Week 71 — The Return – The Weekly List

As Trump’s war with Iran neared the three week mark, he and his regime continued to offer contradicting rationales for entering the war, as well as its goals and objectives. While Trump claimed to be surprised that Iran had blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran had bombed its neighbors, reporting indicated that military officials had warned him of both. Though Trump started the war without conferring with NATO allies, this week he asked, then demanded their help with reopening the Strait, then said he did not need them, then expressed outrage over their refusal to help, and threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO, which he cannot unilaterally do.

While Trump vented on NATO and other U.S. allies, he paradoxically had no public ill will against Russia, which was providing ongoing aid to Iran, including help with targeting the U.S. troops and assets. He even publicly defended Russia and Vladimir Putin on Fox News, while castigating Ukraine’s president, even as Ukraine was helping the U.S. and our Middle East allies with countering Iranian drones. Even more mystifying was Russia sending an oil tanker to Cuba, potentially breaking Trump’s embargo, and nary a word from Trump, the day after he claimed he would have the “honor” of taking over Cuba.

On the home front, Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies continued to stall out, after irate federal judges ruled against him, and even ordered his appointees to testify in court. Trump chastised federal judges and the Supreme Court for their ruling, leading Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, whose court’s ruling ironically made sitting presidents essentially untouchable, to ask him to stop.

With Trump’s chaotic war of choice weighing on him, he and his regime resorted to a familiar tactic, blaming the media, casting them as dishonest and unpatriotic. Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth, who also banned photographers from his press briefings over what he thought were unflattering images, disparaged the media for how they were covering the war. Trump piled on. Then, in an autocratic move, Trump’s FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses of networks not providing favorable coverage.

Trump, who ran as an anti-interventionist, found himself and the country increasingly isolated by the end of the week. Joe Kent became the first regime member to resign in protest. NATO allies snubbed Trump, after a year of his bullying them with tariffs and other threats. Even his own vice president seemed to be trying to distance himself from the war. Asked when he would end the war, Trump told Fox News that the war would end “when I feel it, feel it in my bones.” One man alone is in charge.

Pew Research found the federal workforce shrank by 10% in Trump’s first year, as 348,219 people quit, retired, or were fired, an 81% increase from 2024. Just 116,912 people started working for the government, a decrease of 56% from 2024.
On Wednesday, a federal judge denied a DOJ request to pause the disqualification of former Trump campaign lawyer John Sarcone as U.S. Attorney for Albany, and continued to block his subpoenas of Trump’s perceived enemy, New York Attorney General Letitia James.
On Monday, a federal judge in New Jersey ordered the three attorneys appointed by Trump to run the U.S. Attorney’s Office to testify about their leadership structure, which has been ruled illegal, saying they “have lost the confidence and the trust” of the courts, lawyers, and the public.
On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg quashed the DOJ’s subpoena of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying the regime “has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President.”
Boasberg added that a “mountain of evidence” revealed the regime served the subpoenas “to pressure its Chair into voting for lower interest rates or resigning.” U.S. Attorney for the District ‌of Columbia Jeanine Pirro chastised the judge, and said her office would appeal.
On Sunday, Trump attacked the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, posting on Truth Social, “Our Country was unnecessarily RANSACKED” by the court, “which has become little more than a weaponized and unjust Political Organization,” calling it “inept and embarrassing.”
He complained in his lengthy post that the Supreme Court wrongly turned away legal challenges to the “Rigged Presidential Election of 2020.” Trump also attacked Boasberg, calling him “Wacky, Nasty, Crooked, and totally Out of Control.”
On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice John Roberts said in an interview that personal criticism of judges has “got to stop,” calling on prominent figures to dial it down, saying it “can be actually quite dangerous.”
Bloomberg reported the Trump regime’s DOJ will waive a policy requirement that prosecutors must have at least one year of experience practicing law, and start to hire directly out of law school, in an effort to fill its ranks after mass departures.
On Tuesday, a full appeals court unanimously declined to hear Trump’s appeal of his defamation case against CNN for the networks use of the term “Big Lie” to describe his claims of election fraud in 2020. A three panel appeals court had turned him down in November.
Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 asked a federal judge to allow their lawsuit over the long delay in hanging a plaque honoring their service to proceed, after the plaque was quietly hung at the Capitol in the middle of the night, in a place out of public sight.
CBS News reported the Trump regime is considering defunding a civil rights election observer program that was launched in 1966 to send third-party observers to polling places to ensure voters do not experience discrimination due to race, language barriers, or disability.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime announced an initiative under which the DOJ would give officials at the Veterans Affairs Department authority to take guardianship of homeless veterans, and place them into involuntary or institutional care.
