A batch of documents has revealed new details about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador. Continue Reading »

The US president might learn that starting wars is much easier than ending them, writes the BBC's international editor. Continue Reading »

Ian Huntley had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Continue Reading »

The non-hormonal daily pill could benefit 500,000 women for whom HRT is not suitable. Continue Reading »

Chester Zoo is leading a call for a change in the way "rain icons" are used in weather forecasts. Continue Reading »

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• Fox-Dominion trial delay 'is not unusual,' judge says • Fox News' defamation battle isn't stopping Trump's election lies Continue Reading »

The judge just announced in court that a settlement has been reached in the historic defamation case between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. Continue Reading »

A settlement has been reached in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation case against Fox News, the judge for the case announced. The network will pay more than $787 million to Dominion, a lawyer for the company said. Continue Reading »

The move comes as the Iran war continues to choke off traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Continue Reading »

The incidents mark the latest in a string of reported attacks in or near to the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic has virtually ground to a halt. Continue Reading »

The consumer price index was rose 2.4% in February 2026, above policymakers' target, economists said. War in Iran complicates the picture. Continue Reading »

A bill to increase housing supply and decrease costs is set to sail through the Senate on Thursday, but House leaders foresee further negotiations. Continue Reading »

Oracle CEO Clayton Magouyrk said on an earnings call the company's model of having customers provide data chips for new data center builds is working. Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP L'animateur Patrick Sébastien doit être entendu fin avril dans une enquête pour exhibition sexuelle après une scène suggérant une fellation en plein concert dans un camping naturiste du Cap d'Agde l'été dernier, a indiqué mercredi à l'AFP le parquet de Béziers, confirmant une information de l'émission Complément d'enquête.Le procureur de Béziers, Arnaud Faugère, a précisé que cette enquête était confiée au commissariat d'Agde, sans faire d'autre commentaire.L'ouverture de ce dossier est l'une des révélations de ce nouveau numéro de Complément d'enquête qui sera diffusé jeudi sur France 2. Il aborde les "1.000 vies" de l'animateur, imitateur et chanteur devenu star du PAF grâce au "Grand bluff" puis au "Plus grand cabaret du monde", et qui nourrit désormais l'ambition de "peser" sur la présidentielle de 2027.L'affaire avait été révélée l'été dernier par Mediapart et des vidéos de l'épisode ont été très reprises sur les réseaux sociaux. On y voit l'animateur en concert dans un camping naturiste du Cap d'Agde, entouré sur scène de plusieurs spectatrices, dont l'une s'agenouille devant lui alors qu'il tourne le dos au public.Complément d'enquête a eu accès à de nouvelles images de cet épisode.L'avocat du chanteur, Me Robin Binsard, avait ... Continue Reading »

Par Margot Hutton Le détroit d'Ormuz est bloqué, le baril de brut dépasse les 100 dollars et les grandes puissances envisagent de puiser dans leurs réserves stratégiques de pétrole. Mais qu'est-ce que ces stocks représentent vraiment et que disent-ils d'un pays d'avoir à y recourir? Le détroit d'Ormuz est bloqué, le baril de brut dépasse les 100 dollars et les grandes puissances envisagent de puiser dans leurs réserves stratégiques de pétrole. Mais qu'est-ce que ces stocks représentent vraiment et que disent-ils d'un pays d'avoir à y recourir?Depuis plus d’une dizaine de jours, les Gardiens de la Révolution en Iran cherchent à bloquer le détroit d’Ormuz, par lequel transitent environ 20 % de la production mondiale de pétrole et de GNL. Ce mercredi 11 mars, au moins trois navires y ont été frappés. C'est le 17e incident recensé par l’agence britannique UKMTO depuis le 28 février. Des sources américaines évoquées par CNN font état d’un possible minage du détroit par ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP Par Ali BEKHTAOUI, Laurent THOMET © 2026 AFP La banquise de l'Arctique est sur le point d'enregistrer l'un de ses pires hivers jamais mesurés, montrent des données satellites américaines analysées par l'AFP, une nouvelle manifestation du réchauffement climatique d'origine humaine dans cette zone au centre de tensions géopolitiques.La banquise de l'Arctique, glace formée par le gel de l'eau de mer, fond naturellement en été et se reforme en hiver. Mais en raison du changement climatique, la proportion dans laquelle elle se reforme est en déclin.L'hiver 2025-2026 affiche un niveau de reconstitution de la banquise en-dessous de celui enregistré l'an dernier qui était pourtant déjà au plus bas en quatre décennies, selon les données du National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), un observatoire américain de référence. Si la tendance se poursuit jusqu'à fin mars, cet hiver figurera parmi les cinq pires jamais mesurés avec ceux de 2025, 2018, 2017 et 2016.Si la glace ne continue pas à s'étendre avant la fin de cet hiver, à la fin du mois, cela battrait même le record établi l'année dernière. "Dans le tiercé" ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP Par Briseida MEMA, Camille BOUISSOU © 2026 AFP La suspension de TikTok par le gouvernement albanais a violé la liberté d'expression et la liberté de la presse, a statué mercredi la cour constitutionnelle, une décision saluée par l'association des journalistes albanais qui avait porté le cas devant la justice.Le gouvernement d'Edi Rama avait adopté le 6 mars 2025 un décret "pour prévenir les effets néfastes de la plateforme TikTok" par lequel il annonçait interdire momentanément le réseau social parmi les plus populaires de la planète. Une décision prise après la mort d'un adolescent poignardé par un camarade de classe lors d'une rixe déclenchée par une dispute sur les réseaux sociaux.L'interdiction a créé un vif débat en Albanie et l'Association des journalistes albanais et le Réseau régional de journalisme d'investigation (BIRN) ont porté le sujet devant la Cour constitutionnelle."Nous avons décidé de contester cette décision, car elle constituait un précédent très dangereux pour la liberté d'expression", explique à l'AFP Isa Myzyraj, à la tête de l'association des journalistes albanais."Nous ne considérons pas cette affaire comme la défense d'une plateforme en particulier, mais comme la défense d'un principe fondamental : l'État ne peut pas restreindre la communication publique de ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP Une fourgonnette a forcé des barrières de sécurité près de la Maison Blanche, a indiqué à l'AFP la police, qui a arrêté le conducteur du véhicule.Ce dernier a franchi une barricade à une intersection tout près de la Maison Blanche à l'aube mercredi matin, ont précisé les autorités, soulignant qu'aucun blessé n'avait été signalé."Le conducteur a été interpellé et est actuellement interrogé", a fait savoir le Secret Service, qui assure la sécurité des hautes personnalités américaines. Fichier vidéo Des équipes de déminage ont inspecté le véhicule et déclaré les lieux sûrs.Après avoir été brièvement fermées à la circulation, les rues voisines ont été rouvertes.Washington a été placé sous sécurité renforcée dans le contexte de la guerre entre les Etats-Unis et Israël contre l'Iran. Continue Reading »

