NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to EIGHT-plus reports, interviews, analyses, commentaries and summaries (10 or so): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Indian Punchline, Consortium News, and Middle East Eye; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-28-26, and for UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –

Iran warns U.S. against ground invasion as regional diplomats seek an end to the war, by Sam Metz, Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — A top Iranian official warned the U.S. against a ground invasion, saying American troops would be set “on fire,” as regional diplomats gathered today in Pakistan in a push to broker an end to the monthlong war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and the Cradle.

–   –   –

U.S. offers India pivotal role in Hormuz Strait, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been persistently working to put the U.S.-Indian relationship back on track. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

How military strategies are evolving a month after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Don Gonyea of NPR speaks with military analyst Kelly Grieco of the Stimson Center about how the military strategies of both the U.S. and Iran are evolving after a month of fighting. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports Saturday evening and today on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Weekend Edition Sunday.”

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  ‘The World This Week — w/ Richard Wolff.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talks with Wolff, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School in New York. Wolff speaks authoritatively about the apparent ending of the American Century* under way owing to factors he lays out — China being the most obvious beneficiary with or without the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which speeds the development. Russia and Iran seem like two others. The U.S. is in a tight spot as is Israel. Click HERE for video and a print intro written before the talk in which Wolff does about 99 percent of the talking.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  How Trump’s regime has become captive to its own lies, by Soumaya Ghannoushi | Middle East Eye  In The Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel described a system in which lies are not incidental, but foundational. A system that does not merely tolerate falsehood, but requires it, reproduces it, lives within it. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

* He does not use the term.

For now, links to FIVE reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Cradle, and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginnings of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 3-26-26, and up or down for IRAN and MEDIA.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia reports fire in strike on major Baltic port. From AFP. A drone strike triggered a fire at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga, the regional governor said this reporting new damage at the major exporting hub hit for a second time in days. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  UAE, Qatar sign defense cooperation deals with Ukraine’s Zelensky. From the Cradle. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed signed an agreement on Saturday to cooperate in the areas of security and defense, including anti-drone defense, amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for earlier reports from AP.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 28  Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 4, damaging port and maternity hospital. From AFP. Russian air attacks across Ukraine early Saturday killed at least four people and damaged critical infrastructure including a port and a maternity hospital, authorities said, as Russia pressed on with its war with Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choices in elections don’t matter when it comes to the war.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to an analysis from DoNotPanic.News via ScheerPost and to a report from the Associated Press; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-28-26. Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE and IRAN so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  How western media sanitises and sells the crimes of empire, by Nate Bear | DoNotPanic.News / ScheerPost  Yesterday the Associated Press said it was going to start using words which accurately reflect reality. The news agency announced, after much deliberation and a newsroom vote, that it was going to start referring to Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon as an invasion. Read more HERE or HERE .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  AP is calling Israel’s attack on Lebanon an invasion. What does that mean and why does it matter? From AP. The Associated Press is now calling Israel’s military actions in southern Lebanon an invasion. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THREE reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginning of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-26-26 and IRAN.) — MCM

–   –   –

Lebanon president calls Israeli strike on journalists ‘blatant crime.’ From AFP. BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli strike that killed a journalist for Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV and another for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel in southern Lebanon today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

–   –   –

Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills 3 journalists covering the war, by Bassem Mroue and Isabel Debre | AP  BEIRUT— An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon today killed three journalists who were covering the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, their TV stations said. The Israeli military said it had targeted Ali Shoeib, a longtime correspondent of Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choices in elections don’t matter when it comes to the war.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Including a late addition (the advisory about Consortium News program), links to EIGHT-plus reports, analyses, commentary, interviews, and summaries (a dozen or so): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio,  ScheerPost, and Geopolitical Economy Report; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. Also, the beginning of a commentary from this blog. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-27-26. Scroll up for today’s MEDIA so far.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week — w/ Richard Wolff*, at 8 p.m. EDT. Joe Lauria of Consortium News and perhaps one other talk with Wolff*, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School in New York. From print intro: “More than its effective drones and ballistic missiles, Iran’s greatest weapon is economic. That is what is prompting the meltdown of Donald Trump.” Click HERE at or shortly after 8 p.m. EDT to livestream talk, or for subsequent video; in the meantime there’s more of the print intro to read.

–   –   –

Iran-backed Houthis claim first missile launch on Israel as war in the Mideast intensifies, by Samy Magdy Aamer Madhani and Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile launch toward Israel early today, their first since the war in the Middle East started. The Israeli military said it intercepted the projectile. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

U.S.-Iran relations specialist explains the power structure in Iran. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Sina Toossi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, about the power structure in Iran, and how things have changed within it since the start of the war. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read; and HERE for all five Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday.”

