Colin Wrafter

So a vastly different speech to what we heard from von der Leyen yesterday.

After VDL says EU must decide if rules are a "help or hindrance" to the bloc, Costa says EU must ensure they survive.

Costa also with pointed critique of US & Israeli action in Iran (& US in general)

European Council President Antonio Costa now speaking to the same EU ambassadors addressed by VDL yesterday.

Starkly different message to VDL:

"We must defend the rules-based international order. We must uphold the principles enshrined in the UN Charter"

U.S. orders more diplomats to leave Middle East The State Department’s most recent directives apply to personnel in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, underscoring the ongoing threat posed by Iranian counterattacks.

The Trump administration ordered more U.S. diplomats to leave the Middle East, issuing an “ordered departure” for nonessential American staff and their families at the U.S. Consulate in Turkey after sending a similar notice to staff in Saudi Arabia.

Cover of Journal of American Ethnic History, Winter 2026, Volume 44, Number 1. Special Issue: Globalizing Irish America. Yellow and Black color-blocked background with image of North America on a globe, includes list of authors

It's Irish American Heritage Month! Check out our podcast with Journal of American Ethnic History guest editors @dgannon2016.bsky.social + @ciantmcmahon.bsky.social
on their special issue, "Globalizing Irish America." cc: @iehs.bsky.social
soundcloud.com/press-market...

two butterflies are flying in the dark and one is blue Alt: two blue butterflies are flying in the dark

Bluesky reaches 43 million users
bsky.jazco.dev/stats

The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics

NEW: We just published a deep dive into just how much billionaires are now dominating U.S. politics.

We found 300 billionaire families accounted for 19% of federal donations in 2024. The deluge was even larger in many state and local races.

1/7

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

The grim choice facing the Trump administration: Economic or naval collapse? The Trump administration is currently trapped between the specter of a global economic recession and a naval catastrophe.

The Trump administration is currently trapped between the specter of a global economic recession and a naval catastrophe. And it’s all Trump’s fault.

How to Prevent Insider Trading on Trump’s Wars A flurry of well-timed bets and anonymous on Polymarket right before the U.S. strike on Iran shows the need for reform.

Using classified information to make a profit is potentially a serious crime in the U.S. In practice, however, it’s relatively simple to skirt these laws and regulations by exploiting the anonymity of prediction platforms, particularly Polymarket. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/JfyEmH

Apple Now Makes About 25% of iPhones in India After China Pivot Apple Inc. increased iPhone production in India by about 53% last year and now makes a quarter of its marquee devices there, reflecting the US company’s efforts to avoid tariffs on China.

Apple increased iPhone production in India by about 53% last year and now makes a quarter of its marquee devices there, reflecting the US company’s efforts to avoid tariffs on China.

How The Times Tracks Down the Connections Behind Trump’s Pardons

For most of my journalism career, pardons were considered criminal justice or human interest stories.

Now, thanks to Trump's transactional approach, they're part of the lobbying & influence beat.

A look behind the scenes of the @nytimes.com's clemency coverage:

AIVD: cyberaanval via berichtendiensten Signal en WhatsApp is gelinkt aan Rusland Cyberveiligheid: De AIVD en MIVD bevestigen dat Nederlandse overheidsmedewerkers doelwit én slachtoffer zijn van een grootschalige phishing-operatie van Russische staatshackers, waarbij het „waarschij...

The Dutch intelligence services have issued an urgent warning: Russian intelligence services are now running dangerous phishing and intelligence gathering operations through Signal and WhatsApp. They have cracked both platforms. Customers should use extreme caution around both programs.

How to Prevent Insider Trading on Trump’s Wars A flurry of well-timed bets and anonymous on Polymarket right before the U.S. strike on Iran shows the need for reform.

The day President Trump announced his assault on Iran, a company that tracks data on crypto transactions posted a message on X: “Six suspected insiders made $1.2M betting on a US strike on Iran.” newyorkermag.visitlink.me/NwNrpQ

Spanish leader slams Merz for his deference to Trump “What Europe needs today is leadership, not vassals who pay homage to Trump,” said Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz.

One week after Donald Trump called the Spanish government “terrible” and threatened to cut trade with Madrid, Spain’s leaders remain furious with Friedrich Merz for sitting in silence in the Oval Office while the U.S. president delivered his tirade.

Trump’s comments today could be an indication of US intentions. Or they could be an exercise in manipulating the markets for the benefit of insiders. Or both.
And that is not where a US President should be.

YouTube video by The Royal Institute of Philosophy Social Equality: Then And Now, Professor Jonathan Wolff

My lecture Social Equality: Then and Now for @triphilosophy.bsky.social is now available online.

youtu.be/9xL1gyM4f3Q

"Our government is treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store"

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago

bit.ly/4bxp5ND

👇🎯 Once again, behold the unparalleled parsimony & explanatory power of the Dennis Green Unified Theory Of American Politics (& International Relations).

As an IR professor, it's depressing that this is outperforming all others as the best theory of US foreign policy

Good exercise to see how joined-up UK govt records are on EU legislation

tl;dr errrm

/1

The Archives of Fianna Fáil: political party archives in a modern democracy An insight into the Fianna Fáil archival collection at UCD Archives

The ISA Spring Lecture Series commences Wed 18 March at 6pm, Conference Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

'The Archives of the Fianna Fáil Party: A Case Study of Political Party Archives and Their Role in a Democratic State' by Kate Manning, Principal Archivist, UCD

WITH NO SWEEPERS

Even if the destruction somehow stopped today, it will take years to rebuild.

Macron: French deployment in the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz will include eight warships, an aircraft carrier, and two helicopter carriers.

Is the Green Party too radical for Britain? As Zack Polanski’s leftwing outfit gains momentum in the polls, its more unconventional policies are under scrutiny

Or how the Greens became the Corbynistas....

www.ft.com/content/a60e...

Reddit screenshot from Glasgow thread. Bright flames rising out the side of a Victorian building.

Video screenshot from Reddit. Building is now a shell with flames visible in every window.

The roof has collapsed embers rise into the night sky.

The fire at Glasgow central station is utterly devastating. Shops, homes and our transport link to England are being wiped out.
I am amazed by the limited news coverage.

Sánchez’s principled stand against Trump matters. So does Merz’s silence Spain’s leader has taken a strong position in refusing the US demand to use Spanish bases to strike Iran. Europe should show solidarity in the face of Trump’s threats.

Pedro Sánchez has taken a strong position in refusing the US demand to use Spanish bases to strike Iran. Europe should show solidarity with Spain in the face of Donald Trump’s threats. https://bit.ly/4l7IYhs

The Irish Times view on the economic impact of the Gulf crisis: difficult choices lie ahead Another bout of inflation could further damage competitiveness and hurt households

The Irish Times view on the economic impact of the Gulf crisis: difficult choices lie ahead

"Hezbollah and local residents said Israel had conducted some 40 airstrikes in the area to give cover to the special forces soldiers and allow them to withdraw."

Dozens killed as Israeli special forces raid Lebanese village in search of 40-year-old remains Overnight, one Israeli operation saw at least 41 people killed and 40 injured, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Pretty serious allegation here. "Witnesses told the BBC that the Israeli soldiers had arrived disguised in Lebanese military fatigues and used ambulances with signs of Hezbollah's Islamic Health Organization."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Was once told that a lot of science is basically a matter of building bigger and bigger hammers to break things into smaller and smaller pieces. (For example the Large Hadron Collider - the clue is in the name.) US and Israeli military shamefully applying the same logic.