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Meta and YouTube lost a major lawsuit this week regarding social media addiction and its impact on teens, and it could spark a ripple effect for similar lawsuits across the nation. The trial, which spanned nine days over the last six weeks, took place in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Top brass from both Meta and YouTube arrived at the court to testify and argue against the claims of a 20-year-old woman who suffered from social media addiction, going by the initials KGM. However, this case proved to be unique for one particular reason: the plaintiffs won. In past trials, children, parents, and schools had been unable to successfully sue social media companies because of the protection they receive from the Communications Act of 1934. This act states that technology companies are not responsible for the content users post, removing their liability for any damages caused by certain posts or content on their application. In this case, KGM and her lawyers took a different approach to the problem. Instead of framing the issue as a problem with specific posts or content, they cited the dangerous, addictive algorithms of social media, which reportedly addicted KGM to Instagram and YouTube at a young age. By the age of 10, she was already involved in self-harming activities due to her use of social media, and she was later diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia– both of which were imputed to Instagram and YouTube. KGM also confirmed that the harm caused to her mental and physical health by social media has occurred in children all over the world, and social media companies continue to implement addictive features to draw people in, like the endless scrolling of feeds or AI-driven algorithms designed to keep the user hooked. The jury ruled in favor of KGM, requiring Meta and YouTube to pay a combined $3 million in damages to the 20-year-old and an additional $3 million in punitive damages due to their extreme negligence. Meta will be required to be 70% of the damages, while YouTube will pay the other 30%. While $3 million portrays the case as a minor event, the true impact of KGM's win is the ripple effect that it could initiate across the nation. By using the same strategy to frame the issue as the dangerous features of social media, thousands of people all over the world who have suffered from social media addiction can follow in the footsteps of KGM. Also, the lawsuit is only the second-ever case to win the court's favor when suing Meta over the impacts of its products on children and teens– the first came just days ago in the state of New Mexico. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in civil penalties after the jury ruled that Meta misled social media users regarding the app's safety and enabled harm against minors, particularly sexual exploitation. Meta has refused to take responsibility in either case, and they have refuted the jury's decision and plan to appeal both decisions. Nevertheless, these two cases could open the door for a slew of new trials regarding social media and the negative impacts it has on physical health, mental health, and society as a whole. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The sound of a Star Wars lightsaber was created by combining the sounds of an idle USC film projector and the buzz from a broken TV set. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. (Chuck Swindoll) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Undulate (verb, UN-juh-layt) - Undulate is a formal word that means “to move or be shaped like waves.” In a Sentence: On the approach to the tulip festival, visitors are greeted by a large field of the colorful flowers undulating in the wind. Image credit to BBC

The United States has proposed a 15-point peace plan to Iran, but the Middle Eastern nation has rejected the potential ceasefire and made their own demands. The peace plan proposed by the United States contains several key demands, including the complete shutdown of Iran's nuclear program and another point preventing any future nuclear programs from being established. Other points include the cessation of support for all regional proxies, like Hezbollah and Hamas, and limits on Iran's missile arsenal. In return, the plan would benefit Iran with the removal of all international sanctions and American assistance to advance their civilian nuclear program for non-military technology. Furthermore, the "snapback" mechanism that reimposed sanctions on Iran in September will be removed, preventing nations from reimposing sanctions. However, Iran rejected the ceasefire and announced that they would end the war when they please, at their terms. Both nations are hesitant to appear excessively anxious to agree to a deal, with the US and Iran constantly trying to one-up one another. Pakistan is ferrying messages between the two, but a potential negotiations meeting in Islamabad is still in the works. As for right now, Iran has made several core demands. First and foremost, they want to control the Strait of Hormuz, similar to how Egypt controls the Suez Canal. Assuming control over the strait would give them authority over all passing ships, potentially turning it into a permission-based strait rather than a free transit corridor. It would also give Iran more power over the rest of the Middle East, which relies heavily on the strait– however, this is incredibly unlikely to happen due to the strait's importance to global trade. Iran also wants reparations from the United States for all of the damage caused by the war. Nevertheless, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later stated, " We do not want a ceasefire. We want the war to end in a way that it does not repeat, on our own terms." The US government has claimed that negotiations will continue and are making progress, while Iran argues that talks have still not taken place– the two nations have simply exchanged messages through other nations. Whether the two will agree to a peace deal, though, is yet to be seen. