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 …

Exclusive: Iran attack wipes out 17% of Qatar's LNG capacity for up to five years, QatarEnergy CEO says  —  Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia …

Someone Needs to Tell Trump the Truth About the War  —  The average price of a gallon of gasoline is now about $3.88, according to AAA.  In eight states, it's over $4/gallon.  Happy Thursday.  —  What Nobody's Telling Trump  —  by William Kristol  —  I doubt anyone on the inside …

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.

Trump's DHS pick Mullin advances by one vote after Sen. Fetterman votes yes  —  Republican Sen. Rand Paul opposed Mullin, but Democratic Sen. John Fetterman crossed the aisle to rescue the nominee, who was approved by a one-vote margin.  —  WASHINGTON — A key Senate committee voted 8-7 …

‘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.

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 …

Congress must ‘adequately’ fund defense, Johnson says, amid talk of $200 billion war request  —  Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday Congress has to “adequately fund defense” amid the military campaign in Iran as he declined to rule out a possible $200 billion emergency Pentagon infusion.

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 …

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 …

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.

‘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 …

Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan on the Strait of Hormuz: 19 March 2026  —  Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan on the Strait of Hormuz.

Bernie Sanders to force disapproval votes over U.S. arms sales to Israel  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing joint resolutions of disapproval Thursday over several U.S. arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Vermont independent's office tells POLITICO.

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 …

Trump's Hypocrisy on Religious Freedom  —  The Trump administration holds itself up as a defender of religious freedom.  It has created a Religious Liberty Commission, increased funding for faith-based schools and changed vaccine policies to allow more religious exemptions.

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 …

‘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 …