Brazil: Bolsonaro Seeks Court Approval for Prison Visit by Trump Adviser

Source: US News & World Report

“Lawyers for former ⁠Brazilian ⁠President Jair Bolsonaro have ⁠asked the country’s Supreme Court to allow Darren Beattie, ​who was recently tapped by the Trump administration for a senior advisory role ‌overseeing Brazil, to visit ‌him in prison next week, a document showed on Tuesday. Bolsonaro began ⁠in ⁠November to serve a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a ​coup against his successor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the 2022 presidential election. … Beattie, a critic of Brazil’s current government, was appointed to the position shaping U.S. policy toward Brazil last month, a move that suggested relations between the two countries remain delicate despite a recent rapprochement. In August, Beattie provoked a diplomatic incident after describing Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in an X ⁠post as ‘the key architect of the censorship and persecution complex directed against Bolsonaro.'” (03/10/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-10/brazils-bolsonaro-seeks-court-approval-for-prison-visit-by-trump-adviser

Half the Answer, episode 70

Source: Liberal Currents

“Trent and Caitlin reconnect with journalist Walker Bragman to hash out the current state of the NIH and HHS, the ideologies that drive people to promote eugenics and science denial, and the childish nature of fascism.” (03/10/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/making-america-sick-again-how-maga-is-hurting-healthcare-and-science-half-the-answer-70-with-walker-bragman/

Reassessing police de-escalation training: Evidence, gaps, and policy priorities

Source: Niskanen Center
by Robin S Engel & Jennifer Cherkauskas

“In recent years, de-escalation training has become a key approach in law enforcement, providing officers with tactics, skills, and tools to better manage interactions with the public. This focus reflects growing community and law enforcement interest in resolving conflicts and handling challenging, often emotionally charged interactions with members of the public more effectively than in the past, particularly when encountering individuals in crisis. Proponents of de-escalation training argue that it equips officers with enhanced skills to resolve conflicts in highly confrontational situations without the use of force or less severe force (Oliva et al., 2010). Others, however, have raised concerns about the use of de-escalation tactics, suggesting that the training increases officers’ risk of injury by encouraging slower and less effective responses to potentially volatile situations than the operational responses of traditional policing …” (03/10/26)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/reassessing-police-de-escalation-training-evidence-gaps-and-policy-priorities

Japan: 15 years after Fukushima meltdown, an innkeeper makes radiation surveys to revitalize her hometown

Source: SFGate

“Fifteen years after the 2011 nuclear disaster, color-coded radiation maps hang on the wall of Futabaya Ryokan, the family-run inn Tomoko Kobayashi operates in her near-deserted hometown in northeastern Fukushima. Kobayashi conducted her own radiation surveys before reopening the inn in 2016. Now, she and other monitors share radiation data as part of efforts to rebuild this once-bustling textile town. ‘These empty lots used to be filled with shops,’ Kobayashi says of the pre-disaster town as she heads to a radiation monitoring lab, walking past a kindergarten she attended as a child. It’s now used as a museum because there are too few children since the nuclear crisis. ‘There used to be businesses, community activity and children playing,’ she says. ‘We used to live our ordinary daily lives here, and I hope to see that again.’ Only about one-third of Odaka’s pre-disaster population of 13,000 have returned over the past decade.” (03/10/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/15-years-after-fukushima-meltdown-an-innkeeper-22058066.php

Trump’s alleged sexual assault of a minor: What we know and what’s still being hidden

Source: Popular Information
by Judd Legum

“President Trump allegedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl who was trafficked to him by Jeffrey Epstein, according to documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) last Thursday. The White House insists the allegations are ‘completely baseless’ and ‘backed by zero credible evidence.’ … Since the initial release of the documents, two important developments have bolstered the credibility of the alleged victim. This new information has received little national media attention.” (03/10/26)

https://popular.info/p/trumps-alleged-sexual-assault-of

Nepal climbs its Everest of honesty

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“In the thin Himalayan mountain air of Nepal, the unambiguous results of the March 5 national elections are breathing new vitality into hopes for clean and effective governance in one of the world’s least-developed nations. The relatively new Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has so far won about 74% of the 165 directly elected seats in the legislature. Its sweeping success positions Balendra Shah, the capital city’s youthful, antiestablishment mayor (and ex-rap star), to become prime minister. Nepal is the third South Asian country in recent years – after Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – to demand both democratic and generational change in political systems characterized by entrenched leadership, nepotism, and inefficiency. In all three nations, youth-led street protests resoundingly called for honesty and accountability, and ousted longtime political leaders, including – last September – Nepal’s four-term Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.” (03/09/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0309/Nepal-climbs-its-Everest-of-honesty

Judge scolds Live Nation and Justice Department for secret settlement talks

Source: CNN

“A federal judge scolded attorneys for the Justice Department and Live Nation for secretly negotiating a settlement to resolve allegations the ticket giant operated as a monopoly while the trial was underway. Judge Arun Subramanian called the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, Omar Assefi, and Live Nation’s chief executive, Michael Rapino, into court Tuesday to answer questions after he was blindsided by the deal. On Monday the Justice Department and Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, announced they reached a settlement they said will benefit consumers by giving them more options and lowering prices. More than 30 state attorneys general are also part of the case against Live Nation, but said in court filings they were only given one day to decide whether to join the settlement.” (03/10/26)

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/10/politics/live-nation-ticketmaster-justice-department-settlement-controversy

Wall Street Is Not the Problem with Housing

Source: Independent Institute
by Caleb Petitt

“The Senate is set to consider the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, or as Rand Paul calls it, ‘Path Toward the Destruction of Property Rights Act.’ The bill would limit institutional investors from buying certain single-family homes. Previously, President Trump issued an executive order to limit Wall Street from competing for homes with Main Street in the single family rental market (SFR). Institutional investors (investors with 100 or more properties) in SFRs have been unpopular for a while and have faced political opposition, particularly from the left, though now Republicans are the chief sponsors of the legislation. However, the extent of institutional investment in SFRs has been wildly exaggerated and the benefits from having them in the market are frequently ignored.” (03/10/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/10/wall-st-housing/