Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

UK iPhone and iPad owners updating to the latest iOS 26.4 are now confronted with a stark choice: verify you are an adult by providing a credit card or scanning your ID, or accept automatic web content filters that restrict access.

The message users see states clearly: “UK law requires you to confirm you are an adult to change content restrictions.”

Those who do not confirm their age – or are found to be underage – have web content filters turned on automatically. 

🚨NEWS: UK iPhone users must now prove their age or lose full internet access

“It is absolutely outrageous that, overnight, Apple has put a chokehold on Britons’ freedom to search the internet, access information and use apps unless they provide sensitive ID documents.

This… pic.twitter.com/GNuCsihcDD

— Big Brother Watch (@BigBrotherWatch) March 25, 2026

The government appointed communications watchdog Ofcom welcomed the development, calling it “a real win for children and families” and noting the UK would be “one of the first countries in the world to receive such restrictions on their devices.”

Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, hit back hard. In the organisation’s statement she said Apple had put a “chokehold on Britons’ freedom to search the internet, access information and use apps unless they provide sensitive ID documents.”

She continued: “This means 35 million Brits who have paid hundreds or even thousands of pounds for Apple tech suddenly now have a child’s device unless they comply with invasive demands for personal information that go far beyond what UK law requires.”

“Apple has crossed the Rubicon with this software update which is more like ransomware, holding customers hostage to ID demands that are invasive, exclusionary and unnecessary,” Carlo added.

She further urged, “Children’s online safety is vital but requires better parental controls and thoughtful tech responsibility – not sweeping, draconian, shock demands by foreign companies for all of our IDs and credit cards.”

This is digital ID enforcement by the back door. The same government apparatus that has already advanced newborn baby digital IDs, mandatory digital ID schemes and biometric tracking is now outsourcing age verification to tech giants at the device level – creating the perfect infrastructure for ongoing surveillance and control.

We have previously outlined that broader Orwellian mandatory digital ID and biometric push by the British government, which has claimed that the mandatory ID, based on the UK One Login system, will help to stop “illegal” immigrants from crossing the channel by denying them access to work.

This also ties into the WHO-Gates blueprint for global digital ID, AI-driven surveillance and lifelong vaccine tracking:

Social Media Ban For Under-16s: The Age Verification Trojan Horse

The Apple rollout coincides with government moves toward banning social media for under-16s, including trials on 300 teens that test disabling apps, overnight blocks or strict one-hour limits.

Hundreds of teenagers to undergo social media ban, time limits or overnight curfews in Government trial to see effects on sleep and schoolwork https://t.co/cia7XF2Ndx

— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 24, 2026

Critics see this as the gradual normalisation of universal age verification. Once demanding ID to use your own phone becomes routine, expanding that system to every platform and service is a small step.

Beyond blocking illegal or sexually explicit material, the deeper question remains: why should the State have the authority to decide what our kids can and can’t access? In a free society, that responsibility belongs to parents – not to bureaucrats in Westminster or executives in Cupertino acting as their enforcers.

The Real Indoctrination Happening Inside British Schools

While ministers lecture about protecting children online, the same system is busy shaping young minds through official channels.

The Green Party has pushed to teach children a “moral obligation” to accept mass immigration:

Government guidance urges schools to report “anti-Muslim hostility” in an Orwellian snitch culture:

Counter-terror police ran adverts warning teenagers that sharing “funny content” could amount to terrorism:

A government-funded video game literally labels kids as potential terrorists for questioning mass migration:

The pattern is clear. Restrict open access to the internet while pumping state-approved ideology into schools. Challenge the narrative and you risk being flagged. Want unfiltered information for your children? First hand over your documents.

Britain is rapidly sliding toward a surveillance society where every search, every post and every opinion can be monitored, filtered and scored.

Freedom is not preserved by surrendering control to “safety” pretexts. It is defended by rejecting the machinery of permanent oversight before it locks in place for good.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Summary

• Houthis enter the war: Houthis launch their first missile barrage on Israel since Operation Epic Fury. Red Sea shipping could once again be under direct threat.

• Serious US casualties in Saudi base assault: Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in a Friday attack that wounded at least 15 troops: AP. Late-night strike targeted Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (for third time of war).

