Vinny Eng

U.S. eases some sanctions on Russian oil, but crude prices remain high The move, intended to soothe jittery markets over the disruption of Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies, underlines how the war has boosted Moscow's ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar...

The move, intended to soothe jittery markets over the disruption of Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies, underlines how the war has boosted Moscow's ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar of the Kremlin's budget as it presses its invasion of Ukraine. https://to.pbs.org/4bt1CvX

Trump administration underestimated Iran war’s impact on Strait of Hormuz | CNN Politics The Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes while planning the ongoing operation, accord...

"Top Trump officials acknowledged to lawmakers during recent classified briefings that they did not plan for the possibility of Iran closing the strait in response to strikes."

www.cnn.com/2026/03/12/p...

ICE agents reveal daily arrest quotas and surveillance app in rare court testimony Under oath, officers said they were told to make eight arrests a day and given special tech to help choose ‘targets’

When a federal judge (finally) put ICE officers under oath, they admitted that they are given daily detention quotas and rely heavily on a Palantir-supplied AI tool to select targets, without warrants and without enough evidence to obtain one. They simply go into neighborhoods and round people up.

How RFK, Jr.’s controversial beliefs are shaping Americans’ health How Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s ideas about public health—from vaccines to seed oils—are shaping Americans’ health

On RFK, Jr.’s soft eugenics”: The “presumed goal is for nature to take its course, leaving a wake of dead bodies and allowing only the so-called genetically superior to survive.”

www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...

This is the smartest piece I’ve read on the Epstein network’s crimes - and how authorities can still pursue some measure of accountability. Of course, the victims’ lives can never be made whole. But at least some of Epstein’s accomplices could still be brought to justice.

Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job The Social Security inspector general’s office is investigating allegations that the former DOGE engineer took sensitive data on a thumb drive in a major potential security breach, said people familia...

He allegedly said "he needed help transferring data from a thumb drive “to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company.] ... [and] that he expected to receive a presidential pardon ... ." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

AI is supposed to result in a productivity boom yet ALL my software providers are raising their prices by 10% or more...

First 6 Days of Iran War Cost U.S. $11.3 Billion, Pentagon Says

The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.

Troubling development--Core PCE inflation was hot in Jan at 0.36% m/m & 3.1% y/y BUT it would have been even hotter had BEA not shifted its source data in an ad hoc fashion to avoid showing an 11.9% m/m rise in legal fees shown in the CPI. The BEA acknowledged they made this choice...not a good look

Are markets being too complacent about the Iran war? [FREE TO READ] Sometimes crises do not blow over as investors might hope

"My biggest fear is the market is still working under the assumption that this will not get out of control.”

Are markets being too complacent about the Iran war?
Me, 300 free clicks: - as.ft.com/r/0c0e8ae1-b...

Wealthy British nationals fleeing Gulf conflict bypass UK to avoid tax bills High-net-worth residents of UAE heading to Ireland and France to wait out missile attacks before tax year ends Wealthy UK nationals fleeing war in the Gulf are seeking sanctuary in countries such as Ireland and France to avoid hefty tax bills back home. In the face of possible demands from HM Revenue and Customs, high-net-worth individuals who had been living in the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring countries are hoping to wait out the missile and drone attacks elsewhere rather than return to the UK. Continue reading...

Wealthy British nationals fleeing Gulf conflict bypass UK to avoid tax bills

Hay una alerta de calor en gran parte de California el jueves y el viernes. Tenga cuidado.

There is a heat advisory across much of California Thursday and Friday. Please be careful.

#CALOR #WeFeedYou

Why Congress keeps handing Trump its power Trump’s second presidency has accelerated the growth of executive power at the expense of the legislative branch, raising concerns about the balance of powers.

