WASHINGTON — Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington says Havana is prepared to enter diplomatic talks with the United States, reiterating the country’s willingness to engage even as tensions escalate with President Trump asserting that the island nation’s government could soon collapse.
“We are ready to engage with the U.S. on the issues that are important for the bilateral relation, and to talk about those in which we have differences,” Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, who leads Cuba’s mission in Washington, told The Times on Wednesday.
Any dialogue would need to respect Cuba’s sovereignty and its “right to self-determination,” the ambassador said.
“We are sure that it is possible to find a solution,” she said.
Her comments in a wide-ranging interview come at a particularly volatile moment for Cuba, which is under mounting economic pressure after the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade that has choked off the island’s energy supplies.
The measures have deepened a humanitarian crisis and prompted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to call for an “urgent” overhaul to the country’s economic model.
The situation in Cuba worsened after U.S. forces removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, allowing Washington to later cut off oil shipments from Venezuela to its longtime ally. The Trump administration later pressured other suppliers, including Mexico, to reduce deliveries.
“We are doing our best, and we are being very creative, but it has a serious impact,” Torres Rivera said of the blockade. “It is a collective punishment against the Cuban people.”
The White House this week framed Cuba’s worsening economic and humanitarian conditions as a potential opening to pressure Havana into negotiations.
“The country is obviously in a very weak place, economically speaking, the people are crying out for help, and the president believes and knows the Cuban regime wants a deal,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a news briefing Tuesday.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida) told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that the Trump administration had been having secret, high-level conversations with several people in former President Raul Castro’s inner circle, a similar approach that was taken in Venezuela before Maduro’s capture. (The operation to seize Maduro killed 32 Cuban officers stationed in the country.)
Cuban President Miguel Díaz -Canel, fourth from right, holds up a Cuban flag during a rally in Havana on Jan. 16, 2026, to protest the killing of Cuban officers during the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
(Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press)
Another report by the USA Today this week said the Trump administration was close to announcing an economic deal with Cuba that would ease travel restrictions, among other things. A representative with the Cuban government declined to comment on the report.
The White House has not specified what a deal may look like. But Trump has said the United States is interested in a “friendly takeover” and has suggested that the move would allow Cubans to visit the island, a place that many Cuban exiles have worried about returning to while the current regime is in place.
“It is just a question of time before a lot of unbelievable people are going back to Cuba,” Trump said at an event last week.
Several news outlets have reported that the Justice Department is examining possible federal charges against officials within Cuba’s government, a move that could prompt a change in the island’s government.
Torres Rivera said she is aware of the reports but said the “judicial accusations” are an “instrument of political coercion without any legitimacy.”
“It is not something we are losing sleep over,” she said.
As for the potential negotiations, Torres Rivera did not provide specifics but talked about restoring diplomatic ties somewhat to how they existed during the Obama administration.
“We are neighbors,” she said. “We have common challenges, common threats, and we can speak about all that, and we can speak on the basis of respect for each other’s sovereignty and each other’s right of self-determination. We are ready for that.”
President Trump has approached diplomacy with Cuba with a harsher tone.
“As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba,” Trump said Saturday, one week after U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He added: “Cuba’s at the end of the line. They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that has been bad for a very long time.”
Trump said that he has put Secretary of State Marco Rubio in charge of leading the talks with Cuba and that he believes a “deal would be made very easily with Cuba.”
Torres Rivera did not offer an opinion on Rubio being tapped to lead the negotiations. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who came to Florida three years before Castro’s brother, revolutionary Fidel Castro, rose to power in 1959. She reiterated that Cuba is “ready to engage” in talks regardless of who is leading them.
“We are not talking about persons, we are talking about the government and we are ready to engage with the U.S. to talk about the very important issues that we have in bilateral relations,” she said.
When Birmingham High’s Tekeio Phillips and X’Zavion McKay were asked if they are surprised that the Patriots are playing for a Division III state boys’ basketball championship on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento after losing in the first round of the City Section Open Division playoffs, the answer was unanimous: Yes.
The Patriots (22-7) have won four consecutive state playoff games to earn a spot against Antioch Cornerstone Christian (28-8) in a 4 p.m. final. Fellow City Section member Sylmar (24-12) is playing San Marin (21-13) for the Division V title at noon. On Saturday, Palisades’ girls’ team plays Faith Christian at 10 a.m.
Birmingham lost to Fairfax 66-58 on Feb. 11 in the City playoffs and didn’t play another game until March 3. How do you get your team motivated for state playoffs after three weeks off?
“We didn’t do anything the rest of the week and took the next week off,” Halic said. “We rested our bodies and emotionally refreshed.”
Most importantly, Patriot players decided they wanted to win in the state playoffs.
“It definitely helped us offensively connect better,” Halic said. “We’re playing a better game these last four games. When you lose you’re disappointed and sometimes going into state, people don’t care. It’s such a great opportunity for us.”
Phillips is averaging 22.8 points. McKay is averaging 12.6 points and 10.5 rebounds. Phillips has twice played at Golden 1 Center when he was a member of the Alijah Arenas-led Chatsworth team.
“It’s just a bigger gym,” Phillips said. “I feel comfortable.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
March 12 (UPI) — Police divers in Australia’s Greater Sunshine Coast region on Thursday recovered the bodies of two missing Chinese backpackers after they were found dead inside their SUV vehicle beneath floodwaters.
The 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were found near Kilkivan, 100 miles northwest of Brisbane, after a major search operation by police and the State Emergency Service using helicopters and drones when the pair failed to arrive at their destination.
“Dive squad officers from the state dive unit arrived and retrieved two deceased persons from a car that had been washed off the road at Kilkivan. The formal identification process is still underway but it is believed that the two, as reported, are a 26-year-old male and a 23-year-old female who are international tourists,” said Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie.
Purdie said their families had been notified and authorities were working with the Chinese Consulate in Brisbane.
Bundaberg Police Chief Inspector Grantley Marcus said the pair were driving from Brisbane to Mundubbera, where they were due to begin jobs picking fruit.
“They didn’t arrive and a friend of theirs from Australia contacted police on Tuesday and reported them as missing.”
Marcus said the families of the deceased were en route to Australia and pledged police would do everything they could to assist them when they arrived.
The couple was named by 7News as Yuchen Guo, 23, from Shandong Province in eastern China, and Qingwei Qiu, 26, from Fujian Province in the southeast of the country.
Extreme rainfall has seen large areas of Queensland hit with severe flooding in recent days, with some river levels still rising. Parts of the state recorded their highest three-day rainfall totals Sunday through Tuesday.
Glen Hartwig, mayor of nearby Gympie, said the deaths of the pair were “an absolute tragedy” and called for more to be done to make tourists aware of the danger from flooding.
“These people have come to Australia to see our beautiful country and tragically they’ve ended up losing their lives. We warn people about biosecurity when they come into the country, but I also think we need to warn them about the dangers of floodwaters,” he said.
“We’re very grateful that they chose to come and see our country and we’re so sorry for their loss and the pain that [family members] are now feeling,” added Hartwig.
Founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and tennis great Billie Jean King (C) smiles with representatives after speaking during an annual Women’s History Month event in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX in Statuary Hall at the U.S .Capitol in Washington on March 9, 2022. Women’s History Month is celebrated every March. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
A MAJOR £185 million rail project will see five new train stations open in the UK over the next few weeks.
The works will improve connections across the West Midlands, with some of the services reinstated for the first time in decades.
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Willenhall Station (pictured) is one of five rail stations set to re-open in the West Midlands over the coming weeksCredit: West Midlands Combined Authority
New stations will open at Willenhall and Darlaston in Walsall next week, on Thursday, March 19.
These sites, which are located on the Black Country line, were last visited by trains in 1965.
And on Tuesday, April 7, stations will open on the Camp Hill Line at Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road in south Birmingham.
This will mark the first time these services have been in place for the communities since World War II.
These areas on the Camp Hill Line will see services run between Birmingham city centre and Kings Norton every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, Willenhall and Darlaston stations will be added to an hourly timetable for the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street Station service via Wolverhampton.
West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) said it was working with partners to secure further regular services to the areas, with the project described as a “rail revolution”.
Each of the five stations features sheltered platforms, accessible lifts, ticket machines and cycle racks, while there are 300 parking spaces available at Darlaston and 33 at Willenhall.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker described the previous closures of the stations as a “short-sighted mistake”, describing the latest update as “a new lifeline for local people”.
WMRE is spear-heading the scheme alongside the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), in partnership with Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Birmingham City Council, Walsall Council, and the Department for Transport.