• Gulf states under sustained fire, casualties mount: Six wounded in missile strike on Abu Dhabi; Bahrain intercepts waves of missiles and drones near the United States Fifth Fleet base; Kuwait reports damage to Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port and Shuwaikh Port.

• US expending billions on Operation Epic Fury: “Battle damage and replacement of losses over the first three weeks of the war likely costs roughly $1.4 billion to $2.9 billion”: WSJ. 

*  *  *

Houthis Enter the War

The Houthis have finally entered the war, greatly raising the stakes on what’s becoming a multi-front engagement, given Israel and Hezbollah have already been locked in a ground war in Lebanon. Overnight saw the Houthis send a barrage of missiles on Israel, which is the first such strike since the US began its Operation Epic Fury.

Military spokesman for the Houthis, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, announced the attack on Saturday on the group’s Al Masirah satellite television, Al Jazeera has confirmed. Strikes “will continue until the declared objectives are achieved… and until the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases,” Saree said, confirming the Iran-aligned Yemeni group’s entry into the war on Tehran’s side.

The Israeli side confirmed the assault out of Yemen, saying that it intercepted one missile. This spells more bad news for global shipping through the other important regional energy and goods transit waterway, the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea. It will also make it even harder for Washington to try and wind down the conflict amid efforts to find an acceptable offramp. Interestingly, the Houthis are justifying their actions not just based on the US-Israel attack on Iran, but on assaults on populations in the broader region:

The group said the attack with a barrage of missiles came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the “aggression” on all fronts ends.

Now Israelis will face aerial threats from Iranians, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iraqi Shia paramilitaries…

Several people are lightly injured after an Iranian ballistic missile struck the Jerusalem-area town of Eshtaol, first responders say.

The missile, which is assessed to have carried a conventional warhead of several hundred kilograms of explosives, caused extensive damage to… pic.twitter.com/gn5xwZEjiP

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 28, 2026

At Least 15 Americans Wounded in Major Strikes on Saudi Base

The most significant overnight development saw major Iranian cross-Gulf attacks emerge. This is a serious escalation despite the White House having approached Tehran with a 15-point peace plan, delivered via Pakistan. The Iranians have clearly rejected it for now, and have instead launched a serious assault on Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia Friday.

The Wall Street Journal details that “Twelve American troops–up from 10 previously reported–were wounded in an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia Friday, according to multiple U.S. and Arab officials.”

The AP in follow up issued higher figures: “Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in a Friday attack that wounded at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to the sources who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. U.S. officials initially reported that at least 10 U.S. troops were injured, including two seriously wounded.”

This is a very big deal. The E-3s were rushed in as replacements for the radars. Clearly, the Iranians know what they are looking for. https://t.co/MYZ6cGtP0G

— Policy Tensor (@policytensor) March 28, 2026

“The injured troops were inside a building on the base that was struck in the attack, the officials said,” the report continues. “The attack also damaged multiple U.S. refueling aircraft. At least one missile struck the base, as well as several unmanned aerial vehicles, according to two of the officials.” This marks the second significant strike on the same base. The aircraft hit was a KC-135 air refueling aircraft, which reportedly caught fire.

The mass casualty incident has raised ongoing questions of troop exposure and Pentagon preparedness for Iran’s response:

I have a question. Did the Pentagon look at Operation Spiderweb that destroyed a big chunk of Russian strategic aviation last year, and decide: nah, we’re good, we can just park our planes in the open within enemy reach because if we believe we have nothing to learn from these… https://t.co/LWK97USX8r

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) March 28, 2026

Fresh Attacks on Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait

Iran’s missile war has continued expanding deeper into the Gulf, with the casualty count climbing in Abu Dhabi after an early Saturday strike. The Abu Dhabi Media Office confirms casualties (injuries, but no fatalities reported) have risen to six after a Saturday morning ballistic missile attack.

Elsewhere, in Bahrain, home to the United States Fifth Fleet, authorities reported air defenses have engaged almost nonstop over the past 24 hours, responding to 20 missiles and 23 drones.

Post raises question over future of Iran’s nuclear program, with one Iranian proclaiming “The war will boost Iranian science and technology.”

