20 March 2026

17:26 GMT

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has denied any Iranian role in attacks on targets in Türkiye and Oman, calling them a ploy by the “Zionist enemy” to sow discord between Tehran and its neighbors. Tehran has previously rejected similar accusations, including in Cyprus and Azerbaijan, describing them as “false flag” operations.

https://x.com/MKhamenei_ir/status/2035038884438921270

17:11 GMT

Footage shared by The Times of Israel’s military reporter on X purportedly shows an Iranian cluster munition striking a highway in central Israel.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2035012879905173585

A separate video appears to show what he describes as a fragment from an Iranian ballistic missile hitting Jerusalem’s Old City.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2035025267031224477

17:03 GMT

Former UK MP George Galloway has blasted the British government’s muted reaction to the Israeli strike on RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and cameraman Ali Rida in southern Lebanon, calling it “puerile” and “laughable if it were not so serious.” He said London’s statement about what he described as “the attempted assassination of a British citizen, a journalist” was so weak as to be absurd, stressing that the RT crew’s lives were “very nearly cut short by a ferocious missile.”

Galloway also accused Israel of “smug, smirking arrogance,” calling it a “rogue state.” He slammed the UK for blatant double standards on press freedom, noting that the Foreign Office proclaims “journalism is not a crime” while allowing those critical of UK-backed policies to be “killed if you like.” He cited the treatment of Julian Assange as another example of what he called a “culture of impunity.”

16:42 GMT

Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen has issued a strong statement of solidarity with RT after the near‑fatal Israeli strike on correspondent Steve Sweeney and cameraman Ali Rida in southern Lebanon. The channel condemned what it called a “premeditated murder” attempt aimed at silencing journalists who risk their lives to “bring the truth,” stating that the attack was part of a broader pattern of crimes against media working in war zones. They vowed to use all their resources to support press freedom and expose Israeli atrocities.

16:15 GMT

NATO says it has fully relocated its mission in Iraq to Europe, with the last personnel from the ‘non-combat advisory’ force leaving the country on March 20. In a statement, the bloc’s European commander, General Alexus Grynkewich, said all staff was “safely relocated” and that the mission will now continue from Joint Force Command Naples.

Sri Lanka refused ground access to US fighter jets – president

Washington asked for permission to land warplanes on the island on March 4 and 8, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has told parliament

Sri Lanka refused to provide ground access to two US fighter jets earlier this month, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has told parliament.

Washington asked for permission to land the warplanes on the island on March 4 and 8, Dissanayake said on Friday.

“They wanted to bring in two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport and we said no,” the Sri Lankan president told parliament.

“We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We won’t give in. The Middle East war poses challenges but we will do everything possible to remain neutral.”

Sri Lanka also refused a request by three Iranian ships to go to the country on a goodwill visit, he said.

The statement comes a day after Dissanayake met with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor. The Sri Lankan leader posted on X that he conveyed the South Asian nation’s stance on the Middle East conflict to Gor.

Earlier this month, Sri Lanka said it allowed an Iranian warship to dock in the port of Trincomallee and rescued its 208 crew members, a day after the US sank another Iranian vessel off the island nation’s coast in an attack that killed at least 87 sailors.

The unarmed Iranian ship was returning from a naval exercise hosted by India. The US action was widely condemned for flouting international maritime norms.

https://www.rt.com/news/635639-sri-lanka-refused-ground-access/

These Seven Allies Concocted A 'Hormuz Coalition' Statement To Placate Trump, Which Failed

We reported earlier that President Trump has again expressed his extreme frustration at lack of direct NATO participation in a plan to open up the Strait of Hormuz. He declared the US has "militarily WON" - and lambasted lack of allied interest in a "simple military maneuver" to open the Strait of Hormuz, calling NATO a "Paper Tiger" without the US.

And so clearly Trump himself is unconvinced after on Thursday seven allied nations signed a statement expressing a readiness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The statement included no pledge to commit warships or any kind of military or even logistical help, and so is somewhat of a facade and pure PR spectacle.

These countries are: UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada. But again there's no military role here: "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait," the close US allies announced.

The joint statement did of course condemn Iran, and seemed generally supportive of Trump's actions, even as individual leaders like Germany's Merz have expressed they would have been against starting a war with Iran in the first place.

It further denounces ongoing Iranian attacks commercial vessels and energy infrastructure, citing "the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," and calls on Tehran to "cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the strait."

