NEW YORK, March 6 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * As Women's Rights Are Dismantled, So is Democracy * Authoritarian regimes consistently restrict women's and girls' rights more severely than rights-respecting democracies. But today's rising authoritarian governments differ from 20th-century dictatorships. In the past, restrictions on women's rights were often embedded within broader ideological struggles, between Marxism and capitalism, nati  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * California's High Gas Prices Are About More Than the Conflict in Iran * California Gasoline Prices As the conflict in Iran continues to disrupt the global oil market, California's gas prices rose another 10 cents overnight. According to AAA, on March 6, California's average gasoline price was $4.905 per gallon, while the nation's average was $3.320, making it almost 50% higher  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release: * * * Coalition of Unions, Press Freedom Organizations, Editors and Journalists Win Major Victory As Judge Rules Kari Lake's USAGM Appointment Illegal, Cancels Mass Firings at VOA * WASHINGTON - In a major victory for federal workers, this weekend, D.C. federal judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake had illegally served as Acting CEO  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap - Week of March 2, 2026 * Here's a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week: Agriculture On Tuesday, March 3, the Committee on Agriculture held a full committee markup on the following bill: * H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (Thompson) The Committee advanced the Bill on a 34-1  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on March 6, 2026, by Deputy Director Harrison Pretat, research associate Monica Michiko Sato, both of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Aidan Powers-Riggs, associate fellow for China Studies with the iDeas Lab, and Matthew P. Funaiole, vice president of the iDeas Lab and Andreas C. Dracopoulos Chair in Innovation: * * * No One, Not Even Beijing, Is Getting Through the Strait of H  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Energy Supplies Under a Prolonged Middle East Conflict * Key Takeaways 1 The conflict with Iran in the Middle East will affect energy prices, but the extent of price hikes will depend on its duration and outcome. 2 The most important chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's supply typically transits. 3 Between two and four million ba  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Europe Needs to Refill Gas Storage Facilities, But Limited Supplies and Higher Prices Make That More Difficult * Key Takeaways 1 Europe is facing higher costs to secure natural gas supplies for next winter due to its own depletion and the conflict with Iran. 2 Europe's gas storage levels were below normal when hostilities began. Still, Qatar's inability to move LNG throu  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Rep.) -- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "THE ADMINISTRATION HAS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FAILED TO MEET ITS RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PUBLIC" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN Newsroom, where he highlighted how Donald's Trump has failed to articulate a reason for his unconstitutional war of choice in Iran and continues to do nothing to make life better for ev  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "THE ADMINISTRATION HAS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FAILED TO MEET ITS RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PUBLIC" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN Newsroom, where he highlighted how Donald's Trump has failed to articulate a reason for his unconstitutional war of choice in Iran and continues to do nothing to make life better for everyday Americans. JESSIC  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Rep.) -- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON MEET THE PRESS: "WE'RE SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DROP BOMBS AND DOING NOTHING TO DROP THE HIGH COST OF LIVING" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, where he emphasized that the Trump administration has failed to justify this war of choice in the Middle East, and that Democrats will continue working t  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON MEET THE PRESS: "WE'RE SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DROP BOMBS AND DOING NOTHING TO DROP THE HIGH COST OF LIVING" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, where he emphasized that the Trump administration has failed to justify this war of choice in the Middle East, and that Democrats will continue working to make life better and mor  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan Votes Against President Trump's Illegal War Against Iran * Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after voting for a bipartisan War Powers Resolution that blocks the use of the U.S. Armed Forces from engaging in hostilities against Iran unless authorized by Congress: "With no accountability and in defiance of the American people, President T  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Murphy On SOTU: If You Support The Troops, Then You Should Be Voting Against Funding The War * WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday appeared on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper to discuss Donald Trump's illegal and disastrous war in Iran. Murphy argued against providing a historically incompetent Trump administration with additional funding to carry out a war  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Political] -- The Independent Women's Forum posted issued the following news release: * * * On International Women's Day, Independent Women Honors Iranian Women Leading the Fight for Freedom * WASHINGTON D.C. -As the oppressive Iranian regime escalates violence and instability in the Middle East, Iranian women challenge oppression and brutality at home. This International Women's Day, Independent Women recognizes women around the world who stand with courage, l  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Call Out Trump for Loosening Russian Oil Sanctions That Enrich Putin Amidst News Reports That Russia is Helping Iran Target U.S. Forces * WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) teamed up with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Coo  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * Reed: Trump's Policies Sure Seem to be Fueling Higher Prices & Shedding Jobs * WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the U.S. lost 92,000 jobs last month, marking the second time in the last three months that the nation's economy has shed jobs. Economic data from February is in stark contrast to the anticipated gain of 65,000 jobs that analysts projected. BLS  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ, has introduced the U.S.-Israel Anti-Killer Drone Act of 2026, aimed at enhancing cooperation between the United States and Israel to counter the growing threat of unmanned systems in military operations. This initiative comes in response to an increase in drone technologies, particularly from Iran, that pose risks to U.S. forces and allied nations. The proposed legislation seeks to amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 20  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. J. French Hill, R-AR, has introduced the Countering Captagon and Narcotics Post-Assad Act, aimed at modifying the interagency strategy to disrupt narcotics production and trafficking networks in the Middle East, particularly following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. The bill seeks to strengthen the United States' response to growing threats posed by Captagon and other stimulants that have emerged in the region, which are seen as destabilizing forces correlated   more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, has introduced the Keeping Public Lands Out of Adversarial Hands Act aimed at enhancing national security through improved oversight of foreign investments in sensitive land and resources in the United States. The bill seeks to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 by adding the Secretary of the Interior to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The primary goal of this legislation is to bolster the federal government's abili  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Scalise: We Must Get the SAVE America Act to President Trump's Desk * Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News' Fox and Friends Weekend to address radical Democrats defending the Iranian regime over America, urge the Senate to pass the common-sense SAVE America Act, and highlight House Republicans' efforts to save college sports through the SCORE Act.   more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Scalise: We Must Get the SAVE America Act to President Trump's Desk * NEW ORLEANS, La. -Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News' Fox and Friends Weekend to address radical Democrats defending the Iranian regime over America, urge the Senate to pass the common-sense SAVE America Act, and highlight House Republicans' efforts to save college sports through the SCORE Act.   more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 2/27/2026-3/6/2026 * Slamming President Trump's War of Choice in Iran [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement after the U.S. attacks on Iran this past week: "War must always be a last resort and never a first choice. The Trump Administration seems to be engaging in a war of choice that rejects oppor  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of War issued the following news: * * * This Week in DOW: Delivering 'Shock and Awe' to Iran, Defense Leaders' Declaration, Updates on AI * On Feb. 28, the U.S. military commenced Operation Epic Fury under the direct order of President Donald J. Trump. "We are delivering twice the airpower of shock and awe and seven times the intensity of Israel's 12-day war," Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said today in the War Department's Weekly Sitre  more

