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Raw Story
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[l] at 3/12/26 8:00pm
MSNBC analyst David Rohde reported that Iran's military strategy is proving effective against an unprepared Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. With U.S. military officials unable to protect oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran currently holds the advantage in the conflict. Rohde expressed shock at Iran's effectiveness, stating the situation is shifting in Tehran's favor within the past 48 hours. Despite America's substantial naval presence, Rohde criticized the lack of aggressive military response, noting the U.S. has no answer to Iran's blockade of the critical shipping route. Iran's control over the Strait threatens 20 percent of the world's global energy supply. Rohde acknowledged the war's overall trajectory remains unclear but emphasized Iran has "found their footing," capitalizing on Pentagon unpreparedness and strategic positioning to disrupt global energy commerce.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:54pm
President Donald Trump's administration temporarily lifted sanctions against Russian oil that is already at sea on Thursday in an effort to ease the oil price crisis caused by the recent war in Iran, according to a new report. The New York Times reported that the new exemptions will be in place until April 11. The U.S. initially placed sanctions on Russian oil as a means of exerting economic pressure on the country to end its war in Ukraine. The price of a barrel of oil was hovering around $95 at the end of Thursday's trading session, which represents a more than 48% increase since late February. "The lifting of oil sanctions represents a sharp reversal from last summer, when the administration doubled tariffs on India as punishment for its purchases of oil from Russia," the report reads in part. Read the entire report by clicking here.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:49pm
A former senior U.S. official who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations delivered a blunt assessment when asked about the Trump administration's failure to plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz: "I'm dumbfounded."Trump's own top officials admitted to lawmakers behind closed doors that they never planned for the possibility that Iran would shut down the strait in response to U.S. military strikes, multiple sources familiar with classified congressional briefings told CNN. The scenario is among the most catastrophic economic scenarios American national security planners have war-gamed for decades.“Planning around preventing this exact scenario — impossible as it has long seemed — has been a bedrock principle of US national security policy for decades,” the former US official, who served in Republican and Democratic administrations, told CNN. “I’m dumbfounded.” The staggering oversight stemmed from administration officials convincing themselves that closing the strait would hurt Iran more than America, according to the report.Complicating things further, the Navy said it can't escort oil tankers through the strait, as it doesn't have ships to spare. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC: “It’ll happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now. We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities."Trump has played down the crisis, suggesting on Truth Social that rising oil prices are fine because "we make a lot of money" — without explaining who "we" is.The strait remains closed for now as gas prices soar.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:43pm
President Donald Trump's adopted home state of Florida is one of the few that appears on track to pass its own state-level version of the SAVE America Act, the national legislation Trump is demanding that would add show-your-papers requirements to registering to vote, and impose such strict voter ID requirements that even most driver's licenses wouldn't be sufficient.However, according to Politico, Florida Republicans conspicuously chose to leave a very key aspect of the bill out, despite Trump's insistence that it is critical.Namely, said the report, "Florida legislators ... made no changes to the state’s excuse-free use of mail-in voting, despite Trump’s continued call for strict limits." Trump has repeatedly claimed that voting by mail is full of fraud and constantly rigged against the GOP, with no evidence to support this.The bill, which is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk, is already facing legal threats, per the report: "Democrats and voting groups contend that the changes — which would apply to the 2028 presidential elections — could keep thousands of voters from the polls. Prominent Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias was already suggesting online that his organization would challenge the measure."The proof-of-citizenship requirements in the bill would not take effect until next January, if adopted.At the national level, Republicans do not have the votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. Trump has leaned more and more aggressively on the GOP to find a way around it, and has even threatened to boycott the entire legislative process until the SAVE America Act lands on his desk.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:20pm