One reporter writing for Axios views the statement as "largely a gesture to placate Trump, who has railed against allies for declining to help secure the strait and warned that a failure to do so could undermine the future of NATO."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made clear that no EU state is at moment considering "a military mission to forcibly break the Iranian blockade," adding the EU favors "diplomacy and de-escalation."

Other EU countries like Spain, Greece, and Switzerland have also made it clear they won't join the war. Washington has meanwhile put a lot of pressure on the UK for some tangible assistance, but this too has been a disappointment for the White House who appears to be 'going it alone'.

As for a total list of countries individually called on by Washington, these have issued formal refusals:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/these-seven-allies-concocted-hormuz-coalition-statement-placate-trump-which-failed

JPMorgan Activates BTC & ETH As Institutional Collateral

JPMorgan has officially bridged the gap between "Digital Gold" and "Wholesale Credit."

The activation of direct BTC and ETH collateralization allows institutional giants to finally turn their dormant holdings into immediate USD liquidity without selling a single satoshi.

Operating through the Kinexys (formerly Onyx) digital financing platform, the bank now allows institutional clients like hedge funds and corporate treasuries to pledge BTC and ETH for USD-denominated liquidity.

Unlike previous years where only ETF-wrapped products were supported, this move enables borrowers to leverage their direct on-chain holdings without triggering the capital gains taxes associated with liquidation.

The quantitative framework for these loans is defined by a rigorous risk-weighted haircut model.

Under the current policy, JPMorgan applies a 30% to 50% haircut on BTC and ETH, effectively setting the maximum Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio at 50% to 70% depending on 90-day volatility metrics.

This structure is designed to buffer against the "cascade risk" inherent in crypto markets, where a 15% intraday drop could otherwise trigger systemic liquidations. By treating BTC and ETH as Tier-1 collateral, JPMorgan is effectively putting them on the same playing field as high-quality corporate bonds.

Tri-Party Custody: Assets are not held on the bank’s balance sheet but are secured via qualified third-party custodians like Coinbase Custody and Anchorage Digital. This ensures that the bank facilitates the credit while the assets remain in high-security, audit-ready vaults.

Atomic Settlement: By utilizing the Kinexys blockchain, JPMorgan has reduced the time to move collateral from T+2 days to under 120 seconds. This allows for real-time margin adjustments and prevents the "lag" that often causes over-collateralization in traditional banking.

Tax-Efficiency: Because the institution is borrowing against the asset rather than selling it, they avoid triggering capital gains taxes. This makes crypto-backed credit the most tax-efficient way for "whales" to access their wealth.

The chart clearly shows that BTC collateralized borrowing rates are consistently trending below US high-yield corporate bond yields, even though BTC remains a more volatile asset.

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/jpmorgan-activates-btc-eth-institutional-collateral

Switzerland Temporarily Suspends Arms Exports to the United States Due to Its Neutrality in the War Against Iran

The Swiss Government announced that it will not grant new licenses to export war materiel to the United States while the armed conflict with Iran continues.

This is based on the Swiss federal law on war materiel, which strictly prohibits exports to countries involved in active international armed conflicts.

According to the official statement, “the export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict.”

The United States, which in 2025 was the second-largest buyer of Swiss armaments, now faces blocked new authorizations, although existing ones are not immediately revoked.

This suspension adds to previous rejections: since February 28, when U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began, no new exports have been authorized.

The President of the Confederation, Guy Parmelin, had already warned Parliament in March that if the conflict reaches “a certain duration and intensity,” neutrality law would apply, which could lead to reviewing or suspending prior authorizations.

This temporary halt directly responds to the U.S. involvement in the war, avoiding any indirect support for military operations.

Swiss neutrality is not mere rhetoric; the same approach led to rejecting two requests for overflights by U.S. reconnaissance aircraft linked to the conflict, while three non-combat transport flights were approved.

The Swiss Government emphasizes that it only permits flights “demonstrably unrelated to the conflict,” thereby protecting its neutral status since 1815.

This stance raises concerns in the Swiss defense industry, which partly relies on contracts with Washington, but it prioritizes the constitutional principle of not getting involved in foreign wars.

As we had previously reported in Gateway Hispanic on developments in the conflict, this decision highlights how neutrality can clash with strategic alliances in times of global war.

https://gatewayhispanic.com/2026/03/switzerland-temporarily-suspends-arms-exports-united-states-due/

'Radical' Biden Judge Reverses RFK Jr. On Trans-Child Surgeries, Other Procedures

A federal judge deemed 'too radical' by GOP lawmakers during his confirmation hearings said on Thursday that he will grant a motion by blue states to vacate (reverse) a declaration by HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blocking breast removal and other procedures for youths with gender dysphoria.

