NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . .

For now, links to three reports: from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-31-26 and today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israel invades southern Lebanon to go after Iran-allied Hezbollah militants. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  Israel has invaded Lebanon in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Israel has said it will push up to the Litani River. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Beirut is bursting as over 1 million people flee Israeli strikes and evacuation orders, by Isabel Debre | AP  BEIRUT — It’s been a month since Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel after the U.S.-Israeli attack on its patron, Iran, triggering Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion. Since then, more than 1 million people from southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs have fled. Many have crammed into the ever-tighter spaces of the country’s capital.  where the bombs have not yet fallen. READ MORE . . .

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Former minister of public health talks about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s former Minister of Public Health, about Israel’s invasion of his country. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to TWELVE-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews, and summaries (around 15): from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle;, Substack, and ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-1-26.  Scroll up for today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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* 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. *

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Iran fires missiles at Israel and Gulf neighbors as Trump talks of winding down war, by Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Will Weissert | AP  DUBAI — Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states today, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to attack even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and predicted the war would end soon. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE and HERE for two reports from Middle East Monitor.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to TEN-plus reports (16 or so): from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-31-26 and GAZA.) — MCM

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* 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. *

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NEWER  U.S. to leave Iran ‘pretty quickly’ and return if needed, Trump tells Reuters. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — The United States will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” and could return for “spot hits” if needed, US President Donald Trump told Reuters today, hours before he was scheduled to make a prime-time address to the nation at 9 p.m. EDT. In the war’s fifth week he is under pressure for an off-ramp amid rising petrol prices. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Trump warns Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran kept up its attacks on Persian Gulf neighbors today as airstrikes pounded Tehran, while U.S. President Donald Trump again made contradictory statements about whether he was ready to wind down the war or escalate it. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran hits Kuwait airport and a tanker off Qatar while strikes batter Tehran ahead of Trump speech, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — Iran hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday while airstrikes battered Tehran — an unrelenting tempo hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was nearly ready to wind down the war. He is scheduled to address the nation later in the day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Former special envoy on Trump’s comments that Iran war could be over in weeks. Reported by Michel Martin of NPR talks with Robert Malley, former special envoy to Iran in the Biden administration, about President Trump’s comments that the U.S. could end the Iran conflict in a matter of weeks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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FROM MARCH 31  NATO fissure erupts over Iran as allies brush off U.S., by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is driving a fissure between Washington and its NATO allies, as U.S. requests for overflight permission, basing, and air defence systems are brushed off, while the Trump administration casts doubt on its commitment to NATO’s mutual defence clause. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  Israel says it will not join any U.S. ground operation in Iran. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli forces will not take part in any U.S. ground operation in Iran, according to Israeli media reports, as Washington weighs whether to widen its role in the war. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 31  Iran remains a stubborn foe after absorbing massive U.S.-Israeli attacks, by Isabel Debre and Konstantim Toropin | AP  BEIRUT — Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28, the Trump administration claims to have all but “obliterated” the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that “never in recorded history has . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM MARCH 31  Trump lashes out at allies, says securing the Strait of Hormuz is ‘not for us,’ by Jon Gambrell, Mike Corder and Darlene Superville | AP  DUBAI — President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday at allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort against Iran, telling them to “go get your own oil” and saying it was not America’s job to secure the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM MARCH 31  A foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu talks about Israel’s stance on war with Iran. Reported by Juana Summers, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Lauren Hodges | NPR  Summers speaks with Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about his country’s stance on war with Iran and Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE for links to all four Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Tuesday evening.

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to two commentaries from Z Network; others are accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted. (Scroll down for GAZA 3-12-26.  Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 29  Will the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran open the road to Palestinian freedom? by Ramzy Baroud | Z Network  Some are expressing frustration that Iran’s conditions to end the war have not explicitly and unequivocally included a demand to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and dismantle the apartheid regime. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 27  The silence of Arab states, by Ramzy Baroud | Z Network / Consortium News  Some Arab governments are client regimes in the classical sense. Others are so dependent on American protection, validation, or military partnership that calling them “partners” barely conceals the hierarchy embedded in the relationship. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to FIFTEEN-plus reports, commentaries, analyses, interviews, and summaries (around 20): from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Foreign Policy in Focus, Common Dreams, Middle East Monitor, ScheerPost, and Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-30-26 and LEBANON.) — 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. *

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Iran sets giant oil tanker ablaze off Dubai after Trump warnings. From Reuters. Tehran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded oil tanker off Dubai today, and U.S. President Donald Trump told countries that had not helped in the conflict to find “some delayed courage” to take the Strait of Hormuz and get their own oil. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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A militarily degraded Iran is still a stubborn foe, by Isabel Debre and Konstantin Toropin | AP  After more than a month of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors are causing regional chaos and an outsized economic and political shock. READ MORE . . .

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U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil and gas could poison people and environment for decades, by Katherine Hearst and Heba Nasser | Middle East Eye  On the night of March 7, air strikes hit four oil depots and refineries in and around Tehran. The resulting petrochemical fires burned for days, spewing columns of thick smoke which shrouded the skies of Iran‘s capital and poisoned its air. READ MORE . . .

