“Bitcoin briefly fell to $65,112, its lowest level since the war-related February crash, before rebounding above $67,000 as Asian markets opened. The latest escalation in the conflict, including Houthi involvement, new U.S. troop deployments and Iranian attacks on aluminum facilities, rattled global markets and pushed Brent crude to about $115 a barrel. Bitcoin’s drop below its recent pattern of higher lows raises questions about whether its war-time trading range will hold, while surging oil and metals prices threaten broader inflation and could delay Federal Reserve rate cuts.” (03/30/26)
“All three people who died in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon were television journalists, it has been confirmed. The Lebanese trio were travelling in a car when they were killed on Saturday. Fatima Ftouni, an Al Mayadeen reporter, and Ali Shoaib, an Al Manar correspondent, were among those who died. It has emerged the third person killed was Ms Ftouni’s brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni. Fatima Ftouni had done a live report from southern Lebanon just before the strike in the Jezzine region. … Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said the attack on the journalists was a war crime. … The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the bombing as a ‘targeted strike’ and claimed that Ali Shoaib was ‘a terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.’ It added: ‘Additionally, the terrorist engaged in incitement against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, using his position as a channel to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda materials.'” (03/28/26)
“Russia’s Baltic Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export hubs, was damaged again on Sunday by a Ukrainian drone attack which sparked a blaze later brought under control, Russian officials said. It followed several Ukrainian drone strikes last week on Russia’s western energy corridor when facilities at the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk came under fire, igniting storage tanks and forcing a suspension of oil and oil product loadings. … The port, operated by Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft handles around 700,000 barrels per day of oil exports, and, according to sources, shipped 32.9 million metric tons of oil products in 2025.” (03/29/26)
“For the second year in a row, United States Vice President JD Vance has topped the straw poll at the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of the biggest right-wing gatherings in the country. The poll is a bellwether – albeit, not necessarily an accurate one – for who might ultimately become the Republican nominee for the next presidential race. … The results were revealed on stage Saturday. Vance had swept up 53 percent of the votes cast by nearly 1,600 attendees. But rising up the ranks was another senior official under US President Donald Trump: his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A former senator from Florida, Rubio notched 35 percent of the vote. It was a markedly improved standing for Rubio, who tied for fourth place at last year’s CPAC straw poll.” (03/28/26)
“On Friday, Republican Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri became the 36th Republican — and 57th House member — to announce plans not to seek re-election, saying it was time to ‘pass the torch’ to a new generation. In fact, more Republicans are retiring ahead of the midterms than at any point in nearly a century, according to an ABC News tally of retirement announcements and a review of historical data since 1930 compiled by the Brookings Institution. … So far, 21 House Democrats have announced plans to retire, more than the total that left ahead of the 2018 midterms, but fewer than the 29 Democrats who did not run for office again before the party lost the House majority in 2021.” (03/29/26)
“French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris early Saturday, and a man was arrested as he was about to set off a homemade explosive device. Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of nine pints of a liquid believed to be fuel, 23 ounces of explosive powder, and an ignition system, according to an initial assessment. The device will undergo a full analysis at the Paris police’s forensics lab. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m., while the office was closed. No employees were injured, according to the bank.” (03/28/26)
“Israeli police have blocked the head of the Catholic church in Jerusalem from entering Christianity’s holiest site to celebrate Palm Sunday. The Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Reverend Francesco Ielpo were stopped outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — believed to be the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, and where they planned to hold a mass to mark the start of Holy Week, church authorities said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said worshippers of ‘all faiths’ had been asked [sic] not to visit sites in Jerusalem’s Old City for safety reasons after recent Iranian attacks. But the move has drawn strong criticism from global leaders as well as the church.” (03/29/26)
“A federal judge late Friday put a hold on the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna, a deal that would create the largest operator of local television stations in the country. U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in California granted a request from DirecTV, which argued in a lawsuit that the pending merger violates federal antitrust laws. Eight attorneys general, led by California’s Rob Bonta, filed a separate lawsuit on similar legal grounds. … Nunley issued a 14-day temporary restraining order and scheduled an April 7 hearing. Nexstar declined to comment. Tegna did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice both approved the merger earlier this month. President Donald Trump also publicly backed the deal.” (03/28/26)
“In a report released Friday, the House Judiciary Committee found that the U.S. system for matching resident physicians to programs is monopolistic and anticompetitive. Every year, resident physicians in the U.S. learn which program they’ve been placed in. This is operated through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), commonly referred to as the ‘Match.’ The House Judiciary Committee determined in its investigation that the way residency programs are matched is the result of an ‘entrenched monopoly shielded from scrutiny by government protectionism.'” (03/27/26)
“Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba finally reached Havana on Saturday after disappearing en route leading to days of searching for the missing vessels. In the Cuban capital, the crew of nine which included a four-year-old boy along with American, French and German citizens appeared to be in good health and spirits. … On Saturday, the Mexican Navy said the sailboats were spotted by a maritime surveillance aircraft some 80 nautical miles (roughly 148 kilometers) northwest of Cuba. The Reuters news agency cited them as saying they were slowed by unfavorable weather conditions. A Mexican ship escorted them to Havana to ensure their safe arrival in the Cuban capital, the Mexican Navy said.” (03/29/26)
