There have been 20 cases since the weekend in one small area of Kent - but this isn't the normal pattern, so what could have happened? Continue Reading »

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch repeatedly asks if the prime minister spoke to Peter Mandelson about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein before picking him to be a UK ambassador. Continue Reading »

Fly tippers could face up to 20 hours of community service removing rubbish they have illegally dumped. Continue Reading »

The UK has seen its warmest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 21C. Continue Reading »

The company says the proliferation of AI has enabled people to upload fake songs to streaming sites. 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 Trump administration "remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains" amid the Iran war, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Continue Reading »

Israel's Defense Forces said Wednesday that Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, had been killed in a "targeted strike" in Tehran. Continue Reading »

Oil prices are rallying again as the market fears Israel and Iran will escalate attacks on Middle East energy infrastructure. Continue Reading »

JPMorgan's move reflects growing competition among banks and wealth managers to serve athletes, who are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs and investors. Continue Reading »

Consumers are seeing fuel prices rapidly rise as the Iran war has triggered the biggest oil supply disruption in history. Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP Le président socialiste du département de la Seine-Saint-Denis, Stéphane Troussel, a dénoncé mercredi "le déferlement de propos racistes" visant le nouveau maire insoumis de Saint-Denis, élu dès le premier tour, Bally Bagayoko."Je condamne fermement la stigmatisation dont fait l'objet la ville depuis dimanche dernier et le déferlement de propos racistes contre son nouveau maire, Bally Bagayoko", a déclaré dans un communiqué Stéphane Troussel, soutien du maire socialiste sortant, Mathieu Hanotin.S'il "regrette la tournure qu'(a) pris le débat" à Saint-Denis, il estime qu'"en démocratie, les électeurs ont toujours raison".Né dans les Hauts-de-Seine de parents maliens, Bally Bagayoko a essuyé de nombreux commentaires racistes sur les réseaux sociaux.Mardi soir, des "personnels de l’Éducation nationale de la ville" de Saint-Denis ont de leur côté lancé une pétition de "soutien au nouveau maire de la ville Bally Bagayoko, face à l'offensive médiatique raciste qu'il subit depuis son élection".Dénonçant les propos tenus pendant la campagne par le maire sortant Mathieu Hanotin, qui affirmait que les narcotrafiquants faisaient campagne pour son concurrent, les signataires déplorent que ces propos aient été repris "sans aucune prudence" par le directeur de la rédaction de Valeurs actuelles Tugdual Denis sur BFMTV et RMC.Ils ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP Par Mathieu RABECHAULT © 2026 AFP Un Rafale s’approche de la perche d’un avion ravitailleur pour faire le plein de kérosène et étendre son rayon d’action, condition indispensable à une frappe nucléaire à longue distance...Dans la nuit de lundi à mardi, l'armée de l'Air et de l'Espace a mené l'exercice Poker, destiné à entraîner ses forces aériennes stratégiques à un raid nucléaire, une manoeuvre exceptionnellement ouverte à quelques médias dont l'AFP. Fichier vidéo Quarante avions Rafale, Mirage 2000, avion-radar Awacs et ravitailleurs A330 MRTT ont été mobilisés au-dessus d'une grande partie du territoire français tout au long de la nuit pour mener ce raid nucléaire fictif.L'intense mobilisation de l'armée de l'Air française sur d'autres théâtres, notamment en appui aux pays partenaires dans le Golfe sous le feu des drones iraniens, n'y change rien: Poker est répété quatre fois par an depuis la première prise d'alerte de la composante nucléaire aéroportée en ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP Un candidat Horizons et une liste de gauche conduite par un socialiste, incluant une poignée de colistiers du maire sortant divers droite, se posent à Carcassonne en "remparts" face au RN, qui fort de sa première place dimanche, croit en sa victoire au second tour des municipales.Dans cette ville d'environ 46.000 habitants, célèbre pour sa citadelle classée au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco, le député RN Christophe Barthès a recueilli 34,52% des voix au premier tour."Nous sommes le dernier espoir d'avoir une vraie droite à Carcassonne", a-t-il déclaré mercredi, au côté de Louis Aliot, vice-président du RN, venu en voisin de Perpignan, à une centaine de kilomètres au sud-est de la cité audoise, où il a été réélu dès le 1er tour."Carcassonne aujourd'hui, c'est Perpignan il y a six ans", a estimé M. Aliot, "on est un peu dans la même configuration avec une coalition d'adversaires qui, à part le tout sauf Barthès comme il y avait le tout sauf Aliot, n'ont pas de programme". Fichier vidéo ... Continue Reading »