This is a building in Iran university of science and technology (IUST) that was targeted today in Tehran. This university -one of the leading engineering universities of Iran- is where I got my BSc and MSc degree in engineering years ago.
This aggression is all about Iran… pic.twitter.com/qXPo9JmZna

— Sarbaz Roohulla Rezvi (@SarbazRezvi) March 28, 2026

Kuwait has also taken fresh hits, with the ports of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port and Shuwaikh Port sustaining damage amid combined drone and missile attacks, according to the Defense Ministry. Kuwaiti forces say they have also engaged four ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and seven drones in the same window – in yet another sign the tempo is only accelerating.

Bushehr Nuclear Plant Hit for Third Time

Late-night strike targets Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, marking the third hit in 10 days as pressure mounts on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure – and as especially Israel seeks to obliterate it as fast as possible. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization of Iran claims the attack caused no material damage, no casualties, as well as zero technical disruption at the facility.

And the International Atomic Energy Agency says it was notified by Tehran following the strike, underscoring continued monitoring even as attacks edge closer to sensitive nuclear sites. President Trump has meanwhile said that thousands of targets inside remain on the Pentagon’s list.

*  *  *

Research linked here

Authored by J.B. Shurk via American Thinker,

What’s in a name?  These days…not much.

The European Union does not include Ukraine; nevertheless and notwithstanding the objections of E.U. members Hungary and Slovakia…

…the European supra-state insists on paying the salaries of Ukraine’s government bureaucracy while that nation’s martial-law-holdover-president, Volodymyr Zelensky, fights to maintain control over a breakaway region that has rejected Ukrainian rule since the 2014 coup d’état of Ukraine’s then-president, Viktor Yanukovych.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization does not include Ukraine; nevertheless and notwithstanding the objections of NATO members Hungary and Slovakia…

….the American-led military alliance insists on sending money and weapons to the Kyiv regime warring with the Russian Federation over territories whose people overwhelmingly identify as Russian.  Former Dutch prime minister and current secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, has stated on multiple occasions that the military alliance would continue to help defend non-NATO-member Ukraine.  

According to Ukraine’s newly appointed, thirty-something-year-old defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine has over two million draft dodgers and a quarter of a million active-duty troops who have gone AWOL.  

So NATO is protecting a non-NATO country whose men refuse to fight.  

NATO is assisting a Kyiv dictatorship that depends almost entirely upon conscription (including the violent “busification” of “recruits” after draft officers break into vehicles and homes with drawn weapons).

While the E.U. and NATO fight Russian authoritarianism by protecting Ukrainian authoritarianism, both institutions have remained relatively quiet as member states sustain actual attacks.  Seven months after Russia moved to annex the Russophone regions of Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipelines transporting natural gas from Russia to Germany were sabotaged and made inoperable.  German, Dutch, and French energy companies own interests in the pipelines.  Subsequent German investigations have identified a dozen Ukrainian suspects, including members of a Kyiv diving school where military personnel train.  Several independent journalists have concluded that Ukraine’s military carried out the underwater demolition of the Nord Stream pipelines.

If Ukraine’s government was, in fact, responsible for the destruction of the pipelines, then Ukraine (a non-NATO member) destroyed property belonging to NATO members.  Ukraine’s alleged act of sabotage cut off Russia’s inexpensive natural gas from most of Europe.  (Prior to the war, Russia supplied 45% of the E.U.’s natural gas imports.)  So the destruction of the pipelines has raised the cost of energy (and the price of finished goods transported within the Union) for European citizens.  NATO continues to protect a nation that may have directly attacked members of the military alliance.

Similarly, Ukraine has caused an international incident with regard to the European-Russian Druzhba (which means, “friendship”) Pipeline that was jointly constructed to transport Russian oil to Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, and the Czech Republic.  Last year, Ukraine’s military bombed several pumping stations servicing the pipeline.  This year, Ukraine’s government claims that Russia attacked the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba Pipeline (a claim the Russian Federation denies), effectively halting all deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.  As both nations are almost entirely dependent upon this oil supply, the pipeline’s inoperability has created a major energy crisis for citizens of Hungary and Slovakia.  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico blame Ukraine for the oil shutdown.  Ukraine’s president/dictator Zelensky says he has no intention of repairing the pipeline.  After Hungary and Slovakia blocked additional sanctions on the Russian Federation and a ninety-billion-euro gift (a loan that never needs to be repaid) for Ukraine’s regime, Ukraine’s military destroyed another critical transit node of the Druzhba Pipeline in Russia.