Works have been partially funded by a £126 million government grant, with a further £30 million obtained for the completion of the Camp Hill line.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Thanks to government investment, fast and frequent rail services will arrive at new stations across Birmingham and the Black Country next month for the first time in decades, reducing congestion and improving local transport connections.”
TfWM said final authorisation for the openings is expected in the coming days from the Office of Rail and Road.
Authorities have said most of those who died were found buried in mud.
Published On 12 Mar 202612 Mar 2026
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The death toll from landslides and flooding in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 64, with dozens more people missing, police have said.
“The number of people missing due to the recent flood in Gamo zone has reached 128, and according to the latest information, 64 bodies have been found,” said the South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission in a statement on Facebook on Thursday.
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The Gacho Baba district communication chief, Abebe Agena, said most of those who died were found buried in mud. It is not yet clear how many households were affected.
Gamo Zone director of disaster response Mesfin Manuqa said that one person was pulled out of mud alive during rescue operations.
Tilahun Kebede, president of the South Ethiopia Regional State, expressed his sorrow over the disaster and urged residents to move to higher ground as rains continue.
“Given that it is the rainy season and these types of disasters could happen again, I am calling on communities living in the highlands and flood-prone areas to take the necessary precautions,” he said.
Flooding caused by heavy rains has led to the deaths, with most of East Africa seeing heavy flooding in recent days.
Dozens were killed in neighbouring Kenya after torrential rain hit the capital, Nairobi, and other areas on Friday.
Mudslides and floods caused by heavy rainfall are common in Ethiopia, especially during the rainy season.
In July 2024, a deadly mudslide caused by heavy rain killed more than 250 people in southern Ethiopia.
Multiple studies have tracked the increasing frequency of extreme wet and dry periods in East Africa in the last 20 years.
Scientists have long warned that human-driven climate change is increasing the likelihood, length and severity of severe weather events such as torrential downpours.
KATIE Price has warned that her son Harvey “will die of a heart attack” as she begs the NHS to put him of fat jabs.
The former glamour model, 47, revealed her worst fears for her 23-year-old son, who has a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome, which causes insatiable hunger, alongside autism, septo-optic dysplasia.
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Katie Price has shared a heartbreaking health update on son HarveyCredit: Paul EdwardsThe former glamour model said the 23-year-old ‘will die of a heart attack’ unless he has fat jabsCredit: Paul Edwards
And now the TV personality has shared another serious health update on the latest episode of her podcast.
A worried Katie said: “I’ve been on the case to doctors about putting him on the Monjaro.
“I’m actually going to put some up on Instagram to say, is there any private doctors out there because the NHS are so – I’m not slagging the NHS off, but they know he’s in the obese category.
Katie confessed: “Things are definitely going to change for Harvey when we move because although he’s moving to adult residential, he’s also going to be starting Mounjaro.”
She explained she would be keeping an eye on him while he takes the medication, adding: “So, he’ll be losing weight.”
Last April Katie told fans that she was worried for her son’s life as he weighed nearly 30 stoneCredit: Paul Edwards
Harvey has several complex medical conditions, including Prader-Willi Syndrome, which causes an excessive appetite and weight gain, and autism.
Back in November, Katie spoke out in one of her podcast episodes, saying: “He’s not started fat jabs,” after speculation he had already started the weight loss injections.
She went on to say: “There are talks of fat jabs – of Mounjaro – for him.
“But when he was there, they’ve actually got a new weight loss drug coming out, and it’s new.
“They’ve clinically tested it on people and they’ve got a few people they’re putting it on first.”
Katie then said: “And if it works, then Harvey can go on it in the new year.
“But they want him to start the Mounjaro.
“Because if he goes on Mounjaro first and then goes onto this new one, it will work a lot quicker.
“The reason he hasn’t started Mounjaro yet is because they were trying to get him to lose weight through his diet, to try all avenues,” she explained.
Despite not being on fat jabs yet, Harvey has still lost a substantial amount of weight
Back in October, Katie opened up about how much weight he had lost.
“Last I heard, he lost 22lbs, is he still going?” Katie’s sister asked on their podcast last month.
Katie then revealed: “He’s lost a stone and a half. I can notice it on his chest, but not the belly yet.”
Katie says she’s terrified when she hears her son wheezing in the middle of the nightCredit: Getty
THE best hotels in the country have been revealed and one even has rooms for under £70 a night.
It has also been praised for being family-friendly and sits on the estate of a stately home that appeared in the film, Pride and Prejudice.
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The Hide has appeared as the ‘great-value’ 2026 hotel stay by The TimesCredit: Chatsworth Escapes/The HideThe restaurant serves up all day dining, breakfast buffets and Sunday roast dinnersCredit: Chatsworth Escapes/The Hide
The Times has revealed its ’50 best places to stay in 2026′ and The Hide was declared the winner for ‘great-value’.
The cosy 19th century hotel was formerly a Premier Inn, before being converted and reopened in October 2025.
The Hide sits on the Chatsworth Estate in the rolling Peak District hills – so guests can enjoy magnificent views.
The Times praised it highly and said: “It’s laid-back and unpretentious while still offering Chatsworth hospitality including produce from the estate farm, curated art on the walls and bespoke textiles in the bedrooms plus hand-painted room numbers.”
It was awarded the title of ‘Great-value winner’ with rooms starting from £69.
They added: “The idea is that all are welcome – dogs, children, walkers in muddy boots.”
The hotel has a mix of bright and spacious rooms from doubles to triple, quad, bunk rooms and accessible ones too.
Each come with a double or king size bed, power shower and freeWi-Fi.
Meanwhile the triple or bunk rooms are suited towards families of three or four.
Guests can eat in from the All Day Dining menu available, with options such as fish and chips and beef and ale pie, as well as stone baked pizzas, burgers, steak, salads and BBQ ribs.
During the summer months, The Hide opens up its patio for outdoor dining with a pizza oven and BBQ.
There’s even a fire pit for s’mores – guests can get a sharing board for two for £10.
The breakfast buffet option starts from £15.95, or there are cook to order options including The Full Hide (essentially a full English).
There’s also a veggie option, pancakes and waffles too.
Rooms vary from cosy doubles to triple and bunk roomsCredit: Anna BatchelorThe restaurant offers Sunday lunches from £18 per personCredit: Chatsworthescapes/ TheHide
Sunday lunch is from £18 per person with a choice of Chatsworth beef, roast chicken, lamb or butternut squash, spinach and chestnut wellington.
As The Hide sits on the Chatsworth Estate, it’s easy for staying guests to explore the house.
Chatsworth House was built in the 1600s and famously appeared in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice as Mr Darcy’s house, Pemberley.
It has also appeared on screen in The Duchess and Peaky Blinders.
Guests can buy a multi-entry ticket to Chatsworth to use throughout their stay, for less than the cost of a single day ticket.
This can be added to your booking or bought while at the hotel.
Chatsworth House is around a 15 minute drive away from The Hide.
On the grounds of Chatsworth House there’s also a farmyard and adventure playground.
On the estate is a farm and adventure playgroundCredit: Chatsworth Chatsworth House sits in the Peak District surrounded by countrysideCredit: Alamy
At the farm are small animals like pigs, horses, goats and guinea pigs.
The playground has ladders, a climbing wall, rope bridges and racing slides – there’s also a zip wire, swings, and a giant sand play area
Tickets can be bought from £10 for both adults and children.
Visitors strolling along the River Derwent will feel like they’re by the seaside as it’s lined with fish and chip shops, ice cream parlours and arcades.
You can get beautiful cliff-top views over the water, and there are boat parades too – also known as the Matlock Bath Illuminations.
The nearest city is Sheffield and it’s a 17-minute walk to Chesterfield.
The provided text details the historical evolution of Mauritius from a colonial territory to a sovereign nation. It outlines how the island transitioned through Dutch, French, and British rulebefore finally achieving independence on March 12, 1968. The source further explains that the country solidified its political identity by becoming a republic exactly twenty-four years later in 1992. Beyond political milestones, the article describes the cultural significance of National Day, highlighting local traditions such as flag-raising ceremonies and military parades. Ultimately, the text serves as a commemorative overview of the struggle for self-rule and the enduring national pride of the Mauritian people.
Brent futures rose sharply on Thursday, spiking above $100 before easing slightly but remaining higher than levels seen earlier in the week as markets stay incredibly volatile.
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This comes despite an unprecedented decision by the 32-member International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday to release a record 400 million barrels to calm markets, more than double the volume released after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Following the IEA decision, Iran stepped up its offensive campaign and launched strikes on Omani oil storage facilities at the Salalah port and multiple ships in and near the Strait of Hormuz, sending prices higher again.
