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9:40 AM ET, March 19, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Reuters:
Exclusive: US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase  —  President Donald Trump's administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran …
RELATED:
Sam Sutton / Politico:
‘What is he doing?’:  New threats emerge for Trump's economy as war drags on … “Downside risks are rising, and this is an extremely fluid situation,” he said.  —  The data shows that the warning lights were flickering even before Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking global supply chains.
Alexander Ward / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Wants No More Energy Strikes, But Supported Attack On South Pars
Barak Ravid / Axios:
After Tehran strikes, Trump says Israel won't attack Iran gas fields anymore
Politico:
Trump's next pressure point
Discussion: New York Times
Peter Beaumont / The Guardian:
Middle East war: why attacks on gasfields like South Pars are a major escalation
Washington Post:
Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war  —  Some White House officials do not think the Pentagon's request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress, one senior administration official said.  —  The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve …
RELATED:
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says  —  The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says.  The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official …
Discussion: Reuters, WTOP News and Toledo Blade
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
The cost of Trump's Iran war is quickly spiraling upward  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  💰 Subscribe to PN 💰  —  Speaking to Sky News last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked if there was some point at which the Iran war …
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: ‘Takes money to kill bad guys’
Discussion: New York Post
Shelby Talcott / Semafor:
FBI investigates intelligence aide who resigned over war  —  The Scoop  —  The FBI has opened a leak investigation into a top former intelligence official who resigned Tuesday in protest over the war in Iran.  —  The investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent …
RELATED:
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Joe Kent's Resignation Letter Is Dangerous Because It's Half True
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Joe Kent, ex-Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned over Iran war, under FBI investigation for alleged leaks
New York Times:
On Iran, Gabbard Turned Intelligence Duties Over to Trump
Washington Post:
Drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live raise security concerns  —  Lockdowns at U.S. bases and a global security alert underscore concerns that Iranian retaliation could extend to officials on U.S. soil  —  U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base …
Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:
Republicans are ramping up attacks on Muslims — and getting rewarded  —  Past GOP leaders, including George W. Bush, spoke out against Islamophobia.  Now it is going unchallenged.  —  Republicans in Congress have said that “Muslims don't belong in American society” and that …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump's Hypocrisy on Religious Freedom
Discussion: NOTUS and NewsMax.com
Regina Medina / MPR News:
Judge ends asylum claims for Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, orders family's removal  —  An immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, according to their Minneapolis lawyer.  —  The 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights received national attention …
Associated Press:
A scary injury led to Trump's close bond with Homeland Security nominee Mullin  —  Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Donald Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, traces his close bond with the president to a scary personal moment in 2020, when Mullin's son suffered …
RELATED:
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
One ‘freaking snake’ and no apologies: How the Mullin hearing went off the rails
Associated Press:
Brent crude nears $115 as energy prices surge after Iran attacks Gulf energy facilities  —  Global oil and natural gas prices soared Thursday after Iran attacked a key natural gas facility in Qatar that can supply one-fifth of the worlds gas as well as two oil refineries in Kuwait.
Wall Street Journal:
A U.S. Citizen Now Runs Mexico's Top Drug Cartel—and Targeting Him Is Complicated  —  The California-born stepson of the late kingpin ‘El Mencho’ enjoys constitutional protections other capos could only dream of  —  TAPALPA, Mexico—An American citizen now appears to be in charge of Mexico's …
Washington Post:
Vance is in a bind, supporting a war that could cost him politically  —  People close to JD Vance concede that a long conflict will be a challenge for the next GOP nominee but say the vice president hasn't made up his mind about running.  —  Vice President JD Vance is projecting loyalty …
Nick Lichtenberg / Fortune:
The national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to erase it  —  The United States national debt crossed $39 trillion for the first time Tuesday, arriving at the grim milestone less than five months after it first hit $38 trillion in late October …
Discussion: Associated Press and Fox Business
NBC News:
Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski  —  Some companies complained to the Trump administration that Lewandowski has stood to personally profit from the DHS contracting process.  Lewandowski denies the allegations.
Discussion: NewsMax.com and The Hill
Bill Donahue / Billboard:
Afroman Wins Verdict Rejecting Lawsuit Filed by Ohio Cops Over Mocking Music Videos  —  Police officers raided the “Because I Got High” rapper's Ohio home, then sued him after he ridiculed them on social media — but a jury just sided with Afroman. … Afroman won a jury verdict Wednesday …
Meghan Bartels / Scientific American:
COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show  —  We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say … COVID may have killed significantly more people in the U.S. in the first two years of the pandemic than official records indicate …
Discussion: Associated Press and Gizmodo
Brent Lang / Variety:
Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Five years prior to his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in “As Deep as the Grave.”  But Kilmer, who was battling throat cancer, was too sick to ever make it to set.
ABC News:
‘I will follow the law,’ Bondi says after Democrats storm out of Epstein files briefing  —  Democrats say the AG refused to commit to following the committee's subpoena.  —  Rep. Robert Garcia speaks to the media following a closed-door briefing for members of the House Oversight …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Following Trump, Republicans in Congress Propose to Ban Most Voting by Mail  —  A restrictive voter I.D. bill under consideration in the Senate could severely limit mail-in voting.  Conservatives are pressing to end the practice outright, taking aim at an option that is widely used by voters.
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
March 18, 2026  —  I was intending to take tonight off, but there's big news—I mean, aside from all the other big news—that I want to make sure gets attention.  —  Back on February 23, Daniel Ruetenik, Pat Milton, and Cara Tabachnick of CBS News reported on a newly uncovered document …
Dave Lawler / Axios:
Scoreboard on every street: Gas heads for $4 per gallon due to Iran war  —  Most Americans will likely soon be paying over $4 per gallon as the war in Iran drives one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history. … - “President Trump has been clear that these are short-term disruptions.
Discussion: New York Times, Democrats and YouGov
New York Times:
Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People  —  In India, China and several other nations, Novo Nordisk is on the verge of losing patent protection for its blockbuster weight loss drug, opening the door for cheaper competing versions.  —  Alex Travelli and Pragati K.B.
Discussion: Semafor and Scientific American
Anna Wilde Mathews / Wall Street Journal:
Millions of Americans Are Going Uninsured Following Expiration of ACA Subsidies  —  Nearly a third of those enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans last year have left the market after costs rose sharply  —  Nearly one in 10 people who had Affordable Care Act plans last year dropped health insurance altogether …
Discussion: MS NOW
Politico:
‘Warrants or bust’: House hard-liners deliver ultimatum ahead of spy powers vote … “Warrants or bust,” Boebert said, adding that a clean bill “will not pass.”  —  Separately, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is demanding the House attach partisan elections legislation, the SAVE America Act …
Discussion: Roll Call
New York Times:
Trump Vowed to Crack Down on Fraudsters, but He's Pardoned Dozens … Salomon Melgen was an immigrant who came to the United States and wound up committing fraud, ripping off the American taxpayers by $42 million.  “Melgen devised a scheme to enrich himself by defrauding Medicare to the tune …
Discussion: MS NOW
Washington Post:
Under Trump, the government's watchdogs are losing their independence  —  Inspectors general are subject to growing partisan pressures as the White House and political figures seek greater influence over them than ever before.  —  Inspectors general have long touted their independence …
Discussion: ProPublica
 