President/Dictator Zelensky also made a little news two weeks ago when he directly threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán’s life: “We hope that in the European Union, one person will not block the ninety billion [euros].  Otherwise, we will give this person’s address to the armed forces, to our guys, let them call him and talk to him in their own language.”  Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó condemned Kyiv’s thuggish “culture”: “This is the man Brussels admires and the country they want to fast-track into the European Union….No one can blackmail us just because we refuse to pay the price of Ukraine’s war and refuse to accept higher energy prices because of Ukraine.”  Prime Minister Orbán took the Ukrainian threat on his life in stride, saying: “There will be no deals, no compromise.  We will break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force.  Hungary’s energy will soon flow again through the Friendship pipeline.”

Orbán followed up by very publicly intercepting part of Zelensky’s alleged money-laundering operation running through Hungary.  Foreign Minister Szijjártó revealed that Hungary had already confiscated Ukrainian “mafia” funds that included tens of millions of U.S. dollars, tens of millions of euros, and a few million dollars in gold bars.  In addition, the foreign minister has alleged that several billion dollars worth of currency and gold have been transported through Hungary to Ukraine in the last two months.  A former Ukrainian general who once oversaw Zelensky’s intelligence service and secret police was detained in Hungary in connection to the suspected money laundering.  An angry Zelensky again threatened to send Ukraine’s “special military operators” to Prime Minister Orbán’s home.

In response to Zelensky’s increasingly belligerent behavior, Prime Minister Fico urged the European Commission to distance itself from Zelensky’s “outrageous blackmailing statements.”  The best that the Commission could do was a short statement from its deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, in which the Eurocrat clinically observed: “Specifically in relation to the comments made by President Zelensky, we are very clear as the European Commission that that type of language is not acceptable.  There must not be threats against EU member states.”  At the same time, E.U. leaders pledged to provide for Ukraine’s budgetary needs for at least the next two years.

Ukraine is effectively waging an economic/energy war against Hungary and Slovakia.  Hungary and Slovakia are members of the E.U. and NATO.  Ukraine is a member of neither.  Nevertheless, the E.U. and NATO continue to take Ukraine’s side.  It is as if “unions” and “alliances” mean nothing.

In fact, the E.U. is not hiding its disdain for Hungary’s Orbán.  Brussels has made it very clear that it prefers Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party to oust Orbán’s Fidesz Party in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections.  The European Commission has activated its Rapid Response System to “combat potential Russian online disinformation campaigns” in Hungary.  The E.U.’s handpicked “fact checkers” will use the powers of the new Digital Services Act to decide when online public debate qualifies as “disinformation” that must be censored.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently concluded that the E.U.’s Rapid Response System almost exclusively targets so-called “right-wing” and “populist” political candidates.  The European Commission has extended its online censorship campaign to one week after Hungary’s elections, allowing Eurocrats to monitor and censor public conversations concerning the election’s legitimacy.  While E.U.-funded NGOs work to oust Prime Minister Orbán, E.U.-funded censors will be in a position to label allegations of European election meddling as nothing more than “Russian talking points.”

Just as in Romania, Moldova, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, the E.U. will use its army of paid “influencers” and propagandists posing as “journalists” to manipulate the outcome of Hungary’s elections.  

To “save democracy,” Brussels’s Eurocrats believe that they are entitled to choose each nation’s leaders.  

They don’t want Orbán because Hungary’s current prime minister continues to block the E.U.’s funding for Ukraine.  

Brussels would do anything for martial-law-holdover-president/dictator Zelensky and non-E.U. Ukraine.  

But allowing the citizens of E.U.-member Hungary to vote for their own national interests?  That simply won’t do.

Via Gun Owners of America,

The current Department of Justice is choosing to continue enforcing an unconstitutional legal theory being weaponized against gun owners by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to a recent statement in GOA’s Texas et al. v. ATF case, DOJ claims that ATF “continue[s] to enforce the NFA’s and the GCA’s regulation of short-barreled rifles against some brace-equipped pistols, even though the Rule has been universally vacated.”

For those who are unfamiliar, in 2022 the Biden Administration issued an executive order instructing the Department of Justice to ban pistol braces, a popular firearm accessory designed to allow shooters with disabilities to “brace” their firearms against their forearm.

