Trump’s hand yesterday at the White House

Oh, you think the government will regulate Kalshi and Polymarket? Wanna bet? “The volume of suspicious activity we see is significantly higher than what any platform publicly acknowledges.”

I wrote about insider trading on prediction markets again www.theverge.com/business/896...

Paging the “Special Government” employee…

After skipping the Oscars to travel to Ukraine, Sean Penn was presented with a symbolic 'Oscar' by the CEO of Ukrainian Railways. A longtime supporter of the country, Penn has visited multiple times and has been sanctioned by Russia for his support.

As Iran War Drags On, Europe Wants to Avoid a New Migration Crisis A decade ago, a surge in migration to Europe spurred the far-right’s rise. European leaders now fear the Iran war could set off another crisis, and they have taken tentative steps to prepare.

“We do not want to see a scenario like Syria.” The longer the war in Iran continues, the more European officials worry it will spur a new refugee crisis.

EXCLUSIVE: New Congressional investigation is launched into Corey Lewandowski

open.substack.com/pub/macfarla...

Trump wants to bribe energy companies to kill wind energy Burn, baby, burn.

New in PN: Trump wants to bribe energy companies to kill wind energy

"Trump’s irrational loathing for wind turbines is so all-encompassing that he hopes to buy TotalEnergy off with taxpayer dollars & ensure that, even if a Democrat succeeds him, wind energy projects will have to start from scratch"

Federal Cyber Experts Thought Microsoft’s Cloud Was “a Pile of Shit.” They Approved It Anyway. A federal program created to protect the government against cyber threats authorized a sprawling Microsoft cloud product, despite the company’s inability to fully explain how it protects sensitive data.

NEW: Federal Cyber Experts Thought Microsoft’s Cloud Was “a Pile of Shit.” They Approved It Anyway.

A program created to protect the government against cyber threats authorized a sprawling Microsoft cloud product, despite the company’s inability to fully explain how it protects sensitive data.

Early Edition: March 18, 2026 A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours.

Today's news roundup:
-Judge orders Voice of America to restart all news operations
-Comer subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi over Epstein files
-Pentagon says lethal boat strikes are ‘just the beginning’ in South, Central America
👇
www.justsecurity.org/134188/early...

Cheap drones are reshaping modern warfare — and catching the U.S. off guard As Operation Epic Fury enters its third week, relentless attacks by cheap Iranian drones are being fended off by multi-million-dollar U.S. interceptors. How long can the math hold up?

As Operation Epic Fury enters its third week, relentless attacks by cheap Iranian drones are being fended off by multi-million-dollar U.S. interceptors. How long can the math hold up? n.pr/4urGr66

"The Risk Of Being Wrong" Joe Kent’s resignation fuels outrage, but his certainty masks a deeper truth: we don’t know the intelligence, and the cost of being wrong could be catastrophic.

"The Risk Of Being Wrong"
Joe Kent’s resignation fuels outrage, but his certainty masks a deeper truth: we don’t know the intelligence, and the cost of being wrong could be catastrophic.

Subscribe. Comment. Share!

therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/p/the-risk-o...

"The federal government buying back its own permits because the current occupant of the White House lost a lawsuit in Scotland twenty years ago and never got over it."

Recommend this deep dive by @lizdye.bsky.social into Trump's crazy obsession with wind energy.

“Straight”

Austria to cut fuel tax, cap margins as Iran war lifts oil prices Austria's ‌ruling coalition said on Wednesday it will temporarily cut the tax on petrol and diesel and limit fuel retailers' margins to cushion consumers from soaring oil prices triggered by the ​Iran conflict.

Austria to cut fuel tax, cap margins as Iran war lifts oil prices reut.rs/40E91Ub

Capitol agenda: Tulsi Gabbard takes the hot seat

Israel's "Cutting the Grass" Disaster in Iran “Don’t fall for the regime change talk.

It's called "cutting the grass" - the Israeli policy of launching arbitrary bombing, assassination and invasions of their neighbours.
Trump got suckered into Israel's forever war and the result is an ever expanding catastrophe.
My latest:
charlieangus.substack.com/p/israels-cu...

Billionaire Behind New ICE Mega-Jail Allegedly Threatened to Kill His Own Executives Dubai-based tycoon who just landed a $313.4 million DHS contract allegedly once threatened to assassinate his colleagues and their families.

EXCLUSIVE | A billionaire who just landed a $314 million contract to build and operate a new ICE mega-jail was once accused of making death threats against his employees and their families if they told anyone about the company’s alleged financial troubles.

Over 200 Ukrainian Experts in Middle East to Help Fight Drones, Zelensky Says President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 11 countries in the region have asked for Kyiv’s assistance. Russia has launched such drones against Ukraine for years.

More than 200 Ukrainian military experts are in the Middle East to help defend against Iranian drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has said, as he looks to leverage his country’s years of experience fighting Russian attacks.

Trump wants to bribe energy companies to kill wind energy Burn, baby, burn.

"The bill for Trump’s windmill vendetta is still running.

That’s one expensive game of golf. And it’s one American taxpayers will be paying for many years to come."

By @lizdye.bsky.social in @atrupar.com's latest PN.

open.substack.com/pub/aaronrup...

Pentagon Pete Branded Completely Clueless During Intel Briefings “I am embarrassed for him,” says one lawmaker who’s attended the briefings.

A Democratic congressman who has been present at Pete Hegseth’s classified congressional briefings on the Iran war says the defense secretary can barely get past the script.

At this point Trump will need to release all of the Epstein files in order to distract from this war in Iran.

Inside the Government’s Crackdown on TV The F.C.C. is using old and largely unenforced regulations to punish TV networks for perceived anti-Trump bias.

The FCC is using old and largely unenforced regulations to punish TV networks for perceived anti-Trump bias.

On "The Daily," our reporter explains how the Trump administration is trying to shape media coverage to fit its agenda.

Be tougher on stopping small boats with migrants, Orbán tells Starmer Hungarian prime minister says British ministers “have to” ensure only people permitted to enter the country are allowed in.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the country needs to get tougher on irregular migration to protect its borders.

Global heating accelerated rapidly over the past decade, a new study claims Not everybody is buying it.

Global heating accelerated rapidly over the past decade, a new study claims [via @grist.org]

An Unserious Justification for an Unnecessary War: Assessing the U.S. “Article 51” Letter to U.N. on Iran War Former State Department attorney writes that the U.S. letter to the UN Security Council fails to identify legal basis for Iran attack.

An Unserious Justification for an Unnecessary War: Assessing the U.S. “Article 51” Letter to the U.N. on Iran War

By @bcfinucane.bsky.social, former State Department attorney

#IranWar

www.justsecurity.org/134290/us-ar...

Gosh, it's not like consumers vote or anything

AI is increasing the speed, density and complexity of work rather than reducing it, a new analysis shows.

Read more: on.wsj.com/4sRZK76

Not just energy: How the Iran war could trigger a global food crisis

Not just energy: How the Iran war could trigger a global food crisis https://aje.news/qismn9

Trump questions if the Strait of Hormuz is actually “Straight”

Macron blasts mainstream parties for working with ‘dangerous’ forces in local elections The French president has mostly stayed on the sidelines of this contest.

French President Emmanuel Macron castigated France’s mainstream political parties today for working with “dangerous,” more radical ones after the first round of local elections.