Source: Axios
“President Trump said Wednesday that Israel will not conduct further attacks on Iran’s main natural gas facility. Trump’s comments that seem to be an effort to de-escalate the situation came hours after he green-lit the Israeli strike on the facility that marked a significant escalation in the war. The Israeli Air Force struck a natural gas processing facility in southwestern Iran on Wednesday. … Several hours later, the Iranian military conducted two missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City and hit natural gas facilities, QatarEnergy said in a statement.” (03/19/26)
https://archive.is/GMe4p
Source: The Bulwark
by David Opderbeck
“For all the impassioned impromptu defenses of the current war in Iran, there have been remarkably few that have used the traditional criteria Western (and many non-Western) theologians, ethicist, politicians, and soldiers have used to evaluate the righteousness of armed struggle, the ‘just war’ principles. Even those leaders who have called the war ‘just’ have not engaged with any of the specifics of just war reasoning. The paucity of such efforts likely results from the fact that this war cannot be considered a just war when all the relevant criteria are considered.” (03/18/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-iran-war-is-not-a-just-war-theory-trump-hegseth-israel
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Richer Than Ever, Miserable Anyway.” (03/18/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/richer-than-ever-miserable-anyway
Source: CBS News
“The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, marking the central bank’s second consecutive pause in 2026. In its policy statement, the Fed said U.S. economic uncertainty remains elevated, adding that the impact of the Iran war also remains unclear. The Fed maintained the federal funds rate — what banks charge each other for short-term loans — in its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The decision to keep rates steady was widely expected by investors.” (03/18/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-reserve-fomc-march-18-interest-rate-decision/
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Everyone has opinions, usually on almost everything. Not all opinions are equally valid, though, and there are good reasons why this is true. It doesn’t bother me when people have opinions that differ from mine, as long as those opinions are based in reality and on facts. What bothers me is when people have different opinions based on superstition, lies, hallucinations, or some combination of all those. … This is common in what passes for political opinions, especially on the Internet.” (03/18/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/03/18/voices/opinion-politics-tend-to-produce-stupid-opinions/233030.html
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Ukraine’s military struck two Russian plants producing and repairing military transport and cargo planes in the Ulyanovsk and Novgorod regions, the Ukrainian general staff said on Wednesday. It said in a statement that the attack on the Aviastar plant, part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, in the city of Ulyanovsk, was carried out on 16 March. The plant produces Ilyushin-76MD-90A military transport planes, Ilyushin-78M-90A refueling planes, and provides maintenance for ‘Ruslan’ cargo planes, and is located about 800km (about 500 miles) from the Ukrainian border. … The attack on the 123rd aircraft maintenance plant in the city of Staraya Russia in the Novgorod region took place one day later, the general staff said.” (03/19/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/19/ukraine-war-briefing-ukraine-strikes-russian-aircraft-sites-800km-from-border
Source: Liberalism.org
by Michael C Munger
“Markets may fail; governments may help. But much about market activity will forever be invisible. A pair of unlikely thinkers helps illustrate the limits of what we know and the need for epistemic humility.” (03/18/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/seeing-with-two-i-s-states-markets-and-some-advice-for-us-liberals
Source: The Hill
“The FBI is investigating [sic] Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned earlier this week over opposition to the U.S. ongoing war with Iran, over allegedly leaking classified information, The Hill’s sister network confirmed on Wednesday. The agency’s [PR witch hunt] was [supposedly] underway before Kent, a top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, announced his resignation from the post on Tuesday, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. and urging President Trump to change course regarding the Middle East conflict, a source told NewsNation. The FBI declined to comment when reached by The Hill.” ()3/18/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5790949-fbi-investigates-joe-kent
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Naman Karl-Thomas Habtom
“U.S. military bases in the Middle East have served as a key launchpad for American attacks on Iran. But they’ve also served as a vulnerable target for retaliation. In less than two weeks, the Iranian military has fired thousands of missiles and drones at these bases, killing seven U.S. soldiers and wounding at least 140 more. So it is that America’s war of choice in Iran has exposed the dangers and futility of U.S. overseas bases. In order to minimize the risk of future wars and reduce the threat faced by allies and partners, the United States should learn from this war and begin shuttering these outposts.” (03/18/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-gulf-bases/
Source: Seattle Times
“The latest heavy fighting between warring parties along Sudan ’s border with Chad has killed 17 people and many wounded, a medical group said. The attacks on Monday in Tina left 66 people in serious condition, Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF, said in a post on X late Tuesday. The army said in an update that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, had expanded its attacks on military areas in Tina, but that troops were able to repel them and forced them to withdraw.” (03/18/26)
https://archive.is/Db4Gp
