Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

The New York Times [3/8/2026 2:58 PM, Billy Witz and Shannon Sims, 148038K] reports travelers at airports in Houston and New Orleans were greeted with hours of long waits early Sunday as the airports struggled to adequately staff security lines. The lengthy delays come as spring break travel is ramping up and as Transportation Security Administration workers are going without pay for the second time in six months because of the partial shutdown of the federal government, which primarily affects the Department of Homeland Security. At William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, long lines snaked through concourses, down stairs and through baggage claim. There were similar scenes at Louis Armstrong International Airport outside New Orleans as lines stretched into the parking garage. In Houston, only one security line was open early Sunday morning, and the T.S.A. PreCheck line, which allows for expedited screening, was closed. “We’ve been in line together for over an hour, and we’re not even halfway through,” said Tina Rizzo, who was trying to return home to Connecticut with her son, Carmine, after attending the World Baseball Classic in Houston. The Houston airport system on Sunday urged passengers departing from Hobby to arrive at least three to four hours before their flight in anticipation of long security wait times caused by the partial shutdown. It also said T.S.A. PreCheck may be unavailable as a result of limited staffing. In New Orleans, the lines rivaled those of big events like Mardi Gras or the Super Bowl. An airport employee walked a therapy dog along the wait line in the parking garage, encouraging passengers to give the dog, named Shug, a scratch behind the ears to relieve stress. Nikoma Wolf was standing near the end of the line, debating if she should stick it out. “I have to go back to Dallas, and when I saw this line I was almost like, Should I just rent a car and drive at this point?” she said. “I could get there in eight hours if I don’t stop.” Ailie Caldeira missed her 11:15 a.m. flight to Atlanta because of the delays in New Orleans. “I got here at 8:30, was in line by 9, but I realized it was going to take too long,” she said. “I wasn’t even to the top of the escalator and it was already 11 a.m. There was no hope.” A spokeswoman for the New Orleans airport, Erin Burns, said that the T.S.A. was able to open all of its security lanes for a short period of time as workers from the morning shift overlapped with those from the evening shift. But that was short-lived. “We’re expecting larger lines throughout the afternoon and we could continue to see impacts in coming days as long as the government shutdown continues,” she said. The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees the T.S.A., blamed the delays on Democratic lawmakers. NBC News [3/8/2026 7:19 PM, Marlene Lenthang and Jay Blackman, 42967K] reports Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Lauren Bis said travelers are facing missed flights and massive delays. She blamed the chaos on congressional Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS, which led to the partial shutdown. "These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay," she said in a statement. "These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.” DHS funding expired Feb. 13, with lawmakers locking horns over ICE and Customs and Border Protection policies after federal agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis. Democrats are seeking reforms to rein in those agencies, but Republicans have argued that changes were already made in response to the killings. The impasse triggered the partial shutdown affecting DHS, which affects the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard. TSA officers, who are considered essential employees, must work without pay while the funding bill is stalled in Congress. This week starts the bustling spring break travel period. William P. Hobby Airport in Houston was experiencing wait times of 2 hours and 45 minutes just before noon Sunday, according to federal officials. The airport warned on X that TSA wait times may exceed three hours. "Due to the federal government shutdown, passengers should arrive 4-5 hours before their flight to allow extra time for TSA screening," it said. NewsMax [3/8/2026 5:44 PM, David Shepardson, 3760K] reports Houston’s Hobby Airport at one point reported lines averaging 3.5 hours. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport said: "TSA is experiencing a shortage of workers at the security checkpoint, which is causing longer-than-average lines. Passengers with travel scheduled today are advised to arrive at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure.” TSA said longer-than-average lines were also reported at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Funding for the Homeland Security Department lapsed on Feb. 13 after Congress failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement changes demanded by Democrats. That halted operational funding for several government agencies, including the TSA, resulting in about 50,000 TSA airport security screeners working without pay. DHS said on Sunday: "Travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel.” The department, part of the Trump administration, criticized Democrats in Congress for refusing to reach a deal to restore funding to the department. TSA workers "now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages," DHS said.