Par TV5MONDE avec agences Les États-Unis ont invité cette semaine de hauts responsables de la République démocratique du Congo et du Rwanda à Washington dans le but de relancer les efforts de paix dans l'est du Congo, au point mort, ont déclaré ce 16 mars des sources diplomatiques et un porte-parole de la présidence congolaise. Les États-Unis ont invité cette semaine de hauts responsables de la République démocratique du Congo et du Rwanda à Washington dans le but de relancer les efforts de paix dans l'est du Congo, au point mort, ont déclaré ce 16 mars des sources diplomatiques et un porte-parole de la présidence congolaise.Malgré leur forte implication dans le conflit au Moyen Orient, les États-Unis ne perdent pas de vue la situation dans l'est de la RDC. Washington a invité cette semaine de hauts responsables de la République démocratique du Congo et du Rwanda afin de relancer les efforts de paix dans l'est du Congo, au point ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP Par Emmanuel GIROUD © 2026 AFP Dix ans après la disparition d'une étudiante japonaise à Besançon, la cour d'assises du Rhône a demandé mercredi à la police de tenter d'identifier un ADN trouvé sur son oreiller, accédant à la demande des avocats de son ex-petit ami chilien Nicolas Zepeda, rejugé pour assassinat.Bien qu'il nie l'avoir tuée et que le corps n'ait jamais été retrouvé, l'accusé, 35 ans, a été condamné à 28 ans de prison en 2022 puis à la même peine en 2023 en appel, mais la cour de cassation a annulé le verdict pour un vice de procédure.Pour semer le doute chez les jurés de ce nouveau procès, prévu sur deux semaines, les avocats du Chilien ont adopté une ligne de défense résolument agressive à l'égard des enquêteurs, qu'ils accusent d'avoir "bâclé" des investigations focalisées sur "un unique suspect". Me Sylvain Cormier et Robin Binsard ont réclamé quatre suppléments d'enquête, mais le président de la cour Eric Chalbos ne leur en a accordé qu'un: passer au Fichier National Automatisé des Empreintes Génétiques (FNAEG) une faible trace ... Continue Reading »

The long term financial cost of the Iran war to American taxpayers could balloon into trillions of dollars, experts have told The Intercept Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Online Polymarket bettors allegedly threatened an Israeli journalist to change a story so they could win a payout Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Russia has condemned a strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, with Rosatom warning of the risk of a major nuclear disaster Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

CAF strips Senegal of AFCON 2025 title giving Morocco the championship Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Slovakia could hike diesel prices for foreign drivers amid a global oil market squeeze, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said   Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Словацкий премьер традиционно ночь на Первомай проводит в качестве рабочего на каком-либо из словацких предприятий Continue Reading »

Американский вице-президент признал, что рост цен на топливо представляет собой проблему Continue Reading »

Один из них - Bionicle Continue Reading »

Кафедральный собор Святой Троицы будет открыт 24 часа Continue Reading »

Победители марафона получат возможность провести персональные тренировки с олимпийскими чемпионами в своих регионах Continue Reading »

MAG: Iran may be where US-led world order ends... (Top headline, 1st story, link) Related stories:'America First' Becomes 'America Alone'...Trump Advisers Circle Wagons as Signs of Dissent Emerge...Israel Hunting Down Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One...Missile hits military base housing UK, US and OZ troops... Drudge Report Feed needs your support!   Become a Patron Continue Reading »

'America First' Becomes 'America Alone'... (Top headline, 2nd story, link) Related stories:MAG: Iran may be where US-led world order ends...Trump Advisers Circle Wagons as Signs of Dissent Emerge...Israel Hunting Down Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One...Missile hits military base housing UK, US and OZ troops... Continue Reading »

Trump Advisers Circle Wagons as Signs of Dissent Emerge... (Top headline, 3rd story, link) Related stories:MAG: Iran may be where US-led world order ends...'America First' Becomes 'America Alone'...Israel Hunting Down Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One...Missile hits military base housing UK, US and OZ troops... Continue Reading »

Israel Hunting Down Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One... (Top headline, 4th story, link) Related stories:MAG: Iran may be where US-led world order ends...'America First' Becomes 'America Alone'...Trump Advisers Circle Wagons as Signs of Dissent Emerge...Missile hits military base housing UK, US and OZ troops... Drudge Report Feed needs your support!   Become a Patron Continue Reading »

Missile hits military base housing UK, US and OZ troops... (Top headline, 5th story, link) Related stories:MAG: Iran may be where US-led world order ends...'America First' Becomes 'America Alone'...Trump Advisers Circle Wagons as Signs of Dissent Emerge...Israel Hunting Down Regime Members in Their Hideouts, One by One... Continue Reading »

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Liverpool host the Turkish champions at Anfield. Continue Reading »

A crowd celebrating Chaharshanbe Suri in Tehran were forced to flee after gunshots disrupted their event. Continue Reading »

US presidents have long bypassed Congress's authority and dissenting lawmakers have often tried to fight back. Continue Reading »

Pakistani minister says five-day pause, to begin at midnight Thursday, requested by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye. Continue Reading »

Residents are divided between supporting and opposing the US and Israeli war against Iran, amid fears for loved ones. Continue Reading »

There have been 20 cases since the weekend in one small area of Kent - but this isn't the normal pattern, so what could have happened? Continue Reading »

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch repeatedly asks if the prime minister spoke to Peter Mandelson about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein before picking him to be a UK ambassador. Continue Reading »