Record coordinated release of reserves
The US alone is contributing 172 million barrels. Germany, France and Italy also confirmed they would tap their stocks, while Japan said it would begin releases next Monday.
IEA executive director Fatih Birol described the current Iran-related crisis as an “oil market challenge unprecedented in scale”, adding that the collective response reflected “strong solidarity” in defence of global energy security.
Exports of crude and refined products from the region have dropped to 10-15% of pre-war levels, with the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil, effectively closed to the large majority of tankers.
Iran’s attacks blunt expected price relief
The new Iranian strikes came at lightning speed, directly after the IEA announcement.
Drones targeted fuel storage tanks and silos at Oman’s Salalah port, igniting fires that Omani authorities were still working to contain late on Wednesday.
British maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed damage to the facilities, while Danish shipping giant Maersk temporarily halted port operations.
Omani officials stressed there had been “no disruption to the continuity of oil supplies or petroleum derivatives” inside the country itself, while Iranian state media reported that President Pezeshkian had assured Oman’s sultan the incident would be investigated.
At the same time, six vessels were struck in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Among the reports, there was confirmation of a projectile hitting a container ship near the UAE and strikes on two tankers in Iraqi waters.
UK Maritime Trade Operations, and other monitoring groups, attributed the incidents to Iranian forces or proxies.
These developments, occurring the very day of the reserves release, appear to have smothered the anticipated calming effect on prices.
As of Thursday, the number of ships struck in the region since the beginning of the conflict rose to at least sixteen.
Record release may signal deeper market concerns
Some analysts note that the sheer volume of the release could itself be interpreted negatively. Previous coordinated actions never exceeded 183 million barrels.
The scale of the release suggests importing nations already view the disruption as the most severe and long-lasting in decades.
Even worse, a record release may not be enough.
Speaking to Euronews, Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy at ING, was blunt in his assessment.
“A record 400 million barrel release from emergency reserves is helpful, but it’s not going to go very far to offset the roughly 15 million daily supply currently disrupted.”
Patterson also added that “the only solution that will bring oil prices down on a sustained basis is getting oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz again.”
Oxford Economics echoes this concern, warning that “the economic effect of higher energy costs rises as the oil price increases,” in a report that seemingly indicates the crisis is far from over and we have yet to feel the compounding effect of the initial shock.
Russian sanctions relief remains off the table
With the reserve release failing to calm prices, attention has turned to Russian oil as a potential source of additional supply.
The US Treasury last week granted Indian refiners a 30-day waiver to purchase Russian crude from vessels already stranded at sea, though the measure expires on 4 April and deliberately excludes new shipments.
Following the G7 emergency discussions on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the group had agreed “the situation does not justify lifting any sanctions” on Russia, emphasising the need to increase global production instead.
The contrast between Washington’s narrow waiver and the G7’s firm collective position leaves little prospect of sanctions relief acting as a meaningful pressure valve, a view shared by analysts.
“Any sanction relief for Russia would see some marginal supply increases, but again not enough, with Russia’s oil output having held up well in recent years despite sanctions,” Warren Patterson of ING told Euronews.
$140-$150 oil barrel possible if conflict is prolonged
Should tensions persist, analysts warn prices could climb substantially higher.
Oxford Economics identifies $140 per barrel as the threshold at which the global economy tips into mild recession, reducing world GDP by 0.7% by year-end and pushing the UK, the Eurozone and Japan into contraction.
The managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, also stated that every 10% increase in oil prices, provided they persist for most of the year, will push up global inflation by 0.4% and reduce worldwide economic output by as much as 0.2%.
“The risk is stark,” Patterson warned. “It’s only a matter of time before we see oil prices hitting fresh record highs if the conflict is not swiftly and decisively resolved.”
The IEA’s intervention has provided a temporary buffer, but with little visible impact on prices.
A POPULAR seaside attraction will reopen later this month with two big changes – a new ride and free entry.
Adventure Coast Southport, which used to be known as Southport Pleasureland, will reopen on March 28 with a free-entry model.
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Adventure Coast Southport will reopen later this month with free entryCredit: Google maps
The new system will mean you can access the attraction – which is one of the UK’s oldest seaside amusement parks – for free and pay-as-you-go for each ride instead.
The park will also feature a new ride, and while little details about the attraction have been revealed, CEO Norman Wallis said that it is “something really big”.
The Adventure Coast Southport team added it will be a “spectacular new addition” that will be visible as part of Southport’s coastline.
Full details of the ride are expected in due course, but visitors can expect a “brand new BIG 50metre showstopper ride arriving from Easter”.
Wallis added: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back for 2026 with a refreshed approach that puts flexibility for families first.
“By removing the entry fee, families can decide what works for them.
“They might come for a couple of rides, meet friends by the coast or make a full day of it.
“Guests often tell us they love coming back because every year it feels bigger and better.”
The park is split into four themed areas: Cartoon Boardwalk, Viking Landing, Steampunk Bay and Pirate Cove.
Across the different themed areas there are a number of different rides, starting from just £1 a ride.
For example, you can head on a ghost train, swing ride, flying chairs and dodgems.
There are also a number of arcades onsite to explore and gardens with waterfalls.
Visitors can grab food at the park, including new street food options like loaded fries – but you can also bring your own picnic.
Many locals have welcomed the news of free entry on social media with one person commenting: “So glad it’s gone back to free entry and just pay for what you want, better for people with only a certain amount to spend.
It also is launching a new 50metre rideCredit: Google maps
“Also grandparents can now join in and watch grandkids ride.”
The park is also dog-friendly, has onsite parking and will be open every weekend and daily during the school holidays, from 11am.
If you want to extend your stay and explore more of Southport, then there is a motorhome site that is part of the park where you can pitch your caravan or camper van for £24 a night.
Then, just across the road from Adventure Coast Southport is Splash World waterpark.
It costs £16.20 per person to visit and includes three slides and a lazy river.
You can also head for a stroll along Southport Beach and see the pier, which is the second longest in the UK but currently closed.
Though, the Victorian pier is due to undergo £20million repairs starting this year.
President Trump was uncommonly lucky in his first term, neither inheriting nor provoking a crisis of the sort that tests U.S. presidents, until COVID struck in his final 10 months. (He failed that test, contributing to his 2020 reelection defeat.) Trump 1.0 was bequeathed a growing economy from President Obama, and the incoming president assembled a roster of capable advisors who often acted to prevent him from doing nutty things at home and abroad.
Trump 2.0 made sure that no such human guardrails populated his second Cabinet, only genuflecting enablers. Unrestrained, he has presided over one crisis on top of another, all of his own making. Tariff mayhem and high prices. Armed agents and troops in American cities. Repeated violations of court orders. Demolition at federal agencies and the White House.
And now Trump has taken the nation to war against Iran in league with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Depending on the moment and the audience, a contradictory Trump is either claiming the war is “very complete” or that much remains to be done to “decimate” Iran. On Wednesday he blithely told Axios, “Any time I want it to end, it will end,” even as U.S. officials planned further actions.
In any case, Trump’s war of choice and the killing of the supreme leader of Iran’s terroristic theocracy now has spawned another potential crisis, counterterrorism experts warn: the risks of retaliatory terrorist threats at home. And that is a threat, whether from homegrown extremists or sleeper cells of the sort that came alive for 9/11, that is likely greater because of the initial self-induced crisis of Trump’s second term: his whacking of the federal government.
Trump authorized Elon Musk’s destruction of the bureaucracy in the name of “government efficiency” and continues to exact retribution against any federal employee who had anything to do with investigating and prosecuting him during his interregnum. Longtime agents and operatives have been eliminated at the FBI, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, CIA and elsewhere. Especially at the FBI, counterterrorism experts with centuries of collective experience are gone and many who remain have been diverted to Trump’s top priority: mass deportations.
Consequently, the president who promised to “Make America Safe Again” has arguably made Americans less safe.
I raised this scary prospect just over a year ago as Trump’s teardown of the purported Deep State was underway. And now a Mideast war that Trump promised never to start has further incentivized Iran and its jihadi proxies to hit back, just as he’s diminished the nation’s early-warning systems.
Enough intelligence remains, however, that even in the days before Trump ordered the first strikes against Tehran, government analysts were picking up “worrisome signs” of Iranian plotting against U.S. targets, the New York Times reported. After the U.S.-Israel onslaught and death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28, the government intercepted a possible Iranian “operational trigger” to “sleeper assets” outside Iran, according to ABC News.
