The best antidote to despair is action. They See Blue volunteers are a wonderful community of activists who are all about doing the work. Donate to our cause at theyseeblue.org/donate or attend our All Hands meeting on March 29, 2026 from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Pacific, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Eastern. We will be laying out our plans for this critical year. Join us at https://tinyurl.com/tsb-03-2026-all-hands.

IRAN UPDATES

U.S. eases Iranian oil sanctions in scramble to contain energy prices, handing Tehran a boost: Experts say the U.S. risks "funding a war against itself" as sanctions against Iranian oil are lifted, but the step may not do much to contain the conflict's economic ripple effects. (Can there be a more stupid decision than this war?) NBC

Oil futures briefly topped $119 per barrel, before receding, and shook stock markets worldwide: A roller-coaster day for oil prices showed how they’re dictating where financial markets and maybe even the global economy are heading. Stocks tumbled in Europe and Asia when oil prices shot higher early on Thursday, but U.S. stocks pared their sharp losses as the day progressed and oil prices fell back. AP

Where did the experts go? State Department cuts limit the Iran war effort: The administration’s most recent budget proposed a 40% cut to the State Department’s Bureau of Eastern Affairs, though Congress eventually enacted less dramatic cuts. The administration also eliminated the dedicated Iran office, merging it with the Iraq office. AP

Russia Is Sharing Satellite Imagery and Drone Technology With Iran: Russia has been expanding its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, providing satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Tehran’s targeting of U.S. forces in the region, people familiar with the matter said. WSJ Paywall

Russia Emerges as the Early Winner of Iran War: Moscow rushed to load crude onto tankers to take advantage of soaring oil prices triggered by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A tariff waiver courtesy of Donald Trump, whose administration is under growing pressure over spiking gasoline prices, now permits buyers to purchase those barrels without fear of sanctions tied to the Kremlin’s 12-year war on Ukraine. BLOOMBERG

Trump demands NATO and China police the Strait of Hormuz. So far they aren't joining: President Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. "I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory," Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday. NPR

NATIONAL

Average US long-term mortgage rate rises to 6.22%, highest level in more than 3 months: The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than three months, a setback for prospective home shoppers this spring homebuying season. AP

US wholesale prices rose by a surprisingly hot 3.4% last month, the most in a year: The price gains were bigger than economists had forecast, and they occurred before the U.S. and Israel attack on Iran pushed energy prices sharply higher. AP

Trump is dismantling democracy at 'unprecedented' speed, global report finds: Three major reports out this month say President Trump has done serious damage to American democracy at remarkable speed since his return to the White House. An annual report from V-Dem, an institute at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, concluded democracy had deteriorated so much in the U.S. that it lowered the country's democracy ranking from 20th to 51st out of 179 countries. NPR

IMMIGRATION

Trump administration is deporting parents without their children in violation of its own policies: The Trump administration is deporting a significant number of parents without asking them if they have children or allowing them to decide whether to bring their children with them, in apparent violation of its own policies. THE GUARDIAN

US immigrant parents are taking intense precautions in case of detention: ‘I need to prepare for the worst’: From wills and guardianship papers to advance healthcare directives, parents are anticipating dying in custody or being deported without warning. THE GUARDIAN

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY?

Doctors Say Court Ruling Can’t Undo RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Damage: A judicial stay earlier this week means that, for now, important changes Kennedy jammed through over the last year have been reversed. But long term damage may already have been done. MED PAGE

Oil Regulators Found Hundreds of Wells Violating Oklahoma Rules. Then They Ignored Their Findings.: Oklahoma took on an ambitious project to catalog all of the state’s injection wells, which shoot toxic waste generated by oil drilling back into the ground. Despite records showing risk of drinking water pollution, the state chose not to act. ( Moral of the story: Don’t elect Republicans.) PRO PUBLICA

Trump administration sues California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission rules: The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission standards Thursday, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars. AP

CORRUPTION ALERT

The Threats and Bare-Knuckle Tactics of MAGA’s Top Antitrust Fixer: Current and former antitrust officials said some mergers now get approval or draw mild settlements based on political ties rather than public interest. The new dynamic casts a shadow over the Justice Department’s integrity, they said, and has alarmed even some Trump loyalists in the department. WSJ paywall

Trump reshapes a key US House race by offering a candidate and her husband roles if they drop out: President Donald Trump is reshaping a Colorado Republican primary by offering one of the candidates a role in his administration and returning his endorsement to the incumbent, whom he called a “RINO” just last month. (This is illegal, by the way,) CNN 

Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski: Lewandowski, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a top adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a role as an unpaid “special government employee” at DHS once the new administration was sworn in, where he advised and acted as a “de facto chief of staff” to Noem and, sources said, influenced contract awards. NBC

Transportation Lobbyists Have Donated Thousands to Sean Duffy’s Son-in-Law as He Runs for Congress: Industry money has been pouring into the congressional campaign of Michael Alfonso, a 26-year-old political unknown from Wisconsin. The candidate’s father-in-law happens to be the U.S. secretary of transportation. PRO PUBLICA

GOOD NEWS

The Number of Families Being Held at Dilley Detention Center Has Plummeted: Thanks to the efforts of independent media like Pro Publica and Democratic representatives, this week, the average daily population at Dilley dropped to 100 people, compared with over 900 in January. The shift follows weeks of mounting public pressure generated in part by the widespread publication of letters written by detained children. Please consider supporting this wonderful independent organization. They do the investigative journalism that we see less and less in mainstream media.

TAKE ACTION

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