U.S. economy weakens according to new Trump administration statistics
The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2025 expanded at a much lower rate that was originally reported by the Trump administration. New Commerce Department statistics released today show that the GDP actually expanded at an annualized rate of only 0.7%, half of the 1.4% expansion originally reported by the administration. In the third quarter of 2025, the GDP growth had reached 4.4%. Now, in addition to slower growth, the U.S. economy is facing the impact of higher oil prices as a result of the war against Iran launched by President Trump.
Dealing with the Strait of Hormuz closure
The Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. military strikes while planning the war on Iran, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The sources indicated that there was no interagency debate over the potential economic fallout if Iran were to respond to U.S.-Israeli strikes by closing the strait. Defense Secretary Hegseth in a Pentagon briefing this morning did not exp[lain how the U.S. could open the strait nor did he answer a question about whether and when U.S. Navy ships would escort commercial ships through the Strait. Reports indicate shipping industry executives have made regular requests to the U.S. Navy for military escorts, all of which have been rebuffed.
KC-135 tanker crashes, all six on board known dead
Six U.S. service members are known dead after a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. The airplane was being used to support other aircraft involved in attacks on Iran. While the U.S. said that the airplane was not shot down, The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, an umbrella group of factions loyal to Iran, claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft, adding that it targeted a second KC-135, forcing it to make an emergency landing. The group did not provide evidence for its claims. Defense Secretary Hegseth commented at a Pentagon news briefing on Friday, “War is hell. War is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen.”
Violence in Virginia and Michigan
Two attacks hundreds of miles apart on Thursday targeted communities in Virginia and Michigan. A shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia left one person dead and two others injured before ROTC students subdued and killed the gunman, whom the FBI said was a veteran and convicted ISIS supporter. It was reported that the gunman asked if the class he had walked into was an ROTC class. When told “yes,” he opened fire, killing the instructor. Hours later, a man drove a vehicle into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The FBI said the attacker was of Lebanese background and was a 41-year-old male. He was shot and killed by a synagogue security officer.
NASA schedules moon mission
NASA has completed a key step toward launching its Artemis II moon mission and is now targeting early April to send four astronauts around the moon. The agency is aiming for liftoff on April 1 at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Time. If the launch is delayed, backup windows are available on April 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 30. The updated timeline follows a Flight Readiness Review that took place this week, during which mission managers assessed whether the rocket, spacecraft and ground systems are prepared for launch. NASA’s Artemis program is sending humans into deep space for the first time in more than five decades.
Housing affordability bill passed in Senate
A bipartisan group of senators passed a bill on Thursday aimed at improving housing affordability across the U.S. The measure includes about 40 provisions intended to boost housing supply and lower costs. Known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, it would encourage local governments to increase development, remove regulatory barriers that critics say slow construction and expand manufactured housing, which can often be built faster and at lower cost than traditional homes. It’s unclear whether the bill will pass the House in its current form after the chamber approved a similar but narrower package last month. House and Senate conferees could put together a compromise version for passage.
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