Counterterrorism expert Colin P. Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, which focuses on global security and transnational terrorism, wrote this week in the Atlantic that U.S. agencies’ record of disrupting Iranian-backed plots in America was in jeopardy given the recent changes in funding, personnel and priorities. “Because of this,” he concluded, “the U.S. homeland is arguably more vulnerable than it has been in a long time.”
In a follow-up exchange of emails, Clarke told me, “Many of this administration’s moves have been myopic — shifting counterterrorism resources to immigration, firing FBI agents working counterintelligence, etc. A week before the U.S. went to war with Iran, the FBI Director Kash Patel was off gallivanting in Milan at the Olympics [where he struggled to chug a Michelob Ultra, a firing offense in its own right] when he should have been preparing for the potential for an Iranian response on U.S. soil.”
Patel’s preposterous partying with the U.S. men’s hockey team while war-planning was underway in Washington was widely, justifiably mocked. But it stands as a metaphor for the entire Trump administration’s cavalier attitude toward homeland security. Its abusive focus on both migrants and citizens protesting on the migrants’ behalf is a distraction from actual threats to the country.
Patel, like his boss at the Justice Department, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, has made plain in words and actions that the president’s political enemies are the real public enemies No. 1. One of Bondi’s first acts was creation of a “weaponization working group” to identify, fire or prosecute those in her department who’d investigated and prosecuted Trump, many of whom also had experience in domestic and transnational terrorism. The association representing FBI agents called her purges “dangerous distractions” from the work “to make America safe again.”
Days after starting the Iran war, when homeland security should have been on red alert, Trump fired his secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. Her costly cosplaying as the homeland’s heroine on horseback in anti-migrant videos, along with her penchant for luxury jets allegedly to transport deportees, was too much even for him.
Yet all three “national security” officials — Noem, Bondi and Patel — simply reflect Trump’s own warped approach and blasé attitude toward the homefront.
When Time magazine last week asked the commander in chief whether Americans should be worried about potential terrorist strikes at home, he replied, “I guess.”
“We plan for it,” he added. “But yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.”
The administration is planning for it all right. An extraordinary number of senior Trump officials have taken up residence in houses on military bases, including Bondi, Noem, the secretaries of State and Defense, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, and White House consigliere Stephen Miller.
The rest of us just have to keep our fingers crossed. I guess.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points Tuesday night, the second most in an NBA game in history, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s iconic 81 points two decades ago.
Congrats to Adebayo, I guess.
The way it went down was highly questionable. Nothing romantic or real about it. We thought flopping and foul-baiting made for unethical hoops, but those are but basketball misdemeanors; Adebayo’s big night was felonious.
Tuesday’s game featured intentional clock-stopping, game-extending fouls by the Heat. And it was ripe with free-throw-abetting fouls by the Washington Wizards, an actively tanking team that got itself blown out, 150-129.
So, no. Bryant’s necessary, organic 81 this was not. The Lakers trailed that game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006, at halftime and actually needed Kobe’s 55 second-half points to pull away for the win.
The Heat were up by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter with Adebayo continuing to play pop-a-shot in the historic farce — which also moved him past LeBron James, whose 61 points in 2014 stood as Miami’s previous franchise record.
Eighth in the Western Conference at 33-32 after opening 6-21, the Clippers had their highest point total of the season. They blew out Minnesota after beating New York on Monday night to open a five-game homestand.
Leonard was 15 of 20 from the the field, six of nine on threes and made nine of 10 free throws. Los Angeles made 19 of 37 threes.
From Luke DeCock: The eventual end of the USC men’s basketball season came the same way that it fizzled out during the past month, with yet another second-half collapse that featured the added pain of overtime.
The Trojans led the Huskies by 13 in the second half and had chances to win at the end of regulation and overtime, only to miss all three potential game-winning or game-tying shots and go 2-for-5 from the free-throw line in overtime. For a team that was once in NCAA tournament consideration before stumbling, that failure to finish was a persistent flaw.
The U.S. bombing campaign against Iran, which began two weeks ago, has triggered a region-wide conflict and killed more than 1,300 Iranians including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said on state television Wednesday.
“Our players do not have security, and fundamentally the conditions for participation do not exist.”
Donyamali’s statement came just hours after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he had received assurances from President Trump that Iran would be allowed to participate in the tournament, which will be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
1937 — The first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) men’s basketball tournament is won by Central Missouri State. Central Missouri wins the eight-team, single-elimination tournament by defeating Morningside College (Iowa) 35-24.
1966 — In the last race of his 40-year career, John Longden wins the San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita, aboard George Royal. He retires with a then-record number of victories, 6,032.
1984 — Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Britain become the first ice dancing team to record nine perfect marks of 6.0 during the world championships.
1985 — Larry Bird scores 60 points, including Boston’s last 16, to set a Celtics record and lead them to a 126-115 victory over Atlanta.
1994 — The Arkansas men’s track and field team wins its 11th straight NCAA Indoor Championship with a meet-record 94 points. The 54-point victory margin is the biggest in the meet’s 30-year history.
2002 — Siena (17-18), with an 81-77 victory over Alcorn State in the play-in game, becomes first team in 47 years to win an NCAA men’s basketball tournament game with a losing record.
2003 — Damian Costantino’s NCAA-record hitting streak ends at 60 games, one day after he broke Robin Ventura’s 16-year-old mark. Costantino, an outfielder for Division III Salve Regina of Newport, R.I., fails to get a hit in the first game of a doubleheader against Baldwin-Wallace. It’s the first time he finishes a game hitless since March 25, 2001.
2005 — Bode Miller becomes the first American in 22 years to win skiing’s overall World Cup title. He finishes ahead of his only remaining challenger, Benjamin Raich of Austria, in the season’s final giant slalom to capture the crown.
2008 — The Houston Rockets are the third team in NBA history to win 20 straight games and ties for the second-longest winning streak with an 83-75 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
2009 — Syracuse outlasts Connecticut in the second-longest Division I game ever played, capping a Big East tournament quarterfinal doubleheader in which the second- and third-ranked teams in the nation both lose. Andy Rautins hits a three-pointer 10 seconds into the sixth overtime to give the Orange their first lead since regulation and they go on to a 127-117 victory over the third-ranked Huskies. Much earlier in the evening, West Virginia beats No. 2 Pittsburgh 74-60.
2011 — The No. 21 Connecticut Huskies win their seventh Big East championship by winning five games in as many days. Kemba Walker shatters the tournament scoring record, getting 19 points in the ninth-seeded Huskies’ 69-66 victory over No. 14 Louisville.
2017 — Joakim Jensen finally ends what is believed to be the longest game in hockey history, scoring in the eighth overtime in the Norwegian League playoffs. More than 8 1/2 hours after the game started — and after 217 minutes, 14 seconds of play — Jensen breaks through to give the Storhamar Dragons a 2-1 victory over the Sparta Warriors. Storhamar leads the best-of-seven quarterfinal series 3-2.
2018 — Alex Ovechkin scores twice to reach 600 goals as the Washington Capitals beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime. The Russian winger is the 20th player and fourth-fastest in NHL history to reach 600 goals.
2018 — Marc-Andre Fleury makes 38 saves to become the 13th goalie in NHL history with 400 wins, and Ryan Carpenter scores the winning goal with 2:40 left to lead the Vegas Golden Knights over the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.
2020 — 2020 NCAA men’s basketball tournament is cancelled over concerns of the spread of COVID-19; first time ‘March Madness’ not held since it began in 1939; women’s tournament also cancelled.
2020 — NHL announces the pausing of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The surge in oil prices triggered by the war in Iran is increasingly becoming a major concern for global central banks, which are closely monitoring the potential economic and financial consequences of the shock.
More than a week of conflict in the Middle East has disrupted energy supply routes and pushed crude prices sharply higher, raising fresh fears about inflation. For policymakers already grappling with fragile economic conditions, the oil spike presents a complex policy dilemma.
Historically, oil shocks have posed a difficult challenge for central banks. Rising energy prices can drive inflation higher while simultaneously weakening consumer spending and business activity by raising costs. In such circumstances, policymakers face an uncomfortable choice: tighten policy to control inflation or ease financial conditions to support economic growth and employment.
The current situation could potentially produce both outcomes at once, creating a scenario where inflation rises even as economic demand weakens a combination that complicates monetary policy decisions.
Inflation Versus Economic Growth
Central banks traditionally respond to inflationary pressures by raising interest rates or maintaining tighter monetary policy. Some policymakers argue that responding quickly to inflation triggered by an oil shock can prevent inflation expectations from becoming entrenched and reduce longer-term economic damage.
