The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference concluded early on March 30 in Yaoundé, Cameroon after four days of talks, with ministers adopting several decisions including improvements for small economies’ integration into the trading system and enhanced special and differential treatment provisions under the SPS and TBT agreements. However, core trade reform efforts suffered a major setback as Brazil blocked the U.S.-backed proposal, preventing agreement on a comprehensive reform plan and the extension of the 28-year-old e-commerce duties moratorium, leaving critical issues such as dispute settlement reform unresolved for future negotiations in Geneva. Some have questioned whether the World Trade Organization has any utility in our new world, but I think having a platform to foster these types of discussions will still be desirable but I think, as we see now, those discussions will be far less conclusive than they once were.

Ethiopia secured $13 billion worth of investment agreements on March 29 during a high-level conference focused on energy, infrastructure, and industrial projects aimed at boosting economic development. These large-scale deals, involving both domestic and international partners, are expected to significantly reshape the East African nation’s fiscal outlook, energy capacity, and geopolitical standing amid ongoing regional security challenges. East Africa is one of the markets receiving rapid global investment and attention as those are some of the markets set to see tremendous growth over the next several decades.

Recent U.S.-Israeli strikes targeted multiple key military facilities in and around Tehran, including the Khojir, Hakimiyeh, and Parchin complexes associated with Iran’s missile and drone programs. Iran has responded to threats regarding a possible U.S. ground invasion by warning that any U.S. troops would be “set on fire” and stating that “sharks of the Persian Gulf await” American forces. A ground invasion of Iran is the worst possible outcome in a war that is already amongst the worst decisions in U.S. history and which has already triggered significant political unrest and economic strain globally.

The House of Representatives passed a short-term funding bill to extend Department of Homeland Security operations until May 22 as the partial government shutdown reached its 43rd day, while explicitly excluding funding for certain immigration enforcement operations, but Senate Democrats immediately labeled the measure dead on arrival. In response, the Trump administration issued executive orders directing unilateral back pay for TSA officers with some checks already processing and ensured operational continuity for essential agencies to minimize airport disruptions amid the ongoing congressional deadlock over immigration funding. At least some money is starting to roll out as there is only so long the country can sustain its airports not functioning properly before day-to-day life begins to feel totally upended.

The United States has allowed a Russian crude-oil tanker to successfully reach Cuba, providing critical energy supplies to help ease the island nation’s severe ongoing energy crisis. This decision represents a notable policy shift away from previous effective blockade-style pressure that had restricted Russian energy shipments to Cuba in recent years. This is good news! Although, it makes sense for the U.S. to apply pressure to a country like Cuba because it's obviously in its sphere of influence, creating conditions of mass power outages was cruel and unnecessary.

New demographic data released this week reveals that deaths now exceed births in 65 percent of all U.S. counties, highlighting a widespread trend of natural population decline across large parts of the country. This development underscores accelerating demographic shifts, with significant long-term implications for regional labor forces, school enrollments, and economic vitality in affected areas. It's been a while since we've discussed the demographic crisis we're facing in this country but it didn't go away. How to handle this situation is complicated and there seems to be no consensus answer which is all the more troubling. At my most cynical I think perhaps we've gotten what we deserve due to decades of misplaced priorities.

Connecticut’s administration built a $309 million budget cushion into the FY2026 plan under Governor Ned Lamont, but that reserve has been nearly wiped out by late March due to eroding state revenues and sharply rising Medicaid costs. The emerging first deficit of Lamont’s tenure now places funding for the pre-K endowment program in serious jeopardy as lawmakers confront the shortfall. So much for a surplus huh? The real question that looms over all of these budget deficits is what do we expect the government to provide and is there a way to lower these expectations so we can spend money we actually have to spend. Running at these huge deficits is just kicking the can down the road for future generations to bear the brunt of the collapse which feels unfair, at least to me.

New Jersey Democrats passed and sent to Governor Mikie Sherrill’s desk legislation that permanently codifies the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive while imposing strict limits on cooperation between state and local police and federal immigration authorities. Governor Sherrill has signed companion bills that further restrict state agencies’ participation in federal immigration enforcement efforts amid shifting national policy priorities. I tend to be quite nervous around planned and codified disjuncture between federal agencies and state governments. Although, there are reasonable policy disputes amongst the parties, tension, animosity, and noncooperation seem like a recipe for intense collision.

Massachusetts lawmakers finalized the FY2026 General Appropriations Act on March 29, allocating more than $115 million to the state lottery commission while imposing new restrictions on lottery advertising and setting aside $2.25 billion in debt service payments from the Commonwealth Transportation Fund. The budget package includes detailed bond payment mechanisms and specific controls on lottery operations as part of the state’s overall fiscal planning. Encouraging gambling is one way to keep the revenue high I guess.