Leonne's Daily Post
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday, March 15
'Gruesome' war bets fuel calls for crackdown on prediction markets

Prediction markets hosting millions in bets tied to the Iran war are prompting calls for regulatory crackdowns, raising ethical questions about gambling on human conflict.

Continue reading at BBC News
Gov. Jim Pillen, other state lawmakers survey wildfires that have devastated central and western Nebraska

Three massive wildfires have scorched approximately 600,000 acres across central and western Nebraska, prompting Governor Pillen and other state lawmakers to survey the devastation firsthand.

Continue reading at KETV Omaha
Cuban protesters ransack Communist office as energy crisis deepens

Cuban protesters are ransacking Communist Party offices as an energy crisis deepens, fueling rare public expressions of discontent with the government.

Continue reading at BBC News
Russia exploiting Iran war, Zelensky says after fresh bombardment

Ukraine's president warns that Russia is exploiting Middle East tensions to intensify bombardment of Ukraine, with critical air-defense missiles in short supply.

Continue reading at BBC News
Is the FBI Investigating Climate Activists?

An FBI agent's visit to a former Extinction Rebellion activist hints at a broader Trump administration effort to scrutinize climate activists, raising concerns about targeting political opponents.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Trump snarls GOP’s midterm message

Trump's recent rhetoric on Iran has complicated House Republicans' attempts to craft a unified midterm message, muddying the party's 'America First' positioning.

Continue reading at The Hill
Pentagon tightens controls over Stars and Stripes after calling it "woke"

The Pentagon is tightening control over Stars and Stripes, the military's independent newspaper, after labeling it 'woke'—a concerning move for press freedom within the Defense Department.

Continue reading at NPR Politics
Texas, Florida face pushback over efforts to exclude Islamic schools from school voucher programs

Texas and Florida are facing legal challenges over plans to exclude Islamic schools from their school voucher programs, raising serious religious freedom questions.

Continue reading at The Hill
Nation’s First Critical Minerals Mine Nears Approval in Biodiversity Hotspot

The U.S. Forest Service is poised to approve the nation's first critical minerals mine in a biodiversity hotspot despite existing water problems the project is already causing.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Severe flooding kills 62 in Kenya, as heavy rains continue

Heavy rains have killed 62 people in Kenya with flooding ongoing, and dramatic rescues continue overnight as waterways overflow their banks.

Continue reading at BBC News
Israeli forces kill Palestinian couple and two of their children in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian family—including two young children—in the occupied West Bank, adding to the mounting civilian toll in the region.

Continue reading at BBC News
US names six crew killed in refuelling plane crash in Iraq

Six U.S. military personnel were killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq during operations against Iran, a tragic loss during heightened regional tensions.

Continue reading at BBC News
Police investigate after 20-year-old man died in Lincoln sewer system

A 20-year-old man died in Lincoln's sewer system under circumstances that police are still investigating, raising questions about how the incident occurred.

Continue reading at KETV Omaha
Treasure hunter freed from prison after refusing to turn over shipwreck gold

Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson was released from prison after more than a decade of refusing to reveal the location of 500 missing gold coins from a shipwreck.

Continue reading at BBC News
'Moment of fear': Nebraska county sheriff loses home as wildfires sweep across the state

As wildfires rage across western Nebraska, even the county sheriff lost his home—a stark reminder that disaster doesn't discriminate.

Continue reading at KETV Omaha
Meta is reportedly laying off up to 20 percent of its staff

Meta is reportedly planning to lay off up to 20 percent of its workforce—roughly 15,800 employees—to offset spending on AI and data centers, its largest cut since 2022-2023.

Continue reading at The Verge
Unauthorized Distribution of HathiTrust Data

The pirate site Anna's Archive is illegally hosting HathiTrust data and offering bounties for more, highlighting ongoing challenges in protecting digital library collections.

Continue reading at Library Technology Guides
JSTOR upholds 100 percent ASPIRE Gold rating for accessibility statement

JSTOR earned a perfect ASPIRE Gold accessibility rating, demonstrating that transparency and usability in digital publishing can meet rigorous independent standards.

Continue reading at Library Technology Guides
Consortium data shows which open access paths are safe: Now researchers can see it too

Consortium data on safe open-access publishing paths is finally becoming visible to researchers through the new Open Journal Finder, helping scholars navigate scholarly publishing.

Continue reading at Library Technology Guides
Charleston Library Society is live on Koha and Aspen Discovery with ByWater support

The Charleston Library Society has successfully migrated to Koha and Aspen Discovery, modernizing its open-source library management with ByWater's support.

Continue reading at Library Technology Guides
A New Mexico Religious Pilgrimage Rode a Global Wave Hoping for Ripple Effects for the Environment

Faith-based environmental pilgrims walked 328 miles across New Mexico past oil fields and fossil fuel developments, spreading prayers for climate action though their legislative goals fell short.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Police-style powers to tackle fly-tippers being considered

UK authorities are considering giving enforcement officers police-style powers to combat fly-tipping, including warrant-free searches and asset seizures.