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New York Post [3/9/2026 4:26 AM, Richard Pollina, 40934K] reports the Department of Homeland Security blamed Democrats for holding spring break travel “hostage for political points” as airport chaos swept the country Sunday, leaving travelers stuck in staggering security lines for hours during the partial government shutdown. “The Democrats’ DHS shutdown has led to HOURS-long security lines at airports across the country, leading Americans to miss their spring break flights,” the department posted on X Sunday. “There is ZERO reason for spring break travel to be held hostage for political points — Democrats must end this DHS shutdown NOW.” Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on Feb. 14 after Congress failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats, leaving about 50,000 TSA airport security screeners working without pay. @TSA officers are not the only ones paying the price for the Democrats’ DHS shutdown. Now the American people are facing THREE-hour wait times at airports,” the department wrote in a follow-up post. “Democrats do not care about TSA officers going without pay, and they do not care about the millions of Americans missing flights and facing delays because of this reckless DHS shutdown.” The Transportation Security Administration’s X account shared a similar message. “Americans are now missing their flights because of the Democrats shutdown of DHS,” the TSA wrote. “This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay.” The TSA went on to bash Democrats for “shamelessly playing politics with national security, punishing hardworking TSA workers and their families.” “Enough is enough: stop holding national security and everyday Americans hostage. Democrats must fund DHS now,” the TSA wrote. Security wait times stretched up to four hours at major airports, including Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans and Houston, as staffing shortages affected Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration said travelers faced longer-than-average security lines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

