“A power outage has struck most of Cuba, including the capital Havana, the state electric utility said, as the administration of United States President Donald Trump continues its attempts to cripple the Caribbean nation by curtailing vital oil shipments. News of the widespread power outage on Wednesday emerged as the country’s diplomatic relations with Latin American neighbour Ecuador plummeted after the expulsion of Havana’s top envoy and diplomatic staff from the Ecuadorian capital Quito was announced. Cuban state media outlet Cubadebate said the blackout was caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100km (62 miles) east of Havana, which cut electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far west of the country to the eastern Las Tunas province.” (03/05/26)
“The Justice Department posted a trio of FBI interviews with a woman who alleged President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a young teenager after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein. The woman’s central allegation, according to FBI summaries of her interviews with investigators, known as FBI 302s, is that Trump hit her after she bit his penis when he attempted to force her to perform oral sex. The three files come as Democrats are investigating whether the department purposefully withheld materials that included sexual assault allegations against Trump.” (03/05/26)
“Some two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday, filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world. Trump has said the tariffs are essential to reduce America’s longstanding trade deficits. He imposed duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs he imposed last year under an emergency powers law. … The new suit argues that Trump can’t pivot to Section 122 because it was intended to be used only in specific, limited circumstances — not for sweeping import taxes. It also contends the tariffs will drive up costs for states, businesses and consumers.” (03/05/26)
“A French police officer initially charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 will instead stand trial for the lesser charge of voluntary assault leading to death, the Versailles appeals court said on Thursday. Police officer Florian M. had fired at Nahel Merzouk after the latter had failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The seventeen year old had later died from his wounds, sparking violent protests across the country. In 2025, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said one of two officers under investigation, identified as Florian M., would face the Assize Court of Hauts-de-Seine on charges of murder. Florian M. appealed, and the court lowered the charges on Thursday. … Under French law, voluntary assault leading to death by a person holding state authority carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, compared with up to 30 years for murder.” (03/05/26)
“A newly formed anti-corruption group has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the deal that sold TikTok’s U.S. operation to a group of administration-backed investors. The suit, filed by the Public Integrity Project, a law firm that seeks to raise the ‘reputational cost of corruption in America,’ argues the deal violates a law intended to prevent the spread of Chinese government propaganda and has enriched Trump’s allies. … Trump signed an executive order in September paving the way for the deal, and the White House and China finalized a deal to give control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a group of investors who were backed by Trump earlier this year. The deal included investors ‘Oracle, MGX, and affiliates of Susquehanna International Group, LLP and General Atlantic, among other companies,’ which the lawsuit said ‘have close ties to the President, and have at times personally enriched him.'” (03/05/26)
“Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress. He had faced calls from GOP leadership to end his reelection bid, and from others in Congress to resign. … The move is the latest in a quickly changing situation that stunned Capitol Hill and resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzales’ decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 primary.” (03/06/26)
“A pronounced increase in home relistings suggests U.S. sellers are gearing up for a potentially busier spring housing season, according to a new analysis from Redfin. Nearly 45,000 homes that were taken off the market in 2025 were relisted in January 2026 — the highest January relisting count in records going back to 2016, and equivalent to 3.6 % of all active listings for the month. Relistings occur when a home that was previously taken off the market is listed again after at least 31 days off the market, signaling renewed seller confidence. The surge follows a period in which many sellers withdrew homes rather than accept low offers amid declining demand, high housing costs, and economic uncertainty.” (03/05/26)
“Rising sea levels caused by climate change may be significantly higher than previously thought, according to a new study, which says a “methodological blind spot” led researchers to underestimate existing coastal water levels. The revelation suggests that higher seas threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government officials believed, with elevated risks for already vulnerable communities. The new research, published in the journal Nature, reviewed hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 1 foot. The study found it’s a far more frequent problem in the Global South, the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and less so in Europe and along Atlantic coasts.” (03/05/26)
“The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week was unchanged from the week before, a sign that layoffs remain at historically low levels. U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 28 matched the previous week’s 213,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 215,000 new benefit applications. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (03/05/26)
“The Israeli Army on Thursday ordered a mass evacuation of Beirut’s southern suburbs — a main stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah — in an unprecedented warning ahead of massive strikes, causing widespread panic among fleeing residents and heavy traffic jams in the capital. Army Arabic spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued the warning for entire densely populated neighborhoods in the southern suburbs — citing Bourj al-Barajneh, Hadath, Haret Hreik and Chiyah — and calling on their residents to immediately leave their homes ahead of potential strikes to save their lives. … Israeli English-language websites quoted Israeli defense officials as saying that the warning precedes what is expected to be a large-scale strike in the area, describing the planned operation as one of the most dramatic developments so far in the fighting along the northern front.” (03/05/26)
