Mohammad Marandi on US Ground Invasion Plans in Iran

Mar 31, 2026 | Professor Mohammad Marandi breaks down why a US ground assault on Iran is likely to fail, how Tehran and its allies could retaliate, and the devastating long-term consequences for the global economy.

Average Gasoline Price Hits $4 in U.S., a ‘Headache’ for Drivers and Trump

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A month since the first U.S.-Israeli attacks and Iran’s response effectively shut off Persian Gulf oil, drivers are paying significantly more to fill up.

Gasoline in the United States crossed an average of $4 a gallon on Tuesday, a threshold it hadn’t reached since August 2022, continuing a series of nearly uninterrupted increases since the Middle East war began that are chipping away at the spending power of American consumers.

Since the end of February, the average cost of regular gasoline has jumped 35 percent, according to data from the AAA motor club.

Seeing gasoline at more than $4 a gallon — when it was below $3 a month ago — could push American drivers to change their spending habits.

“We have this obsession with gas prices because they dictate a lot of ‘Can we drive? Can we do things we enjoy?’ And now some of that is at risk,” said Patrick De Haan, an analyst at GasBuddy, which also tracks fuel prices.

“As we get to a month of increases and prices are much higher,” he added, “the amount of pressure on Americans’ budgets and their spending is going to ramp up.”

For President Trump, who not long ago was boasting about how prices had fallen since he was re-elected in 2024, the highly visible reminder of the war’s consequences is a political burden. » | Emmett Lindner | Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Life under US Sanctions in Iran: Living with Economic Pressure | SLICE | Full Documentary

Mar 25, 2026 | November 1979: The United States impose their first embargo on Iran in response to staff at their embassy in Tehran being taken hostage.

Today, relationships between Tehran and Washington continue to deteriorate and the Iranian economy is suffering under the weight of US sanctions. Inflation, unemployment, trafficking of medicines, and ration coupons – the Iranian people are paying a heavy price. But how do the Iranians survive under the heavy burden of this embargo? And just who is benefiting from it?

From Washington to Tehran, via Brussels, Paris, and Tel Aviv, this geopolitical documentary takes us behind the scenes of this shadow war and retrace the deployment of the US sanctions on Iran since they began.

With testimony from political leaders and economics experts from Europe, Iran, and America, along with extensive archive footage, this film questions the political effectiveness of these sanctions and reveals the input they are having on diplomacy and trade today.

Documentary: Embargo, Iran and the Sanctions
Directed by: Magali Serre
Production: ARTLINE PRODUCTION (2020)

Brit in Germany: Why Britain's Story No Longer Holds

Mar 29, 2026 | Many people in Britain say the same thing now: “I feel like a stranger in my own country.”

This video explores why that feeling has become so widespread, and why it isn’t primarily about immigration, culture wars, or political tribes.

Britain is a country historically held together by story rather than systems. But when the economic reality changes and the story doesn’t, coherence starts to break down.

This is an analysis of national identity, economics, culture, and what happens when a country no longer recognises itself, even though life still appears to function.

Trump’s Economy Is Failing; Trump In Denial.

Steve Schmidt explains.

Rob Groves: Who's Really Bankrolling Reform UK?

Mar 28, 2026 | The government has moved to ban cryptocurrency donations to UK political parties and cap overseas donations at £100,000 a year.

On the face of it, that's a victory for democracy. But dig a little deeper and this story is really about one man: Nigel Farage, and the £12 million pumped into his Reform UK by a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire.

This week we follow the money, and ask why Farage has gone so uncharacteristically quiet.

Michael Lambert: Nigel Farage: The £1.5m Grifter Who Will NEVER Be PM

Mar 28, 2026 | Nigel Farage finally got into Parliament, but he’s already acting like he’s too good for the job. While his constituents in Clacton are left with a "Ghost MP," Nigel is busy raking in over £1.5 million a year from GB News, Trump-style rallies, and £40 Cameo videos.

