Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Harrison Mann
“President Donald Trump is reportedly considering seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, which he calls Iran’s ‘crown jewel’ because it houses a terminal that processes about 90% of Iran’s oil exports. After the U.S. bombed Kharg last week but spared its oil facilities, leading Iran hawks urged Trump to finish the job. ‘Mr. President: Take Kharg Island [and] this war is over!’ exhorted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), for his part, floated the idea that seizing the island is the perfect mission for the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) now sailing toward the region. So why is capturing this once-obscure island suddenly on the tip of every Iran hawk’s tongue? And what happens if they get their way?” (03/19/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/kharg-island-iran/
Source: CounterPunch
by Megan Russell
“Last week, we watched a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile murder more than 160+ Iranian school children. We watched in horror, helpless to stop the incoming massacres as the U.S. and Israel carpet-bombed Iran, then Lebanon, displacing millions of people from their homes. The pure, unrelenting terror continues to unfold. We are shocked and devastated, but we are also enraged — because for every bomb the U.S. and Israel drop, a bunch of men in cushy offices profit off all the death.” (03/19/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/19/the-u-s-bombs-kids-so-palmer-luckey-can-have-nice-things/
Source: JFK Facts
by Jefferson Morley
“What do we know now that we didn’t know a year ago?” (03/19/26)
https://jfkfacts.substack.com/p/one-year-after-trumps-order-eight
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on Texas State Rep. James Talarico being targeted by conservatives for past comments he’s made, and how it shows that the Democratic Party is still without a clear identity.” (03/19/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5782457-rising-march-19-2026/
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak
“Some commentators are of the view that one cannot trust the market economy, which is seen as inherently unstable. If left free, the market economy could lead to self-destruction. Hence there is the need for the government and the central bank to manage the economy. It is held in this framework of thinking, that successful management could be achieved by influencing overall expenditure. In this way of thinking it is expenditure that generates income. An expenditure by one individual becomes the income of another individual. … Contrary to popular thinking, the key for economic growth is not an increase in demand but an increase in savings.” (03/19/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/03/can-the-market-economy-be-trusted/
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Moti Mizrahi
“We talk to our dogs as if they understand us, curse our laptops when they freeze and even name our cars. So, when an AI system produces fluent, conversational language, our brains instinctively fill in the rest and assign to it intention, understanding and even emotion. Tech companies know this. The more ‘person-like’ a chatbot appears, the more likely we are to treat it as a confidant, a partner or an authority rather than what it actually is, which is a statistical prediction engine. But this habit of seeing minds where none exist comes with real social and political consequences. If we want a future in which we can use AI wisely and trust it when appropriate, we need to break our reflex to treat it like a person.” (03/19/26)
https://archive.is/F86F4
Source: ABC News
“Congolese and Rwandan officials met in the United States and agreed on coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo, where government troops are fighting rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, according to a joint statement. The statement issued by the Congolese, Rwandan and U.S. governments said that Congolese and Rwandan officials met on Tuesday and Wednesday to advance progress in eastern Congo as peace efforts led by the U.S. and partners including Qatar have stalled and violence continued. The mineral-rich eastern Congo has been battered by decades of unrest as government forces fight more than 100 armed groups, the most potent the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda.” (03/19/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/congo-rwanda-agree-steps-de-escalate-tensions-eastern-131211314
Source: The Fifth Column
“There’s Always a New Monster to Destroy (w/ Noam Dworman).” (03/19/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/theres-always-a-new-monster-to-destroy
Source: The Intercept
by Nick Turse
“The United States made war on three continents over three days earlier this month, conducting attacks in Africa, Asia, and South America. During that span, the U.S. also struck a civilian boat in the Pacific Ocean. The globe-spanning scope of the attacks represents one of the few instances since World War II that the United States has been simultaneously involved in armed conflicts with such a wide geographic sweep.” (03/19/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/19/trump-world-wars-iran-somalia-boat-strikes/
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Ever since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, news about the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs has vacillated between two four-letter words: fear and hype. As a result, about two-thirds of Americans believe AI will lead to fewer jobs, while the overpromising of AI’s potential has helped lead to a similar proportion of Americans not using AI much or at all in their jobs. By last year, however, surveys of AI’s actual impact in the workplace had started to roll in. And many indicate a move toward enhancing the application of reason, analytical judgment, and other skills of humans – and redefining intelligence to levels beyond the limits of a machine or the brain. One federal survey in the New York-northern New Jersey area found that a large share of businesses using AI are retraining workers to utilize the technology with no significant reductions in employment.” (03/18/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0318/The-big-lift-in-intelligence-from-AI