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Despite the relatively basic technology of its time period, the first Game Boy could run for a staggering 30 hours on just two AA batteries. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Men are not punished for their sins, but by them. (Elbert Hubbard) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cadence (noun, KAY-dunss) - Cadence is used to refer to various rhythmic or repeated motions, activities, or patterns of sound, or to the way a person's voice changes by gently rising and falling while they are speaking. In a Sentence: Ivy relaxed at the beach, listening to the cadence of the surf. Image credit to AFP

Denmark's Social Democrats and their leader, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have suffered a major blow in Europe's latest snap election, losing seats in Parliament. Frederiksen has recently been hailed as one of Europe's best leaders, with the praise coming after her impressive handling of the situation with Greenland and the United States. Even as America's Donald Trump continued his pursuit of the Danish territory, threatening Denmark with tariffs and military action, the prime minister remained cool and calm. She refused to allow her nation to be blackmailed or bought– actions that were perceived well by the Danish population. Because of the ensuing rise in support, Frederiksen called for a snap election, which was set to take place on March 24. The Social Democrats, her party, believed that they could leverage the success of the Greenland talks to gain seats in Parliament, setting them up to maintain control of Denmark for the next four years. Many experts believe it was the right decision, as Danish law required her to call an election before November, when her four-year term would expire. However, the results are in, and the election did not go as they expected. The Danish Parliament ended up even more fragmented than previous years– neither left-wing nor right-wing nor centrist parties managed to secure a majority, meaning that parties will have to form coalitions across different portions of the political spectrum. The Social Democrats, who called the election, lost a large number of seats – their worst performance since 1903 – but were able to maintain their position as largest party in Parliament. Because of this, experts believe Frederiksen may be able to secure a third term, as a coalition without her Social Democrats is almost impossible. She will likely form a coalition with left-wing and centrist parties within the Danish Parliament, focusing more on domestic issues. Voters against Frederiksen cited frustration over rising costs of living, while others expressed their irritation with the lack of clarity on Denmark's latest environmental regulations, like a tax on cow emissions . Frederiksen will hope to address these issues if she manages to secure a coalition, focusing more on domestic issues than international involvement. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The world’s most remote ATM is run by Wells Fargo at the Antarctic base of McMurdo Station. The ATMs are the only ones on the entire continent and serve anywhere between 500 and 1,100 residents at the American scientific facility. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell. (Louisa May Alcott) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Frenetic (adj, frih-NET-ik) - Something described as frenetic is filled with excitement, activity, or confusion. The word is a synonym of frantic. In a Sentence: The event was noisy and frenetic , which prompted us to leave early. Image credit to AP

US President Donald Trump has delayed the strikes announced on Saturday after alleged negotiations with Iran, but Iran has denied any claims of talks and has continued to bombard Israel with missiles and drones. On Saturday, Trump threatened to strike Iranian energy sites if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz within the following 48 hours, but his threat resulted in a backfire. Iran threatened to strike energy sites and other crucial infrastructure across the Gulf, endangering oil, natural gas, and desalination facilities across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and other Middle Eastern nations. Trump quickly faced strong backlash for the threat, which risked escalating the conflict into a full-scale war– attacking energy sites would make almost any target fair game, shifting away from a military-focused conflict. Stocks were also set to plunge on Monday, with oil prices set to jump significantly. Asian markets, which open ahead of American ones, plummeted in the early hours of Monday. Then, yesterday, just hours before his self-imposed ultimatum passed, Trump announced that his administration had just had very productive negotiations with Iran, permitting the US to delay the threat by an additional five days. Trump confirmed at least 15 different agreement points that the two sides had negotiated, allowing for the delay. Therefore, when markets opened on Monday, oil dropped by more than 10%, and