Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child — Last year, Paolo Zampolli, the former modeling agent who famously introduced Donald and Melania Trump, asked the administration for a favor. — Megan Twohey — Zampolli was in a custody battle with his Brazilian ex-girlfriend over their son.
New Republic:
Transcript: Trump War Takes Dark Turn as Leaks Unnerve Dems: “Madness” — The following is a lightly edited transcript of the March 20 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here. — Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
Discussion:
Reuters
RELATED:
New Republic:
Trump War Takes Darker Turn as Leaked Plans Unnerve Experts: “Madness” — Everything we're learning now strongly suggests that Donald Trump's war is about to get worse. First, officials leaked word to The Washington Post that the Pentagon and the White House are likely to demand $200 billion more from Congress.
Discussion:
Reason, Reuters, Washington Examiner and Bloomberg
Megan Mineiro / New York Times:
Deferring to Trump, G.O.P. Lawmakers Resist a Public Accounting on Iran
Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:
Prime-time Fox shows gave less than a minute of airtime to the Pentagon's $200 billion Iran funding request
Discussion:
The Independent, Newsbusters, Jewish Insider, WJR-AM1, Associated Press, Washington Post, The Hill, The Portland Press Herald, Washington Examiner, New York Sun, Reuters, CBS News, The Intercept, New Republic, Fortune, Toledo Blade, Truthout, ABC News, Bloomberg, New York Times and NOTUS
Joshua Keating / Vox:
Here's how Iran could become a “forever war” — The Trump administration's end goals for the war in Iran, never particularly well-defined to begin with, appear to be narrowing. — While President Donald Trump once spoke ambitiously about regime change and insisted that he should play …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Times and The Atlantic
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Dan De Luce / NBC News:
U.S. intelligence chiefs' testimony is out of sync with Trump's talking points
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Vanity Fair
Washington Post:
U.S.-Israeli rift widens over potential endgame in Iran
Discussion:
HotAir, New York Times, CBS News, The Intercept, The Hill, KEYT-TV, WISH-TV, Council on Foreign Relations, Bloomberg, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Just Security, Politico, HuffPost, WTOP News, Associated Press, Middle East Monitor and Reuters
Ryan Cooper / American Prospect:
Ol' Donny Trump Has Really Stepped in It This Time — If there is a core feature of the phenomenon of Donald Trump, it's impunity. This has less to do with Trump's personal intelligence or ability than with luck—in the early 2000s, his largely fake business empire was on the verge of collapse …
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
Trump Is Getting Drilled, Baby, Drilled — There has always been a chasm between the actual MAGA voters and the MAGA intelligentsia that purports to speak for them, but it has rarely been as visible as it is this week. Many of the leading lights of the literate right have been pulling their hair out …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Military and Veteran …, WDEF-TV, Modern Diplomacy, gCaptain and NewsMax.com
Falyn Stempler / AOL:
FEMA disaster chief claims he is able to teleport: ‘I landed in a ditch by a baptist church’ — Resurfaced comments made by Gregg Phillips, the head of FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, have sparked concern about the new leader's competency and mental state.
Discussion:
El País, CNN, Eschaton, Election Law Blog and Associated Press
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Axios:
Trump mulls risky Kharg Island takeover to force Iran to open strait — The Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios. … In the meantime, global energy prices are surging.
Discussion:
HotAir, New York Times, NewsMax.com, Wide World of News, The Hill, Politico and NPR
Emily Goodin / New York Post:
Trump brags he's in better health than the Navy football team — and even got a doctor's opinion — President Trump on Friday argued he's healthier than the Navy championship football team and got his former White House doctor to agree. — The president welcomed Navy midshipmen …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
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Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Google Search is now using AI to replace headlines — We're seeing Verge headlines rewritten by Google AI. … Since roughly the turn of the millennium, Google Search has been the bedrock of the web. People loved Google's trustworthy “10 blue links” search experience and its unspoken promise …
Discussion:
Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
Putin offers to stop sharing intel with Iran if US cuts off Ukraine — Moscow proposed a quid pro quo to the U.S. under which the Kremlin would stop sharing intelligence information with Iran, such as the precise coordinates of U.S. military assets in the Middle East, if Washington ceased supplying Ukraine with intel about Russia.
