Hundreds of UK teenagers to trial six-week social media curbs for major study

• The Pentagon is planning to deploy a brigade combat team from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to support operations against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 25. • The troop deployment occurs simultaneously with diplomatic efforts, as the Trump administration seeks a one-month ceasefire and explores negotiations with Iranian intermediaries including special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance. • The military buildup underscores the dual-track approach: escalation preparations alongside peace negotiations, even as Israel continues wide-scale military strikes on Iranian targets including government infrastructure.

• Iran's military dismissed US diplomatic overtures and launched intensified attacks on Israel and Gulf targets on March 25, with one Iranian drone striking Kuwait International Airport and igniting a fuel tank fire, while multiple drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. • Iran maintained its control over the Strait of Hormuz and allowed safe passage only to vessels not involved in "aggression," while continuing daily missile and drone attacks against Israel that Israeli forces said they intercepted with missile defense systems. • Despite the military escalation, Iranian officials remained concerned about Israeli airstrikes that have reportedly killed senior Iranian officials, and Pakistan offered to mediate between the US and Iran as international parties sought de-escalation.

• The Trump administration submitted a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran on March 25, with details including dismantling of Iranian nuclear capabilities and Iran's commitment never to pursue nuclear weapons, according to Israeli media reports. • President Trump stated the US is in contact with "the right" Iranian interlocutors and that Iran wants to make a deal "so badly," while approximately 290 US service members have been wounded since Operation Epic Fury began against Iran. • The diplomatic initiative has sparked market optimism, with oil prices falling more than 3% and Asian shares gaining on de-escalation hopes, though Iran's military dismissed Washington as not being in a position to negotiate.

• China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi engaged in direct communications with Iranian officials regarding the Middle East situation, signaling Beijing's involvement in diplomatic efforts surrounding the US-Iran conflict and ceasefire negotiations. • The Chinese diplomatic move reflects broader international efforts to stabilize the region, with multiple nations—including Pakistan, Qatar, and Gulf states—positioning themselves as potential mediators or supporters of de-escalation amid escalating military operations. • International organizations and nations are preparing for prolonged Middle East tensions, with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi requesting the International Energy Agency consider additional coordinated global oil reserve releases if tensions persist beyond mid-April.

President also held on to record from his first term so sensitive only six people had access, says letter from leading Democrat on House judiciary committeeHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The White House says Donald Trump “did nothing wrong”, amid reports that he showed off a classified map on a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club.Violence continued across much of the Middle East a day after Donald Trump said the US was in “very good” talks with Iran to end the war in the region soon. Iranian barrages targeted Israel, Gulf Arab states and northern Iraq on Tuesday, while Israeli and US warplanes continued to carry out strikes across Tehran and on other targets in the Islamic Republic. More here.Democrats managed to flip a seat in the Florida state house in the district that is home to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Emily Gregory, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jon Maples, who had an endorsement from the US president, in the special election in Florida’s 87th state house district. The Associated Press called the race on Tuesday evening, with Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner, leading by more than 2 percentage points. More here.Donald Trump on Tuesday swore in Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while Senate Republicans unveiled a compromise that would restart funding to most of the agency but appears to exclude reforms to immigration enforcement Democrats have demanded. More here.Donald Trump has described voting by mail as “cheating” at an event in Memphis, Tennessee, just days after casting a mail‑in ballot himself. “Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we got to do something about it all,” the US president said on Monday, in remarks to a roundtable on his administration’s crime taskforce. More here.Workers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are reeling from the White House’s deployment of immigration law enforcement into airports as TSA workers enter their sixth week without pay as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continues. More than 400 TSA workers have quit since the shutdown began in February, with major US airports reporting high call-out rates among workers, leading to longer security wait times. More here.The California governor, Gavin Newsom, backtracked on earlier remarks likening Israel to an “apartheid state” in a new interview with Politico published on Tuesday. In the interview, the Democrat, who is widely expected to launch a presidential bid in 2028, said that when he used the term three weeks ago, he meant it to apply to Israel’s future should it continue on its present trajectory. More here. Continue reading...

Idris Robinson says Texas State violated his constitutional rights over off-campus talk seized on by pro-Israel activistsPhilosophy professor Idris Robinson has sued Texas State University officials, asserting that the school violated his constitutional rights by ending his contract after he gave a talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict off-campus in another state where a fight broke out, the Guardian has learned.Perhaps in part because Robinson did not introduce himself as connected to Texas State at the event, it took several pro-Israel social media accounts a year to identify him and launch a campaign to get Robinson fired, targeting the school’s leadership and accusing him of being a terrorist and inciting violence. Continue reading...

The US is recklessly spreading economic havoc among global friends and foes while suffering little harm itselfTo shield ordinary Indians from the war in Iran, the government in Delhi redirected supplies of liquefied gas to Indian families, for which it is the main cooking fuel, limiting supplies to the plastics industry. The Nepalese government rationed gas and the Philippines trimmed the government workweek to four days. Bangladesh closed universities and rationed fuel.They have been hardest hit by Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz. Economies in Asia import over a third of the energy they consume, on average. Korea imports four-fifths; Japan nine-tenths; Thailand 55%. Most of this comes from the Gulf. About 80% of oil and oil products transiting through the strait in 2025 was destined for Asia, according to the International Energy Agency. But traffic through its waters has collapsed by 90%. Continue reading...

Lawmakers say moratorium on construction would buy time to create strong, federal guardrails for AIAmid an unprecedented energy crisis and the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, progressive lawmakers have unveiled a new policy to place a moratorium on the construction of AI datacenters.The policy, announced by Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democratic representative, on Wednesday morning, aims to ensure the AI boom protects the environment and communities, and benefits workers instead of harming them. A temporary ban, the lawmakers say, would give the US government time to create strong federal safeguards for AI, which is “affecting everything from our economy and wellbeing to our democracy, warfare and our kids’ education”. Continue reading...

Wael Sawan says energy shortages on way if strait of Hormuz does not reopen to oil and gas shippingEurope could face energy shortages and fuel rationing as soon as next month without a reopening of the strait of Hormuz, Shell’s chief executive has warned.The boss of Europe’s biggest oil company said it was working with governments to help them address the oil and gas supply crisis, which has already led to energy rationing in Asian countries. Continue reading...

Former MP appears at Westminster magistrates court to admit four drugs charges stemming from raid on his homeThe former MP Crispin Blunt has pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to four charges of possession of drugs including cannabis and crystal meth.The 65-year-old former justice minister appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday to admit four drugs charges, which stem from a raid on his home in Horley, Surrey, on October 25 2023. Continue reading...

Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public servicesA “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank.Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane. Continue reading...