“Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary race to succeed Illinois’[s] US senator Dick Durbin, beating out US representative Raja Krishnamoorthi. With nearly 90% of the vote tallied, Stratton was leading Krishnamoorthi by more than six percentage points on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. … Stratton, a progressive with the support of governor JB Pritzker, had been behind Krishnamoorthi in polling until recent weeks, when an infusion of cash from the governor and a hardening sentiment on immigration pushed aside the relatively moderate congressman. Stratton also faced competition on her left from congresswoman Robin Kelly, which threatened to split the progressive vote. Kelly drew less than 20% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Durbin, 81, is retiring after service five terms in the Senate.” (03/18/26)
“The U.S. dropped several 5,000-pound ‘deep penetrator’ bombs on the Iranian coast looking out onto the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, as the threat of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels keeps the vital waterway effectively shut for tankers carrying oil and gas. The U.S. military said the munitions targeted protected Iranian sites housing anti-ship cruise missiles posing a danger to international shipping in the strait. … Iran has vowed a ‘decisive’ response to the killing of Tehran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, in an Israeli strike on Tuesday, and targeted Israel with new missile strikes. … Israel launched fresh attacks on the Lebanese capital Beirut, and ordered parts of southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of operations against the Iran-backed political and militant group, Hezbollah.” (03/18/26)
“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued broad guidance towards the crypto industry on Tuesday, with SEC Chair Paul Atkins declaring that ‘most crypto assets’ would not be considered securities. The guidance provides distinctions between which types of assets do not meet the definition of securities and what would make an asset meet that definition as an investment contract. It also notes that protocol mining (as on Bitcoin) and staking, along with crypto airdrops — or tokens sent to a protocol’s users and contributors — do not meet that definition. … The taxonomy included in the SEC’s implementation divides digital assets into five groups: digital commodities, digital collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins, and digital securities. Digital securities are the only type of digital asset that the SEC says fall squarely within its regulatory remit, according to a fact sheet.” (03/17/26)
“Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will face a deficit of missiles it is using to fight Russia due to the war in the Middle East. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the Ukrainian president said Russia’s Vladimir Putin wanted a ‘long war’ between the US, Israel and Iran because it would weaken Kyiv, with US resources being directed elsewhere. … ‘For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,’ he said. ‘In addition to energy prices, it means the depletion of US reserves, and the depletion of air defence manufacturers. So we [Ukraine] have a depletion of resources.'” (03/18/26)
“The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday formally subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions about the Epstein files. The committee voted earlier this month to subpoena Bondi, following a motion from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who said it was unclear whether the Justice Department had turned over all records related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that were required under a law mandating their release. … The Justice Department has faced numerous accusations that it failed to meet the letter of the law in sharing the files related to Epstein, including various deadlines.” (03/17/26)
“The Trump Administration’s global economic policy, particularly its penchant for using tariffs as a bargaining chip, has had massive ramifications on the highly-globalized automotive industry. According to an analysis of the automaker financial reports by Automotive News, the Trump tariff plan has already cost automakers some $35.4 billion since the start of 2025. The news come via analysis of the latest data from car companies, which include data for the full-year costs of 2025 as well as projections for 2026 through mid-March where applicable. … that financial strain also comes at the same time as Trump’s massive rework of emissions and climate regulations, which saw automakers walk back their EV initiatives. AN reports those actions have also cost automakers around $70 billion thus far.” (03/17/26)
“Rachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up plans to give regional leaders a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy of England. Setting out her intention of creating ‘investment-led growth,’ the chancellor promised ‘a genuine break with the past’ that would shift spending power away from Westminster. … Reeves set out plans to reform regulation to ‘shift the balance of power towards workers, consumers, bill-payers and renters.’ Her lecture was titled The Active and Strategic State, and restated the approach she calls ‘securonomics.'” (03/17/26)
“Senate Democrats sent over their latest proposal for immigration enforcement changes at the Department of Homeland Security as a shutdown of the vast department drags into its second month. The offer, confirmed by a White House official and two other people with knowledge of the matter, is the latest of several the two parties have traded since the funding lapse began Feb. 14. Little progress has been made since toward an agreement that would fund agencies including TSA, FEMA, ICE and the Coast Guard. Democrats have vowed to block funding until the administration agrees to immigration enforcement changes in the wake of federal agents [murdering] two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Republicans, meanwhile, have rejected Democrats’ efforts to lop off immigration enforcement agencies and fund the rest of DHS.” (03/17/26)
“A top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has resigned in protest of the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, posted on social media platform X that he was resigning effective Tuesday. He appears to be the first major Trump administration official to resign over the war. ‘I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,’ Kent wrote. Kent shared a letter addressed to President Trump stating that while he supports ‘the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020’ and 2024, he disagreed with the president’s decision to launch the Iran operation.” (03/17/26)
“A US Navy warship believed to be carrying thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East is nearing the Malacca Strait off Singapore as it makes its way to the region, maritime tracking data showed Tuesday. The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was approaching Singapore, at the southwestern edge of the South China Sea, Tuesday morning, according to AIS tracking data seen by CNN. US Navy ships often move with AIS transponders turned off. Revealing their positions while transiting areas with heavy maritime traffic, like the waters around Singapore, enables safer operations. The Tripoli is believed to be carrying troops from the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a rapid-response force of 2,200 personnel, after the Pentagon ordered the unit to deploy, according to three officials familiar with the plans.” (03/17/26)
