It's not just oil: The Iran war is threatening to reignite food inflation — the price shock voters feel most directly — at the worst possible time for President Trump and Republicans.

Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz — paralyzed by Iranian threats and potentially mines — carries a third of the world's fertilizer. For many American farmers, the spring planting season is just weeks away.

Threat level: The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) warned in a letter to Trump this week that "supply chain shocks are expected to drive already record-high input prices even higher."

Zoom in: Higher grocery costs could make it even more difficult for people to afford food in states like Arkansas, which already has one of the highest rates of food insecurity.

"Fertilizer's not an option to farmers — it's a critical input that determines the crop yield and ultimately the food supply for the American people," said AFBF president Zippy Duvall.

• "It's not just a farm issue — it's a food security issue and an economic issue for the entire country," Duvall added. "When farmers face supply shortages or price increases, those impacts ripple through the entire food chain."

Zoom out: Food inflation, driven in part by the disruption to grain exports from Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, weighed heavily on President Biden's approval ratings.

• Now a new war is threatening the same chain reaction: surging commodity prices, disrupted supply chains, higher grocery bills.

The timing is especially perilous for Trump, who campaigned explicitly on lowering grocery prices — but has faced criticism for not doing enough to address affordability concerns.

• Republicans are already defending a war many voters see as a betrayal. Spiking grocery bills would give Democrats another potent weapon.

The other side: The Trump administration "is supporting farmers through unprecedented international market access, lowered taxes, and improvements to the farm safety net," a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson says.

The bottom line: Higher prices at the pump have always been politically unpopular.

• Angering farmers and grocery shoppers at the same time could be especially toxic.

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Monday dining can feel thin. Many operators don't serve at the beginning of the week so they can prep, restock and give staff a break.

• Bocca, Fayetteville — Italian food and pizza, serving Mondays 5-9pm.
• East Side Grill, Fayetteville — New American grill fare and seafood, serving Mondays 4–10pm.
• Hammontree's Grilled Cheese, Fayetteville — American comfort food and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, serving Mondays 11am–9:30pm.
• Medusa Bar & Grill, Springdale — Mexican and bar-and-grill favorites, serving Mondays 11am–11pm.
• Menya Kitakara, Springdale — Japanese ramen and noodle dishes, serving Mondays 11am–2pm and 5–8pm.
• Saiwok, Rogers — Vietnamese street food and noodle bowls, serving Mondays 11am–8pm.
• Tavola Trattoria, Bentonville — Italian cuisine with Mediterranean influences, serving Mondays 11am–9pm.
• Theo's, Fayetteville and Rogers — American fine dining and wine bar fare, serving Mondays 5–10pm in Fayetteville and 4–10pm in Rogers.
• Vira's Indian Kitchen, Bentonville — Indian cuisine including South Indian specialties, serving Mondays 11am–9:30pm.
• Wright's Barbecue, Bentonville, Rogers and Johnson — Texas-style barbecue, serving Mondays 10:30am–8pm in Bentonville and 10:30am–9pm in Rogers and Johnson.

Bottom line: Whether you've got a work team or family in town, or a special occasion on a Monday, there are still several local dining options to choose from.

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🚗 Audi is planning to open its first NWA dealership in Rogers in 2028. (Northwest Arkansas Business Journal)

📺 The Arkansas TV Commission voted to hold off on disaffiliating from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and to raise money to pay for PBS dues. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

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Swarm Aero raised $35 million and plans to more than double its headcount by the end of the year.

The big picture: The California startup is developing what CEO Danny Goodman described as large, swarming drones capable of carrying missiles, electronic warfare payloads and cargo alike.

• "We are not expendable, like a Switchblade or a one-way thing, and we're also not exquisite, like a B-2 or F-35," he said.
• It opened a manufacturing facility in Fayetteville last month.

Follow the money: The Series A was led by Two Sigma Ventures and Silent Ventures. It follows a $2 million pre-seed in 2022 and a $22 million seed in 2023.

• Other backers include Alumni Ventures, Construct Capital and Founders Fund.

Zoom in: Swarm has completed preliminary design of its Group 5 drone, which will "take off heavier than a killer whale," according to Goodman. The first large parts are now being built.

• Goodman expects a first flight in the next two years.
• "Two-thirds of the cost of building a new aircraft is generally headcount — to design it and assemble it and test it," he said.

Zoom out: Drone warfare — refined in the Russia-Ukraine war — has jolted military doctrines the world over.

• The Pentagon under both the Trump and Biden administrations put a premium on the drone-counter-drone game.

The intrigue: Goodman previously co-founded Vannevar Labs. One of his co-founders at Swarm spent a decade at Scaled Composites.

Go deeper: For the Pentagon's drone push, the "factory is the weapon"