indexes like the Dow and S&P 500 soared by 1.35% and 1.15%, respectively. Despite these gains, both indexes are still down on the year, with the war having wiped out their gains from January and February. Later in the day, Iran denied any allegations of talks with the United States. The Iranian foreign ministry argued that no talks had taken place, raising questions over the validity of Trump's statements. Some suggest that Iran's ministry is avoiding the admission that talks had taken place, while Iran claims that Trump fabricated a story about the negotiations to generate optimism about the war, give the US more time to plan out their next moves, and prevent markets from nosediving after the backfire of his ultimatum. Just hours after Iran's announcement, Israel was bombarded with Iranian missiles, several of which made it through the Jewish nation's multi-layered defense system. However, while the conflict between the US and Iran has continued, Israel has shifted their focus to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Islamic terrorist group centered in Lebanon. Yesterday, Israel destroyed the five primary bridges crossing the Litani River, which Hezbollah had allegedly been using to facilitate the movement of terrorist and weapons. Now, Israel claims that they will control the area south of the Litani, turning it into a "security zone" to prevent Hezbollah from regaining the territory. Others have labeled Israel's actions as a land grab, as the announcement came just days after an Israeli official stated that the nation should take over the area south of the Litani. Despite these supposed gains, Israel's brutal attacks on Lebanon have already killed over 1,000 people, raising the total death toll of the ongoing conflict past 2,000. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Instead of an agent, actor and comedian Bill Murray uses a 1-800 number where you can leave a message for him if you want to cast him for a movie or book him for an event. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The world is a canvas for your imagination. You are the painter. There are no rules. Get to work. (Unknown) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Apotheosis (noun, uh-pah-thee-OH-sis) - Apotheosis refers to the perfect form or example of something, or to the highest or best part of something. It can also mean “elevation to divine status; deification.” It is usually singular, but the plural form is apotheoses . In a Sentence: Some consider (however ironically) french fries to be the apotheosis of U.S. cuisine. Image credit to Reuters

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump handed Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz, threatening attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure. Iran threatened the opposite. Trump's move risks a further escalation of the war into one that doesn't just involve military installments, but instead turns all infrastructure into fair game for both sides. The president threatened to obliterate Iranian energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened within the next 48 hours– a statement that was issued around 36 hours ago. On the Iranian side, many citizens felt betrayed by Trump, who had promised to help them prior to the war. Losing electricity would prevent them from taking part in daily activities like cooking or storing items in refrigerators. Hospitals would also lose power, leading to emergency situations with patients on ventilators or those utilizing dialysis machines. However, Trump has repeatedly urged the Iranian people to take control of their country after the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but no action has been taken on the Iranian citizens' part. Meanwhile, the threat appears to have backfired, with Iran threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz completely if attacked by US on a larger scale. Currently, certain countries like India, China, and Pakistan have still been able to move their tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, but any nation formally allied with the US has been unable to do so. Furthermore, Iran warned that strikes on its energy infrastructure would result in retaliation strikes on energy and water infrastructure across the Gulf. Countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have turned into collateral damage for the US in this war, and this escalation threatens to damage crucial infrastructure within these countries. Desalination plants account for 100% of the water consumed in Bahrain and Qatar, 80% of the water used by the UAE, and 50% of the water used by Saudi Arabia. Strikes on these plants could cripple Gulf nations' water supplies, and further attacks on energy infrastructure could cut electricity in major hubs like Doha and Dubai for days, or even weeks. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Issue #27 of Marvel’s Deadpool holds the Guinness World Record for the most comic book characters on one cover, with a staggering 224 distinct characters on the same wraparound cover. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. (Charles Schulz) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Scrutinize (verb, SKROO-tuh-nyze) - To scrutinize something is to examine it carefully especially in a critical way. In a Sentence: I closely scrutinized my opponent's moves before making my own. Image credit to AP