CNN [3/9/2026 4:35 AM, Karina Tsui, 19874K] reports a man hurled an improvised explosive device amid dueling protests outside New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Manhattan residence on Saturday, prompting an investigation by federal terrorism authorities and the discovery of an additional device in a nearby car the next day. While the device thrown Saturday did not explode, police said it was capable of causing “serious injury or death.” Law enforcement sources told CNN the two men arrested in connection with the device admitted to being inspired by ISIS. The violence erupted during an anti-Islam protest organized by a right-wing provocateur that was dwarfed by a crowd of more than 100 counterprotesters, officials said. Saturday’s clash unfolded during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Mamdani, who is the city’s first Muslim mayor, and his wife Rama Duwaji, were not at Gracie Mansion at the time, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. An anti-Islam protest organized by right-wing influencer Jake Lang drew roughly 20 participants, while a counterprotest called “Drive the Nazis Out of New York” peaked at about 125 people, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Tensions between the two groups, who were separated into designated protest areas, escalated shortly before noon. At around 12:15 p.m., a protester associated with Lang’s group pepper-sprayed counterprotesters, Tisch said. Twenty minutes later, a counterprotester “threw an ignited device toward the protest area,” which landed on a crosswalk, Tisch said. The man then retrieved a second device from another man before lighting it and starting to run, Tisch said. He dropped the second device on the street, where it appeared to emit smoke but also did not explode. Officers secured the area, taking both men, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old, into custody. Authorities have not yet announced any charges. Police told The New York Times the two teenagers are from Pennsylvania. CNN has reached out to the NYPD for further information. The anti-Islam protester accused of using pepper spray was also arrested, along with three others for alleged disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic, Tisch said. CBS News [3/8/2026 11:29 PM, Andrew Ramos, 51110K] reports New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says at least one suspicious device recovered during clashing protests outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was an improvised explosive. Tisch told reporters during a Saturday evening news conference that an anti-Islam protest on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and far-right influencer, and was called "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City/Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer.” The Lang-associated protest drew about 20 participants, Tisch said, beginning at about 11 a.m. near East End Avenue and East 87th Street. A counterprotest called "Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate" drew about 125 participants, Tisch said. NYPD officers arrived on the scene and separated the groups into designated protest areas, police said. Tensions between the two groups began escalating, and at around 12:15 p.m., an individual from the initial protest used pepper spray against the counter-protesters, police said. Tisch said that suspect was later arrested. Tisch said that shortly after 12:30 p.m., a counter-protester, identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat of Pennsylvania, lit and threw an ignited device toward the protesters. According to Tisch, witnesses saw flames and smoke as the device struck a barrier in a crosswalk, a few feet away from police officers. The device then extinguished itself. In videos depicting the chaos, a man appears to yell "Allahu Akbar" just as Balat throws the device that Tisch described as "a jar wrapped in tape, importantly with nuts, bolts, and screws along with a hobby fuse." The videos were verified by the CBS News Confirmed Team. It is not clear from the videos who was shouting the words. Balat allegedly then ran away and retrieved a second device from 19-year-old Ibrahim Nikk, also of Pennsylvania, then lit the device and started running with it before eventually dropping it, Tisch said. Balat and Nikk were taken into custody. According to law enforcement sources, investigators were looking to determine if at least one was inspired by ISIS extremist messaging. The NYPD Bomb Squad was called in to examine the devices. Tisch said it was unclear at the time whether the devices were functionable improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, and that they required further police testing and analysis. "The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death," Tisch said in a statement Sunday. "Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] CBS News [3/8/2026 9:48 PM, Anna Schecter, Lucia Suarez Sang and Richard Esposito, 51110K] reports that two people from Pennsylvania were arrested outside Gracie Mansion, which is the home of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, on Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious device was ignited. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters on Saturday that an anti-Islam protest was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and far-right influencer. A group of counter-protesters, numbering more than 100, also gathered, and two young men from Pennsylvania, angered by the anti-Islam protest, brought the homemade bombs to the gathering, intending to cause harm, law enforcement sources told CBS News. The NYPD’s Bomb Squad sent the devices to the FBI’s Quantico lab for analysis. One of the devices was determined not to be a "hoax device or a smoke bomb," but instead it was "an improvised explosive device (IED) that could have caused serious injury or death," Tisch said in a statement Sunday. The FBI and NYPD later confirmed both items to be IEDs, the bureau’s New York office said on X. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the devices consisted of a sports drink bottle filled or partially filled with explosive material set inside glass jars and surrounded by fragmentation, or nuts and bolts. The fuse was apparently connected to an M80-type firework. Two sources told CBS News that the IEDs contained triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, a volatile explosive material. It is often synthesized from acetone and hydrogen peroxide, appearing as a white crystalline powder. Blaze [3/8/2026 6:30 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports "It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death," Tisch said on X. A second deployed device was still being analyzed Sunday. The initial protest, called "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City," was led by Jake Lang; police called Lang a "far-right provocateur." The protest outside Gracie Mansion — the mayor’s residence — drew a counter-protest dubbed "Run The Nazis Out Of NYC.” Fistfights erupted between the two sides, the New York Times reported. Tisch stated during a press conference following the altercation that counter-protester Emir Balat, 18, "lit and threw an ignited device.” "Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers," Tisch said. On Sunday, Mamdani released a statement also condemning Lang as a "white supremacist" and claiming his protest was "rooted in bigotry and racism.” "Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are," Mamdani also wrote. While the mayor condemned the use of an explosive device, he did not acknowledge that police said it was carried out by a counter-protester. Not to mention that the suspect repeatedly uttered "Allahu Akbar" during his arrest. "What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are," Mamdani said of the deployment of the explosive device. Article III Project’s Mike Davis slammed Mamdani for failing to "condemn" the "Islamists" police arrested.