A comedy of errors has befallen the Justice Department's crusade to chase down Oklahoma election officials for voter data, according to a new report. The blunders were revealed through internal correspondence and public records reviewed by Democracy Docket's Yunior Rivas, who wrote the debacle "raises questions about whether a department that appears to struggle with email can be trusted to keep safe the sensitive personal data of millions of American voters."Justice Department officials demanded Oklahoma hand over its complete statewide voter registration list. That initial letter contained a glaring mistake, as it addressed Paul Ziriax as Oklahoma's "Secretary of State" when he actually serves as secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board.When Oklahoma never responded, the DOJ followed up. Voting Section acting chief Eric Neff followed up. "Please contact me asap for an update," Neff wrote.The emails bounced into the digital void, and were never delivered.On Jan. 28, Oklahoma official Misha Mohr finally cleared things up.“I regret to inform you that we did not receive the emails you sent on December 10, December 19, and January 13,” Mohr wrote in a reply. “Today, January 28, 2026, is the first time we have seen these communications. The email address was misspelled on the previous correspondence.”The mishap is just the latest embarrassment in the Trump DOJ's aggressive voter roll crusade. "DOJ lawyers have sent demand letters to the wrong officials, cited laws that do not exist and even filed court documents that still contained internal editing comments. In one case, DOJ attorneys left visible notes to themselves in a filing questioning whether key evidence existed and reminding colleagues to 'fix' unresolved issues before submitting it to a federal court," the report noted.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:02pm
President Donald Trump named the new leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Thursday, just one week after a federal judge ousted one of his allies from the post, according to a new report. NBC News reported that Trump named Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to lead USAGM after Trump ally Kari Lake was ousted by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth last week. Rogers is a First Amendment lawyer who formerly represented the National Rifle Association, or NRA, and challenged social media companies for allegedly censoring the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and other conservative voices. Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that all of Lake's actions as USAGM were null and void because she was illegally serving in her position. The ruling invalidated a 500-person layoff at the agency announced in November 2025, according to the report. A spokesperson for the Department of State celebrated Rogers' appointment in a statement to NBC News. “USAGM’s mission has long been closely aligned with the Department of State, and the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy has always held consultative authorities with the agency,” the spokesperson said. “Rogers would be uniquely well-positioned to significantly strengthen coordination between U.S. international broadcasting and American public diplomacy in the national interest.”Read the entire report by clicking here.
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[l] at 3/12/26 7:00pm
MSNBC's Jen Psaki criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday for banning press photographers from Pentagon briefing rooms over photos his staff deemed unflattering, according to a Washington Post report. Psaki highlighted the irony of Hegseth's press fixation during the 12th day of the Iran war, when he should focus on military operations. She noted Hegseth has previously accidentally posted classified war plans in a chat with no accountability and overseen national security officials checking Twitter during active military operations. Psaki characterized the behavior as self-involved and inappropriate for a Cabinet secretary managing a major conflict. She emphasized that the war entered its third week with no end in sight, while the Trump administration faced mounting criticism over its handling of the conflict. Psaki suggested Hegseth should prioritize substantive defense matters over controlling his media image.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:56pm
