THE BIG STORY
Day nine of the US-Israel war on Iran escalates as Trump vows 'unconditional surrender' while Tehran fires over 500 ballistic missiles and nearly 2,000 drones since February 28. The conflict has spread to the Gulf region with strikes on Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. Congress effectively surrendered its war powers Friday, blocking a resolution that could have ended the attacks.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
MIDDLE EAST
• Trump vows hard strikes on Iran; Tehran says will not surrender (Al Jazeera)
• Day 9: US-Israel bombs Tehran oil depots, conflict spreads to Gulf states (Al Jazeera)
• New Iranian supreme leader named; 2 killed in Saudi Arabia strike (Al Jazeera)
• Global travel disrupted, flights halted, shipping rerouted from Strait of Hormuz (Britannica)
TECH
• OpenAI Pentagon deal fallout grows - Altman promises safeguards against mass surveillance (Business Insider)
• OpenAI robotics head Caitlin Kalinowski quits over Pentagon contract concerns (Fortune)
• OpenAI blurs surveillance red line with Pentagon contract - critics skeptical (The Intercept)
• Anthropic walked away from Pentagon over surveillance; OpenAI signed anyway (TechCrunch)
EUROPE
• Ukraine peace deal remains elusive as Russia sends negotiator Medinsky - signaling no serious intent (Modern Diplomacy)
• UK and Germany lead Ukraine Defence Contact Group; 'coalition of the willing' forms (Parliament Library)
• Hungary detaining Ukrainian cash collectors as part of anti-Ukraine election campaign (Ukrinform)
• Proposed Donetsk demilitarized zone faces hurdles - Russia may deploy national guard instead (Modern Diplomacy)
US POLITICS
• Trump skirts Congress over Iran war as Republicans simply step aside (The Guardian)
• Senate blocks war powers measure - Trump can now bomb Iran free from congressional interference (The Guardian)
• Congress introduced War Powers Resolution to limit Iran attacks - failed to pass (Wikipedia)
• House and Senate vote on Iran war powers resolution - split along party lines (WLWT)
TODAY'S SMOOTHBRAINS
Sam Altman: The man who once wrote 'AI won't be weaponized' now has OpenAI signing Pentagon contracts while promising 'safeguards' against surveillance. When Anthropic saw the surveillance concerns and walked away, Altman saw dollar signs. Three execs have now quit over this. But hey, at least there's a memo with 'clearer safeguards.' Trust us, bro.
THE SKIM
• MIDDLE EAST: Iran war escalates day 9 - 500+ missiles fired, Gulf states now targeted, global travel disrupted
• TECH: OpenAI Pentagon deal sparks resignations and backlash - 'trust us' is the only guarantee
• EUROPE: Ukraine peace talks stalled; Russia sending Medinsky signals lack of sincerity
• US POLITICS: Congress surrenders war powers - Trump can now bomb Iran without oversight