Fly tippers could face up to 20 hours of community service removing rubbish they have illegally dumped. Continue Reading »

The UK has seen its warmest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching 21C. Continue Reading »

The company says the proliferation of AI has enabled people to upload fake songs to streaming sites. Continue Reading »

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had killed Esmaeil Khatib in an airstrike. Iran confirmed the killing. Continue Reading »

The Israeli military widened its attacks to the districts in the center of the Lebanese capital, destroying buildings, forcing residents to flee and killing at least 10. Continue Reading »

A decade ago, a surge in migration to Europe spurred the far-right’s rise. European leaders now fear the Iran war could set off another crisis, and they have taken tentative steps to prepare. Continue Reading »

A recent surge of A.I.-related imports has become an impediment to the smaller trade deficit President Trump wants. Continue Reading »

An investigation by The New York Times found extensive evidence that the United Farm Workers co-founder groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the movement. 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 »

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is tightening helicopter safety measures, more than a year after the fatal collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. In a Wednesday release, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Trump administration is suspending the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters and mandating that air traffic controllers use radar to "actively manage these aircraft to keep them separated at specific lateral or vertical distances."... Continue Reading »

President Trump has formally waived requirements that only U.S. ships can carry cargo between domestic ports as officials look to ease access to fuel and supplies while the Strait of Hormuz remains throttled. Why it matters: The White House is looking to pull multiple levers as the Iran war sends gasoline prices soaring and restricts access to goods needed by farmers and other industries... Continue Reading »

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said. Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him... Continue Reading »

In a scathing hearing on Monday, District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi threw a federal prosecutor out of a courtroom while grilling another about the internal workings of New Jersey's U.S. Attorney's office. The exchange highlighted growing concerns from the federal judiciary about the legal validity of actions taken by some of the Trump administration's top prosecutors... Continue Reading »

As the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran continues to upend energy markets and supply chains worldwide, the Trump administration says it will temporarily waive maritime shipping requirements under a more than century-old law known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act requires that goods hauled between U.S. ports be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels. Passed in 1920, this law aims to protect the American shipping sector — but it's also faced criticism over the years for slowing the delivery of goods, including critical aid during time of crisis... Continue Reading »

Former social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh fell short to her opponent, Evanston, Ill. Mayor and former state legislator Daniel Biss, in the crowded Democratic primary to represent a deep-blue Chicago area House district. The 26-year-old, who once worked for left-wing group Media Matters for America, won 25.6% of the vote, lagging behind Biss who received 29.6%, with 90% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. Since Illinois' Ninth District is heavily Democratic — with Vice President Kamala Harris winning it by 37 percentage points in 2024 — Biss is effectively a lock to win the November general election to represent the seat in Washington... Continue Reading »

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has won the contested Democratic primary in Illinois' 9th Congressional District, part of a split decision Tuesday night for progressives and moderates who fought furiously across four Chicago-area House districts over a number of issues, including Israel policy. Along with Biss, NBC News projects that state Rep. La Shawn Ford won the Democratic primary in the 7th District. Cook County commissioner Donna Miller and former Rep. Melissa Bean, who ran campaigns more in line with the party establishment and more moderate Democrats, won the Democratic primaries in the 2nd and the 8th districts, respectively... Continue Reading »

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee saw mixed results in the first major test of its political muscle in the midterms, drawing fresh recriminations from its foes — and some allies — for its interference in four competitive Illinois House primaries. Two of AIPAC's supported candidates won their races Tuesday night, with Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller denying former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. a comeback in the 2nd District and former Rep. Melissa Bean defeating a slew of progressive challengers in the 8th District... Continue Reading »

Astonishingly, President Trump and his aides were caught unprepared when Iran, under air assault from the United States and Israel, retaliated by targeting shipping in the Persian Gulf region and specifically through the Strait of Hormuz. Military planners have pointed out for decades that the waterway—through which one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes—is highly vulnerable to Iranian assault. But the Trump administration acknowledged in classified briefings, CNN reported last night, that it did not make provisions for a closure because officials assumed that such a move would hurt Iran more than the United States. In its failure to anticipate Iran's reaction, the administration ignored a dynamic that former Defense Secretary James Mattis, a first-term Trump appointee, was fond of pointing out: Once hostilities begin, "the enemy gets a vote." U.S. leaders have drastically underestimated the Iranian regime's ability to survive, adjust, and strike back. Just tw… Continue Reading »

"It won't be long now." That was President Donald J. Trump, speaking on the timeline for commercial traffic to flow again through the Strait of Hormuz at the White House on Tuesday. U.S. forces are "knocking the hell out of the coast," Trump said. "As soon as that war is over, which it will be soon, prices are going to drop like a rock," he added. "You watch." Control of the Strait of Hormuz is a top geopolitical prize, and one of the core objectives of Operation Epic Fury. On a good day, 130 ships transit the Strait every 24 hours, moving cargo and about 20 million barrels of oil products. Currently, about 6 million barrels per day of oil from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have been rerouted to Red Sea pipelines. Continue Reading »