–   –   –  

FROM MARCH 27  Israel hits Iranian nuke facilities and Tehran strikes base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. troops, by Farnoush Amiri,Jon Gambrell and Konstantin Toropin | AP  DUBAI — Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. service members and damaging planes. In a possible breakthrough in the war, however, Tehran will allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Rubio pushes postwar plan for Strait of Hormuz after meeting G7 allies skeptical about Iran strategy, by Matthew Lee and Samuel Petrequin | AP  VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven countries showed divisions with the United States over the Iran war but agreed Friday during a meeting in France to call for an immediate halt to attacks against civilians and urge the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Analysis: 1 month into war, Iran is using insurgent tactics and holding the world economy hostage, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — One month into their war with Iran, the United States and Israel find themselves confronting an opponent that fights more like an insurgency than a nation — using increasingly limited resources to inflict maximum pain. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 27  Regional reflections on one month of war. Reported by Emily Feng, Lauren Frayer, Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin | NPR  One month into the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran, we turn to our correspondents across the region to assess the conflict’s impact.  Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all three Iran war-related reports Friday from NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  War on Iran and the return of imperial language. Editorial from ScheerPost.  As war expands around Iran, one of the clearest arguments emerging from independent geopolitical analysis is that this conflict cannot be understood as an isolated military confrontation. Click HERE to read more and for accompanying video post from Geopolitical Economy Report.

–   –   – 

‘The whole ball of wax.’ Early draft from x-ma911truthwalk.com.

Several of the wars dominating international news are one and the same. It has probably been in the pipeline in one way or another since well before Donald Trump’s debut on “The Apprentice” or Joe Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate or Vladimir Putin’s as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the pipeline means its components are plotted over decades in Western government agencies and “think tanks” and international banks (lenders).

Media and academia participation is key. Success depends on it by mainstream and “alternative” or “independent” news organizations, authors, book publishing houses, distributors and retailers, and colleges and universities.

Joe “I am a Zionist” Biden called the state of Israel “our battleship” in the Middle East. Some see the U.S. as Israel’s there. In any case battleships and aircraft carriers are more vulnerable these days, and Israel’s involvement and Washington’s have been intertwined in adventures worldwide.

In his second re-election campaign Trump called the Russia-Ukraine conflict “Biden’s war” while knowing it was Washington’s, Wall Street’s and international banks’ among others’. The people who notice that military contractors’ or subcontractors’ plants are situated in every Congressional district are right on the money.

The war is systemic. It’s the Republicans’ and the Democrats’. It is red and blue. It is less the war of “independents” and non-voters, and so less purple. It is the child of most elected officials and their funders at the state, county and local levels as well; and of much of organized labor and organized religion. You can vote if you want to, but your choice in elections doesn’t matter when it comes to the war.

–   –   –

* Misspelling of Richard Wolff’s last name has been corrected as of 9:19 p.m. EDT.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THIRTEEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries, interviews and summaries (about 20): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Reuters, the Cradle, Reuters, Indian Punchline,  the Floutist, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-26-26.) — MCM

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

–   –   –

Israel hits Tehran with wave of strikes and warns attacks on Iran ‘will escalate and expand,’ by Jon Gambrell and Davd Rising | AP  DUBAI — Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran today even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, meanwhile, gave no signs of backing down. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

Trump grants Iran another extension on a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Reported by  Tamara Keith and Steve Inskeep  | NPR  Citing ongoing talks with Iran, President Trump said on social media Thursday that he was delaying a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction of its power plants. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all six Iran war-related reports today on NPR‘s “Morning Edition.”

FROM MARCH 26  Iran plans escalation against UAE over ‘active role’ in U.S.-Israeli war. From the Cradle. The Islamic Republic is preparing a “strong response” against the UAE due to the “active role” it has played in the ongoing US-Israeli war against it; a senior Iranian intelligence official told the Cradle on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH  26. Trump extends ‘pause’ on strikes on energy facilities and says talks going ‘very well,’ by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, Dan Haygarth and Bryony Gooch | Reuters  Donald Trump has extended his pause on the threat to strike energy plants in Iran to ten days after claiming talks with Tehran are going “very well.” The U.S.president had given Tehran a deadline of Friday to enter negotiations to end the war or face the “total destruction” of its energy facilities. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE  and HERE  for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 25  The U.S. and Iran can’t even agree on whether they’re talking. Mary Louise Kelly of NPR talks with colleagues Tom Bowman and Aya Batrawy about prospects for an off-ramp for the war. President Trump says Iran is “begging” for a deal. Iran says it has no intention of negotiating. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for at least three other Iran war-related reports Thursday on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Trump hopes to de-escalate and find a way out of the protracted conflict with Iran, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The profound significance of the two successive Iranian missile strikes on Dimona nuclear research centre, the most heavily guarded site in the whole of Israel, is sinking in, and it inevitably shifts the trajectory of the U.S. war in Iran. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Where are Iran’s allies and friends? Where Cuba’s? by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  Consider these following passages in a text that is now entered officially in the record of United Nations proceedings. I draw from Security Council Resolution 2817, which the 15–member Council passed on March 11. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 26  Iran war exposes cracks in BRICS wall, by Betwa Sharma | Special to Consortium News  NEW DELHI — U.S. economic pressure and geopolitical shocks, especially the attack on Iran, have revealed BRICS less as a unified bloc with a common strategic goal, than a collection of countries with overlapping interests that diverge sharply under pressure. READ MORE . . .