Former Trump administration Homeland Security staffer Miles Taylor delivered a blistering assessment Thursday on MS NOW on how unprepared President Donald Trump was for the risk that Iran would shut down the Strait of Hormuz."One of the things I really have been trying to do is not to let my biases and priors override how I am interpreting the news, which is I obviously don't think particularly highly of the individuals that run the federal government or White House," said anchor Chris Hayes. "But at the same time, I want to think, well, it can't be as shambolic as it looks, right? I'm missing something. Obviously, the Department of Defense has an incredible architecture around planning. As someone who worked in the first Trump administration, like, how are you interpreting these signals?""Chris, I'm going to tell you this. It is not as bad as it looks. It is so much worse," said Taylor. "It is so much worse because Donald Trump and the people around him have a predilection for putting this veneer over their lack of planning and making it seem always like it's four-dimensional chess when it's less than checkers, okay? When it's like coin-flipping instead of checkers, that is what is happening inside that administration.""And if you think that is exaggeration, I will walk you through what I think was the most serious situation I was involved in in the first term, which is that we were barreling towards nuclear war with North Korea," said Taylor. "And Donald Trump made it seem like all the bluster was four-dimensional chess to try to get them to the negotiating table. Well, I will tell you what his Cabinet members thought. His Cabinet members thought he was as crazy as a fox, and he was going to accidentally get us into a nuclear war to the point that we had to do literal, real-life nuclear planning at Homeland Security in anticipation that the president might accidentally get us into a nuclear conflict, and we would have to play clean-up here on the defensive side.""That's pretty serious stuff that the president doesn't know what he's doing. He might get us into a nuclear war," Taylor added."Now, here we are much further along in a situation like that," he said. "And I'll remind you, Chris, with a country that Donald Trump's own envoy has said had enough fissile material for potentially 11 nuclear weapons, and even though they don't have enough enrichment capability, he just said two days ago on CNBC, they could still turn it into a dirty bomb. And now he's gone to war with that country. That's how reckless this is. These guys aren't thinking three inches in front of their faces." - YouTube www.youtube.com
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:37pm
After the right-wing Daily Wire published a bombshell report revealing extensive self-dealing and suspicious conflicts at the Department of Homeland Security under now-ousted Secretary Kristi Noem, former GOP aide Kurt Bardella singled out another person implicated in the report: Tricia McLaughlin, who previously handled public relations for the agency, as well as her husband, Ben Yoho."Tricia & Ben would be better served using their legal resources to prepare for the avalanche of investigations coming their way than having their lawyers send people like me cease & desist/defamation threats," wrote Bardella on X.McLaughlin shortly hit back, saying, "Give me a call if you are confused by the facts. That way we can avoid you getting a defamation letter in the future."Bardella was ready."Thank you for the invitation to get the 'facts' directly from you. As such, here are some questions," he wrote."1.) What was your role in interviewing (virtually on Zoom, I've been told) and/or selecting any contractors used for the $220 million ad campaign? Who assigned you that role? 2.) How many interviews (virtual or in person) were you a part of? How many contractors were 'considered'?" wrote Bardella. "3.) How did Safe America, an entity that did not exist less than two weeks before it was selected, even enter consideration for a gov't contract? 4.) When The Strategy Group subcontracted on the filming of the ad w/Sec. Noem, they would have had to work directly w/ DHS and DHS Comms to coordinate the logistics, scheduling & participation of the shoot. Were you a part of that? If not, who at DHS was?"He didn't stop there. "5.) How much of this $220 million taxpayer-financed campaign was spent on actual advertising (ad buys), and how much was pocketed by contractors, subcontractors, etc. for 'overhead' and 'compensation.' 6.) What interactions, if any, did your husband, Ben Yoho, have with any DHS staff/appointees? Specifically, did he have any communication with Corey Lewandowski? 7.) How did the Strategy Group become a subcontractor to this newly formed entity, Safe America? 8.) Does anybody with a financial interest in The Strategy Group also have any financial interest in Safe America Media or vice versa? 9.) Who at Safe America Media hired The Strategy Group as a subcontractor?"Bardella continued even further. "10.) Did anyone at DHS suggest to Safe America Media that they should hire The Strategy Group as a subcontractor? 11.) Were any payments made from The Strategy Group to any entities, nonprofits, charities, etc. that have financial ties to Corey Lewandowski? 12.) Are you aware of any type of payments being made from DHS political appointees to Mr. Lewandowski or entities/non-profits that he has a financial interest in? 13.) Have you ever heard Mr. Lewandowski boast about his ability to get a pardon from the President? 14.) Have any payments been transmitted from Safe America to any other entities, non-profits, charities, etc., in which you or your husband have a financial interest?"Finally, Bardella concluded with one remaining question: "5.) Are you willing to voluntarily testify & cooperate with Democrats in Congress who are investigating this?"
