Your Questions About the News

Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Newsletter The Morning Your Questions About the News Times reporters answer reader questions about the war, the economy and more. Share full article By Sam Sifton I am the host of The Morning. March 30, 2026, 6:48 a.m. ET There is a lot going on in the world right now, much of it confusing, some of it contradictory, all of it important. War rages, economies rattle, trends emerge. Why? And what’s with all the self-checkout lines at Target and CVS? We brought your questions to expert Times reporters. War and conflict If so little of our oil in America comes from the Middle East, why does this war have such a strong influence over gas prices and the stock market? | Leesa Arnold | McKinney, Texas Rebecca F. Elliott , who covers energy, writes: The oil market is international, meaning that when supply is lost in one part of the world, prices generally rise elsewhere because that fuel is in higher demand. That, in turn, lifts prices at the pump, even in the United States, where oil is plentiful. Energy is also a foundation for the rest of the economy; its value affects the stock market, too. Oil prices affect everything from farming to shipping to the cost of driving to see your grandmother, leaving less money for everything else. How likely is it that Iran will retaliate for the war with an attack on American soil? As someone who remembers 9/11 vividly and now lives 40 miles from New York City, that’s my main concern for my family. | Elizabeth Pontillo | Kings Park, New York Julian Barnes , who covers intelligence, writes: I was in New York for Sept. 11, and I biked over the Brooklyn Bridge to interview people coming out of the twin towers and escaping Lower Manhattan. Like you, the day is seared in my memory. Iran has shown it has the will, and occasionally the means, to attack overseas. But unlike a quarter-century ago, America’s guard is up. Intelligence agencies are focused on the possibility of retaliation by Iran, officials tell me....