Trump Says Cuba Negotiating Deal While Hinting at 'Friendly Takeover'

Cuba Is Negotiating Deal With US, Trump Says Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times, U.S. President Donald Trump said March 8 that the Cuban government is negotiating a deal with him and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Speaking at his “Shield of the Americas” gathering of Latin American leaders in Miami, Florida, Trump said that Cuba is “at the end of the line” due to Venezuela cutting off oil deliveries after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. “As we achieve a historic tr

President Donald Trump suggests Cuba could be “easy” to overthrow as tensions grow in the region. Mick Mulroy weighs what U.S. intervention would actually look like.

<p>Nearly seven months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to sell the U.S. their battle-proven technology for downing Iranian-made attack drones. They even made a PowerPoint presentation — obtained exclusively by Axios — showing how it could protect American forces and their allies in a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-war-countries-gulf-qatar-us" target="_blank">Middle East war</a>.</p><ul><li>The Trump administration dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week because of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/04/politics/us-air-defenses-iran-attack-drones-challenge" target="_blank">more-than-expected </a>drone strikes from Iran.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Snubbing Ukraine's offer ranks as one of the biggest tactical miscalculations by the administration since the bombing of Iran began Feb. 28, two U.S. officials tell Axios.</p><hr /><ul><li>Iran's inexpensive Shahed drones have been linked to the deaths of seven U.S. service members, and have cost the U.S. and its friends in the region millions of dollars to intercept.</li><li>"If there's a tactical error or a mistake we made leading up to this [war in Iran], this was it," a U.S. official acknowledged.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Ukraine is the world's most experienced country in combating Shaheds, which Russia has bought, reproduced and labeled as Geran drones by the thousands for its <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/17/ukraine-russia-negotiations-zelensky-donbas" target="_blank">invasion</a> of its western neighbor.</p><ul><li>Ukraine has developed a low-cost interceptor drone, among other sensors and air defenses, to shoot down Shahed-style drones.</li></ul><p><strong>Inside the room: </strong>At a closed-door White House <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/18/zelensky-trump-summit-white-house-russia-ukraine" target="_blank">meeting </a>on Aug. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered the interceptor drones to President Trump as a way to strengthen ties and, according to one official, show his thanks for U.S. support in the face of Russian aggression.</p><ul><li>The Ukrainians made a PowerPoint presentation to U.S. officials that displayed a map of the Middle East and had this prophetic warning: "Iran is improving its Shahed one-way-attack drone design."</li><li>The presentation included the idea of creating "drone combat hubs" in Turkey, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states, where U.S. bases are located, to address the threat from Iran and its proxies. </li><li>"We wanted to build the 'drone walls' and all the things necessary like the radar, et cetera," a Ukrainian official said.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue:</strong> "At that meeting ... in August, Trump asked his team to work on it, but they have done nothing," the Ukrainian official said.</p><ul><li>A U.S. official who saw the PowerPoint confirmed that Zelensky's team showed the presentation to the administration and theorized the Ukrainian leader is seen by some in the Trump administration as too much of a self-promoter of a client state that doesn't command enough respect.</li><li>"We figured it was Zelensky being Zelensky. Somebody decided not to buy it," the official said.</li><li>On Thursday, the U.S. formally asked Zelensky for anti-drone help, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/world/middleeast/ukraine-shahed-drone-middle-east.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"Iranian retaliatory attacks are down by 90% because their ballistic missile capabilities are being totally demolished," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.</p><ul><li>"This characterization made by these cowardly unnamed sources is not accurate and proves that they are simply outside looking in. [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth and the armed forces did an incredible job planning for all possible responses by the Iranian regime, and the undisputed success of Operation Epic Fury speaks for itself."</li></ul><p><strong>Reality check: </strong>U.S. officials have reported shooting down the overwhelming majority of Iranian missiles and drones. So far, they say, the seven U.S. deaths have been well below initial estimates of 40 fatalities for the opening of the conflict.</p><ul><li>On Friday, the U.S. <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/us-send-anti-drone-system-mideast-after-successful-130839591" target="_blank">announced plans </a>to deploy its own Shahed-killing drone system, called Merops, amid complaints from regional allies about the attacks. </li><li>One U.S. official told the Associated Press that the response to Iran's drones has so far been "disappointing."</li><li>Another U.S. official acknowledged the Ukrainian drones would have helped if deployed sooner, but added that "our performance in theater has been remarkable."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>The need for new technology is of acute interest to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/26/dan-driscoll-ukraine-russia-negotiations" target="_blank">U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll</a>, nicknamed "the drone guy" in the Pentagon. </p><ul><li>Hegseth rolled out <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-tears-up-red-tape-orders-pentagon-begin-drone-surge-trumps-command" target="_blank">changes </a>last year aimed at outpacing China and Russia in unmanned aerial combat. The Biden administration also had drone-counter-drone initiatives, dubbed Replicator.</li><li>The need for the technology is so great that Trump's sons <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-sons-back-new-drone-company-targeting-pentagon-sales-2f74abca?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcVcnuOtHnCgV-yw4pEfPycPgWn7edyqcEnxiGJk11nyMQZ5gsbPvMjE__iCFc%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69af5ce4&amp;gaa_sig=QkPOJgjIFjxLUB2-NgjNhUIV2fqllS40y0EloKXWlCzzcfqPUSFGc-j9ZVfYdwBu4F6WQVJqxhy-e-bw5rUCLA%3D%3D" target="_blank">announced </a>a new business venture Monday to supply the Pentagon with Ukrainian drone technology.</li></ul><p><strong>By the numbers: </strong>An Iranian Shahed is said to cost $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the model. The Ukrainian interceptors are even cheaper.</p><ul><li>Concerns about intercepting such a cheap, simple target with a multimillion-dollar munition spiked during U.S. fights against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and have remained high since.</li><li>Other countermeasures exist: Footage has emerged of AH-64 Apaches blasting Iranian drones. And the U.K. has promised to send Wildcat helicopters strapped with counter-drone Martlet missiles.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Knowing Trump's "Art of the Deal" mindset, the Ukrainians structured the drone defense offer like a business partnership, promising to help create manufacturing jobs in the U.S.</p><ul><li>In return for giving the U.S. access to its drone and anti-drone system production and know-how, Ukraine proposed to buy American weapons. </li><li>"Our problem was money. Our resources allowed us to produce only 50% of what we can produce. So we wanted the U.S. to invest the other 50% and have a share of the production," the Ukrainian official said.</li><li>Ukraine estimated it could help build as many as 20 million of the weapons to "unleash American drone dominance," the PowerPoint said.</li></ul><p><strong>Months later, in November,</strong> another U.S. official told Axios that military personnel have "been wanting to go to Ukraine and pull the tech and the tactics from the Ukrainian military ... so that we're innovating and learning." </p><ul><li>"The Ukrainians are in a life-and-death, existential crisis, 100%."</li></ul>

<div>Map: Sara Wise/Axios</div><p>While President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> has offered <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/trump-iran-strait-of-hormuz-insurance-navy" target="_blank">political risk insurance</a> and Navy escorts for tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, it still remains one of the most difficult waterways in the world to defend. </p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>The Strait, which carries roughly 25% of the world's seaborne oil supply, is approximately 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, but the designated shipping lanes are far smaller — concentrating traffic into predictable corridors for Iran to monitor and target adversaries. </p><hr /><p><strong>State of play: </strong>Trump said American forces sank nine <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/01/trump-us-sinks-9-iran-warships-strait-of-hormuz" target="_self">Iranian warships</a> and are working to neutralize the rest of its navy, but Iran doesn't need a conventional fleet to make passage through the Strait dangerous.</p><ul><li>Iran sits along the Strait's northern coastline, giving it a geographic advantage to limit maritime traffic or to attack vessels. </li><li>From shore, Iranian forces can <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45281" target="_blank">deploy</a> shore-based missiles or fast attack craft with little warning, while U.S. and allied forces are forced to operate from a greater distance.</li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-nears-deal-buy-supersonic-anti-ship-missiles-china-2026-02-24/" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported in late February that Iran was close to finalizing a deal with China to acquire anti-ship cruise missiles, which could pose an added threat to U.S. naval forces in the region. The status of that deal is unknown. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>Iran has effectively closed the Strait for certain vessels, threatening retaliation if ships from some countries — including Israel and the United States — attempt to pass through. </p><ul><li>The halt in traffic has pushed <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/08/iran-war-oil-market-barrel-cost" target="_blank">oil prices</a> into the triple digits for the first time since 2022. </li><li>And further disruptions, such as an Iranian attack on a commercial vessel, could effectively close the waterway for all ships, sending prices even higher.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-shutdown-us-global-economy" target="_blank">How Iran's Strait of Hormuz shutdown could hit the global economy</a></p>

<p>The Lebanese government proposed direct negotiations with <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/israel" target="_blank">Israel</a> — through the Trump administration — aimed at ending the war and reaching a peace agreement, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter.</p><ul><li>Both the U.S. and Israeli responses were cool and deeply skeptical, the sources said.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Lebanon's government is extremely alarmed that the renewed war, triggered by Hezbollah's decision to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/iran-war-israel-hezbollah-lebanon" target="_blank">launch rockets at Israel</a>, will devastate the country.</p><hr /><ul><li>So far, the Lebanese army has refused to take meaningful action against the Iran-backed militant group.</li><li>And with Washington uninterested in mediating and Israel determined to use the moment to dismantle Hezbollah, a full-scale escalation appears increasingly likely.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> Hezbollah entered the fighting on the second day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, firing rockets and drones toward Israel and intensifying its attacks in the days that followed.</p><ul><li>Israel responded with massive airstrikes — including in Beirut — and ground incursions into southern Lebanon, expanding its military footprint in the country.</li><li>Hezbollah has since engaged Israeli forces in guerrilla warfare on the ground.</li><li>More than 600,000 Lebanese civilians have fled the south. Beirut's southern suburbs, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, have been nearly emptied after the IDF warned of impending strikes.</li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> Last week, the Lebanese government approached Tom Barrack — the U.S. ambassador to Turkey — and asked him to mediate with Israel, according to a U.S. official, an Israeli official, and three sources with direct knowledge of the matter.</p><ul><li>The Israeli official said the Lebanese government also claimed some Hezbollah members were open to a deal.</li><li>In an unprecedented step, Lebanon proposed holding immediate direct talks with Israel at the ministerial level in Cyprus.</li><li>Barrack's response was blunt: "Stop with the b*llshit" on disarming Hezbollah, or there's nothing to discuss. "If it's not real action about Hezbollah's weapons, there's no point," a source said.</li></ul><p><strong>Sources say the Israeli government </strong>rejected the outreach outright, signaling it was too late. Its focus is now on eliminating Hezbollah.</p><p><strong>The context:</strong> Barrack is also the U.S. envoy to Syria and Iraq. While he worked the Lebanon file last year, he hasn't been engaged on the issue for several months.</p><ul><li>The U.S. diplomat most recently handling Lebanon was Morgan Ortagus, who left the government in January.</li><li>The current U.S. ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, is the senior American official formally responsible for Lebanon — but has limited access to decision-makers in Washington.</li><li>The result is a Lebanon portfolio with no clear owner at a moment of acute crisis.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri were furious when Hezbollah joined the war — having received assurances from the group's political leadership for weeks that it would stay out of any conflict between Israel and Iran, a source said.</p><ul><li>The episode made clear that Hezbollah's political arm doesn't have real control over its military wing — and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) holds decisive influence over the group's actions.</li><li>That realization drove two historic and unprecedented decisions: banning Hezbollah's military arm and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/lebanon-israel-iran-irgc-hezbollah" target="_blank">ordering the deportation</a> of IRGC members from Lebanese soil.</li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but:</strong> Lebanese Army commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal has resisted the government's push, refusing to deploy troops against Hezbollah while active fighting continues, the sources said.</p><ul><li>His stance has fueled tensions with Salam and drawn pressure from both Democrats and Republicans in Washington on Aoun to fire him, according to current and former U.S. officials.</li><li>"The Lebanese military remains unwilling — some say unable — to enforce the government's decision outlawing Hezbollah's military and security activities," said Firas Maksad, managing director for Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group.</li></ul><p><strong>What to watch:</strong> Lebanon's government is deeply frustrated that it is being largely ignored by the Trump administration. Without active U.S. mediation, the sources say, there is no path to peace talks.</p><ul><li>"There is no interest from the Trump administration to deal with Lebanon," one source with knowledge of the issue told Axios.</li><li>"Nobody in Washington is taking their calls," said a former U.S. official.</li><li>"The Lebanese government was warned and warned and warned this would happen if they don't take action against Hezbollah," said a third source, also a former U.S. official.</li></ul><p><strong>What's next:</strong> Lebanon is launching a diplomatic initiative to pursue direct senior-level negotiations with Israel, Maksad said — aimed at building a post-war order in which Hezbollah no longer dominates the country.</p><ul><li>"The Lebanese state will not, perhaps cannot, create the military conditions to get there. But it will meet Israel and the U.S. at the table once the guns go silent."</li></ul>

<p>Anthropic on Monday sued the Pentagon, alleging its designation as a "supply chain risk" violates the company's First Amendment rights and exceeds the government's authority.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Supply chain risk designations are usually reserved for foreign adversaries that pose a national security risk — a punishment that could be hard for the government to square as it relied on Claude for operations in Iran.</p><hr /><p><strong>State of play:</strong> The Pentagon last week <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/pentagon-anthropic-amodei-apology" target="_blank">designated</a> Anthropic a supply chain risk, meaning companies must stop using Claude in cases directly tied to the department.</p><ul><li>President Trump also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/27/anthropic-pentagon-supply-chain-risk-claude" target="_blank">told</a> the federal government in a Truth Social post to stop using Anthropic's technology, and some <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/treasury-trump-ai-anthropic-pentagon" target="_blank">agencies</a> have begun offboarding the tools.</li></ul><p><strong>Anthropic is asking courts </strong>to undo the supply chain risk designation, block its enforcement and require federal agencies to withdraw directives to drop the company.</p><ul><li>The company says its two lawsuits are not meant to force the government to work with Anthropic, but prevent officials from blacklisting companies over policy disagreements.</li></ul><p><strong>What's inside: </strong>The first lawsuit — filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — claims the designation punishes Anthropic for being outspoken about its views on AI policy, including its advocacy for safeguards against its technology being used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons.</p><ul><li>The Pentagon has a right to disagree and choose not to work with Anthropic, the company argues, but it can't stigmatize the company as a security risk over protected speech.</li><li>The case challenges the statutory authority underpinning the Pentagon's designation, 10 U.S.C. 3252, arguing that Congress required the department to use the least restrictive means to protect the government and mitigate supply chain risk, not punish a supplier.</li></ul><p><strong>Procurement laws passed by Congress</strong> do not give the Pentagon or President Trump the power to blacklist a company, Anthropic says.</p><ul><li>Companies including Microsoft and Google have said they'll be able to continue non-defense related work with Anthropic.</li></ul><p><strong>A second, shorter lawsuit was filed </strong>in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals because another statute the government invoked can only be challenged there and similar arguments are being made there, Anthropic says.</p><ul><li>The company is seeking relief in both jurisdictions.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>The Pentagon argues the dispute is about operational control, not speech.</p><ul><li>Department officials say this has always been about the military's ability to use technology legally, without a vendor inserting itself into the chain of command and putting warfighters at risk.</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> This doesn't preclude the two sides from reaching an agreement.</p><ul><li>Defense undersecretary Emil Michael last week told <a href="https://www.piratewires.com/p/inside-pentagon-anthropic-deal-culture-clash" target="_blank">Pirate Wires</a> he would be open-minded: "I have a responsibility to the Department of War, and if there was a way to ensure that we had the best technology, I have no ego about it."</li></ul><p><strong>What's next: </strong>Anthropic says it's committed to continuing to serve the Pentagon amid major combat operations.</p><ul><li>"Seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners," an Anthropic spokesperson said. </li><li>"We will continue to pursue every path toward resolution, including dialogue with the government." </li></ul>

