NYTIMES (Aaron Krolik) - Why Oil Prices Surged Even After the Release of Strategic Reserves
Reserves or no reserves, the outlook remains bleak as long as a major oil and gas trade route remains virtually closed.
NYTIMES (Greg Jaffe) - How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bellicose and vengeful rhetoric describing the military’s war in Iran grew out of his experience in Iraq.
NPR (Jeff Brady) - Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them
Utilities are convincing lawmakers around the U.S. to delay bills that would allow people to buy solar panels, plug them into an outlet and begin generating electricity.
Utilities are convincing lawmakers around the U.S. to delay bills that would allow people to buy solar panels, plug them into an outlet and begin generating electricity.Open
NEWSCATS (MeighTimbol) - Iran’s Crypto Moves Under Scrutiny: Tracking Sanctions Evasion and Strategic Risks
Published March 12, 2025 Recent open‑source blockchain data and expert analysis suggest that large‑scale cryptocurrency movements involving Iranian accounts have accelerated amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East — raising questions among analysts about [...]
NYTIMES (Ross Douthat and Victoria Chamberlin) - The Democrats Could Still Mess This Up
Will they finally capitalize on Trump’s chaos?
NYTIMES (Nicholas Kristof, Megan K. Stack, Bret Stephens and Stephen Stromberg) - ‘I’m Flabbergasted by the Relentless Pessimism’: 3 Opinion Writers on Iran
Is Trump triumphing or has he committed a grave error? A debate on the Iran war.
AXIOS (Marc Caputo) - Iranian oil squeeze tests Trump's war plans
President Trump's advisers warn the Iran war could drag on longer if the regime succeeds in strangling the Strait of Hormuz and driving oil prices beyond his tolerance. - "The Iranians f*cking around with the Strait makes him more dug in," a senior Trump administration official told Axios. Why it matters: Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to destroy Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles, navy and regional proxies. But oil markets now are occupying as much of his headspace as battlefield data. - "The president sees the briefings. He sees the numbers. And he feels good about his decision, militarily," one Trump adviser said. - "Oil is another matter. No one is panicking, but it's a concern. He's pulling out the stops. There's…
President Trump's advisers warn the Iran war could drag on longer if the regime succeeds in strangling the Strait of Hormuz and driving oil prices beyond his tolerance. - "The Iranians f*cking around with the Strait makes him more dug in," a senior Trump administration official told Axios. Why it matters: Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to destroy Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles, navy and regional proxies. But oil markets now are occupying as much of his headspace as battlefield data. - "The president sees the briefings. He sees the numbers. And he feels good about his decision, militarily," one Trump adviser said. - "Oil is another matter. No one is panicking, but it's a concern. He's pulling out the stops. There's…Open
AXIOS (Ben Geman) - Trump's limited gas-price options on Iran
Plans for historically large releases from emergency oil stockpiles reveal the scope of the energy crisis — and the market response reveals President Trump's limited options for tackling it. Why it matters: The 400-million-barrel infusion over time from International Energy Agency member countries — including a big dose from U.S. holdings — likely won't push prices down by itself. - It's one part of a toolkit that can help put more supplies on the market. - But nothing will approach normal until the resumption of large-scale tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz , off Iran . Tapping reserves "will slow rather than stop rising oil prices and offer a temporary salve to the searing burn of rising gasoline prices," RSM Chief…
Plans for historically large releases from emergency oil stockpiles reveal the scope of the energy crisis — and the market response reveals President Trump's limited options for tackling it. Why it matters: The 400-million-barrel infusion over time from International Energy Agency member countries — including a big dose from U.S. holdings — likely won't push prices down by itself. - It's one part of a toolkit that can help put more supplies on the market. - But nothing will approach normal until the resumption of large-scale tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz , off Iran . Tapping reserves "will slow rather than stop rising oil prices and offer a temporary salve to the searing burn of rising gasoline prices," RSM Chief…Open
AXIOS (Barak Ravid) - Trump's Iran war whiplash clouds U.S. endgame
After a video call with G7 leaders Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: no one can tell what Donald Trump wants from this war. Why it matters: Nearly two weeks in, Trump continues to send conflicting signals about how and when the fighting ends. The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next. - Two sources with knowledge of the G7 call said Trump was "ambiguous and noncommittal" — some participants left thinking he wants to end the war, others felt the complete opposite. - "It will be up to the president of the United States to clarify both his final objectives and the pace he intends to give to the operations," Macron said after the…
After a video call with G7 leaders Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: no one can tell what Donald Trump wants from this war. Why it matters: Nearly two weeks in, Trump continues to send conflicting signals about how and when the fighting ends. The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next. - Two sources with knowledge of the G7 call said Trump was "ambiguous and noncommittal" — some participants left thinking he wants to end the war, others felt the complete opposite. - "It will be up to the president of the United States to clarify both his final objectives and the pace he intends to give to the operations," Macron said after the…Open
AXIOS (Madison Mills) - AI may never be as cheap as it is today
AI may never be as cheap to use as it is today. Why it matters: AI companies are hooking users with low prices that won't last — straight out of the Amazon and Uber playbook. The big picture: The push to show profits before IPOs could end the era of cheap AI. - "These LLM companies are going to go public and they're going to raise prices because they have to," May Habib, CEO of Writer, told Axios. State of play: New models from OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are generally getting faster and cheaper. - The industry was fixated on training chips. Now Nvidia and its rivals are focused on inference — the computing that lets models answer your questions. - Aggregate token pricing — the cost of generating text — has fallen, partly due…
AI may never be as cheap to use as it is today. Why it matters: AI companies are hooking users with low prices that won't last — straight out of the Amazon and Uber playbook. The big picture: The push to show profits before IPOs could end the era of cheap AI. - "These LLM companies are going to go public and they're going to raise prices because they have to," May Habib, CEO of Writer, told Axios. State of play: New models from OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are generally getting faster and cheaper. - The industry was fixated on training chips. Now Nvidia and its rivals are focused on inference — the computing that lets models answer your questions. - Aggregate token pricing — the cost of generating text — has fallen, partly due…Open