Democrats can learn from Greenland

As promised, we're keeping track of the Trump administration's fixation with Greenland. After yesterday's debacle in the Senate, is there anything U.S. Democrats can learn from Greenland's latest response to Trump? We've got interesting news from Belgium, where an alleged bribery plot was uncovered between members of the European Parliament and China's telecom giant, Huawei. We'll also cover Iran's dress code enforcement, Washington, DC's budget shortfall, Elon Musk's failed attempt to takedown U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, and Rep. Lauren Boebert's latest antics. All in under 10 minutes! 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @DearGirlFriday and sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter on deargirlfriday.com.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome
• 0:17 Democrats are split and voters are not pleased
• 1:12 The short-term spending bill will reduce DC's budget
• 1:55 Iran is using drones and other forms of surveillance to monitor women's clothes
• 2:41 Le Soir reported on an alleged bribery plot because European Parliament members and Huawei
• 3:29 Greenland's leaders unite against Trump
• 4:32 Elon Musk fails, again
• 5:18 Rep. Boebert fails, again
• 5:35 What can Democrats learn from Greenland?
• 6:03 Until next time!

Transcript

Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for March 15, 2025. 

All eyes were on the U.S. Congress yesterday as the Senate gathered to vote. The Democratic Party was split on how to vote on Trump's short-term spending bill. This past week was filled with calls to action to contact members of Congress who had not indicated that they would vote no on Trump’s bill to avert a government shutdown. In the end, ten Democrats broke ranks to vote with most Republicans. The Washington Post reported yesterday that “the Senate voted 54-46 to pass a Republican-authored measure to avert a government shutdown.” Democratic voters have been expressing their outrage. While a government shutdown is far from ideal, voters wanted to see the Democrats take a stand against Trump’s spending bill. And, as Senator Chris Coons told NPR, "President Trump and Elon Musk are already shutting down the government.” 

This short-term spending bill will reduce Washington, DC’s budget by a billion dollars. DC Councilmember Charles Allen released a statement about this, writing in part, “It also speaks to the senseless injustice District residents and employees continue to endure as second-class citizens in our own country, having to walk the halls of Congress in our backyard to plead for our own funding to pay for our own schools, police, parks, and libraries.” So, not only are many DC residents fighting to keep their jobs right now, but we also have to worry about funding for basic city necessities. 

Looking at news in the Middle East, the BBC reported that Iran uses drones, security cameras, and other forms of  “intrusive digital technology” to monitor women who disobey the Islamic Republic's dress code. But it isn’t just government surveillance at play. There’s so-called "state-sponsored vigilantism,” which even encourages everyday citizens to report women for dress code violations. Defiance is not tolerated, and dissent is punished. Sadly, for women who allegedly defy these strict laws, there are horrific consequences, including arrest and assault. 

In Europe, there’s interesting news from Belgium today. The AP reported that Belgian prosecutors announced the arrests of people accused of corruption and bribery. They suspect that the Chinese telecom company Huawei allegedly bribed or tried to bribe some European Union lawmakers. This was uncovered by investigative journalists at Le Soir, a newspaper in Belgium. Apparently, Le Soir and perhaps others discovered that lobbyists working for Huawei were allegedly “suspected of bribing current or former European Parliament members to promote the company’s commercial policies in Europe.” The AP says that around 100 federal police officers conducted 21 searches in Belgium and Portugal. Additionally, one person was arrested in France. 

As promised, our Girl Friday team will keep track of the Trump administration’s fixation on Greenland. This week, according to CNN, Trump once again stated his intentions to take over Greenland. He told the NATO Secretary General and a journalist it “will happen.” Greenland’s leaders appear to be taking a page or two from Taylor Swift’s playbook by letting the U.S. know that they “Would Very Much Like To Be Excluded From This Narrative.” CNN reported that the outgoing prime minister of Greenland gathered leaders in Greenland to “strengthen their rejection” of the U.S. plan to annex Greenland. The BBC says Greenland’s leaders released a joint statement calling Trump’s behavior unacceptable. My favorite line in the statement is, "We all stand behind this effort and strongly distance ourselves from attempts to create discord." 

Greenland’s politicians aren’t alone in being on the receiving end of disrespect from this U.S. administration. Earlier this week, ABC reported that Elon Musk called Democratic Senator Mark Kelly a "traitor" on the app formerly known as Twitter. This was in response to Senator Kelly sharing lessons from his recent trip to Ukraine. Kelly wrote, "Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine's security and can't be a giveaway to Putin." Senator Kelly has had quite the career: in the military, as a NASA astronaut, and now in Congress. On one hand, we have a sitting U.S. senator who previously flew combat missions. On the other hand, we have the debris from a recent failed SpaceX flight and dodgy decisions at DOGE. 

Similarly, Rep. Lauren Boebert dared to refer Rep. Al Green’s walking cane as a “pimp” cane. The Hill newspaper says she stands by her statement. You may recall now-famous photos of Rep. Green with that same cane at Trump’s recent, chaotic presidential address to Congress. Green was asked to leave the address because he stood up and made a statement. Democratic voters praised him. Incensed House Republicans moved to censure him. Some House Democrats voted with them for the censure, citing the need for decorum and manners. Perhaps it's actually the Democrats who should be looking north toward Greenland. They could learn from Greeland's leaders how to stand united. 

And that concludes your brief for today. Make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Follow Dear Girl Friday on Instagram and TikTok. You can sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter and check out “This Week in DC” on deargirlfriday.com. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks, signing off from Washington, D.C. Let’s work together for a world of good.