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:25pm
The Department of Justice and Department of Veterans Affairs just quietly handed themselves a troubling new weapon, analyst Steve Kennedy wrote Thursday in Slate. They announced a partnership allowing VA attorneys to become federal prosecutors with the power to petition state courts for guardianship and conservatorship over veterans deemed unable to make medical decisions."On its face, the policy sounds like a bureaucratic fix to a real problem," wrote Kennedy.Hospitals struggle when patients can't consent to treatment and the government claims this accelerates care for vulnerable veterans. However, guardianships are sledgehammer legal tools. Once imposed, they strip adults of fundamental rights over medical decisions, housing, and life choices."And in the context of homelessness, that authority can become a powerful tool for control," he warned. "That is what makes the DOJ–VA agreement noteworthy. Especially considering the Trump administration’s hostility to people experiencing homelessness, the policy could also allow the government to place some homeless veterans under legal supervision that determines where they live and what treatment they receive."The Trump administration ditched the decades-old "Housing First" approach that cut veteran homelessness by 56 percent since 2010 by prioritizing stable housing and voluntary services. Now officials are pushing coercive alternatives like government-run encampments and centralized facilities.This new conservatorship power creates a legal superhighway straight into those controlled environments. Federal prosecutors—answering to the Trump administration—can now decide where homeless veterans live and what treatment they receive. Once under guardianship, veterans lose the ability to refuse placements or reject institutional settings."Civil liberties advocates have long warned that guardianships can expand far beyond their original intent. Once the legal machinery exists, the threshold for using it often begins to creep," he wrote, later adding: "A program meant for a small number of incapacitated patients could easily start to encompass many more people whose primary problem is poverty."Kennedy concluded: "The structure of the program, using federal prosecutors to place homeless veterans under court-appointed control, creates a tool that can extend far beyond hospital paperwork. And in an administration increasingly comfortable with coercive approaches to homelessness, that tool may not remain narrowly used for long."
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:17pm
Legal experts were alarmed on Thursday as the latest "laughable" legal theory put forward by President Donald Trump's allies seemed to move closer to becoming law. The Trump administration has been circulating a draft executive order that would federalize the U.S. election process in the event of a national emergency, The Washington Post reported. Even though the legal theory underpinning the order is "far from irrefutable," Anna Bower and Molly Roberts, senior editors at Lawfare, argued in a new article that "bits and pieces" of the order could still become law. "Whether or not Trump is considering the precise recommendations the Post describes, the recent story is only the latest indication that he and the people around him view the declaration of a national emergency—related to national security—as a possible way to exert more control over elections," Bower and Roberts wrote. "And while the contours of such a ploy remain unclear, there’s enough information available today to get a sense of what authorities the White House might invoke to try to pull it off."One of the most recent events that could give Trump reason to attempt to invoke the executive order is the war in Iran. Since the U.S. and Israel began bombing the country last weekend, the FBI has warned about Iranian drone attacks on U.S. soil, according to reports. Read the entire article by clicking here.
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:07pm
President Donald Trump's administration is considering defunding a key election watchdog agency just in time for the 2026 midterms, according to a report. CBS News reported on Thursday that the White House is mulling defunding the Department of Justice's federal observer program, which dispatches election observers across the country to protect the right of minority groups to vote. The move is being contemplated at a time when public polling shows Trump is losing support from key voting blocs, like young males, over recent moves, such as starting a war in Iran. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to overperform in elections across the country. For instance, Democrat Shawn Harris bested Republican Clay Fuller in the first round of the special election for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, a seat that was previously held by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Harris and Fuller will face off again in a runoff election on April 7. "The White House is exploring whether to cut spending for the program, sources say, in a discussion that comes as the country gears up for crucial midterm elections this November that will determine which party controls Congress," according to the report. "As Republicans worry about the prospect of losing control of the House or Senate, President Trump is being lobbied by far-right activists who are encouraging him to declare a national emergency in order to assert federal control over voting in America," it added. Read the entire report by clicking here.
