Source: The Guardian [UK]
“An Iranian military spokesperson mocked US attempts at a ceasefire deal, insisting Americans were only negotiating with themselves. Lt Col Ebrahim Zolfaghari’s statement came after the Trump administration reportedly sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran through Pakistan. … Kuwait and Bahrain were both hit with damaging strikes on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning …. News that Trump had approved the deployment of more than 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East further undermined the US president’s repeated claims of successful peace talks.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/25/middle-east-crisis-live-iran-war-oil-prices-more-us-troops-reportedly-deployed-donald-trump-attacks-on-lebanon
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“When Emperor Hirohito decided to surrender to the Allies, he provoked an attempted military coup. When asked, ‘Why didn’t Czar Nicholas back down in 1914?’ historians’ standard answer is, ‘Because if he had, Pan-Slavist hawks would have overthrown him.’ … Even if a large faction of the leadership of theocratic Iran, Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, or Czarist Russia wants to make peace, they probably won’t. Indeed, even if the Supreme Leader wants to make peace, they probably won’t. My reaction, in contrast, is agentic. If by some miracle, I were the Supreme Leader of any of these countries, I have devised a strategy to make peace with high probability of success — and low risk to myself. It’s not pretty, and once you grasp my strategy, you may think ill of me for publicizing this forbidden knowledge.” [editor’s note: It would work just as well for the US or Israel, if THEIR “Supreme Leaders” actually wanted peace – TLK] (03/24/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/how-to-make-peace
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Discussion: Case for Christian Nationalism: The Tyranny of Freedom (Ep3).” (03/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8IJl4HtKMU
Source: NBC News
“Democrat Emily Gregory on Tuesday won a special election for the Florida state House district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, flipping the seat from Republican control, The Associated Press projects. Gregory beat Republican Jon Maples, who had been endorsed by Trump, in the race for a seat that has been vacant since August. Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso left the seat empty when he resigned from the legislature last year and was appointed to his current office. Gregory had 51% of the vote to 49% for Maples with all precincts reporting. … The president carried this Florida legislative district by about 11 percentage points in the 2024 election, according to The Downballot, a left-leaning political site that tracks special elections.” (03/24/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/democrat-flips-republican-florida-house-seat-includes-trump-mar-lago-rcna264660
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“As you may have noticed, the price of one key lawn maintenance ingredient — gasoline for your mower — is way up lately. As you may not have noticed yet, you’ll also be paying more for a second ingredient, fertilizer. Both of those hits to your wallet result from war-related shipping woes (in particular, the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz), and both are likely to drag on for some time even if the war comes to an end soon. It’s always a good time to consider converting your surrounding green space from a carefully trimmed, lovingly landscaped ‘lawn’ to a more natural (or, if water usage matters, xeriscaped) ‘yard.’ But this year, it’s an even better time than usual.” (03/24/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20461
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other’s energy facilities in tit-for-tat attacks, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, officials from both countries said, as the world’s attention has shifted to the US-Israel war on Iran. Nearly half a million people were left without electricity in Russia’s Belgorod region, while 150,000 consumers in the city of Chernihiv and surrounding areas were without power on Wednesday.” (03/25/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/25/russia-ukraine-tit-for-tat-attacks-knock-out-power-for-over-half-a-million
Source: Reason
by Gord Magill
“For years we have been told that the American economy is at risk of total collapse if the American Trucking Associations (ATA) can’t find another 60,000 or 70,000 or 160,000 truckers. If there were an actual shortage of truckers, trucking companies wouldn’t get away with barely paying minimum wage, would they? … In a properly functioning market economy, wouldn’t the shortage boost the price of truckers’ labor a little higher than what one might expect at a fast-food restaurant? What are we missing here? … When the ATA hit on the phrase truck driver shortage, it found a messaging tool that has helped them line their pockets with oodles of taxpayer money. In the process, it stymied wage growth — to the advantage of trucking-fleet owners and the Fortune 500 companies that are their customers.” (for publication 05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/24/welfare-on-wheels/
Source: KOMO News
“A New Mexico jury found Meta liable for misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms and endangering children, ordering the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties for violating the state’s consumer protection laws. The verdict in the landmark State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc. trial makes New Mexico the first state in the nation to win against a major tech company accused of harming young people. The jury ordered Meta to pay the maximum penalty under the law of $5,000 per violation, totaling $375 million.” [editor’s note: On the up side, idiocy like this will hopefully help move social media toward more decentralized/ownerless models so that there aren’t any deep pockets to pick – TLK] (03/24/26)
https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/jury-orders-meta-to-pay-375-million-in-new-mexico-child-safety-deception-case
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“For more than a decade, naval and air forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have exerted a strong presence in Taiwan’s immediate neighborhood. One U.S. expert calculated that Taiwan recorded an average of about 10 Chinese military flights a day in 2025, and on some days the number was in the dozens. The message being delivered was that the Chinese military was prepared to act quickly and decisively if pro-independence leaders in Taiwan tried to implement their agenda. Then, in late February of this year, a sudden, dramatic lull in PRC military flights near the island began.” (03/24/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_galen_carpenter/2026/03/23/what-is-china-up-to-in-the-taiwan-strait
Source: SFGate
“Asian countries are turning to coal as the Iran war disrupts oil and gas shipments. The continent is exposed because it relies on imported fuel, much of it passing through the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade. … It burns cleaner than coal, but still emits climate change-causing gases, especially methane. The war has countries shifting back to coal to cover LNG shortfalls. India is burning more coal to meet higher summer demand. South Korea has lifted caps on electricity from coal. Indonesia is prioritizing using its domestic supply. Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam are boosting coal-fired power. Burning more coal risks worsening smog in major cities, slowing the transition to renewable energy and increasing the region’s planet-warming emissions.” (03/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/asia-boosts-coal-use-as-iran-war-squeezes-global-22092897.php