In this video,

I break down why Nigel Farage will NEVER be Prime Minister and why his party has become a dumping ground for the political scrapheap. We’re looking at the "Loser’s Gallery" of defectors—from Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick to the has-beens like Nadhim Zahawi, Nadine Dorries, and Jonathan Gullis.

Are they "patriots," or just "deadbeats" looking for their next taxpayer-funded gravy train? From Zia Yusuf’s corporate gloss to James McMurdock’s loan scandals and Rupert Lowe’s ego trips—it’s time to expose the Reform UK grift for what it really is.


The Defector Deadbeats: Why Jenrick, Braverman, and Kruger are political rejects.

The Trump Strategy: Why Nigel is more interested in being a celebrity than a leader.

Trump Extends Deadline for Iran to Re-open Strait of Hormuz as Stock Markets Fall | BBC News

President Trump has claimed that talks with Iran are “going very well” and he’s said he’s giving its leaders a further 10 days to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, before launching threatened attacks on the country’s energy sites.

In a post on his Truth Social media platform Trump wrote: "As per Iranian Government request... I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days.”

Earlier, the US president said the US would be Iran’s “worst nightmare” if it doesn’t agree to a peace plan. His special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that he has sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran.

Trump said talks with Iran were continuing and claimed it had let some oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to him. Iran has denied that talks to end the war are taking place.

US stocks fell again, adding to steep falls seen since the start of the war.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Gary O’Donoghue, Faisal Islam and James Landale.

Spain’s PM Responds to Trump’s Threats to ‘Cut Off’ Trade | WSJ

Mar 26, 2026 | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is one of the rare European leaders taking on President Trump. In an interview with WSJ’s Gordon Fairclough, Sanchez argues that blind alignment with the U.S. on the conflict in Iran is a mistake and calls for a more autonomous EU.

Global Recession If Oil Price Hits $150, Boss of Financial Giant BlackRock Warns | BBC News

Mar 25, 2026 | If the price of oil hits $150 a barrel it will trigger a global recession, the boss of US financial giant BlackRock has told the BBC.

Larry Fink, who leads the world's largest asset manager, said if Iran "remains a threat" and oil prices stay high it will have "profound implications" for the world economy.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, he also denied there was an AI bubble, although he said the new technology meant too many people were pursuing university degrees and not enough doing technical training.

BlackRock is a financial colossus, controlling assets worth $14 trillion (£10.5tn), and is one of the biggest investors in many of the world's largest companies.

I Travelled Venezuela after Maduro’s Capture - Here’s What’s Really Happening | Rare Access

Mar 26, 2026 | On a rare journalist visa, BBC South America Correspondent Ione Wells travels across Venezuela, just weeks after the US military operation that captured President Nicolás Maduro.

In this reporter vlog, Ione explores the reality of a nation in transition - from the streets of Caracas to the coastal state of Sucre. What has actually changed since the US announced it would “run” the country? …

Richard Wolff: Iran War Destroys Global Economy & US Empire

Mar 25, 2026 | Prof Richard Wolff discusses the global consequences of the US war against Iran, which is destroying the Trump presidency, the US Empire, and the global economy.

Physical Oil Shortages within 2-3 Weeks, Says Energy Expert

Mar 25, 2026 | “I think within the next two to three weeks you will see physical shortages”

Drilling North Sea oil “won’t change the whole crisis situation” but it will help to maximise our supply and reduce the likelihood of oil shortages, says Nick Butler, former vice president for strategy and policy at BP and Gordon Brown advisor.

In Response to Trump’s Illegal War, Iran Targets US Corporations

Learn more here.

Cuban Patients Are Dying Because of U.S. Blockade, Doctors Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Cuban health care was once the pride of the island. Now the U.S. oil blockade is upending even basic medical care.

As a nationwide blackout in Cuba stretched into a second day this past weekend, the stakes were rising for Jorge Pérez Álvarez.

