“Lawyers for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have asked the country’s Supreme Court to allow Darren Beattie, who was recently tapped by the Trump administration for a senior advisory role overseeing Brazil, to visit him in prison next week, a document showed on Tuesday. Bolsonaro began in November to serve a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup against his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the 2022 presidential election. … Beattie, a critic of Brazil’s current government, was appointed to the position shaping U.S. policy toward Brazil last month, a move that suggested relations between the two countries remain delicate despite a recent rapprochement. In August, Beattie provoked a diplomatic incident after describing Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in an X post as ‘the key architect of the censorship and persecution complex directed against Bolsonaro.'” (03/10/26)
“Fifteen years after the 2011 nuclear disaster, color-coded radiation maps hang on the wall of Futabaya Ryokan, the family-run inn Tomoko Kobayashi operates in her near-deserted hometown in northeastern Fukushima. Kobayashi conducted her own radiation surveys before reopening the inn in 2016. Now, she and other monitors share radiation data as part of efforts to rebuild this once-bustling textile town. ‘These empty lots used to be filled with shops,’ Kobayashi says of the pre-disaster town as she heads to a radiation monitoring lab, walking past a kindergarten she attended as a child. It’s now used as a museum because there are too few children since the nuclear crisis. ‘There used to be businesses, community activity and children playing,’ she says. ‘We used to live our ordinary daily lives here, and I hope to see that again.’ Only about one-third of Odaka’s pre-disaster population of 13,000 have returned over the past decade.” (03/10/26)
“A federal judge scolded attorneys for the Justice Department and Live Nation for secretly negotiating a settlement to resolve allegations the ticket giant operated as a monopoly while the trial was underway. Judge Arun Subramanian called the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, Omar Assefi, and Live Nation’s chief executive, Michael Rapino, into court Tuesday to answer questions after he was blindsided by the deal. On Monday the Justice Department and Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, announced they reached a settlement they said will benefit consumers by giving them more options and lowering prices. More than 30 state attorneys general are also part of the case against Live Nation, but said in court filings they were only given one day to decide whether to join the settlement.” (03/10/26)
“Elon Musk’s SpaceX is considering listing its shares on the Nasdaq as the rocket and satellite company explores options for a future public offering that could rank among the largest in history. People familiar with the discussions said the company is evaluating the technology focused exchange for its potential debut, although plans remain under consideration and have not been finalised. As part of the preparations for a possible listing, SpaceX has also explored the possibility of securing early inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index. The index tracks some of the largest non financial companies listed on the Nasdaq and is closely followed by institutional investors worldwide. Early entry into the index could significantly boost demand for the company’s shares because index funds and exchange traded funds that track the Nasdaq 100 would be required to add the stock to their portfolios.” (03/10/26)
“Polish President Karol Nawrocki refused Tuesday to sign a law enabling Poland to access almost 44 billion euros in preferential defense loans facilitated by the European Union, claiming it would be wrong to make Poland more dependent on Brussels. Instead, the president proposed an alternative draft law suggesting national resources that could be used instead of European loans to pay for further investments in defense. Subsequent Polish governments have boosted Poland’s defense spending since Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022. But while the liberal government led by Donald Tusk is happy to coordinate efforts with the European Union, the nationalist president has proven more euro-skeptic and maintained a friendlier rapport with the Trump administration. Since taking office last year, Nawrocki has positioned himself as a main opponent of the influential prime minister, repeatedly vetoing laws proposed by the executive.” (03/10/26)
“A senior Trump administration official is facing the ire of the Washington, D.C., Bar for his role in President Donald Trump’s push to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in U.S. universities. The DC Bar filed disciplinary charges against Ed Martin, formerly the acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, stating that he threatened to withhold funding from Georgetown University’s Law Center and barred his staff from hiring its students in a bid to punish the institution for its DEI practices — a violation of the First Amendment, the DC Bar said. ‘Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’’ Hamilton Fox, disciplinary counsel for the DC Bar, wrote in a filing made public on Tuesday.” (03/10/26)
“Uber has launched a feature allowing female drivers and passengers across the US to request trips with other women on the ride-hailing app. The feature was piloted in the US last year and led to women feeling ‘more comfortable in the back seat’ and ‘more confident behind the wheel,’ Uber said. The rollout comes despite an ongoing class action lawsuit in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue the move discriminates against men. Uber said around one-fifth of its drivers in the US are women, although the ratio varies by city. Uber’s Women Preferences was launched on Monday in response to women riders and drivers who told the firm they wanted ‘more control over how they ride and earn.’ Women can reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance or set their preference in the app to increase the likelihood of being matched with a woman.” (03/10/26)
“The U.S. FDA on Tuesday approved leucovorin, a decades-old generic drug, for use against an ultra-rare disorder called cerebral folate deficiency, but not for children with the much broader diagnosis of autism that it had promised last autumn to help, citing a lack of data. The approval for the rare genetic disorder, which causes autism-like symptoms, is a significant step back from the government’s September press conference when President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted the drug as a treatment for autism symptoms. … Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, is a form of folate, an essential B vitamin, or B9. It is currently used in people undergoing chemotherapy but can be prescribed off-label for other uses.” [editor’s note: That last bit is important — a drug is either “approved” or not “approved” by FDA. “Approval” supposedly means that it is 1) safe, and 2) effective for some condition, but no separate “approval” is required for it to be prescribed for OTHER conditions. Vis a vis autism, the FDA is “not recommending” it, not “not approving” it – TLK] (03/10/26)
“A federal judge has ejected the leaders of the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey, concluding that Attorney General Pam Bondi illegally appointed an unusual ‘triumvirate,’ at President Donald Trump’s whim, to oversee the powerful federal prosecuting office. ‘Why does the fate of thousands of criminal prosecutions in this District potentially rest on the legitimacy of an unprecedented and byzantine leadership structure?’ U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote. ‘The President doesn’t like that he cannot simply appoint whomever he wants.’ The sweeping, scolding 130-page decision repeatedly chides the administration for attempting to sidestep Senate confirmation and twist centuries-old precedents to work the president’s will.” (03/09/26)
“Unidentified suspects fired multiple shots at the US consulate in Toronto in what officials have described as a ‘national security incident’, as police work to determine the motive behind the attack. Authorities said the shooting occurred early on Tuesday morning at around 04:30 local time (08:30 GMT). Officers found shell casings at the scene, as well as damage to the building, said Frank Barredo, deputy chief of the Toronto Police. The US State Department said it was aware of the incident and was closely monitoring the situation in coordination with local law enforcement. It comes as Norwegian police investigate an explosion that occurred outside the US embassy in Oslo on Sunday.” (03/10/26)