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump requested that Britain, France, Japan, South Korea and China send warships to the Middle East to help him reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has come to a standstill because of Iranian attacks on ships in and near the waterway. He also issued a vague threat to NATO allies who didn't join in the effort, saying that it would be "very bad for the future of NATO" if they refused to help secure the strait. But those countries and more American allies aren't rushing to Trump's rescue. They're either openly rebuffing his demands or issuing vague, noncommittal statements. For the moment, there is no prospect of a U.S.-led coalition to help resolve Iran's domination of a waterway through which 20% of the world's oil reaches global markets. That Trump failed to anticipate this scenario illustrates yet another way in which his war in Iran is as foolish as it is immoral. Continue Reading »

With friends like these: One real virtue of the Iran war is how it exposes once-hidden disloyalties. That goes for the various cranks on the right we considered the other day, most prominently podcaster Tucker Carlson, formally "evicted" from MAGA by President Donald Trump and sadly now claiming the CIA is out to frame him. Other big-ish righty names — Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly, Marjorie Taylor Greene — are also denouncing Operation Epic Fury, marginally undermining a mission that has strong support among GOP voters and even more so among MAGA ones. Continue Reading »

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is now centered on the battle for the Strait of Hormuz. The strait provides the critical Indian Ocean chokepoint for oil and natural gas-exporting nations rimming the Persian Gulf. But Iran's use of drones, mines, missiles, and gunboats to harass transiting ships has brought energy exports to a near-total halt. This has led to rising energy prices and volatility. The Trump administration is now pressuring allies to provide naval forces to escort tankers through the strait and thus stabilize the global energy market. Continue Reading »

Johnson & Johnson won U.S. approval for a daily psoriasis pill that rivals the benefits of injectable medicines and could roil a multibillion-dollar market. The drug, Icotyde, is approved for patients over the age of 12 with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, J&J said Wednesday. Developed as icotrokinra, Icotyde is designed to mimic the effects of top-selling psoriasis treatments, including AbbVie's Skyrizi and J&J's own Tremfya, without the need for needles. Continue Reading »

If you're a Republican, much less a self-described MAGA voter, you don't need to be persuaded to support the war against the theocratic regime in Tehran. Fox News's polling found that 84 percent of registered voters who identify as Republican support the war. Eighty-five percent of Republicans surveyed by CBS News's pollsters said the same. NBC News's survey discovered something similar. Seventy-seven percent of GOP voters in its poll backed the strikes on Iranian regime targets, including an overwhelming 90 percent of "MAGA" Republicans. Continue Reading »

The podcaster Megyn Kelly and the Fox News host Mark Levin are two of the country's best-known conservative influencers. She opposes the war in Iran. He supports it. Ms. Kelly, herself a former Fox News host, recently argued that the war was sold to the American people by "Israel firsters like Mark Levin." He called her an "emotionally unhinged, lewd and petulant wreck." It only got uglier from there. Continue Reading »

Sometimes, journalists indulge in myths and delusions they claim to decry. This grating inclination has been on almost giddy display in the still evolving aftermath of United States President Donald Trump's rash decision to join Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in launching a war with Iran. Continue Reading »

As American airports and travelers continue to suffer the impacts of the DHS shutdown — and as TSA officers continue to go without paychecks — some European countries are warning those who would potentially visit the U.S. The United Kingdom, for example, updated its foreign travel advice for those looking to travel to the U.S. — calling out the "travel disruption." Its advisory says, "There could be longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports due to a partial US government shutdown." Continue Reading »

Analysts inside the U.S. intelligence community sought to conceal evidence of Chinese influence efforts from President Donald Trump during the 2020 election, with analysts saying they didn't want their intel used by "that vulgarian in the Oval Office" to pursue policies toward China they personally disagreed with. The revelation is found within a January 2021 report written by — and never before reported upon comments by — analytic ombudsman Barry Zulauf, who conducted a review of the spy community's handling of Russian versus Chinese meddling efforts during the 2020 election. Among his conclusions was that intelligence analysts downplayed China's actions because they had disdain for the "vulgarian" Trump and did not want to support the policies and priorities of the Trump administration toward China with which they "personally disagree." Continue Reading »

Streaking across the sky with a terrifying wail, a Ukrainian-made quadrocopter swerves with unlikely agility for a device resembling a winged lava lamp. Once ​a long-shot concept, the interceptor drone developed by private firm Wild Hornets is now key to Ukraine's defence against Russian ‌drones - and soon, possibly, to combatting Iranian ones in the Gulf. Continue Reading »

