Source: SFGate
“A Democratic and a Republican candidate for governor are floating similar ideas for financial relief as gas prices could climb up to $7 a gallon in California. Matt Mahan, a newcomer to the governor’s race and the current mayor of San Jose, suggested during a debate Thursday night in Monterey that state lawmakers should pause to the state’s gas tax –– which is currently $0.88 cents a gallon –– to keep gas prices from climbing. Republican candidate Steve Hilton proposed a similar idea earlier in the week. ‘Working families are struggling with skyrocketing costs. It’s past time for some relief,’ Mahan said according to a statement from his office. ‘And Californians shouldn’t have to wait for the next election for our government to act. That’s why I believe we need to temporarily suspend our state’s highest in the nation gas taxes, right now.'” (03/16/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/california-govenors-race-gas-22075853.php
Source: Politico
“Sanders on BBQ, politics, and sneaking out of the governor’s mansion.” (03/15/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL6524497727.mp3
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Tommaso Biagi
“Every civilization — flawless, perfect in composition and intention — exists atop a quiet contradiction: We love freedom. We suffer domination. We justify it as ‘necessary authority,’ ‘the public order,’ ‘the social contract.’ We accept prisons ‘for safety,’ wage labour ‘for development,’ psychiatric coercion ‘for health.’ It’s the same ball game. A minority suffers, the majority lives ‘better.’ But better for whom? The one screaming in agony and the one smiling in comfort do not feel the sum. No one consciousness feels the totality. The ‘greater good’ is the fiction written by those for whom it works.” (03/15/26)
https://c4ss.org/content/61059
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen and Ryan Cooper
“The last couple of weeks in Democratic politics has seen a rise in what is sometimes called ‘the ideas primary’: the competing sets of policy announcements, often well in advance of the next presidential race, intended to set priorities and draw battle lines for the future. As our colleague Harold Meyerson has documented, the early ideas primary is around tax policy, and in particular a debate that encompasses the role of taxes in society, how to best deal with rampant inequality, and how to prioritize America’s biggest challenges. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), both of whom appear to be at least considering a run for the presidency in 2028 … have released bills that in different ways expand the standard deduction, which exempts a certain amount of earnings from taxation, and attempt to compensate for that further up the income ladder.” (03/16/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/16/democratic-presidential-contenders-new-idea-tax-cuts-van-hollen-booker/
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The first-round of the French municipal elections have seen a strong showing for Marine Le Pen’s far-right the National Rally (RN), as well as for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left, with both parties likely to increase their local presence ahead of next year’s French presidential race. The French local elections, which now go to a final round runoff on 22 March, are seen as a crucial test of the political temperature before next year’s presidential election. Emmanuel Macron’s two terms in office come to an end in spring 2027 and there is uncertainty about who will next lead the EU’s second-largest economy.” (03/15/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/french-local-elections-first-round-results
Source: The UnPopulist
“Manosphere Men Want a Society That Loves Them For Their Vices: A Conversation With Toby Buckle.” (03/15/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/manosphere-men-want-a-society-that
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“There are many losers, but also some winners.” (03/15/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/costs-and-benefits-from-the-new-energy
Source: Independent Institute
by Caleb Petitt
“The White House recently released America’s Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to revitalize America’s maritime industry. It proposes a variety of regulatory modifications, subsidies, government financing options, and fees to encourage domestic shipbuilding. Although it includes a wide variety of proposals, two of them, when taken together, show the Trump administration’s hostility to free trade, as well as a general naïveté about the plan. The first is the proposed ‘universal fee’ on foreign-built ships; the second is the proposed regulatory change to the definition of a ‘U.S.-built’ ship.” (03/15/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/15/the-trouble-with-trumps-maritime-action-plan/
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Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Authorities in the UAE say [a] ‘drone-related incident’ sparked fire near Dubai airport while another drone attack has also been reported at Fujairah’s industrial area. US and Israeli forces have continued to bombard Iran, hitting cities including Tehran, Hamadan and Isfahan, as Iranian counterattacks continue, with damage reported in several Israeli cities. … Several Israeli media outlets are reporting that at least one Iranian missile has struck central Israel, although it remains unclear if the impact was from shrapnel or a direct strike. … Israel maintains very strict military censorship regarding information about the damage caused by missiles, particularly at strategic and military sites.” (03/16/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/16/iran-war-live-tehran-rejects-trump-claim-on-talks-gulf-attacks-continue