The Biden DOJ used this rule to effectively outlaw firearms equipped with stabilizing braces, by regulating them as short-barreled firearms under the National Firearms Act. This move turned the law-abiding owners of upwards of 40 million pistol braces  into felons practically overnight, unless they destroyed their firearm or registered it with the federal government.

GOA and other pro-gun groups challenged this pistol brace rule in multiple courts across the country, culminating with a total elimination of the rule in court.

With this victory, pistol braces were once again viable options for shooters, and owners of pistol-braced firearms were no longer in danger of becoming felons…or so they thought.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the current Justice Department is looking to pick up right where Biden’s DOJ left off.  And so ATF appears to be still enforcing the very same legal theories about braces, as confirmed by their statement in GOA’s pistol brace case.

This development is extremely concerning for GOA and millions of gun owners nationwide who own pistol brace-equipped firearms.

In addition, the continued possibility of felony NFA charges against at least some gun owners with braced pistols stands in stark contrast to President Trump’s repeated campaign promises to gun owners:

“I will eliminate the Biden ATFs ridiculous pistol brace rule, which orders law-abiding citizens to register or surrender guns with stabilizing braces.”

– President Trump on April 14th, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana

“[President Biden] imposed the so-called pistol brace rule which orders law-abiding citizens to register or surrender guns with certain equipment. You know that many of you are forced to do it. … All of those Biden disasters get ripped up and torn out my first week but maybe my first day in office okay, okay maybe my first.”

– President Trump on Feb. 9th, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The disconnect between President Trump’s campaign promises and the Department of Justice’s recent threat to owners of firearms with pistol braces justifiably has led to a great deal of confusion and concern.

Over the past week, GOA brought this matter to the attention of multiple senior DOJ officials and expressed our members’ concerns.  Unfortunately, we were given no indication that ATF intends to reverse course.

To gun owners and the firearm industry, we urge caution. ATF and DOJ apparently intend to continue targeting at least some braced pistols.  But it is currently unclear which braced pistols the ATF believes are illegal short-barreled rifles.  In fact, ATF told one of our colleagues that it will not issue any classification letter classifying firearms with braces—unless it is in a criminal case.  This means that all pistol braced firearms—and their owners—are in jeopardy. 

To the Trump Administration, we request a swift re-affirmation of the President’s intention to end the Biden Pistol Brace Ban, and affirmation of the legality of all pistols equipped with stabilizing braces – once and for all. It’s 2026, and the National Firearms Act no longer even imposes a tax on short-barreled firearms. There is no reason for bureaucrats at ATF to fret over barrel length, or the ability of a firearm to be shouldered. DOJ must follow President Trump’s executive order and protect our Second Amendment rights!

Even as the Department of Justice fights us in court, we continue to seek a permanent injunction against ATF’s enforcement of its legal theories regulating braced pistols as short-barreled firearms. And we continue to challenge the dubious regulation of short-barreled firearms under the guise of a non-existent $0 tax. We will not give up until the NFA is eliminated, and our rights are fully protected and restored.

[ZH] If you agree with GOA and their efforts, consider joining or contributing

Over the course of the last decade, the great social debate has mostly revolved around the issue of “merit vs equity”, or equality of opportunity vs equality of outcome.  For anyone with common sense it’s clear that “equity” is a non-starter; a system which skews accomplishment and hands success to unqualified people based solely on their ethnicity, gender or sexual identity.  The experiment has been disastrous for western civilization so far.

Women in general and black women in particular were initially sought out by companies to fill DEI quotas that should not have existed in the first place.  These quotas were instituted because governments and NGO’s created the demand for them by offering numerous subsidies, tax breaks and special credit access.  Corporations that met the DEI requirements would then have a financial edge on the competition, so everyone had to participate to avoid being surpassed by the other guy.   

One interesting side effect has been the encouragement of cultural delusion among certain demographics.  The idea that minorities are somehow being “held back” by “white supremacy” and that they are at the same time far more accomplished than their oppressors is self perpetuating.  One of the most common arguments heard in defense of the woke era was that “black women are the most educated and successful group” in America today. 

This claim, of course, relied heavily on DEI in college admissions and DEI in corporate hiring.  Black women were by far the biggest beneficiaries of DEI practices.  Furthermore, the explosion in women’s wages and minority wages was thanks to a unique but brief employment market built on easy venture capital.  This created an explosion in tech jobs, marketing jobs, HR and diversity positions, not to mention an avalanche of web media jobs promoting progressive ideologies.

