“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)
“State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and fiercely contested Texas Senate Democratic primary that once again has the party dreaming of a big upset in November. Who Talarico will face depends on a May runoff between longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton — a race expected to get increasingly nasty over coming months and could hinge on whether or not President Donald Trump offers an endorsement.” (03/04/26)
“A Russian oil tanker is on fire in the Mediterranean after a drone attack, maritime security sources have said. Arctic Metagaz, which is carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is sanctioned by the US and UK, was hit on Tuesday near Malta, according to insiders. Shocking pictures and footage show the vessel ablaze, with large flames rising and clouds of smoke billowing into the sky. A source said the boat may have been attacked by a naval drone, suspected to have been dropped by Ukraine, amid the ongoing war between the two nations.” (03/03/26)
“Democrat Alex Holladay is projected to win the special election to represent Arkansas’s House District 70, edging out Republican Bo Renshaw, according to Decision Desk HQ. The race was seen as a pickup opportunity for the Democrats after Holladay, in 2024, narrowly lost his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Carlton Wing, who eked out a 50.97 percent victory. But Wing resigned in September to become the executive director of Arkansas PBS, giving Holladay another opportunity to vie for the seat.” (03/03/26)
“A Minnesota prosecutor announced an investigation Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one where Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers [abducting a victim] outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area. … The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, responded in a statement Monday night that such enforcement is a federal responsibility and states cannot prosecute federal officers.” (03/03/26)
“Colin Gray, the father of Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges Tuesday in a case testing the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before convicting him on all 27 charges: Two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 18 counts of cruelty to children and five counts of reckless conduct. … Prosecutors accused Gray of buying his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas present and allowing him access to that weapon and ammunition despite warnings that his son was a danger to others. Colt Gray, then 14, used that rifle to carry out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024, killing two teachers and two students and wounding nine others.” (03/03/26)
“New York City’s congestion pricing program can continue after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s attempts to terminate it were unlawful — a financial win for the nation’s largest mass transit provider. US District Judge Lewis Liman found Tuesday that US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s move to end the program was ‘arbitrary and capricious.’ Liman, however, declined to issue an order blocking possible future attempts to stymie the program. The ruling means the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which sued in February 2025 to prevent Duffy from terminating the deal, can keep operating the program indefinitely, though the legal fight may continue.” (03/03/26)
“Ireland officially nominated former EU agriculture and trade commissioner Phil Hogan to the top job at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the government said today. Hogan’s name emerged last week as a potential contender for the role of FAO director, with Ireland’s Department of Agriculture signaling him as their preferred candidate. The Irish politician played a significant role pushing forward the Mercosur agreement during his time as the EU’s farm chief under under Jean-Claude Juncker, before briefly serving as trade commissioner in Ursula von der Leyen’s first Commission.” (03/03/26)
“OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled a reworked agreement with the Pentagon Monday night governing the Defense Department’s use of its AI services, which he says provides stronger guarantees that the military won’t use OpenAI’s systems for domestic surveillance. The new agreement states that ‘the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals,’ according to a post on OpenAI’s website. OpenAI had faced some backlash as news of an initial agreement between the leading AI company and the Pentagon emerged on Friday. Many observers claimed the original language shared on OpenAI’s website provided ample loopholes for the government to surveil Americans. The move comes after weeks of intense debates between rival AI company Anthropic and the Pentagon over how the military can use advanced AI systems.” (03/03/26)
“Google is moving its Chrome browser to a two-week release cycle, instead of the current four, or the six-week cycle that existed for the decade before that. The change starts in September. ‘Building on our history of adapting our release process to match the demands of a modern web, Chrome is moving to a two-week release cycle,’ the company said in a blog post. The goal is to give users and developers faster access to performance improvements, fixes, and new capabilities. The smaller scope of the releases should also simplify debugging. The change applies to desktop, Android, and iOS, and begins with the stable release of Chrome 153 on September 8th. Beta releases will also move up to a two-week cycle.” (03/03/26)
