NATO Scrambles Jet, Shoots Down Ukrainian Drone Over Estonia, In War First

Oil Jumps After Explosion And Massive Fire At One Of The Largest US Oil Refineries An explosion and large plumes of smoke at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur prompted officials to order west-side residents to shelter in place according to 12 News Now.  🚨 Jefferson Co. Commissioner says “I'm asking people to stay tuned because if this chemical is deemed to be toxic or carcinogenic … then I guarantee we're going to order to evacuate.” pic.twitter.com/MVpOu5b28M — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) March 24, 2026 Witnesses across the Mid-County area reported hearing a loud...

Beijing Bans Four New Zealand MPs For "Crossing Red Line" With Taiwan Visit In a first, China has banned four New Zealand Members of Parliament for a year over their visit to Taiwan, New Zealand's foreign ministry says. The MPs learned of the ban - which the Chinese Embassy said could be reduced or waived with an apology - when they returned from the trip in May, local media reported on Thursday. On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “Recently, certain New Zealand members of parliament, disregarding China’s serious concerns...

Palantir Develops IRS Tool To Flag "Highest Value" Audits, Are Crypto Bros Next? Crypto bros and those of you with 'creative' accountants, heads up - the IRS is beefing up its ability to flag accounts for audits. Not only is this the first year that major US-based custodial crypto brokers are reporting gross proceeds to the agency, the IRS is getting aggressive elsewhere. Last year they paid Palantir $1.8 million to identify cases for audits, collections, and potential criminal investigations with a high probability of success. The contract was the latest...