Oregon US District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, who was appointed by Biden in late 2024 and only confirmed after Senate Democrats invoked cloture on his nomination by a 51-43 vote, said during a hearing that he would soon issue a formal written opinion and an order denying the government's bid to dismiss the states' case, and granting the states' motion for summary judgement, according to court records.

Kennedy issued a declaration in late 2025 that "ex-rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective as a treatment modality for gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or other related disorders in minors, and therefore, fail to meet professional recognized standards of health care."

This was based on a report by the Department of Health and Human Services which looked at procedures and treatments available for gender dysphoria, and concluded that many of them risk infertility. The Trump administration said that health care providers who perform breast removal and other procedures would be out of compliance with updated standards, while officials also moved to bar hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid from performing the procedures on children.

New York and 18 other states immediately sued, claiming that the new rules were illegal, and "amounts to an end-run around the free choice of provider statute because it effectively bars Medicaid beneficiaries from choosing providers that are otherwise qualified, simply because they furnish gender-affirming care to children or adolescents," the states said in their motion for summary judgement.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the plaintiffs, said the forthcoming ruling siding with the states showed Kennedy “cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices.” -Epoch Times

At least 17 hospitals or health centers have been referred for possible punitive action for violating the HHS declaration, they said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/radical-biden-judge-reverses-rfk-jr-trans-child-surgeries-other-procedures

Lee and Norris

https://youtu.be/NlTyJhbTxxo

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert says she’ll vote NO on $200 billion in funding for the Iran war:

"I’m tired of the industrial war complex getting all our hard-earned tax dollars. We need America First policies.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/2034851571104661563

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Confirms SEIZURE of Puerto Rico Voting Machines — Locked Down in Secure ODNI Facility for Forensic Audit

During the ODNI threat assessment hearing, Ranking Member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) pressed Gabbard on the unprecedented seizure.

Jim Himes:

Okay, Director, the ODNI has confirmed on the record that your office took custody of voting machines from Puerto Rico last May. I'm not aware of any previous DNI taking similar actions. Did your office promptly notify the committee about taking custody of Puerto Rico's voting machines?

DNI Tulsi Gabbard:

I don't believe we did. However, this was done at the request of the Puerto Rico AUSA attorney.

Jim Himes:

It's a yes-or-no question. The answer, as you have acknowledged, is no. You did not inform the committee about the taking of a territory's voting machines. Is there a specific foreign threat? I've read the reporting that you were looking for possible foreign threats, but is there a specific foreign threat that drove you to take this action?

DNI Tulsi Gabbard:

There were questions about whether or not there were vulnerabilities that a threat could have taken advantage of, and that was the purpose for their requesting us to look into those vulnerabilities.

Jim Himes:

Where are those voting machines now?

DNI Tulsi Gabbard:

I believe they are held in a secure facility at ODNI.

Jim Himes:

Have you or other ODNI officials taken any other state or territories' voting equipment into custody?

DNI Tulsi Gabbard:

Not to my knowledge.

https://rumble.com/embed/v756n8s/?pub=4

DOJ Launches Criminal Probes Into Outgoing Colombian ‘Narco-President’ Gustavo Petro.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed federal prosecutors in both Manhattan and Brooklyn to open criminal investigations into Colombia’s radical socialist President, Gustavo Petro, over alleged meetings with drug traffickers and accusations that he is accepted campaign contributions from criminal cartels. Both federal criminal probes appear to be in the earliest stages, and it is unclear whether either will result in criminal charges.Colombia’s Petro is one of the last remaining critics of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in South America. However, Petro is term-limited and is set to leave office after Colombia’s May 2026 presidential election, suggesting the DOJ’s criminal probes are setting the stage for the alleged narco-leader’s prosecution after his presidential term expires.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are involved in these inquiries. However, despite the long-standing acrimony between President Trump and Petro, there is currently no evidence that the investigations were requested or initiated by the White House, and allegations of Petro’s involvement with drug traffickers and criminal cartels long predate Trump’s second term in office.

