How Russia's threat has seen Germany become Europe's most important army

12 hours ago
Allan Little

Special correspondent BBC

General Carsten Breuer is a man in a hurry. As head of Germany's armed forces he's the most powerful, and arguably the most important, soldier in Europe. He's been tasked with the rapid expansion of Germany's armed might, turning its army into the continent's most powerful fighting force.

Could this weekend's No Kings protests be the largest ever?

Sarah D. Wire
USA TODAY
Updated March 26, 2026, 4:14 p.m. ET
With more than 3,100 events planned nationwide to protest President Donald Trump's actions and policies, organizers expect the No Kings protests to draw millions of Americans into the streets March 28.

As war frays Trump’s power, new political forces erupt

Analysis by Stephen Collinson
3 hr ago

In America this spring, seeds of political change are stirring.

In the middle of seismic events, it’s often hard to identify a specific pivot point. But politics is never still — even when omnipresent presidents believe they are in total control.

Senate unanimously moves to fund most of DHS, except ICE and border patrol, in rare overnight session

CNN
By Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer
Updated 3 min ago

The Senate unanimously moved to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and part of Customs and Border Protection, in a rare overnight session.

Trump Again Extends Deadline for Iran to Open Strait or Face Strikes on Power Grid

Updated March 27, 2026, 1:59 a.m. ET, 42 minutes ago

President Trump moved the deadline to reopen the major transit route for oil tankers from Friday to April 6. Stocks fell sharply, and oil prices rose.

Erica L. Green and Edward Wong

Here’s the latest.

President Trump on Thursday announced that he was once again postponing the deadline for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face devastating strikes on its power plants.

Trump signature to appear on US currency, ending 165-year tradition

REUTERS March 26, 2026 

U.S. President Donald Trump writes his signature, as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

Summary

• Trump signature to start appearing on $100 bill in June, marking 250th US anniversary
• Change to delete US treasurer's signature for the first time since 1861
• Signature plan latest Trump move to put his name on buildings, programs, ships, money

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. paper currency will bear ‌President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, the first time a sitting president has signed American money, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. 

DemocracyNow Headline News 26/03/26

DemocracyNow.org

This video from Democracy Now! covers major world headlines for March 26, 2026. The report heavily focuses on intensified military conflicts in the Middle East and US-led foreign policy actions, along with significant domestic developments in the US regarding AI, technology regulation, and immigration.

Russian oil tanker nears Cuba in test of US resolve on blockade

ANALYSIS
Russian officials confirmed Wednesday that Moscow is sending fuel to Cuba as humanitarian aid, intensifying geopolitical tensions as a Russian oil tanker likely bound for the island approaches the Caribbean. Moscow’s announcement comes amid a US effort to choke off oil supplies to Havana that has led to a worsening energy crisis and an unfolding humanitarian disaster.

Issued on: 26/03/2026 - 17:16Modified: 26/03/2026 - 17:36
By: Sébastian SEIBT

The Next Financial Shock to Come From Trump’s War With Iran

Logan McMillen

March 26, 2026

Distressed Asset

America’s current credit rating masks a fatal contradiction, and a downgrade is the only honest assessment of an empire in decline.

Let’s set the scene. The U.S. government is staring down a projected $1.9 trillion deficit for this fiscal year, with the total national debt now pushing $39 trillion. Simultaneously, the expanding war in Iran and the subsequent crisis in the Strait of Hormuz have fractured global energy supply chains, driving Brent crude to $119 a barrel and sparking a massive inflationary shock. By any standard metric of sovereign risk, a state that is rapidly accelerating its debt issuance while engaging in a war of choice that is throttling the worldwide supply of oil should be facing the possibility of having its bonds repriced.

Savannah Guthrie Delivers Bombshell Update on Mother’s Kidnapping

DAILY BEAST'S 

“Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. We are in agony. It is unbearable,” Guthrie said.

 ‘BECAUSE OF ME’

Savannah Guthrie has revealed that the first two ransom notes the family received may have been sent from the real kidnappers.

American apocalypse: The end 'feels personal and imminent'

Conor Dillon | Gabriel Borrud
Deutsche Welle
March 24, 2026 - Social psychologists in the US found that a third of people surveyed feel the world will end in their lifetimes. That's not only depressing; it also affects people's sense of agency when faced by war or climate change.

Image: Vadimrysev/Depositphotos/IMAGO

‘Another Iraq’: Nancy Mace Walks Out of Iran Briefing, Warns ‘They’ Want Boots on the Ground

Alex Griffing
Wed, March 25, 2026

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said on Wednesday she walked out of a House Armed Services briefing on Iran and then warned against the U.S. sending troops into Iran.

At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks during the swearing-in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
By TIFFANY STANLEY
Updated 12:58 PM PDT, March 25, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.”

Venezuela’s Maduro has been in a notorious Brooklyn jail for over 80 days. This is what life is like in there

By María Santana
10 hr ago
Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by federal agents, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan for an initial appearance, at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, in New York City, on January 5, 2026. Adam Gray/Reuters

As ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro prepares for his next court hearing in the US, his son is projecting an optimistic and defiant image of how his father and First Lady Cilia Flores are coping with life behind bars. However, people with access to the notorious Brooklyn jail where he is being held paint a less rosy picture of what life there is really like.

Markets are gripped by an alarming cognitive dissonance

Finance & economics | Buttonwood

Investors all seem to think everyone else is wrong

The Economist

Mar 24, 2026 

Markets thrive on contradictions. Every buyer needs a seller – and each thinks they are making a good trade despite the likelihood that the other is at least as well-informed as they are. Investors know that markets are the best prediction engines out there, and try to beat them anyway.

Venezuela forgets about Maduro and starts down an irreversible path

The country is trying to turn the page while Venezuelans take to the streets to gauge the true openness of Delcy Rodríguez’s government

María Martín

Bogotá - MAR 23, 2026 - 09:41 CDT

Iran rejects US 15-point peace plan, state media report

Paulin Kola
Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump's 15-point plan to end the war, according to state-run Press TV.

It cited an unknown "senior political-security official" laying out five of Tehran's own conditions to bring the conflict to an end, including paying reparations for damage.

Dimon warns on AI job losses, calls for government-business incentives

Garrett Downs
Published Tue, Mar 24 2026


Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned that artificial intelligence could cost U.S. jobs.
• Dimon called for a fix that involves both the government and private sector.
• He said the government could offer incentives to employers that retrain or other benefits to employees harmed by AI adoption.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Tuesday warned that artificial intelligence could cost the U.S. jobs, and suggested the government could create an incentive system for businesses to help soften the blow.