Source: Reuters
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not let any oil be shipped from the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continue, prompting President Donald Trump to say the U.S. would hit Iran much harder if it blocked exports. The rhetoric did little to quell a fall in crude prices and a rally in global shares that followed Trump expressing confidence in a swift end to hostilities, even after Iran showed defiance by naming Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader. … Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was unlikely to resume negotiations with the U.S, which he said had spoken of progress after three rounds of talks. ‘Still, they decided to attack us. So, I don’t think talking to the Americans anymore would be on our agenda any more,” he said in an interview with PBS.'” (03/10/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-says-oil-blockade-will-continue-until-attacks-end-trump-threatens-hit-2026-03-10/
Source: Law & Liberty
by Aidan Grogan
“America’s Boomers have established a bipartisan gerontocracy — a political and economic system under the leadership of the elderly. They take care of their own and make younger Americans foot the bill for their longer and more luxurious retirements. It’s obviously unfair, but no one on either side of the political aisle seems inclined to do anything about it. The federal government has run a budget deficit for 24 consecutive years as the gerontocracy tightened its grip on power. It’s particularly worrisome given that the political influence of senior citizens is likely to grow as the population ages, even as the economics of America’s gerontocracy become more and more unsustainable.” (03/09/26)
https://lawliberty.org/american-gerontocracy/
Source: Reason
“Will the War in Iran Crash the Global Economy?” (03/09/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/03/09/will-the-war-in-iran-crash-the-global-economy/
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin pushed back above $70,000 Tuesday morning East Asia time, completing a rapid recovery from a weekend selloff that briefly dragged the largest digital asset down to around $65,000. The move higher came as oil prices fell back below $100 and U.S. equity markets rallied. Markets turned risk off early Monday as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz sent major oil benchmarks, WTI and brent, above $100 for the first time in years. Bitcoin dipped alongside risk assets during the initial shock but quickly stabilized in the mid $60,000 range — given Wall Street’s insulation from the energy crisis — before climbing again as markets digested the geopolitical headlines.” (03/10/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/03/10/bitcoin-jumps-past-usd70-000-as-war-volatility-fades
Source: Persuasion
by Francis Fukuyama
“Of the many questionable decisions Donald Trump has made with regard to Iran, one of the strangest was his declaration last Friday that the United States would demand ‘unconditional surrender’ from Tehran. When Trump launched the attack with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, he was obviously hoping for a quick victory, something like the outcome he achieved when he snatched Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in January. But the war expanded across the Middle East … Normally, a smart leader in such a situation would try to lower expectations and declare an achievable objective in the war, such as degrading the better part of Iran’s ability to strike targets with ballistic missiles and drones. This would offer an opportunity for Trump to declare victory and disengage. Instead, Trump did the opposite. The new objective of unconditional surrender suddenly raised the goalposts to an unachievable height.” (03/09/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/iran-probably-wont-surrender
Source: KOIN 6 News
“A federal judge furthered protections for demonstrators protesting federal immigration enforcement activities outside of Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. In an opinion and order issued Monday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, further limiting the ability of federal law enforcement to use chemical munitions. … The class action lawsuit was filed in November after numerous protesters, including an elderly couple and children, said they were targeted with chemical munitions while peacefully demonstrating outside the ICE building in Portland.” (03/09/26)
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/judge-extends-limit-on-federal-agents-use-of-tear-gas-against-portland-protesters/
Source: Cato Institute
by Veronique de Rugy
“America’s healthcare system consistently ranks as the most expensive in the developed world. It’s not, as some politicians claim, expensive because markets have failed. It’s expensive because the market has been repeatedly blocked from succeeding. Until we’re honest about that, any potential reforms will only address symptoms while ignoring the disease. The healthcare market is hindered in many ways, but the core structural problem is simple: The person receiving care is almost never the person actually paying for it.” (03/09/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/why-healthcare-so-expensive-america-what-do-about-it
Source: ABC News
“Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial on Monday with more than 400 other defendants accused of widespread corruption in a case critics see as a politically motivated move against Turkey’s opposition. Imamoglu, who has been behind bars for nearly a year, is the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s 23-year rule. He was elected as the main opposition party’s candidate for an election due in 2028 just days after he was detained. The hearing began in a tense atmosphere, with Imamoglu asking to speak and the panel of judges refusing the request, Halk TV news channel and other media reported. The judges accused Imamoglu of disrupting the proceedings, and then left the courtroom. The trial was adjourned until the afternoon. Most of the 402 defendants worked for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, headed by Imamoglu since 2019. Many are elected officials from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, while journalists are also among the accused.” (03/09/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/istanbuls-mayor-trial-400-defendants-corruption-case-130895435
Source: Coyote Blog
by Warren Meyer
“Back in the first heady days of the attacks on Iran I cautioned that it was relatively easy to kill a few leaders and bomb a bunch of stuff, but harder to understand how a liberal democracy was to magically eventuate in Iran. The US has a history of removing one bad leader and getting only something worse afterwards (remember Diem? Gaddafi?). One problem is that after 40 years of rule, the totalitarian government there is strong and deeply entrenched, and the opposition (while it certainly exists) does not seem to have leadership, plans, or coherent organization. Would killing Hitler in 1943 or Stalin in 1937 have incited a successful revolution? Almost certainly not — not because they were loved but because their party’s instruments of control were strong and the opposition was smashed flat.” (03/09/26)
https://coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2026/03/as-i-predicted-feared-in-iran.html
Source: The Hill
“Artificial intelligence company Anthropic filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday challenging the Pentagon’s decision to label the company and its products as a ‘supply chain risk’ after negotiations over safety guardrails fell apart earlier this month. The suit, filed in federal court in California on Monday, argues the designation and President Trump’s order for all federal agencies to cease the use of Anthropic are ‘unprecedented and unlawful.’ The AI firm asked the court to reverse the Pentagon’s decision, warning the ‘consequences of this case are enormous.’ The supply chain risk designation has typically been reserved for foreign adversaries and restricts defense contractors from using the company’s products.” (03/09/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5775049-anthropic-sues-trump-administration/