Iran Strikes Back Over Energy Asset Attack Amid "All-Out Economic War"; Vance To Meet With Oil Chiefs Summary Some Gulf states want to ensure Iran's missile arsenal destroyed for good, as EU, Russia, China demand ceasefire; Beijing ignores Trump's Hormuz plea Israel says Iran's intelligence chief Esmail Khatib was eliminated overnight as pace of top leadership killings accelerates. Iran says upstream oil and gas assets are under attack for first time since war began, readies retaliatory action against oil/gas assets in Gulf area, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, & UAE; Iraq reroutes some flows through Ceyhan Pipeline to Turkey Iran reiterates new rules in place for Hormuz transit as traffic remains de-minimus, sparking reports that "the blockade is now the worst disruption to oil flows ever..." President Trump issues posts musing whether US should 'finish off' Iran, though Tehran signals continuity & stability of govt. Trump Waives Jones Act to "mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market"; VP Vance will meet with Big Oil Execs on Thursday to discuss plan to combat surging gas prices at the pump   *  *  *  Iran Begins Retaliation Strikes Over South Pars Attack Following the US-Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas facility earlier ... Continue Reading »

John Roberts Calls For Restraint After Years Of Judicial Overreach Authored by David Manney via PJMedia.com, Chief Justice John Roberts, the person in charge of the Supreme Court of the United States, recently stepped forward with a familiar appeal, urging Americans to dial back personal attacks on judges and to show respect for the judiciary. The message landed with a tone of concern, almost paternal, as if the country had suddenly lost its bearings and needed a reminder about decorum.   Roberts framed the issue as one of civic responsibility, arguing that the rule of law depends on public confidence in the courts, which sounds right on its face.   Courts don't have armies; they rely on legitimacy, and when that legitimacy weakens, the system strains.  But we didn't just fall off the bus deciding to turn on the judiciary. That frustration has been building for years, and it didn't come from nowhere. For nearly a decade, a steady stream of rulings from lower federal courts has blocked, delayed, or reshaped executive actions tied to President Donald Trump. Judges like James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court, and Tanya Chutkan, U.S. district judge, both for ... Continue Reading »

Gabbard Showdown: DNI Scrubs "Obliterated" Iran Nuke Line from Testimony, Dodges Imminent Threat Question Update 1250ET: Things are getting spicy on Capitol Hill - as DNI Tulsi Gabbard faced intense scrutiny from Democrats during a Senate hearing on worldwide threats, while Sen. Markwayne Mullin endured a fiery intra-GOP confrontation during his DHS confirmation, and the SAVE America Act debate dragged into its second day amid Republican divisions. Gabbard Fireworks Gabbard, joined by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, and others, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on global threats. The session was dominated by fallout from the Iran war and yesterday's resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who protested that Iran posed "no imminent threat" and accused the conflict of Israeli-driven pressure. Gabbard notably deviated from her prepared written testimony, which included a strong line: Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was "obliterated" by prior 2025 strikes (Operation Midnight Hammer), with "no efforts" to rebuild since, and underground facilities "buried and shuttered with cement." She completely omitted this in her oral delivery, instead stating Iran was "trying to recover from severe damage" to its nuclear infrastructure pre-current operations. This shift drew immediate fire from Sen. ... Continue Reading »

Some Gulf States Egg On US Iran Strikes As EU, Russia, China Demand Ceasefire - Beijing Ignores Trump's Hormuz Plea Fresh reports suggest that at least some Gulf states are now egging on the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran, hoping that the Islamic Republic's significant ballistic missile can be blunted forever, after countries from Bahrain to UAE to Saudi Arabia have been target of literally thousands of drones and missiles since Operation Epic Fury began. "This is not a military exchange. This is an attack on a peaceful nation, a nation that has been working diligently and very hard for diplomacy," Sultan al-Jaber, the U.A.E. minister of industry and advanced technology, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying. Jaber stressed, "Any long-term political settlement must address the full spectrum of threats, including Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, and their network of regional proxies." And yet, Israel and the US now extending their aerial attacks to Iran's oil infrastructure has immediately resulted in Iran declaring that it will in turn target oil fields and infrastructure among America's Gulf allies. As these easily predictable steps on the escalation ladder continue to play ... Continue Reading »

Polymarket's New DC 'Situation Room' Bar Lets Patrons Sip Old Fashioneds And Monitor WW3 Headlines Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market, announced on X the grand opening of “The Situation Room” in Washington, D.C., a bar where patrons can sip Moscow Mules, Old Fashioneds, or beer (preferably not Bud Light, perhaps a local IPA like Dogfish) while monitoring X feeds, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket bets on wall-mounted televisions. "We're excited to announce 'The Situation Room' by Polymarket is coming to Washington, D.C. The world's first bar dedicated to monitoring the situation," Polymarket wrote on X earlier this morning. We're excited to announce 'The Situation Room' by Polymarket is coming to Washington, D.C. The world's first bar dedicated to monitoring the situation. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/UbdHUT5u2k — Polymarket (@Polymarket) March 18, 2026 Polymarket continued, "Imagine a sports bar… but just for situation monitoring — live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket screens." Instead of pulling out your iPhone every few minutes to check Bloomberg push alerts, X feed notifications, or changes in Polymarket bets, all of that information will now be displayed on televisions around the bar. A total win for the modern man or woman glued to ... Continue Reading »

