Meridian Evening Brief — Mar 23
Editor’s note: A distinctly restless evening cycle: geopolitics, economic pressure, infrastructure policy, and a few reminders that science keeps doing brilliant work even while budgets wobble. The mood is less “quiet news day” and more “everyone seems to be making consequential decisions at once.”
TechCrunch • Politics • Emil Michael, now a senior Pentagon official, says he’ll never forgive Uber investors who ousted him and Kalanick
In a newly released podcast interview, Pentagon technology official Emil Michael revisited his 2017 departure from Uber and said he would never forget or forgive the investors who forced out him and Travis Kalanick. He argued that those investors chose to protect near-term gains rather than continue backing Uber’s autonomous-driving ambitions. The article notes that Uber later sold its self-driving unit to Aurora in 2020, while Waymo has since expanded robotaxi operations into 10 U.S. cities. Michael also discussed the Defense Department’s dispute with Anthropic, saying private companies should not be able to impose their own policy preferences on top of existing law and internal government rules.
CNBC Top News • Business • Japan core inflation in February misses estimates, headline CPI eases for a fourth straight month
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/24/japan-cpi-inflation-february-.html
Japan’s headline consumer inflation slowed to 1.3% in February, marking a fourth straight monthly easing and falling below the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. Core inflation, which excludes fresh food, moderated to 1.6%, below economists’ expectations and down from 2.0% in January. A narrower core-core measure that also excludes energy came in at 2.5%, slightly below the prior month. The Bank of Japan recently kept rates unchanged at 0.75% while warning that higher energy costs tied to Middle East conflict could still push inflation back up.
The Verge • Tech • The US government just banned consumer routers made outside the US
https://www.theverge.com/news/899172/fcc-foreign-router-ban
The FCC has added foreign-made consumer routers to its Covered List, effectively blocking authorization for most new consumer routers imported into the United States. Existing routers can continue to be used, and already authorized products can still be imported, but future products now need conditional approval tied to domestic manufacturing plans or they may skip the U.S. market entirely. The agency said it acted over national security, cybersecurity, and supply-chain concerns, pointing to recent attacks on critical infrastructure. The report also notes that many router vulnerabilities have involved products from U.S. brands as well, raising questions about whether domestic manufacturing alone addresses the underlying security problem.
CNBC Top News • Tech • OpenAI calls out Microsoft reliance as risk in investor document ahead of expected IPO
OpenAI told prospective investors that its heavy dependence on Microsoft for financing and compute is a material business risk. The disclosure appeared in investor materials tied to the company’s recent funding round, which CNBC says followed a $110 billion raise and is expected to be expanded further. OpenAI said that if Microsoft changes or ends the partnership, or if the company cannot diversify its partners, its business and financial condition could be harmed. The same materials also flagged legal, infrastructure, and supply-chain risks, including litigation involving xAI and potential disruption if Taiwan chip production is affected by regional conflict.
The Guardian World • World • Teachers in Victoria strike for first time in 13 years, with classes cancelled at about 500 public schools
Thousands of public school teachers, principals, and support staff in Victoria went on strike, disrupting or closing about 500 schools in the state’s first such action in more than 13 years. The Australian Education Union said 98% of members backed the 24-hour strike over pay and workload concerns. The union is seeking a 35% pay rise over four years along with smaller class sizes and more support, while the government has offered 18.5% over the same period with an overtime allowance. State officials said some schools would remain open only for limited supervision, and many parents were advised not to send children in.
Al Jazeera • World • UN expert says world has given Israel ‘licence to torture Palestinians’
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese told the Human Rights Council that torture has effectively become state policy in Israel and said the international community has enabled it through inaction. Her new report argues that suffering in the occupied Palestinian territory extends beyond detention facilities to include mass displacement, siege conditions, denial of aid, settler violence, and pervasive surveillance. The report says Israeli authorities have arrested more than 18,500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, including at least 1,500 children as of February. Israel’s UN mission rejected the report, calling Albanese an “agent of chaos” and accusing her of extremist bias.
Ars Technica • Science • A mission NASA might kill is still returning fascinating science from Jupiter
New analysis from NASA’s Juno mission found that lightning in Jupiter’s giant storms can be at least 100 times more powerful than lightning on Earth. The findings come as NASA weighs whether to continue funding Juno despite the spacecraft remaining healthy and still producing useful science. Agency officials are under pressure to trim mission spending after recent budget battles, even though Congress rejected most of the White House’s proposed cuts. NASA says a decision on Juno and several Mars missions is expected when it submits its operating plan to Congress.
CNBC Top News • Business • Apollo gives investors only 45% of requested withdrawals from $15 billion private credit fund
Apollo told investors in its private credit fund that it will honor only about 45% of requested withdrawals this quarter after redemption requests exceeded the vehicle’s 5% quarterly cap. The filing said investors sought to redeem 11.2% of shares outstanding, prompting the fund to return about $730 million on a prorated basis. Apollo said it was keeping the standard cap in place even as some rivals have loosened redemption limits to meet investor demand. The article frames the move as another sign of stress in private credit, particularly around loans to software companies, even though Apollo says its portfolio has held up better than benchmark leveraged loans.
The Guardian World • World • Hawaii assesses damage left by worst flooding in more than 20 years
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/23/hawaii-flooding-oahu-maui
Hawaii officials are assessing widespread damage after what authorities described as the islands’ worst flooding in more than two decades. Thousands of people evacuated from Oahu’s North Shore and parts of Maui, while floodwaters lifted houses and cars, inundated farms, and swept through stores. Governor Josh Green said the storms caused at least $1 billion in damage. More than 200 people were rescued and, as of Sunday afternoon, no deaths had been reported.
BBC World • World • Colombian military plane with 125 people crashes
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dlmrjn1l2o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed near Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo province shortly after takeoff with 125 people on board. Military officials said the aircraft was carrying 114 army personnel and 11 crew members. Authorities said at least eight people were confirmed dead and more than 80 were injured, with dozens taken to hospitals after being pulled from the wreckage. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and President Gustavo Petro said modernization delays in the armed forces’ equipment should not continue.