Spain has permanently withdrawn its ambassador from Israel over the US-Israeli attack against Iran Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

The US federal budget deficit has increased by $1 trillion since last October, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Schools in northern England have been warned that some pupils’ drawings could be viewed as blasphemous under Islamic law Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Russia’s Gazprom has reported drone strikes on the TurkStream pipeline infrastructure in Krasnodar Region Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Hungarian special services have evidence that Ukraine is financing the opposition Tisza party, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs says Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

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Американский лидер считает, что у Ирана "не осталось флота и военной авиации" Continue Reading »

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Первые в стране телята красной датской породы, полученные методом ЭКО из эмбрионов in vitro post mortem, развиваются хорошо Continue Reading »

По словам вице-премьера, одной из важнейших составляющих эффективного проведения посевной является обеспеченность аграриев сельхозтехникой в необходимом количестве и по доступным ценам Continue Reading »

AMERICANS WITHHOLDING INCOME TAX TO PROTEST PRESIDENT... (Top headline, 1st story, link) Drudge Report Feed needs your support!   Become a Patron Continue Reading »

IRAN RAMPS UP STRIKES (Main headline, 1st story, link) Related stories:MORE DEFIANTCARGO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZNYT: TRUMP MISCALCULATED RESPONSE150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FARIEA LARGEST EVER OIL RELEASE Continue Reading »

MORE DEFIANT (Main headline, 2nd story, link) Related stories:IRAN RAMPS UP STRIKESCARGO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZNYT: TRUMP MISCALCULATED RESPONSE150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FARIEA LARGEST EVER OIL RELEASE Continue Reading »

CARGO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZ (Main headline, 3rd story, link) Related stories:IRAN RAMPS UP STRIKESMORE DEFIANTNYT: TRUMP MISCALCULATED RESPONSE150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FARIEA LARGEST EVER OIL RELEASE Continue Reading »

NYT: TRUMP MISCALCULATED RESPONSE (Main headline, 4th story, link) Related stories:IRAN RAMPS UP STRIKESMORE DEFIANTCARGO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZ150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FARIEA LARGEST EVER OIL RELEASE Continue Reading »

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Madrid host City for last 16, first leg showdown. Continue Reading »

Experts say the views of newly inaugurated president Jose Antonio Kast reflect deep dissatisfaction with the status quo. Continue Reading »

Pakistan bowled out for the lowest total in a match against Bangladesh as the latter claim 8-wicket win to open series. Continue Reading »

The International Energy Agency has agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil. Continue Reading »

UN humanitarian chief says mass displacement accelerating as Lebanon's shelters are already overcrowded, lack resources. Continue Reading »

A batch of documents has revealed new details about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador. Continue Reading »

The US president might learn that starting wars is much easier than ending them, writes the BBC's international editor. Continue Reading »

Ian Huntley had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Continue Reading »

The non-hormonal daily pill could benefit 500,000 women for whom HRT is not suitable. Continue Reading »

Chester Zoo is leading a call for a change in the way "rain icons" are used in weather forecasts. Continue Reading »

Outdated targeting data may have resulted in a mistaken missile strike, according to the military investigation, which undercuts President Trump’s assertion that Iran could be to blame. Continue Reading »

In the lead-up to the U.S.-Israeli attack, President Trump downplayed the risks to the energy markets as a short-term concern that should not overshadow the mission to decapitate the Iranian regime. Continue Reading »