Why AI Malware (And Harmful Second-Order Effects) Are Out Of Control Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, Fixing all this doesn't scale. What scales is the spread of uncontrollably harmful consequences. When something scales faster than it can be absorbed or controlled, the resulting extremes break the system. That's the problem of asymmetric scaling. Let's take a current example: the malicious use of AI and the runaway expansion of harmful second-order effects generated by the explosive adoption of AI tools and agents. (Second-order effects: consequences generate their own consequences.) It's essential to understand the problem of asymmetric scaling if you want to grasp the perils awaiting us in the coming decade. The harmful / destructive consequences of AI are scaling far faster than our ability to correct, control or mitigate these consequences. Malicious use of AI is scaling far faster than countermeasures. AI tools and agents are easily put to work at scale to generate tsunamis of ransomware, phishing, spam and fake videos, far outpacing the uneven and often ineffective deployment of countermeasures by the thousands of enterprises and millions of consumers being targeted. In terms of maximizing profits (i.e. the profit motive), malicious AI scales far faster and ... Continue Reading »

No One (?) By Michael Every of Rabobank One of the central beliefs of neoclassical economics is that we are all One. One world market; One global central bank; One base interest rate; with temporary aberrations and interventions, One price. Except, as has been evident for some time, that doesn’t work very well, so increasingly we aren’t One. And that division is perhaps even spreading to something we all rely on: energy. The oil market has fragmented: Oil is now trading for $150/bbl in Asia (except the occasional sanctioned Iranian tanker) where demand destruction has started. China and India most pressured. Meanwhile it is still $100 in the US https://t.co/QweAyzEN0a pic.twitter.com/YyvgAMdMwl — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 17, 2026 This Daily has flagged the huge dislocation between the price of oil on a screen and on the ‘street’, now around $50 on some measures. As some point out, there’s also a matching dislocation between the price of it in the West vs in parts of Asia. Allow me to remind readers the central thesis of my 2026 ‘Who has the cards?’ outlook was that this year would see deliberate intervention in upstream commodity supply chains so ... Continue Reading »

U.S. Waives Jones Act After Iran Gas Field Attack Shortly after Israeli fighter jets struck Iran's upstream oil and natural gas production assets for the first time in Operation Epic Fury, sending WTI futures to $98.5/bbl, the Trump administration appears to have pulled another emergency lever from JPMorgan's six-option playbook we recently outlined: a 60-day Jones Act waiver that allows foreign-flagged ships to transport oil, gas, refined products, fertilizer, and related energy cargoes between US ports to boost domestic energy flows and ensure shipping capacity does not become a bottleneck. Bloomberg reports that President Trump this morning authorized foreign-flagged tankers to transport crude and refined products, including gasoline and diesel, between US ports in a bid to move more Gulf Coast crude supplies to East Coast refineries, stabilize fuel availability, and keep shipping costs low. "President Trump's decision to issue a 60-day Jones Act waiver is just another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market as the U.S. military continues meeting the objectives of Operation Epic Fury," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, quoted by Bloomberg. Leavitt said, "The Administration remains committed to continuing to ... Continue Reading »

US Crude Stockpile Hits Highest Since June 2024, Exports Surge Summary: US crude stockpiles surged for the fourth consecutive week. The build takes inventories to the highest level since June 2024. The increase is likely to reinforce perceptions of ample supply in US markets, and though prices are significantly higher, WTI continues to lag global benchmark, Brent.  US oil imports rose to the highest level since November 2024 driven by Gulf Coast imports which rose to the highest level since 2020. Flows to the US are not significantly disrupted despite the conflict in Iran. Flows from Venezuela nearly doubled on a weekly basis and are sitting at the highest level since 2024, the data shows. Crude exports jumped by 1.5 million barrels a day to the highest level since September. That’s likely due to global markets drawing on US barrels as the conflict in Iran curtails Middle Eastern flows. Oil prices are ripping higher this morning (rebounding aggressively of overnight lows) after US and Israel attacked upstream Iranian energy assets for the first time since the war (While the US struck oil export hub Kharg Island late last week, it limited that attack to ... Continue Reading »

Did Trump Doom The SAVE America Act? Recent polling makes one thing abundantly clear: the American people are firmly behind election integrity, and the SAVE America Act is right in line with where voters already are.  According to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, support for the legislation clocks in at 71%, with strong backing from independents and even a sizable chunk of Democrats. That shouldn’t surprise anyone when you look at the specifics. Voter ID alone commands 81% support, with majorities across the political spectrum. Eight in ten Americans want states to clean non-citizens off voter rolls, and 75% support requiring proof of citizenship to vote. The poll also found that 85% of Americans agree that only U.S. citizens should be able to vote in U.S. elections, with overwhelming majorities of independents and Democrats. A majority backs sharing voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security, and 60% describe the SAVE America Act as a commonsense way to prevent fraud and secure elections. Meanwhile, 58% of Americans acknowledge that voter fraud exists to some degree—something the political class has spent years trying to downplay. There is nothing controversial about the law, but President ... Continue Reading »