.

For now, links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking in their names or initial as highlighted. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 3-14-26 and today’s IRAN, CUBA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

Iran war deflects attention from Ukraine as new offensive begins, by Barry Hatton | AP  The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive. Neither side is easing up. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

For now, links to EIGHT-plus reports, commentary, interviews, analyses and summaries (about 15): from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, Behind the Curtain, and ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-25-26. and up or down for today’s UKRAINE, CUBA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

U.S. source says allies will be equipped as Pentagon weighs shifting Ukraine aid to Middle East: report, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  The Pentagon is considering redirecting military aid intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, the Washington Post reported today, citing unnamed sources. The potential move comes as the U.S. expands operations against Iran. READ MOVE . . .

–   –   –

Russia moves to arm Iran with advanced drones after U.S.-Israel strikes: report, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  Russia is reportedly completing a shipment of drones, medicine, and food to Iran, signaling a potential escalation in support for Tehran following recent U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to the Financial Times. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

U.S. and Iran harden their positions as Tehran keeps its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter today. Tehran moved to formalize its control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz while Washington prepared for the arrival of U.S. troops in the region that . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

Iran rejects Trump’s proposal to end the war and lays out its own terms. Reported by Daniel Estrin and A Martínez | NPR  Iran’s military command is rejecting a 15-point peace proposal from the U.S., saying it will not “come to terms” with Washington and laid out its own conditions. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all five or so Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

–   –   –

Pakistan says it is relaying messages between U.S. and Iran. From Middle East Eye. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says this is part of ongoing mediation efforts supported by Turkey, Egypt and other countries. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Iran ‘laying traps’ on Kharg Island as Trump mulls ‘high risk’ invasion: report. From the Cradle. “Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible U.S. operation to take control of the island,” sources familiar with U.S. intelligence told CNN on Wednesday. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for several other Iran war-related reports from the Cradle.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 25  The 82nd Airborne is headed to the Middle East. Why? Reported by Tom Bowman | NPR  Thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to deploy to the Middle East. Iran publicly rejected a ceasefire proposal, though the White House says talks continue. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for links to at least two other Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “All Things Considered” on March 25.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 24 and 25  Palaver and parable: Trump’s babble, by Edward Curtin | Behind the Curtain / ScheerPost  One’s forgettery would have to be operating at full-speed to forget Trump’s past use of “negotiations” as a cover for attacking Iran. Click HERE or HERE to read more.

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED

 

For now, links to two reports from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for CUBA 3-25-26, and up or down for this date’s UKRAINE, IRAN and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 25  Cuban president says Raúl Castro involved in U.S. talks that are in early stages, by Andrea Rodríguez | AP  HAVANA — This comes as Cuba is plagued by nationwide blackouts resulting from a crumbling power grid and an ongoing oil blockade implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened tariffs on any country that provides oil to Cuba. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 25  Mexican President Sheinbaum says she will uphold Cuban doctor agreement as other countries dip out, by Megan Janetsky | AP  MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday said Mexico will continue to have Cuban doctors work in the country at a time when other nations across the Americas have ditched their agreements with Cuba’s government in the face of mounting U.S. pressure. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

MAY BE CONTINUED

Links to a report from National Public Radio and to commentary from Common Dreams via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 3-9-26.  Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE, IRAN and CUBA so far.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 18  Some clubs meet to talk about books. This Florida club discusses the news. From NPR. In the Tampa Bay area, there’s a new twist on book clubs. Instead of a novel, the club discusses news articles. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM MARCH 22  Truth, media, and the war on Iran, by Ramzy Baroud | Common Dreams / Consortium News  During both of his presidential terms, President Donald Trump has invested much of his public discourse not in unifying the nation but in deploying deeply hostile language against journalists who question his policies, rhetoric, or political conduct. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED