pgnewser

Blurb:

The Trump administration is being urged to tackle imported generic pharmaceuticals, most of which are made in China, due to national security implications.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, wants the Commerce Department to consider using Section 232 national security tariffs on imported generic medicines and their ingredients. Such a move would frame the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain as a national security vulnerability rather than a purely economic issue.

The push comes as policymakers recognize the United States relies heavily on China for key pharmaceutical materials, particularly the raw components of many antibiotics, while producing a small share domestically, China specialist Gordon Chang said.

“Healthcare, as evident in country after country, is best left to the market, but as China weaponizes trade—and continually threatens war—it’s clear that Washington has to temporarily implement non-market solutions to ensure that Americans have access to the medicines they need,” he wrote in a paper published on Conservative Political Action Conference’s website titled “China’s ‘Pharma Death Grip’ on America.”

Blurb:

It’s  the Great Fear that is just eating away at the poor folks at Politico. It was first expressed by that periodical in December when they suddenly realized that with so many Democrats (and none clearly in the lead) that in the open primary for governor of California that it was possible that with only  two Republicans in that race, that both of them could end up in first and second place due to the Democrats splitting up the rest of the votes among themselves.

A couple of months later in February that fear not only did not go away but intensified with poor Politico going full delusional to the extent of pretending that if they only concentrated on the top two Democrat candidates while absurdly ignoring the two GOP candidates whom many polls are showing in the first and second spot, thus qualifying to run against each other in the general election, that maybe the problem would just go away. The result of completely ignoring the Republican candidates who could both qualify for the general election earned Politico some well deserved mockery.

Blurb:

It was election night in Georgia on Tuesday night.

Georgia residents in the 14th Congressional District hit the polls on Tuesday to vote for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s replacement.

Rep. Greene resigned from Congress on January 5th.

However, there was no clear winner because neither the Republican candidates nor the Democrat candidates reached the 50% threshold needed, resulting in a future runoff.

Blurb:

The United States military has destroyed several Iranian vessels believed to be capable of laying naval mines near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to the US central command, as concerns grow around Tehran’s attempt to disrupt shipping in the critical waterway.In a post on X, the United States central command (CENTCOM) said US forces targeted and destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels on Tuesday. “US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” the command said, sharing a video showing some of the strikes.The claim followed comments by US president Donald Trump, who earlier said American forces had struck Iranian vessels capable of laying mines in the area. But interestingly, according to Trump 10 vessels were destroyed, contradictory to the military’s claim of 16. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine-laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!”

Blurb:

The FBI has found explosive residue in a Pennsylvania storage unit that authorities believe is connected to the ISIS-inspired attempted bombing in New York City that took place on Saturday. Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, are facing federal charges in connection with the attempted bombing attack.

“Yesterday’s search of the storage unit believed to be connected to the Gracie Mansion incident revealed explosive residue. FBI Special Agent Bomb Technicians and the local bomb squads conducted a controlled detonation to ensure the safety of law enforcement and others in the area. We’re thankful for the assistance of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office and the local Middletown and Newton agencies who assisted our office throughout the night,” the FBI said in a post to X.

Blurb:

 

DORAL, Florida — President Donald Trump told House Republicans Monday he had one overriding legislative priority for 2026. Then they spent Tuesday talking about just about anything else.

Trump’s demand for passage of an updated SAVE America Act — a GOP elections bill that the House has advanced two versions of already — was met with less than complete enthusiasm from leaders gathered for the annual Republican policy retreat.

Speaker Mike Johnson and other senior lawmakers gave the unmistakable impression they now consider that bill to be a Senate problem — even after Trump insisted the House take it up a third time and add on more controversial provisions, such as a near-total ban on mail voting.

Blurb:

Speaking with FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney, Elke Schwarz, Professor of Political Theory at Queen Mary University of London, says that there’s “a radical acceleration” in the speed of acquisition of military targets through the use of AI and how quickly action is taken on these targets, which raises concerns about the lack of human oversight, especially considering that AI models have “25 to 50% reliability, which means they are wrong very often”.
from www.france24.com

Blurb:

For more than 15 years, Fox News has periodically asked registered voters: “Do you think it would be a good thing or a bad thing for the United States to move away from capitalism and more toward socialism?”

In January 2009, when the U.S. economy was mired in the Great Recession, 23 percent of respondents said they believed that would be a “good thing” versus 65 percent who said that would be a “bad thing.”

By July 2010, the portion of registered voters who considered a transition from capitalism to socialism a “good thing” reached an all-time low of 18 percent, while those who considered more socialism a “bad thing” reached an all-time high of 69 percent.

Today, 38 percent of Americans, more than double the number in 2010, think it would be a “good thing” for the United States to move away from capitalism and more toward socialism.

Blurb:

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth promised Tuesday that the Iran war “is not 2003” and will not look like another nation-building, regime-change war like in Iraq.

