Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Lee Schlenker
“In a positive twist, the Trump administration said it does not plan to block a Russian oil tanker from delivering 730,000 barrels of crude to Cuba, which has been suffering from acute fuel shortages since the U.S. imposed a de facto oil blockade on the island in late January. … On the one hand, the administration may be concerned about the dire humanitarian impacts of ongoing fuel shortages and a potential migratory crisis brewing just off U.S. shores in an election season. The island’s worsening crisis risks undermining U.S. moral standing and leverage in ongoing negotiations with Cuba, particularly if the country collapses before a deal can be reached. On the other hand, the U.S. may simply need to focus on other priorities.” (03/30/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/cuba-russian-oil/
Source: New York Post
by Daniel McCarthy
“Get ready for the next Roe v. Wade — as a new Supreme Court case threatens to split the country, not over abortion, but over ‘birthright citizenship.’ Trump v. Barbara is before the court this week, and with it comes the very question of who is an American. On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order [pretending] that the children of illegal immigrants or temporary residents aren’t American citizens just by virtue of being born on American soil. People born here to at least one citizen parent are automatically citizens, and Trump’s order recognizes the children of lawful permanent residents as birthright citizens, too. But that’s not enough for those who insist the Constitution’s 14th Amendment establishes a radical definition of birthright citizenship.” [editor’s note: It didn’t “establish” anything — birthright citizenship was the case from the beginning of the US, except for slaves, and in England before that – TLK] (03/31/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/31/opinion/chinas-abuse-makes-birthright-citizenship-a-life-or-death-ruling/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“‘It was pretty soon after James was born that I knew something wasn’t right,’ says Laura. She and her partner, Beth, have two children — James, and their eldest Kate – both conceived through IVF treatment at a clinic in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. The two women used their own eggs and carefully chose one anonymous, healthy sperm donor. They told the clinic which ordered the sperm for them that it was important the same donor was used for both babies — so their children would be biologically related. But when James was born, they both noticed that his ‘beautiful’ brown eyes were very different to those of his biological mum, Beth, and the sperm donor the family had requested. … Beth and Laura decided their children should take a DNA test. The results indicated neither child was related to the sperm donor their parents had selected.” (03/31/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74v5jd5zkjo
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“Making the Film ‘Palestine 36’ (w/ director Annemarie Jacir).” (03/30/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/making-the-film-palestine-36-w-director
Source: Quillette
by Jonathan Kay
“The New Democratic Party, which once championed the country’s unions, is now in the hands of a radicalised anti-Israel activist who wants to nationalise grocery sales and shut down oil production.” (03/30/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/03/30/the-tragicomic-death-throes-of-canadas-former-workers-party-2/
Source: United Press International
“The Justice Department is suing the Minnesota Department of Education, asking a federal court to force it to comply with the Trump administration’s policies prohibiting transgender student-athletes from competing in girls’ sports. … Federal prosecutors are asking the court to rule that the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are violating Title IX’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination over their policies allowing transgender student-athletes at federally funded schools to compete in girls’ sports and use spaces designated for girls, such as bathrooms and changing rooms.” (03/31/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/03/31/Trump-sues-Minnesota-transgender-sports/4431774932239/
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Averting a Superintelligence Takeover | Robert Wright & Andrea Miotti.” (03/30/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69386
Source: Expression
by helloiamcarrie
“Imagine you are engaging in the time-honored American tradition of criticizing your local government. You air your complaints on a website you’ve set up to report on city news — and then the city threatens you with legal action and potential jail time, all because some of your comments feature the city’s seal and logos. That’s what happened to Kyle L’Hommedieu and the local watchdog group he chairs, Take Out The Trash Committee of Cape Coral.” (03/30/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/the-images-a-florida-city-says-only
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by William Harris
“On Feb. 16, students and faculty at the University of North Texas solemnly filed into the Art Building courtyard for a funeral. No person had passed, but principles had departed; the loss they mourned was their own right to speak out free from fear.” (03/30/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/art-under-attack-university-north-texas
Source: SFGate
“The Trump administration is pushing the FBI to look into an old investigation on California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a sitting member of Congress and leading Democratic candidate for California governor, the Washington Post reported last week. Swalwell, a former prosecutor and unsuccessful 2020 presidential candidate, called the FBI probe ‘nonsense’ and suggested last week that the president’s directive is an attempt to influence the California governor’s race in which Swalwell says he is ‘the favorite’. ‘Through great reporting, we now know the outrageous ends the White House will go to target political opponents,’ he said in an emailed statement to SFGATE. ‘As was Trump’s mortgage case against me, this decade-old story is, of course, nonsense.’ FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly has pushed investigators to revisit files from a decade-old investigation into Swalwell and a suspected Chinese operative, the outlet reported, citing three anonymous sources.” (03/30/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/fbi-patel-eric-swalwell-22159434.php