On top of all this, government hiring accelerated dramatically under the Biden Administration, and a lot of these jobs went to women and minorities in order promote equity quotas. 

This all changed in 2025 with the virtual death of DEI, triggered by the Trump Administration crackdown through DOGE cuts and the advancement of civil suits against companies engaged in anti-white hiring practices.  Almost immediately black women were most affected by the change.

Over 300,000 black women faced layoffs last year, with the trend continuing into 2026 and some estimates at around 500,000 total job losses.  Currently, the unemployment rate for black women is 7.1%, far above the national average of 4.4%.  Black female employees represented 12% of all federal employees in 2024 (double their share of the population in the national labor force), but they were also 33% of federal layoffs in 2025-2026. 

The first response of progressives is to cry “racism” over these numbers, but they’re not asking the question that really needs to be asked:  Did these women truly qualify for the jobs they were hired for?  Or, were they hired to make a political virtue statement and to collect subsidies?  If they were highly competent and well trained, then one would think companies and government agencies would keep them regardless of extra cash or tax breaks. 

Their value as workers should be enough.  Another potential cause of these layoffs beyond the end of DEI is the prospect that black liberal women are notoriously difficult to work with.  Companies tolerated them because there were financial benefits to having them on staff, but now those benefits are drying up.

The exodus of black women from the workforce has become a conundrum for the political left and the cope is flowing.  The media is running stories regularly on the “return of black women” through burgeoning communities and online support groups.  The discussion is often centered on the way in which black women can “regain their seat at the table”.  The problem is, the dynamic that gave them so much access in the woke years no longer exists and it’s probably never coming back.

Beyond the collapse of DEI programs there is the looming specter of AI.  Artificial Intelligence was initially heralded as an Apocalypse for low wage workers in entry level positions.  However, the real demographic under threat is women in corporate environments. 

Of the 6.1 million workers whose jobs are the most likely to be disrupted by AI and least likely to adapt, 86% are women, a recent Brookings analysis has found.  Labor markets most populated by women in air conditioned offices across the nation – secretaries, receptionists, payroll clerks, customer service representatives, middle management, marketing, online journalism, education, even HR and communications – are all under threat from AI. 

As easily as black women were elevated to six-figure incomes and the upper-middle class lifestyle, they are now on the verge of losing it all.  The sad thing is, DEI built an environment in which every minority in a high level position became suspect.  While there are certainly minority employees who are highly skilled and deserve the jobs they have, the decade of DEI has put them in a state of constant suspicion.  Today, no one knows who was hired based on merit, and who was hired because of their skin color.                         

Submitted by Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com 

Oil prices could hit a record $200 per barrel if the war in the Middle East drags on through the entire second quarter, analysts at Macquarie Group have warned. 

The odds of the Iran war dragging on until June were put at 40% by the analysts in a note carried by Bloomberg. But the scenario of the war ending by the end of March currently appears more plausible, with odds at 60%, according to Macquarie.   

“If the strait were to stay closed for an extended period, prices would need to move high enough to destroy an historically large amount of global oil demand,” Macquarie’s analysts wrote in the report. 

“The timing of the re-opening of the straits, and physical damage to energy infrastructure, is the main determinant of the longer-term impact on commodities,” they added. 

Many other analysts warn that if the Strait of Hormuz, which is already closed to most tanker traffic for nearly a month, remains blocked for another month or two, oil prices could jump to as high as $150 and even $200 per barrel, forcing a global economic shock.    

Analysts started expressing views that $200 oil is not a fantasy anymore—with 20% of global oil supply choked at the Strait of Hormuz buyers are racing to procure physical cargoes, refiners in Asia consider cutting processing rates, and Asian countries restrict fuel exports. 

Andrew Harbourne, Wood Mackenzie’s senior analyst for oil markets, notes that the record 400-million-barrel release coordinated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) will cover only about four weeks of disruption in the Gulf.

“Strategic stocks remain an effective emergency buffer, but they are a one-off intervention that must eventually be rebuilt and cannot cover a sustained supply gap,” Harbourne added. 

