Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 14, 2026

Navy Turns Around Ships Trying To Run Blockade Of Iran

Wary of Iranian escalation that shuts down Red Sea traffic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is asking the Trump administration to back off from its newly-implemented blockade of Iranian-linked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz

The US Treasury Department’s technology team is actively seeking access to Anthropic PBC’s highly restricted Mythos AI model so it can begin hunting for software vulnerabilities

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Unveils Plans for City-Owned Grocery Store

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 13, 2026

Naval Blockade Of Iran Now In Full Effect (Updated)

Flurry Of Navy Minesweepers Appear To Be Heading Toward The Middle East

2,500-year-old infant mass grave cracks open enigma of biblical-era baby burials

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 12, 2026

Orbán Concedes: 16-Year Fidesz Rule Collapses In Historic Hungarian Landslide

U.S.-Iran Talks End Without a Deal, Vance Says

Trump: The U.S. to Blockade Hormuz Since Iran Controls Traffic, Charges Tolls

I lived an entire life while I was in a coma and even gave birth to triplets… I was devastated that none of it was real

One such supply chain that’s suddenly getting a lot of attention is helium. Helium is produced as a byproduct of natural gas extraction: it collects in the same underground pockets that natural gas collects in. Qatar is responsible for roughly 1/3rd of the world’s supply of helium, which was formerly transported through the Strait of Hormuz in specialized containers. Thanks to the closure of the strait, helium prices have spiked, suppliers are declaring force majeure, and businesses are scrambling to deal with looming shortages. (For many years the US government maintained a strategic helium reserve, but this was sold off in 2024.)

Clay cylinders found in Iraq bear writings of Babylonian king who besieged Jerusalem

New research has linked levels of vitamin D in midlife with toxic tangles of tau protein that accumulate in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease.

The real dystopian future is the amount of rural “hospitals” that will soon have no doctors on current trends. North Carolina Hospitals have deployed these telepresence robots. These allow doctors to interact remotely with patients. A real human doctor is operating this remotely and speaking with patients. This is so dystopian

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 11, 2026

US, Iran fail to reach peace agreement after marathon talks in Pakistan

How to assess America’s 40 days of war against Iran

Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG site may not fully resume before August

These Are the New Car Features That Can Be the Most Expensive to Repair in 2026

One Heartbeat, One Target: The Classified Tool Behind a Daring Iran Rescue

Chimpanzees in Uganda locked in vicious ‘civil war’

Scientists May Have Found a New Cause of High Blood Pressure, And a Way to Treat It

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 10, 2026

Iran’s Chokehold On Hormuz Remains On The Eve Of Peace Talks In Pakistan (Updated)

Operation Epic Fury U.S. Aircraft Losses Visualized

Saudi Arabia Maintains Oil Exports From Key Red Sea Port for Now

Hezbollah Ramping Up FPV Drone Attacks On IDF In Lebanon

EPA hauls away 920 tons of expired hand sanitizer from a former Upstate NY army depot

New York State agencies spent $1.6 billion on overtime in 2025, a 22.7% jump from the previous year, even as the state workforce expanded for the third consecutive year. Three agencies accounted for more than two-thirds of the state’s overtime spending. Corrections, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Mental Health made up just over one-fifth of the workforce but consumed 68.3% of overtime hours and 70% of overtime earnings.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 9, 2026

Russia Cracks Down On VPNs, Brings Down Banks

The Irish government has asked the army to help remove vehicles blocking fuel depots as protests entered a third day.

Here Is What Trump’s Gargantuan $1.5T Defense Budget Has In It. The U.S. military is pushing to make huge investments in many programs in Fiscal Year 2027, but also some notable cuts.

This help me understand that the “US refiners can’t handle light crude” is overly simplistic. It is a matter of economics and not capability Why Banning Crude Exports Would Make Gasoline More Expensive, Not Less

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown 66% this century, fueled in part by a record-breaking number of convert baptisms in 2025. The church had 10,752,986 members at the end of 1999. The church had 17,887,212 at the end of 2025, according to an annual statistical report released Saturday during the church’s 196th Annual General Conference.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 8, 2026

Questions Loom Over Iran Ceasefire

US–Iran Agree to Temporary Ceasefire Deal Reopening Hormuz With Major Strings Attached

Saudi Arabia’s Oil Pipeline Bypassing Hormuz Damaged in Iranian Attack, Source Says

John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement

Thousands of consumer routers hacked by Russia’s military

The Artemis 2 space toilet is actually working fine. But there is another problem

Tattoos Affect Your Immune System in Ways We’re Just Beginning to Understand

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 7, 2026

Trump announces ‘double-sided ceasefire’ between US, Iran following Pakistani proposal

In the Gulf, GPS jamming leaves delivery drivers navigating blind

‘We Have No Chance Against This’: Honda Reacts To China’s Supplier Strength

Trump Announces New Refinery — The First in 50 Years

SCOTUS overturns 5th Circuit ruling that told ISP to kick pirates off Internet

How the Turner Twins Are Mythbusting Modern Gear

It is going to be brutal soonest for rural areas that are on the leading edge of the demographic decline in most places. Does this have implications for higher ed in particular?

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 6, 2026

Iran’s Top Spy Chief, Key IRGC Commanders Eliminated in Israeli Strikes

How A Dusty Strip Deep In Iran Can Be Turned Into A U.S. Special Operations Base In Hours

Everything We Now Know About The Operation To Rescue The F-15E WSO

Trump initially feared radio message from downed US airman was Iranian trap. After ejecting from the jet, the officer sent a message over his radio saying “Power be to God,” according to Trump who added that it “sounded like something a Muslim would say.” A US defense official said the exact wording had been “God is good,” Axios reported.

Russian Grain Ship Sinks in Sea of Azov After Suspected Drone Strike, Raising Risks to Shipping

By Friday night there was another problem. Urine is collected in a small tank, about the size of an office trash can. From there it is supposed to be vented into space, which is to say, dumped overboard to sail around the cosmos until the end of time. However, flight controllers noted that astronaut pee had frozen in the tank. There were no issues with using the toilet for no. 2, but no. 1 was a no-go.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 5, 2026

F-15E Weapon Systems Officer Shot Down Over Iran Has Been Rescued (Updated)

Global Fuel Shortage Pushes Governments Toward Demand Controls. Fuel rationing is spreading across Asia and Europe as supply losses mount, raising fears of a prolonged energy crisis.

Jet fuel prices have more than doubled in Asia and are up 85% in the United States. And Europe could run into jet fuel shortages in April, particularly if shipments of kerosene, a key component, remain disrupted by Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.