<p>Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel" target="_blank">his father</a>, Ali <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-leader-ali-khamenei-what-to-know" target="_blank">Khameni,</a> as Iran's next supreme leader, Iranian state media reported Sunday.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> The move consolidates hardline control even as U.S. and Israeli strikes pound the country.</p><hr /><ul><li>The regime is at its most vulnerable state since the 1979 revolution, and critics have previously <a href="https://www.cfr.org/reports/leadership-transition-in-iran" target="_blank">railed</a> against Mojtaba's rise, citing his limited formal experience, modest theological credentials and the regime's aversion to dynastic rule.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>Assembly of Experts issued a statement calling on the Iranian people to "keep unity and pledge allegiance to the new supreme leader."</p><ul><li>Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged allegiance to the new leader and said it's "ready to fully obey" his commands, according to Tehran's Farns news agency.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump</a> acknowledged to Axios during a Thursday interview that the younger Khamenei was the most likely successor, but he made clear he found this outcome unacceptable.</p><ul><li>"Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/us-venezuela-diplomatic-consular-relations" target="_blank">Delcy [Rodriguez]</a> in Venezuela," <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">Trump told Axios</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick: </strong>The U.S. and Israel killed Ali Khamenei in "<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-attack-trump-us-israel-strikes" target="_blank">major combat operations</a>" after Iran refused to agree to a nuclear deal.</p><ul><li>The attacks also targeted Mojtaba and other senior officials, but the younger Khamenei survived. </li><li>Ali Khamenei's top security adviser Ali Shamkhani, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh<strong> </strong>are <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel" target="_blank">dead</a>, scrambling the top of the Iranian government.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue:</strong> Ali allegedly floated potential successors with stronger administrative and theological credentials, and Mojtaba wasn't among them, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.</p><p><strong>Mojtaba, </strong>Ali's second-eldest son, was born in 1969. His childhood was shaped by both the 1979 Iranian Revolution that toppled the previous dynasty and by his father's rise to power, first as president in 1981, then as supreme leader in 1989.</p><ul><li>A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-leaders-son-hardliner-with-backroom-influence-2025-06-23/" target="_blank">cleric</a>, Mojtaba <a href="https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/mojtaba-khamenei-supreme-leaders-gatekeeper-guardian#:~:text=Mojtaba%20Khamenei%20is%20the%20second%2Deldest%20son%20of,installing%20allies%20and%20influence%20in%20the%20IRGC**" target="_blank">studied</a> under the late Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, who called for killing Iranian youths who promoted "Western immorality."</li></ul><p><strong>Mojtaba joined</strong> the Revolutionary Guard at 17, serving during the Iran-Iraq War in the Habib Battalion.</p><ul><li>The battalion is a "notoriously ideological unit" led by one of the founders of Hezbollah, <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/mojtaba-khamenei-iran-reform/" target="_blank">according</a> to the Atlantic Council. Many of its alumni later became high-ranking members of the regime's security and intelligence bodies.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Mojtaba is expected to be more hardline than his father, and his ascent means the Iranian regime may get more repressive. </p><ul><li>He has close ties to some of the most "ideologically extremist clerics" who have been at the forefront of the regime's most violent crackdowns, per the Council.</li><li>Mojtaba also allegedly engineered the 2005 election that installed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. In the 2009 election, protesters <a href="https://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/green-movement" target="_blank">flooded</a> the streets to insist Ahmadinejad didn't win again, and Mojtaba reportedly personally supervised how the IRGC crushed these demonstrations.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Mojtaba reportedly oversees a massive business empire of luxury properties and investments worldwide, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-28/how-iran-supreme-leader-khamenei-s-son-built-a-global-property-empire" target="_blank">according</a> to Bloomberg.</p><ul><li>He does not list the investments under his name but has amassed wealth despite 2019 U.S. <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm824" target="_blank">sanctions</a> for his role in his father's inner circle.</li><li>At the time, the Treasury said Mojtaba worked to "advance his father's destabilizing regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives." </li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-attack-supreme-leader-ali-khamenei" target="_blank">Israel targets Khamenei, top leaders in bid to bring down Iran's regime</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.</em></p><p><em>Barak Ravid contributed reporting.</em></p>

<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">President Trump</a> said Sunday he won't sign any bills until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would require <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/24/trump-order-voting-proof-of-citizenship-blocked" target="_blank">proof of citizenship</a> and photo ID<strong> </strong>to vote.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Trump has pushed for <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/04/trump-nationalize-election-2020-fraud-claims" target="_blank">sweeping changes</a> to how Americans vote ahead of midterm elections that could decide the fate of his presidential agenda.</p><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news: "</strong>It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else," the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116193527873859174" target="_blank">wrote</a> on Truth Social.</p><ul><li>While Trump threatens to create his own gridlock, lawmakers remain at an <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-dhs-shutdown-democrats-funding-trump" target="_blank">impasse on funding</a> the Department of Homeland Security. Even if they did reach a deal, Trump's pledge could presumably mean he wouldn't sign it.</li><li>He also called for provisions to further restrict mail-in voting and gender-affirming care not already in the House-passed version.</li><li>It's unclear if he's asking for new legislation to encompass those demands. Reached for clarificaton, the White House referred Axios to Trump's post when asked whether the president would refuse to sign a DHS funding bill.</li></ul><p><strong>Reality check: </strong>If the president does not <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S7-C2-1/ALDE_00013644/" target="_blank">sign</a> a bill within 10 days of presentment while Congress is in session, it automatically becomes law.</p><ul><li>But if Congress adjourns while the bill is awaiting signature, the unsigned bill dies.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>In his post, Trump applauded conservative activist Scott Presler for encouraging the Senate to use a talking filibuster to pass the bill, which cleared the House last month.</p><ul><li>Senate Majority Leader John Thune has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/top-senate-republicans-skeptical-talking-filibuster-save-america-act-rcna260834" target="_blank">expressed</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/politics/voter-id-save-act-filibuster" target="_blank">skepticism</a> about the tactic, which he says would require unity among the Republican conference. </li><li>Republicans have framed the effort as necessary to stop noncitizen voting, but that is both <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/noncitizen-voting-missing-millions" target="_blank">illegal</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/us/politics/noncitizen-voters-save-tool.html?register=email&amp;auth=register-email" target="_blank">rare</a>, <em>Axios' Jason Lalljee</em> writes.</li></ul><p><strong>Friction point: </strong>"[S]o be it," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2030666289602072866" target="_blank">responded</a> to the president's post.</p><ul><li>"Senate Democrats will not help pass the SAVE Act under any circumstances."</li><li>Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) was more dismissive, noting <a href="https://x.com/MaxwellFrostFL" target="_blank">on X</a> that Congress "ain't passing any bills anyways so" — a nod to the broader legislative dysfunction that preceded Trump's threat.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/10/save-america-act-trump-voter-id" target="_blank">How the SAVE America Act could impact 21 million voters</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This story was updated with a response from the White House.</em></p>

<p>A federal judge on Saturday ruled that efforts to delegate control of the U.S. Agency for Global Media to Trump ally Kari Lake were unlawful, therefore voiding Lake's actions as the acting head of the agency over the past year. </p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> The ruling notably invalidates Lake's directive to lay off hundreds of employees across USAGM and the government-funded broadcasters it governs, such as Voice of America.</p><hr /><ul><li>It also voids other actions Lake took to reduce spending, including the cancellation of USAGM's lease on new office space and a significant reduction of broadcasting capabilities across USAGM-supported broadcasters. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> In a summary judgement, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said Lake's brief appointment as CEO of USAGM last year was unlawful because she was not authorized by Congress to take that position.</p><ul><li>Other roles she was assigned in which she acted as the de facto head of the agency, including senior adviser and deputy CEO, were also ruled unlawful.</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick:</strong> The <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/16/trump-guts-voice-america-rf-europe" target="_blank">Trump</a> administration last March ordered nearly all 1,300 employees of VOA to be placed on leave and said it would cut funding for other USAGM broadcasters and subsidiaries.</p><ul><li>A lawsuit was <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/24/voa-employees-lawsuit-trump-usagm" target="_blank">filed</a> shortly after to seek relief from efforts to shutter VOA and its sister networks, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.</li><li>The complaint was filed by VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, VOA journalist Jessica Jerreat and USAGM director of strategy and performance assessment Kathryn Neeper, alongside other USAGM employees. </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> In a statement Widakuswara, Neeper and Jerreat said they felt "vindicated" and "deeply grateful," in response to the ruling. </p><ul><li>"The judge's ruling that Kari Lake's actions shall have no force or effect is a powerful step toward undoing the damage she has inflicted on this American institution that we love," they said.</li><li>"Even as we work through what this ruling means for colleagues harmed by her actions, it brings renewed hope and momentum to the next phase of our fight: restoring VOA's global operations and ensuring we continue to produce journalism, not propaganda."</li></ul><p><strong>The other side:</strong> "The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government," Lake said in a statement.</p><ul><li>"An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM. Judge Lamberth has a pattern of activist rulings — and this case is no different. We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal."</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Judge Lamberth's <a href="https://savevoa.com/timeline.html" target="_blank">previous rulings</a> suggested he was likely to rule in favor of the plaintiffs. </p><ul><li>In April, he <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-voice-of-america-ruling-voa-employees-return" target="_blank">ruled</a> that VOA workers who were placed on leave or fired should return to work and that the Trump administration must restore funding to the VOA and other U.S. government-funded news outlets.</li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but:</strong> While the judge's order voids Lake's efforts, much of the impact made to USAGM and its broadcasters can't be reversed. </p><ul><li>Lake canceled USAGM's lease on new office space last year. </li></ul><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> U.S. government-funded broadcasters for decades have relied on bipartisan support to combat foreign propaganda with authoritative and truthful storytelling. </p><ul><li>While the Trump administration has sought to gut USAGM, Congress, which authorizes the body's funding, has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/13/voice-of-america-trump-congress-funding/" target="_blank">continued to fund </a>the agency, </li></ul>

<p>The United States has an extensive history of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/trump-iran-war-iraq-venezuela" target="_blank">interventionism</a>, but President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> has grown especially frank about his intentions abroad in recent months. </p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">told</a> Axios this week that he must be involved in picking Iran's next leader, which — alongside his recent moves in Cuba and Venezuela — demonstrate that aggressive military force has become part and parcel of his foreign policy. </p><ul><li>It wouldn't be the first time, however, that the U.S. has pushed for specific leaders to fill the vacancies it helped create. </li></ul><hr /><p><strong>Catch up quick: </strong>Trump on Thursday acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is his most likely successor — a move the president opposes. </p><ul><li> "Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," Trump said.</li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump</a> in January ousted that nation's dictator, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-trump-venezuela-operation" target="_self">Nicolás Maduro</a>, and exerted de facto control over its oil-rich petroleum company.</li></ul><p><strong>The latest: </strong>"As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we're also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba," Trump said on Saturday at the first <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/07/trump-shield-americas-summit-noem-envoy" target="_blank">Shield of the Americas Summit</a>, adding the country's "at the end of the line." </p><p><strong>Context: </strong>The American government frequently cited the spread of communism as a reason for intervening abroad during the 20th century, but many scholars have <a href="https://kjis.org/journal/view.html?pn=search&amp;uid=33&amp;vmd=Full#N33" target="_blank">suggested</a> that in these instances, the U.S. was primarily <a href="https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/united-fruit-company-instigates-coup-guatemala" target="_blank">protecting its own financial interests</a> overseas. </p><ul><li>According to one <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0738894216661190" target="_blank">2016 study</a>, the U.S. performed at least 81 interventions in foreign elections between 1946 to 2000.</li></ul><p><em>Here are times the U.S. has facilitated foreign leadership appointments: </em></p><h2>Guatemala</h2><p><strong>The CIA</strong> orchestrated a coup in Guatemala in 1954, overthrowing democratically-elected President Jacobo Árbenz. </p><ul><li>The operation, called <a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000134974.pdf" target="_blank">PBSuccess</a>, replaced the left-leaning Árbenz with military dictator Carlos Castillo Armas, ostensibly to freeze the spread of communism. </li><li>U.S.-organized rebels played a crucial role in the plan to oust Arbenz, with the CIA picking Castillo Armas as their leader, according to political scientist <a href="https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/guatemala-invasion" target="_blank">Gordon L. Bowen</a>. </li><li>After Arbenz officially resigned, the U.S. flew Castillo Armas into Guatemala City and he was named president shortly after. </li></ul><p><strong>Reality check:</strong> Fear that<strong> </strong>Árbenz's land reforms would threaten the American-owned United Fruit Company, which owned <a href="https://www2.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/historylabs/Guatemalan_Coup_student%3ARS01.pdf" target="_blank">42%</a> of Guatemala's land and paid no taxes, was likely what spurred the CIA into action, historians say. </p><ul><li>Former President Eisenhower's "decision to topple Árbenz was influenced more by commercial interests than by geostrategic interests," political scientist Jaechun Kim <a href="https://kjis.org/journal/view.html?pn=search&amp;uid=33&amp;vmd=Full#N33" target="_blank">noted</a> in a 2010 journal, but "it is true that security and economic interest are intertwined to a certain extent." </li></ul><h2>Iran</h2><p><strong>The CIA </strong>orchestrated a coup to topple Iran's democratically-elected prime minister, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/in-first-cia-acknowledges-1953-coup-it-backed-to-overthrow-leader-of-iran-was-undemocratic" target="_blank">Mohammad Mosaddegh</a>, in 1953. </p><ul><li>Declassified CIA <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/19/cia-admits-role-1953-iranian-coup" target="_blank">documents</a> include a draft internal history of the coup titled <a href="http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB435/docs/Doc%202%20-%201954-00-00%20Summary%20of%20Wilber%20history.pdf" target="_blank">"Campaign to install a pro-western government in Iran,"</a> which outlines the CIA's intent to "effect the fall of the Mosaddeq government" and "replace it with a pro-western government under the Shah's leadership with Zahedi as its prime minister." </li><li>Zahedi became prime minister shortly after the coup. </li><li>The documents claim the <a href="https://history.stanford.edu/news/aug-19-1953-operation-ajax-priya-satia" target="_blank">coup</a> was meant to prevent possible <a href="https://www.cjfp.org/untangling-a-diplomatic-history-an-analysis-of-american-interventionist-policy-in-iran-from-1951-1954/" target="_blank">Soviet influence</a> in Iran.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Historian Ervand Abrahamian has argued the U.S. was mainly concerned with <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/119/article/505494/pdf" target="_blank">securing its oil interests</a>, given that Mosaddegh had nationalized the Iranian oil industry. </p><h2>Other interventions </h2><p><strong>Zoom out:</strong> The United States has financially and militarily backed many other coups abroad, whether or not it played an outsized role in picking leaders to fill vacancies. </p><ul><li>Notable examples include <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/congo-decolonization" target="_blank">the Republic of Congo</a> (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), in which the CIA <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/17/patrice-lumumba-congo-washington-00121755" target="_blank">encouraged and assisted in the assassination</a> of the country's first elected prime minister in 1961. </li><li>In Chile, former President Nixon and the CIA spent <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/94chile.pdf" target="_blank">$8 million</a> on covert actions to oust Salvador Allende, a socialist president elected in 1970. Eventually, Allende was overthrown in a Chilean military coup, which the U.S. government <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/09/10/1193755188/chile-coup-50-years-pinochet-kissinger-human-rights-allende" target="_blank">denied</a> having a direct hand in. </li><li>The CIA attempted to facilitate regime overthrows or intervene in governments across Latin America in particular, targeting countries such as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/13/archives/cia-is-reported-to-have-helped-in-trujillo-death-material-support.html" target="_blank">Dominican Republic</a>, <a href="https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB465/" target="_blank">Brazil</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/27/us-honduras-coup" target="_blank">Honduras</a> and <a href="https://cri.fiu.edu/us-cuba-relations/chronology-of-us-cuba-relations/" target="_blank">Cuba</a>.</li></ul><p><em>Editor's note: This story has been updated with Trump's latest remarks.</em></p>

<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> said Saturday "we've knocked out 42 navy ships" in three days, adding that the US is doing "very well" in Iran.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Trump bragged about dominance in Iran and hinted at possible action in Cuba at the first Shield of the Americas Summit, which has outgoing Homeland Security Secretary <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/markwayne-mullin-homeland-security-secretary-nominee" target="_blank">Kristi Noem</a> at the helm.</p><hr /><ul><li>The summit underscores Trump's willingness to reassert American control under his so-called "<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/trump-monroe-donroe-doctrine-venezuela-greenland-cuba-colombia" target="_blank">Donroe Doctrine</a>," though modern U.S. presidents have typically shied away from exerting as much American influence over the Western Hemisphere.</li><li><strong>"</strong>We knocked out their Air Force. We knocked out their communications, and all telecommunications has gone," Trump said of Iran. </li></ul><p><strong>The other side:</strong> Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi <a href="https://x.com/araghchi/status/2030338085783826477?s=20" target="_blank">said</a> on X Saturday the Iranian president "expressed openness to de-escalation within our region-provided that our neighbors' airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian People."</p><ul><li>"Gesture to our neighbors was almost immediately killed by President Trump."</li></ul><p><strong>State of play: </strong>The U.S. president said the focus right now is on Iran but he'll "take care" of Cuba.</p><ul><li>The Trump administration had already indicated an openness to regime change in the country and is investigating the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/marco-rubio-cuba-secret-talks" target="_self">Cuban</a> government's claim it <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/us-trump-4-americans-killed-cuba-florida-boat-republican" target="_blank">killed four people</a> aboard a Florida-tagged boat near the Villa Clara coast last month.</li><li>"Cuba's at the end of the line," Trump said. "They're very much at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that's been bad for a long time."</li></ul><p><strong>Context: </strong>The summit comes as the president devotes much of his second term reshaping global trade while strong-arming southern leaders to commit more resources to stopping illegal immigration.</p><ul><li>"After years of neglect, President Trump established the 'Donroe Doctrine' to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Axios in an emailed statement.</li><li>"The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable."</li></ul><p><em>Here's what to know about the summit:</em></p><h2>Who's attending?</h2><p><strong>Secretary of State</strong> Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer join Trump in Doral, Florida on Saturday.</p><ul><li>Noem also attended in her new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas.</li></ul><p><strong>The coalition is stacked </strong>with America's "strongest likeminded allies" in the hemisphere, a brief State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/the-united-states-to-host-the-shield-of-the-americas-summit/" target="_blank">news release</a> notes.</p><p><strong>They include,</strong> per a White House official:</p><ul><li>Argentine Republic President Javier Milei</li><li>Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira</li><li>Chile President-elect José Antonio Kast</li><li>Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles</li><li>Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader</li><li>Ecuadorian Constitutional President Daniel Noboa</li><li>El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele</li><li>Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali</li><li>Honduran President Nasry "Tito" Asfura</li><li>Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino Quintero</li><li>Paraguayan President Santiago Peña</li><li>Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>Trump-installed Venezuelan President <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/us-venezuela-diplomatic-consular-relations" target="_blank">Delcy Rodríguez</a> — who came to power after Trump captured former leader Nicolás Maduro, in one of Trump's most high-profile examples of executing the "Donroe Doctrine" — will not attend.</p><h2>What's the summit's goal?</h2><p><strong>A White House spokesperson </strong>told Axios that the initiative will "advance cutting-edge strategies to defeat narco-terrorist cartels and stop illegal mass migration to make America and the entire Western Hemisphere safer."</p><ul><li>The president is also expected to tout a newly-signed joint security <a href="https://www.southcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/Article/4423347/hegseth-promotes-regional-border-security-signs-joint-security-declaration-at-i/" target="_blank">declaration</a> that reaffirms the U.S. and 17 leaders across the hemisphere's "commitment to peace, sovereignty and stability in the region."</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/kristi-noem-dhs-trump-inside-firing" target="_blank">How the ice finally broke under Kristi Noem</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This story has been updated with remarks from President Trump and the Iranian foreign minister.</em></p>

