Meridian Afternoon Brief — Mar 31
Editor’s note: This afternoon’s mix leans heavy on power, money, and the systems trying not to wobble under either. Courts, conflict zones, boardrooms, and code repos all managed to make news at once, which is a very 2026 way for a Tuesday to behave.
BBC US & Canada • Politics • US Supreme Court strikes down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j75rz77x5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, siding with a Colorado Springs therapist who argued the law violated her First Amendment rights. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the lower courts had failed to apply sufficiently rigorous scrutiny to restrictions on speech. The ruling sends the case back to lower courts and could affect similar laws in more than 20 states that ban conversion therapy for minors. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing the case involved the regulation of licensed medical professionals, not ordinary speech.
CNBC Top News • Business • Oracle cutting thousands in latest layoff round as company continues to ramp AI spending
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/31/oracle-layoffs-ai-spending.html
Oracle has begun notifying employees about a new round of layoffs that CNBC reports numbers in the thousands. The cuts come as the company continues spending heavily on AI infrastructure and data center buildouts while also facing investor pressure over cash flow. Oracle has leaned on debt markets to support that expansion, after previously announcing plans to raise $50 billion in debt and equity. Executives have argued that demand for AI infrastructure remains strong, citing hundreds of billions of dollars in remaining performance obligations.
CNBC Top News • Health • Lilly to spend up to $7.8 billion to acquire Centessa, a maker of experimental sleep disorder drugs
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/31/eli-lilly-to-acquire-centessa-and-sleep-disorder-drugs.html
Eli Lilly said it will pay up to $7.8 billion to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals and its experimental drug for excessive daytime sleepiness. The deal includes $6.3 billion up front, plus as much as $1.5 billion tied to regulatory milestones. Centessa is developing an orexin agonist aimed at narcolepsy and related sleep disorders, a class analysts say could become a major market. Lilly said it sees broader neuroscience potential for the pathway and expects the acquisition to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approval.
CNBC Top News • World • Moscow is profiting from the Iran war for now — but experts say Russia's economy is in the 'death zone'
Analysts told CNBC that Russia is benefiting in the short term from the surge in oil and gas prices triggered by the war involving Iran and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. One estimate cited in the report said the jump in Urals crude prices could be adding roughly $9 billion per month to Russian state revenues. The article notes that the windfall is easing near-term budget pressure and helping delay unpopular spending cuts. At the same time, economists and former military officials interviewed in the piece said Russia still faces deep structural problems, including inflation, high interest rates, sanctions, and long-term war-related strain.
Al Jazeera • World • UN aid chief warns of new Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon
The UN’s top humanitarian official asked the Security Council how it plans to protect civilians in Lebanon as Israel expands its military operations there. The warning followed statements from Israeli officials indicating that parts of southern Lebanon could remain under Israeli security control even after the current escalation ends. According to the report, more than 1.1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since early March. The article also says three UN peacekeepers have been killed in recent days, prompting renewed warnings that attacks on UN personnel may amount to war crimes.
TechCrunch • Business • Whoop’s valuation just tripled to $10 billion
https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/31/whoop-valuation-10b-series-g-fundraise/
Fitness wearable company Whoop closed a $575 million Series G round at a $10.1 billion valuation, nearly triple its last reported valuation of $3.6 billion. The round included sovereign wealth funds, health institutions, and celebrity athlete investors, and brings the company’s total funding to roughly $900 million. CEO Will Ahmed said the business exited last year at a $1.1 billion bookings run rate, up 103% year over year. The company said the new capital will support hiring, marketing, research and development, and international expansion.
TechCrunch • Tech • Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai
Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have launched driverless robotaxi operations in Dubai without a human safety operator on board. Riders can book the vehicles through Uber’s app in a mix of commercial, industrial, suburban, and port districts, with local operations handled by Tawasul. The launch follows a pilot program introduced in December and a driverless trial permit issued by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority last month. SEC filings also show Uber has increased its stake in WeRide to 5.82%, valued at roughly $400 million based on Monday’s closing price.
The Verge • Tech • Meta launches new ‘prescription optimized’ smart glasses
https://www.theverge.com/tech/904020/meta-scriber-blayzer-prescription-smart-glasses
Meta introduced two new Ray-Ban smart glasses styles aimed at users who need prescription lenses, with preorder availability ahead of an April 14 release. The new Blayzer and Scriber frames add fit and customization features such as overextension hinges, interchangeable nose pads, and adjustable temple tips. Meta says the glasses support nearly all prescriptions through retail opticians, though direct orders from Meta still have narrower prescription limits. The company also announced upcoming software features including AI-assisted nutrition logging, WhatsApp summaries processed on-device, and wider rollout of navigation and handwriting features.
TechCrunch • Tech • Hacker hijacks Axios open-source project, used by millions, to push malware
A hacker compromised a maintainer account for the widely used JavaScript library Axios and pushed malicious versions of the package to npm. Security firms said the bad releases were live for roughly three hours before the attack was identified and stopped. The inserted code delivered a remote access trojan and included self-deleting behavior designed to evade detection. Researchers warned that anyone who downloaded the affected versions should assume compromise, making the incident the latest major software supply-chain attack.
CNBC Top News • Entertainment • 'Project Hail Mary' is the box office proof point Amazon MGM has been waiting for
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/31/project-hail-mary-box-office-amazon-mgm.html
Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” has topped $300 million globally in its first two weeks, becoming the studio’s best-performing film to date. CNBC says the movie has held unusually well after opening, with a 32% drop in U.S. ticket sales from weekend one to weekend two and only a 5% decline internationally. The strong run is being cited by analysts as a sign that Amazon MGM’s promised push into theatrical releases is beginning to pay off. The film has also contributed to a domestic box office total that is running 23% ahead of the same point last year.
