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It’s Monday, March 30. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The future of war. How to fix air travel. The company promising man-made human eggs. Tyler Cowen on Conversations with Coleman. Ruy Teixeira on how Democrats learned to stop worrying and love losing. All that and much more.
But first: An unforced error in Jerusalem.
As a Free Press reader, you’re no doubt aware of an antisemitism problem within Catholicism. It’s an ancient issue turbocharged by social media algorithms and far-right Catholic influencers, who insist that Zionism and Catholicism are incompatible despite the Vatican’s insistence that antisemitism is a grave sin and Israel has a right to exist.
Gasoline was thrown onto this already flammable situation yesterday, when Israeli authorities blocked the top Catholic in the Jewish state from celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass. Police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from walking to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Christianity, where he was set to hold a livestreamed Mass.
Critics of Israel said that it was proof that Israel hates Christians. The Israeli government insisted that the police stopped Pizzaballa due to security concerns, as Iranian missiles continue to hit Jerusalem and damage holy sites; earlier this month, for example, a fragment of an Iranian missile landed within walking distance of the church.
Today, Avi Mayer, founder of Jerusalem Journal and former editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post, reports on the controversy for The Free Press. One well-connected Israeli rabbi who works on interfaith issues blamed the incident on “a perfect storm of clumsiness, closed-mindedness, and rosh katan,” a Hebrew phrase denoting a tendency to do the bare minimum without taking the bigger picture into account.
For his part, Pizzaballa is hitting a conciliatory note, saying there were “misunderstandings” and that “everything was done in a very polite manner.”
Meanwhile, Israeli president Isaac Herzog expressed his “great sorrow” that the Mass was prevented, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has directed authorities to “enable [Pizzaballa] to hold services as he wishes.”
Read Avi’s story on the messy reality of life during wartime, how an avoidable bureaucratic mishap turned into an international incident, and why the Israeli government’s unforced errors are so costly.
—Will Rahn
ANTROPIC, ANDURIL AND THE FUTURE OF DEFENSE TECH
February 27, 2026, was a flash point in the cold war between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The AI giant Anthropic had drawn a red line with the Pentagon, forbidding the military from using its product for autonomous weapons or the mass surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon retaliated by ending their contract and designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk. Anthropic has since sued to overturn this designation.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSAn Iranian man stands in his destroyed café after an airstrike in Tehran, Iran, on March 29. (Morteza Nikoubaz via Getty Images)Israeli air strikes hit Tehran on Sunday, and the Iranian regime launched ballistic missiles into Israel. The exchange of fire comes as diplomats gathered in Pakistan, hoping to negotiate a peace deal.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested for planning to violently attack pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani. Authorities said Alexander Heifler was arrested in Hoboken, New Jersey, with eight Molotov cocktails. According to CBS News, police said Heifler is an “extremist with no criminal record with the NYPD.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched a missile attack into Israel on Saturday. The attack raises concerns that the Houthis could block Red Sea shipping routes, further constraining global trade.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned the U.S. against launching a ground invasion into the region. According to Ghalibaf, Iranian forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
Thousands of protesters gathered across the country on Saturday for a series of “No Kings” rallies, protesting President Trump. This weekend’s marches were the first since last October, and came just as this year’s midterms are beginning to take shape.
The United States Coast Guard is allowing a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba. The ship, expected to arrive Tuesday, will supply the island with a critical energy source after the Trump administration imposed an effective oil blockade on the country for the past several months.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 leaders on Friday that the war in Iran will last another 2–4 weeks. Rubio’s comments mark the first time a senior U.S. official has indicated the conflict could last longer than President Trump’s initial 4–6 week timeline.
FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email was reportedly hacked by cyber criminals linked to Iran. The attack raises serious concerns about cybersecurity as the war continues to heat up on multiple fronts.
President Trump signed a memo on Friday ordering the Department of Homeland Security to restore pay for airport screeners across the country. The order came after TSA employees had missed two full paychecks, and were beginning to call out of work in record numbers.
The House of Representatives passed a short-term bill funding every agency under the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. While the vote offered a bit of daylight for government employees, the shutdown will likely drag on as the bill awaits approval in the Senate.
Figure skater Ilia Malinin, known affectionately as the “Quad god,” won his third consecutive world championship on Saturday. The win comes as a sorely needed redemption for Malinin, who made headlines for underperforming at the Winter Olympics.
CORRECTION: A previous version of The Front Page said the diplomats were reportedly gathering in Iran to negotiate a peace deal to end the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. They are reportedly gathering in Pakistan. This has been updated. The Free Press regrets the error.