Russia Evacuates Hundreds Of Its Specialists From Iran's Nuclear Bushehr Complex After Missile Strike Russia has lodged formal protest with Israel following its reported strikes near Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility, angrily warning that the attacks directly endangered Russian personnel on the ground. Israeli and Russian media have confirmed that Moscow issued a sharp condemnation and warnings of a red line after Israeli forces reportedly hit the grounds of the nuclear power plant where Russian specialists are stationed. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had also earlier provided independent verification that a missile struck the Bushehr complex on Tuesday evening, although no damage to the plant or injuries to staff were reported. The Kremlin made clear to Israel that Russian nationals working in and around the facility were put at risk. Russian state media described the communication delivered to Israel via the Russian embassy "official demands" - which indicates a formal escalation in diplomatic pressure. Even more provocative is that reports indicate Israeli strikes may have directly targeted residential quarters housing a Russian nuclear expert. According to TASS: "Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev specified that the strike had hit the area near the office of ... Continue Reading »

US Core Manufacturing Orders Up For 3rd Straight Month In January After tumbling to end 2025, US Factory Orders were expected to rise very modestly in January and did so - up 0.1% MoM (as expected) with December's 0.7% decline revised up to a 0.4% decline... Source: Bloomberg Core Factory orders (es Transports) rose 0.4% MoM - slightly better than expected - and December's 0.4% MoM shift was revised up to a 0.6% MoM rise. This led core manufacturing orders to rise 1.39% YoY - the highest since July... Source: Bloomberg All the final data for Durable Goods orders were the same as the prliminary prints - unchanged MoM at the headline level. Finally, today's data also showed the value of core capital goods orders, a proxy for investment in equipment that excludes aircraft and military hardware, slipped lower by 0.1% MoM. Not a great sign for GDP (and with inflation on the rise, the s-word - stagflation - is starting to appear). Tyler Durden Wed, 03/18/2026 - 10:05 Continue Reading »

What Has The Iran War Done To Trump's Approval Rating? Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Mainstream coverage of the ongoing Iran conflict has framed it as a potential turning point for the Trump administration, with endless speculation about political damage and shifting voter sentiment. However, new data presented on CNN tells a far different story. The network’s own senior data analyst Harry Enten delivered a breakdown showing the war has produced virtually no movement in the president’s standing and scant public engagement overall. Enten stated plainly: “What we are seeing right now is a president whose approval rating is steady.” He added: “This has NOT been a big deal politically.” Harry Enten devastates CNN viewers when he reveals Democrats have gained NO GROUND on Trump following the war with Iran. “What we are seeing right now is a president whose approval rating is steady.” “This has NOT been a big deal politically.” “Americans who say they care a… pic.twitter.com/p2SVC10EBU — The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) March 16, 2026 The numbers back it up. “Americans who say they care a lot about the Iranian situation — look at this — it’s just 45%. Just 45% of Americans say they care a ... Continue Reading »

Appeals Court Refuses Trump's Request To Reconsider CNN Defamation Suit President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against CNN appears to be dead for the time being, as an appeals court denied his motion to rehear the case. A three-judge panel had held in November that Trump hadn’t done enough to show that CNN compared him to Adolph Hitler when it described his claims about the 2020 election as “the Big Lie.” In a brief unsigned order on March 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit said that none of its judges asked for a vote to reconsider the case. Trump told the circuit that the three-judge panel erred. He wanted the full panel to consider whether his case should be decided by a jury instead of the court, and to reconsider whether the statements made by the network’s journalists allowed him to sue. The order also ruled out the possibility of a rehearing by the original three-judge panel. As Stacy Robinson reports for The Epoch Times, Trump sued CNN in 2022 after the network’s journalists repeatedly referred to his disputation of the 2020 election results as a “Big Lie.” That terminology has ... Continue Reading »

Data Centers Look To Liquid Cooling As AI Future Heats Up Authored by Bruce Parker via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The boom in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and hyperscale facilities has created a growth opportunity for businesses that keep cloud- and AI-related computer servers from overheating. A worker walks among racks and network switches at the LightEdge Solutions data center in Altoona, Iowa, on Oct. 15, 2019. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Cooling is essential for electronics. Without it, today’s high-performance computer chips would literally melt down. Navid Kazem is an electronics cooling expert and general chair of Semi-Therm, a leading global conference on thermal solutions for electronic components. He told The Epoch Times that data centers cannot function without proper cooling. “You can burn down the chip pretty easily if you don’t have an effective cooling solution,” he said. “What happens is the temperature of the chip rises to such high levels that you can effectively burn the chip.” According to Kazem, silicon processors operate reliably at junction temperatures of 194–212 degrees Fahrenheit (90–100 degrees Celsius). If they rise much higher than 248 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius), they burn. “The question comes down to, how can ... Continue Reading »

