Top Items:
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:
The Parnas Perspective, The Bulwark, Mediaite, RedState, Raw Story and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
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.
Discussion:
New Republic
Reuters:
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times, GZERO, Politico, Fox Business, Al Jazeera, CNN, Daily Caller News Foundation, Fox News and One America News Network
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Financial Times:
‘Armageddon scenario’ for gas markets as Qatar hit by missiles — Traders and analysts warn of lasting disruption after damage to facility that supplies a fifth of the world's LNG — As emergency workers sifted through the smouldering wreckage at Qatar's Ras Laffan complex on Thursday morning …
Discussion:
CNBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, France 24, The American Conservative and GB News
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.
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 …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Hill, ABC News, The Guardian, American Prospect, New York Times, Straight Arrow News, GZERO, Fox News, The American Spectator, The Intercept, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, In Saner Thought, Breaking Defense, Punchbowl News, NewsMax.com, CBS News, Asia Times, The Gateway Pundit, Democrats, New Republic, The Independent, UnHerd, Raw Story, Responsible Statecraft and Eschaton
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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 …
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says
Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says
Discussion:
Politico, Reuters, Bloomberg, KVIA-TV, Truthout, Washington Times and Associated Press
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: ‘Takes money to kill bad guys’
Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: ‘Takes money to kill bad guys’
Discussion:
The Hill, The Independent, RedState, UPI and The National Pulse
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
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 …
Discussion:
Just Security, Digby's Hullabaloo, ABC News and Fox News
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Shelby Talcott / Semafor:
FBI investigates intelligence aide who resigned over war
Discussion:
NOTUS, Axios, New York Post, Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Bulwark, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Blaze Media, Scripps News, Truthout, Washington Times, CBS News, Esquire, Not the Bee, Straight Arrow News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, NBC News, The Independent, Townhall, WVEC, News Talk 105.9, UPI, Jewish Insider, New York Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, RedState, MS NOW, GB News, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, ABC News, The Post Millennial, The Floridian, The Guardian, Raw Story, Mediaite, The Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit
Javier C. Hernández / New York Times:
Trump Jokes About Pearl Harbor in Meeting With Japan's Leader — Breaking a taboo, President Trump needled Japan's prime minister about the World War II attack, as she widened her eyes and appeared to take a deep breath in the Oval Office. — For decades, American presidents …
Discussion:
The Guardian, CBS News, Reuters, New York Post, Fox News, The Wrap, Al Jazeera, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, PoliticusUSA, The Parnas Perspective, Raw Story, Washington Times, Newsweek, The Independent, The US Sun, Deadline, Mediaite, Not the Bee and GB News
RELATED:
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Trump ribs Japanese prime minister on Pearl Harbor in Oval Office talk on Iran — President Trump ribbed the nation of Japan over its World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor in a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. — Taking questions from reporters …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Washington Times, Raw Story, New Republic, The Independent, CBS News and Mediaite
GOV.UK:
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.
Victoria Guida / Politico:
Trump digs in on Powell, suggesting DOJ probe should continue … But Trump is suggesting the DOJ probe should continue, despite a ruling by a federal judge that the administration's subpoenas were a “mere pretext” to pressure the Fed to lower interest rates.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Associated Press, CNBC, Washington Post, Fortune and Reuters
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Colby Smith / New York Times:
Iran War Narrows Fed's Path to Rate Cuts as Trump Demands Immediate Relief
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Fox Business, Axios, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, WTOP News, Deseret News and KVIA-TV
Jamie Tarabay / Bloomberg:
Warren Presses Fed Chair Nominee Warsh on Epstein Ties
Warren Presses Fed Chair Nominee Warsh on Epstein Ties
Discussion:
The Hill, The Epstein Files and WKZO
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 …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Salon, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, El País, The Post Millennial and Reuters
RELATED:
Miriam Jordan / New York Times:
Family of Minneapolis Boy Detained by ICE Faces Fast-Track Deportation
Family of Minneapolis Boy Detained by ICE Faces Fast-Track Deportation
Discussion:
WNYW-TV
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
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 in the Epstein files showing …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Digby's Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars, Civil Discourse … and The Hill
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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, PJ Media, Washington Times, Reuters, The Times of Israel, WNYW-TV, WTOP News, RedState, The Independent, The US Sun, Raw Story, Townhall, IJR and Mediaite
New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
NOTUS, Raw Story and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Six U.S. allies back potential Strait of Hormuz coalition — Six U.S. Western allies announced in a joint statement on Thursday their support for a potential coalition to reopen the strait of Hormuz for commercial ships and oil tankers. … For now, it's largely a gesture to placate President Trump …
Discussion:
The Hill, RedState, The US Sun and NewsMax.com
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.
Discussion:
New York Times, Semafor, Mock Paper Scissors, Raw Story, WKZO and Mediaite
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 …
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Epstein's lawyer tells House Oversight investigators he had ‘no knowledge’ of Epstein's crimes — Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer and a co-executor of his estate, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he had no knowledge of the convicted sex offender's crimes …
Discussion:
Business Insider, CBS News, Raw Story, KEYT-TV, The Guardian, ABC News and MS NOW
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump's hand-picked panel votes to put his face on a U.S. gold coin — The proposal had been rejected by members of a separate federal coin committee — and panned by former member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. — just now — A federal arts commission on Thursday voted to approve …
Discussion:
The Independent and New York Sun
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
D.C.'s hottest ticket: Trump's UFC fight night — President Trump tells Axios it's the “hottest ticket that I've ever seen.” — He's talking about UFC Freedom 250, the fight Trump is staging on the White House's South Lawn on June 14. … - But in a Trumpian twist of marketing …
Discussion:
The Independent and NewsMax.com
Avery Lotz / Axios:
States challenge “broadcast behemoth” mega-merger — Eight states sued to block the massive $6.2 billion merger of Nexstar and Tegna that could create the largest local broadcast company in the country by far. … - FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has already signaled he supports the transaction.
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, The Wrap, WVEC, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, KHOU-TV, NewsMax.com, Deadline and TheDesk.net, more at Mediagazer »
NBC News:
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 …
CNN:
US F-35 damaged by suspected Iranian fire makes emergency landing, sources say — By Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann — A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at US air base in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
‘Like a bomb threat’: Election chiefs decry SAVE America Act, Trump's attacks on voting — Secretaries of state slammed President Donald Trump and Republicans' sweeping anti-voting bill, the SAVE America Act, warning Thursday that it would set off chaos if it became law before the upcoming 2026 midterms.
Discussion:
Tangle, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com and The Daily Signal
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:
Straight Arrow News, The Hill and Fox Business
Reuters:
Iran executes three individuals arrested over January protests, state media — Iran executed three men on Thursday convicted of killing two police officers during unrest earlier this year, state media reported, saying the sentences had been upheld by the Supreme Court.