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Daily Wire [3/8/2026 7:08 PM, Virginia Kruta, 2314K] reports the FBI is reportedly looking at an attempted bombing in New York City as a potential act of terror after at least one of the suspects — who wielded a homemade bomb at a protest outside Gracie Mansion the day before — claimed that he had been inspired by ISIS. NBC News correspondent Tom Winter reported on Sunday that one of the suspects referenced ISIS directly in statements to law enforcement after his apprehension, prompting the terror probe. CNN reported that both suspects admitted to being “inspired by ISIS,” but said that officials do not believe that there is a connection between the New York City attack and the military action unfolding in Iran. “Law enforcement sources [are] also telling us that the two suspects that were arrested in relation to those explosive devices have admitted to being inspired by ISIS,” correspondent Gloria Pazmino reported. According to a report published Sunday by CBS News, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken over the investigation into Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19 — both of whom live in Pennsylvania — after a lab in Quantico confirmed that what appeared to homemade bombs were not “hoax devices” but deadly Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using components that have been seen in previous terror attacks. The devices, two sources told CBS, contained sports drink bottles filled with explosives that were set inside glass jars packed with nails, bolts, and screws. The explosives were connected to a firework described as an “M-80-type” with a fuse. The sources said that the explosive material inside was called triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, which is a white powder made from two readily available household chemicals: acetone and hydrogen peroxide. Multiple reports suggest that the investigation is also likely to probe the recent travels of the suspects, both of whom have made extended visits to Istanbul in the last two years. Balat stayed in the Turkish city for months, from early May of 2025 to late August of the same year. Kayumi also traveled to Istanbul, but only stayed for a few weeks in July and August of 2024. He also traveled to Saudi Arabia in March of 2024. Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin also reported that “New York City IED suspect Emir Balat’s parents are both from Turkey & were naturalized into US citizens in 2017, while Ibrahim Kayumi’s parents are both from Afghanistan. Mom naturalized in 2009, dad naturalized in 2004.” Mamdani specifically named January 6th defendant Jake Lang — who led a protest of about 20 people — and referred to him as a “white supremacist,” saying his demonstration was “rooted in bigotry and racism” and was not welcome in New York City. While he condemned the violent act that followed, he did not mention the names of the terror suspects or their potential inspiration. Instead, he said simply, “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

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NBC News [3/8/2026 7:01 PM, Staff, 42967K] Video: HERE

FOX News [3/8/2026 5:40 PM, Sophia Compton, 37576K] reports the NYPD announced Sunday that a third suspicious device has been recovered as part of an ongoing investigation into an improvised explosive device (IED) thrown during dueling protests outside Gracie Mansion a day earlier. Police said officers identified a suspicious device inside a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st and 82nd streets and temporarily evacuated nearby buildings while the Bomb Squad assessed the threat. "The NYPD has safely removed the suspicious device from the area for further testing, and those who were evacuated are now allowed to return to their residences. The area remains closed to vehicular traffic," the NYPD wrote on X. As of Sunday evening, only one of the devices has been confirmed as an IED, a federal source told Fox News. Earlier Sunday, city officials said the confirmed device was capable of causing "serious injury or death.” The incident unfolded Saturday morning near East End Avenue and East 87th Street, steps from Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. One protest was organized by right-wing activist Jake Lang to oppose public Muslim prayer. Counter-protesters also gathered nearby. Although police initially kept the groups separated, tensions escalated after pepper spray was deployed during a confrontation. Approximately 30 minutes later, authorities say an 18-year-old counter-protester ignited and threw a device toward the protest area. Police say the 18-year-old then retrieved a second device from a 19-year-old, lit it, and attempted to flee. Both suspects — Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi — were taken into custody. Three federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that one suspect allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" before igniting and throwing the IED into a crowd. The devices thrown near Gracie Mansion were allegedly charged with TATP (triacetone triperoxide), retired NYPD inspector Fox News contributor Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital, citing multiple sources. The NYPD Bomb Squad X-rayed two of the devices and rendered them safe. They are now being transported to Quantico for further analysis, Mauro said.