Giving an update ten days into the war, Hegseth was joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine at the Pentagon.

“This is not 2003. This is not endless nation-building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama. It’s not even close,” Hegseth said. “Our generation of soldier will not let that happen again, and nor will this president, who very clearly ran against those kinds of never-ending, nebulously scoped missions — those days are dead.”

Blurb:

Gold Coast, Australia — The Iranian women’s soccer team left Australia minus seven of its members who were granted asylum, after tearful protests of their departure at Sydney Airport and frantic final efforts inside the terminal by Australian officials who sought to ensure the women understood they were being offered asylum.

As the team’s flight time drew nearer and they passed through security late Tuesday, each woman was taken aside to meet alone with officials who explained through interpreters that they could choose not to return to Iran.

Blurb:

The latest chapter in the long saga of government surveillance surrounding President Donald Trump may also be the most brazen.

According to recent reporting, in 2022 and 2023 the FBI under the Biden administration obtained the phone records of Kash Patel, who is now director of the FBI, and Susie Wiles, who serves as White House chief of staff. At the time, Patel was acting as Trump’s representative in dealings with the National Archives and Records Administration, while Wiles was managing Trump’s presidential campaign.

In one instance, the FBI secretly recorded a conversation between Wiles and her attorney. That category of communication sits at the very core of legal protection in the American system. Attorney-client privilege exists so that individuals can seek legal advice without fear that the government is listening.

Blurb:

DUBAI: Drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, while ships were hit in or near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday (Mar 11) as Iran kept up its campaign disrupting oil markets and air and maritime traffic.

The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure.

Iran has also targeted Gulf energy infrastructure and choked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries nearly 20 per cent of global oil production, prompting wild swings in prices.

Blurb:

Iran’s attacks on oil infrastructure and pledges to choke off a vital waterway left markets on edge Tuesday as the United States promised blistering new strikes. The war entered its 11th day with no end in sight as its effects rippled across the Middle East and beyond.

For the first time since the war began, the Pentagon released details on the number of American troops who have been injured, saying eight of the roughly 140 service members wounded are in serious condition.

Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as they dug in, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth again promising the most intense strikes yet, while Iran’s leaders ruled out talks and threatened U.S. President Donald Trump.

Blurb:

That post, however, quickly drew heavy backlash for appearing to downplay the attempted bombing that took place.

CNN later deleted the post, then apologized, writing on X, “A post regarding the two individuals arrested for throwing homemade bombs outside of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. It has therefore been deleted.”

Balat was seen on video throwing the explosive device that failed to detonate. At the same time, he yelled “Allahu Akbar.” Kayumi and Balat indicated to police that they carried out the actions because they had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to the criminal complaint.

Blurb:

Trump-backed Republican candidate Clayton Fuller soundly defeated a crowded GOP field to advance to a runoff against Democrat challenger Shawn Harris in  Georgia’s 14th Congressional District on Tuesday evening. The election is being held to fill the seat formerly held by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress earlier this year after a falling out with President Trump.

With no candidate achieving a majority of the votes, the two will compete in a runoff election scheduled for April 7. Under Georgia election law, a runoff is required if neither of the top two finishers in the initial primary contest receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

Blurb:

The United States has proposed another round of Russia-Ukraine talks next week, mediated by Washington, on ending four years of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday.

Two rounds of trilateral talks failed to reach a breakthrough to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, launched by Moscow in 2022.

Zelensky said in an audio message sent to reporters, including AFP, that talks — initially planned for last week in the United Arab Emirates — had been postponed until next week by the U.S.

Blurb:

 

The NYPD has confirmed that the device thrown at conservative protesters in New York City was not just a crude explosive—it was a shrapnel bomb packed with nuts, bolts, and screws designed to maximize carnage. Police say that had it detonated, the blast could have killed or maimed large numbers of people in the crowd. New York came frighteningly close to a mass-casualty attack.

Blurb:

YouTube on Wednesday said it would expand access to its artificial intelligence (AI) detection tool to politicians and journalists.  The company will allow a pilot group of lawmakers and reporters to use its likeness detection feature, which flags AI-generated content that uses a person’s likeness and allows them to request removal if it violates YouTube…
from thehill.com

Blurb:

A left-wing activist network is training liberals how to slip onto juries in federal cases and then vote “not guilty” to derail prosecutions brought by the Trump Justice Department.

Recordings and training materials tied to the group Freedom Trainers show activists being coached on how to conceal their left-wing views during jury selection and then use jury nullification once they are seated on a jury. The webinars, slide decks, and pamphlets behind the effort all push the same approach: Blend in during selection, say the right things to get seated, and use the jury room to block convictions.

The premise is straightforward. Look like any other potential juror, avoid signaling their radical political agenda, and make it through voir dire, the jury selection process, without raising suspicion. Once deliberations begin, however, the guidance shifts sharply.