<p>President Trump is positioning himself as a central architect of <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran's</a> post-war future, demanding "<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/trump-iran-war-unconditional-surrender" target="_blank">UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER</a>" on Friday.</p><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> is signaling ambitions that extend beyond military action into reshaping Iran's political and economic order just as he did in <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/us-venezuela-diplomatic-consular-relations" target="_blank">Venezuela</a>. But experts warn it's not that simple.</p><hr /><p><em>Here are three promises Trump has made on Iran thus far. </em></p><h2>Choosing a successor </h2><p><strong>Trump acknowledged </strong>that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated Supreme Leader <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel" target="_self">Ali Khamenei</a>, is the most likely successor — but <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">Trump told Axios Thursday</a> he opposes that outcome. </p><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Srinjoy Bose, an associate professor of international relations at Australia's University of New South Wales, tells Axios it "is an extension of his approach to international politics vis-à-vis Venezuela," Gaza and his <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/19/trumps-board-of-peace-members-countries-list" target="_blank">Board of Peace</a>.</p><ul><li>It echoes the 1953 U.S.-backed coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected leader and installed Mohammad <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/us-iran-leader-crown-prince-reza-pahlavi" target="_blank">Reza Pahlavi</a> as shah until he was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bose says.</li><li>Daniel Schneiderman, director of global policy programs at Penn Washington, says, "The size, scope and scale of Iran's military and also the way the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is endemic in everyday life" makes it very different from Venezuela.</li><li>Tehran had a "long time to prepare" for war, and it's unlikely there will be a "leadership transition that ultimately satisfies the White House," says Schneiderman, a former Defense Department official in the <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/joe-biden" target="_blank">Biden</a> administration.</li><li>"Although I'm sure part of the plan here is how do we get to good enough? That's what they did in Venezuela ... so what does that looks like in Iran? The political costs of getting to good enough after what's been done is serious. Because for the Iranians, survival of the regime in some form is a win." </li></ul><h2>Total immunity </h2><p><strong>Trump <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-hosts-2025-major-league-soccer-championship-team/674786" target="_blank">urged</a> </strong>IRGC members, military and the police on Thursday to "lay down their arms" and assured them they'd be "perfectly safe with total immunity, or you'll face absolutely guaranteed death."</p><p><strong>Reality check: </strong>There's no guarantee that if Iranians take up arms against the regime, "which is what he is hoping," they will be protected by Trump or the international community, Bose says.</p><ul><li>Schneiderman calls it "an important signal," but adds, "there has to be real substance behind it."</li><li> "I just wonder how much meat there is below the surface," he says.</li></ul><h2>Reducing oil prices </h2><p><strong>The administration has scrambled</strong> to keep gas prices down as the war spills over into a crucial shipping lane, with Trump offering "political risk insurance and guarantees" for energy tankers. </p><p><strong>State of play:</strong> Trump said additional action to "dramatically increase the stability" of the Middle East, oil prices and stock markets is "imminent" without providing specifics.</p><ul><li>Though Trump often touts falling gas prices, volatility and rising energy costs could pose a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/iran-war-trump-gas-prices" target="_blank">political risk</a> for Republicans ahead of the midterms. </li><li>Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday <a href="https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/2029714253725262232" target="_blank">announced</a> a 30-day waiver allowing India to buy Russian oil, which India <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/09/trump-india-russia-oil-tariff-executive-order" target="_blank">had stopped importing</a> as part of a tariff deal.</li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but: </strong>Oil and gasoline prices <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/oil-gasoline-prices-trump-hormuz-russia" target="_blank">rose Friday</a>, with gas up nearly 11% since the war started.</p><ul><li>This is one of the "unintended strategic consequences of these decisions that you make to go to war," Schneiderman says. </li><li>"There are second- and third-order effects that a solid and sound planning process for a decision like the one to go to war with Iran would have accounted for."</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"Thanks to President Trump's leadership in his first term and current term, the United States remains the largest crude oil and natural gas producer in the world," Leavitt said. </p><ul><li>His "entire energy team" has a "game plan" to keep oil prices stable throughout throughout the U.S. operation, per Leavitt's statement.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">Exclusive: Trump says he must be involved in picking Iran's next leader</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.</em></p>

<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> told Axios Friday that his demand for Iran's "unconditional surrender" could mean the complete destruction of the regime's military capabilities — not necessarily a formal surrender.</p><ul><li>"Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can't fight any longer because they don't have anyone or anything to fight with," he said in a phone interview.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Trump's explanation came hours after he appeared to leave no visible off-ramp for Iran, ruling out any kind of "deal" as he demanded "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/116182551337254643" target="_blank">post on Truth Social</a>.</p><hr /><ul><li>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said on Fox News that "unconditional surrender" means Trump determining "that Iran can no longer pose a threat to the U.S. and our troops in the Middle East."</li><li>Leavitt listed U.S. objectives as destroying Iran's navy, eliminating its ballistic missile threat, ensuring it cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and weakening its regional proxies.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>Several hours before Trump's statement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian <a href="https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/2029877231942590545" target="_blank">wrote on X</a> that "some countries have begun mediation efforts" to stop the war. </p><ul><li>"Let's be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation's dignity &amp; sovereignty. Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict," he wrote. </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning.</p><ul><li>He added that after the current regime surrenders, "GREAT &amp; ACCEPTABLE Leader(s)" must be selected. </li><li>Trump pledged that the U.S. and its allies would help rebuild the country and make it prosperous after the war: "IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)" he wrote.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>On Thursday, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">Trump told Axios</a> he wants to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next supreme leader to ensure the successor doesn't pursue policies that lead to another war.</p><p><strong>The other side: </strong>The speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf <a href="https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2029964090618085864?s=20" target="_blank">wrote on X</a> that Iran will not allow Trump to "dictate terms to a nation."</p><ul><li>"Trump still doesn't realize what calamity he has brought upon himself and the American soldiers by martyring our Imam," he said, adding that Iran's fate "will be determined solely by the proud Iranian nation, not by Epstein's gang."</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> "If this is the official position of the U.S. administration, and given the fact that the current regime in Iran will not surrender, then the campaign will have to continue until the collapse of the current regime," said Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies and the Atlantic Council.</p><ul><li>"Anything short of that would effectively be considered a failure, despite all the operational successes of the campaign," he added.</li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers in a series of phone calls Thursday that the war is expected to last several more weeks, according to sources with direct knowledge of the conversations.</p><ul><li>Rubio said the current military focus is on Iran's missile launchers, stockpiles and factories.</li><li>He told the ministers the U.S. goal is not regime change — while simultaneously making clear Washington wants different people running the country, the sources said.</li></ul><p><strong>Rubio added that there is currently</strong> no U.S. dialogue with the Iranian regime, and that any talks now would undermine ongoing military objectives.</p><ul><li>Trump said Thursday that Iran wants to negotiate but that he told them they are "too late."</li><li>The State Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. </li></ul><p><strong>State of play:</strong> U.S. and Israeli strikes entered their seventh day Friday with growing intensity. Iran and its proxies — <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/lebanon-israel-iran-irgc-hezbollah" target="_blank">Hezbollah in Lebanon</a> and Shia militias in Iraq — continue launching missiles and drones at U.S. bases, Israel and Gulf states.</p><ul><li>But the pace and scope of Iranian attacks has significantly decreased: CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Iranian missile attacks have fallen 90% since the war's first day.</li><li>U.S. and Israeli officials claimed Thursday that 60% of Iran's missile launchers and stockpiles have been destroyed.</li></ul><p><strong>On Friday,</strong> Israeli fighter jets struck a heavily fortified bunker beneath the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's compound — his emergency command center.</p><ul><li>IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin said Israel believes senior Iranian officials had been using the bunker in recent days and is still assessing whether anyone was inside at the time of the strike.</li></ul><p><em>Editor's note: This story has been updated with responses from Iranian officials.</em></p>

<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> seethed when the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-illegal" target="_blank">Supreme Court stripped away</a> his unilateral tariff authority, the first real check on his presidency.</p><ul><li>Then he set out to impose his will on every remaining vector of American power — smashing norms and shrugging off Congress in a historic, 14-day show of executive force.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Over the past two weeks, Trump launched a massive Middle East war, blacklisted the hottest AI company on the planet, ordered new global tariffs, and presided over the biggest media merger in two decades.</p><hr /><ul><li>He did it all unilaterally — without passing a single law, and without pretending he needed to. <em>Axios' Zachary Basu narrates this epic fortnight:</em></li></ul><p><strong>The tariffs: </strong>On Feb. 20, hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Trump imposed a new 10% global tariff under a separate emergency law — daring the courts to stop him again.</p><ul><li>By sidestepping the court's ruling rather than accepting it, Trump sent an unmistakable message: No institution — not Congress, not the judiciary — would constrain his ability to reshape the global economy.</li></ul><p><strong>The merger: </strong>On Feb. 26, Netflix walked away from the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery — handing Trump allies Larry and David Ellison control of CNN, HBO and Hollywood's two most storied studios.</p><ul><li>Paramount's David Ellison privately assured Trump officials last year that he would make sweeping changes to CNN, a network despised by the president, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/paramount-netflix-warner-bros-battle-ellisons-a86fe15c?st=PTJrJQ&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink" target="_blank">reported</a>.</li><li>The Ellisons' emerging media empire — CBS, TikTok and soon CNN — gives Trump allies unprecedented influence on what Americans watch, read and scroll.</li></ul><p><strong>The blacklist: </strong>On Feb. 27, Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/27/anthropic-pentagon-supply-chain-risk-claude" target="_blank">ordered every federal agency</a> to stop doing business with Anthropic after the $380 billion AI startup refused to give the Pentagon unfettered access to its technology.</p><ul><li>The Pentagon then designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" — a label typically reserved for adversarial foreign companies, and one that a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/trump-anthropic-supply-chain-risk-reaction" target="_blank">former Trump AI adviser</a> called "attempted corporate murder."</li><li>"I fired Anthropic like dogs," Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/05/trump-unleashed-president-bullish-on-iran-eyeing-regime-change-in-cuba-and-impatient-with-ukraine-00814292" target="_blank">told Politico</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>The war: </strong>On Feb. 28, Trump did what no president before him had dared — launch a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-attack-trump-us-israel-strikes" target="_blank">full military assault</a> on an Iranian regime that has tormented the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.</p><ul><li>Some U.S. officials have been careful not to call it a "war" — a label that <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/declarations-of-war.htm" target="_blank">connotes</a> congressional approval — or admit that "regime change" is the goal. The president hasn't bothered with either pretense.</li><li>On Thursday, Trump told Axios he <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">must be personally involved</a> in selecting Iran's next leader just as he was in Venezuela, where interim President Delcy Rodríguez has become a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/trump-us-venezuela-gold-deal" target="_blank">compliant conduit</a> for U.S. interests.</li><li>In the same interview with Axios' Barak Ravid, Trump demanded that Israel's president <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/trump-netanyahu-pardon-israel-iran-war" target="_blank">pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a> — seeking to simultaneously pick Iran's next leader and shield his war partner from criminal prosecution.</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Trump has spent his second term <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/trump-unprecedented-presidency-behind-the-curtain" target="_blank">systematically testing</a> how much power a president can seize without Congress, the courts or public opinion stopping him. The answer, so far: almost limitless.</p><ul><li>Trump has signed fewer laws than any modern president at this stage — because he doesn't need them. Executive orders, military force and the bully pulpit have proven more efficient.</li><li>Trump's advisers say he's content using unilateral powers, and congressional Republicans — with rare exceptions — have cheered him on at every turn.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>What's all the more remarkable is that Trump is doing this with most of America opposed to his performance in office — and to these specific actions.</p><ul><li>A <a href="https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54224-donald-trump-record-low-net-job-approval-second-term-february-27-march-2-2026-economist-yougov-poll" target="_blank">Economist/YouGov poll</a> conducted as the Iran war began found Trump's disapproval at 59% — a second-term record. His net approval, according to <a href="https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin" target="_blank">Nate Silver's average</a>, sits at -13.</li><li>An <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26490187/cnn-poll-on-trump-at-one-year.pdf" target="_blank">January poll by CNN</a> found 58% of Americans say Trump has already gone too far in using presidential power — a figure collected before the most aggressive stretch of his presidency.</li></ul><p><em><a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/trump-unprecedented-presidency-behind-the-curtain" target="_blank">Go deeper</a>: "The most unprecedented presidency in 250 years."</em></p>

<p>GOP lawmakers in several red states want to pass AI safety bills, but their efforts are being chilled by the fear of angering the White House.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> State lawmakers eager to tackle AI over concerns about kids, jobs and privacy are facing pushback from the White House, with tensions poised to spike next week.</p><hr /><ul><li>The Trump administration's <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/trump-signs-executive-order-state-ai-laws" target="_blank">pending</a> list of "onerous" state AI laws could set up a federal crackdown on state regulation and reshape who writes the rules for AI.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> The White House has made it clear — states should back off on AI laws in almost all cases until a federal framework passes. </p><ul><li>Next week, the administration<strong> </strong>is expected to announce <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1422986/dl" target="_blank">which</a> state-level AI laws it has identified as "onerous" that should be referred to the AI Litigation Task Force at the Justice Department, per President Trump's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/" target="_blank">executive order</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>This week, 50 Republican state lawmakers <a href="https://ari.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/State-Lawmaker-Letter-Let-States-Legislate-on-AI.pdf" target="_blank">wrote to</a> President Trump that they are "deeply concerned by the work of officials seeking to pressure lawmakers in Utah and other states to abandon legislation aimed at mitigating risks at leading AI labs and safeguarding constituents, including young people, from AI's worst harms."</p><ul><li>"We firmly believe state-led efforts are fully consistent with conservative principles and with your stated goals of promoting human flourishing while accelerating innovation."</li></ul><p><strong>In Utah, </strong>White House meddling<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/15/white-house-utah-ai-transparency-bill" target="_blank">completely knocked</a> an AI bill off-course, Axios first reported, driving pro-AI safety advocates in the state to take out <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/26/utah-billboards-david-sacks-ai-bill" target="_blank">billboards</a> targeting White House AI czar David Sacks.</p><ul><li>"The bill is unfortunately dead," Melissa McKay, policy director for Utah-based advocacy group Child First Policy Center,<strong> </strong>told Axios. "The mid-session attack memo from the White House created enough confusion and conflicting opinions to doom it."</li></ul><p><strong>In Florida, </strong>the Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed AI Bill of Rights passed the state Senate this week, but <a href="https://floridianpress.com/2026/03/florida-senate-passes-ai-bill-of-rights-house-approval-unlikely/" target="_blank">intervention</a> in the House will keep it from hitting the floor.</p><ul><li>State House Speaker Daniel Perez told <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/04/desantis-ai-bill-of-rights-clears-senate-but-house-wont-touch-it/" target="_blank">reporters</a> this week that he won't bring up the bill and he shares the White House's view on state AI laws.</li><li>A spokesperson for DeSantis declined to comment on the future of the bill.</li></ul><p><strong>In Ohio,</strong> <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/11/17/whats-in-ohios-proposal-banning-ai-personhood/" target="_blank">a bill that would ban AI from any form of legal personhood</a> is currently being overhauled, said its sponsor, state Rep. Thad Claggett, who signed onto the 50-lawmaker letter.</p><ul><li>"We know how incredibly difficult it is for Congress to deal with leading-edge stuff, and that's okay. But, we are very interested in protecting our people, and so we're going to continue to work," he told Axios. </li><li>He said he will engage the White House at some point to see if they have any input on his bill, but he won't reach out until the bill is ready.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side:</strong> The White House did not directly respond to questions about the GOP state lawmaker letter, the AI litigation task force or the Ohio bill.</p><p><strong>What we're watching:</strong> The executive order calls for the administration to identify laws, not bills that are in the works. </p><ul><li>So it's most likely that <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/29/newsom-signs-major-california-ai-bill" target="_blank">California</a> and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/19/new-york-ai-safety-bill-hochul" target="_blank">New York</a>'s AI frontier safety laws will be targeted first. Plus, Colorado's <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/12/17/colorado-ai-law-trump-executive-order" target="_blank">AI law</a> was the only one specifically called out by name in Trump's order.</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> The tension between GOP state lawmakers who want to pass AI bills and a White House dead set on fending off as many state AI laws as possible is only heating up.</p>

<p>The U.S. and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/trump-venezuela-oil-power-play" target="_blank">Venezuela</a> "have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations," the State Department announced Thursday.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The historic deal with a former U.S. foe comes as President Trump pushes to apply his actions in Caracas that led to the capture of former leader <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-reasons-us-venezuela" target="_blank">Nicolás Maduro</a> to Iran, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">telling Axios</a> Thursday that he must be involved in picking a successor to assassinated Supreme Leader <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel" target="_self">Ali Khamenei</a>.</p><hr /><ul><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> administration officials visited Venezuela this week, where Interior Secretary <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/trump-us-venezuela-gold-deal" target="_blank">Doug Burgum met</a> with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez to discuss oil and mineral opportunities, and help shepherd a multimillion-dollar gold deal.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"This step will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela," per a State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/a-statement-on-u-s-venezuela-relations/" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p><ul><li>"Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government."</li></ul><p><strong>The Venezuelan National Executive</strong> has reaffirmed its commitment to diplomatic and energy cooperation with the U.S., according to a <a href="https://vicepresidencia.gob.ve/noticias/" target="_blank">statement</a> posted to Rodríguez's webpage.</p><ul><li>Rodríguez expressed the Venezuelan government's "full willingness to build a joint work agenda based on respect and mutual benefit" during Burgum's two-day visit.</li><li>She "sent a message of openness" to the Trump administration that reaffirmed Venezuela's "willingness to maintain a diplomatic agenda of peace and economic cooperation," the statement added.</li></ul><p><strong>Flashback: </strong>Maduro directed Venezuela to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2019/01/27/venezuela-united-states-diplomats-embassy" target="_blank">cut ties</a> with the U.S. in 2019 after Trump recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's interim president.</p><ul><li>Guaidó's representatives administered Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the U.S. until his ouster in 2023, when they all <a href="https://diplomatictimes.net/2023/01/10/venezuela-embassy-in-washington-us-operated-by-opposition-shuts-down/" target="_blank">closed</a> as a result.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper... </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/trump-us-venezuela-gold-deal" target="_blank">Scoop: Trump officials broker massive U.S.-Venezuela gold deal</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.</em></p>