The conflict is reshaping travel patterns, energy dependencies, living costs, trade routes and diplomatic alliances. Continue Reading »

In late July, an F.B.I. agent asked colleagues to get started on a sensitive task relating to Jeffrey Epstein, listing the names of 14 prominent men, with President Trump at the top. Continue Reading »

The police in London interviewed Virginia Giuffre three times over her allegations about Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell, but never began a criminal investigation. Continue Reading »

The Chinese upstart says it has trained high-performing AI models cheaply, without using the most advanced chips. Continue Reading »

DeepSeek, SoFi and more in the latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Continue Reading »

DeepSeek is called “amazing and impressive” despite working with less-advanced chips. Continue Reading »

The LinkedIn co-founder is starting Manas AI with “The Emperor of All Maladies” author Siddhartha Mukherjee. Continue Reading »

Apps can add flexibility and freshness to your routine. Just try not to get injured. Continue Reading »

Israel allowed displaced Gazans to begin crossing a military zone that bisects the enclave after a deadlock over hostage releases was broken. Continue Reading »

Troubles at Vanke raise questions about the continued spread of the property crisis and whether the Chinese state will step in. Continue Reading »

Some of the women were held alone for extended periods and spent eight months in tunnels, an Israeli medical official said. Continue Reading »

The alliance mounted its first coordinated response to a suspected sabotage campaign against critical infrastructure after another cable was severed in the Baltic Sea. Continue Reading »

Residents of Goma reported gunfire and shelling after rebels overran Congolese troops. U.N. officials estimated that more than one million displaced people were now inside the city. Continue Reading »

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth promised Tuesday that the Iran war "is not 2003" and will not look like another nation-building, regime-change war like in Iraq. Giving an update ten days into the war, Hegseth was joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine at the Pentagon... Continue Reading »

It's not just New York and California: All across the nation, blue states are committing political and economic suicide by targeting millionaires with high taxes. Who will suffer most from this ideologically driven push to punish the wealthy? Wage workers and the poor. Leftist Democratic pols demanding new state tax-the-rich measures are ignoring economic reality: Wealthy residents can and do move in response to unreasonable taxes — taking jobs, revenue and even congressional representation with them... Continue Reading »

A closely watched Georgia race is going into overtime after no candidate cleared 50% in the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. Democrat Shawn Harris led the vote, just ahead of Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller, with the runoff now set for April 7. The runoff comes as a surprise in the deep-red district. Harris gave Democrats a single, clear alternative, while Republicans were split across a packed field. Despite Fuller having Trump's endorsement, in Georgia's all-party election system, that does not automatically mean a candidate will secure over 50%... Continue Reading »

Last December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new initiative that will set aside $700 million for regenerative agriculture techniques like cover crops and no-till farming. The program, called the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, is an effort to connect the dots between human health and farming under the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again campaign. Many farmers have voiced excitement about the program, but major staff cuts at USDA could undermine the Administration's goals to improve soil health, warn policy experts... Continue Reading »

President Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that the war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target." "Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump said during the five-minute call. Why it matters: Even as Trump publicly signals his operation has largely accomplished its objectives, U.S. and Israeli officials say there has been no internal directive on when fighting might stop... Continue Reading »

Heading into Tuesday's state legislative special election in New Hampshire, Republicans had reason to be cautiously optimistic. The race was in a district that Donald Trump won by 9 points in 2024, and the Democratic candidate had already run and lost twice before by wide margins. And yet, the contest turned into the latest in a series of red-to-blue flips. NH Journal reported: In what Granite State Republicans hope is not a preview of November, Democrat Bobbi Boudman won Tuesday's special election for Carroll County District 7, defeating Republican Dale Fincher 51 percent to 47 percent in a district that voted Republican by more than 13 points just 16 months ago... Continue Reading »

The numbers — maybe 175 dead, maybe more — are staggering, but what really matters are their names. There was Ehsan Saleminia, just 6 years old; Fatemeh Zahra Karimi, age 7; Zeynab Bahrami, 10; Mohammad Shah-dousti, 8; Reza Barani, 7; Athena Ahmadzadeh, 10; Khadijeh Darvishi, 9; Reza Ranjbar, 6; Mohammad-Ali Karyani Pak, 7; Parsa Mokhtari-nasab, 12 — and dozens more. You can read many of their names here. Every American should take a minute to do this — to remember that an undeclared war waged in our names is about more than rising gasoline prices. Continue Reading »

The war in Iran is setting off a global economic shock wave. In this episode, the Opinion editor Steve Stromberg speaks with the Bulwark economics editor and MS NOW anchor Catherine Rampell on how the Trump-made war is likely to affect global trade and the cost of living for Americans. Below is a transcript of an episode of "The Opinions." We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYTimes app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Continue Reading »