Iran's missile launch towards Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean, has sent ripples through the international community and sparked concerns over Iran's missile capabilities. Until now, Iran had self-imposed a limit of around 1,600 miles on the range of their extensive ballistic missile inventory, which primarily consists of short and medium-range missiles. These projectiles are capable of striking targets across the Middle East, as those that have been seen in the war so far, while their intermediate-range ballistic missiles were projected to be able to strike targets as far as eastern Europe to the west and India to the east. However, the nation's attempted strike on Diego Garcia, a remote joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, has changed those projections. The strike consisted of two missiles– one failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship en route to the base. The missile launch was also the first attempted strike on Diego Garcia, which has never been targeted due to its incredibly remote location. More importantly, the base is located more than 2,400 miles from the Iranian coast, and over 3,300 miles from the Iranian capital of Tehran. This significant increase in range raised serious concern from experts across the West, as the new range puts several new targets into Iran's reach. With a new range of up to 2,500 miles, Iranian ballistic missiles could strike almost anywhere in Europe, including the southern UK. Iran could also strike US military installments in Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia– this means that some European bases that have allowed the US to utilize their infrastructure for the ongoing war could end up reconsidering those decisions. Nevertheless, according to CNN, some experts claim that Iran could have utilized space technology as a ballistic missile to bolster the range of the projectile, helping them strike fear into the rest of the world. As another possibility, they could have lightened the payload to avoid doing any real damage– sending an almost-empty missile would certainly increase its range due to the loss of weight. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In 18th-century England, having a pineapple was a symbol of incredible wealth because of extremely high import duties. They would be used as displays for the affluent or rich rather than eaten. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Growth is not the product of effort, but of life. (Augustus Strong) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Eureka (adj, yoo-REE-kuh) - As an interjection, eureka is used to express excitement when a discovery has been made. When used as an adjective, eureka describes something (typically a moment) that is characterized by a usually sudden triumphant discovery.  In a Sentence: After years of trying to piece together a concrete business idea, I had a eureka moment and everything made sense.   Image credit to BBC

The United States confirmed yesterday that they would temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil at sea for the next 30 days, helping settle soaring gas prices across the globe. Despite the ongoing war, the US Department of the Treasury decided yesterday that the rise in prices across the world had crossed a threshold that required immediate action. Earlier in the week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced the release of more than 400 million barrels of oil from international emergency energy stockpiles. However, the move did little to cool soaring prices amid a major blockage in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles more than 20% of the world's oil traffic. Then, after Israeli strikes took place yesterday on Iranian oil and gas fields, Iran retaliated with strikes on energy infrastructure across multiple Gulf countries. Following the attacks, Qatar's Ras Laffan natural gas facility announced that the missiles had done significant damage, wiping out at least 17% of their liquefied natural gas processing capacity (LNG). They also claimed that it would take up to five years to restore the damage– another sign that this war is sure to have lasting impacts on the US, Israel, the Gulf, and the world. The strikes also sent oil prices soaring, with Brent crude reaching as high as $115 a barrel before prices settled just above $100. AAA's gas price index of the US continued to rise alongside the prices of crude, with the average gas prices across the US rising to $3.91 per gallon. By comparison, those same prices were $2.93 just one month ago. Diesel has soared even further, jumping from $3.69 in February to an average of $5.16 per gallon. To attempt to settle the ongoing spike in prices, the Treasury Department confirmed yesterday that they will be lifting sanctions on any Iranian oil that is already at sea. The sanctions will be lifted for one month, extending until April 19, but in the meantime, Iranian oil tankers will be able to deliver oil to nations that need it. The department projects the move to bring more than 140 million extra barrels of crude oil to the world, helping manage the gas crisis. The US does not purchase Iranian oil, meaning that the decision would have minimal impact within the nation, but other countries – particularly those in Eastern Asia – could benefit greatly from the sanctions lift. Nevertheless, the sanctions still prohibit Iranian oil from being sold to certain regions or nations, like North Korea or Cuba. The move also comes just days after the department announced the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil at sea, allowing an additional 130 million barrels to be sold across the world. In both of these situations, some experts project that the moves could have no impact on either gas prices nor the economies of Russia and Iran, while others thought the opposite– the actual effects that will occur due to these decisions are still unknown. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Animal Planet aired two fake documentaries that “proved” mermaids exist. In fact, so many people thought it was real that the US government was forced to issue an official statement telling the public that the information was false. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish. (Max Lucado) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Eureka (adj, yoo-REE-kuh) - As an interjection, eureka is used to express excitement when a discovery has been made. When used as an adjective, eureka describes something (typically a moment) that is characterized by a usually sudden triumphant discovery.  In a Sentence: After years of trying to piece together a concrete business idea, I had a eureka moment and everything made sense.   Image credit to AFP

Despite the war going on in Iran, the World Happiness Report was released today, ranking the world's nations in celebration of the International Day of Happiness. The Wellbeing Research Center at the University of Oxford works with Gallup, a polling company, to collect the data and release the report every year. It always releases on March 20, celebrating the United Nations-designated International Day of Happiness. The report takes 147 different countries into account, asking citizens to rank their lives on a visual scale of 0-10 known as the Cantril Ladder. Then, they consider six factors: social support, GDP per capita, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. So, here are this year's happiest countries: Finland came in at number one for the ninth time in a row, boasting an average score of 7.764. The nation is known for its incredible education system, safety, lack of corruption, and high levels of social support like free healthcare. Iceland ranked number two, with a country score of 7.540. Denmark came in at number three, just losing out to Iceland with an average score of 7.539. Costa Rica ranked number four with a score of 7.439, continuing its upward trajectory– in 2022, the Central American nation was just 23rd on the list, but they placed sixth last year and have improved further. Fourth place is also the highest-ever position for a Latin American nation. Sweden and Norway ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, adding to an already Nordic-dominated list. Out of the five Nordic countries, four made the top five. The Netherlands ranked seventh on the list, with a score of 7.223. Despite the ongoing war, Israel placed eighth, making them the only country in the Middle East to make the top 20. The UAE and Saudi Arabia managed to place 21 and 22 on the report, respectively, but others, like Lebanon and Yemen, were some of the lowest ranking nations on the list. The report placed Luxembourg ninth, with a score of 7.063, and Switzerland rounded out the top ten with a score of 7.018. However, the report doesn't just investigate country happiness– it also finds reasons for unhappiness across nations, and one of the leading factors proved to be social media. In particular, English-speaking nations like Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom saw significant declines in scores, driven by youth unhappiness. Australia placed 15th, the US placed 25th, and the UK came in at 29th. This unhappiness among people aged under 25 was largely attributed to the misuse of social media in these regions– the researchers found that while social media was used extensively in various countries, it did not have a negative impact in all of these nations. View the full interactive map here , and view the full report here. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Thomas Edison invented an electric pen in 1876 that was later adapted to become the first electric tattoo machine in 1891. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things . (Walt Disney) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Nadir (noun, NAY-deer) - Nadir refers to the lowest or worst point of something. When used in astronomy, nadir describes the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer. In a Sentence: Only once the novel’s protagonist reaches her nadir does she arouse the reader’s empathy, and we root for her to climb back to respectability. Image credit to Shutterstock

Israel struck several major oil facilities across Iran, but the regime retaliated with strikes on natural gas and oil facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia The significant escalation of the war came after Israel approved a strike on Iran's South Pars natural gas field– the largest in the world. The gas field is currently split between Qatar and Iran, but Iran's share of the field supports more than 70% of their natural gas infrastructure. Israel also struck multiple fuel depots in Tehran, turning skies a fiery red as thick black smoke covered the city. Some locals reported that noon felt more like 10 pm due to the darkness caused by the smoke. As the oil mixed with the water vapor in the atmosphere, a toxic acid rain fell over the city, leaving residents with headaches, burns, and a constant smell of smoke everywhere. Some reports confirmed this further, finding that the explosions had released massive amounts of hydrocarbons, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides– all of which are highly toxic to both humans and the environment. Oil was also seen running down streets