<p>President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-dhs-shutdown-democrats-funding-trump" target="_blank">Kristi Noem</a> on Thursday after he consulted allies and advisers — all of whom told him it was time for her to go, sources tell Axios.</p><ul><li>"She burnt up a ton of goodwill," an adviser who spoke with <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> told Axios. "It was everywhere. It was everything."</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Trump's <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-trump-ice-dhs" target="_blank">firing of Noem</a> was the biggest personnel shake-up of his second term. It showed the backlash against her was so great that Trump was willing to dismiss the nation's domestic security chief as he's launching a war abroad.</p><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> The ice under Noem was getting thinner and thinner even before this week, when she made two humiliating appearances before House and Senate committees.</p><ul><li>During those public sessions, Noem was subject to bipartisan probing about alleged mismanagement of DHS, her self-promotion at huge taxpayer expense and even a rumored extramarital affair with her de facto chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski.</li><li>Under oath, Noem refused to deny an affair.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>Noem recently <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/noem-luxury-jets-dhs-deportations" target="_blank">drew scrutiny</a> from administration officials and congressional leaders for spending deportation funds to buy two luxury Gulfstream jets and leasing a Boeing Business Jet 737, which Noem said would be used for "executive air travel and for deportations." </p><ul><li>But the 737's luxurious interior, with a bedroom and bar onboard, would be unlike any other plane used to deport unauthorized immigrants.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>Noem and Lewandowski then lent the 737 to First Lady Melania Trump, who used it on several flights from D.C. to New York. The first lady's office didn't respond to a request for comment.</p><ul><li>"They're smart. Corey is really smart. I don't take that away from them. Because they flew the first lady on it, they think they're bulletproof," an administration official said, calling the move to involve the first lady an "insurance policy" for the spending.</li><li>Planned cost for the three planes: More than $270 million, making it "the world's worst deal to buy an aircraft," an administration official told <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/noem-luxury-jets-dhs-deportations" target="_blank">Axios </a>on Saturday.</li><li>Trump was made aware of the situation and, another official said, spoke with Lewandowski this week about him and Noem moving on. </li><li>"It wasn't a positive call," the official said.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>The plane deal and congressional hearings were the final demerits for Noem, whose reputation in Trump's eyes had taken a beating for her handling of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens. </p><ul><li>"Minneapolis was just a disaster. We were supposed to be stopping fraud from Somalian illegals. But we wind up shooting two people in the middle of the street," one of the Trump advisers told Axios. </li><li>At this week's hearings, Noem also struggled to explain why FEMA money meant for disaster relief last year was still held up.</li><li>"She had no goodwill on Capitol Hill," the adviser said. "She mismanaged FEMA. She didn't show up to hearings. She was disrespectful. No one liked her."</li></ul><p><strong>Inside the room: </strong>White House officials hope Noem's firing could help break a congressional logjam over DHS funding. Trump quickly tapped Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement. </p><ul><li>The agency has been shut down for almost three weeks as tensions have escalated with Iran, leaving DHS's cyber security sub-agency with furloughed staff and others working without pay. </li><li>Democrats quickly <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-dhs-shutdown-democrats-funding-trump" target="_blank">dismissed</a> the idea that Noem leaving was enough to earn their votes.</li><li>"Democrats were complaining about Noem. Now she's gone," an administration official said. "If they want to still fight the president at a time we need a fully funded Homeland Security department, especially after he made a personnel move they wanted, that's on them to look unreasonable."</li></ul><p><strong>Follow the money: </strong>Trump distanced himself from the controversy over Noem's immigration ad campaign's <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/15/trump-self-deportation-ads-noem" target="_blank">contracts</a> that cost about $200 million for production and air time.</p><ul><li>As of Thursday, at least $79 million had been spent to air the immigration ads prominently featuring Noem, according to data from AdImpact. </li><li>Just before dismissing her Thursday with a face-saving newly created administration post, Trump told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-didnt-sign-off-200-million-border-security-ad-campaign-2026-03-05/" target="_blank">Reuters</a> that "I never knew anything about" the ad campaign, which Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said was self-aggrandizing because of how it featured Noem.</li></ul><p><strong>Reality check:</strong> Trump's claims contradict what two senior White House officials told Axios last year when the ad campaign was approved.</p><ul><li>Trump even saw versions of the ads before they were aired. He critiqued one commercial with Noem riding a horse, saying "it wasn't her best," another official said, echoing comments Noem made at last year's CPAC convention.</li><li>"He said: 'I want you in the ads, and I want your face in the ads,' " Noem recalled Trump telling her in February 2025.</li><li>"But," she said Trump told her, "I want [in] the first ad .... I want you to thank me for closing the border."</li></ul><p><strong>More from Axios:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/noem-dhs-controversies-minnesota-ads-planes" target="_blank">5 controversies that dogged Noem's DHS tenure</a></li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/senate-gop-cheers-trumps-decision-to-dump-noem" target="_blank">Senate GOP cheers Trump's decision to dump Noem</a></li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/pam-bondi-kristi-noem-democrats-epstein-impeach" target="_blank">Dems turn their sights to Pam Bondi after Noem firing</a></li></ul>

<p>The Pentagon has formally designated <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/pentagon-anthropic-white-house-amodei" target="_blank">Anthropic</a> a supply chain risk, as CEO Dario Amodei apologized Thursday for a leaked memo criticizing the Trump administration. </p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The dispute has raised fundamental questions over AI governance and cast a shadow over the industry's relationship with Washington. </p><hr /><ul><li>Amodei won a legion of fans — and Anthropic's Claude a flood of new users — for his initial strong stance in a dispute over how AI could be used by the military. </li></ul><p><strong>State of play: </strong>Despite the apology, Anthropic still plans to sue over the Pentagon's designation of the company as a supply chain risk, which Anthropic says is narrow and only restricts certain activities. </p><p><strong>"It was a difficult day for the company,</strong> and I apologize for the tone of the post," a new blog post from Amodei said Thursday, referring to an <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/pentagon-anthropic-white-house-amodei" target="_blank">explosive internal memo</a> to staff that put negotiations in jeopardy. </p><ul><li>"It does not reflect my careful or considered views. It was also written six days ago and is an out of date assessment of the current situation," Amodei said in the post, a copy of which was obtained by Axios. </li><li>Amodei says Anthropic did not leak the post or ask anyone else to do it. </li><li>The company's "most important" goal now, he added, "is making sure that our war fighters and national security experts are not deprived of the important tools in the middle of war."</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>"DOW officially informed Anthropic leadership the company and its products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately," a senior Pentagon official said in a statement. </p><ul><li>"The military will not allow a vendor to insert itself into the chain of command by restricting the lawful use of a critical capability and put our warfighters at risk." </li></ul><p><strong>Others in the industry viewed </strong>the Pentagon's supply chain designation as narrow as well. </p><ul><li>"Our lawyers have studied the designation and have concluded that Anthropic products, including Claude, can remain available to our customers—other than the Department of War—through platforms such as M365, GitHub, and Microsoft's AI Foundry and that we can continue to work with Anthropic on non-defense related projects," a Microsoft spokesperson said.</li></ul><p><strong>Tension point: </strong>As of Thursday night, the Pentagon was still actively using Claude to provide support for military operations, including in Iran, according to a source familiar.</p><p><strong>Behind the scenes: </strong>The Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic to adhere to its "all lawful purposes" standard came and went last Friday at 5:01pm, but days passed and no formal designation of a supply chain risk had been sent. </p><ul><li>OpenAI announced a deal with the Pentagon soon after the deadline passed, but it was quickly criticized as lacking the proper protections for mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, prompting CEO Sam Altman to come back with <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/openai-pentagon-ai-surveillance" target="_blank">stronger language</a> on Tuesday.</li></ul><p><em>Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Microsoft. </em></p>

<p>Azerbaijan's ambassador to the U.S. told Axios his country is taking "appropriate defensive and precautionary measures" following an <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei" target="_blank">Iranian</a> drone strike on the Nakhchivan exclave.</p><ul><li>Asked if he was worried about another attack, ambassador Khazar Ibrahim said it's "not about worrying." Instead: "We are calculating, we are looking at facts, and we are making decisions."</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The salvo, which Iran denied responsibility for, again <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-war-countries-gulf-qatar-us" target="_blank">widens a war</a> that is just days-old and has killed many, including American troops.</p><hr /><p><strong>The latest: </strong>Baku and Washington are in close contact regarding the incident, according to Ibrahim.</p><ul><li>The two governments have a track record of cooperation, including overflight and refueling rights during the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/06/trump-bush-war-on-terror-immigration" target="_blank">global war on terror</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>Videos seen by Axios show an explosion and black smoke near the Nakhchivan International Airport. A loud buzzing sound can be heard before impact.</p><ul><li>Iran must apologize, provide an "official explanation, ensure those responsible for this crime are held accountable, and also, of course, ensure never again these kinds of things happen," Ibrahim said.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Azerbaijan's <a href="https://mod.gov.az/en/news/statement-by-the-ministry-of-defense-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijan-56665.html" target="_blank">defense ministry</a> said the "technical specifications" of the drones used are under investigation. </p><ul><li>Iran has leaned heavily on its Shahed, which experts have likened to a poor man's cruise missile.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/20/azerbaijan-armenia-trump-deal-defense" target="_blank">Azerbaijan wants deeper U.S. ties after Armenia peace deal</a></p>

<p>Top House and Senate Democrats said Thursday that <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-trump-ice-dhs" target="_blank">Kristi Noem's departure</a> as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will not be enough for them to support funding for the agency.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>DHS has been shut down for nearly three weeks, with the White House and congressional Democrats offering little indication that they are close to a deal.</p><hr /><ul><li>"A change in personnel is not sufficient, we need a change in policy," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.</li><li>Said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): "The problems at this agency transcend any one person. The rot is deep. The president has to end the violence and rein in ICE."</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Noem's removal was just one demand Democrats made for unsticking DHS funding. They have also laid out <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/05/ice-funding-democrats-republicans-schumer-jeffries-letter" target="_blank">10 reforms to immigration enforcement</a> policies they want to see.</p><ul><li>The proposals include prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks, requiring them to display their IDs, restricting their ability to use force and blocking them from conducting operations at schools, churches and medical facilities. </li><li>"I am so happy that one of the worst administrative leaders I've ever seen is gone. But the agency itself is still reckless and out of control," said Sen Cory Booker (D-N.J.).</li></ul><p><strong>The latest: </strong>Shortly after Noem's exit was announced, the Senate once again failed to advance a DHS funding bill.</p><ul><li>The chamber voted 51 to 45 in favor of proceeding to the bill, but it needed 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. </li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line: </strong>"It's not like Kristi Noem was involved in negotiating anything," Jeffries said, calling her a "lackey" and offering little comment on her would-be replacement, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).</p><ul><li>"We were dealing with the White House before, and we're going to continue to deal with the White House at this point."</li></ul>

<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/noem-lewandowski-homeland-security-firings" target="_blank">Kristi Noem</a> is on her way out at the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/republicans-trump-immigration-dhs-noem-minnesota" target="_blank">Department of Homeland Security</a> after a tenure marred by personal controversies and an unpopular immigration crackdown. </p><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> Noem has long been a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/jeffries-trump-kristi-noem-impeachment-fire-dhs" target="_blank">target</a> for Democrats, but her leadership also angered some congressional <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/28/republicans-congress-noem-impeachment" target="_blank">Republicans</a>. She becomes the first Cabinet secretary to be removed from their post in President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a>'s second term.</p><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>Trump announced Thursday that he plans to tap Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace Noem.</p><ul><li>Noem will move to a position as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a "new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere" that Trump said will be announced Saturday. </li></ul><p><em>Here are the controversies that led up to Noem's departure:</em></p><h2>1. Alex Pretti comments</h2><p><strong>Noem came under fire</strong> for claiming that Alex Pretti, a protester who federal immigration agents shot and killed in Minnesota, wanted to "kill" agents and "committed an act of domestic terrorism."</p><ul><li>The incendiary and misleading rhetoric set off <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/trump-stephen-miller-massacre-minnesota-shooting" target="_blank">a blame game</a> within the administration.</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick: </strong>The DHS statement <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2015115351797780500" target="_blank">shared</a> to X soon after Pretti was killed said an agent "[f]earing for his life" fired "defensive shots" after attempting to "disarm" Pretti, saying it "looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."</p><ul><li>Noem also inaccurately said Pretti was "brandishing" his weapon. </li><li>Bystander videos showed Pretti never reached for his gun and had been disarmed before he was shot.</li></ul><h2>2. Ad blitz</h2><p><strong>DHS spent millions </strong>on ads promoting Trump's <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/15/trump-self-deportation-ads-noem" target="_blank">mass deportation agenda</a> through videos starring Noem.</p><ul><li>Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT8dyabbffs" target="_blank">questioned</a> Noem in early March during a congressional hearing about how the ads square with her "concern for [government] waste."</li><li>Noem responded that Trump "tasked me with getting the message out to the country" and beyond.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>Noem was also pressed on whether Trump<strong> </strong>asked her to run the advertisements. She said that they "had that conversation, yes, before I was put in this position ... and since then as well."</p><ul><li><a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/border/immigration/is-noem-done/" target="_blank">Multiple</a> <a href="https://x.com/AudreyFahlberg/status/2029553600439972174" target="_blank">outlets</a> reported that Noem's contention that Trump approved the ad blitz enraged the president.</li><li> A ProPublica <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group" target="_blank">investigation</a> uncovered ties to a company run by Noem's former chief spokesperson's husband. Noem said she had nothing to do with picking the contractors for the ads.</li></ul><h2>3. Luxury jets</h2><p><strong>Noem's plan </strong>to use border funds for a multi-million-dollar jet fleet <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/noem-luxury-jets-dhs-deportations" target="_blank">horrified top officials</a>.</p><ul><li>Noem <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/us/politics/kristi-noem-dhs-gulfstream.html" target="_blank">purchased</a> two Gulfstream G700 luxury jets. A third plane, a Boeing 737, was being leased with plans to buy it for about $70 million.</li><li>The funding comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill's DHS infusion.</li></ul><p><strong>Pressed about the jets</strong> in her recent Senate hearing, Noem said they were used for "long-range command and control aircraft" and said purchasing the aircraft will "save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars."</p><ul><li>A DHS spokesperson told Axios in a statement late last month, "Anyone who runs a business in the real world will tell you that owning a work vehicle is less expensive than dealing with long-term rental costs."</li></ul><h2>4. Lewandowski's role</h2><p><strong>Corey Lewandowski, a top aide </strong>acting as Noem's de-facto chief-of-staff, has been <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/corey-lewandowski-kristi-noem-homeland-security" target="_blank">a source of controversy</a> himself.</p><ul><li>A Wall Street Journal report about Lewandowski <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/chaos-kristi-noem-homeland-security-f095ac95?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdgf8yHgjqoSHmmhQSsbQZXpgdzFFeHNO18WbNCJTIGa1uOv2uHIax6RwXmeKY%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69a9c42a&amp;gaa_sig=1HLf5RCUiJe8nJd5WW9lXDZdEhyHKPNckRhGQGVm1uPRncdX8ok9DN4Ywu-WWvca0f_uH3uBbXfr3gBnQhkhRA%3D%3D" target="_blank">firing a pilot</a> over Noem's misplaced blanket became new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6hD-PQj_m0" target="_blank">fodder</a> for her critics.</li><li>Once Noem's political adviser, his<strong> </strong>outsized influence at DHS as a "special government employee" has <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/14/white-house-dhs-lewandowski-noem" target="_blank">raised eyebrows</a>.</li></ul><h2>5. A Capitol Hill castigation</h2><p><strong>Noem's final appearance</strong> on the Hill as a Cabinet secretary drew a number of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/republicans-noem-dhs-grassley-tillis-kennedy" target="_blank">fiery rebukes</a> from both sides of the aisle.</p><ul><li>Sen. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/noem-tillis-senate-oversight-testimony-dhs" target="_blank">Thom Tillis</a> (R-N.C.) called her a "disappointment" and said that "what we've seen is a disaster under your leadership." He had previously called for her to resign.</li><li>He also cited a letter from DHS's Office of the Inspector General as evidence of Noem's leadership missteps, saying the office has "10 different instances under Ms. Noem's leadership where they've been misled and not allowed to pursue investigations that they think are critically important."</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> As <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/09/ice-approval-rating-plummets-trump-immigration" target="_blank">Americans sour</a> on Trump's immigration crackdown, there's no guarantee the DHS drama will end with Noem's departure. </p><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/03/noem-dhs-border-wall-construction-contracts" target="_blank">Scoop: 200 miles of Trump's border wall held up by Noem's DHS</a></p>

