Posts

From oil to food to markets: How a month of war on Iran has remade the world economy

Image
A plume of smoke rises after a strike on Tehran on March 3. The US and Israeli war on Iran has upended the global economy. ATTA KENARE / AFP The US and Israeli war on Iran is now a month old. In 30 days, the war, which shows few signs of slowing down, has upended the global economy. Everything from oil prices to inflation to air travel is hitting consumers everywhere. It's not easy being the world economy right now. One month into the US and Israeli war on Iran , the shock is upending everything from supply chains to air travel. As the price of a barrel of oil settles in at north of $100, up from $70 before the war, gas prices in the US are flirting with $4 a gallon, the highest since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. And on the other side of the world, consumers in places like the Philippines and India are waiting hours in line for fuel as governments ration dwindling supplies. "No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this d...

Pro-AI group Innovation Council Action, praised by David Sacks, plans to spend $100M+ in the US midterms to drive deregulation and support Trump's AI agenda (Alex Isenstadt/Axios)

Image
Alex Isenstadt / Axios : Pro-AI group Innovation Council Action, praised by David Sacks, plans to spend $100M+ in the US midterms to drive deregulation and support Trump's AI agenda   —  A new pro-AI political operation is jumping into this year's midterms with a plan to spend more than $100 million … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/OBaedIm

A look at Coinbase One and other insurance-like plans for crypto users that typically exclude coverage for many kinds of account hacks, including phishing scams (Bloomberg)

Image
Bloomberg : A look at Coinbase One and other insurance-like plans for crypto users that typically exclude coverage for many kinds of account hacks, including phishing scams   —  When Matthew Allan realized nearly $100,000 in Bitcoin was missing from his Coinbase account, he wasn't too worried. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/q16JLD9

I love Disney with my kids — but going without them is even better in some ways

Image
The author and her husband got married in Disney World. Courtesy of Disney PhotoPass I was able to do a lot less planning and had more room for spontaneity on our kids-free Disney trip. Our priority was food, and our plans revolved around delicious bites and sips. GEO-82: Lounge and dinner at EPCOT's Takumi-Tei were kid-free experiences we would happily repeat. I love visiting Disney World with my kids — seeing that first Mickey hug, the hysterical photos from Tower of Terror, their amazement at the castle lit up by sparkling fireworks. But, I also love visiting kid-free — trips for work, solo trips, with friends, and as a multi-day date with my best friend. My husband and I bundled up for a late January visit and four days of experiences geared toward adults . The Swan Reserve was the perfect resort for cocktails, late nights, and strolls to the parks One of the newest hotels at Walt Disney World, the Swan Reserve is bright, airy, and very kid-friendly. The one-b...

I'm the oldest US Olympian ever to compete. I had to keep my full-time job, and worked over 40 hours while on the road.

Image
Rich Ruohonen became the oldest Team USA Olympian at 54. Courtesy of Team USA Fifty-four-year-old Rich Ruohonen is a personal injury attorney based in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was on Team USA's men's curling team and is the oldest athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics 2026. While he's not sure he'll compete in the Olympics again, he still competes in curling. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rich Ruohonen . It has been edited for length and clarity. I started curling when I was about 12 years old. My dad taught my brother and me. Curling was a demonstration sport back then. I played in college and in law school, but not at a level close to what I play now. I've been playing pretty competitively for the last 25 years. I made my first men's national championship team in 1998 and then again in 2001. I've been to the last 21 out of 23 national championships; I won two of them. I've also been in Olympic trials. But the 2...

Report analyzing payments of 28M US consumers shows Claude adding paid subs at a steadily increasing pace; Anthropic: paid subs have more than doubled this year (Julie Bort/TechCrunch)

Image
Julie Bort / TechCrunch : Report analyzing payments of 28M US consumers shows Claude adding paid subs at a steadily increasing pace; Anthropic: paid subs have more than doubled this year   —  Whatever the final outcome for Anthropic from its feud with the Department of Defense, the attention it has generated … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/x7l8nq2

TSA workers are getting paid again, but airport chaos isn't going anywhere

Image
Travelers at US airports are experiencing long wait times at TSA checkpoints. Bloomberg/Contributor/Getty Images President Donald Trump ordered Homeland Security to reinstate pay for TSA officers on Friday. It doesn't mean lines will get shorter — or tickets cheaper — anytime soon. Airlines are navigating a confluence of storms, like staffing shortages and rising jet fuel costs. Jetsetting has gotten less glamorous — and that's not expected to change even as President Donald Trump reinstates pay for Transportation Security Administration workers. Trump on Friday directed Homeland Security to start paying TSA workers after Congress failed to agree on a path to end the partial government shutdown and fund the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS said its agents could start seeing paychecks again as soon as Monday, but if you thought that would mean shorter airport security lines, you might want to pack a snack. The airline industry is facing an assembly of probl...