Eyes Over Iran, TSA Workers Paid, & Best Sleep Position

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Adam Rogers
March 31, 2026

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Iran destroyed a US E-3 Sentry, a critical airborne early warning and surveillance aircraft, at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, injuring several American service members. Images verified by NBC News show the aircraft's tail lying on the ground surrounded by debris. The US had 16 E-3 Sentrys before the strike; six were stationed at the base.
Experts warn that the loss further degrades the US’s ability to monitor Iranian missiles and drones across the region. "Iran is gradually eating away at the network of early warning systems that the US has built over decades," said Andreas Krieg of King's College London. Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said the US is "not militarily prepared for this to be a sustained war."
In an interview in Qatar over the weekend, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he is "100%" confident Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran to target US forces — giving Moscow a way to tie down American military resources in the Middle East.

TSA officers began receiving backpay yesterday after weeks of working unpaid during the Homeland Security shutdown, a move officials hope will ease severe airport delays. Early signs of improvement appeared at major hubs, though some airports still reported wait times exceeding two hours.
The disruptions began after DHS funding lapsed in February, triggering the department's longest shutdown at 44 days. More than 500 officers quit, and thousands called out, with some airports seeing absentee rates above 40%. The staffing shortages led to long security lines, warnings of potential closures, and the temporary deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist at checkpoints.
It remains unclear how quickly conditions will normalize as the shutdown continues. Lawmakers are still deadlocked over immigration policy, with Democrats demanding limits on enforcement operations and Republicans resisting those conditions, leaving TSA staffing levels — and airport wait times — uncertain during the busy spring travel season.

The Labor Department proposed a rule yesterday that would make it easier for the roughly 70 million Americans with 401(k) plans to invest their retirement savings in alternative assets like cryptocurrency, real estate, and private market funds. The proposal responds to a Trump executive order and creates legal protection for employers who offer these investments.
Currently, employers can legally include alternatives in 401(k) plans, but rarely do, fearing they could be sued if the investments perform poorly. The new rule sets out six criteria employers must meet, covering performance, fees, liquidity, and complexity, to qualify for that legal protection. A 60-day public comment period is required before the rule is finalized.
Courts must first validate the legal protections, and most savers are unlikely to see standalone crypto or private equity funds appear in their retirement accounts anytime soon.

Military jets scrambled and fired flares over Palm Beach after a civilian plane entered restricted airspace near Mar-a-Lago while President Trump was at a nearby golf club. (More)

The Trump administration sued Minnesota and its high school athletics body, alleging the state violates federal anti-discrimination law by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports. (More)

A 15-year-old student shot a teacher at a Texas high school Monday morning before dying at the scene, authorities said, at Hill Country College Prep in Bulverde, about 30 miles north of San Antonio. (More)

French police arrested three teenagers after one allegedly tried to detonate a homemade explosive outside a Paris Bank of America early Saturday, with two additional suspects detained Sunday in what authorities are investigating as a terrorism case. (More)

Spain barred US military planes involved in the Iran war from its airspace, extending a ban that already blocked American forces from using Spanish bases. (More)

Thieves stole three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse from a private museum near Parma, Italy, grabbing the works in under three minutes before escaping through the gardens. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Monday (S&P -0.39%, Nasdaq -0.73%, Dow +0.11%). Further gains in oil and a decline in tech drove the S&P and Nasdaq down. (More)

Sysco shares fell more than 2% Monday after reports the food distributor is close to buying family-owned Restaurant Depot for roughly $29 billion, including debt. (More)

JetBlue raised checked bag fees by up to $9, blaming soaring jet fuel costs tied to the Iran war, with other major airlines expected to follow. (More)

The NFL announced a professional flag football league for men and women, backed by a star-studded investor group including Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, with a launch timed to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (More)

Céline Dion announced a ten-show Paris concert run this fall, her first major performances since stepping away in 2022, beginning September 12 at Paris La Défense Arena. (More)

Amazon paused production on its Tomb Raider series after star Sophie Turner suffered a minor injury, with the show expected to resume soon. (More)

Australian researchers developed a flexible gel that converts body heat into electricity, with a stamp-sized patch generating nearly half a volt — enough to power wearable health monitors without conventional batteries. (More)

University of Rochester scientists developed a technique to switch specific communication pathways between brain regions on and off in marmosets, offering a more precise tool for studying how disrupted circuits contribute to neurological disorders. (More)

Inhaling common disinfectants like Lysol caused 100 times more lung damage in mice than swallowing them, raising concerns that spray cleaners may contribute to respiratory disease. (More)

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