On Tuesday, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify before his committee on the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files. The subpoena required Bondi to appear at a closed door hearing on April 14.
NYT reported the January release of the Epstein files included a July 2025 email of an FBI agent that listed the names of 14 prominent men, including Trump at the top, and instructed other agents, “Take these names and build out new spreadsheet w all the derog on them.”
The table included 15 claims relating to Trump, including sexual misconduct. Many of the documents related to those claims were initially withheld, with some released last Friday after the DOJ claimed they were held back because they were duplicative, a false claim.
WAPO reported that the Trump-appointed head of a federal arts commission is proposing to replace the columns at the front of the White House, which have been in place for nearly two centuries, with columns in a more ornate style favored by Trump.
NYT reported that Jared Kushner, while acting as a point person for Trump’s foreign policy, was soliciting $5 billion in funds for Affinity Partners, his investment firm, including from sovereign funds in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Qatar.
WSJ reported the Trump regime was set to receive $10 billion for arranging the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to Trump’s chosen investors. Historians said the government receiving a fee for arranging a transaction is nearly unprecedented.
CNN reported that an email sent by Never Surrender, Trump’s political action committee, used an image of last Saturday’s dignified transfer honoring six fallen soldiers, and promised donors exclusive access to Trump’s “private national security briefings.”
NYT reported that John Nass, a lobbyist who helped secure a pardon for Joseph Schwartz, a former nursing home executive, from Trump, was arrested after federal prosecutors said he “plotted the violent extortion” against Schwartz for money he was owed for lobbying Trump.
WSJ reported that Trump ordered the DOJ’s reversal of its dropping its appeal in a case against four law firms, reportedly saying, “I never signed off on that,” in the Oval Office, and telling regime officials to have the DOJ change course.
On Wednesday, when reporters asked Trump if he took responsibility as commander in chief for the U.S. striking a girls’ school in Iran, according to a U.S. military report, Trump lied, “I don’t know about it.”
Trump also insulted a female reporter from PBS, calling her a “rotten reporter,” after she asked him about the FBI seizing election records in Arizona. Trump cited the “rigged” election as a basis, but she reminded him his then AG Bill Barr had said that was not true.
On Wednesday, the Defense Department barred photographers from attending briefings on the Iran War, after Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth and his staff complained that publications used images of him that they deemed were “unflattering.”
On Wednesday, ABC News reported that the FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate by launching drones at the West Coast. The information was not made public anywhere but at ABC News.
Asked about the warning, Trump said, “It’s being investigated. But you have a lot of things happening” and we “take them as they come.” The FBI claimed the warning was given two weeks prior, days before the war started, and that Iran’s drone capabilities had been degraded.
On Wednesday, in a speech in Kentucky, Trump claimed, “You know, you never want to say too early you won,” adding, “We won. The first hour, it was over,” but then saying, “We don’t want to leave early, do we? We’ve got to finish the job.”
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Russia is giving Iran advanced drone attack advice based on knowledge from its war on Ukraine, including drone targeting strategies used in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime announced trade investigations into “excess capacity” of 16 countries under the Trade Act of 1974, including China, the E.U., Mexico, Japan, and India. The move came as the regime sought cooperation from European and other allies in his war on Iran.
On Tuesday, nearly 150 retired federal and state judges filed an amicus brief in support of Anthropic, in their case against the Trump regime designating the company as a supply chain risk, citing the precedent the it could set for government influence over private companies.
Axios reported that although Trump announced the U.S. would release about 40% of what was in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to counter rising oil prices, going into the war, the U.S. stockpile was at 58% of capacity, a three-decade low.
WSJ reported that a mere two hours after Energy Secretary Chris Wright told his counterparts in the Group of Seven nations that it was premature to release oil from reserves, U.S. officials reversed and pushed for a major release due to a change of heart by Trump.
On Thursday, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report, “The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”
On Thursday, as oil prices surged after more Iranian attacks on vessels, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. is the largest oil producer, “so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.” The price at the gas pump increased to $3.60 per gallon, up from $2.94 before the war.
NBC News reported that the Pentagon told Congress the first six days of the Iran war cost $11.3 billion. This came as a Gallup poll found roughly one-third of Americans are driving less, skipping meals, or putting off big life moves in order to cover the cost of health care.
On Thursday, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire in an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University, killing the instructor and injuring two. Jalloh was sentenced to 11 years in prison for providing material support to ISIS, but was released in December 2024.