LONDON, England, March 9 -- Global Witness, an organization that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption and human rights abuses worldwide, issued the following news release: * * * US easing of Russian oil sanctions sacrifices the people of Ukraine The Trump administration's announcement that it will allow Russian oil sales to India will fuel Putin's war machine. It effectively sacrifices the people of Ukraine in order to combat an oil pri  more

TAMPA, Florida, March 8 -- The U.S. Central Command issued the following news release: * * * U.S. Forces Issue Safety Warning to Civilians in Iran * TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is issuing a safety warning to civilians in Iran, March 8, as Iran's terrorist regime blatantly disregards the safety of innocent people. The Iranian regime is using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles. Thi  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Update on the Oil Market and Conflict with Iran * Key Takeaways 1 A week in, the conflict in Iran continues to affect energy supplies that transit the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of both oil and LNG flow, mainly to reach Asian importers. 2 President Trump believes the price hikes are temporary, receding when hostilities end. 3 China, however, is hard-pressed and aski  more

NEW YORK, March 7 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * US/Israel: Investigate Iran School Attack as a War Crime * * A February 28, 2026 attack on a primary school in southern Iran was an unlawful attack that reportedly killed scores of civilians, including schoolchildren. * The laws of war prohibit attacks if the anticipated harm to civilians and civilian objects is disproportionate compared to the expected military gain from the attack. * T  more

ROME, Italy, March 8 -- The United Nations World Food Programme posted the following news release: * * * WFP WARNS RISING FOOD AND FUEL PRICES RISK PUSHING GLOBAL HUNGER HIGHER AS HUMANITARIAN NEEDS GROW * CAIRO / BEIRUT / ROME - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that surging food and fuel prices driven by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could have ripple effects that will worsen hunger for vulnerable populations in the region and beyond. The escalati  more