Escalating Hormuz Crisis Raises Specter of Prolonged Closure  —  Hopes for quickly reviving trade through the strait are dimming without U.S. naval escorts as Iran steps up attacks  —  Escalating Iranian attacks and the U.S. government's decision to hold off on military escorts …

Exclusive: US intelligence says Iran government is not at risk of collapse, say sources  —  U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran's leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon after nearly two weeks of relentless U.S. and Israeli bombardment, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Pentagon Tells Congress First Week of Iran War Cost More Than $11.3 Billion  —  In a Capitol Hill briefing, officials gave their most comprehensive assessment of the cost of the first six days of the war, but the number omitted several aspects of the operation.

Capitol agenda: House revolt ahead for housing bill  —  The Senate is on track to easily pass a housing affordability package Thursday that is dead in the House as is — an ominous sign for any GOP affordability measures.  The bipartisan package, aimed at lowering high housing costs …

Veterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under Trump  —  Veterans' Care at Risk: Rapid Change Under Trump Creates Uncertainty  —  Reporting Highlights  — Mental Health Staff Losses: Hundreds of mental health professionals left the Department …

FBI warns Iran aspired to attack California with drones in retaliation for war: Alert  —  The warning came in a bulletin that was reviewed by ABC News.  —  Iranian-made Shahed-136 ‘Kamikaze’ drone flies over the sky of Kermanshah, Iran, March 7, 2024.  —  The FBI warned police departments …

A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care  —  As medical costs rise, more than 80 million people have made sacrifices like skipping meals and driving less, a new survey finds.  —  Americans are feeling the squeeze from rising health care costs, and they are already doing without.

UN panel accuses Trump of “racist hate speech”  —  A United Nations watchdog on Wednesday criticized “intensified immigration crackdowns” in the U.S. and accused President Trump and other American leaders of using “racist hate speech” — both of which it said “has sparked grave human rights violations.”

Intel shareholder claims board gave US an equity stake to avoid Trump's social media attacks  —  Lawsuit also criticised law firm Skadden for advising both Intel and the government  —  Intel faces a shareholder lawsuit accusing the chipmaker's leadership of granting a 10 per cent stake …

Mullin departure creates ‘House whisperer’ vacancy for Senate GOP  —  Sen. Markwayne Mullin's (R-Okla.) pending departure from the upper chamber to lead the Department of Homeland Security is creating a vacancy that Republicans wonder if they'll be able to fill: Unofficial liaison to the House.

James Comer: DOJ in 2019 ‘asked New Mexico to stop’ Epstein ranch probe  —  The House Oversight Committee chairman hinted at a cover-up by the Justice Department without noting that the president in 2019 was Donald Trump. … House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told Fox News …

Trump's military excursion, into an abyss  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  Observers have spent two weeks trying to discern the “aims” of Trump's war on Iran, and therefore what might constitute a victory or defeat.

Ernst pushes spending cuts for another party-line policy package  —  House Republicans discussed plans for a second party-line megabill during their policy retreat in Florida this past week, and now GOP senators want in on the action.  Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), in her capacity as head …

ICE Lawyer Who Told Judge She Was Overwhelmed Seeks New Role: Lawmaker  —  Julie T. Le, a former government lawyer, described in stark terms how overstretched the legal system had become during the administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota.  Now, she said, she hopes to fix the “system's failures” by running for Congress.

Officer having anxiety attack took ambulance sent for man dying from police shooting, report says  —  A man who was shot by police and later died had to wait 10 extra minutes for an ambulance after an officer having a “mild anxiety attack” took the first one that arrived at the scene, according to a newly released state investigation.

Furious allies lobby Trump to keep deporting migrants … Eighty-seven percent of Trump 2024 voters surveyed, including 79 percent of Hispanic Trump voters, want the president to exceed the previous largest deportation effort in history, led in the 1950s by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

U.S. Plan to Unblock Strait of Hormuz Collides With Realities of Global Insurance  —  This U.S.-centric insurance idea runs counter to the realities of an international market, according to industry executives  —  President Trump's plan to sell insurance for ships in the Gulf …

No ‘direct threat’ from Iran to Europe, US before war, Polish foreign minister says  —  Iran had not posed a “direct threat” to Europe or the United States before the attacks by the U.S. and Israel earlier this month, Poland's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski said.

A Police Report About a House Candidate Surprised the White House  —  Three days after President Trump announced his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of the Louisiana congressional candidate Blake Miguez, the Republican contender posted a video from outside the West Wing boasting of his close relationship with Trump and his team.

FBI joins search for retired Air Force major general missing for nearly 2 weeks  —  Federal agencies US military Deep space  —  A high-ranking retired US Air Force major general who once commanded a base long associated with UFO lore has been missing for nearly two weeks …

Poland says foiled cyberattack on nuclear centre may have come from Iran  —  Poland has foiled a cyberattack on its nuclear research centre and is examining signs that Iran may be behind it, the government said on Thursday, cautioning the indicators might be a deliberate misdirection to hide the attackers' true location.

Ukraine's US air defenses are at risk in Iran war … “If [Vladimir] Putin was feeling any pressure to negotiate before, and it's not clear he was, it's gone for now,” said a EU official.  “The U.S. is distracted and burning through some of the weapons Europe wants to purchase for Ukraine. ...

Trump's Iran war whiplash clouds U.S. endgame  —  After a video call with G7 leaders Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: no one can tell what Donald Trump wants from this war. … The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next.

Immigration detention cases decline amid Trump admin pullback from hardline tactics … Habeas petitions peaked at more than 400 on Feb. 6 but have since steadily declined, dipping below 300 per day late last month and approaching 200 per day by early March.

How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness … Long before President Trump chose him to lead the U.S. military, Pete Hegseth described the moral calling that had compelled him to volunteer to serve in Iraq.  —  He was working on Wall Street in the summer of 2005 and had read …