Grounded:China, Indonesia and several other countries around the world have grounded their 737 Max 8 passenger jets after the weekend crash of an Indonesian airliner that killed 157 people. It was the second crash of a Max 8 since October.

  Authorities say the pilots signaled distress shortly before the crash.

  The first crash of a Max 8 Was Lion Air flight 610, which dove into the sea last October. Investigators believe the pilots werefighting automated anti-stall software that may have been erroneously activated by incorrect flight data. Pushing down the nose and putting the plane in a dive.

  The Ethiopian flight was commonly taken by people who worked for the United Nations. Twenty-two UN employees were among those killed. Eight of the dead are American.

The Wall:Sticking a thumb in the eye of Congress which has refused to put up money for building a southern border wall, President Trump plans to ask for $8.6 billion to build his wall.

  Fresh off a government shutdown for which he got nothing, Trump will ask for the $8.6 billion plus $3.6 billion to restore money he’s taking from the Pentagon construction budget under his declaration of emergency. He’s gearing up for another major confrontation.

“I would just say that the whole issue of the wall and border security is of paramount importance,” Larry Kudlow, the president’s economic adviser, said on “Fox News Sunday.”  “We have a crisis down there.” 

Permawar:As President trump scales back operations against the Islamic State in Syria, the US has been fighting a little-known war in Somalia that has killed hundreds of Islamic militants.

  American airstrikes over the last four months of 2018 pushed the annual death toll of suspected al Shabab fighters in Somalia to a third record high in three years. Bombing last year killed 326 people in 47 raids the Defense Department says.

  The numbers are running even higher this year. During January and February, the United States Africa Command reported killing 225 people in 24 strikes in Somalia. 

Hot Mess: Newly-revealed video appears to show that aid trucks burned on a bridge between Colombia and Venezuela were not set fire by the forces of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduroas the US had claimed.

  Vice President Mike Pence had said at the time that  “the tyrant in Caracas danced”  as his henchmen “burned food & medicine.” The State Department released a video saying Maduro had ordered the trucks burned.

  It appears on the new video that the fire was started with a Molotov cocktail thrown by an anti-Maduro protesters.

Ancient:Mexican archaeologists have discovered a trove of more than 200 Maya artifacts beneath the ancient city of Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

  A local resident told the archeologists about a secret cave, known as Balamku or “Jaguar God.” It had been known to locals for decades but about 50 years ago an archaeologist had it sealed for unknown reasons and it was forgotten. The time explorers crawled and hour and a half into the cave and found a stash of ceramic incense holders, decorated plates, and other objects.

No Apologies:Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host who poses his head like a curious dog when he’s about to express right-wing outrage, has been exposed by Media Matters saying bone-headed things about women and statutory rape.

  Carlson used to appear on radio with shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge. Carlson once argued that women are “extremely primitive” beings who “just need to be quiet and kind of do what you’re told.”He also said that Mormon cult leader warren Jeffs, who arranged child marriages, was not the same as a rapist who grabbed a little girl from a bus stop.

 In the new right-wing tradition of defending your transgressions, Carlson tweeted, “Media Matters caught me saying something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago. Rather than express the usual ritual contrition, how about this: I’m on television every weeknight live for an hour. If you want to know what I think, you can watch. Anyone who disagrees with my views is welcome to come on and explain why.” 

  We’re busy that night.

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