<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> told Axios on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog must pardon Prime Minister <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/iran-netanyahu-trump-white-house-talks" target="_blank">Benjamin Netanyahu</a> "today" — calling Herzog "a disgrace" for failing to act over the last year.</p><ul><li>"Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f*cking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran," Trump said in a phone interview.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Trump has been <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/25/trump-cancel-netanyahu-corruption-trial" target="_blank">pushing for a Netanyahu pardon</a> since last June, arguing that his trial on corruption charges — ongoing since 2020 — is a "witch hunt" akin to the U.S. president's own legal troubles.</p><hr /><ul><li>But Thursday's comments — which Trump raised himself, unprompted — marked a dramatic escalation and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/03/trump-netanyahu-corruption-trial-60-minutes" target="_blank">direct intervention</a> in Israel's legal system at a moment of active war.</li></ul><p><strong>What he is saying:</strong> "The president ... should give Bibi the pardon today. I don't want anything on Bibi's mind other than fighting against Iran," Trump told Axios.</p><ul><li>Trump claimed Herzog promised him five times over the past year that he would grant the pardon and never followed through. "He told me he would give it to him. But he has held it over Bibi's head for a year."</li><li>"Tell him I am exposing him. That president better damn well give him the pardon right now — and stop using it as leverage for his own political career," he said.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>A senior Israeli official pushed back on Trump's account, saying Herzog never promised a pardon.</p><ul><li>Herzog told Trump advisers Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee that he would consider the request in line with legal procedures, the official said.</li></ul><p><strong>"At a time when we are all mobilized</strong>, the President is not dealing with the issue of a pardon for Prime Minister Netanyahu," Herzog's office said in a statement.</p><ul><li>The statement praised Trump as "the leader of the free world" and "a central ally of Israel" — before delivering a pointed rebuke: "Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>Trump said Netanyahu "should not be on trial over wine and cigars" — a reference to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2019/11/21/netanyahu-indicted-for-bribery-fraud-breach-of-trust" target="_blank">charges alleging</a> he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cigars, champagne, jewelry and other gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors.</p><ul><li>Trump added that Netanyahu is a wartime prime minister who "should not be in jail" and said he refuses to meet Herzog until the pardon is granted.</li><li>A Trump adviser who has spoken to the president about the pardon told Axios: "Half of us know Bibi's full of crap, and half of us kind of think Bibi's a genius." Some believe both, the adviser added.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Trump's public pressure may be self-defeating.</p><ul><li>Israeli legal experts say that if Herzog grants the pardon now, it could be challenged before the Supreme Court on the grounds that it was the product of foreign political coercion rather than a legitimate legal process.</li><li>Netanyahu's trial has been suspended regardless — the courts are closed under the emergency measures declared since the start of the war, other than for urgent matters.</li></ul><p><strong>State of play: </strong>The legal process of reviewing Netanyahu's pardon is still ongoing, with Herzog not yet receiving final legal opinions from all relevant government lawyers.</p><ul><li>"[O]nce the process is complete, the President of the State will examine the request in accordance with the law, the best interests of the state, and his conscience, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind," Herzog's office said.</li></ul><p><strong>Netanyahu has refused to admit</strong> any wrongdoing or express remorse — two key conditions for receiving a pardon under Israeli law.</p><ul><li>His testimony remains ongoing, with Netanyahu and his lawyers repeatedly using delay tactics to shorten or cancel hearings. He has contradicted himself at points in his testimony</li><li>"The President has previously expressed publicly his position that it would be appropriate for the relevant systems to engage in substantive dialogue with the aim of reaching an agreed arrangement, including the possibility of a plea deal, in the Prime Minister's case," Herzog's office said.</li></ul>

<p>The dollar is so back. The <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/trump-dollar-currency-yen" target="_blank">U.S. currency</a> — subject to a good deal of bad press for the past year or so — has strengthened in value against other currencies since the Iran war began.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>It's not that people are falling in love with America again. It's more as if investors are running for safety toward the best option. And, like it or not, that's still the U.S. dollar.</p><hr /><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>The spike in oil prices was the catalyst for a major global market disruption that's only beginning to play out. Uncertainty abounds.</p><ul><li>Since Sunday, the dollar's value has grown relative to other currencies.</li><li>This is how the currency market always reacts to big risks, says Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former FX strategist at Goldman Sachs.</li><li>"This is completely normal price action, and it does mean that people still think of the U.S. dollar as a safe haven." (He writes more <a href="https://robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/what-this-weeks-rise-in-the-dollar" target="_blank">about it here</a>.)</li></ul><p><strong>How it works: </strong>Investors are selling holdings in overseas stocks and assets in Europe and Asia, and they're cashing out into dollars.</p><ul><li>That dynamic increased demand for the greenback, pushing up its value against other currencies.</li></ul><p><strong>Another factor:</strong> Those rising oil prices. Oil trades on a global market, but it trades in dollars. Higher energy prices mean you need more dollars, again pushing up demand.</p><ul><li>There's also a bit of rate differentials at play. The rise in energy prices will likely be more inflationary for other countries than in the U.S., which is more insulated from oil or natural gas shocks.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"It's completely normal that after a year and change of Americans putting money to work overseas — and they made a ton of money off it — now they're saying, 'I'm going to lock in some gains,'" says Rebecca Patterson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who once ran JPMorgan Private Bank's global currency and commodity trading desk.</p><ul><li>"And that process benefits the dollar," she notes.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Since President Trump took office last year, and especially in the wake of the "Liberation Day" tariffs, there have been concerns over de-dollarization.</p><ul><li>Perhaps the U.S. standing in the world had become so worrisome that the dollar would lose its status as the reserve currency, writers speculated.</li><li>Perhaps other nations would see their currencies gain as the dollar lost.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>The dollar's standing really was never in question, Brooks says.</p><ul><li>"There's a difference between news stories that get written and reality. Obviously Trump is unpopular in half the country, so it makes for good reading."</li><li>He notes that throughout the tariff chaos, Asian sovereign wealth funds showed no change in their allocations to the dollar.</li><li>"That's actually pretty remarkable, and kind of a reminder that the hurdle for the U.S. dollar to lose its reserve currency status is really, really high."</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> The dollar's still got it, and probably never even lost it.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/trump-venezuela-oil-power-play" target="_blank">Venezuela's</a> state-owned mining company on Monday inked a multimillion-dollar deal to sell as many as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets, two sources familiar with the deal tell Axios.</p><p><strong>Why it matters</strong>: The arrangement shows the tightening commercial bounds between Venezuela and the U.S. after <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">President Trump</a> ousted that nation's indicted socialist dictator and exerted de facto control over its oil-rich petroleum company.</p><hr /><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> The gold deal requires state-owned company Minerven to furnish 650 to 1,000 kilos of Gold Dore bars to the commodities trader Trafigura, according to one of the sources.</p><ul><li>The contract calls for 98% final gold content, the source said.</li><li>Trafigura will shepherd the gold to U.S. refineries under a separate arrangement with the U.S. government, that source said.</li><li>U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-administration-seeks-deal-venezuelan-oil-minerals/" target="_blank">arrived in Venezuela</a> Wednesday to discuss oil and mineral opportunities, helped shepherd the gold contract.</li></ul><p><strong>Today</strong>, a kilogram of pure gold costs about $166,000.</p><ul><li>The price varies depending on the market, but gold's price has risen amid global financial uncertainty.</li><li>The price of oil has been rising since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, one of the world's largest oil producers.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>This contract is the third extraction deal made under the Trump administration's supervision as the U.S. has taken control of Venezuela's most crucial and abundant resource, oil.</p><ul><li>Trafigura is also involved in those oil contracts worth more than $1 billion.</li><li>"The oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both countries is a very nice thing to see!" Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116172714486213504" target="_blank">posted</a> Wednesday on Truth Social, also praising Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez.</li><li>Rodriguez on Wednesday <a href="https://www.mining.com/web/venezuela-mining-reform-coming-soon-acting-president-says/" target="_blank">announced a plan</a> to reform the country's mining laws after she met with Burgum.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> The U.S. ouster of Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3 and its subsequent control of Venezuela's resources has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats and liberals, who accuse Trump's administration of <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-financial-page/the-folly-of-trumps-oil-imperialism" target="_blank">imperialism</a> and <a href="https://archive.ph/XPGS1" target="_blank">corruption</a>.</p><ul><li>But one of the sources familiar with the gold and oil deals said they benefit Venezuela more now because the country has access to U.S. markets and a stable financial system.</li><li>"There was so much corruption before in Venezuela involving black-market smugglers who skimmed money off the top," the source said. </li><li>"Now the money for Venezuela's resources will go to Venezuela's government and people. And instead of the gold going overseas to Turkey or Iran, that resource is coming to the U.S."</li></ul>

<p>The race between Reps. Al Green (D-Texas) and Christian Menefee (D-Texas) for a Houston-based U.S. House seat quickly went from largely cordial to venomous on Wednesday after the two were <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/04/al-green-christian-menefee-primary-election-results-2026" target="_blank">forced into a head-to-head primary</a>.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Green and Menefee will now have to spend the next 12 weeks campaigning against each other while simultaneously serving together in Congress.</p><hr /><ul><li>"I am challenging Mr. Menefee to a debate ... right away, but I also challenge him to come to work," Green told Axios on Wednesday, citing the fact that Menefee missed nine of his first 29 roll call votes.</li><li>Menefee dismissed his opponent's attack as "desperate."</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>Green and Menefee both failed to clear 50% in Tuesday's free-for-all primary, meaning they will have to go to a runoff on May 26.</p><ul><li>Menfee had 46% of the vote while Green had a little over 44% with over 95% of votes tallied, according to the Texas Secretary of State's <a href="https://goelect.txelections.civixapps.com/ivis-enr-ui/races" target="_blank">Office</a>.</li><li>Other candidates garnered nearly 10% of the vote, collectively.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Green, 78, has served in Congress since 2004, while Menefee, 37, was first elected in a special election in January to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, who <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/sylvester-turner-house-democrat-texas-dies" target="_blank">died last March.</a></p><ul><li>Menefee then had to face off with Green after Texas Republicans reduced the number of safely Democratic seats in Houston as part of their mid-decade redrawing of the state's congressional lines.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>Asked about the results outside a House Democratic caucus meeting Wednesday afternoon, Green told Axios it was a "very successful" campaign.</p><ul><li>"I was running against the crypto industry, they put $1.5 million in, that we know of, against me," he added. "I and others knew that there would be a runoff."</li><li>Green said of Menefee's voting record: "Within his first month in Congress, after having sworn that he was going to come here and vote ... he missed a week. ... My voting record is 97.9% over 20 years."</li><li>"He missed six votes in one day, and then missed additional votes as well. We had a classified briefing on the Iran war, he wasn't there," Green added. "He needs to know that this is where we work."</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>Green's comments came after Menefee, who had thus far run a positive campaign, said in an <a href="https://x.com/CDMenefee/status/2029025501806027136?s=20" target="_blank">election night speech</a>: "A 20-year incumbent, getting desperate, got negative."</p><ul><li>Green's campaign ran a now-deleted ad against Menefee, accusing him of making a "<a href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/04/al-green-christian-menefee-primary-election-results-2026" target="_blank">deal with the devil</a>" with "Trump crypto cronies," Axios' Jay Jordan and Shafaq Patel reported.</li><li>"Al Green, you can tear us down, but I'm gonna build us up," Menefee said in his election night speechAnd I will not lose my integrity for no damn elected office."</li></ul><p><strong>Asked Wednesday</strong> about Green's latest comments, Menefee said,<strong> </strong>"That sounds like the remarks of somebody who is desperate because they've been in office 20 years and they were down on the first ballot."</p><ul><li>He told reporters he looked forward to continuing the campaign, adding: "I'm sure we're going to be successful."</li><li>Asked about the shifting tone of the campaign, Menefee said, "You'd have to ask the congressman about that. I respect the congressman and his service."</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>Menefee and Green agree on at least one thing, which is that the Democratic grassroots' demands for generational change has not played a significant role in their race.</p><ul><li>Asked if he thinks age was a factor in his first place finish, Menefee told Axios, "Not at all."</li><li>Said Green: "I am the generational change."</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/texas-results-senate-midterms-primary" target="_blank">Texas warning signs: 4 takeaways from the first primaries of 2026</a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/04/anthropic-ai-iran-maduro-pentagon" target="_blank">Anthropic</a> CEO Dario Amodei's comments to staff disparaging the Trump administration could blow up chances of a resolution between the AI company and the Pentagon, an administration official tells Axios. </p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Rival OpenAI — and lawmakers across party lines — are pushing for an agreement, as the Pentagon's threat to designate Anthropic a supply chain risk looms. </p><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>The Information <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/anthropic-ceo-told-employees-openai-pentagon-deal-safety-theater" target="_blank">reported</a> that Amodei sent a memo to staff last Friday saying President Trump disliked Anthropic for not giving him "dictator-style praise."</p><ul><li>Amodei said the OpenAI-Pentagon deal was "safety theater," according to the report.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"Ultimately this is about our warfighters having the best tools to win a fight and you can't trust Claude isn't secretly carrying out Dario's agenda in a classified setting," the administration official said. </p><ul><li>Anthropic has maintained it does not want operational control over the Pentagon's use of Claude and that it should be left to warfighters, a source familiar told Axios.</li><li>Company executives have also told the Pentagon they regret that sentiment wasn't captured well in the media coverage, the source added.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>The two sides had been making progress toward a resolution over the past couple of days, and it's unclear how much the leaked memo will derail talks, a source familiar told Axios.</p><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> It's been a highly public standoff between the Pentagon and Anthropic, with personal insults aplenty.</p><ul><li>It appears not much is changing. </li></ul>

<p>President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a>'s claim that America has a "virtually unlimited" munitions stockpile and could fight a war "forever," could soon be tested as counterattacks target military bases and U.S. Embassies across the Middle East in what has become a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/iran-war-expanding-israel-lebanon-gulf-cyprus" target="_blank">rapidly-widening conflict</a>.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-races-to-accomplish-iran-mission-before-munitions-run-out-c014acbc?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqd1XPmix0Sqe0GkATEilHt9owVTH_CK-XjtdrtufT2PkwYi6c5VjuzhNLyljCA%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69a70785&amp;gaa_sig=qkpqsO_tJgtYEM7OUeQC9epC-Wgs7CgZKt3a0HfsPZymXWAPsxRhl4JPu32w19DnxLlxlwCHYUKxdCIGbQYfJA%3D%3D" target="_blank">Reporting</a> suggests that the U.S. stockpile and that of key allies, such as Israel and Gulf nations, are dwindling faster than production can replace the weapons.</p><hr /><ul><li>The problem is particularly notable given that other countries are <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/uae-iran-missiles-strike-israel" target="_blank">considering</a> whether to jump into the war.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: "</strong>The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better," the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116163464520215003" target="_blank">wrote</a> on Truth Social Monday night.</p><ul><li>"At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be. Much additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries," he added.</li></ul><p><strong>Context:</strong> It was not immediately clear what the president meant by "medium and upper medium grade" munitions.</p><ul><li>The White House referred Axios to the president's Tuesday comments at the White House. </li><li>The Pentagon referred Axios to a <a href="https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2028891599028318593?s=20" target="_blank">post</a> that says the U.S. has "everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President's choosing and on any timeline." </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Before the Iran strike, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine reportedly said stockpiling munitions could be a crucial limiting factor in a potential extended attack on the U.S.</p><ul><li>Israel's stockpile is currently bolstering American defenses, but its supplies were already low after years of regional conflict.</li></ul><p><strong>Threat level: </strong>U.S. interceptor stockpiles, which are used to stop incoming missiles, are also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-28/iranian-missile-attacks-set-to-strain-us-interceptor-stockpiles" target="_blank">dwindling</a>.</p><ul><li>Iran fired <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/world/middleeast/gulf-states-strikes.html" target="_blank">about</a> 400 missiles and over 800 drones in the first two days of strikes, according to government reports. </li><li>Many were <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-28/iranian-missile-attacks-set-to-strain-us-interceptor-stockpiles" target="_blank">intercepted</a>, but sustained barrages could strain Western defenses. The exact number of U.S. air-defense interceptors is classified.</li></ul><p><strong>Trump has downplayed </strong>Iran's ability to keep the pace of missiles going, saying Tuesday that Iran is "running out of launchers," but will continue firing for a "while."</p><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Even before the strikes, the Pentagon made procuring more munitions a key spending priority, <a href="https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2026/03/03/war-with-iran-puts-pressure-on-munitions-inventories-and-signals-future-demand/#:~:text=A%20reconciliation%20spending%20plan%20recently,munitions%20procurement%20to%20new%20heights." target="_blank">per</a> Forecast International's Defense &amp; Security Monitor.</p><ul><li>The 2025 reconciliation bill included roughly $25 billion to buy munitions and increase production. New <a href="https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2026/02/17/accelerating-u-s-missile-development-and-naval-posture-in-the-indo-pacific/" target="_blank">deals</a> with defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX to boost missile production are also in place — including making sure that the U.S. receives over 1,000 long-range Tomahawk missiles a year.</li></ul><p><strong>Thought bubble from Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest: </strong>Iran is flooding its neighbors with missiles, drones and decoys that demand reactions from Western air defenses, some of which are worth millions of dollars a pop and take months to replenish. </p><ul><li>An outgunned Tehran knows this — and is playing an existential numbers game.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-supreme-leader-council-israel-strike" target="_blank">Israel bombs council choosing Iran's next supreme leader, official says</a></p>