On Thursday, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rammed his car into a synagogue in Michigan, where 140 children were in nursery school. He fatally shot himself in a shootout with security guards. There were no other fatalities, but 60 in law enforcement were treated for smoke inhalation.
CNN reported that Ghazali had previously been flagged in U.S. government databases for connections with suspected members of the terrorist group Hezbollah. Days before, both of his brothers, who were part of Hezbollah, were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.
Reuters reported a Russian ‌delegation led by special envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with a U.S. delegation led by Steve Witkoff in Miami, reportedly for talks about increasing economic cooperation. Dmitriev made the meeting public by posting on X to thank Witkoff and Kushner.
Mother Jones reported Trump’s DOJ was quietly helping Alexander Smirnov get out of prison. Smirnov was tied to Russian intelligence and pleaded guilty of lying to the FBI that Joseph Biden took a $5 million bribe from Burisma, which the GOP used to try to impeach Biden.
On Thursday, Treasury Department Sec. Scott Bessent said the U.S. would pause sanctions on Russian oil for one month. The move was a huge political win for Russia, whose economy had been faltering. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called it the move “wrong.”
The White House posted videos on social media depicting strikes against Iran like a video game, and glorifying the war by using old movie songs along with videos of strikes. Axios reported it was part of the regime’s ecosystem around the consumption of war as content.
Several former National Football League players complained about videos of their tough tackles being used by the Trump regime in their video content glorifying the war. Kenny Bell told WAPO that being “associated with bombing human beings makes me sick.”
On Friday, at a press conference to update on the Iran war, Hegseth dismissed concerns about boats being able to pass in the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to spike and the stock market to fall, saying, “We have been dealing with it, and don’t need to worry about it.”
In his bellicose manner, Hegseth threatened that U.S. forces would allow “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” Military experts cited that the term “no quarter,” which means to attack an enemy who is wounded and out of the fight, would be a violation of international law.
Hegseth also attacked the media for what he claimed was their negative coverage of the Iran war, including complaining about their chryons’ depiction of events. He singled out CNN’s reporting, saying, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
Trump also complained about media coverage, posting on Truth Social, “We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran,” but “if you read the Failing New York Times” you would think “we are not winning,” adding, “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”
On Friday, in an interview on Fox News that aired in the morning, asked when the war would be over, Trump said he did not think the war “would be long,” but that it will end “when I feel it, feel it in my bones.”
Trump also said that Putin might be helping Iran, saying, “I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah. And he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” defending Putin, saying, “It’s like, hey, they do it and we do it, in all fairness.”
Later Friday, WSJ reported that Joints Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine warned Trump that a U.S. attack on Iran could prompt it to block the Strait of Hormuz, including deploying mines, drones, and missiles, but that Trump believed Iran would capitulate before closing the Strait.
Only a small group was part of the planning for the strikes on Iran, including Hegseth, Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance. Typically diplomats, intelligence officials, and the National Security Council would be included in such a discussion to air opinions, including dissenting ones.
On Saturday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened broadcasters over their Iran war coverage, baselessly claiming on X that they were “running hoaxes and news distortions,” and saying the law “was clear” that they must “operate in the public interest” or “they will lose their licenses.”
On Saturday, Trump backed Carr’s threats in a Truth Social post, calling media organizations “Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic,” claiming, “They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES,” including the news and “Late Night Morons.”
Trump also posted a meme titled “Winning,” and bragged about “reshaping the media,” including highlighting journalists who had been fired or resigned, and NPR being defunded, as well as highlighting alleged reforms he had made, including “new ownership” of CNN.
On Sunday, Trump again backed Carr, who reportedly visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, posting on Truth Social that he was “so thrilled” that Carr was “looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”
On Saturday, AP reported the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the center of U.S. power in Iraq since 2003, was struck by explosives. The State Department issued an emergency warning to U.S. citizens in Iraq to leave “now,” and by land since commercial flights were not available.
On Saturday, Trump urged the U.K., China, France, Japan, and South Korea to send ships to the Strait, posting on Truth Social, “Many Countries” will send “War Ships” to the Strait of Hormuz to keep it “open and safe.” Trump did not include any of those countries in his planning.
Hours later, Trump further pressured, posting that “The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” adding, “This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be.”
Politico reported that a poll of U.S. allies found many turning towards China because of Trump. Asked if was better to depend on China than the U.S. under Trump, Canadians said China 57%, U.S. 23%; Germany 40%, 24%; France 34%, 25%; and U.K. 42%, 34%.