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Iran opens Strait of Hormuz to some ships amid escalating strikes on Gulf countries. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Michel Martin | NPR  Iran opens select ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but most oil and gas tankers are stalled as regional attacks escalate, with Gulf countries facing daily missile and drone strikes. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for links to all four or five Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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FROM MARCH 30  Iran’s strike hurt over a dozen U.S. personnel and hit valuable jets in Saudi Arabia. From NPR.  More than a dozen U.S. service members were wounded and two E-3 Sentry aircraft were damaged in an Iranian strike on an air base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, NPR has confirmed. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MARCH 30  Iran denies responsibility for ‘depraved’ attack on Kuwait desalinization plant. From the Cradle. The Iranian military on Monday denied the recent attack that hit a desalination plant in Kuwait, labeling the strike a U.S.-Israeli false-flag operation aimed at “destabilizing and destroying the region.” READ MORE . . .

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Water under fire, by Stasa Salacanin | Foreign Policy in Focus Reports of airstrikes targeting water desalination facilities in Iran, Bahrain, and Kuwait have heightened concerns over a dangerous escalation in an already volatile conflict. In one of the world’s most water-scarce regions, such attacks threaten a resource essential to civilian survival, raising fears of severe humanitarian consequences and the opening of a far more perilous phase of the war. READ MORE . . .

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Poland rejects ‘unofficial’ U.S. request to redeploy Patriot batteries to West Asia. From the Cradle. Poland has rejected an “unofficial” U.S. request to deploy one of its Patriot air defense systems to West Asia, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced today, following reports by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that Washington had informally approached Warsaw amid rising regional tensions. READ MORE . . .

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Italy denies U.S. warplanes access to key air base, rejects role in Iran war. From the Cradle. Italy denied U.S. warplanes access to the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily “a few evenings ago,” after flight plans were submitted while in mid-air without prior approval, according to a report cited by Corriere della Sera today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 30  Israel is making sure Trump can’t find an off-ramp in Iran, by Jonathan Cook | Middle East Eye / ScheerPost  Chaos is what Israel has been trying to engineer in Gaza and Lebanon — and there is every sign it is seeking the same outcome in Iran. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. or Israel. Who is top dog? by Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  The joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has thrust back into the spotlight a divisive debate about whether the dog wags the tail, or the tail wags the dog. Who is in charge of this war: Israel or the United States? READ MORE . . .

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Why the Middle East’s ‘Gray Zone’ just vanished, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  Three weeks ago, this region operated under a set of assumptions that had held, more or less, for forty years. Iran would threaten. Proxies would fight. Oil would flow. And everyone would continue doing what they do best. For 30 years, the Middle East operated in what strategists called the Gray Zone. READ MORE . . .

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The U.S.-Israel war on Iran is undermining the very foundations of the rule of law, by Phyllis Bennis | Foreign Policy in Focus / Common Dreams  Right now, Iranian civilians are paying the highest price for the U.S.-Israeli war. But the collapse of the rule of law makes the future more dangerous for everyone else, too. READ MORE . . .

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THREE reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 3-25-26. Scroll up for this date’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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FROM MARCH 30  Fear and exhaustion in Lebanon as Israel broadens invasion. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR  First, Israel said it would take Lebanese territory up to the Litani River. Then it ordered people out of an area 10 miles north of that. Residents are fleeing southern Lebanon in waves. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

NOTE: Nobody reads this  blog. But . . .

For now, links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries, interviews and summaries (more than a dozen): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Cradle, Consortium News, ScheerPost, Geopolitical Economy Report; and  others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 3-29-26.) — 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, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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Trump mulls seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal even as talks show progress, by Jon Gambrell and David Rising | AP  DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump openly mused about seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf and the United States and Israel kept up their attacks today on the Islamic Republic. Tehran, meanwhile, attacked a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait and an oil refinery in northern Israel. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from NPR, Reuters, and the Cradle.

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Thousands of U.S. troops sent to the Middle East with more on the way. Reported by Greg Myre and Leila Fadel | NPR  Additional U.S. troops have reached the Middle East. While the U.S. military hasn’t specified a mission, the critical Strait of Hormuz remains closed to almost all oil tankers. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for all four Iran war-related reports from NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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Days 25-29: War on Iran — Remaking the Middle East, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  The war in the Middle East after the first month has evolved into a battle between nations with conflicting visions of how to remake the region. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 29  The world’s most important 21 miles, by Phil Holm, Kevin S. Vineys and Will Jarrett | AP  When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iran retaliated with attacks that effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Here is a look at the strait’s significance in maps and charts.  READ MORE . . .

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Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on, by Paul Wiseman | AP  WASHINGTON — U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Why critics say Trump’s Iran offensive is reshaping the global economy. From ScheerPost. What began as another military escalation in the Middle East is now being framed by some economists and geopolitical analysts as something much larger: a potential turning point in the global economic order. Journalist Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy Report spoke recently with economist Michael Hudson about the expanding consequences of the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for video from Geopolitical Economy Report.

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FROM MARCH 29  The rippling effect of the Iran war, seen from the border with Turkey. Reported by Emily Feng and Adrian Ma | NPR  U.S. marines have arrived in the Middle East. NPR’s Emily Feng has been monitoring the latest developments from the border of Iran and Turkey. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for link to another Iran war-related report on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

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TO BE CONTINUED

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. *

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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.

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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 . . .

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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.”

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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.

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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 . . .

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* 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

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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 . . .

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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.

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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 . . .

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‘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.

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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

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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 .

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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.

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