New York Times:
U.S. Prosecutors Investigate Colombia's President, a Onetime Trump Foe — The Justice Department is examining whether President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has ties to drug traffickers. — President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who has had a volatile relationship with President Trump …
Discussion:
GZERO, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, The National Pulse, Raw Story and New Republic
Tim Balk / New York Times:
In Reversal, Trump Restores Support for House Republican Who Opposed Tariffs — President Trump reinstated his endorsement of Representative Jeff Hurd of Colorado, just weeks after pulling it back. — President Trump on Friday reversed himself and re-endorsed Representative Jeff Hurd …
Discussion:
Raw Story and American Thinker
RELATED:
Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Trump convinces GOP primary challenger to drop bid for Colorado House seat
Discussion:
NOTUS, Politico, Washington Examiner, Washington Times and Colorado Politics
Josephine Walker / Axios:
“Deliberate indifference”: U.S. targets Harvard in antisemitism suit — The Trump administration sued Harvard on Friday, alleging the school “turned a blind eye” to the harassment of Jewish and Israeli students on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian and The Floridian
RELATED:
Bianca Quilantan / Politico:
Trump administration sues Harvard over alleged discrimination against Jewish students
Discussion:
CNN, New York Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Jewish Insider and CBS News
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. War Planes and Helicopters Kick Off Battle to Reopen Hormuz — Effort takes on new urgency nearly three weeks into the war with Iran as oil prices soar
Discussion:
Euronews, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Semafor
RELATED:
Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
U.S. Military Ramps Up to Clear Strait of Hormuz
Discussion:
New York Post and Air & Space Forces Magazine
Andrew Solender / Axios:
“He needs to go”: Dems rage over Fetterman's DHS vote — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is under heavy fire from fellow Democrats for casting the deciding vote to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin's (R-Okla.) nomination for DHS Secretary, with some openly calling for his ouster.
Politico:
‘Hormuz has to reopen’: Why the oil industry can't help Trump tame rising gasoline prices … Much of the administration's messaging has acted as a disincentive for drilling, said an oil and gas executive granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
RELATED:
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP leaders punt controversial FISA vote to April — House GOP leaders are punting a reauthorization vote for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that they had hoped to hold next week until mid-April, with a GOP hard-liner revolt over warrantless surveillance threatening to tank the legislation …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Washington Times and Washington Examiner
Paul Krugman:
Scenes from the Death of the Pax Americana — No real post today. I don't have it in me. Just a few scenes from the accelerating collapse in America's reputation and influence. — Item: The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, roughly speaking Denmark's equivalent of the BBC …
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
After yesterday's revelation that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is blocking the release of a memo related to a Drug Enforcement Agency investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and 14 co-conspirators, Attorney General Pam Bondi added more evidence to the idea that the DOJ is engaged …
Discussion:
Semafor, The Guardian, Scripps News, MS NOW, Mediaite, Grabien, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, KEYT-TV, New Republic, ABC News, CNN and The Hill
Washington Post:
CBS News will end radio service as Weiss struggles to right ship — The troubled network is eliminating its century-old CBS News Radio division and laying off more staff. — CBS News will end its nearly century-old radio service, CBS News Radio, and cut more jobs amid a rocky turnaround effort under …
Shifra Dayak / NOTUS:
The Trump Administration Is Turning the U.S. Census on Its Head — The changes could cloud the government's understanding of what the United States population looks like and the resources it needs. — Copy — The 2030 U.S. census is poised to look very different than the one released in 2020.
Reuters:
US to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, officials say — The United States military is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday. — The deployments of the USS Boxer, along …
ProPublica:
As Trump Demands Voter Data, This Fiercely Independent Red State Says No — States were on notice from the U.S. Department of Justice that if they didn't fall in line, the federal government would force them into compliance. — It wasn't President Donald Trump's administration applying pressure.
Discussion:
US Department of Justice and USA Today
Sophie Brams / The Hill:
Judge: RFK Jr. overreached in push to restrict gender-affirming for minors — A federal judge in Oregon ruled on Thursday that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has overreached in his push to restrict gender-affirming care for minors, according to multiple outlets.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, The Independent, PinkNews, Newsweek, Gay City News, MS NOW and Bloomberg Law
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Thousands have swooned over this MAGA dream girl. She's made with AI. … The beautiful Army blonde Jessica Foster has posed with an F-22 Raptor fighter jet, donned camouflage in the desert and walked a tarmac with President Donald Trump on the first day of the strikes on Iran.
Discussion:
The Independent
Tom Schaller / Public Notice:
House Republicans are heading for the exits — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 📜 Subscribe to PN 📜 — Earlier this month, four more Republicans announced their pending retirements from the House of Representatives: Darrell Issa …
NPR:
An immigration court few have heard of is quietly shaping policy behind the scenes — The Trump administration has reshaped a lesser-known corner of the Justice Department to set immigration policy and escalate mass detentions and deportations. — An administrative court known as the Board …
Discussion:
CBS News
NBC News:
U.S. strikes alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific Ocean, leaving 3 survivors — The attack on the alleged drug boat is believed to be the second such strike to be conducted during the ongoing war with Iran. — The U.S. military conducted another strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean …
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Times
Peter Nicholas / NBC News:
Father of service member killed in Iran war said he never told Pete Hegseth to ‘finish’ the job — Hegseth said “family after family” of service members killed urged the administration to “not stop until the job is done.” President Donald Trump made a similar claim earlier this month.
ProPublica:
The Number of Families Being Held at Dilley Detention Center Has Plummeted — The number of parents and children booked into the country's only immigrant family detention center, in Dilley, Texas, plummeted in February by more than 75% compared with a month earlier, according to Immigration …
Discussion:
New York Times, Slate and HuffPost
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