“U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the same range of recent years despite a broadly tepid labor market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 14 fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 205,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 215,000 new filings analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting. 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.” (03/19/26)
“British authorities are seeking the cooperation of the Justice Department as they pursue investigations arising from the Epstein files, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said in an interview Wednesday. Commissioner Mark Rowley declined to opine on why the files have resulted in the arrests of two high-profile figures in the U.K. — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and former ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson — while U.S. authorities have made no arrests or charges in the wake of the files’ release. But Rowley touted British authorities’ willingness to pursue ’eminent’ figures. … He said communication between British and American law enforcement is a precursor to more formal requests British authorities intend to file, including mutual legal assistance treaty — or MLAT — requests.” (03/19/26)
“Federal prosecutors in Florida have subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey as part of a wide-ranging probe into a prior investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, confirmed Comey was subpoenaed in the probe, which is also reviewing the previous investigations into President Trump, including the work of Obama-era intelligence officials. … The probe in Florida has sought information from several former officials, with both NBC and CBS reporting that at least 130 subpoenas have been issued since the investigation began last year. That group includes a number of those previously targeted by Trump, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.” (03/19/26)
“Severe tropical cyclone Narelle was losing strength on Friday after bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and power outages to Australia’s northeast coast that prompted authorities to warn people to stay indoors. Narelle was packing wind speeds reaching about 195 kph (120 mph), authorities said, when it hit land in remote parts of the far north region of Queensland state as a category four system, a rung short of the strongest.” (03/20/26)
“A pro-Kremlin figure who unexpectedly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine in a social media post this week that went viral has been placed in a psychiatric facility, Russian media reported on Thursday. Ilya Remeslo made a career denouncing Putin’s critics until he became one himself, posting a manifesto late on Tuesday to his 90,000 followers on Telegram entitled: ‘Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.’ He said Putin had prosecuted a ‘failing war’ in Ukraine that had killed millions and torpedoed Russia’s economy to the detriment of its citizens’ well-being. ‘Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate president. Vladimir Putin must resign and be brought to trial as a war criminal and a thief,’ Remeslo wrote in his post. … On Thursday, St Petersburg’s Fontanka newspaper reported Remeslo had been hospitalised in the city’s Psychiatric Hospital No 3.” (03/19/26)
“Lawyers for the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess called on Thursday for his acquittal on charges of rape, as six weeks of high-profile court proceedings that have cast a shadow over the royal family drew to a close. Prosecutors this week sought a prison sentence of seven years and seven months for Marius Borg Høiby, who denies the rape allegations. A verdict is expected at a later date. … He is charged with 40 offenses in total, including four counts of rape between 2018 and 2024 involving women who prosecutors say were unable to give consent because they were asleep or otherwise incapacitated. Defense lawyers for Høiby, who has no royal titles or official duties, said that there was no evidence of rape in any of the cases.” (03/19/26)
“Three men who alleged that actor Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted them have settled their civil claims before going to trial at the High Court in London, court documents show. The three men alleged that the Academy Award-winning star abused them at times between 2000 and 2013. Spacey has denied the allegations. Civil trials were due to start later this year, but case judge Christina Lambert last week ordered the proceedings paused, saying the parties had ‘agreed to the terms of the settlement.’ … Spacey, now 66, was tried in London in 2023 on nine alleged sex offenses against four men, and acquitted on all counts. … Spacey also successfully defended himself against a $40 million US civil lawsuit in New York in 2022 brought by Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp.” (03/19/26)
“Eli Lilly on Thursday said its next-generation obesity drug retatrutide cleared its first late-stage trial on Type 2 diabetes patients, helping them manage their blood sugar levels and lose weight. The drug lowered hemoglobin A1c — a key measure of blood sugar levels — by an average of 1.7% to 2% across different doses at 40 weeks compared with placebo, meeting the study’s main goal. Patients started the trial with an A1c in the range of 7% to 9.5%, and were not taking other diabetes medications.” (03/19/26)
“Congolese and Rwandan officials met in the United States and agreed on coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo, where government troops are fighting rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, according to a joint statement. The statement issued by the Congolese, Rwandan and U.S. governments said that Congolese and Rwandan officials met on Tuesday and Wednesday to advance progress in eastern Congo as peace efforts led by the U.S. and partners including Qatar have stalled and violence continued. The mineral-rich eastern Congo has been battered by decades of unrest as government forces fight more than 100 armed groups, the most potent the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda.” (03/19/26)
“In a marked shift, commercial satellite companies that provide open-source data used widely by many, including journalists and researchers, have restricted access to images showing Iran and the wider Middle East, including areas where there are U.S. military sites that have been targeted by Iran’s retaliatory fire. Planet Labs, which regularly provides imagery used by news organizations including CBS News, said earlier this month that it was delaying the release of all new imagery of Iran, the Persian Gulf, U.S.-allied bases, and ‘existing conflict zones’ for 14 days. … The other large firm often relied on for satellite updates is Vantor, formerly called Maxar, which currently has controls in place on imagery from parts of the Middle East, a spokesperson said.” (03/19/26)
