Federal Reserve Governor Jefferson: No Need to Hurry to Further Cut Interest Rates, Strong Economy Makes Caution Appropriate

March 1 Citing four people familiar with the matter, The Washington Post reported that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a large-scale airstrike against Iran on Saturday, backed by two unusual Middle Eastern allies—Israel and Saudi Arabia—that had lobbied for the action for weeks. Sources added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite publicly supporting a diplomatic solution to the Iran issue, privately called Trump multiple times over the past month to advocate for U.S. airstrikes. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to publicly push for U.S. strikes on Iran, labeling it Israel’s "existential enemy." Under pressure from all sides, Trump authorized the strike targeting Iran’s leadership and military. U.S. intelligence assessments have indicated the Iranian military is unlikely to pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland over the next decade, but the attack proceeded nonetheless.

On March 1, Wojciech Kaszycki, Chief Strategy Officer at BTCS, said crypto treasury firms could face a wave of consolidation in 2026 amid the ongoing crypto market slump. Many of these firms currently trade below the net asset value (NAV) of their crypto holdings, at a discount to NAV. Kaszycki noted that treasury firms with actual operating businesses—such as blockchain validation services and public/private credit tools—have a cash flow edge, putting them in a stronger position to acquire firms that only hold crypto assets but lack operating income. “Many companies trading below NAV are struggling in this market,” he said. “If consolidation takes place, sometimes 2+2 can equal 6, enabling quicker success.” He also expects real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, particularly the on-chain conversion of public and private credit assets, to grow significantly over the next 24 months. These tokenized credit instruments can serve as collateral on DeFi platforms for lending, creating a p

March 1 — Iranian state media reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has been assassinated.

**March 1st (Wall Street Journal) — The U.S. recently deployed AI technology from Anthropic in airstrikes against targets in the Middle East, according to new reports.** Hours before the strikes, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting Anthropic—a timeline that has sparked questions about policy coordination and implementation. U.S. officials have not yet disclosed details on the specific AI capabilities used or the full scope of the executive order. Separately, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on X (formerly Twitter) about the company’s engagement with the U.S. Department of Defense. He noted Anthropic was “very close” to finalizing a collaboration with the Pentagon, with strong mutual interest across most negotiation stages. However, tensions escalated rapidly in late talks, leading the deal to fall through. On security governance, the firms have stark strategic differences. OpenAI uses a “layered approach”: building a full secu

Early local time around 1:30 a.m. on March 1, the northeast side of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab (commonly called the Sailboat Hotel) was attacked and caught fire, CCTV reported. Many hotel guests were asleep when the incident occurred, awakened by a loud explosion and strong tremor. They evacuated through emergency exits one after another, with thick smoke filling the hotel lobby. The large blaze has since been extinguished. Foreign media reported that a drone attack sparked the fire.

**March 1st —** Multiple media reports and on-site sources confirmed on February 28th that a section of Dubai International Airport was targeted, causing partial damage. The airspace was temporarily closed, disrupting flights. On the same day, flights from several Middle Eastern countries saw large-scale cancellations and adjustments. Also on February 28th, the Dubai Air Defense Force intercepted a missile over Dubai Harbor. An explosion occurred near the Burj Khalifa, prompting an evacuation.