and dropping out of the air. As part of their retaliation, Iran attempted to strike energy facilities in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In Qatar, Iran hit the nation's Ras Laffan natural gas facility, one of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. The UAE reported that some infrastructure at the Habshan gas facility and the Bab oil field was damaged due to debris from intercepted strikes, and Saudi Arabia confirmed that they had taken down a drone attack targeting an oil facility in the eastern part of the nation. Saudi Arabia also intercepted at least four ballistic missiles headed towards Riyadh, the nation's capital, but the falling debris from the interceptions did significant damage to certain areas. The escalation marks a massive turning point in the war, which was originally centered on assassinating Iranian leadership and destroying their military capabilities. Now, Israel is targeting Iranian energy exports, and Iran is doing the same to the Gulf states that are bearing the brunt of this war. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also beginning to lose their patience with Iran, with both nations signaling that future military involvement is possible if attacks continue. However, the leaders of both nations were furious with Israel's decision to attack Iranian fuel sites in the first place, and the US government later stated that they had no prior knowledge of the attack. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, US President Donald Trump called for both sides to halt all attacks on energy infrastructure, but Israel and Iran may already be past that stage. The attacks on oil depots and gas fields sent crude oil prices skyrocketing past $115 a barrel, and it could have major implications for the entire world. Gas prices are already through the roof, and some nations in eastern Asia are having to resort back to coal-fired plants due to the shortage of LNG. Airfares are also on the rise as jet fuel becomes more expensive– just another sign that consumers all over the world are bearing the brunt of the impact as these three countries clash in the Gulf. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The only window that opens on the presidential car is the driver’s window to pay tolls. It also has no keyholes, and only the Secret Service knows how to open the secret mechanism on the doors. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire – you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away. (Denis Waitley) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Jejune (adj, jih-JOON) - Jejune is a formal word that means "uninteresting" or "boring." It is also used as a synonym of juvenile to describe things (such as behaviors, attitudes, etc.) that are immature, childish, or simplistic. In a Sentence: The movie adaptation employed surreal visual effects to tell the story, making the plot, jejune in the novel, archetypal rather than artless. Image credit to AFP

Israel confirmed that they have killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, one of the highest-profile officials they had been targeting. Larijani had taken over a large portion of government actions following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict, and he played a significant role in the pre-war oppression against Iranian protesters in January. Israel claimed that Larijani was killed in an airstrike on Tehran on Monday, and the statement was later verified by Iran. Iranian army chief Amir Hatami vowed to launch retaliation strikes to avenge Larijani's death Soon after, Israel also announced that they had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force. The Basij militia is one of the five primary branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which collectively serve as Iran's military. However, while these targeted assassinations have dealt serious damage to Iran, a significant portion of their leadership structure remains intact, and the regime is still targeting Gulf nations across the Middle East with their existing supplies. Because of this, it appears that Israel and the US are beginning to take a divided approach to the conflict. On one hand, Israel is pinpointing the locations of prominent Iranian security and launching targeted airstrikes, cutting back their leadership. Meanwhile, the US appears to be targeting Iranian military capabilities, focusing on eliminating their ballistic missile inventory and nuclear facilities. Israel has also launched a major offensive into Lebanon, where they are attempting to eliminate Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group operating out of the region. Israel's attacks – particularly those on civilian infrastructure – have already killed almost 1,000 people, and over a million others have been displaced as Israel calls for new evacuations every day. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In the popular film, The Godfather , the word “mafia” is never said because the actual mafia asked for the word to be removed, harassing producers and vandalizing equipment before the film crew agreed to their demands. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You can listen to what people say, sure. But you will be far more effective if you listen to what people do. (Seth Godin) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Erin go bragh (phrase, air-un-guh-BRAW) - Erin go bragh is an Irish phrase that means “Ireland forever.” In a Sentence: They proudly waved the Irish flag during the parade, shouting “ Erin go bragh !” Image credit to AP