Iran Intel Chief Killed As Israel Grants IDF 'Free Hand' To Eliminate Leaders; Trump Muses Tehran Could Be 'Finished Off' Summary:  Israel says Iran's intelligence chief Esmail Khatib was eliminated overnight as pace of top leadership killings accelerates. Israeli attack on Iran's major South Pars gas field could trigger retaliation on Saudi oil fields. President Trump issues posts musing whether US should 'finish off' Iran, though Tehran signals continuity & stability of govt. Iran FM says no change in nuclear posture: vows Tehran not pursuing an atomic bomb. *  *  * Iran Intel Chief Killed In 3rd High-Level Hit More decimation of Iranian top leadership, as Israel's defense minister Israel Katz has announced Iran's intelligence chief Esmail Khatib was eliminated in an overnight strike, which marks yet another alleged high-level hit as the tempo of targeted killings accelerates. "On this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," Katz warned in a military briefing, according to Israeli media. If confirmed, the reported hit would mark the third top-tier Iranian figure eliminated in just 48 hours, following Israeli strikes that reportedly killed national security chief Ali Larijani, who ... Continue Reading »

Futures Slump, Erasing Overnight Gains After Iran's Giant Pars Field Attacked; FOMC Looms Stocks were set to extend gains into a third day as Iraq’s deal to reroute crude via Turkey, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, eased some supply concerns as Iranian strikes target Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, but it all unwound shortly after 7am ET,  following an Iranian report that US and Israeli airstrikes hit its giant South Pars natural gas field and associated infrastructure; Oil and petrochemical facilities in nearby Asaluyeh also came under attack, it added rekindling fears about the impact of the war in the Middle East on inflation. Aa a result S&P futures erased all of their overnight gains, fading what was earlier a 0.6% rise, and trading in the red. Nasdaq also faded all of its gains, and was trading flat at last check. All of this happens just hours before the Fed is expected to keep rates unchanged at 2pm ET today. Bond yields were down 1-2bp into the Fed meeting where the Fed is expected to hold rates steady with the dots potentially reflecting a hawkish outlook; the USD is flat. In commodities oil / natgas ... Continue Reading »

Rate-Cut Odds Tumble As US Producer Prices Surged In February - Hottest In Over A Year After a hotter than expected print in January, US Producer Prices were expected to continue to rise (but only modestly) in February data released today. The consensus direction was right but the scale was way off as headline PPI accelerated 0.7% MoM (vs +0.3% exp and +0.5% prior) - the biggest monthly jump since July 2025. That lifted producer prices higher by 3.4% YoY (notably hitter than the 3.0% expected and up from the 2.9% prior). That is the hottest PPI since January 2025... Source: Bloomberg More than half of the February rise in prices for final demand can be attributed to a 0.5-percent advance in the index for final demand services. Prices for final demand goods increased 1.1 percent. PPI rose 0.7% in February after rising 0.5% in January. PPI rose 3.4% for the 12 months ended in February, the largest 12-month advance since increasing 3.4% in February 2025. More than half of the February rise in prices for PPI final demand can be attributed to a 0.5-percent advance in the index for final demand services. ... Continue Reading »

Daily Multivitamin Linked To Slower Biological Aging In New Clinical Trial Authored by Rachel Ann T. Melegrito via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Most people who take a daily multivitamin couldn’t tell you exactly why - but their bodies might know. A new clinical trial suggests there may be something measurable behind the routine: Older adults who took a daily multivitamin for two years showed slightly slower biological aging—equivalent to about four months—particularly among those whose biological age appeared older than their chronological age at the start. Daily Vitamin, Younger DNA? Biological aging refers to how well the body’s systems function relative to a person’s chronological age. Scientists can estimate biological age by reading chemical tags on DNA that change in predictable patterns as we get older—a measure known as an epigenetic clock. The study, published in Nature Medicine, examined whether daily multivitamins, containing a broad mix of essential vitamins and minerals, or cocoa extract supplements could influence biological aging. Researchers analyzed data from 958 randomly selected healthy older adults with a mean age of 70 who participated in the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a large, ongoing randomized clinical trial in the ... Continue Reading »

Why Is Wyoming Stashing Gold Inside This Old Newspaper Building? It's no secret that despite President Donald Trump's occasional tough talk about slashing the United States' monstrous $38.9 trillion debt bomb, his administration has zero real political will to slam the brakes on Washington's out-of-control spending spree. The inaction has Wyoming Republicans gearing up for the inevitable economic trainwreck when the day comes that America can no longer just print its way out of paying the interest on that colossal tab. In January, Wyoming lawmakers shelled out $10 million to snap up 2,312 troy ounces of gold bars, now worth a cool $11.6 million as the yellow metal keeps soaring. The move came after the legislature passed the "Wyoming Gold Act," forcing the state's investment portfolio to load up on precious metals as a hedge against economic chaos, including skyrocketing federal debt, raging inflation, a weakening dollar, and even doomsday scenarios. Wyoming state Sen. Bob Ide (R), the bill's lead sponsor, isn't mincing words. “I can’t put a timeline on it, but there’s gonna be a sovereign-debt crisis,” Ide said. “There’s no will to rein in spending.” The gold sits locked in a high-security vault ... Continue Reading »