The 21-year-old suffers from a genetic disease preventing his lungs from pumping air on their own. He needs a ventilator at all times to keep breathing.

His ventilator’s backup battery is supposed to last more than a day, but that has been tested repeatedly in recent weeks, including three nationwide outages that each pushed up against its limits. And with the power out for hours every day, there is hardly enough time to recharge it.

“I don’t know how long we can keep going,” said his mother, Xenia Álvarez, standing near her son’s crumpled body in his bedroom in a poor neighborhood of Havana. “His life depends on electricity.”

The U.S. oil blockade on Cuba is fast exhausting the country’s supply of fuel, causing daily blackouts, food shortages, canceled classes and black-market gas prices approaching $40 a gallon. It is also crippling Cuba’s universal health care system, a state institution once considered a triumph for a poor nation, but is now struggling to provide basic care.

In interviews, six Cuban doctors said that rapidly deteriorating conditions at hospitals and clinics across Cuba were causing deaths that would otherwise be preventable.

“I can’t tell you how many deaths, but I’m sure there are more than in the same period last year,” said Dr. Alioth Fernandez, chief anesthesiologist at Havana’s largest pediatric hospital. “I see it in shift handovers, in colleagues’ comments and in children I’ve operated on.”

The blockade’s effects are cascading through the system. Hospitals are canceling surgeries and sending patients home because doctors and nurses can’t commute to work. Clinics are struggling to administer treatments like chemotherapy and dialysis because of power outages. » | By Ed Augustin and Jack Nicas | Photographs by Jorge Luis Baños | Ed Augustin and Jorge Luis Baños reported from Havana. | Thursday, March 26, 2026

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Richard Wolff: China Won the Economic War; the West Fragments

Mar 20, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Newspaper Slams Internet Blackouts & Growing Restrictions inside Russia

Mar 25, 2026 | In the Russian papers you won't find criticism of Russia’s war on Ukraine. But one paper today has an editorial slamming internet blackouts and increasing restrictions in Russia: “Where is the cut-off point, the line in our personal & collective experience we’re not prepared to cross, where we would say no, we can’t live without this, we don’t want to?”

'We Learned the Lesson...': EU Chief Makes Shocking Admission During Speech at Australian Parliament

Mar 24, 2026 | World News: In a striking moment at the Australian Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a candid admission, saying “we learned the lesson…” during a major speech that touched on global security, economic resilience, and shifting geopolitical realities. Her remarks have sparked widespread attention, as she reflected on past challenges and the need for stronger international cooperation in an increasingly unstable world.

Addressing lawmakers, the EU chief highlighted lessons drawn from recent global crises, emphasizing the importance of unity, preparedness, and strategic independence. The speech underscores Europe’s evolving stance on global partnerships and its approach to emerging threats. Watch the full address as Ursula von der Leyen delivers a powerful message on lessons learned, future strategy, and the changing world order.

US Plays with Total War Insanity | Patrick Henningsen

Mar 24, 2026 | The Iran War is a multi-decade history of step-by-step escalation to get to total war and the peak of the strategy is around the corner. Today I'm speak with Patrick Henningsen, American journalist, geopolitical analyst, and founder of 21st Century Wire.

Where Have Cuba's Friends Gone? | DW News

Mar 24, 2026 | Cuba is facing one of its worst crises in decades. After the U.S. imposed a near total oil blockade on the island — and warned of tariffs on any country willing to supply fuel — Cuba’s long standing alliances in Latin America have begun to crumble.

With Venezuela’s President Maduro removed and its oil shipments cut off, the island has plunged deeper into blackouts, shortages and a growing humanitarian emergency.

Why are Cuba’s traditional left wing allies staying silent? And how is U.S. pressure reshaping diplomacy across the region?

DW speaks with Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, to understand why Mexico, Brazil and Colombia are keeping their distance and what Cuba’s future could look like as it becomes increasingly isolated.