“Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez again criticized the U.S. and Israel’s military actions in Iran, standing firm on Wednesday against trade threats from Washington and warning that the war in the Middle East risked ‘playing Russian roulette’ with millions of lives. ‘We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,’ Sánchez said in a televised address. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end U.S. trade with Spain because of Spain’s refusal to allow the U.S. to use joint military bases in the country in its attacks on Iran.” (03/04/26)
“Mortgage rates hovered around a four-year low last week, prompting more borrowers to refinance and more potential homebuyers to get off the fence. Total mortgage application volume rose 11% from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Last week, the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $832,750 or less, was unchanged from the previous week at 6.09%, with points decreasing to 0.52 from 0.53, including the origination fee, for loans with a 20% down payment. That rate is the lowest since 2022. Last year that rate was 64 basis points higher.” (03/04/26)
“Eleven-term Veteran Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, and newly minted Rep. Christian Menefee [D-TX] will face off again after neither Democrat captured over 50% of the vote on Tuesday evening in their bids to represent Texas'[s] 18th Congressional District. Under Texas law, if no candidate has captured a majority of the vote, the race will head to a runoff election. On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Menefee received 46% of votes and Green 44.2%. Green has served in Congress since 2005, representing the Lone Star State’s 9th Congressional District. This year, because of redistricting changes advanced by Republicans, Green announced he would pursue reelection in the state’s 18th Congressional District, putting him on a collision course with Menefee. Menefee won election to the House of Representatives in a January special election to fill the seat of Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in office last March.” (03/04/26)
“A Japanese high court on Wednesday upheld a dissolution order for the Unification Church as requested by the central government on the grounds that it unlawfully solicited financially ruinous donations from its members. While the group can still appeal to the Supreme Court, the order by the Tokyo High Court will take immediate effect, with the controversial organization losing its status as a religious corporation with its associated tax advantages and liquidation procedures to begin. … The government argued that the organization’s tactics, which included approaching individuals without disclosing its identity and soliciting large donations, constituted violations of civil law. … The group argued that only criminal violations, not those under the Civil Code, meet the requirements for dissolution.” (03/04/26)
“Officials from the San Francisco Unified School District have launched an investigation into a teacher at Lowell High School over allegations of ‘inappropriate questions’ on exams that reportedly included fat-shaming and sexist content. ‘SFUSD is aware of the allegations regarding inappropriate questions on a teacher’s exam and other related concerns,’ Laura Dudnick, the director of communications at SFUSD, said in an emailed statement to SFGATE. ‘We take these concerns seriously and are actively investigating.’ Lowell is known for its rigorous academics and has consistently ranked ‘one of the highest performing public high schools’ in the state. According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, Tom Chan, a Lowell math teacher, included quiz questions that asked students to figure out how much it would cost to pay for dinner for girls who weigh 120 versus 220 pounds. Another question, which was allegedly titled ‘Mr. Chan vs. The Fat Kid (part 2)’, appeared to be fat-shaming.” (03/03/26)
“Bayer reported an operating loss of more than €1bn in 2025 as annual profits were wiped out by a €3.55bn hit from legal charges in the fourth quarter after resolving a years-long litigation related to its Roundup weedkiller. The German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, which last month agreed to pay $7.25bn to settle more than 100,000 lawsuits claiming that Roundup caused cancer, reported a net loss of €3.76bn in the fourth quarter, compared with a €355m loss the year before.” (03/04/26)
“U.S. and Ecuadorian forces announced drug-trafficking military crackdown operations in Ecuador on Tuesday. U.S. Southern Command in a Tuesday night statement said the operations targeted ‘Designated Terrorist Organizations’ and hailed the cooperation as ‘a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.'” (03/04/26)
“An independent researcher claimed on Wednesday that a marble bust of Christ in a Roman church is by Michelangelo, the latest purported attribution to the Renaissance genius who is one of the most imitated artists in the world. The unverified claim by Valentina Salerno has unsettled Renaissance scholars, especially since a recent sketch of a foot that was attributed to Michelangelo — but disputed by some as a copy — recently fetched $27.2 million at a Christie’s auction. Given the stakes — and Salerno’s suggestion that several other works can now be attributed to Michelangelo based on her documentary research — leading experts have declined to comment. Salerno has published her theory on the commercial website academia.edu, a non-peer reviewed social networking site academics use, and announced the first ‘rediscovery’ at a press conference Wednesday. The claims have drawn perhaps more attention than they normally would, given the Vatican seemed at least initially interested.” (03/04/26)
“A UK judge on Tuesday put on hold all trials of people charged with supporting Palestine Action, scheduling a blanket review of cases for July 30. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring’s decision, made at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court, comes after the High Court last month ruled the government’s ban on the group unlawful — though the government has been granted leave to appeal. Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation last July, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the protest group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The move was slammed by rights groups as a government overreach and breach of civil liberties. Since then, there have been nearly 3,000 arrests, mainly for carrying placards, according to the activist group Defend Our Juries. Hundreds of people are facing charges.” (03/03/26)
“Israel said it had launched a ‘broad wave of strikes’ against government targets in Tehran, including the presidential office. A loud blast was reported in the north-east of Tehran this morning, as explosions rocked Iranian cities for a fourth night. Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon continues, with strikes reported in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, seen as a support base for the militant group Hezbollah. Iran continues to launch retaliatory strikes, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) saying it fired about 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets.” (03/04/26)