View all episodes
By Bari WeissIt’s Monday, March 30. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The future of war. How to fix air travel. The company promising man-made human eggs. Tyler Cowen on Conversations with Coleman. Ruy Teixeira on how Democrats learned to stop worrying and love losing. All that and much more.
But first: An unforced error in Jerusalem.
As a Free Press reader, you’re no doubt aware of an antisemitism problem within Catholicism. It’s an ancient issue turbocharged by social media algorithms and far-right Catholic influencers, who insist that Zionism and Catholicism are incompatible despite the Vatican’s insistence that antisemitism is a grave sin and Israel has a right to exist.
Gasoline was thrown onto this already flammable situation yesterday, when Israeli authorities blocked the top Catholic in the Jewish state from celebrating a Palm Sunday Mass. Police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from walking to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Christianity, where he was set to hold a livestreamed Mass.
Critics of Israel said that it was proof that Israel hates Christians. The Israeli government insisted that the police stopped Pizzaballa due to security concerns, as Iranian missiles continue to hit Jerusalem and damage holy sites; earlier this month, for example, a fragment of an Iranian missile landed within walking distance of the church.
Today, Avi Mayer, founder of Jerusalem Journal and former editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post, reports on the controversy for The Free Press. One well-connected Israeli rabbi who works on interfaith issues blamed the incident on “a perfect storm of clumsiness, closed-mindedness, and rosh katan,” a Hebrew phrase denoting a tendency to do the bare minimum without taking the bigger picture into account.
For his part, Pizzaballa is hitting a conciliatory note, saying there were “misunderstandings” and that “everything was done in a very polite manner.”
Meanwhile, Israeli president Isaac Herzog expressed his “great sorrow” that the Mass was prevented, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has directed authorities to “enable [Pizzaballa] to hold services as he wishes.”
Read Avi’s story on the messy reality of life during wartime, how an avoidable bureaucratic mishap turned into an international incident, and why the Israeli government’s unforced errors are so costly.
—Will Rahn
ANTROPIC, ANDURIL AND THE FUTURE OF DEFENSE TECH
February 27, 2026, was a flash point in the cold war between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The AI giant Anthropic had drawn a red line with the Pentagon, forbidding the military from using its product for autonomous weapons or the mass surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon retaliated by ending their contract and designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk. Anthropic has since sued to overturn this designation.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSAn Iranian man stands in his destroyed café after an airstrike in Tehran, Iran, on March 29. (Morteza Nikoubaz via Getty Images)Israeli air strikes hit Tehran on Sunday, and the Iranian regime launched ballistic missiles into Israel. The exchange of fire comes as diplomats gathered in Pakistan, hoping to negotiate a peace deal.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested for planning to violently attack pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani. Authorities said Alexander Heifler was arrested in Hoboken, New Jersey, with eight Molotov cocktails. According to CBS News, police said Heifler is an “extremist with no criminal record with the NYPD.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched a missile attack into Israel on Saturday. The attack raises concerns that the Houthis could block Red Sea shipping routes, further constraining global trade.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned the U.S. against launching a ground invasion into the region. According to Ghalibaf, Iranian forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
Thousands of protesters gathered across the country on Saturday for a series of “No Kings” rallies, protesting President Trump. This weekend’s marches were the first since last October, and came just as this year’s midterms are beginning to take shape.
The United States Coast Guard is allowing a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba. The ship, expected to arrive Tuesday, will supply the island with a critical energy source after the Trump administration imposed an effective oil blockade on the country for the past several months.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 leaders on Friday that the war in Iran will last another 2–4 weeks. Rubio’s comments mark the first time a senior U.S. official has indicated the conflict could last longer than President Trump’s initial 4–6 week timeline.
FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email was reportedly hacked by cyber criminals linked to Iran. The attack raises serious concerns about cybersecurity as the war continues to heat up on multiple fronts.
President Trump signed a memo on Friday ordering the Department of Homeland Security to restore pay for airport screeners across the country. The order came after TSA employees had missed two full paychecks, and were beginning to call out of work in record numbers.
The House of Representatives passed a short-term bill funding every agency under the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. While the vote offered a bit of daylight for government employees, the shutdown will likely drag on as the bill awaits approval in the Senate.
Figure skater Ilia Malinin, known affectionately as the “Quad god,” won his third consecutive world championship on Saturday. The win comes as a sorely needed redemption for Malinin, who made headlines for underperforming at the Winter Olympics.
CORRECTION: A previous version of The Front Page said the diplomats were reportedly gathering in Iran to negotiate a peace deal to end the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. They are reportedly gathering in Pakistan. This has been updated. The Free Press regrets the error.