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CBS New York [3/8/2026 7:09 PM, Staff, 51110K] Video: HERE

Daily Wire [3/8/2026 2:45 PM, Virginia Kruta, 2314K] reports New York City’s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke his silence on Sunday, one full day after protesters shouting “Allahu Akbar” tossed two homemade devices into a crowd, after the New York Police Department’s bomb squad confirmed that the devices were, in fact, lethal. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch issued a statement on Sunday declaring that the first device had been determined to be a lethal improvised explosive device (IED), and that further studies would be done to determine whether the same could be said of the second device. “The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb,” Tisch stated. “It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.” Tisch said that the second device was still under investigation, and that “further analysis” was necessary. “Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter,” Tisch continued. “The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force. I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.” Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani also released a statement attempting to split the blame between the suspected bombers and the protesters they’d targeted. “Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,” Mamdani complained. “Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.” “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,” he continued. “I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day. My administration is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.” There were two simultaneous and oppositional protests taking place in front of Gracie Mansion — one, led by January 6th defendant Jake Lang, was titled “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and drew a crowd of less than two dozen. The second protest, which drew over 100, was labeled “Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate.”

Breitbart [3/8/2026 11:32 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump said Sunday he will not sign any other bills until the SAVE America Act is passed and election integrity is secured. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also praised election integrity activist Scott Presler for his work to get the act across the finish line, noting it is widely supported among voters. The president also made it clear he wants the best version passed, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter identification: Great Job by hard working Scott Pressler on Fox & Friends talking about using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster, in order to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS. It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL! President DONALD J. TRUMP. Trump has been urging Republican lawmakers to pass the act, saying it is something they "must do," and, "This is a Country Defining fight for the Soul of our Nation!" according to Breitbart News. A February 25-26 Harvard-Harris poll of 1,999 registered voters found overwhelming bipartisan support for the SAVE America Act. Of the respondents, 71 percent support the SAVE America Act, including the requirements of proof of citizenship to register, voter ID, states to boot noncitizens off the voter rolls, and states to share voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security. The Save Act has support from 91 percent of Republicans, 50 percent of Democrats, and 69 percent of independents.

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Washington Examiner [3/8/2026 5:02 PM, Asher Notheis, 1147K] reports Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) pushed back on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) framing of the SAVE America Act as "Jim Crow 2.0" on Sunday. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he will not sign any other bill until the SAVE Act reaches his desk, saying it "supersedes everything else." The bill would require proof of citizenship and voter identification to register to vote, and comes as the president has underscored election integrity. Schumer reiterated his previous claim that the SAVE Act is "Jim Crow 2.0," and vowed that Senate Democrats won’t help pass it "under any circumstances.” Scott reposted Schumer’s statement and asked why "Democrats start calling it racist" when the United States seeks to strengthen election security. "You need an ID to get on a plane, buy a lottery ticket, and drive a car," Scott said on X. "The SAVE America Act isn’t ‘Jim Crow 2.0,’ it’s commonsense election security. What are the Democrats afraid of?!".

New York Post [3/8/2026 3:27 PM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports a top GOP senator Sunday urged Republican leaders to get the party’s "free-range chickens" to push through a proof-of-citizenship voting bill — which President Trump vowed to thwart because it is too "watered-down.” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy — who co-sponsored the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act– said that while Republicans are currently short of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate to pass it, he believes it can still be moved along with the help of the budget reconciliation process. "I would do it [through] reconciliation." Kennedy told "Fox News Sunday," referring to the onerous workaround process reserved for pressing issues tied to the budget, and which the GOP used to pass their marquee One Big Beautiful Bill Act. "We can short-circuit all of this. But I’m in a minority," he acknowledged. "I have chased … [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune, my good friend, like he’d stole Thanksgiving to try to get him to do a reconciliation. This would be perfect for reconciliation," Kennedy insisted. Unlike normal Senate legislation, which is subject to the 60-vote filibuster, a reconciliation bill could pass with a simple majority of 51. It’s not clear whether the Senate parliamentarian will allow Republicans to pass the SAVE Act through reconciliation because it’s not a budgetary item. The SAVE Act already cleared the House. But Trump threatened Sunday to put a blockade on legislation from Congress until a beefed-up version of the bill, known as the SAVE America Act, gets to his desk. The SAVE America Act goes further than the original SAVE Act bill by requiring states to send their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security in addition to requiring proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote. "It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else," Trump posted on Truth Social about passing the SAVE America Act. "I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL.”