 
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 More Items: 
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
D.C.'s hottest ticket: Trump's UFC fight night
Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
Republicans overwhelmingly back Trump over Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly on Iran war, poll finds
Joseph Zeballos-Roig / Vox:
Trump's tariffs are illegal now. Do I get a refund on this Argentine penguin?
Discussion: WVEC
Jon Levine / The Washington Free Beacon:
Zohran Mamdani's Wife Celebrated Palestinian Terrorists, Including Plane Hijacker, In Social Media Posts From Early Adulthood
Discussion: Townhall, HotAir and twitchy.com
New York Times:
‘Go Big and Go Loud’: Inside the Justice Dept.'s Push to Prosecute Protesters
Weston Kosova / Bloomberg:
The Enormous Financial Cost of Three Weeks of War in Iran
Discussion: The Times of Israel and Al Jazeera
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
HHS investigating 13 states for ‘coercing’ healthcare providers to provide abortions
Discussion: Washington Examiner
 Earlier Items: 
Ian Ward / Politico:
The Number of MAGA Fractures Is Growing
Discussion: RealClearPolitics and Raw Story
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump's face on a gold coin? His hand-picked panel will decide.
Discussion: New York Sun and The Handbasket
Andrew Stiles / The Washington Free Beacon:
Yes, He Did: Another Democratic Darling Exposed as Serial Sex Pest
Politico:
Inside the White House plan to sell the Iran war online
Discussion: Raw Story
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Kiley switches parties, loses committees
Discussion: Breitbart
 

 
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Rustin Banks / The Keyword:
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Agnee Ghosh / Bloomberg:
OpenAI agrees to acquire Astral, which makes Python tools for developers, to integrate its team into Codex, and says Codex has 2M+ users, up 3x since January

Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth says Meta will keep Horizon Worlds in VR “for existing games”, a day after Meta said Quest owners will lose access from June 15

 
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