Fascinating article to write after Congress recently rebuked the President's budget, undoes reorganizations and RIFs in several agencies, and recently forced a cabinet official to be fired. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War

NEW: Before the Iran War, Trump ignored warnings that Iran could retaliate across the region and stop oil shipments. Now, with energy markets in chaos, some aides are pessimistic about the lack of a strategy to end the war. But they haven't told Trump. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/u...

Guess What Moderate Democratic Voters Aren’t Anymore? Moderate. Two new polls suggest that moderate Democrats, too, want higher taxes on the rich and some measure of economic populism. Moderate isn’t what it was in 1992.

Moderate Democrats with columns in newspapers are constantly saying the Democratic Party is way too liberal on "social" issues. Moderate Democratic voters in real life do not feel this way. With some polling data from @gelliottmorris.com and @dataforprogress.org. newrepublic.com/article/2074...

That’s more than half the annual budget of the National Science Foundation.

For reference, the DoD cut $15M in pancreatic cancer research funding last year.

Guess What Moderate Democratic Voters Aren’t Anymore? Moderate. Two new polls suggest that moderate Democrats, too, want higher taxes on the rich and some measure of economic populism. Moderate isn’t what it was in 1992.

Third Way and other "moderate" Democratic groups and elites constantly bash progressive politicians and ideas. But moderate Democratic VOTERS really like raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations, Medicare-for-all, and Bernie Sanders. newrepublic.com/article/2074...

This is a bad policy that would help incumbents retain their seats in the upcoming midterms.

Why Democrats want do that when out of power in the White House, the Senate, and the House is another question.

Republicans control everything and every bad thing is their fault. Say it until November 3.

Helps bail out Trump from his own idiotic decisions, while reducing gov revenue and will earn no credit from voters in the process. Brilliant.

Sen. Roger Marshall on high gas prices: "Freedom is not free. Americans are gonna have to make some sacrifices."

Trump did not announce a U.S. policy then walk it back. That is not what happened, and media presenting it that way does a disservice.

Trump said words he thought might appeal to his audience in the moment, with no connection to actual policy, then did that again with a different question/asker.

Bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure to have major environmental fallout, experts warn Monitors admit they are struggling to keep track of the environmental disasters arising from widening war

Bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure to have major environmental fallout, experts warn

Congrats again, everyone, for not only normalizing the unprecedented criminality of DOGE, but also for taking Trump’s & Musk’s & the entire far right authoritarian party’s claims that it was about reducing the debt & saving money. Truly, well done.

Framingham police say two officers violated policy against “criminal conduct” but want $525 for the details The Framingham Police Department says two police officers violated a policy against “criminal conduct”—but has demanded $525 for the officers’ internal affairs records.

NEW: The #Framingham Police Department says it determined that two police officers violated a policy against “criminal conduct”—but the department has provided few details about the allegations and has demanded $525 for the officers’ internal affairs records.

#Massachusetts

Fifty-nine-year-old Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi is currently the 11th person to have died while in ICE custody this year that we know of, and the 17th ICE-related death since the killing of Keith Porter on December 31, 2025.

Story lataco.com/iranian-ice-...

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticizes Supreme Court emergency rulings During a public forum, Jackson and conservative Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh offered differing views of President Trump’s wins before the high court.

“What is happening now is the administration is making new policy, but then insisting that the new policy take effect immediately before a challenge about its lawfulness is determined,” Jackson said. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

IRAN’S AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: PASSAGE THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ WILL BE CONTROLLED, BUT THE STRAIT WILL NOT BE CLOSED

Rebecca Solnit Says the Left’s Next Hero Is Already Here

“Everything we can save is worth saving. Everything we can do is worth doing. We’ve already lost a lot, but we don’t have to lose everything. We don’t have to surrender.” 💯

- @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social

gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/m...

I am stuck on this: so many people in this world are not living a decent life, go hungry, feel unsafe, and are at risk in other ways. Instead of doing everything possible to help them, why do those with the most power instead do everything they can to harm them? It (still) makes no sense.