Continue reading at BBC Science
Saturday, March 14
AP Exclusive: Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan talks diplomatic efforts as regional war rages

Turkey's Foreign Minister signals that while direct U.S.-Iran negotiations show no momentum, Iran may be open to back-channel talks as Ankara works to stay neutral in the regional conflict.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Week in Politics: Missile attack on a girls' school in Tehran; DHS remains unfunded

Congress seeks answers about a February missile attack on a girls' school in Tehran while the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded, creating dual crises.

Continue reading at NPR Politics
House GOP leadership silent as more members post anti-Muslim statements

A growing number of House Republicans are posting anti-Muslim statements online, yet their party leadership has offered little public pushback, signaling troubling silence.

Continue reading at NPR Politics
With boom in prediction markets, some lawmakers worry about how to police themselves

As prediction markets boom, lawmakers worry about their own financial disclosures, noting that ethics committees offer no guidance on event contracts or betting unlike traditional stock trades.

Continue reading at NPR Politics
A New Era of Data Center Development Is Like a Second Industrial Revolution

The data center boom driven by AI is reshaping the industry and sparking significant community opposition—a second industrial revolution unfolding in plain sight.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
The Latest Front in the Battle Over Climate Lawsuits: Bills Wiping Out Liability

Republican legislators are advancing bills to shield major polluters from climate accountability and legal liability, even as climate harms and their costs escalate.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Habitat Loss Is Eroding Tribal Sovereignty

Tribal nations in the Pacific Northwest warn that salmon ecosystems are being destroyed faster than restoration efforts can keep pace, fundamentally threatening indigenous sovereignty.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Mining rush for critical minerals threatens Amazon land reform settlements

Mining interests are moving aggressively into Amazon land reform settlements, threatening both indigenous communities and the land redistribution programs that support them.

Continue reading at Grist
How reintroducing beavers is changing our landscape

The reintroduction of beavers to English rivers is reshaping landscapes and ecosystems in unexpected and promising ways, offering a natural solution to flooding and habitat loss.

Continue reading at BBC Science
How America Learned to Love Barnes & Noble Again

Barnes & Noble has undergone a remarkable rehabilitation from symbol of corporate predation to beloved bookseller, a transformation worth examining in our current retail landscape.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Independents of America Unite!

With 45 percent of Americans now identifying as political independents, these voters outnumber both Republicans and Democrats—yet face insurmountable barriers to winning office.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Salman Rushdie Doesn’t Want to Be Your ‘Free Speech Barbie’

Salman Rushdie is eager to move past the attack that nearly killed him in 2022, resisting the label of 'Free Speech Barbie' that defines him in public discourse.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
The Last Days of Franco

Montserrat Roig's 'The Time of Cherries,' finally available in English, captures Barcelona on the eve of monumental change—the final year before Franco's death.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Raving at the End of the World

Decades after emerging in the 1980s, raving continues to offer dancers a space for existential escape and meaning-making, even as the world around them shifts.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
The Art of Taking Smart Risks

Arthur C. Brooks explores the distinction between recklessness and bravery when taking risks, offering a thoughtful framework for understanding intelligent decision-making.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
One Situation After Another

A journalist monitors global crises in real time through webcam feeds and fiber-optic cable maps, watching oil routs and Middle East tensions unfold from his desk.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Staff complain that xAI is flailing because of constant upheaval

Elon Musk has ordered another round of layoffs at xAI after growing impatient with the company's struggling coding product, forcing out cofounders and bringing in 'fixers' from his other companies.

Continue reading at Ars Technica
Helpful or harmful? How to vet tax advice from social media

A CPA offers practical guidance for vetting tax advice circulating on social media, helping readers distinguish between legitimate strategies and potential scams.

Continue reading at NPR Technology
What's Marco Rubio's role as secretary of state and Trump's national security advisor?

Marco Rubio's dual role as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor puts him at the center of Trump's efforts to reshape the global order.

Continue reading at NPR Politics
Everyone Has Trump’s Phone Number Now

President Trump's personal phone number has reportedly become Washington's hottest commodity, with wealthy interests allegedly offering significant sums for direct access to the president.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Where Mamdani Has Refused to Moderate

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has refused to moderate his support for anti-Israel activism, hosting a prominent activist for Ramadan dinner at Gracie Mansion despite political controversy.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Reframing Georgia O'Keeffe's legacy and protecting the land she loved

As efforts to preserve Georgia O'Keeffe's beloved New Mexico landscape accelerate, a more nuanced view is emerging that acknowledges Pueblo peoples predated her romantic claim to 'her country.'

Continue reading at NPR U.S.
The Fight Over Logging on U.S. Public Lands Isn’t Done Yet

An Oregon court ruling against clear-cutting rules is far from the final word on logging and forest management, as competing interests continue battling over public lands and wildfire policy.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News