Others, however, advocate “looking through” temporary energy-driven price spikes, arguing that aggressive tightening could unnecessarily damage economic growth. This approach gained prominence after the pandemic, when many central banks initially viewed inflation as temporary a judgment widely criticised in hindsight.
The decision facing policymakers now depends on several uncertainties, including how long the conflict lasts, how severely energy supplies are disrupted, and whether governments intervene with subsidies or price caps to protect consumers.
Given these unknowns, many central banks may prefer to adopt a cautious approach, waiting to see how markets and economic conditions evolve before making significant policy adjustments.
Financial Stability Risks Enter the Picture
Beyond inflation and growth concerns, central banks must also consider a third responsibility that has gained prominence since the global financial crisis: financial stability.
Senior policymakers worry that the oil shock could expose vulnerabilities that have been building in global financial markets for years. A large macroeconomic disturbance involving energy prices, inflation, interest rates and currency volatility could trigger a broader financial stress event.
Much of the concern centres on the growing role of “shadow banking” institutions, financial intermediaries operating outside traditional banking regulation. These entities have become increasingly important providers of credit to companies and governments.
One major area of focus is the rapid expansion of private credit funds, which now manage more than $3 trillion globally. These funds allow asset managers to lend directly to businesses, often outside the scrutiny of public markets or traditional banking standards.
Regulators worry that during a major shock, investors could rapidly withdraw funds from these vehicles, potentially creating liquidity problems for borrowers and spillover risks for banks that help finance or manage the funds.
Pressure in Bond and Repo Markets
Another major source of concern lies in government bond markets, where highly leveraged hedge funds have become increasingly active. Many of these funds use repurchase agreements, or “repo” markets, to borrow money and finance large trades involving government bonds.
These strategies often rely on exploiting small price differences between cash bonds and futures contracts, but they involve substantial leverage. While such activity can help smooth government financing, it can also create systemic vulnerabilities during periods of market stress.
The Financial Stability Board, which monitors risks to the global financial system for the G20, warned earlier this year that sudden deleveraging in repo markets could disrupt sovereign bond markets.
More than $16 trillion in repo transactions backed by government bonds were outstanding last year, with about 60% concentrated in the United States. A sudden withdrawal of leveraged investors could therefore have significant ripple effects across global financial markets.
New Fragilities: Stablecoins and Technology Stocks
Regulators are also monitoring emerging risks linked to digital finance. Stablecoins cryptocurrencies pegged to traditional currencies such as the U.S. dollar have grown rapidly and are increasingly investing reserves in government bonds.
With the stablecoin market now worth roughly $300 billion and expanding, any loss of confidence in these assets could trigger large-scale sales of the bonds that back them. Such an event could add stress to already volatile financial markets.
At the same time, some investors remain concerned about high valuations and heavy market concentration in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence sector, which could amplify market volatility during periods of economic uncertainty.
Analysis: Oil Shock Could Trigger Wider Financial Stress
The Iran war oil shock illustrates how geopolitical crises can interact with financial vulnerabilities to create broader economic risks.
Higher energy prices directly increase inflation and strain household finances. At the same time, they can force central banks to reconsider interest-rate policies, potentially leading to higher borrowing costs and greater volatility in financial markets.
Such conditions could expose weaknesses in highly leveraged sectors of the financial system, particularly in shadow banking, hedge funds and digital financial markets.
Although previous shocks including the economic turmoil following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine did not ultimately trigger a major financial crisis, policymakers remain cautious. The brief turmoil in the U.S. regional banking sector in 2023 demonstrated how quickly financial stress can emerge when economic conditions shift.
If oil prices remain elevated and central banks are forced to respond aggressively, the resulting tightening of financial conditions could amplify existing vulnerabilities across markets.
For now, the disturbances appear manageable. But the combination of geopolitical conflict, energy market disruption and financial fragility ensures that central banks will continue to watch the situation with increasing concern.
Last week millions of viewers watched the Love Island 2019 contestant make it to the final as a Faithful before the grand finale next week.
Brooks Nader was also in attendance at the star studded eventCredit: GettyTikTok star Dixie D’Amelio opted for a plunging yellow gownCredit: Getty
The show may not have aired in the UK yet, but Maura’s sharp sense of humour has already made her a fan favourite in the States.
It was that same quick wit that made her hugely popular on Love Island, before she won over viewers again during her stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
After filming wrapped on the US series at Ardross Castle in Scotland last June, Maura walked away feeling confident she had smashed it, according to pals.
Traitors US began on January 8 and attracted 638 million viewing minutes which proved a streaming record for the show, now on its fourth series.
Maura was asked about their relationship when she appeared on US talk show Watch What Happens Live recently.
Host Andy Cohen told her: “The internet wants you and Rob to get together.”
Rob certainly showed his appreciation for the Irish star by gifting her a £17,000 Hermès Birkin bag.
A credit to her rising popularity, Maura has now signed up with top-tier agency Align PR, whose clients include Madonna and Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Bryce Dallas Howard.
In March last year, the star revealed that she had been invited to lunch with Margot Robbie.
The actress is a huge Love Island fan and previously described Maura as one of her favourite contestants.
Maura wrote on Instagram: “When Margot Robbie invites you to lunch . . . you go.”
YOUR holiday sangria or paella could be much more expensive on your next trip to the Spanish islands.
Officials have said that destinations like the Canaries and Balearics will experience a price hike when it comes to food and drink because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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Price of food and drink on popular Spanish islands are set to increaseCredit: AlamyThe increasing price of fuel will impact goods heading to the Canary and Balearic IslandsCredit: Alamy
The Spanish islands are incredibly popular with Brits, especially during the summerholidays.
The Canary Islands welcomes up to six million British tourists each year and it’s where you’ll find the likes of Tenerife and Lanzarote.
Meanwhile, around three million tourists visit the Balearics – with over two million heading to Majorca alone.
Both locations are popular thanks to their high temperatures and direct flights from multiple locations across the UK.
Now, industry chiefs have said the increase in cost of food and drink at these destinations will be worse than 2022 when prices shot up after the war in the Ukraine began.
Urgent meetings are already being held in the Balearic Islands and in the Canaries which are very dependent on imports due to their more isolated locations.
In July 2022, inflation climbed to 10.8 per cent in Spain.
President of the Association of Food and Beverage Distributors of the Balearic Islands, Mr Bartolomé Servera is warning of severe increases, which will depend on the duration of the crisis in Iran.
Mr Servera said the new impact will be much greater if the conflict is prolonged as the weight of the Middle East is much greater, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of oil and gas pass.
Mr Servera says carriers have already begun to raise prices because the price of fuel has skyrocketed.
Brits flock to the likes of Majorca each year with around two million visitingCredit: Alamy
Diesel has risen by 32 cents per litre, around 22 per cent; while Gasoline 95 has become between 18 and 20 cents per litre more expensive, which represents 12 per cent.
In addition, it is not ruled out that the barrel of Brent will continue to rise: this Wednesday (March 11) it is around 90 dollars, but this past Monday (March 9) it was close to 120 dollars.
This is likely to then effect everything on the island from hotels and resorts.
The association president said “Milk, eggs, bread, fruit will rise.
“Everything needs fuel for its production or transport, so they will not escape the escalation of costs and producers will have to pass them on to consumers.”
The Canary Islands also fear soaring prices and will meet with transport leaders shortly.
President of the Cabildo de La Gomera, Casimiro Curbelo said official need to be monitoring the impact of the war on the islands and prepare contingency plans.
The Government of the Canary Islands says it is “very attentive” to the consequences of the war in the Middle East and plans to hold a meeting with the transport sector in the coming days in view of the increase in fuel prices.
Faced with this situation, the Government of Spain is working on an aid package, as it did at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, to alleviate the looming rise in prices.
BRITAIN’s third busiest airport has shut one of the terminals for good.
The terminal, which first opened in 1962, has closed as part of the airport’s £1.3billion transformation.
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Manchester airport is closing down its Terminal 1Credit: Alamy
Manchester airport is turning into a two-terminal operation under the new layout.
All airlines have moved into the expanded Terminal 2, which now handles more than 75% of passengers, while Ryanair flights will operate solely from Terminal 3.
Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “While this is the end of an era for Terminal 1, it’s really the start of a whole new chapter for Manchester Airport.
“We’re proud to connect the North to the world and our £1.3bn investment in Terminal 2 means that we’re now bigger and better than ever – serving our passengers in a setting that rivals any airport Terminal across Europe.
“It’s also allowing us to continue our growth and operate more flights to more destinations every single day. And we’ve achieved this at the same as making things more simple and straightforward for our passengers.
