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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Live updates: Hegseth blasts European allies, media at press conference; Mullin nomination advances  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth started a press briefing Thursday on the latest Operation Epic Fury news by blasting “ungrateful” European allies and “a dishonest” media, as the war enters Day 20.

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 …

‘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.

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 …

Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign … The March 3 DHS memo noted there was only a “limited competition” for the awarded contracts because of the “urgent and compelling need” for the ad campaign.

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 …

‘He has to justify what he did’: Black leaders slam JB Pritzker after Illinois primary … Pritzker's money helped put Stratton on the path to becoming just the sixth Black senator in U.S. history.  But by boxing out Kelly, he frayed his relationship with the caucus, which holds significant sway …

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 …

California lawmakers push to strip Cesar Chavez's name from state holiday … Latino Caucus members huddled in the state Capitol following the publication of a New York Times report in which two women alleged Chavez sexually abused them as girls.  Chavez's labor movement partner, Dolores Huerta …

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 …

Trump's face on a gold coin?  His hand-picked panel will decide.  —  The proposal has already been rejected by members of a separate federal coin committee — and panned by former member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  —  Just now  —  A federal arts commission will weigh whether to approve …

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 …

‘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 …