<p>Last Monday, Israeli Prime Minister <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/netanyahu-trump-iran-negotiations" target="_blank">Benjamin Netanyahu</a> called President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> with a stunning tip: Iran's supreme leader and his top advisers were all set to meet at one location in Tehran on Saturday morning.</p><ul><li>They could all be killed in a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel" target="_blank">single devastating airstrike</a>, Netanyahu told Trump and his team, according to three sources briefed on the discussion.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> The Feb. 23 call — held from the White House Situation Room and unreported until now — was a pivotal moment that set the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-war-countries-gulf-qatar-us" target="_blank">Iran war</a> in motion.</p><hr /><ul><li>It answers the question that lawmakers, MAGA skeptics and world leaders have all been asking since Saturday: why now?</li><li>The answer: Ayatollah <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-leader-ali-khamenei-what-to-know" target="_blank">Ali Khamenei</a> and his inner circle were irresistible targets of opportunity that neither Trump nor Netanyahu wanted to pass up.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Trump was already <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/01/trump-iran-war-attack-behind-scenes" target="_blank">leaning toward striking Iran</a> before learning the new intelligence about Khamenei. What he hadn't decided was when — until Netanyahu called.</p><ul><li>The Feb. 23 call was part of months of intensive coordination between the two leaders, who met twice and spoke by phone 15 times in the two months leading to the war, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.</li><li>The U.S. and Israel had considered striking a week earlier than Saturday, but <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/iran-war-strike-israel-delay-trump" target="_blank">postponed</a> for intelligence and operational reasons, including bad weather.</li></ul><p><strong>Inside the room: </strong>An initial CIA check, conducted at Trump's direction, confirmed the information about Khamenei gathered by Israeli military intelligence.</p><ul><li>Preparations accelerated as Trump told Netanyahu he would consider moving forward — but first came the president's <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/trump-sotu-speech-takeaways" target="_blank">State of the Union address</a> the following night.</li><li>U.S. officials said Trump made a "deliberate decision" not to focus excessively on Iran so as not to spook the ayatollah and drive him underground before the strike could be executed.</li></ul><p><strong>By Thursday</strong>, the CIA had fully "confirmed that these people were all going to be together, and we needed to take advantage of it," a source said.</p><ul><li>That same day, Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/witkoff-iran-deal-indefinite-geneva-talks" target="_blank">Steve Witkoff</a> called from Geneva after hours of talks with Iranian officials and delivered a blunt verdict: negotiations were going nowhere.</li><li>"If you decide you want to do diplomacy, we will push and fight to get a deal. But these guys showed us they weren't willing to make the deal you will be satisfied with," a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the call said Trump was told.</li></ul><p><strong>Trump was now convinced</strong> of two things: the intelligence was solid, and diplomacy was dead. On Friday at 3:38 p.m. EST, he gave the final order.</p><ul><li>Eleven hours later, bombs fell on Tehran, Khamenei was killed and the war had begun.</li></ul><img src="https://images.axios.com/B1w_B893dDErjukltK_HrVFhf8w=/2026/03/03/1772580040951.jpeg" /> <div>An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station on March 3 in Tehran. Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images</div><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> Trump saw Netanyahu as a close partner and was genuinely open to his counsel on Iran — but he was also determined to exhaust diplomacy first.</p><ul><li>"One side of the house was negotiating and the other side of the house was doing joint military planning" with Israel, a U.S. official said. "He was assessing both things all the time."</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Under fire for suggesting the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/rubio-trump-iran-israel-attacks" target="_blank">U.S. had been dragged in by Israel</a>, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Tuesday that this operation "had to happen anyway," and that it was simply "a question of timing."</p><ul><li>"This weekend presented a unique opportunity to take joint action against this threat," he told reporters on Capitol Hill. "We wanted this to have maximum success."</li><li>"Trump wanted to strike earlier — in early January. It was Bibi who asked to delay," one Israeli official said, stressing that the timing was "fully coordinated" with "the understanding that it would be carried out jointly."</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>The original plan called for a strike in late March or early April, giving the administration time to build public support. Netanyahu pushed to move faster, a U.S. official told Axios.</p><ul><li>The official said Netanyahu began "agitating" and warning that Iranian opposition leaders sheltering in safe houses were in danger of being killed by the regime.</li></ul><p><strong>The accelerated timeline</strong> left the administration flat-footed: Rather than spending weeks building the public case for war, the White House found itself justifying the strikes after the bombs had already fallen.</p><ul><li>"We didn't make the case in advance as well as we could have because the opportunity came on us so fast," the official said. </li><li>Another official acknowledged there was <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/rubio-trump-iran-israel-attacks" target="_blank">muddled messaging from Rubio</a> and from the White House, which started making the case for war after the attack, rather than before.</li></ul><p><strong>Friction point:</strong> Because Trump and Netanyahu disguised their Saturday attack, many U.S. citizens were caught completely unaware and stranded as Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.</p><ul><li>Rubio's State Department scrambled to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/state-department-iran-trump-flights-middle-east-americans" target="_blank">mount an emergency evacuation</a> effort for more than 1,500 Americans who requested assistance getting out of the region.</li><li>Asked by reporters Tuesday why there was no evacuation plan, Trump replied: "Well, because it happened all very quickly."</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter declined to comment on the specifics of the Feb. 23 call, but denied that Netanyahu was "agitating" or ever raised the threat to Iranian opposition leaders as a reason to accelerate.</p><ul><li>"Over the past year, we have worked more closely than ever with our partners in the United States regarding Iran, and we see eye to eye on the danger Iran poses to Israel, to the United States, and to the free world," Leiter told Axios.</li><li>"Anyone who knows President Trump understands that he is a strong leader who cannot be steered," the ambassador said.</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line: </strong>Trump was equally dismissive Tuesday of any suggestion that Netanyahu drove the decision.</p><ul><li>"We were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. If anything, I might have forced Israel's hand," he said.</li><li>The White House did not dispute Axios' reporting and pointed to Trump's and Rubio's public comments Tuesday.</li></ul>

<p>Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos never met with President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a> or any White House officials last week when he visited Washington, according to sources familiar with the engagement. </p><ul><li>Sarandos was informed shortly after arriving at the White House that his meeting was canceled because of a last-minute scheduling conflict, and then he promptly left the building.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Media onlookers were quick to speculate that Sarandos' meeting at the White House on Thursday prompted Netflix to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/26/paramount-skydance-superior-offer-wbd" target="_self">drop out</a> of the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.</p><hr /><ul><li>But Netflix had already determined at that point that it wouldn't up its bid, Sarandos <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-01/netflix-s-co-ceo-explains-why-he-quit-the-warner-bros-fight?embedded-checkout=true" target="_blank">told</a> Bloomberg.</li><li>Trump talked to Sarandos on the phone later that evening after Netflix had already announced it didn't plan to continue bidding, a source familiar with the matter told Axios. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Sarandos' call was the first time he had spoken to the president in several weeks.</p><ul><li>When they spoke about the deal last year, Trump advised Sarandos not to overpay for the asset, the source noted.</li><li>Netflix declined to comment when asked about the call. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Sarandos did meet with Justice Department officials last Thursday in D.C. </p><ul><li>A source familiar with the conversations characterized the meeting with DOJ officials as productive. Another noted that DOJ officials never threatened Netflix and told Sarandos they planned to run a fair process.</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Sarandos' visit to the White House hit a nerve with Democratic lawmakers, who on Monday <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/media/democratic-lawmakers-letter-trump-officials-warner-bros-discovery-deal-rcna261348" target="_blank">alleged</a> the streaming giant's meetings with Trump administration officials may have discouraged the company from upping its bid, therefore handing the WBD deal to Paramount. </p><ul><li>A source told Axios that Sarandos' D.C. visit was scheduled weeks in advance of Paramount submitting its final offer. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Both Paramount's and Netflix's bids would have faced regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and abroad, but the merger fight ultimately came down to who was willing to pay the highest price. For Netflix, the deal wasn't financially prudent. </p><ul><li>"Our decision not to increase our offer reflects our disciplined financial approach and our clear assessment of value, and was not driven by regulatory considerations of any kind," a Netflix spokesperson said.</li><li>"We continue to believe that the transaction we negotiated would have created meaningful shareholder value and offered a clear, achievable path to regulatory approval." </li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> In recent months, Trump signaled he could weigh in on the regulatory review of the deal. But according to Sarandos, Trump's interest appeared limited to how the transaction might affect CNN.</p><ul><li>Sarandos told Bloomberg in an interview published Sunday: "Once it was clear that we weren't in the CNN business, it was a lot less interesting. He didn't care that much more about our deal." </li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/investors-paramount-warner-brothers" target="_blank">Investors still aren't all sold on Paramount-WBD deal</a></p>

