Iran is retaliating for the killing of its top security chief with strikes across the region overnight, and Iranian are crossing into Iraq just to buy food they can no longer afford at home.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba needs new people in charge, raising questions about what the Trump administration is actually planning for the island.
And the Federal Reserve meets today facing a scrambled economic outlook with energy prices are soaring because of the war and the job market is weakening.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Block, Rebekah Metzler, Rafael Nam, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:55) Life Inside Iran
(06:15) Trump and Cuba
(10:10) Fed Interest Rates
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The Daily - Inside the Government’s Crackdown on TV
This past weekend, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war in Iran.
Last month, Stephen Colbert said he had to drop an interview with a Senate candidate because of F.C.C. guidance that targeted political interviews on late-night shows.
Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times, explains how the Trump administration is trying to shape media coverage to fit its agenda.
Guest: Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine.
Background reading:
- Under President Trump, the F.C.C. has used obscure regulatory powers to crack down on network TV.
- How a century-old rule is scrambling late-night TV.
Photo: Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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Start Here - The Iran War Within MAGA
A top Trump adviser resigns over the Iran conflict, underlining a deep divide among MAGA loyalists. Cuba is blanketed by an electrical blackout. And a new report suggests more Americans than ever are being buried by credit card debt.
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Everything Is Fake - 2. Kayfabe Country
In episode two, Jamie ventures into the strange world of 1980s WWF wrestling - where performers and fans share an unspoken agreement to treat the whole spectacle as real. A shared illusion where everyone knows it's fake, but plays along because it feels true. It sounds like harmless fun. And for a while, it was. But Jamie soon wonders: what happens when an idea like that escapes the ring and changes the world?
Credits: Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Series Producer: Tom Pooley Sound Design: Rob Speight Production Coordinator: Neena Abdullah Original music: Coach Conrad Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4.
Money Girl - Save Too Much? Fix Excess Retirement Contributions Penalty-Free
1004. This week, Laura explains how to identify and fix overcontributions to your 401(k), IRA, and HSA. You’ll learn the specific deadlines for 2026 to remove excess funds penalty-free and how to handle the tricky tax paperwork that follows.
In This Episode:
- The Cost of Mistakes: Why IRAs and HSAs carry a 6% annual penalty for excess funds, and how 401(k) errors can lead to double taxation.
- 2026 Contribution Limits: The max limits for workplace plans ($24,500), IRAs ($7,500), and HSAs ($4,400–$8,750), including catch-up rules for those over 50 and 60.
- Common Pitfalls: How switching jobs, receiving year-end bonuses, or earning too much for a Roth IRA can trigger an accidental overcontribution.
- The Correction Timeline: Why April 15 is a hard deadline for workplace plans, while IRAs and HSAs offer flexibility until October 15 with an extension.
- New 2026 Rules: What high earners (making over $150k) need to know about the new mandatory Roth catch-up contributions.
Step-by-Step Fixes: How to work with your account custodian to calculate earnings (or losses) and file the correct tax forms (1099-R, 1099-SA).
The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 3.18.26
Alabama
- Sen. Tuberville not backing down on comments made re: radical Islam
- House committee passes bill to close primary elections for both parties
- AL House passes bill requiring utility rate reviews every 3 years by PSC
- A Macon County jury deliberates in case against Ibrahim Yazeed
- ALDOT to open up new bridge to Gulf Shores on Memorial Day
- Governor Ivey orders flags lowered to honor 3 US service members
National
- President Trump says NATO made foolish decision in not helping US with Strait of Hormuz
- Director of Counterterrorism resigns, says Trump deceived by Israel to take on Iran
- The Save America Act is being debated in US senate but doomed to failure bc GOP leaders are compromised cowards
- House Oversight committee subpoenas Pam Bondi over handling of Epstein doc release
- CIA docs show how far back weather modification programs have been going on, unknown to Americans, but all paid for by their hard earned dollars
Getting Hammered® - Oscars, Iran, and Ordering the Surf & Turf
In this episode , Mary Katharine Ham and Vic Matus cover the Oscars, the bright spots and the political commentary, Iran strikes and "taking Cuba", jihadist attacks in the U.S., one of which exemplifies the uselessness of gun control laws, and the continuing leftward lurch of the state of Virginia under alleged moderate Abigail Spanberger. Plus, Paul Ehrlich critique!
