Iran has fired barrages of drones at Saudi Arabia and Kuwait while threatening to block all oil exports from the region through the Strait of Hormuz. NATO defenses in Turkey intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles entering its airspace, contributing to sharp volatility in global energy markets and gas price increases worldwide. Increasingly, people are calling for the war to end quickly because the major economies can't sustain these insanely high levels of energy prices. Hopefully, the alarming spike in costs doesn't create an environment in which a country, perhaps Israel, attempts to literally destroy Iran in service of saving the marketplace.

Japan is accelerating the deployment of upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a 1,000-kilometer range at a base in Kumamoto Prefecture starting March 31. The counterstrike capability enhancement addresses security concerns from China's military activities around Taiwan and broader regional tensions including with North Korea. If you've been reading along, you've noticed I've routinely been highlighting tiffs between Japan and China that indicated the relationship was quickly becoming too tense to be functional. Here, we are near the breaking point as they are about to start pointing missiles at each other.

China is preparing to enact the Law for Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which prioritizes Mandarin language education and encourages inter-ethnic marriages between Han Chinese and minority groups. The framework mandates Sinicization of religion and bans actions deemed harmful to national unity, affecting minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongolians across education, culture, and religious practices. Often we fail to realize that not everyone believes in pluralism and China is making that increasingly clear with this set of legal incentives. To be clear, the CCP is not your friend.

Anthropic has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and government challenging a supply-chain risk designation and potential national security blacklist. The dispute centers on the company's guardrails in its Claude AI model that restrict use for autonomous weapons systems and domestic surveillance applications. This fight is important because the relationship between the AI industry and the federal government will be shaped by this outcome. Historically, the government has been able to take what it needed from U.S. industries but here we see a powerful tech company refusing to cooperate.

The U.S. Treasury Department has acknowledged in a congressional report that crypto mixers serve valid privacy purposes such as protecting personal financial information and charitable donations when used with proper compliance. Officials signaled a policy shift by recommending clearer regulations for decentralized finance protocols while addressing ongoing concerns about money laundering risks. Quietly, the financial system is being remade and in my opinion for the better but I fear that too many Americans don't understand what's happening or why. It won't be until it's time to catch up that many of our peers will be aware of how the system has changed over the last several years.

Democratic U.S. senators including Chris Murphy and Cory Booker are calling for public hearings with senior Trump administration officials on the authorization, conduct, and objectives of the Iran conflict. The lawmakers have warned they may disrupt Senate proceedings if Republican committee chairs do not schedule the sessions promptly. The partial shutdown is already causing enough pain at a time when the country feels truly unsettled. I'm really sympathetic to their desire for more transparency regarding the war but I can't help but feel that the government needs to stay open regardless.

Governor Josh Stein has unveiled a $1.4 billion proposal to address immediate shortfalls including Medicaid funding and average 5.8 percent raises for teachers. The plan targets essential services in public safety, education, and affordability amid population growth, rising costs, and delayed full state budgeting. I've been trying to point out that the fiscal crises that the country faces aren't just abstractions and the proverbial can can't be forever kicked down the road. Stopgap fixes like this, I think, are fiscal check engine lights and if we don't fix the underlying problem soon the fixes won't be so simple.

Tennessee Republicans have advanced legislation mandating public schools to collect and report aggregate data on students' immigration status. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles from the state stated that Muslims do not belong in American society and introduced a bill to halt immigration from several Muslim-majority countries. At a time like this creating scapegoats becomes a really easy ploy for failing politicians, hopefully the people in Tennessee don't fall for it. We must deal with our illegal immigration problem but we must be sensible in our plans.

A West Virginia bill nearing passage requires the Department of Human Services to provide a full continuum of housing, education, and job training services for youth transitioning out of foster care. The measure also mandates annual transparency reports on federal and state funding usage to maximize available resources. This makes sense right. If we are to be responsible for these kids, we ought to do a little more than tell them good luck when they turn 18, that doesn't feel right or fair.

Half of Maryland's school districts have yet to reach the $60,000 minimum starting teacher salary mandated by the Blueprint for Maryland's Future as the July deadline approaches. The state faces a projected $1.4 billion budget gap that is complicating efforts in several counties, particularly on the Eastern Shore. Teachers should be paid better but where is the money to do so? Maryland finds itself in a real bind here.