting to try and answer when they’re wrapped in the wonder and whimsy of the Magnificent North. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer Assistant to the Villain is laugh-out-loud funny and impossibly charming. Imagine a workplace setting with all the mundane annoyances that come with an office, but instead of working for a company, you’re working for a villain who’s only goal is to make the life of your realm’s king extraordinarily difficult. There’s a dragon, a frog that holds up signs, and the most delightful cast of characters. It’s just plain fun. And yet, the book explores big ideas and themes that don’t feel as big because of the ridiculous (in the best way!), humorous bow they’re wrapped up in. The book examines the nature of good and evil, perfectly showing how each of us can be a hero and a villain. Evie goes to work for the most notorious person in the entire realm because her father is gravely ill, and it’s her only option; does trying to save her father justify the fact that she’s an accomplice to some truly horrific things? Would we do the same to save someone we loved? It’s almost impossible for me to think about what I would do if, say, that were my dad, but in the kingdom of Rennedawn, with a handsome villain and excellent benefits, it isn’t quite as devastating. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett This book is so cozy. It’s told in field journal entries as the main character—Emily Wilde—traverses a remote, snow-covered village in search of faeries. Emily takes her work extremely seriously and tries desperately not to be distracted by her colleague, Wendell Bambleby, who just happens to be a faerie himself. The lore in this world is vivid and rich, the side characters are endearing, and there is an adorable deal-making faerie named Poe. What’s interesting about this novel is that there is actually quite a bit of darkness in it: the fae themselves are portrayed as dangerous and sinister, and many villagers have been kidnapped by them, either never to return or to return almost entirely unrecognizable. The undercurrent of danger and dark magic is always there, and yet the book feels cozy the whole way through. I particularly love the way the book explores community (and the consequences of its absence). Emily isolates herself and has a hard time connecting with others, but her wit and scholarly tone blanket these things in a charm that feels utterly approachable. The whole book is this way, effortlessly blending heavier topics with whimsical storytelling, making it a comforting place to spend time even as it grapples with some heavier themes. The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao I have to admit that I was first drawn to this book by the incredible cover. It depicts a train set against a cotton-candy sky, and the color palette is perfectly dreamy and eye-catching. The entire premise of the book screams whimsy: a magical train you can’t buy tickets to, the Elsewhere Express only appears to people whose lives are adrift. It carries cargo of purpose and belonging, with fantastical train cars that lead to different worlds. The prose adds to the dreamlike quality of the book, giving it a wistful, gentle feeling throughout. Beneath the charming exterior lie explorations of grief and loss and finding one’s purpose in life. It shines a light on that feeling of aimlessness that so many of us have felt at one point or another, but it does it in a way that feels as if the book is gently whispering I see you. The way The Elsewhere Express handles grief is beautiful, and while it doesn’t shy away from the profound effects that loss can have on a person, it maintains an ultimately hopeful tone that allows the reader to think about grief in a way that doesn’t feel unbearable. It’s that comforting, fantastical scaffolding that provides a safe place to think about deep fears and big questions. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi This book is one of those stories that reminds me of why I love reading so much. It’s gorgeous and immersive and perfectly lush, immediately transporting the reader to the enchanted kingdom of Akaran. Its whimsical tone doesn’t come as much from humor—though there certainly is humor—as much as it flows from the fairy tale, dreamlike quality that Chokshi’s writing creates. There are, of course, magical elements that add to the atmosphere: a feisty talking horse with a sense of humor, a tree that bears memories instead of fruit, and a tapestry made of destiny and fate. The tapestry reflects one of the biggest themes of the book: the main character, Maya, is cursed to a marriage of death and destruction, highlighting the conflict between free will and destiny. Can Maya truly love Amar when her destiny was foretold? Can she have agency over her life when her horoscope cursed her to a certain fate? Maya’s journey of self-discovery and claiming her power is profound, and Chokshi’s lyrical writing invites the reader on Maya’s journey like a comforting embrace, promising a surreal escape the reader is drawn into almost without realizing it. As someone who spends way too much time overthinking and worrying about tragedy, I’m extremely grateful for stories that give me the space to acknowledge those fears in ways that feel just a little less frightening, a little less overwhelming. If there must be darkness in the world, at least it is softened by wonder and whimsy and breathtaking stories.[end-mark] Buy the Book The Sun and the Starmaker Rachel Griffin Buy Book The Sun and the Starmaker Rachel Griffin Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post Five SFF Books That Pair Heavy Topics With a Heap of Whimsy appeared first on Reactor.

UN Enters the War Against US and Israel