Source: CBS News
“An American aerial refueling tanker that was involved in the U.S. military operation in Iran crashed in western Iraq. The status of the plane’s crew is unknown. Iranian state media released the first public statement attributed to new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country continued attacking U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf and ships in the region. … Iran’s relentless assaults have fueled an apparent lack of investor confidence, with oil prices topping $100 a barrel and stock prices sliding despite President Trump’s repeated assertions that he’ll end the war soon and announcements of major oil reserve releases.” (03/13/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-us-israel-gulf-allies-strait-of-hormuz-attacks-oil-prices-stocks/
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“You may have only recently heard: As of this coming December, all American males will find themselves ‘automatically registered,’ upon the occasion of their 18th birthdays, for a prospective military draft. Given current events, that prospect understandably gives off sinister vibes — ‘but without a draft, who would do the necessary work of murdering Iranian elementary school students and Venezuelan fisherme … er, ‘narco-terrorists?” — so you might be surprised to learn that it’s old news. On December 30, 2024, then US president Joe Biden (or maybe his autopen?) signed the National Defense [sic] Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which included the relevant provision. Reaction from the general public: Yawn … hey, the Chargers clinched a wild card playoff berth! OMG, Jimmy Carter died! NDAA? Whazzat? War has a way of retroactively refocusing the mind, doesn’t it? In reality, ‘automatic registration’ is even older news, though.” (03/12/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20446
Source: The Fifth Column
“Gov. Chris Christie Tells on Everyone.” (03/12/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/gov-chris-christie-tells-on-everyone
Source: Independent [UK]
“Donald Trump has issued a 30-day waiver for countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea to stabilise global energy markets roiled by the Iran war. Earlier on Wednesday, Washington announced it would be releasing 172 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to curb skyrocketing oil prices. That release was part of a broader commitment by the 32-nation International Energy Agency (IEA) to release 400 million barrels of oil. Meanwhile, Ukraine struck a vital Russian oil hub on Thursday, causing a large fire and damaging Moscow’s logistics in the latest attack on energy infrastructure, according to a source in Ukraine’s security service.” [editor’s note: As if it was ever any of the US regime’s business where other countries get their oil from – TLK] (03/13/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-live-trump-putin-zelensky-drones-map-b2937686.html
Source: Antiwar.com
by David S D’Amato
“In coverage of the war against Iran, a familiar choreography is playing out again, one that the media have carefully refined to exploit the perceived credibility of diaspora groups in order to push war and empire. This phenomenon of selectively and specifically amplifying diaspora voices who will cheerlead for war is now a well-documented feature of the American media ecosystem. For months in the lead up to this new illegal and unconstitutional war, high-profile American ‘news’ outlets featured almost exclusively Iranians and Iranian-Americans who argued for regime change through ground invasion, a position arguably even more extreme and reckless than that of Donald Trump. Major outlets host sympathetic figures with very good reasons to hate the target country and unassailable arguments that its rulers are authoritarian criminals.” (03/12/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/david_damato/2026/03/11/selling-another-war-who-gets-to-speak-for-iran
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin is holding near $71,000 and trading at the upper end of a monthlong consolidation range, even as global stock markets wobble and oil prices climb. The broader crypto market, with a capitalization around $2.4 trillion, has remained in a tight band since late January, with major tokens like Ether, Solana, XRP and BNB posting modest gains. Analysts say Bitcoin’s resilience reflects a stabilization phase that may require new capital for a sustained rally, as institutions increasingly explore Bitcoin-native financial infrastructure and so-called Bitcoin DeFi.” (03/13/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/03/13/bitcoin-above-usd71-000-eth-sol-ada-zoom-higher-as-cryptos-shrugs-off-stock-weakness
Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“President Donald Trump has lawlessly launched a full-scale war against a distant nation that neither attacked nor threatened America. Instead, Iran was negotiating with the United States, offering substantial concessions. The president justified his aggression with rhetoric similar to that of Russia’s Vladimir Putin in launching Moscow’s ‘special military operation’ against Ukraine. … He is acting more as Roman emperor than American president, wandering the globe conquering foreign lands and looting subject peoples for personal as well as national gain. He has become the sort of reckless despot feared by the nation’s founders. This tragic perversion of the American experiment demonstrates the terrible truth of Lord Acton’s famous axiom: ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely.'” (03/12/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-madness-of-king-trump/
Source: The Hill
“Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated a motion to proceed to a House-passed bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security and end the 27-day shutdown that has hampered the functions of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other critical agencies. The motion failed by a vote of 51 to 46. Centrist Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to advance the funding bill. It needed 60 votes to advance. It marked the fourth time since Feb. 12 that Democrats have voted to block Homeland Security funding legislation.” (03/12/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5781155-democrats-blocks-homeland-security-funding-bill/
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“Long before Trump partnered with Israel to attack Tehran, Democrats, libertarians, and even decent Americans warned that Trump would bomb Iran again to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein pedophile scandal. Most American voters believe that ‘Trump launched the war on Iran at least in part to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal,’ according to a new poll by DropSite News. Fifty-two percent of voters agreed with that statement, while 40% disagreed. But according to the Washington Post, anyone who still complains about the Epstein scandal is propelling Iranian propaganda.” (03/12/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/03/12/washington-posts-crazy-iran-war-conspiracy-theory/
Source: NBC News
“Richard Kahn, who was Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accountant, testified for roughly six hours on Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee as part of its probe into Epstein. Committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., said Kahn named five people who paid Epstein, ‘and that was Les Wexner, Glenn Dubin, Steven Sinofsky, the Rothschilds and Leon Black.’ Comer noted that the committee previously questioned Wexner and that Black will be deposed ‘very soon.’ No one named by Kahn has been accused by the authorities of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.” [editor’ note: Why was this hearing held in secret? – TLK] (03/12/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/richard-kahn-jeffrey-epstein-accountant-testimony-house-oversight-rcna263136