On Saturday, Feb. 28th, the U.S. and Israel launched a military operation in Iran, unleashing 2,000-pound bombs on the country's ballistic missile facilities. That same morning, between 10 and 10:45 a.m., a missile struck an all-girls elementary school in Minab, Shiraz. At least 175 children and staff were killed. The U.S. has admitted it was "likely responsible" for the strike. "In one video, a very small child's severed arm is pulled from the rubble," wrote The Guardian in the aftermath of this unspeakable tragedy. "Colorful backpacks covered with blood and concrete dust sit among the ruins. One girl wears a green dress with gingham patches on her pockets and the collar, her form partly obscured by a black body bag. Screams can be heard in the background." Continue Reading »

Annual inflation held steady last month. But what comes next, now that the U.S. is fighting a war in Iran, is the question on everyone's mind. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in February from a year earlier, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. That compared with 2.4% in January and was even with what economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items, rose 2.5% from a year earlier, in line with expectations. Continue Reading »

As construction nears completion on the long-delayed $850 million Obama Presidential Center, federal tax filings show the Obama Foundation paid CEO Valerie Jarrett $740,000 in 2024 while several former Obama White House officials collected six-figure salaries as foundation executives. The Obama Foundation — which will operate the 19.3-acre center on publicly owned Chicago parkland — paid its CEO more than any other major presidential foundation. Salaries and benefits soared from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024, as staffing expanded to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million. Jarrett, one of the Obamas' closest advisors, took over as CEO in 2021 and is among six of the foundation's 10 highest-paid executives who previously held senior roles in the Obama administration or campaign, according to a review of the foundation's tax filings from 2018 to 2024. Continue Reading »

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in the 28 February attack that killed six of his family members, including his father, Tehran's ambassador to Cyprus has confirmed. In an interview conducted at his embassy compound in Nicosia, Alireza Salarian elaborated on the circumstances in which Khamenei, 56, was injured, saying he was lucky to survive the strike, which levelled the late ayatollah's residence. "He was also there and he was injured in that bombardment but I haven't seen that reflected in the foreign news," he told the Guardian. "I have heard that he was injured in his legs and hand and arm … I think he is in the hospital because he is injured." Continue Reading »

Multiple news outlets have reported that video, satellite images and expert analysis indicate that the United States was likely responsible for the Feb. 28 bombing of an Iranian school for young girls, contradicting President Donald Trump's unsupported claim that the deadly strike "was done by Iran." When a reporter aboard Air Force One asked Trump on March 7 if the U.S. had bombed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school, the president said, "No, in my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran." He continued: "We think it was done by Iran – because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was standing near Trump at the time, didn't echo the president's version of events when a reporter asked if that claim was accurate. Continue Reading »

The Trump administration has started to panic about the spiking price of oil. While senior Trump aides had anticipated some brief surge in oil prices in the first days of the war with Iran, the size and sustainability of the market reaction caught them off guard, people familiar with the internal discussions told CNN. Continue Reading »

President Donald Trump was eager to point to gas prices in his State of the Union speech last month as he touted his administration's progress on the economy. "Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was, quite honestly, a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states," Trump boasted minutes into his nearly-two-hour address, framing his party's message heading into the midterms. Continue Reading »

The Trump administration believes it can withstand a brief spike in oil prices — for as many as four weeks, as one person close to the White House suggested — before the political hit does lasting damage. Administration officials' confidence was bolstered Tuesday when oil dropped to $80 per barrel, down from $120 this weekend, reinforcing their view that the spikes are temporary and manageable. Continue Reading »

The world is again witnessing the use of war as a strategy for mediating unresolved conflicts. A new war involving Iran, the United States, Israel and other Middle East countries joins ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Children are the most vulnerable victims of armed conflict. Tens of thousands have been killed or injured in Gaza and Sudan alone over the past several years. Now, dozens of girls at a primary school in Iran were among the first known casualties of this new war. Continue Reading »

Among some of the most disturbing and gruesome initial scenes from the chaotic war the U.S. and Israel unleashed on Iran was the bombing of a girls' elementary school on Saturday. The strike reportedly killed at least 175 and left 95 injured. Thousands of Iranians have turned out this week for funerals. Images and reports of young girls strewn across classroom floors and parents clinging to their remains horrified many around the world. As these deaths are considered, it should not be missed: This tragedy typifies the role and exploitation of gender in imperialism, both practically and in abstraction. Narratives around the war on Iran tap into two critical gendered tropes that are essential to the imperial project: The first is the category of the "Muslim woman," refracted through the Western gaze, who is in need of saving. The second trope implicitly genders "the West" as masculine and "the East" as feminine. (While categories such as "the East" and "the West" offer a shorthand whe… Continue Reading »

We're getting reports that the Secret Service has detained a driver after a van drove through barricades at Connecticut Avenue and H Street, Northwest. Streets around the White House are temporarily shut down. Streets around the White House are temporarily shut down with police tape and a surge of law enforcement officials due to a suspicious vehicle, CBS News reports. The driver of the car has been detained and was being questioned by US Secret Service. The D.C. police issued a statement on the incident. Continue Reading »

Security experts told the Daily Caller that President Donald Trump's latest operation in Iran is part of a broader strategy to cripple Tehran's ability to threaten the U.S. and its allies while also weakening hostile powers that depend on the regime. President Donald Trump announced in an early morning video statement on Feb. 28 that U.S. and Israeli forces had launched major combat operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury... Continue Reading »