On Saturday, Trump told NBC News on his lifting sanctions on Russian oil, “I want to have oil for the world,” despite criticism from several world leaders. Trump said of Ukraine’s president, “Zelenskyy is far more difficult to make a deal with.”
Asked about accepting help from Ukraine on intercepting Iranian drones, Trump said, “we don’t need help,” declining to comment on whether the U.S. had already accepted help. Several other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, had sought out Ukrainian assistance.
On Sunday, Trump told FT of his seeking help with reopening the Strait, “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” He also said he could delay his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On Sunday, Trump ramped up pressure on U.S. allies to help in Iran, telling reporters on Air Force One on the way back from Mar-a-Lago, where he golfed on Sunday, “I really am demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory.”
Asked about the six service members who died last week, bringing the total to 13, Trump did not answer and moved to the next question, saying, “Who else?”
Asked by Miriam Khan of ABC News about the fundraising email sent by Never Surrender PAC, Trump said said ABC was “the most corrupt news organization on the planet,” and when Khan pressed on sending 5,000 Marines, Trump said, “You’re a very obnoxious person.”
Asked by reporters what he wants in order to see the war end, Trump gave yet another answer, “There will be no nuclear weapons, that’s where it starts,” and added, “And then on top of that, there’s plenty of things that we’re going to get.”
On Monday, European allies balked at Trump’s demand, with the Germany Defense Minister saying, “This is not our war,” and Denmark’s PM saying for the first time the U.S. is not our closest ally. Estonia, Spain, Italy, and Brussels also declined; as did allies Australia and Japan.
On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had fired ally Richard Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center, and replaced him with Matt Floca, the center’s vice president of facilities operations, after Trump reportedly got frustrated with the negative headlines about the center.
On Saturday, a federal judge ruled that Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat who was an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, be allowed to participate in a planning meeting about the future of the center.
On Monday, Trump spoke to reporters about renovating the Kennedy Center, saying he would “restore the true purpose and prestige of this revered institution,” and baselessly claiming that previous management “left us a facility in very bad condition — abysmal is the word.”
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson were asked about GOP Rep. Neal Dunn, whom Johnson pressured not to resign despite a terminal prognosis. Trump divulged personal health information on Dunn, and said he got him into Walter Reed, and “The man has a new lease on life.”
Trump called on other countries to send ships to help secure the Strait, saying we want Japan, China, Europe, and South Korea “to come and help us with the strait. Trump complained that some allies who the U.S. has protected “for years” are showing little enthusiasm for helping.
Trump also admitted that he and his regime had underestimated Iran, saying, “they hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait,” adding, “Nobody expected that. We were shocked and they fought back.”
Trump also claimed, two times, that he had spoken to a former U.S. president who praised his attack on Iran, and said “I wish I did what you did.” CNN spoke to aides of all four of the living presidents, and all said they had not spoken to Trump about Iran.
Trump complained about the NATO alliance, saying, “The problem with NATO is we’ll always be there for them but they’ll never be there for us.” Notably, the only time Article V was invoked was by the U.S. after 9/11.
Shortly after, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said, “This is not Europe’s war, but Europe’s interests are directly at stake,” after a meeting of the 27 nation bloc, saying the E.U. would not expand maritime operations in the Middle East.
Later Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he expected that he “would have the honor of taking Cuba in some form,” adding, “I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it,” saying Cuba was weakened.
The Cuban economy was on the brink of collapse after the Trump regime’s oil blockade. The Trump regime demanded to overthrow President Miguel Díaz-Canel from power as part of future negotiations.
Trump also attacked Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate who has dyslexia, saying, “Gavin Newscum has admitted that he ⁠is a — that he has learning disabilities,” saying it was disqualifying, “I think a president should not have learning disabilities.”
Later Monday, Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence did warn Trump that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies in its “list of outcomes,” despite Trump’s statements earlier in the day that it was a surprise.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported a Russian oil tanker, carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude, was heading to Cuba, the first test of the U.S. embargo.
On Tuesday, WSJ reported that Russia had increased its sharing of satellite imagery and drone technology with Iran to help in their battle with the U.S. Technology included components of modified Shahed drones, used to improve communication, navigation, and targeting.
On Tuesday, Joe Kent, a top U.S. counterterrorism official and Trump appointee, resigned on X, citing his opposition to the war, saying the U.S. was dragged into the war by “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Kent was the first regime member to show dissent.
Kent posted, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” adding, “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.” Kent noted that he “lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die.”
Kent blamed unnamed “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” for deploying misinformation. He also blamed Israel for the U.S involvement in other wars, echoing one of his allies, Tucker Carlson, who had been virulently against Israel.