The National Pulse reported in October last year that Petro had suggested in an interview with the Spanish-language network Univision that “getting rid of” Trump may be necessary. These comments came just one day after President Trump called Petro a “lunatic” and vowed to halt foreign aid and other payments to Colombia over Petro’s inability to shut down the illicit cocaine trade. A month later, Petro again attacked President Trump, calling him a “barbarian” for authorizing the U.S. military to destroy cartel drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In 2023, Petro’s eldest son, Nicolas, admitted that illicit campaign contributions from people connected to cartels had flowed into his father’s presidential campaign accounts. Still, no charges were filed against Petro himself. However, the U.S Department of the Treasury did sanction Petro and several of his family members in late 2025.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/03/20/doj-launches-criminal-probes-into-outgoing-colombian-narco-president-gustavo-petro/

6 Ways Big Pharma and Big Food Are Trying to Control the Natural Healthcare Industry in the U.S.

Big Pharma and Big Food’s tentacles reach deep into almost every area that controls which products, services and health information the majority of the population have access to. They have a disproportionate influence on political systems, regulation, markets, medical standards, information control, legal pressure and cultural conditioning.

America is the research and development capital of natural health. The range of dietary supplements and other natural health products available on the U.S. market dwarfs that in many other global markets, especially the European Union, which has long used regulation as a tool to remove products that compete with drugs.

But anyone with keen eyes on the U.S. market will recognize that the diversity of products on the U.S. market has flatlined in recent years, especially when compared with the boom that followed the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.

Why has innovation declined? Why has natural health not assumed its rightful place as the mainstay of healthcare, as distinct from disease management?

In this article, we investigate the intricate, multi-factorial manner by which special interests work to keep natural health at the margins of healthcare.

America’s health crisis

The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any country in the world by a wide margin. In 2024 alone, spending reached an estimated $5.3 trillion, about 18% of the gross domestic product, averaging over $15,000 per person.

Yet despite this extraordinary investment, the U.S. consistently ranks near the bottom of high-income nations for life expectancy, chronic disease burden and preventable deaths. Put simply, the industrialized country that spends the most on healthcare is also the least healthy.

The scale of ill health makes this contradiction difficult to ignore. Research in 2023 found that 76.4% of American adults live with at least one chronic condition, while 51.4% were managing multiple chronic illnesses.

For many Americans, long-term disease has become normalized rather than exceptional. This raises a fundamental question: what role is the U.S. healthcare system actually playing?

Prescription drugs remain the most important intervention used for people with chronic diseases. While many drugs are lifesaving and essential, prescription medications are now recognized as the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries, behind only heart disease and cancer.

Public criticism has therefore focused heavily on Big Pharma, and much of that concern is justified. However, pharmaceutical dominance alone does not explain why Americans are so sick. Health outcomes are shaped long before a prescription is written.

More

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/health/6-ways-big-pharma-and-big-food-are-trying-to-control-the-natural-healthcare-industry-in-the-u-s

Massie says he'll read the Epstein list in Congress

then:

Democrat Donors Flood Cash To Trump-Backed Massie Challenger

Democrat donors are flooding cash into former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein’s bid to oust Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.

Gallrein is running in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. But despite previously criticizing the political makeup of Massie’s donors, Gallrein has received a number of high-value donations from people who have previously given to Democrat candidates.

85% of donors who contributed the maximum amount allowable to Gallrein’s campaign have a history of donating to Democratic candidates, a Daily Caller review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records found.

Of the 141 donors identifiedin the fourth quarter who contributed the $3,500 primary maximum or more to Gallrein, 120 of them had previously donated to Democrats.

112 of those donors are also high-dollar contributors to Democratic campaigns, meaning roughly 79% both maxed out to Gallrein and have made substantial donations to Democrats.

Gallrein claimed during a Feb. 25 appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s show that his campaign money was coming from “conservatives.”

https://youtu.be/io8fb91tWRg

“Let me give you an example: my money is coming from conservatives — not from the same people who got Mamdani elected,” Gallrein said in response to a question about whether he had the financial juice to take on Massie.

“I’ve challenged journalists to look into where his funding is coming from — there’s a Pulitzer Prize waiting for whoever does that research,” Gallrein said. “The sentiment right now is like a pressure valve being released. There’s finally a viable candidate, and it’s a one-on-one race — not a split field he’s benefited from in the past. And his money isn’t coming from Kentucky.”

When reached by the Daily Caller about the discrepancy between Gallrein’s comments and his actual donors, the Gallrein campaign stated they found the line of questioning “ridiculous.”

https://dailycaller.com/2026/03/20/ed-gallrein-democrat-donors-thomas-massie-kentucky-donald-trump/