China Warns State Firms Against OpenClaw AI As Agent Craze Sweeps Tech Sector Chinese authorities have begun restricting the use of OpenClaw AI applications across government agencies and state-owned enterprises, moving quickly to address security concerns as the technology is rapidly being adopted by companies, developers and investors. Notices issued in recent days warn government bodies and major state-run firms - including some of the country’s largest banks - not to install OpenClaw software on office computers, according to Bloomberg, adding that several organizations were told to report any existing installations for security reviews and possible removal. Certain employees, including those at state-run banks and some government agencies, were banned from installing OpenClaw on office computers and also personal phones using the company’s network, some of the people said. One person said the ban extended to the families of military personnel.  The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Security Concerns Emerge The guidance reflects growing concern in Beijing over the risks posed by so-called agentic AI - systems that can autonomously perform tasks and interact with outside services. OpenClaw, ... Continue Reading »

Trump Expands Ban On Foreigners Receiving Small Business Loans Authored by José Niño via Headline USA, President Donald Trump’s Small Business Administration announced this week that foreign nationals are now prohibited from accessing all federal small business loan programs, extending restrictions put in place last month, according to Breitbart News. “The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated. “Last month, we made it clear that SBA would not allow foreign nationals to access our core small business loan programs – and today, we are expanding that policy to include all SBA-guaranteed loans.” The expanded restrictions specifically bar foreign nationals from the agency’s Surety Bond program and Microloans, which provide financing up to $50,000 for small businesses and nonprofit childcare centers. “With our lending authority capped annually by Congress and amid record demand for access to capital, our responsibility is clear: The limited resource of SBA financing must prioritize American citizens who are building businesses and creating jobs here at home,” Loeffler added. The administrator announced last month that applicants for the agency’s primary small business loan would need to be American citizens with permanent residence in the United States. During Fiscal Year 2025, largely ... Continue Reading »

It's Now A Dual Attrition Race By Michael Every of Rabobank Oil vey Hormuz mir! Oil swung (far less than Monday) yesterday on a tweet from the US Energy Secretary saying the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through Hormuz: that was deleted, and the Navy then stated it can’t do that because of the risks involved – vessels there are still sitting ducks. Iran continued to attack the Gulf states’ energy infrastructure and claimed “not a single litre” of oil will exit until the US and Israel retreat. It’s reportedly activating minelayers and speedboats in the Strait, as the US claimed it’s destroyed 16 of the former. However, that critical waterway is still absent US, GCC, or European minesweepers or corvettes, without which getting oil out is unlikely absent a peace deal or a US/Israel defeat. In short, there may have to be force escalation to deescalate, and it’s now a dual attrition race of Iranian missiles/drones vs others’ interceptors and minelayers/speedboats vs. whatever the US, Israel, and others can offer.    Indeed, despite ‘peace now’ market oil pricing, yesterday saw the heaviest US attacks so far. The Israeli defence ... Continue Reading »

True Value: Looking Through The Value Rotation Illusion Authored by Michael Lebowitz via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, In our recent article, The Value Rotation Illusion, we explained that in the recent rotation from growth to “value”, passive investors, in actuality, are selling value stocks to buy expensive stocks. Confused? In this follow-up, we take our three-tier earnings valuation framework introduced in the article a step further to uncover true value stocks. First, though, it’s vital to provide context for why the passive investment landscape skews stock valuations.   Passive Investing Drives The Current A passive investment environment is oftentimes agnostic to valuations, blurring the lines between traditional investment styles like value and growth. Oftentimes, we associate passive investors with investing in broad market indexes such as the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq. However, passive investors also buy sector- or factor-based ETFs, such as consumer staples ETFs or large-cap growth factor ETFs. The word “passive” means they are not picking individual stocks, but it doesn’t necessarily imply their investment style is passive. A growing number of passive investors are actively trading, rotating in and out of popular narratives and themes. For more on the topic, please read our recent article Calm ... Continue Reading »

JPMorgan Limits Lending To Private Credit Groups After Marking Down Loan Collateral The barrage of negative private credit news, now that the $1.8 trillion bubble has burst, is coming hot and heavy.  Following last night's report that Cliffwater, a private credit interval fund which according to Rubric Capital "is the canary in the coal mine and will be the first domino in the bank run” was the latest fund to be hit with 7% in investor redemptions (and unlike BlackRock, interval funds can not gate investors), this morning the FT reported that JPMorgan has "clamped down on its lending to private credit groups, with bankers looking to cut risk as concerns mount over the credit quality of companies in their stables." According to the report, the bank informed private credit lenders that it had marked down the value of certain loans in their portfolios, which serve as the collateral the funds use to borrow from the bank. The loans that have been devalued are to software companies, which are seen as particularly vulnerable to the onset of AI and which account for the bulk of private credit loans made in recent years. The news, which ... Continue Reading »