The closure also frees up space for new facilities at the airport, including hundreds of extra seats, a new bar called Sporting Chance and an Italian restaurant.
More than 2,000 signs across the airport have been replaced to reflect the changes, alongside a new parking system where all car parks are labelled P1 to P16 to make them easier to find.
The redevelopment forms part of the long-running Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, launched in 2015 to modernise the airport for future growth.
The first phase of the revamped Terminal 2 opened in 2021, with the full expansion completed in 2025, paving the way for Terminal 1 to be decommissioned.
The overhaul comes as Manchester Airport continues to grow, serving a record 32 million passengers in 2025.
This February has become the busiest on record with more than 2.05 million travellers.
The avian power couple follows her home, keeping her company as she cooks dinner.
“We live in such a busy world, and things are always being thrown at our face, so sometimes it’s nice to just have a gentle reminder of nature and what else is out there in the world,” Wagner told me last week.
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She is just one of many devoted fans; the eagles had the highest view count of any year-round nature livestream active on YouTube between last fall and this spring, said Rebecca Mauldin, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington who studies social connectedness.
While the eagles’ following is singular, it’s part of a broader trend: surging interest in webcams that broadcast nature, unadulterated, minute by minute, in all its messy glory.
The number of 24/7 livestreams created per year swelled by about 3,000% between 2019 and 2025, Mauldin’s data show.
Jackie and Shadow’s livestream exemplifies “Slow TV,” a genre that began with a 2009 Norwegian broadcast of a seven-hour train trip. It took off, with other marathon programs featuring chopping firewood and knitting.
The appeal makes intuitive sense. In a world of quick camera cuts, sound bites and troubling headlines, Mother Nature’s rhythms can be a salve. And with many of us wound up in concrete urbanity, the livestreams offer instant transportation to the wild.
Following Jackie and Shadow takes patience. If they’re not hanging out at the nest, it’s a waiting game until they come back. Even when they’re there, there may not be much going on.
Entertainment “can be very artificial, it can be very packaged, and it can be very short,” said Jenny Voisard, media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates the cameras broadcasting the eagles. “This is long and slow and calm.”
Yet nature is unpredictable, another draw for viewers. This nesting season alone has brought plenty of drama, from the lovebirds losing their eggs to ravens to laying more not long after. Last week, I wrote about the couple’s shocking origin — it involves a love triangle! — and their rise to reality stardom.
Last year, Jackie and Shadow raised two chicks that went on to fledge: Sunny and Gizmo
(Friends of Big Bear Valley)
Research backs the vibes. Those who watch nature livestreams — from platypi to osprey — report a host of benefits, from uplifted mood to relaxation, said Mauldin, citing a literature review she-coauthored.
Others get jazzed about learning about a particular species, she said.
There may be limitations, though.
In terms of connecting to nature, “I lean toward the effect is stronger if you’re actually outdoors, or, you know, you’ve got a little ant crawling on your finger and watching it,” Mauldin said.
She highlighted another dimension I didn’t think of: Many “talk about how they’re developing strong online relationships, and you can see it in the chats or in the comments.”
Someone might comment that they had a bad day and are glad to be watching their favorite birds again, and another viewer will rally to support them. Then there are people who watch on their own, but gab about it later with a friend.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, with 1.2 million followers on Facebook, offers more than just updates on the eagles. It’s a buzzing community center where fans can share their thoughts and engage with one another.
Animals may also get something out of being watched: protection.
The eagle cam, for example, “sort of stokes the public’s imagination and interest in conservation,” said Thomas Leeman, deputy chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s migratory bird program in the Pacific Southwest. “They start to really care about whichever particular birds that they’re watching.”
Wagner, of Chicago, said her husband and 14-year-old son sometimes give her a hard time about how invested she is in Jackie and Shadow.
But her cat, Oscar, shares her fascination.
She recently posted a photo of the feline on Jackie and Shadow’s Facebook — looking intently at a TV where an eagle hunkered down on the nest.
“My new cat is just as obsessed as all of us,” she wrote.
More recent wildlife news
Big Bear’s celeb eagles continue to keep us on our toes. Jackie recently vanished from the nest for nearly 24 hours, sending fans into a panic — but eventually reunited with her eggs and mate, reports USA Today’s Michelle Del Rey.
While we’re on the subject of avian kind: Last week, I wrote about a pair of condors that appear to be nesting in Northern California, something not seen for a century. The Yurok Tribe is leading the effort to bring the large, endangered vultures back to their historic homeland in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
As conservationists celebrate that win, the story for birds nationwide is not so rosy. A recent study found that North America is rapidly losing birds, and the loss is accelerating, largely due to intensive agriculture and warming temperatures, writes the Associated Press’ Seth Borenstein.
A few last things in climate news
Trump’s war on Iran has disrupted global oil and gas supplies. The conflict has kept ships that carry millions of barrels of oil a day stranded in the Persian Gulf, and key Middle East facilities have sustained damage, reports the Associated Press.
Oil prices have spiked, and Californians are paying the highest price at the pump in the nation. As my colleague Iris Kwok explains, that’s due to the state’s higher taxes and stricter requirements for cleaner, more expensive gas that pollutes.
This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here.
PHOENIX — When he was selected with the 13th pick of the 2024 MLB draft, outfielder James Tibbs III envisioned himself roaming the outfield of Oracle Park in a San Francisco Giants uniform for many years.
He could never have foreseen that a year and a half later, he’d be playing for a longtime Giants rival, already at the third stop of his young career.
The Giants packaged Tibbs along with Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks and Jose Bello in a trade to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for three-time All-Star Rafael Devers last June.
A month and a half later, Tibbs’ life was uprooted yet again, as the Red Sox moved him and Zach Ehrhard to the Dodgers in a trade for Dustin May.
MLB Pipeline prospect analyst Jim Callis has covered the draft for over 30 years, and can’t recall a situation quite like it.
“Tibbs is the only player I can think of who was taken in the top half of the first round and then traded twice during his first full pro season,” Callis said. “He really took off after joining the Dodgers, and I bet we see more consistency out of him when he’s not bouncing between [organizations] in 2026.”
Tibbs seems to have found a comfortable landing spot with the Dodgers. He posted seven home runs, 32 RBI and a .269/.407/.900 slash line over his 36 games in the Dodgers organization, rounding out his season at double-A Tulsa. And during his first camp with the Dodgers, Tibbs has turned heads. Through 15 Cactus League games, he’s hit two home runs, batting .281, with a .351 on-base percentage and .914 OPS.
He likely won’t open the season on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, but manager Dave Roberts sees his potential.
“I like James Tibbs,” Roberts said. “I like him a lot. He loves baseball, he is obsessed with getting better at the game and he just fits who I am as a baseball coach, and the players that we want, so he’s going to play in the big leagues. He’s a championship-type player.”
Tibbs was thrown for a loop by both trades, and taught him a lesson about facing adversity.
“Honestly, I might be one of the first first-round draft picks to be traded twice in their first year,” Tibbs said. “For me it was hard. I’m not going to sugarcoat it; it was hard. And really, mentally draining. [I] felt like I got punched in the face a bunch of times, and really had to learn how to get back up, and keep competing, and figure out how to be true to myself, and true to what I do well.”
Tibbs said that joining the Dodgers helped him to rediscover himself and return to his form from his time at Florida State.
“[When I joined the Dodgers, they] were like, ‘Hey, you know, we just want you to be yourself,” Tibbs said. “We want you to do what you need to do to be successful. Like, we believe in you, we believe in what you did in college. We want you to get that back and be able to be successful with how you swing the bat and how you play defense, and like, we don’t want to take that away from you.’ So obviously, there was tweaks being made, and there was things we needed to change a little bit to get to that spot, but I think for the most part, they just allowed me to be me and work within those boundaries to help figure out how to continue to make that better and better and better.
“And with that being said, I just felt a lot of relief from that.”
Tibbs clubbed 28 home runs in his junior year at Florida State, powering the Seminoles to their first College World Series trip since 2019. He received ACC Player of the Year and consensus First-Team All-American honors.
“Tibbs was one of the best offensive prospects in a loaded 2024 college class,” Callis said. “He makes good swing decisions and hits balls hard, giving him the ingredients to hit for average and power. Most of his value will come from his bat, but it’s a potentially potent bat.”
For now, Tibbs is content to be fulfilling his potential with one organization.
“Props to the Dodgers, they did everything they could to help me transition to that smoothly and make that a better process,” Tibbs said. “And it’s been a lot easier for me to go out and play every night, with the way that they’ve encouraged me and believed in me. It’s just been a blessing to be here.”
