“Elon Musk has announced the Terafab project, a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, to build the ‘largest chip manufacturing facility ever.’ In his usual grandiose fashion, Musk claims Terafab is the next step towards harnessing the power of the sun and creating a ‘galactic civilization.’ Musk, CEO of all three companies, announced plans for the Terafab in a livestream on X. As the name implies, the project’s ultimate goal is to produce a terawatt of computing power each year so that it can match the companies’ growing demand for chips.” (03/22/26)
“Italian voters rejected a judicial reform backed by conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni, delivering a stinging setback to the right-wing government one year ahead of national elections. The ‘No’ camp won around 54% of the vote against the government‑backed ‘Yes’ campaign, which secured about 46%, according to almost final Interior Ministry data. Turnout over the two‑day ballot, which began Sunday, was considerably higher than expected at almost 59% following a polarizing campaign. The vote galvanized the center‑left opposition while exposing fractures within the right‑wing coalition that supports Meloni. The defeat of the referendum risks weakening Meloni’s leadership both at home and abroad. It may also complicate her efforts to defend her controversial alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump and his increasingly unpopular war on Iran. The referendum centered on long-debated reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of Italy’s judiciary.” (03/23/26)
“The Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire has been elected mayor of Paris, beating the former rightwing minister Rachida Dati, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) failing to take key cities targeted in Sunday’s second round of local elections. Grégoire took a victory bike ride with future councillors in Paris on Sunday night to show that the French capital would continue its pro-cycling and environmental policies. … In France’s second city, Marseille, the mayor, Benoît Payan, won with his leftwing coalition including the Socialists and the Greens – holding back a rise of the RN. … Elsewhere, the former prime minister Édouard Philippe is now expected to kickstart his centre-right candidacy for the French presidency next year after being re-elected as mayor of the northern port town of Le Havre.” (03/22/26)
“Residents reported blackouts across large parts of Tehran after heavy airstrikes struck multiple areas of Iran’s capital early Monday. It came shortly after Israel announced it would target Tehran’s infrastructure, without providing more details. … President Trump’s threat to strike power plants in Iran, which could plunge much of the country of 90 million people into darkness, has set off widespread fear and anxiety among Iranians at home and abroad. … Iranian officials responded defiantly on Sunday to President Trump’s threat to escalate attacks, warning that Iran would retaliate in kind if the United States or its allies widened their strikes against the country’s critical infrastructure.” (03/23/26)
“President Trump said Sunday he will send ICE agents to U.S. airports starting Monday to assist TSA officers who have been working without pay for more than five weeks during a partial Homeland Security shutdown. … acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Axios in a Sunday afternoon email that Trump ‘is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families.’ [editor’s note: The best “tool available to help American travelers” would be shutting down the “security” checkpoints and sending that job back to airports/airlines where it belongs – TLK] (03/22/26)
“Israeli [squatters] rampaged through multiple Palestinian villages overnight Saturday and into Sunday, smashing cars, setting fires and wounding several men in the latest flare-up of violence in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported attacks in at least six communities on Sunday. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least three Palestinians in the village of Jalud suffered head wounds from beatings and were hospitalized after confronting [squatters], who were also reported injured. The violence came as Israel’s government presses ahead with new ]squats] in the occupied West Bank. Attacks by [squatters] have intensified alongside a broader surge in violence since the Iran war started.” (03/22/26)
“A California jury determined that Elon Musk misled Twitter investors before making a $44 billion deal to buy the company in 2022, reports CNBC. The New York Times reports that Musk had testified this month that he didn’t believe his posts would spook markets, but he did say that ‘If this was a trial about whether I made stupid tweets, I would say I’m guilty.’ CNBC reports Musk’s attorneys are expected to file an appeal, as damages could reach as high as $2.6 billion, according to attorneys representing the plaintiffs. While finding that Musk did not engage in a specific scheme to defraud shareholders, the jury cited two of Musk’s tweets, from May 13th and May 27th, 2022, as materially false or misleading, causing some investors to sell shares in Twitter at values below the $54.20 per share bid.” (03/20/26)
“Switzerland said it won’t allow weapons exports to the U.S. as long as Washington is involved in its ongoing military campaign against Iran. The Swiss government said on Friday that it will not sign off on any new licenses for the export of war materiel to countries involved in the conflict, citing Switzerland’s commitment to neutrality. Switzerland said that it has not issued new export licenses to send weapons to the U.S. since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28. Existing licenses to export weapons to the U.S. can continue as they are not relevant ‘to the war at present,’ but they will be kept under review in case they conflict with Swiss neutrality laws, it said.” (03/21/26)
“Russia launched a Soyuz rocket from a repaired launch pad at its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday, restoring its capability to fly to the International Space Station for the first time since the launch pad was damaged last year. At 1200 GMT, a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft lifted off and was placed into orbit, Russia’s space agency said. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the International Space Station on March 24. The launch pad had been out of commission since it was badly damaged in November when a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut on board blasted off. No one was hurt and the crew safely reached the space station, but the incident deprived Russia of its sole means of sending crew or cargo back to the ISS for months.” (03/22/26)
“The Trump administration violated the Constitution when it sought to restrict press access to the Pentagon and limit what reporters could cover, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman granted a request from The New York Times to void the Pentagon’s press credential policy on grounds it violated the First and Fifth Amendment, rejecting the government’s argument that the restrictions were needed to prevent the disclosure of classified information. … The ruling, which comes as journalists around the world seek information about the war in Iran, rolls back a highly aggressive attack on press freedom implemented last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has had a strained relationship with the media.” (03/20/26)
