“The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a temporary 8% charge on certain popular products, including Priority Mail, to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs. USPS filed notice on Wednesday with the Postal Regulatory Commission seeking the price increase, which would take effect on April 26 and remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027, pending final approval. … The notice comes as Postmaster General David Steiner has warned Congress that the Postal Service, which has seen letter volumes plummet, will run out of cash within a year unless lawmakers lift a decades-old cap and allow the independent agency to borrow more money.” (03/25/26)
“Days after Maine Gov. Janet Mills released her first attack ad against her rival in the Democratic Senate primary, Graham Platner, focusing on comments he made about sexual assault victims online 13 years ago, Emerson College Polling conducted the latest survey of likely primary voters regarding their support for the two candidates. Between March 21-23, the polling group surveyed 1,075 Maine Democrats and found that 55% expressed support for Platner, while just 28% supported Mills—giving the first-time political candidate, oyster farmer, and combat veteran nearly a 2-to-1 advantage. When asked about a hypothetical general election matchup with Republican Sen. Susan Collins, respondents gave both Democratic candidates an edge over her, but Platner had a more comfortable lead. Forty-eight percent supported him over Collins, while 41% backed Collins and 12% said they were undecided or supported another candidate. Mills had the backing of 46% of voters compared to Collins’ 43%, and 11% were undecided.” (03/26/26)
“They are humankind’s best friend, and now ancient DNA analysis has revealed that the enduring bond between dogs and humans dates back more than 15,000 years. The groundbreaking research, published in the journal Nature, pushes back the oldest genetic evidence for domestic dogs by 5,000 years, revealing that hunter-gatherers were feeding the animals and giving them ritual burials long before the emergence of agriculture. The oldest specimen, dating to 15,800 years old, was buried alongside human remains in Anatolia, Turkey.” (03/25/26)
“The Trump administration is again seeking to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge threw out its case against her and grand juries twice declined to indict her last year, according to reports. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte is accusing James of alleged homeowners insurance fraud, according too documents obtained by CNN, NBC News and MS News. … The Trump administration last fall sought to prosecute James for mortgage fraud after prosecutors alleged she falsely claimed a Norfolk property she bought in 2020 would be her primary residence in order to secure better mortgage terms — an indictment that was thrown out in November. Then two separate grand juries declined to indict her in December.” (03/26/26)
“Kari McCaw was flying with co-workers to attend a conference in Las Vegas last month when Southwest Airlines employees stopped her at the ticket counter. The agents’ message was clear: either buy a second seat for herself or don’t fly. McCaw is not alone in her experience. In January, Southwest’s popular ‘customer of size’ policy changed, and flyers have taken to social media to share their frustrations. Flyers report that customer service agents have singled them out for their appearance and forced them to buy another seat to be accommodated, something they’ve never needed to do before.” [editor’s note: It’s not about “appearance,” it’s about size. If you require two seats, they’re going to charge you for two seats because space is a scarcity factor – TLK] (03/26/26)
“Nepal’s newly elected members of parliament were sworn in Thursday with nearly two-thirds of them from a political party that is less than four years old. The 275 members of the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament, will be in their positions for the next five years. The election — the country’s first since last year’s youth-led revolt — was won by the Rastriya Swatantra Party, or RSP, led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah. Shah is expected to be chosen as the leader by the elected members from his party later on Thursday and formally inform President Ram Chandra Poudel. The president will then appoint Shah as the prime minister of Nepal.” (03/26/26)
“The U.S. can continue to detain immigrants without bond, an appeals court ruled on Wednesday, handing a victory to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. The opinion from a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis overturned a lower court ruling that required that a native of Mexico arrested for lacking legal documents be given a bond hearing before an immigration judge. It’s the second appeals court to rule in favor of the administration on this issue.” (03/25/26)
“Falling debris from a missile interception over the United Arab Emirates on Thursday killed two people, injured three others and damaged cars in Abu Dhabi, the authorities there said. The U.A.E.’s air defenses were responding to Iranian missiles and drones, the country’s defense ministry had said earlier. … The Israeli military said Thursday that it had launched more strikes on Iran, as Washington and Tehran struggled [sic] to start negotiations to end the war after nearly four weeks of fighting.” (03/26/26)
“A jury has found Meta and Google liable for $3 million in damages [sic] on Wednesday, March 25 in a landmark trial over allegations that their popular social media apps, including Instagram and YouTube, are designed to get children addicted. The Los Angeles case centers on a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., who said she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a young age. The jury found Google and Meta were negligent in the design of both apps and failed to warn about their dangers [sic]. … Kaley G.M. alleged in the case that she became addicted to social media apps as a teenager because of their attention-grabbing design, in turn worsening her mental health, according to court filings.” (03/25/26)
“Sarah Mullally has been formally installed as archbishop of Canterbury, marking the start of her public ministry as the first woman to lead the Church of England. The former nurse on Wednesday took her seat on the 13th-century Chair of St Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral before 2,000 guests that included heir to the British throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and religious leaders. She will serve as the spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion, which has about 85 million members worldwide. … While Mullally’s appointment in October drew sharp criticism from the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference, made up largely of churches in Africa and Asia that oppose moves towards same-sex blessings and women’s leadership, the bloc this month abandoned earlier plans to appoint a parallel figurehead to rival Canterbury, opting instead to establish a new council.” (03/25/26)