Ex-Goldman Commodity King Warns 'No Policy Response Can Meaningfully Reverse Oil Prices' "There is NO policy response that will stop this ascent in crude in the near term," warns Goldman's former head of commodity research, Jeff Currie. In an interview on Bloomberg TV (watch here), Currie warned that the broader crisis goes beyond just oil: This isn't solely an oil issue; the Strait disruption affects multiple commodities and global trade. The system "simply cannot accommodate" such a shock, leading to extreme hoarding, upward price pressure, and potential inflation spillovers. Oil Crude's ascent is unstoppable in the near term: No effective policy response (e.g., from governments, SPR releases, or other interventions) can halt or meaningfully reverse the upward trajectory of oil prices while the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted/blocked. He emphasizes that policy options are "unlikely to break crude’s ascent" under current conditions. Severe supply chain risks and disruptions: Risks to global energy supply chains are at unprecedented highs. A prolonged closure of the Strait (which carries 18.5 million b/d of oil, plus gas, fertilizers, and metals) would represent massive lost flows—e.g., 31 days could equate to over 575 million barrels stopped, far exceeding the entire US Strategic Petroleum ... Continue Reading »

Supreme Court Justices Kavanaugh, Jackson Publicly Disagree Over Emergency Docket Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times, U.S. Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson clashed on March 9 over the court’s various emergency orders that have allowed President Donald Trump to pursue his policy agenda. The setting was a federal courtroom in the nation’s capital, at an annual lecture honoring former federal judge and prosecutor Thomas Aquinas Flannery, who died in 2007. Kavanaugh, who was appointed by Trump in 2018, and Jackson, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, discussed the high court’s emergency docket, also known as the interim relief docket and the shadow docket, which refers to applications that seek immediate action from the justices. Such cases are handled on an expedited basis, with limited briefing and generally without oral argument. Often, the orders that follow are unsigned and provide little or no reasoning, though sometimes justices will file concurring or dissenting opinions. The issue in emergency appeals is often whether a policy being challenged in court should be allowed to take effect while litigation that could take years to complete plays out. Lower courts have stifled ... Continue Reading »

WTI Extends Gains, Shrugs Off SPR Release Amid Crude Build, Dip In US Production Oil prices are higher this morning, shrugging off the well-telegraphed (and practically useless) SPR release. "Oil prices remain volatile and risk sentiment fragile and trading is on the headlines and rapidly evolving conflict in the Middle East," noted Neil Wilson, Saxo UK investor strategist. And while, the main drivers of crude prices remain more global, the domestic supply and demand situation remains noteworthy based on its impact on gasoline (pump) prices. API Crude -1.7mm (+1.1mm exp) Cushing Gasoline -1.8mm Distillates -2.3mm DOE Crude +3.82mm (+1.1mm exp) Cushing +117k Gasoline -3.65mm - biggest draw since Oct 2025 Distillates -1.35mm Crude stocks rose more than expected last week (third week in a row) while gasoline stocks saw sizable draws (for the fourth week in a row)... Source: Bloomberg For the third week in a row, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (which is now once again making headlines) saw no change... Source: Bloomberg US Crude production dipped modestly last week as the rig count stabilized... Source: Bloomberg Oil prices extended gains... "Markets are likely to grow increasingly fearful over the long-term implications with each day that passes," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets. "Oil prices remain the ... Continue Reading »

Most Ships Transit Strait Of Hormuz Since War Started Led By Iranian, China-Linked Tankers Yesterday we pointed out that contrary to conventional wisdom of a full Gulf blockade, more ships are now transiting the Strait of Hormuz... Strait ship traffic starting to move (chart GS) pic.twitter.com/VJ0M9ET3yi — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 10, 2026 ... with the caveat that most are turning off their transponders not to attract undue attention, whether by Iran or the US. Strait ship traffic starting to move (chart GS) pic.twitter.com/VJ0M9ET3yi — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 10, 2026 This morning, Bloomberg confirms that while mainstream Western shipping remains largely suspended through the Strait of Hormuz, recent 24-hour observations reveal a jump in Iran-linked traffic, specifically involving two sanctioned (read China-focused) VLCCs. There were eight commercial transits on Tuesday and four more were identified early Wednesday, most of which have ties to Iran or have Chinese commercial links, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.  Two sanctioned Iranian VLCCs, were seen exiting the Persian Gulf for Asia early Wednesday. Their drafts suggest both supertankers are fully laden, and since they saw no pushback from Iran, are headed toward China. As much as 13.7 million barrels of Iranian crude ... Continue Reading »

Trump Says Iran War To End 'Soon' As 'Practically Nothing Left' To Target  Top headlines of conflict  Trump says the war with Iran will end soon, as there is 'practically nothing left to target."  Yet U.S. and Israeli officials plan at least two more weeks of strikes U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Iran's drone production has been significantly degraded. The IEA is preparing its largest-ever emergency crude oil release to counter surging Brent and WTI prices. Casualty estimates: over 1,200 killed in Iran from U.S./Israeli strikes (plus civilian reports), 13 deaths in Israel from Iranian retaliation, and 140 U.S. service members wounded (mostly minor).   *   *   * Update (1012ET): President Trump on Wednesday said that the war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target." "Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end," Trump told Axios during a five-minute phone call, adding "The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period."  "They were after the rest of the Middle East. They are paying for 47 ... Continue Reading »

