“The top Republican on the Senate committee considering Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to run the Department of Homeland Security criticized his ‘machismo’ Wednesday and said he should ‘explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues’ to lead the agency. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) used his opening statement at the confirmation hearing to launch a withering critique of Mullin (R-Oklahoma) for saying he understood why Paul’s neighbor violently attacked him in 2017. Leaning forward on the dais, Paul chastised Mullin, saying he suffered six broken ribs and had part of his lung removed after the assault …. Paul’s sparring with Mullin set an early tone for the hearing. President Donald Trump nominated Mullin to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, who is set to leave the position at the end of the month after the president removed her amid growing bipartisan criticism of her oversight of the department.” (03/18/26)
“A Chinese man and his Kenyan associate have been charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after they were caught trying to smuggle more than 2,000 live queen garden ants out of Kenya. Zhang Kequn was arrested at the international airport in the capital Nairobi last week after authorities discovered the large consignment of ants in his luggage – each of them either stashed in a test tube or wrapped in tissue. On Tuesday, a court in Nairobi heard that Zhang bought the ants from Charles Mwangi at 10,000 Kenyan shillings ($77; £58) for every 100 of them. Kenyan authorities have been warning about of a growing demand for garden ants in Europe and Asia, where collectors keep them as pets. Officials have not said if this were the case for the insects Zhang tried to bring out of the country, but his luggage was bound for China.” (03/18/26)
“Georgia’s Patriarch Ilia II, the longtime head of the Georgian Orthodox Church and one of the country’s most influential figures, has died. He was 93. Ilia II died late Tuesday after being hospitalized in critical condition with internal bleeding. … Ilia II led the church for nearly five decades. He assumed the leadership role in 1977, when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union and religious practices were restricted, and remained a dominant spiritual and public figure after Georgia regained independence.” (03/18/26)
“BP announced Tuesday night that it will initiate a lockout for more than 800 United Steelworkers Local 7-1 employees as the two parties still haven’t come to a contract agreement. In a Tuesday update, the company said it provided notice to cancel the 24-hour rolling contract extension, provided lockout notice, and sought commitment from the union to help facilitate a safe handover of operations. The lockout becomes effective at midnight Thursday. … BP has trained replacement workers — consisting of current and former employees — to operate the refinery safely and in compliance with regulatory requirements, and the company doesn’t expect disruptions to its operations or production.” (03/18/26)
“A Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro favelas on Wednesday killed seven presumed drug traffickers, including a gang chief, as well as a local resident caught in the crossfire, law enforcement officials said. Claúdio Augusto dos Santos, a drug-trafficking boss and member of the notorious Red Command criminal organization, was among those killed in the operation in central Rio, Secretary of the Military Police Col. Marcelo de Menezes said in a press conference. In retaliation, police said ‘criminals’ set fire to a bus and blocked roads in Rio’s central zone, leading to four arrests. Márcio Sousa, the driver of the bus set alight, reported that the attackers boarded the vehicle with two bottles of gasoline.” (03/18/26)
“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)