<p>Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, once a Manhattan neighbor of <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/epstein-files" target="_blank">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, voluntarily agreed to an interview with the House Oversight Committee over past ties to the convicted sex offender, Axios has learned.</p><ul><li><strong>Lutnick told Axios: </strong>"I look forward to appearing before the committee. I have done nothing wrong and I want to set the record straight."</li></ul><hr /><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Lutnick's past association with Epstein has been under growing scrutiny since the Cabinet secretary appeared in Justice Department files. </p><ul><li>White House spokesman Kush Desai told Axios: "Secretary Lutnick continues to be a critical asset for President Trump, having played a key role in securing major trade and investment deals. The entire Trump administration, including Secretary Lutnick, remains focused on delivering more wins for the American people."</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>The closed-door interview, with a transcript to be released, will take place in the coming weeks. </p><ul><li>Lutnick hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.</li></ul><p><strong>House Oversight Chair </strong>James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement to Axios: "Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for a transcribed interview."</p><ul><li>"I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee. I look forward to his testimony."</li><li>Axios is told the transcript will be released after review by Lutnick's attorney — standard committee practice for transcribed interviews.</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Democrats in both the <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/27/congress/dems-will-force-lutnick-subpoena-vote-00803881" target="_blank">House</a> and <a href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-merkley-press-lutnick-for-answers-on-epstein-ties" target="_blank">Senate</a> have been raising pressure on Lutnick. </p><ul><li>Senate Democrats, in <a href="https://www.merkley.senate.gov/van-hollen-merkley-press-lutnick-for-answers-on-epstein-ties/" target="_blank">a letter</a> to Lutnick on Friday, asked him to turn over all records of his connection to Epstein and Epstein allies, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/27/epstein-lutnick-democrats-probe" target="_blank">Axios scooped</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>President Trump </strong>has repeatedly backed Lutnick, and <a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-tells-reporters-he-doesnt-like-seeing-former-president-bill-clinton-deposed-d3926a335fcb496da9939658ead09291" target="_blank">said Friday</a> about possible testimony: "Howard would go in and do whatever he has to say. He's a very innocent guy — doing a good job."</p><ul><li>A slew of high-profile Americans are named in Epstein files released by the Justice Department, and few have given a detailed public accounting of their interactions with the disgraced financier, whose death in jail in 2019 was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0" target="_blank">ruled a suicide</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> Lutnick, 64, called Comer to tell the chairman he's willing to address any questions from the committee, an administration source told Axios. </p><ul><li>Lutnick <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-senator-questions-us-commerce-secretarys-fitness-job-amid-epstein-2026-02-10/" target="_blank">also testified</a> about Epstein at a Senate Appropriations hearing on Feb. 10. Lutnick said: "I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person."</li></ul><p><strong>The backdrop:</strong> Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked about Lutnick during last week's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-hillary-bill-clinton-deposition-house-investigation-299d82e8549f4d994dcb081c3876585c" target="_blank">six hours</a> of House testimony about Epstein. </p><ul><li>In video <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-bill-and-hillary-clinton-deposition-videos/" target="_blank">released by the committee</a> on Monday, Clinton sparred with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) when asked about her connection to Lutnick. </li><li>Clinton worked with Lutnick in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and became visibly perturbed and pounded her palm on the table as she responded to Mace, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-bill-clinton-hillary-clinton-deposition-3d5cf44a6b2f5c0333e41a3e3f86c06c" target="_blank">AP reports</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Lutnick said</strong> on a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/10/01/us-news/howard-lutnick-calls-ex-neighbor-jeffrey-epstein-greatest-blackmailer-ever/" target="_blank">New York Post podcast</a> last fall that after seeing the creepy "massage room" during a tour of Epstein's townhouse in 2005, "my wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again."</p><ul><li>But the DOJ's Epstein files <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-clinton-jeffrey-epstein-deposition-congress-9ea23ac5a5ffd1c7b9511e46308e8b21" target="_blank">later showed</a> Lutnick had two engagements with Epstein years later: He met at Epstein's home in 2011, and in 2012 his family had lunch with Epstein on his private Caribbean island.</li><li><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5731446-lutnick-admits-epstein-island-visit/" target="_blank">Lutnick told</a> the Senate Appropriations Committee last month that he visited the island with his wife, children and nannies. "I don't recall why we did it," he said.</li></ul><p><em><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/19/prince-andrew-yoon-suk-yeol-epstein-america" target="_blank">Go deeper</a>: Global leaders in Epstein files.</em></p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/j6-committee-s-anti-trump-storyteller-referred-to-doj-for-criminal-charges-report.jpg?id=65175531&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C20%2C0%2C87" /><br /><br /><p>The Jan. 6 Select Committee's various improprieties and its prioritization of narrative over facts have been exposed. Nevertheless, key participants in the Democrat-led lawfare campaign have so far managed to evade consequence. That might soon change.</p><p>House Republicans have reportedly referred Jan. 6 committee star witness Cassidy Hutchinson to the Department of Justice for criminal charges.</p><p class="pull-quote">The USSS agents ... directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.</p><p>A pair of sources reportedly familiar with recent developments <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/politics/cassidy-hutchinson-january-6-house-republicans-criminal-referral" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told</a> CNN that Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), the chairman of the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, recently made the referral, which was co-signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).</p><p>The referral reportedly accuses Hutchinson — who milked her time in the limelight for a <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Enough/Cassidy-Hutchinson/9781668028292" target="_blank">book deal</a> — of lying to Congress in her public testimony in June 2022.</p><p>This is undoubtedly good news for President Donald Trump, who claimed Hutchinson "made up" stories about him during her testimony.</p><p>"Our great Secret Service has totally CRUSHED Cassidy Hutchinson’s (who I barely knew) made up (FAKE!) stories about me roughing up Secret Service Agents from the back seat of the Beast (Limo)," Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112117265391620612" target="_blank">noted</a> in March 2024. "Has she now changed her testimony? Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?"</p><p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/judges-violated-the-law-by-keeping-pipe-bomb-suspect-brian-cole-jr-jailed-attorney-tells-appeals-court" target="_blank">Judges violated the law by keeping pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. jailed, attorney tells appeals court </a></strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" id="73631" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65178664&amp;width=980" /><small class="image-media media-photo-credit">Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images</small></p><p>Blaze News has reached out to the Department of Justice and Loudermilk's office for comment. CNN indicated that Hutchinson's current and former lawyers did not respond to multiple inquiries.</p><p>Loudermilk released a congressional <a href="https://cha.house.gov/_cache/files/d/9/d96ba6ce-03fb-4fc8-a4a7-5b5daf19d064/4F510144C1F427873D3298D955C8E19F.initial-findings-report.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> in March 2024 alleging that the Jan. 6 Select Committee — manned by outspoken critics of President Donald Trump — erased records; hid numerous transcribed interviews; failed to turn recordings over to GOP lawmakers; and suppressed evidence that failed to conform to Democrats' preferred narrative.</p><p>The report, penned by the House Administration Committee's oversight subpanel, also impeached Hutchinson's character and testimony.</p><p>Hutchinson, who served as assistant to Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, sat for six transcribed interviews and one publicized hearing with the committee.</p><p>The report noted that on June 20, 2022, in her fourth transcribed interview with the Jan. 6 committee, Hutchinson told a previously unheard tale about how on January 6, 2021, Trump allegedly got into a scuffle with a Secret Service agent and attempted to wrest control of the presidential limousine after his speech at the Ellipse.</p><p>Hutchinson's allegations pertained to supposed incidents to which she was not an eyewitness.</p><p>The Jan. 6 committee didn't bother interviewing either of the two Secret Service agents referenced in Hutchinson's testimony who were actually present at the time of the alleged events or anyone else implicated prior to her testimony.</p><p>When the committee put questions to the USSS agents some four months after Hutchinson's testimony, they directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.</p><p>In December 2024, Loudermilk released another damning <a href="https://cha.house.gov/_cache/files/6/d/6dae7b82-7683-4f56-a177-ba98695e600d/145DD5A70E967DEEC1F511764D3E6FA1.final-interim-report.pdf" target="_blank">congressional report</a>, this time alleging that:</p><ul><li>former White House employee Alyssa Farah Griffin back-channeled with former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, to help Hutchinson change her story; </li><li>Hutchinson had secret conversations with Cheney without her attorney's knowledge; and</li><li>"Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee."</li></ul><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/mullin-inherits-a-mess-at-dhs-heres-how-he-can-still-save-trumps-legacy.jpg?id=65174115&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C25%2C0%2C82" /><br /><br /><p>A few weeks ago, <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/phase-one-was-quality-control-phase-two-needs-to-be-quantity-control">I wrote</a>: “Everyone in America has an opinion on what has gone right or wrong at the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.” I added — a little too coyly — that I had “a pretty good sense of what happened.”</p><p>That restraint served a purpose at the time. It also left too much unsaid.</p><p class="pull-quote">The mass deportation agenda remains central to Trump’s legacy. Markwayne Mullin has a chance to deliver what the last year only promised. We’re counting on him.</p><p>Now that President Trump has removed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary and <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-removes-dhs-secretary-noem-and-announces-her-replacement">nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin</a> (R-Okla.) to replace her, it’s worth putting real detail behind the diagnosis. Not to salt the wound, but to fix what needs fixing. Trump’s <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/13/trump-deportation-immigrants-springfield-ohio-aurora-colorado" target="_blank">signature promise</a> — “the largest deportation operation in American history” — matters too much for anyone to pretend the last year went smoothly.</p><p>Start with the numbers. They’re too low to fulfill the promise.</p><p>ICE stopped releasing deportation data. The congressionally mandated annual report still hasn’t arrived. In the vacuum, we’ve been left with third-party estimates — the New York Times put removals at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/18/us/trump-deportation-numbers-immigration-crackdown.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">about 230,000</a> in 2025 — and with shifting DHS press-shop claims that bounce between hundreds of thousands and “millions.” The Times figure sits closer to reality than the chest-thumping.</p><p>Instead of mass deportations, we got mass communications.</p><p>The department’s strategy leaned heavily on television ads, memes, charged language, and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/12/trump-mass-deportation-statistics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inflated-sounding claims</a> meant to create the impression that deportations were happening at historic scale. The result landed in the worst possible place: It antagonized the left and the media without delivering results big enough to justify the noise. I don’t lose sleep over angry leftists. I do care when the administration absorbs political heat without gaining operational ground.</p><p>Trump World isn’t immune to polling, media narratives, and the feedback loop they create. A loud rollout without the matching numbers gave activists, consultants, and industry a pretext to flood weak-kneed Republican offices on Capitol Hill. Those calls turned into pressure on the administration. The incentive became delay, and delay followed.</p><p>Then came the optics problem.</p><p>Turning the DHS secretary role into a traveling cosplay routine didn’t land, and it didn’t project command. Instead, it projected awkwardness — and in a department built for seriousness, that matters.</p><p>The larger issue was always fit. Excitement around Trump’s cabinet picks made people charitable, and that’s understandable. The president earned that deference. But putting Noem in charge of DHS — the department most central to the core thesis of Trump’s campaign — never quite made sense. People in the enforcement world tried to build working relationships. Many got brushed off. Meanwhile, operational leaders inside DHS did what Noem didn’t: They cultivated the advocates who could help the mission move.</p><p><strong>RELATED: </strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/phase-one-was-quality-control-phase-two-needs-to-be-quantity-control"><strong>‘Phase one’ was quality control. ‘Phase two’ needs to be quantity control.</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9"> <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" id="9ddb5" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65174110&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;quality=50&amp;coordinates=0%2C21%2C0%2C85" /> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit">Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images</small></p><p>The divide became public. Post-Minneapolis, Tom Homan’s profile rose quickly as Trump tapped him to manage the response. Inside DHS, the camps had already formed. Anyone in Washington with a foot in the enforcement world knew who was on “Team Kristi and Corey [Lewandowski]” and who wasn’t. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/dhs-border-chief-office-renovation-00735316" target="_blank">Leaks followed</a>. Finger-pointing followed. Journalists got fed a steady diet of dysfunction. Morale dropped as firings and reassignments became the department’s background music.</p><p>What drove most of the internal warfare was money — specifically, contracts — and the scramble to control tens of billions authorized through the One Big Beautiful Bill.</p><p>DHS adopted a policy requiring Noem personally to review and sign off on contracts over $100,000. Combined with stripping authority from agency heads, that amounted to centralized control in the secretary’s office.</p><p>In practice, the authority filtered through a small circle and ran through Corey Lewandowski in a “special government employee” capacity. The backlog became delay, and the delays hit the mission: Border wall contracts sat for months while steel prices rose. Detention capacity grew slowly because leadership chased flashy, low-capacity facilities with catchy names — Cornhusker Clink, Speedway Slammer, Louisiana Lockup — announced with social media fanfare but built at higher cost, higher litigation risk, and lower throughput than traditional providers.</p><p>It looked like a communications strategy pretending to be a detention strategy.</p><p>Personnel choices compounded the problem. Noem brought in people with little operational or policy experience in immigration enforcement. Her decision to install a late-20s former Wildlife and Fisheries official as deputy ICE director raised eyebrows. Outside the formal chain of command, an equally inexperienced cast appeared in spaces normally reserved for officials who have spent years in homeland security. Over time, <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/how-kristi-noems-chief-corey-lewandowski-ran-her-dhs-tenure-into-the-ground/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">allegations of self-dealing spread</a> — and the pattern made it harder to dismiss them as rumor.</p><p>The best example was the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kristi-noem-border-immigration-kennedy-ad-campaign-bc1525f1d10a468c892d0cb5cf3907b0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$220 million ad campaign</a> that prominently featured Noem. Reports of unusual processes and favored vendors circulated. When lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — pressed for answers, Noem did little to restore confidence. Given the broader self-promotion pattern, any benefit of the doubt evaporated.</p><p>Then came the hearings. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/noem-house-dems-clash-tension-filled-oversight-hearing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">They were brutal</a>.</p><p><strong>RELATED: </strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/memo-to-trump-stop-negotiating-and-ramp-up-deportations"><strong>Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9"> <img alt="Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations" class="rm-shortcode" id="84a60" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/memo-to-trump-stop-negotiating-and-ramp-up-deportations.jpg?id=65174101&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;quality=50&amp;coordinates=0%2C78%2C0%2C30" /> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit">Photo by Sean Bascom/Anadolu via Getty Images</small></p><p>Before both the House and the Senate, Noem failed to convince members that she could lead the department, and she struggled to answer accusations of scandal and self-dealing. But the fatal error came when she violated the one rule for any Cabinet witness: Don’t drag the president into your mess.</p><p>Under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy about the ad campaign, Noem told him the president personally approved the spending. Kennedy looked stunned. Trump later denied it — and the claim never made much sense in the first place. That answer ended whatever internal support remained. In the middle of a sudden war, it still managed to blow up the news cycle. With few defenders inside the building or outside it, the wagons never circled.</p><p>So what now?</p><p>Markwayne Mullin has a massive job ahead of him. He inherits some real wins — especially the restored control of the southern border — but he also inherits a department bruised by internal warfare, low output numbers, and credibility damage.</p><p>A few suggestions, offered plainly:</p><p>First, “<a href="https://x.com/MHowellTweets/status/2030112714392035708" target="_blank">commas, not drama</a>.” Let the mission speak louder than the messaging. Raise the deportation numbers. If the numbers move, everything else gets easier.</p><p>Second, cauterize the past. If Mullin doesn’t create distance from what happened before, he’ll spend the next year answering for it — including under subpoena if Democrats take the House.</p><p>Third, build a firewall through oversight. Let Trump-appointed Inspector General Joseph Cuffari review the controversies. Put the facts on paper, separate the department from the personalities, and move forward. Mullin needs the ability to say, credibly, that he’s fixing the mission, not protecting a mess he didn’t create.</p><p>Fourth, trust the serious people already inside DHS. The department has highly capable operators. Back them. Empower them. Leadership requires followers, and followers don’t materialize through threats, leaks, and infighting.</p><p>The mass deportation agenda remains central to Trump’s legacy. Mullin has a chance to deliver what the last year only promised.</p><p>We’re counting on him.</p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65174338&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0" /><br /><br /><p>Last week, President Trump announced that Kristi Noem would be replaced as Secretary of Homeland Security by Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and reassigned to the newly created position of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.</p><p>“Let me translate what this usually means in Washington and may mean this time,” Glenn Beck says.</p><p>“When a president moves somebody into a job that hasn’t been fully defined yet, it usually means one of two things: either A, yeah, bye-bye, you’re being pushed aside, or B, you’re being moved in to run something that is bigger but isn’t public yet.”</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span> </p><p>Which category does Noem fall into?</p><p>Glenn speculates that it’s the latter.</p><p>“If you look at the timing, this doesn’t feel like a demotion,” he says.</p><p>Despite the “mixed signals” coming from Trump, who at times does appear “pissed at her,” Glenn believes that Noem’s reassignment has more to do with the “reorganization of the battlefield.”</p><p>“It’s the shield of the Americas. I know that doesn’t mean anything, but follow me on this. Right now, the United States is looking at a hemisphere and a hemisphere problem that most Americans still don’t fully understand or see,” he says.</p><p>“When Donald Trump was running for re-election, we were standing backstage someplace, and he was getting ready to go on. He said, ‘You want to look like a prophet? You know what you need to talk about? You just keep talking about Panama,”’ he recounts, noting that Trump’s words were deeply confusing to him at the time.</p><p>However, shortly after the election, the president sure enough divulged intentions to take back the Panama Canal.</p><p>“He understood what was happening with Panama and China. China had taken the entire Panama Canal and was controlling it,” Glenn says.</p><p>The Panama plans were soon followed by talk of Greenland, then Venezuela, Cuba, cartels in Mexico and Central America, Russia in Caracas, and Iranian proxies in the region.</p><p>“The southern hemisphere has become the new front line of great power competition. [President Trump] is declaring the western hemisphere is ours, OK? And DHS, the Department of <em><em>Homeland</em></em> Security, was not designed for that,” Glenn says.</p><p>What Trump is up against, he explains, is “hemisphere-level instability.”</p><p>“We have the migration waves. We have state collapse. We have cartels that are moving people and drugs and weapons and intelligence. We have foreign adversaries embedding themselves inside of all of that chaos,” Glenn explains. “So if you’re the president ... you’re saying, ‘We have got to shore up America to make sure we last another 150, 250 years.’”</p><p>Perhaps Noem’s reassignment has more to do with this: “[making] sure that our darkest, Russia, China, Iran, are not running operations in this hemisphere.”</p><p>“Shield of the Americas. Think about the name. It’s not border control; it’s not immigration enforcement. It’s a shield of the Americas, the entire western hemisphere,” Glenn says. “That doesn’t sound like DHS. That sounds more like strategic security architecture for the western hemisphere, doesn<strong></strong>’t it?”</p><p>To hear more of his theory on Kristi Noem’s reassignment, watch the video above.</p><h2>Want more from Glenn Beck?</h2><p>To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/glenn/?utm_source=theblaze&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=article_shortcode_glennbeck" target="_blank">subscribe to BlazeTV</a> — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.</p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/data-centers-are-a-hidden-tax-on-your-burger.jpg?id=65174023&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C58%2C0%2C150" /><br /><br /><p>Last September, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DO9y9vEDdIJ/" target="_blank">warned</a> that the United States has “offshored our food, our beef cattle, our citrus.” She put the problem plainly: “If we can’t feed ourselves, this is a national security issue.” Fair enough. So why does so much of government land-use policy push projects that devour farmland — hyperscale data centers, utility-scale solar farms, and the sprawling infrastructure that comes with them?</p><p>If Washington wanted to drive up land prices, make farming harder, and funnel a generation of acreage into non-agricultural uses, it couldn’t improve on the current playbook. The uniparty does this everywhere, and red states often lead the charge.</p><h2>Data centers: The ‘cloud’ that drains the water</h2><p>Texas is suffering through a long drought. Yet Amarillo has approved an 18 million square-foot data center on what used to be cattle country. Land-grabs tell only part of the story. Data centers also drink water — and they don’t act like the kind of clouds that bring rain.</p><p>Reports indicate the Amarillo facility alone could use <a href="https://x.com/mavsmarie/status/2027413768981074287?s=46" target="_blank">912 million gallons</a> of water per year. Large data centers can guzzle up to 5 million gallons per day, matching the daily use of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. That kind of demand crowds out ranchers and farmers who already operate under tight margins and tight water allocations.</p><p class="pull-quote">If food security is national security, then farmland is strategic territory. Let’s start acting like it.</p><p>Texas data centers used roughly <a href="https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/land-lines-magazine/articles/land-water-impacts-data-centers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">49 billion gallons of water</a> in 2025, rising to 399 billion gallons by 2030 — enough to lower Lake Mead by more than 16 feet annually. Meanwhile, ranchers face reduced access, higher pumping costs, and deeper draws from shrinking aquifers. Less water means <a href="https://worldpressinstitute.org/in-arid-texas-data-centers-are-thirsty-for-water/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">smaller herds</a>, smaller harvests, and <a href="https://andthewest.stanford.edu/2025/thirsty-for-power-and-water-ai-crunching-data-centers-sprout-across-the-west/#:~:text=Beans%20to%20bits%20The%20agricultural,from%20nearby%20Columbia%20River%20hydropower." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more pressure to sell</a>.</p><p>That’s how the cycle locks in. Water becomes scarce. Ranching becomes less viable. Landowners get squeezed. Tech developers show up with wads of cash and tax incentives. Grazing land disappears for good.</p><p>On what planet does it make sense to trade the beef and food we need for speculative gains from chatbots and cloud-based generative AI?</p><p>Maybe Elon Musk has the right idea when he suggests building data centers in space. Texas doesn’t need them planted on top of its ranches.</p><p>Some red states now treat these projects as untouchable “economic development,” even when they wreck local quality of life. Ohio offers <a href="https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/ohio-epa-weighs-allowing-data-centers-to-release-wastewater-into-rivers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a telling example</a>. An Ohio EPA draft permit for a data center states: “It has been determined that a lowering of water quality … is necessary to accommodate important social and economic development in the state of Ohio.”</p><p>That sentence says everything. Regulators will sacrifice water quality to accommodate the newest corporate appetite. Families and landowners can adapt.</p><p><strong>RELATED: </strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/return/living-brain-cell-chatbot" target="_self"><strong>Living human brain cells are training a chatbot to be ‘more like us’</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9"> <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" id="37b05" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65173975&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;quality=50&amp;coordinates=0%2C53%2C0%2C54" /> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit">Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images </small></p><h2>Solar ‘farms’ crushing farmland</h2><p>President Trump has criticized the solar agenda from day one. He has called utility-scale solar inefficient and ugly — and he’s right about the aesthetics. Yet the administration now treats <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/interior-jump-starts-solar-energy-permitting/" target="_blank">solar as a power source</a> for data centers, while some MAGA influencers and pollsters try to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/02/katie-miller-solar-power-trump/" target="_blank">sell the right on the plan</a>. Pairing solar with hyperscale AI facilities accelerates the transfer of land out of food production.</p><p>Utility-scale solar typically requires five to 10 acres per megawatt. A solar build meant to feed a one-gigawatt hyperscale facility can swallow 5,000 to 10,000 acres. Supporters respond with percentages: Solar uses only a small share of total farmland. That dodge ignores where developers build. They don’t chase scrub. They target flat, well-drained, <a href="https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/solar/solar-power-depletes-farmlands-of-rich-soil/" target="_blank">high-quality fields</a> with cheap and easy access to transmission.</p><p>Follow the incentives. In states such as Indiana and Illinois, solar leases reportedly offer $900 to $1,500 per acre annually — far above the average return from corn and soybean ground. Landowners take the deal. Young farmers get priced out. Rural communities lose working land and the local economies that depend on it.</p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/solar-capacity-grows-some-americas-most-productive-farmland-is-risk-2024-04-27/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Weekend-Briefing&amp;utm_term=042724&amp;user_email=b1f33c724f72e6ae81530a646d129e79a9988a48c9ad389eee85b1a662118766" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a> that in Indiana counties such as Pulaski, Starke, and Jasper, solar projects have secured 4% to 12% of some of the most fertile cropland. That’s not “marginal land.” That’s the kind of ground America needs to keep producing.</p><p>Tax breaks pour gasoline on the fire. Federal and state subsidies for data centers, solar farms, and battery installations push up land values and rents. In Pulaski County, Indiana, cropland rents reportedly <a href="https://www.fb.org/market-intel/solar-energy-expansion-and-its-impacts-on-rural-communities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jumped 26% since 2020</a> amid solar growth, outpacing state and national averages. Young families trying to farm don’t compete with subsidized megaprojects.</p><p>Indiana Republicans have compounded the damage by <a href="https://archive.is/20260302201607/https:/www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/02/a-carbon-sequestration-bill-failed-then-lawmakers-bent-the-rules-to-revive-it/88904748007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">greasing the skids</a> for carbon capture pipelines and special regulatory favors tied to the “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Stop-the-Mid-States-Corridor-Project-100068231971578/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mid-States Corridor</a>,” which will take even more farmland out of service.</p><p>Indiana’s own Department of Agriculture reports the state lost roughly 345,000 acres of agricultural land between 2010 and 2022. Residential sprawl drives much of that loss. Industrial conversion is accelerating — and data centers paired with solar build-outs speed it up.</p><p>So what exactly are these conservatives conserving?</p><p>Imports keep climbing. In 2023, imports supplied 59% of fresh fruit availability and 35% of fresh vegetables — up from 50% and 20% in 2007. America has the land to feed itself and then some, yet policymakers keep nudging production overseas. Mexico alone accounts for over half of imported fruits and vegetables, valued at more than $20 billion.</p><p>God gave this country an abundance of fertile land. He gave sun and rain to grow food. Our leaders now treat that ground as a blank canvas for industrial build-outs that don’t feed anyone.</p><p>If food security is national security, then farmland is strategic territory. Let’s start acting like it.</p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/trump-s-doj-reaches-agreement-with-ticketmaster-to-lower-prices-but-some-states-already-reject-it.png?id=65173970&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C25%2C0%2C26" /><br /><br /><p>The U.S. Dept. of Justice <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/justice-department-and-live-nation-reach-settlement-over-ticketmaster-illegal-monopoly-case" target="_blank">said</a> it had reached a tentative deal in the antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment on Monday.</p><p>Critics of the event ticket outlet have accused the company of seeking a monopoly in the industry in order to artificially maintain high sales fees.</p><p class="pull-quote">'We will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.'</p><p>"Live Nation Ticketmaster created a dominant conglomerate with an unprecedented amount of control over the live ticketing market, resulting in monopoly power it has used to entrench its position in the marketplace," Mark Meador <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/the-ticketmaster-scam-trump-vows-to-crush" target="_self">wrote</a> in 2024 before being nominated to FTC commissioner.</p><p>On Monday, a senior Justice Department official said anonymously <a href="https://apnews.com/article/livenation-antitrust-justice-department-0a6ef66f497e5f626096de753bfff8ce?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">in a call</a> with reporters that the deal was a "win-win for everybody."</p><p>Live Nation has agreed to divest itself of 13 amphitheaters in the U.S. as a part of the deal, which also includes a $280 million fine.</p><p>The official said a double-digit number of states have signaled that they will agree with the deal.</p><p>New York Attorney General Letitia James was among those who said they would not go along with the deal and continue their own lawsuits against the companies.</p><p>"My attorney general colleagues and I have a strong case against Live Nation, and we will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry," James said.</p><p>Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) ridiculed President Donald Trump over the deal in a post on social media.</p><p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/its-time-to-join-the-fight-and-expose-ticketmaster" target="_self">It’s time to join the fight and expose Ticketmaster</a> </strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span> </p><p>"Donald 'Art of the Deal' Trump settled the Ticketmaster-Live Nation antitrust case," <a href="https://x.com/ewarren/status/2031090421254717635" target="_blank">Warren wrote</a>.</p><p>"If you love going to concerts, Trump's deal means you'll keep paying a 'Ticketmaster Tax.' And artists will keep getting bullied," she added. "It's time to break up Ticketmaster-Live Nation."</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em></p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65169858&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0" /><br /><br /><p>President Donald Trump spent years campaigning against the failures of American foreign policy — but not necessarily against American power itself.</p><p>Which is why Trump’s bold global moves suggest a doctrine that rejects nation-building and ideological crusades in favor of something far simpler: an America First approach to global dominance.</p><p>“It’s only March, but already it’s proven to be a pretty remarkably action-packed year. You know, just three days in, Trump successfully plucks up Nicolas Maduro from his bed in Venezuela, extradites him back to the United States, where he’s facing numerous felony charges stemming from involvement in narco-terrorism,” John Doyle explains.</p><p>“Then, the end of February, Trump launches Operation Epic Fury, of course, a military campaign to destroy Iran’s offensive capabilities,” he continues.</p><h3></h3><br /><span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span><p>“On Tuesday, though, the U.S. and Ecuador launched a joint military operation against narcoterrorists in the South American country,” he adds.</p><p>But it appears that Trump is only getting started.</p><p>“A lot of analysts, I’ve been seeing this, are saying that Trump is perhaps planning an intervention in Cuba. ... In his second term, he’s floated the idea of, you know, a friendly takeover. We can guess how friendly such a takeover would actually be. But Trump’s clearly trying to frame Cuba as a failing state, which it is,” Doyle says.</p><p>And while many Americans are skeptical of Trump’s recent actions, particularly Operation Epic Fury, Doyle points out that Trump is “doing what he thinks is best for America, not what’s best for abstractions like liberal democracy, not what’s best for transgender people in Timbuktu, what is best for America.”</p><p>“He does think in terms of empire. All of his criticism about American Empire has not been so much on the empire itself, but more on the people managing it. What does he say? ‘Our leaders are stupid,’” Doyle explains.</p><p>“His problem with us going into Iraq was not that we went into Iraq necessarily, but that we went in to pursue a nation-building project, and we didn’t even take the oil. He said this as it was going on. He said this on the debate stage in 2016. This is pretty consistent for Donald Trump,” he says.</p><p>“And, of course, it’s true that Trump won the election in 2016 by denouncing, again, certain aspects of the American Empire — you know, our involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan. But it is incorrect ultimately to characterize Trump as opposed to empire itself,” he continues.</p><p>“In fact, if anything, the American Empire is actually doing a lot better with Trump at the helm,” he adds.</p><h2>Want more from John Doyle?</h2><p>To enjoy more of the truth about America and join the fight to restore a country that has been betrayed by its own leaders, <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/doyle/?utm_source=theblaze&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=article_shortcode_rufo-lomez" target="_blank">subscribe to BlazeTV</a> — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.</p>