Microsoft Backs Anthropic's Bid To Block Pentagon's 'Supply-Chain Risk' Label Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times, Microsoft on March 10 filed an amicus brief backing Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Department of War, seeking a court order to temporarily stop the Pentagon from labeling Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. Anthropic filed the suit on March 9 after the Pentagon designated it a supply chain risk to national security, a label that would hinder the Pentagon and its contractors from using Anthropic’s artificial intelligence technology in their work for the U.S. military. The designation stemmed from Anthropic’s rejection of the Pentagon’s request for unrestricted access to its Claude models over concerns that the technology could be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The Pentagon has denied that it planned to use Claude for such purposes. In its amicus brief filed March 10, Microsoft said it was directly affected by the Pentagon’s designation of Anthropic because it uses Anthropic’s technologies in products made available to the Pentagon. The tech giant said that a temporary block on the designation would “enable a more orderly transition and avoid disrupting the American military’s ongoing use ... Continue Reading »

Iran Sleeper Cells 'Activated'; Threaten To "Eliminate" Trump Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, US intelligence intercepts reveal Iran may be triggering covert operatives abroad, as Tehran issues direct warnings to President Trump following the airstrike death of its former supreme leader. U.S. intelligence has intercepted an encrypted message from Iran that appears to be an “operational trigger” for sleeper cells embedded in foreign countries, raising alarms about potential attacks. This development comes amid ongoing conflict, with Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, facing threats from multiple fronts after his father’s death in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. 🚨 ABC News reported that Iran may be activating sleeper cells.pic.twitter.com/4AkUMTH2a2 — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 9, 2026 The intercepted communication, reported by ABC News, was flagged shortly after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death on February 28. Analysts believe it originated in Iran and was directed at “clandestine recipients” using passcodes, with characteristics suggesting it was meant for operatives outside the country. The alert describes the signal as resembling historical methods used to activate covert assets without internet reliance. “The signals could be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country,” the alert stated. Concerns are heightened by reports of Iranian-linked operatives using routes like ... Continue Reading »

Lloyd's Of London Says Gulf Tanker Coverage Available As Strait Chaos Erupts Again What caught the attention of one UBS analyst earlier this morning was a Financial Times report stating that Lloyd's of London is pushing back against claims that insurers are choking off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. As we have outlined, tanker flows are beginning to creep higher in the strait by midweek, with some tankers switching off their transponders while transiting the narrow waterway. Lloyd's head of underwriting, Patrick Davison, told the FT that the insurance market is "still providing cover to basically anyone who asks," but stressed that the slowdown in Strait traffic is "not an insurance issue - it's a question of vessel and crew safety." "All the insurers at Lloyd's are still quoting business, and will still provide cover to basically anyone who asks," Davison said. War-risk insurance premiums for any commercial ship transiting the world's most important energy chokepoint surged well before the conflict and then skyrocketed, with rates now up twelvefold. Therefore, the real constraint is not so much the insurance as the extreme danger facing tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships, as Tehran ... Continue Reading »

US Core CPI Tumbles To Slowest In 4 Years (Before Iran-Triggered Oil Spike) While all attention is currently on Iran (and the energy impact of actions overseas), today's CPI (for February) should not be affected by the recent surge in WTI (but March's data definitely will be)... Source: Bloomberg Headline CPI rose 0.3% MoM (as expected), lifting prices by 2.4% YoY (unchanged from the prior month at the lowest since May 2025)... Source: Bloomberg The disinflation trend is still your friend as the terrors of tariff-flation remain non-evident, much to the disappointment of establishment economists. Core Services remain the biggest driver of CPI with Core Goods relatvely unmoved (and Energy starting to pick up)... CPI rose 0.3% MoM after rising 0.2% MoM in January, and in line with estimates. Over the last 12 months, CPI rose 2.4%, also in line with estimates and unchanged from January. The index for shelter rose 0.2 percent in February and was the largest factor in the all items monthly increase. The food index increased 0.4% over the month as did the food at home index, while the food away from home index rose 0.3% . The index for energy also ... Continue Reading »

Stocks Drop As Oil Rebounds Over $90 On Escalating War, Ignoring Looming SPR Release US equity futures remain extremely illiquid, jittery and volatile, and are down 10bps near the morning lows, erasing a 0.5% gain after earlier rebounding on hopes the upcoming SPR release will keep oil lower (it has so far failed to do that). Global equities saw a leg lower during APAC hours following an FT report that JPMorgan is marking down private credit portfolios. Mixed messaging from the Trump administration has helped fuel sharp swings in volatility gauges, with the VVIX jumping 10 points on Tuesday. As of 8:10am ET, S&P and Nasdaq futures are down 0.1%, as Oracle’s 10% climb in the pre-market offers support to the AI trade, while inflation is back in focus with today’s CPI print. The ORCL print supports optimism across the secular AI data center trade with focus on raised FY27 rev guidance on management's expectations for continued expansion in AI and advanced compute demand. Asia is leading overseas with TWSE up 410bps, NKY up 143bps, Europe flat to lower led on the downside by Germany down 67bps. In commodities, crude up 300bps feels like a non-event vs. ... Continue Reading »