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[l] at 3/12/26 6:00pm
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN Thursday that President Donald Trump takes a long-term view and disregards short-term disruptions in global oil markets caused by the Iran war. Wright stated Trump focuses on what's "best for the American people" and brings "safety to our troops" and "prosperity to the Middle East." CNN anchor John Berman expressed astonishment at the characterization, noting oil prices hover near $93 a barrel with potential to reach $200, while tankers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf. Berman questioned what Republican lawmakers would think hearing Trump isn't concerned about near-term impacts. CNN's David Chalian reported most Republicans support the Iran operation but seek an end-game strategy and want Trump to refocus on the economy, voters' top concern. Berman noted Trump appears distracted from domestic economic issues, instead focused on internal Republican Senate battles over the SAVE America Act.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
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[l] at 3/12/26 5:57pm
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's triumphant declaration that America has "won" the war in Iran is drawing swift and scathing pushback from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with even Republicans privately expressing doubt about the premature victory lap.Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. has “won” or “already won” in its war with Iran. That includes at a rally in Hebron, Kentucky, when he said: “You never like to say too early you won. We won. In the first hour, it was over.”Democrats and Republicans were split on that messaging, with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat veteran and Army helicopter pilot, aghast at Trump's "cavalier" attitude and apparent surprise that the conflict would spread throughout the Middle East, hurt everyday Americans and send oil prices soaring."He's been very cavalier about the whole thing," she told Raw Story on Thursday.She also unloaded on Pete Hegseth, calling him flatly "incompetent" and "not qualified to do his job," after the Pentagon chief called rules of engagement "stupid.""Maybe he slept through his officer's basics course when he was there," she said. "Every operational order ends with an end state. What's the end state? They can't decide." Duckworth expressed bewilderment that the Trump administration failed to coordinate with Spain to use its airfields."The fact that Spain denied us the right to use two of their airfields, this should've been coordinated well in advance," she said. "Very cavalier." Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) was equally blistering, accusing Trump and his team of acting "like cowboys lassoing cattle" with no grasp of war's "gravity," calling it a "horrific mess.""He's given many versions of this, and yet we are at war. We are still bombing. We still don't know if he's going to put troops in to secure Kharg Island or troops to secure nuclear material," Merkley told Raw Story.He also pointed to the bombing of an Iranian school that killed 150 girls as evidence of catastrophic planning failures, and called the conflict an "illegal and unconstitutional war."Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas couldn't fully sell the victory narrative. When asked if the GOP was having "flashbacks" of George W. Bush's famed "Mission Accomplished" boast in Iraq, Cornyn said the U.S. "put a world of hurt" on Iran's nuclear program and "reduced them as a threat." But when pressed specifically on Trump's messaging that the U.S. had won, he deflected."I think you need to ask the president," he told Raw Story.Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was fully on board with the "we won" framing, calling the military show of force "incredible.""Seems pretty good to me," he insisted, asserting the country's nuclear program has been destroyed due to the U.S. military's "overwhelming" success. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) defended Trump's rhetoric, comparing him to a "coach" who says it's "time to put our foot on the throat." "It sure looks like we're winning right now," he said.
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[l] at 3/12/26 5:34pm
A group of federal judges tore into the Trump administration for the escalating threats to their safety — noting that the president's attacks on any judge who rules against his policies has led to threats, cyberstalking, and even unsolicited pizza deliveries to the judges' homes.According to Politico, the judges in question were speaking at a recent white-collar crime conference held by the American Bar Association."Judge M. Margaret McKeown, a senior judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, said she is particularly troubled by calls to impeach judges for their rulings — a punishment that President Donald Trump and some members of Congress have suggested," said the report. "'When I read that, I think, what is this? Is this Turkey? Is this Tunisia? Is this Hungary? Is this Poland?. said McKeown ... 'No, it’s the United States where these impeachment calls are coming out,' she said, adding that the tactic is 'a pure political play, but I think it’s a dangerous one.'"U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II of Nevada agreed, saying the MAGA attacks on judges have hit close to home for him."Boulware ... warned of the rise of threats against judges, saying he testified last week at the sentencing of a woman convicted of cyber-stalking him and his family. He also disclosed that hours after he spoke out about threats at a prior year’s conference, an unsolicited pizza delivery arrived at his home — an intimidation tactic that is used to indicate the sender knows the recipient’s address."The Trump administration has lost dozens of cases in lower courts around the country on policies across the board, particularly regarding his efforts for mass deportation and mass detention of immigrants with little to no due process. Often, the conservative-controlled Supreme Court has reversed many of these decisions in emergency "shadow docket" rulings with no explanation, prompting frustration from judges who don't understand the precedent the Supreme Court is working off of to overrule them.
