Friday, March 27, 2026

World

Trump pauses Iran energy strikes, extends deadline to April 6

Trump has delayed planned strikes on Iran's power grid by 10 days, giving Tehran until April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing US-Iran negotiations. The pause came after a brutal day on Wall Street, with Iranian missiles hitting Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan as the conflict continues to roil global markets. Oil prices remain volatile, and Manila's streets have already emptied as fuel costs surge across Asia.

MarketTrump announces end of military operations against Iran by April 30th?48%

Tech

Federal judge blocks Pentagon's 'supply chain risk' label on Anthropic

A federal judge in California has granted Anthropic a temporary injunction, ordering the Trump administration to rescind its designation of the AI company as a national security supply chain risk. The case centers on Anthropic's refusal to allow the Defense Department to use its Claude model in autonomous weapons systems — a refusal the government reportedly punished by slapping the label on the firm. Judge Rita Lin ruled the designation amounted to "classic First Amendment retaliation."

MarketWill the DHS shutdown end after March 31, 2026?82%

Politics

DHS shutdown enters seventh week as Senate funding bill stalls

The US Senate has failed for a seventh time to advance a bill partially funding the Department of Homeland Security, now shut down for nearly six weeks. Trump announced he will bypass Congress entirely by signing an executive order directing new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA agents immediately, as workers face yet another missed paycheck. The Education Department has separately been ordered to vacate its headquarters in August, with the larger Energy Department set to take over the building.

MarketWill the DHS shutdown last 52 days or more?50%

Tech

Meta found liable for youth harm in back-to-back court defeats

Juries in California and New Mexico have delivered consecutive verdicts finding Meta liable for products that harm young people — the first time a social media giant has lost on this ground in court. Legal analysts are comparing the moment to the tobacco industry's reckoning in the 1990s, when a string of trial losses cracked open decades of corporate immunity. The two verdicts arrived within 48 hours of each other.

Economy

Putin asks oligarchs to fund Ukraine war as costs soar

Vladimir Putin has asked Russian oligarchs to make voluntary donations to the state budget as the financial burden of the Ukraine war reaches levels the Kremlin can no longer absorb through conventional revenue. The move signals Putin's intention to push for full control of Ukraine's Donbas region regardless of cost, with no off-ramp in sight. The request marks a notable shift from Russia's earlier posture of projecting fiscal self-sufficiency.

MarketRussia x Ukraine ceasefire by end of 2026?32%