Insurance As A Weapon: How The Strait Of Hormuz Shapes Global Power And Energy Markets Submitted by Thomas Kolbe War is raging in Iran. Amid the fog of propaganda, it is increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction, to distinguish AI-generated material from actual bomb strikes, and to see behind the carefully woven veil of media spin and national interests. Yet, we attempt here to make sense of the latest moves on the geopolitical chessboard. One immediate consequence of the Strait of Hormuz blockade is a fatal ripple effect in the energy sector. Companies such as QatarEnergy are forced to reduce gas and oil production. Refineries are shutting down, and tankers can no longer transport output. The physical logistics of the energy market are faltering – with consequences far beyond the region. Markets are responding nervously. Both spot and futures prices continue to climb. At the close of New York trading, WTI crude stood at around $93 per barrel, nearly a twenty percent increase since the U.S.-Israeli intervention against Iran’s Ayatollah regime. From a European perspective, the implications are clear. The highly energy-dependent continent is increasingly politically adrift. For many governments, a lot ... Continue Reading »

Seniors Hit With Billions In Extra Premiums From Medicare Overpayments: Report Private insurers are padding their pockets with billions in alleged overpayments from Medicare Advantage, and hardworking American seniors are footing the bill through higher Part B premiums, according to a congressional report obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The report, issued by the bipartisan Joint Economic Committee, shows that controversial practices, such as adding extra diagnoses to trigger larger government reimbursements, drove up Medicare Part B premiums by $13.4 billion in 2025 alone. That amounts to roughly 10% higher costs, or more than $200 extra annually, for the average senior on a fixed Social Security income. The impact extends beyond enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans. Traditional Medicare beneficiaries are also paying higher premiums to help subsidize the private plans' gains. Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), who chairs the committee, said in a statement to the Journal, "Extra spending on Medicare Advantage is not just coming out of the federal government’s budget, a portion of this comes out of you.” Politicians scream at each other over scraps while Medicare Advantage spits out $84B in overpayments in a single year. That’s almost $1T in misaligned incentives ... Continue Reading »

Trump Threatens 'Unprecedented Military Consequences' As Iran Reportedly Starts Mining The Strait Of Hormuz Summary: CNN says the IRGC had already begun laying explosive mines in the vital Strait of Hormuz. Reuters: AS MANY AS 150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FAR IN IRAN WAR CBS says US intelligence has begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane Divergent signals flying between Tehran and Washington: Witkoff says Trump "always willing to talk" to Iran, the question is whether or not it is worth it. Trump-Putin spoke Monday, and Putin-Pezeshkian spoke Tuesday. Meanwhile Tehran defiant: no ceasefire, vows maximum pain. Operation 'mostly achieved goals' - Trump says as WSJ reports officials seeking plans for offramp. Biggest airstrikes of the war. Tehran vows ‘eye for an eye’ if US-Israel hit infrastructure. Iran leaders on various levels sounding hawkish and not backing down. Oil/Energy: Iraq has shut down some oil wells, while Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia taking similar steps to curtail production. Qatar too: halted operations at several gas wells and shut down the liquefaction "trains" used to process natural gas for export. Qatar urges halt to attacks, ... Continue Reading »

Are Bad Bots Taking Over The Web? The share of global web traffic generated by humans is shrinking, while bot activity is on the rise. According to Imperva Bad Bot Reports, in 2018, humans still accounted for 62 percent of web traffic, with malicious bots at 20 percent and benign bots at 18 percent. But over the past seven years, the balance of web traffic has shifted dramatically. As Statista's Tristan Gaudiat shows in the chart below, humans now represent less than half of all traffic (49 percent in 2024), while malicious bots have surged to 37 percent, accounting for well over twice the traffic of benign bots (14 percent). You will find more infographics at Statista This rise in malicious bot activity reflects a growing cybersecurity challenge. Bad bots are often used to steal login details, collect sensitive data, spread misinformation and manipulate online ads. Industries like e‑commerce, finance and social media are particularly affected. Bot fraud is estimated to cost businesses billions each year. Yet, not all bots are harmful. Benign bots, such as search engine crawlers and chatbots, play a crucial role in indexing the web and improving user experiences. However, their declining share suggests that ... Continue Reading »

The Global Elites Lose Again Authored by Heather Mac Donald via American Greatness, To the despair of the European establishment, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the most hated political force in Germany, keeps showing robust signs of life, whether in its impressive showing in a state election on Sunday or in a recent courtroom victory. On Sunday, the AfD more than doubled its previous vote share for the parliament of Baden-Württemberg, a key industrial state in western Germany. On February 26, a German court enjoined the country’s domestic spy agency from classifying Germany’s second most popular political party as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization. The “confirmed right-wing extremist” designation has been a key tool in the campaign among establishment and left-wing politicians to ban the AfD entirely. The AfD’s fate should not be a matter of indifference to American conservatives. The globalist elites must be broken everywhere if they are to be permanently broken at all. Growing numbers of the German public defy their overseers and welcome the AfD as an antidote to the EU-Davos philosophy of open borders and the deindustrialization and immiseration that go under the banner of climate-friendly energy policy. The ... Continue Reading »