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[l] at 3/12/26 5:15pm
A pair of MAGA firebrands were at each other's throats on Thursday over claims made in a series about Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Ben Shapiro, editor emeritus of conservative media company The Daily Wire, posted a video on X sharply criticizing MAGA radio host Megyn Kelly for not criticizing another MAGA firebrand, Candace Owens, over her claims that Erika Kirk participated in the assassination of her husband. Owens has made similar outlandish claims about Kirk in a podcast series called "Bride of Charlie.""My critique of Megyn was 'Why don't you call out Candace Owens for implicating Erika Kirk in the murder of Charlie?' That was my critique," Shapiro said. He added that Kelly claimed he was lying about Owens' claims, and argued that Owens was defending Erika Kirk in her video. The claims caused a firestorm on social media between the two MAGA commentators. "You handled your anger toward me in the most despicable way possible," Kelly told Shapiro on X. "Did you call me? Text me? Raise it with me privately after all we had been through together over the years? No, you attacked me on stage at the Turning Point event without so much as a heads-up.""[Because] you were too chicken s--- to say it to my face," she continued. "I texted you afterward, and you never responded. You didn’t have the balls to have a face-to-face talk, or even a text or a call, about it. You are the coward, Ben. And your moral preening, priggish lectures, and holier-than-thou judgments are the reason you are losing fans and, more than that, friends, at a record rate.".@megynkelly is a coward.@piersmorgan is a clickwhore.None of that has anything to do with Israel or Jews. And criticism isn’t censorship.Stop with your whiny Jussie Smollett fake victim routine. pic.twitter.com/Pgc9uRAGXV— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 12, 2026
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[l] at 3/12/26 5:08pm
President Donald Trump instituted a drastic change to the legal immigration process in recent months, implementing a new $100,000 fee for noncitizens to enter the United States on an H-1B visa, a program used to import high-skilled workers like engineers.However, with the program in force, the net effect has been a drop in revenue for the government.The simple reason for this? Far fewer people are applying for H-1B visas, to the point that the government is collecting less in application fees than it gained from the so-called "proclamation fee.""85 people have paid the $100,000 H-1B fee so far, totaling $8.5 million in revenue," reported IFP fellow Connor O'Brien. "But fee revenue from H-1B apps abroad is down $28 million. So the fee — justified by a paper claiming the revenue-maximizing fee was $100,000! — appears to have lost the government $20 million."American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick weighed in as well. "An absolutely incredible statistic; Trump's $100,000 H-1B fee has actually lost the U.S. government $19.5 million in application fees."The H-1B program has been a major wedge issue within the Trump coalition for years. Wealthier businessmen who have backed Trump, particularly tech billionaire Elon Musk, have passionately defended the program; however, it is reviled by rank-and-file MAGA activists, who see it as a way to import large numbers of nonwhite workers.
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[l] at 3/12/26 5:00pm
President Donald Trump claimed at a Kentucky rally that U.S. and Israeli military operations have "virtually destroyed Iran," and "we won," but CNN correspondent Nic Robertson's reporting from Kuwait contradicts the narrative. Within hours of Trump's statements, Iran struck two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and attacked locations across the Middle East. Robertson documented residential buildings blown apart, injured civilians, and multiple overnight attacks on Kuwait, including strikes on Kuwait International Airport. Robertson described Iran effectively turning the Persian Gulf into a war zone while attempting to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, creating an economic stranglehold on the region. Defensive fighter jets launched overnight as sirens sounded throughout Kuwait. CNN anchor Kate Bolduan agreed the evidence indicated the conflict was "ramping up," rather than winding down, contradicting Trump's statements in Kentucky.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
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[l] at 3/12/26 4:51pm
Democrats snatched a stunning flip this week in a Republican stronghold after Democrat Bobbi Boudman won a state house seat in a rural New Hampshire district where President Donald Trump won by double digits just 16 months ago.Boudman's 52-48 victory over Republican Dale Fincher in the special election marked her third attempt at the seat and signaled a dramatic shift in voter sentiment, The Daily Beast noted Thursday. More than 4,000 ballots were cast in the Carroll County race near the Maine border.Republicans have found themselves underwater since Trump's election, with Democrats having now flipped 28 state legislative seats since he returned to the White House, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.“Tuesdays are becoming a headache for state Republicans across the country as they suffer one stunning defeat after another,” committee president Heather Williams declared. “These wins aren’t a flash in a pan—together, they tell an undeniable story of Democratic momentum as voters reject Republicans and blame them for soaring costs.”Boudman's campaign hammered affordability, education, and fiscal responsibility, issues where Trump's polling has cratered. Recent surveys show 62 percent of Americans disapprove of his economic stewardship, with 48 percent convinced his policies are hurting the economy.Boudman won on a shoestring budget of just $12,000 with minimal outside help, while Fincher burned through $55,000.