Supply shocks in the past suggest that if the war and the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz persist, Brent crude prices could surge to $150 to $200 per barrel. For some petroleum products, such as diesel and jet fuel, the effective prices could be $200 to $250 a barrel or more, according to WoodMac.   

In a surprising announcement splashed all over Israeli media front pages, especially given the ongoing censorship regimen related to the Iran war, Israel’s military chief has sounded the alarm over a severe manpower crisis in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has warned the “IDF is going to collapse in on itself” during a security cabinet meeting this week, according to Times of Israel and others. This as Israeli forces are now fighting on multiple fronts: there’s the major war against Iran, as well as the ‘northern front’ against Hezbollah in Lebanon and amid IAF airstrikes on Beirut, and Israeli forces are still operating in Gaza. 

“I am raising 10 red flags in front of you,” Gen. Zamir warned the country’s civilian leadership, citing intensifying operational demands across all the fronts.

“Right now, the IDF needs a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service,” he laid out, per local media sources. “Before long, the IDF will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last.”

So this appears a major push to immediately get more personnel into active service, over and above the standard required 32-months of mandatory service (and women serve 24 months).

This is also in line with fresh Netanyahu efforts at expanding the size of the armed forces and increasing retention:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government plans to extend mandatory military service as the army grapples with a deepening personnel shortage, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Thursday.

Netanyahu made the remarks during a security cabinet meeting in response to Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who warned that the army could “collapse” if the crisis is not addressed.

He said the government would move to revise conscription laws and extend service periods after the Jewish Passover holiday.

Already due to years of fighting in Gaza against Hamas, the IDF was said to be reaching exhaustion among its ranks, with last fall The Wall Street Journal reporting that:

“The Israeli military is beginning to draw down the number of its reservists serving in Gaza and other arenas, in a sign that it is reducing the intensity of fighting after two years of war and as the U.S.-brokered cease-fire holds.”

Currently, the warring sides – especially Iran and Israel – appear to be settling in for a long war even as Washington is said to be seeking to cobble together a ceasefire deal in search of an offramp. 

Israel is dropping 2,000lb bombs in residential districts in Tehran. “40-50 people” killed in a single strike, local authorities and residents told BBC.

The Israeli military says 3,600 bombs dropped on the Iranian capital alone.https://t.co/yY6KbvTfTW

— Mohammad Ali Shabani (@mashabani) March 27, 2026

Israel has indicated at least four soldiers killed in Lebanon operations, and as for casualties related to the ongoing Iranian bombardment, this isn’t clear – amid broader reports of deaths and injuries to the civilian population.

*  *  * For Your Consideration

Spring Sale – Readywise

Anza – limited edition knives & mini shanks

Protein – your daily usual + peptides

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday attempted to justify the continued US-Israeli war against Iran by implying that Iran could potentially turn a nuclear bomb into a suicide vest, a claim not grounded in reality.

Vance made the claim during a cabinet meeting while discussing military and diplomatic “options” that the US has regarding the conflict with Iran. He has continued to portray the war as being necessary to prevent Iran from making a nuclear weapon, though there was no evidence that Tehran had decided to build a bomb either before the June 2025 war or the current war that was launched on February 28.

“What we have now that we didn’t have when the president took over, just a little over a year ago, is the ability to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.

“Because when I say options, I think it’s important the American people know options for what? And it’s options to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon,” the vice president added.

“You talk about people who walk into a crowded supermarket and have a vest on, and they blow up the vest and a couple of people get killed, and that’s a terrible tragedy. What happens when what’s on the vest is not something that can kill a couple of people, but can kill many, many tens of thousands of people?”

A nuclear bomb could not be miniaturized to the point where it could be worn as a vest, and if Vance was alluding to a “dirty bomb” that uses some nuclear material, such a weapon at that size would not cause tens of thousands of casualties (and likely in the ‘dirty bomb’ scenario the wearer would die or become incapacitated from the radiation).

Plus, in recent decades, the overwhelming majority of suicide bombings in the region were carried out by Sunni Muslim extremists, not Iran and its Shia allies.

Vance suggests Iran could have used nuclear suicide vests: “You talk about people who walk into a crowded supermarket and have a vest on, and they blow up the vest and a couple of people get killed, and that’s a terrible tragedy. What happens when what’s on the vest is not… pic.twitter.com/6HiCHhi4S9

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) March 26, 2026

Before the US and Israel launched the war, Vance became one of the leading voices in the administration, making the claim that the coming conflict was about preventing Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, contradicting President Trump’s insistence that US airstrikes in June 2025 “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

At one point, Vance even claimed there was evidence Iran was trying to “rebuild a nuclear weapon,” something Iran has never had.