A passenger train linking North Korea and China crosses the Amnok River bridge, also known as the Yalu River bridge, on the border between two countries on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap
North Korea and China resumed an international passenger train service linking their capitals Thursday for the first time in six years, with a train spotted crossing the border bridge between the two countries.
A nine-car train traveling from Pyongyang to Beijing was seen by Yonhap News Agency passing over the Amnok River bridge, also known as the Yalu River bridge, connecting North Korea’s Sinuiju and China’s Dandong, at around 4:23 p.m.
Some train cars had closed curtains, while passengers were visible in others.
According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, a five-car passenger train departed from the Chinese border city of Dandong at 10 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at 6:07 p.m.
The Dandong-Pyongyang passenger line will operate daily in both directions, Xinhua said, quoting a Chinese official as saying the service will serve as a “dynamic link strengthening the friendship between these two nations.”
Also on Thursday, North Korea and China were set to resume a rail route connecting their capitals, Pyongyang and Beijing.
The resumption marks the first cross-border passenger train service between the two countries since operations were suspended in 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, North Korea resumed direct flight and train services between Pyongyang and Moscow, Russia’s capital.
The reopening of the North Korea-China rail services comes as the two countries appear to be aligning more closely as they seek to repair relations frayed by Pyongyang’s military cooperation with Russia, amid speculation that the United States may seek to reengage Pyongyang for talks.
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Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
British Armed Forces assets continue to flow into Cyprus, as the United Kingdom bolsters its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean in response to the war in the Middle East. While the British government has not taken part in direct military action against targets within Iran, the expanding conflict has also put Cyprus under direct threat. Meanwhile, the rush to bolster the U.K.’s military capabilities in the region has highlighted some glaring deficits in the British Armed Forces.
The British military response to the conflict in the Middle East has centered on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, which has long been home to a U.K. Armed Forces presence. As well as providing a ‘landing pad’ for British forces operating in the region, for example, during the counter-ISIS mission, Cyprus has long been used by the British for training and exercises. The so-called Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus comprise the airbase of RAF Akrotiri and Dhekelia Station (a former airfield), which have been in British hands since the Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960.
British bases in Cyprus in relation to the wider eastern Mediterranean. Google EarthRAF Akrotiri. Google Earth
Fighter assets
Before the Iran war began, eight Royal Air Force Typhoon multirole fighters were already deployed to Akrotiri, where they were still operating on the U.K. counter-ISIS mission, Operation Shader. Other U.K. Armed Forces personnel were also in Iraq under Shader.
In the wider region, there was also an existing RAF Typhoon footprint in Qatar, where a squadron of the jets is operated jointly with the Qatar Emir Air Force. This unit was strengthened in January, when another four Typhoons deployed there from the United Kingdom, specifically for air defense.
Today, we can confirm we are sending four additional @RoyalAirForce Typhoon jets to Qatar, to support defensive operations in the region.
These aircraft are in addition to the existing jets from the UK-Qatar Joint Typhoon Squadron that we deployed in January to reinforce… pic.twitter.com/WZZDEj3Vfa
Typhoons from No. 12 Squadron, the joint U.K.-Qatar Typhoon squadron, conduct a flypast over Doha. Crown Copyright AS1 Tomas Barnard RAF
In February, six RAF F-35B Lightnings were sent to Akrotiri in Cyprus, joining the Typhoons already deployed there.
As Iran and its proxies have launched drones and missiles at countries across the region, the U.K. Armed Forces have been active in intercepting drones (and potentially also cruise missiles).
The real wakeup call came overnight on March 1, when a drone launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon hit Akrotiri. There were no reported casualties and only “minimal damage,” although this was, significantly, an impact that tore a hole in the hangar used by the U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes that are also regularly detached to Cyprus. Two more drones heading toward Cyprus were reportedly intercepted the same day.
Another two drones heading for Cyprus were intercepted on March 4, according to a Cypriot government spokesperson.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the four Typhoons in Qatar, as well as the Cyprus-based F-35Bs, have since been active in bringing down hostile drones. The F-35B achieved its first air-to-air victories in British hands when one of the fighters shot down a pair of Iranian drones, announced on March 3.
The pilot involved in that historic engagement was a Royal Navy aviator embedded within the RAF’s joint-force No. 617 Squadron, the “Dambusters.”
The pilot fired two infrared-guided Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) in the space of 20 minutes, each from a range of less than a mile, to destroy the Shahed-type drones over Jordan. They subsequently toldThe Telegraph:
“Your adrenaline is pumping pretty hard, you’re working down low at night above the desert in unfamiliar terrain. Emotionally, those things get pushed aside in the moment. It’s not until after landing that it begins to settle in.”
An F-35B jet conducts Quick Reaction Alert training, operating from RAF Akrotiri. Crown Copyright AS1 Amber Mayall RAF
Lt. Col. Mike Carty, commanding officer of No. 617 Squadron, added: “The tempo of flying here is greater than anything the Lightning Force has embarked upon before. The sheer amount of sorties and flying hours is quite high. People are being stretched and working incredibly hard, but nobody is under any particular strain. We are set up here to be able to sustain this.”
The continued threat posed by Iranian drones and cruise missiles has also seen the decision made to send another four Typhoons to Qatar. RAF Typhoons have also successfully shot down drones targeting Bahrain, Jordan, and Qatar.
Destroyer deployment
The United Kingdom has also elected to beef up its defensive capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean with the deployment of a Type 45 destroyer. This was the subject of considerable debate before it was finally announced that HMS Dragonwould sail for the region. The warship departed yesterday for a voyage that will take around 10 days.
HMS Dragon departs Portsmouth Harbour, U.K., to head to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster British defences in the region today, on March 10, 2026. Crown Copyright LPHOT Tim Lombard
However, the Type 45 is the United Kingdom’s most balanced and capable air defense platform, at least against drones and cruise missiles.
HMS Dragon has begun her journey to the eastern Mediterranean to join the UK’s defensive operations in the region.
Hundreds of well-wishers, including loved ones of the ship’s crew, lined the seawall as the ship sailed from Portsmouth.
The basic Type 45’s weapons fit includes Aster 30 missiles fired from the Sea Viper system, which represents the Royal Navy’s outer air defense layer. According to the Royal Navy, the Sea Viper is able to track “hundreds” of potential threats to an individual ship or task group at ranges up to 250 miles, using Aster 30 missiles to eliminate them when they close to “around 70 miles.” Other sources suggest the Mach-3 missile has a range of more than 75 miles.
HMS Dragon fires a Sea Viper missile against a supersonic sea-skimming target. Crown Copyright LPhot Oliver Leach
There is also the Aster 15 with a range of around 18 miles, optimizing it for close-in and local-area and point defense. For aerial threats even closer to the warship, the Type 45 can call upon a pair of Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS) armed with 20mm ‘Gatling’ cannons, 30mm guns, and various machine guns.
When it comes to ballistic missile defense, the Type 45 is much more limited, however.
While HMS Diamond did shoot down one of the Houthis’ anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) in 2024, this is an easier threat to deal with than the medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) that Iran is currently launching toward Israel.
“Smoke” (infrared) decoy employment aftermath seen from HMS Diamond’s bridge during the ballistic missile engagement. One of the decoy launchers can be seen beneath the 30mm gun sponson, loaded with the by now familiar mix including Chemring Large Payload Carriers. pic.twitter.com/1TgWrgrDzP
Also in 2024, the U.K. Ministry of Defense announced that it would invest around $515 million to upgrade Sea Viper, making it “even more lethal against new and growing threats from hostile drones and missiles.”
Under the upgrade, the Aster 30 missile will be modernized to improve its capabilities against ASBMs, with an enhanced warhead plus new guidance and seeker software. The upgrade will also address the Sampson multi-function radar as well as the command-and-control system and combat management system.
A second phase will see the evaluation of a new missile, the Aster 30 Block 1NT, currently under development by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This missile features a new seeker, which would further improve the ballistic missile defense capabilities of the Type 45. In particular, Block 1NT will be better equipped to intercept MRBMs carrying maneuverable reentry vehicles (MaRVs), which you can read more about here.
However, these upgrades are yet to be fielded.
More generally, there have long been questions about the availability of the Type 45s, despite their undoubted capabilities. These six vessels are still very modern, but they have spent a notably long time in maintenance. Typically, only two are actually available to deploy at any given time. With one of the warships normally earmarked for the North Atlantic and Russia, and another needed to escort one of the U.K. aircraft carriers when that is at sea, there is very little capacity left to play with.