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/china-is-at-war-with-us-start-acting-like-it.jpg?id=65173073&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C54%2C0%2C125" /><br /><br /><p>Communist China isn’t hiding its ambitions. Beijing wants to displace the United States as the world’s leading power. It <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/3874713-cia-director-cant-say-what-chinese-leadership-knew-about-spy-balloon/" target="_blank">flies spy balloons</a> over our country, runs influence operations, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-technology-disputes-intellectual-property-europe-e749a72e" target="_blank">steals technology</a>, pressures neighbors, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/china-america-navy-taiwan-strait-transit-freedom-overflight-1783997" target="_blank">menaces Taiwan</a>, and <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343917/how-china-overtook-us-hypersonic-arms-and-may-leave-air-defences-powerless" target="_blank">builds missiles</a> and ships meant to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/satellite-images-expose-china-practising-blowing-up-us-warships/news-story/564e6ac42ad821f7227eab88683717ad" target="_blank">drive America out</a> of the Western Pacific.</p><p>The Pentagon’s newly released <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/23/2003864773/-1/-1/0/2026-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY.PDF" target="_blank">National Defense Strategy</a> puts the People’s Republic of China at the center of the threat picture. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth frames the task in blunt terms: “peace through strength,” including a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific so that China can’t “dominate us or our allies.”</p><p class="pull-quote">China won’t ‘take over the world’ in some comic-book way. But it will keep testing the seams of American power — and it will keep exploiting our habits of denial and delay.</p><p>That doesn’t mean the United States and China are “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Destined-War-America-Escape-Thucydidess/dp/0544935276" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">destined for war.</a>” China’s weaknesses cut against that. It lacks the kind of soft power that makes alliances easy and coercion unnecessary. Outside its borders, China inspires far more fear than admiration. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/china-is-facing-a-demographic-bomb-and-it-could-handcuff-beijing-s-ambitions/ar-AA1UWT7S" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Demographic collapse</a> also looms. The one-child policy left China facing an aging population and a shrinking workforce.</p><p>None of that makes Beijing harmless. A declining regime can still lash out. It can still intimidate neighbors, manipulate markets, and exploit American openness. It can also run influence operations in plain sight — through front companies, academic partnerships, lobbying, investment vehicles, and the slow capture of key choke points in tech and infrastructure.</p><p>That calls for something Washington too often refuses to do: enforce rules like a serious country.</p><p>Start with basic <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/23/house-ethics-committee-ends-probe-into-swalwells-interaction-with-fang-fang/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">counterintelligence hygiene</a>. Aggressively investigate covert foreign influence. Enforce FARA. Protect sensitive research. Tighten screening around critical supply chains. Treat strategic industries like strategic industries. Strip Chinese “<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/01/17/manchurian-generation-ballot-flood-more-than-1-million-chinese-with-u-s-citizenship-could-vote-in-2030-elections/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">paper Americans</a>” of their citizenship and <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/exclusive-meet-the-chinese-congressman-accused-of-abusing-21-kids-in-us-surrogacy-scheme/ar-AA1JEA2W" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deport them</a>.</p><p>This is where internal discipline matters as much as external posture. A national strategy collapses when parts of the bureaucracy slow-walk it, freelance against it, or treat it like optional guidance.</p><p>Consider the recent ouster of Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. She was in charge of the Department of Justice’s antitrust division until last month. But she butted heads repeatedly with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Their disagreements slid into <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2026/02/12/gail-slater-pam-bondi-antitrust-doj-jd-vance-hewlett-packard/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">insubordination</a>. Slater <a href="https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2022071636812345536" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">allegedly lied</a> to Bondi on national security matters that appeared to help China.</p><p><strong>RELATED:</strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/iran-china-and-trumps-art-of-the-squeal" target="_self"><strong> </strong><strong>Iran, China, and Trump’s ‘art of the squeal’</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9"> <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" id="24fe4" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=65173069&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;quality=50&amp;coordinates=0%2C35%2C0%2C72" /> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit">White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images</small></p><p>For example, Slater opposed the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise <a href="https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2025/07/hewlett-packard-enterprise-closes-acquisition-of-juniper-networks-to-offer-industry-leading-comprehensive-cloud-native-ai-driven-portfolio.html" target="_blank">acquisition</a> of Juniper Networks, which national security experts say is essential to combat Chinese tech dominance. Blocking the deal would have hurt U.S. industry and helped Chinese telecom giant Huawei. Happily, the administration overruled her and approved the deal.</p><p>Washington can’t run a serious China policy with internal sabotage, bureaucratic drift, or officials acting like they answer to a different set of priorities.</p><p>The same standard applies to national security decisions in the tech arena. If competition with Huawei and China’s tech ecosystem matters — and it does — then Washington should evaluate mergers, procurement, and infrastructure policy through that lens, not just through abstract theories divorced from geopolitical reality. America needs to win the next generation of networks, not regulate itself into strategic dependence.</p><p>China won’t “take over the world” in some comic-book way. But it will keep testing the seams of American power — and it will keep exploiting our habits of denial and delay.</p><p>Peace through strength isn’t a slogan. It’s a posture: defend critical systems, enforce the law, remove vulnerabilities, and stop treating strategic competition like a seminar topic. The first step is simple and unglamorous: clean up our own house, then face Beijing with the seriousness the moment demands.</p>

<p>Social media users with access to electricity shared dramatic images throughout the weekend of protests across Cuba, many of them featuring large bonfires of garbage, banging of pots and bans, and the emergence the next day of anti-communist graffiti.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2026/03/10/viva-trump-graffiti-surfaces-during-apocalyptic-weekend-protests-in-cuba/" rel="nofollow">‘Viva Trump’ Graffiti Surfaces During ‘Apocalyptic’ Weekend Protests in Cuba</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.breitbart.com" rel="nofollow">Breitbart</a>.</p>

President Trump is hosting right-wing leaders from across Latin America in Miami for a summit discussing his so-called Shield of the Americas initiative. This comes as the U.S. deploys special forces to Ecuador and as Trump hints about regime change in Cuba. &#8220;This summit is … an opportunity for Trump to play out a moment of imperial fantasy in front of fans in South Florida,&#8221; says Jake Johnston, director of international research at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago will attend, says the White House.

Senate Votes 53-47 to Reject Resolution Reining In Trump&#8217;s War Powers, Pentagon Chief Says U.S. and Israel Will Continue to Attack Iran &#8220;Without Mercy&#8221;, Iran Denies Striking Azerbaijan and Turkey as Its Missiles Target U.S. Bases and Oil Tankers, Israel Continues Bombing Beirut and Expands Forced Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon, CodePink Disrupts Heritage Foundation Gathering to Protest Support for Iran War, Report Finds Global Heating Is Driving Sea Level Rise Far Faster Than Previously Believed, More Than a Dozen Measles Cases Detected at Texas <span class="caps">ICE</span> Tent Camp, <span class="caps">ICE</span> Slashed Basic Training to Speed Trump&#8217;s Mass Deportation Campaign, Minnesota Gov. Walz Condemns <span class="caps">ICE</span> Crackdown and Medicaid Funding Freeze as &#8220;Political Retribution&#8221;, Cuba Suffers Another Massive Blackout as U.S. Oil Blockade Worsens Humanitarian Crisis, Venezuela Announces Mining Law Reforms Granting Access to U.S. Companies, House Committee Subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi to Testify About Epstein Files, Report Finds Catholic Priests in Rhode Island Sexually Abused Hundreds of Children for Decades

U.S. and Israel Launch Joint Attack on Iran, Killing Supreme Leader and Hundreds of Civilians, Trump Calls for Regime Change in Iran, Says U.S. Attacks Could Continue for Weeks, Iran Retaliates with Drone and Missile Strikes on Israel, Gulf Nations, Israel Bombs Beirut and Southern Lebanon, Killing at Least 31, U.K.'s Starmer Approves U.S. Strikes from British Bases as Spain's Sánchez Condemns Attack on Iran, Russia, China Condemn Iran Strikes in Emergency Meeting of U.N. Security Council, Congress Moves to Take Up War Powers Resolution After Trump Begins Bombing Iran, 24 Killed in Pakistan as Protesters Torch U.N. Offices and Attempt to Storm U.S. Consulate, <span class="caps">FBI</span> Opens Terrorism Investigation After Gunman Kills 2 and Wounds 14 at Austin, TX Bar, Trump Says U.S. Might &#8220;Have a Friendly Takeover of Cuba&#8221; Amid U.S. Fuel Blockade, Bill Clinton Tells House Committee He Had No Knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s Crimes, North Dakota Judge Approves $345 Million Verdict Against Greenpeace over Pipeline Protests

U.S. and Iran Conclude Indirect Talks With No Deal on Iran&#8217;s Nuclear Program, Pakistan Launches Cross-Border Strikes on Afghanistan, Declaring &#8220;Open War&#8221; on Taliban, Russia Strikes Cities Across Ukraine Ahead of Talks Between U.S. and Ukrainian Envoys, Hillary Clinton Tells Congressional Committee She &#8220;Never Met Jeffrey Epstein&#8221;, Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 6 Palestinians in Latest Breach of U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire, <span class="caps">ICE</span> Agents&#8217; Car Chase Through Newark Ends in Multi-Car Crash That Injured Children, <span class="caps">ICE</span> Agents Use False Pretense to Detain Columbia University Student Without a Warrant, <span class="caps">NYC</span> Mayor Mamdani Asks Trump to Dismiss Immigration Cases Against Pro-Palestinian Activists, Mamdani Pitches Trump on Federal Funds for Affordable Housing in New York, Netflix Drops Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Clearing Path for Merger With Paramount Skydance, <span class="caps">FBI</span> Fires More Agents Who Investigated Trump&#8217;s Mishandling of Classified Documents

Cuban exiles on a U.S.-registered speedboat attempted to enter Cuba undetected, but were confronted by border patrol in Cuban waters on Wednesday. According to the Cuban Interior Ministry, the Cuban nationals on the speedboat fired on the border agents who then returned fire — killing four and injuring six of the men. This comes as the Trump administration’s blockade of fuel has triggered a severe humanitarian and economic crisis in Cuba, compounding the impact of the U.S. economic embargo in place since 1962. In response to the growing humanitarian crisis, activists are organizing a flotilla to deliver aid to the island. “We cannot allow us to go back to the days of gunboat diplomacy, where the U.S. thinks that it is allowed to violate sovereign nations, and it can have hegemony over the hemisphere,” says CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who is taking part in the flotilla. “These are sovereign countries. We must leave them alone.”

U.S. and Iran Hold Indirect Talks Over Iran&#8217;s Nuclear Program Amid Trump&#8217;s Threats to Attack, Cuba Says Border Guards Fired on Heavily Armed Exiles in US-Registered Speedboat, Killing 4, Aid Groups Appeal to Israeli Supreme Court to Overturn Ban on Humanitarian Operations, State Department Offers Consular Services in Illegal Israeli West Bank Settlements, <span class="caps">NYT</span>: Documents Related to Trump Accuser are Missing from DOJ&#8217;s Release of Epstein Files, Larry Summers to Resign as Harvard Professor Over Epstein Ties, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin&#8217;s Policy of Deporting Immigrants to &#8220;Third Countries&#8221; Unlawful, Blind Rohingya Refugee Found Dead After Being Abandoned by Border Patrol , Congressmember Omar Demands Probe Into the Arrest of Her Guest Aliya Rahman at the State of the Union, Trump Administration Freezes Medicaid Reimbursements to Minnesota, Senate Democrats Grill Trump&#8217;s Nominee for Surgeon General Over Her Position on Vaccines, Anthropic Drops Safety Pledge as Hegseth Demands Pentagon Access to AI Models, Brazil&#8217;s Supreme Court Sentences Five Men to Prison for Marielle Franco Murder

Trump Defends His Immigration Crackdown in State of the Union Address, Several <span class="caps">GOP</span> Lawmakers Call on Rep. Gonzales to Resign over Allegations of Affair with Staffer, Pentagon Pressures Anthropic to Allow Full Access to Its AI Models, Mexico&#8217;s Gov&#8217;t Warns of Legal Action Against Musk After He Falsely Links Sheinbaum to Drug Cartels, Reuters: Iran Close to Deal to Purchase Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles from China, Whistleblower Claims <span class="caps">FBI</span> Agents Delayed to Crime Scenes Due to Kash Patel&#8217;s Use of Agency&#8217;s Private Jets, Trump Administration Sues University of California over Allegations of Antisemitism at <span class="caps">UCLA</span>, <span class="caps">WSJ</span>: Trump Considers Issuing Executive Order to Force U.S. Banks to Collect Citizenship Information, More Than Two Dozen People Killed in <span class="caps">RSF</span> Raid in North Darfur, <span class="caps">BBC</span> Edits Out References to Trump&#8217;s Crackdown in Minneapolis from Broadcast of <span class="caps">BAFTA</span> Awards, South Carolina Enlists Help of Public Health Experts Outside the <span class="caps">CDC</span> to Contain Measles Outbreak, 15 Democratic-Led States Sue the Trump Administration to Reverse CDC&#8217;s Vaccine Policy, At Least 30 People Reported Dead in Brazil from Floods and Landslides

The Public Integrity Project’s lawsuit argues ByteDance still maintains an “operational relationship” with TikTok, therefore violating the ban passed in 2024.

The president joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take "one hour off" in between Iran and his next assignment.

On Monday evening, as his administration escalated air strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump openly mused about his next moves on Cuba. &#8220;It may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It wouldn’t matter because they’re really down to, as they say , fumes. They have no energy, they [&#8230;]

The South Carolina senator and noted war hawk pushed Trump on Iran. Now he says "Cuba is next."

From the Declaration of Independence to the rise of Donald Trump, we assess America’s complicated relationship with its founding ideals

Having Donald Trump in the White House but not on the ballot is ideal for the party

Under pressure, America’s oldest university may make a deal

Some brawl in public while others pursue cross-party deals

<p>Merger to take drone firm public is latest business move by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr as father is in White House</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p></li></ul><p>A golf club company backed by the sons of Donald Trump is merging with drone manufacturer Powerus in a deal designed to take the drone technology company public.</p><p>The merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings is the latest in Eric and Donald Trump Jr’s growing investments in the drone sector, following last month’s $1.5bn tie-up between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings. Drones have become a major procurement priority for the Pentagon and are widely used in Ukraine, where dense air defense systems near the frontlines limit the deployment of conventional aircraft.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/09/trump-family-business-drones-merger">Continue reading...</a>

When Iran’s Assembly of Experts selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, some observers held out hope that a generational transition might open a path to diplomacy. That hope is misplaced.

We’re not even three months into 2026, and already it’s shaping up to be President Donald Trump’s year of regime change. He successfully removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, he took the US to war with Iran late last month, and now he may be eying a new target: Cuba, which he told a [&#8230;]