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[l] at 3/12/26 4:38pm
President Donald Trump's administration is about to meet a "reckoning" for its international boat strikes, according to one expert. Over the last several months, the Trump administration has conducted multiple bombing campaigns against boats in the Caribbean, operations that have killed at least 154 people. Now, the administration is expected to defend the legality of the boat strikes during a hearing on Friday with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a Guatemala-based international organization that is part of the Organization of American States, which the U.S. helped create in 1948.The Trump administration has routinely claimed that it is conducting the strikes to fight drug traffickers, but has provided no public evidence to support this claim. Jamie Rowen, Director of the Center for Justice, Law and Societies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, called the strikes a "flagrant violation of international law" during a new interview with Adam Klasfeld of "All Rise News." She noted that the U.S. is also a party to international treaties that prohibit the taking of life without due process. Klasfeld called the hearing a "reckoning." Rowen also noted that the hearing comes with specific limitations. For instance, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights can conduct a fact-finding mission that supports other lawsuits filed against the Trump administration related to the boat strikes. However, there is no "judicial enforcement" of any findings from the hearing, Rowen added. "It is purely for knowledge production that can affect the politics," Rowen said. Trump & Hegseth Hit with International Reckoning Over Strikes by Legal AFRead on Substack
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[l] at 3/12/26 4:30pm
CNN anchor Kasie Hunt was noticeably annoyed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during a fiery interview Thursday. Hunt was asking Jordan to comment on the U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran and the Trump administration's objectives and rising gas prices when the conversation got heated. "Well, I don't know for sure but look, we want all the above," Jordan said. "We want low gas prices. We want Iran not to have nuclear capability, and we want this thing resolved as soon as possible. But I think the American people have common sense and they understand to stop this regime that for 47 years has killed Americans, killed Israelis, killed others, and killed a number of their own people to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon is a worthwhile objective. And President Trump is committed to achieving that goal. And if that means prices go up for a short time, I think Americans understand. We can live with that. But in the end, we want all that to happen and we want it all to happen in in as quick as time as it possibly can." Hunt then pushed back on Jordan's claims. "So you say we should be willing to live with higher prices," Hunt said. "Would you say to your constituents in Ohio this is worth sending their sons and daughters to the Middle East potentially to put their lives on the line, to achieve what you just laid out?" Jordan appeared frustrated by Hunt's question. "Do we want this regime and all they have done, the killing of American servicemen over the last 47 years, the killing of Israelis, the killing of others, the taking of thousands of lives of their own? Do we want them to have a nuclear weapon?" Jordan responded. "I think the Americans say that is something we need to stop." Hunt pushed back again, cutting off Jordan and asking if it was necessary to put American troops on the ground in Iran to stop the regime. "We need, again - no one's talking about that," Jordan said. "What they're talking about is, is it reaching the objective of making sure this regime doesn't get nuclear capability?""So how far would you go to achieve that objective?" Hunt asked.

[Category: Iran, Kasie hunt, Cnn, Jim jordan]

As of 3/12/26 8:08pm. Last new 3/12/26 8:08pm.

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