Kent was criticized by Democrats and Republicans for his associations with far-right figures and groups like the Proud Boys and Nick Fuentes. He also reworked an intelligence assessment that did support the Trump regime’s argument that Nicolas Maduro directed Tren De Aragua.
Trump said of Kent, “I always thought he was a nice guy but weak on security,” and “good thing he’s out.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Johnson separately claimed backed Trump, saying that an attack by Iran on the U.S. was imminent.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was “not a party to the conflict,” and therefore would not “take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz.”
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social of NATO allies, “I am not surprised by their action,” citing, “we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries…We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”
Trump also posted, “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!” contradicting his demands days prior that the countries send ships.
Shortly after, while meeting with Ireland’s prime minister, Trump said NATO “is making a very foolish mistake. I’ve long said that I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So this was a great test,” adding, “We don’t need them but they should have been there.”
Trump also said he was not afraid to put U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, saying, “I’m really not afraid of that. I’m really not afraid of anything.” Trump downplayed the war, calling it “an excursion” and “just a military operation,” offering no clear vision for the aftermath.
Despite 5,000 troops heading to the Middle East, and demands from Democrats, Johnson refused to hold public hearings, saying briefings behind closed doors are sufficient. One GOP Senator noted that she learned as much from watching television as she did from the briefings.
On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration rolled out a new video at airports across the country blaming the ‘Democrat shutdown’ for the longer wait lines. Several airports in blue states refused to show the video. The TSA also used its social media accounts to do the same.
WSJ reported the Trump regime planned to more tightly control Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr.’s messaging ahead of midterms, after polling showed his vaccine moves were becoming increasingly unpopular.
Reportedly Kennedy’s standing within HHS was at a new low, amid a shake up in personnel and infighting, and setbacks with MAHA including Trump signing an executive order boosting glyphosate production, which Kennedy publicly backed at the time.
On Monday, a federal judge sided with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other ‌medical groups, blocking Kennedy from overhauling childhood vaccine policy by reducing the numbers of shots recommended for children.
On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed weakening air pollution limits on ethylene oxide, a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment. Long-term exposure to the chemical is linked to several types of cancer and other ailments.
NYT reported the Trump regime planned to close the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the world’s leading climate and weather laboratories, after White House budget director Russell Vought called it “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
Attorneys general of 17 Democratic led states sued the Trump regime over the regime mandating that colleges share detailed student and admissions data, saying it creates an undue burden on schools, and calling it a “witch hunt.”
Reuters reported after the Trump regime rolled back a federal program for disadvantaged enterprises, minority contractors had to be re-certified, without taking race or gender into account, leaving many to miss out on infrastructure spending, resulting in layoffs and closings.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime asked the Supreme Court, in an emergency request, to lift a lower court’s block of its effort to end Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians, after that judge found the action likely was motivated in part by “racial animus.”
On Friday, a group of nine anti-ICE protestors in Texas were found guilty for being part of an “antifa terrorist cell,” and providing support for terrorism, in a closely watched First Amendment case.
AG Bondi posted on X after the verdict, “Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities, “ adding, “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles antifa.”
On Friday, ICE agents said under oath that they were given a quota of eight arrests per day, and given special surveillance tools using a Palantir app to help choose ‘targets.’
Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, an Afghan father who served with U.S. forces, and was evacuated to the U.S. after the fall of Kabul, died in immigration custody less than a day after being arrested by ICE in North Texas, the 24th death in the hands of ICE this fiscal year.
CBS News reported Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino is retiring at the end of the month, after being pulled away from having a leading role in immigration raids in several cities. Bovino reportedly faced multiple internal investigations about his conduct.
FT reported Brazil revoked the visa of Darren Beattie, a Trump adviser, who planned to visit jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, citing “omission and fabrication” for the reason for his visit, and potential “undue interference” in domestic matter ahead of Brazil’s elections.
On Tuesday, a federal judge nullified nearly all the actions taken by the Trump regime against Voice of America, and ordered that the more than 1,000 full-time journalists and support staff return to work by March 23, and resume broadcasting operations.
NYT reported that Event Strategies Inc., the firm that planned Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, and which was staffed with veterans of the first regime, was awarded at least five no-bid contracts, totaling more than $13 million.
U.S. crude prices were up more than 40%, and the average retail price of unleaded gas in the country rose by nearly 30%, from $2.90 to $3.70 by mid March, rising to the highest levels since 2023.

Plumes of smoke and fire rise after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone struck an oil facility, according to authorities, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri).