This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ayn Rand was a Russian-born writer who immigrated to the United States in 1926, worked as a screenwriter and playwright, and wrote several novels expressing an individualistic philosophy she called “objectivism.” Rand's novels and outspoken ideology were subjects...
Stock Market Crash Fears Ease Even as Middle East War Rages On
Options traders' fears of a U.S. stock market crash have pulled back nearly to levels seen before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that made oil prices soar. The Nations TailDex Index and the Cboe Skew Index, two separate gauges that measure how much traders are paying for crash protection, have...
Trump Proposal Would Make $5 Billion US EV Charger Fund Unusable, Democrats Say
A group of 20 state attorneys general said on Monday the Trump administration proposal to boost American parts and components in federally funded electric vehicle charging stations would effectively make the $5 billion program unusable. The attorneys general from states including California, Colorado, Arizona, New York, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan,...
Kalshi Charged Criminally in Arizona for Operating Illegal Gambling Business
Arizona's attorney general on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Kalshi, accusing the prediction markets platform of operating an illegal gambling business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections. The charges filed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes marked the first time a state has pursued...
Rocket and Drone Attacks Resume on US Embassy and Diplomatic Facility in Baghdad, Sources Say
Rocket and drone attacks on the U.S. embassy and a diplomatic facility in Iraq resumed on Tuesday after a series of earlier strikes the same day, security sources said. Rockets and an explosive drone targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, triggering sirens and an explosion was heard near the compound,...
Trump’s Next Target: ‘Taking Cuba’
“I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba,” President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “Taking Cuba in some form, yeah,” he added when a reporter asked for clarification. “Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it — I think I...
Israel Has ‘Won’ War With Iran, Foreign Minister Says, but Goals Remain Unmet
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday the country had effectively won its war with Iran, but gave no indication of when the conflict might end, saying only that the campaign would continue until its objectives were achieved. Speaking at a news conference, Saar said Israel was seeking to...
Trump Claims an Ex-President Confided His Regrets on Iran. But Who?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that a former president told him privately that “I wish I did what you did” in attacking Iran and killing its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump would not identify which of the four living...
Rift Widens Among Republicans Over Israel and War in Iran
Podcaster Megyn Kelly and Fox News host Mark Levin are two of the country’s best-known conservative influencers. She opposes the war in Iran. He supports it. Kelly, a former Fox News host, recently argued that the war was sold to the American people by “Israel firsters like Mark Levin.” He...
Colombia President Says Bombings on Ecuador Border Left 27 Charred Bodies
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that bombings which took place on the border with Ecuador have left 27 charred bodies, as his Ecuadorean counterpart, Daniel Noboa, said his country was carrying out bombings in its own territory against drug traffickers. "I didn't give that order," Petro said on...