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows in the United States, a segment of American consumers is increasingly drawn to Chinese-made models—largely due to their affordability, advanced technology, and feature-rich designs. However, steep trade barriers and political resistance continue to keep these vehicles out of the U.S. market, according to Reuters. 

With the average price of a new car in the U.S. մոտ $50,000, Chinese EVs—many of which sell for under $30,000 in international markets—are gaining attention for offering strong value. Models from automakers such as BYD, Geely, and Zeekr often include premium interiors, advanced driver-assistance systems, and unique features like in-car entertainment and mini refrigerators, typically found in higher-end vehicles.

Reuters writes that industry experts note that Chinese automakers have rapidly improved both quality and innovation. China has recently surpassed Japan to become the world’s largest vehicle exporter, with growing sales across Europe, Latin America, and parts of North America. Countries such as Canada and Mexico have already begun integrating Chinese EVs into their markets at lower tariff rates.

In contrast, the United States has imposed tariffs exceeding 100% on Chinese vehicles, effectively blocking their entry. Policymakers cite concerns over data security, regulatory compliance, and the potential impact on domestic manufacturing jobs. Major U.S. auto industry groups have also urged continued restrictions, arguing that domestic automakers could face significant competitive pressure.

Despite these barriers, consumer curiosity remains strong. Surveys indicate that nearly half of prospective U.S. car buyers view Chinese vehicles as offering high value, and a notable share support allowing them into the domestic market. At the same time, concerns persist around safety standards, data privacy, and broader economic implications.

Auto dealers remain cautious. While many acknowledge that competitively priced Chinese EVs could attract buyers, only a small percentage currently support their introduction, citing uncertainty over compliance with U.S. regulations and market disruption.

For now, Chinese EVs remain largely absent from American roads. Yet as global competition intensifies and affordability becomes a growing concern for consumers, pressure may continue to build for greater access to lower-cost electric vehicles in the U.S. market.

* * * Be Prepared

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. government on March 25 announced a bounty of up to $3 million for information on the finances of Haiti’s ‌Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs.

The United States designated both groups, which bring together hundreds of gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince, the agricultural Artibonite region, and central Haiti, as terrorist organizations in May 2025.

The two gangs are a “primary source of instability and violence in Haiti” and are a “direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time, adding that they are “committed to overthrowing the government of Haiti.”

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. They are estimated to control about 90 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to a 2025 U.N. security briefing, and have expanded their activities into the countryside, including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults, and rape. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a March 25 statement that Viv Ansanm members are “responsible for an ongoing campaign of violence, including attacks against the government of Haiti, prison systems, police stations, hospitals, and the nation’s main airport in Port-au-Prince,” while Viv Ansanm is “directly involved in the mass murder and collective rape of Haitian civilians, including violence against American citizens in Haiti.”

Haitian security ​forces, with the support of a partially deployed U.N.-backed force and a U.S. private ⁠military company, have intensified attacks on armed gangs that control most of the capital, but ​have yet to make a major gang leader’s arrest.

Even if gang members are arrested, Haiti’s judicial system is barely functional. A 2024 U.N. report found that “many courthouses remain destroyed, non-operational, or located in inaccessible areas, effectively barring judicial personnel and lawyers from accessing them.”

More than ​a million people have been displaced by the conflict with gangs, which has exacerbated food insecurity, and ‌close ⁠to 20,000 have been reported killed in Haiti since 2021. The death toll has climbed every year.

According to a Mercy Corps survey published this month, which ⁠surveyed thousands of displaced people across the capital Port-au-Prince, 99 percent had no job or income after being displaced, and 95 percent felt unsafe in ​their new lodgings.

Less than half had access to a functioning toilet, ​and the vast majority were eating fewer than two meals a day. Just a third of children were attending school, and a third of women said they had suffered physical or sexual violence at ⁠the displacement ​site, the report found.

The United Nations estimated that 1.45 million people ​were internally displaced across Haiti by the end of last year, with more than 400,000 displaced in the past ​year alone.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

*  *  * Nighty night