This also brings us to the question of the two British aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth class. With the war entering its second week, HMS Prince of Wales appeared poised to deploy, with the crew at five days’ notice to sail. Earlier this week, however, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman gave the following statement: “HMS Prince of Wales has always been on very high readiness. The MoD is increasing the preparedness of the carrier — reducing the time it would take to set sail for any deployment — but there is no decision taken to deploy her.”
HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth are pictured at sea for the first time together in 2021. Crown Copyright HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured at sea for the first time. Wednesday 19 May 2021 saw a historic moment in Britain’s carrier renaissance as HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales met at sea for the first time. Petty Officer Photographer Jay Allen
Critics of the hugely costly aircraft carrier program might ask why these warships, which are designed to respond to just this kind of crisis, are being held back.
U.S. President Donald Trump also used the lack of carrier deployment as a stick with which to beat the U.K. government. On his Truth Social platform, Trump said that the United States did not need Britain’s carriers in the conflict and suggested they would have been useful had they deployed before the war began.
Short-range air defense
To help cover short-range air defense over Cyprus, the United Kingdom has deployed two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet missiles. On the plus side, each helicopter can carry up to 20 of these missiles, which are ideal for bringing down drones. On the other hand, the missiles have a range of only around five miles, and with just two ‘cabs’ available, the Wildcat deployment is really only capable of providing limited point defense.
A Royal Navy Wildcat HMA2 lifts off for a training flight after arrival at a British base in Cyprus on March 8, 2026. Crown Copyright AS1 Joshua Whiting
With that in mind, it’s somewhat surprising that the British Army hasn’t deployed any of its Sky Sabre short-range air defense systems to Cyprus, or anywhere else in the region. The Sky Sabre is intended to bring down aircraft, as well as drones and cruise missiles. However, it’s unclear how many batteries are currently deployable. One is stationed in the Falkland Islands, and another has been deployed on NATO’s eastern flank, in Poland, and the 12 batteries on order are still being delivered.
The Sky Sabre fires the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile, or CAMM, also known as the Land Ceptor. The same CAMM missile is also used in naval applications — including aboard Royal Navy warships — as the Sea Ceptor. Fitted with an active-radar seeker, the CAMM is derived from the aforementioned ASRAAM. The CAAM has a reported range of more than 15 miles and is said to be able to tackle a wide range of threats, including low-observable targets, high-speed missiles, drones, and precision-guided air-to-ground weapons.
The British Army Sky Sabre air defense system. Sky Sabre comprises three separate components: the Agile Multi-Beam Surveillance Targeting radar (Giraffe, pictured left), the Battle Management Command & Control Communications (not shown), and the Land Ceptor CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles) missile launcher vehicle (right). Crown Copyright Corporal Adam J Wakefield
Meanwhile, the ability to surveil the airspace around Cyprus received an upgrade yesterday with the arrival of a Royal Navy Merlin HM2 Crowsnest helicopter, with airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) capabilities.
The Merlin brings a look-down sensor capability, making it something of a ‘pocket’ version of the E-7 Wedgetail. From altitude, the radar has an excellent field of view to spot low and slow-flying targets, even if they are relatively small. This makes it especially useful for tracking drones and cruise missiles.
A Royal Navy Merlin Crowsnest helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, seen here departing for the Middle East on March 7, 2026. Crown Copyright Royal Navy
Other British counter-drone units have also been active in the wider region.
Few details have been provided, but these are likely to consist of non-kinetic systems (like the ORCUS) and man-portable air defense systems (like the Starstreak missile) used by troops who have a limited presence in Jordan and Iraq, where they have been since before the Iran war began.
The Air Defence Troop of 29 Commando, armed with Starstreak, reacts to a simulated F-35 attack during Exercise Green Dagger 25, in California. Crown Copyright LPhot Stainer- Hutchins
Overall, though, the conflict has highlighted the somewhat limited nature of U.K. ground-based air defense capabilities.
More generally, the deployments so far, in a purely defensive capacity, have raised concerns about the breadth, depth, and readiness of U.K. military power and its relevance in international affairs.
The question of “going kinetic”
The United Kingdom initially denied permission for the U.S. military to use its airbases — including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean — for strikes against Iran, as we discussed at the time. This was soon revised, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying his government had agreed to a U.S. request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, visits RAF Akrotiri in December 2024. Crown Copyright
Were the British stance to change, it is questionable whether RAF jets, as currently deployed, would be able to make a significant contribution, based on their small numbers, their other taskings, and the long distance to targets in Iran.
According to an assessment by the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank, realistically, the fighter force at Akrotiri would only have been able to fly 28 strike sorties against Iran, had they been committed to Operation Epic Fury. This is very much a best-case scenario, and would also have required significant tanker support.
A British offensive campaign against Iran would otherwise rely primarily upon the Royal Navy, which operates nuclear-powered attack submarines that can launch Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM). However, this is a capability that has suffered from poor availability in recent years. Currently, only one of five in-service Astute class submarines, HMS Anson, is at sea, and it was in the Indo-Pacific region as of January.
HMS Anson arrives in Australia earlier this year for a historic visit to strengthen the U.K.’s commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific. Crown Copyright LAC Thomas Clarke-Kelly
So far, however, the U.K. government has held back from committing to any kind of direct offensive action against Iran, although there have been voices raised across the political spectrum urging that the United Kingdom should back the United States more actively, including taking part in strikes. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, berated Starmer this week for not doing more to “stop the people who are attacking us” and said the U.K. Armed Forces should “do more than catch the arrows” and should “catch the archer” — a reference to striking missile and drone facilities directly.
For the time being, the U.K. Armed Forces, ravaged by decades of post-Cold War cuts, are bringing some useful but fairly limited in capacity air defense capabilities to the region. Should the U.K. government’s policy regarding Iran become aligned with that of the United States, then much more serious questions will be answered about the relevance and resilience of British military power in an operation of this kind.
Ella Bruccoleri looks unrecognisable from her days at Nonnatus House as she takes on the leading role in new BBC period drama
Ella played Sister Frances in BBC period drama Call the Midwife(Image: BBC/Nealstreet Productions/Matt Towers)
Call the Midwife star Ella Bruccoleri has landed the leading role in new BBC period drama The Other Bennet Sister.
The 10-episode series, which is based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, follows the “overlooked” character of Mary Bennet, played by Ella, who looks unrecognisable from her days at Nonnatus House, where she featured as Sister Frances until 2022.
The series begins at Longbourn, where the Bennet family’s five unmarried daughters navigate the rigid expectations of Regency society.
“Her journey sees her leave her family home for the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love, and reinvention,” the synopsis says.
“The series follows Mary as she steps out of her sisters’ shadows in search of her own identity and purpose, finding herself in the middle of an epic love story along the way,” it goes on.
Speaking to the BBC about her new role, Ella explained: “Mary’s not your typical period drama heroine.
“She lives in a world where, particularly for women, appearance is everything, and she doesn’t understand that value system at all.
“Instead, she turns to literature that offers a different viewpoint. Her favourite book is Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women, because it argues that women shouldn’t have to be beautiful — they should be intelligent and pious.”
Giving fans further insight on her character, she added: “Mary Bennet has been written off by many members of her family, and as a result she’s written herself off too. When we meet her at the beginning of the series, she’s living with her family in a small village and has never really left that world.
“These are the only people she knows, and she understands herself through the values they impose on her. We know these characters from Pride and Prejudice, but it’s fascinating to see the impact they have on someone like Mary.”
Giving her thoughts on the new adaptation, the star said: “When I read Jane Austen, I’m always struck by how witty it is so witty, with humour in every line.
“Sarah Quintrell really brings that into the scripts, and Janice Hadlow’s book does the same. The novel is very different in style from Austen, but it feels like a genuine extension of Pride and Prejudice.
“Sarah’s scripts tread the line between comedy and drama better than anything I’ve ever read. It feels like a tragicomedy – it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s also not afraid to delve into emotionally weighty material. That feels very true to Jane Austen.”
The Other Bennet Sister debuts on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday (March 15) at 8pm
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![Pictured: 9th February 2026 – 617 Sqn F-35B Lightning jets conduct QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) training, operating from RAF Akrotiri. F-35B Lightning, a 5th Generation, multi-role, stealth fighter, is usually based at RAF Marham. The Station is also home to a range of engineering support functions, from maintenance to frontline support. [Names have been blurred from jets and surcoats to protect PERSEC]](https://i0.wp.com/www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LTNG-20260209-0110-0003-0050.jpg?resize=640%2C960&ssl=1)