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New Books in Indigenous Studies - Lisa Nakamura, “The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet” (U Minnesota Press, 2026)
The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet (U Minnesota Press, 2026) by Dr. Lisa Nakamura challenges the widespread myth that the internet was born from the labor of a handful of white male entrepreneurs, recovering the uncredited and unpaid contributions of women of color. Focusing on three key inflection points in computing—the microchip era of the 1960s and ’70s, the rise of social media in the 2000s, and A.I.-fueled virtual reality in the 2020s—Dr. Nakamura illuminates these women’s instrumental roles in building new technologies and making them coherent to users.
From the Navajo women who manufactured the first semiconductor circuits in New Mexico to Tila Tequila, the queer Vietnamese American refugee who became the first true internet influencer in the MySpace age, to Black virtual reality creators, Dr. Nakamura highlights how women’s gendered and racialized identities have uniquely positioned them to mediate the development and proliferation of new technologies. She exposes how these women have been structurally excluded from racial capitalism’s benefits while their labor is considered as exploitable and inexhaustible as that of machines. Confronting this injustice, she focuses our attention on their work, which undergirds and makes possible the platforms ingrained in our daily lives.
Arguing for both recognition and material compensation for these women’s labor, The Inattention Economy is a powerful counterhistory of Silicon Valley and a persuasive call to imagine a different kind of internet.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
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What A Day - MAGA Meltdown Over Trump’s War
Joe Kent – someone you’ve probably never heard of – made huge news on Tuesday. He was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center – until he posted a resignation letter on Twitter. In it, Kent wrote directly to President Trump: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” This is the first major defection from the administration over the war – and it might not be the last. For more on Kent’s letter and what it means for the MAGA Right, we spoke with Jonathan Lemire. He’s a staff writer at The Atlantic and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW.
And in headlines, the SAVE America Act is creating real problems for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Chief Justice John Roberts speaks out against targeting judges, and FBI Director Kash Patel hosts his own version of a meet and greet at Quantico.
Show Notes:
- Check out Jonathan's reporting – www.theatlantic.com/author/jonathan-lemire
- Call Congress – 202-224-3121
- Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
- What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
- Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
- For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
Hayek Program Podcast - David Schmidtz — 2024 Markets and Society Conference Keynote
**Content Warning** This episode includes discussions of sexual assault, which may be distressing for some listeners. Please listen with care.
On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, David Schmidtz delivers a keynote lecture at the 2024 Markets & Society conference on the idea of self-governance. Drawing on examples from economics, moral philosophy, and higher education, Schmidtz argues that rational choice is less about optimization and more about choosing the frameworks within which decisions become meaningful. He examines the parallels between individual and corporate self-governance, the role of mission statements as “compasses” rather than formulas, and the dangers of over-specialization in academia. Along the way, he reflects on truth-seeking, academic freedom, moral education, and the human need for purposiveness, ultimately challenging universities to cultivate enduring capacities rather than narrow skill sets.
Dr. David Schmidtz is Professor and Presidential Chair of Moral Science at West Virginia University’s Chambers College of Business & Economics, Distinguished Affiliated Fellow with the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and Editor-in-Chief of Social Philosophy & Policy. He has published numerous books, including Living Together: Inventing Moral Science (Oxford University Press, 2023), A Brief History of Liberty (Wiley Blackwell, 2011) coauthored with Jason Brennan, and his leading textbook Environmental Ethics What Really Matters, What Really Works (Oxford University Press, 2024) co-edited with Dan Shahar is now in its fourth edition.
**This episode was recorded October 13, 2024.
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