The Hill [3/8/2026 4:06 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Sunday said Democrats want to fund several agencies housed under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “Let’s just pass those funding bills. Let’s confine the ICE and CBP reform discussion just to those two agencies and fund the others. Thus far, Republicans have blocked those efforts. We want to fund TSA [Transportation Security Administration], FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], Coast Guard and CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency],” Kaine said during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “We want to fund those agencies. And we have a funding agreement that’s already been negotiated between both parties and both houses. So, let’s do that,” he added. Democrats have railed against immigration operations nationwide following the death of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration authorities. Multiple lawmakers had called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be removed as a conditional factor to approve DHS funding. Noem was removed from her post by President Trump on Thursday, which earned applause from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. However, Democrats say additional changes needed to be made, including requiring a judicial warrant for immigration operations, removing masks from federal immigration authorities and requiring body cameras. Kaine said ICE and CBP received money last summer. “They’re not running out of money. We can continue the reform discussion there,” he said in reference to the two agencies.

Daily Signal [3/8/2026 2:00 PM, George Caldwell, 474K] reports Congress could be facing a two-front challenge, as it contemplates whether to provide additional funding for the military operation in Iran as well as for the Department of Homeland Security. Since mid-February, the agency has been shut down due to Democrats’ rejecting funding bills over their demands for additional restraints on immigration and border law enforcement. Now, members of Congress are debating the need to pass a supplemental funding bill for Operation Epic Fury, as well. President Donald Trump’s decision to replace DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has not prompted Democrats to support funding the agency. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has argued Democrats ought to reconsider their refusal to fund the agency now that Trump has selected new leadership. "This, to me, is a huge development, I would think, in the funding conversation and hopefully they’ll get more earnest about coming to the table and trying to get a deal," said Thune after news broke. But Democrats have not indicated this appointment will resolve their issues with DHS. "The problems at ICE transcend any one individual … It goes beyond any one person," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the announcement. "You need to straighten out the whole agency. The rot there is deep.” The military is now over a week into an aggressive campaign in Iran, and some in Congress are talking about whether the Pentagon needs supplemental funding. "I think there will be a supplemental. We’ll have to approve that," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters upon leaving a briefing on Operation Epic Fury this week. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, however, says the military is not close to running out of materiel. We’ve got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to," Hegseth said at a Thursday press conference.

The Hill [3/8/2026 5:00 PM, Mike Lillis, 18170K] reports a week after President Trump launched strikes against Iran, Democrats are digging in against reopening the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without significant reforms to the agency. Party leaders are amplifying their demands for tougher rules governing agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Rank-and-file Democrats appear to be fully on board. And a test vote in the House on Thursday demonstrated that, if anything, the Iran conflict has only solidified the party’s support behind the leadership position. “My concern about DHS is their absolute disregard of the Constitution and American citizens’ civil rights,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), the head of the New Democrat Coalition. “So until we see officers who abuse citizens’ civil rights held to full account, until we restore full congressional oversight, I’m not giving another penny to ICE and CBP.” The strategy carries political risks, as Republicans warn of the threat to national security if DHS remains shuttered indefinitely during the Iran campaign, which shows no signs of ending soon. In the wake of the strikes, GOP leaders wasted no time in invoking the conflict to force Democrats to abandon their push for immigration reforms and back a GOP bill reopening DHS.

Daily Signal [3/8/2026 12:00 PM, Virginia Grace McKinnon, 474K] reports with the Department of Homeland Security shut down over Democrat demands to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement, members of Congress fear the 2026 FIFA World Cup could be insecure. Republicans on Capitol Hill are especially concerned about funding for security and counterterrorism efforts as the U.S. engages Iran militarily through Operation Epic Fury. "Amid ongoing military conflict with the leading state sponsor of terrorism and with less than 100 days until we host the largest sporting event in history, Democrats’ political games are threatening public safety by further delaying important federal resources for World Cup host cities," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., told The Daily Signal. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal, "Now is the time to urgently secure venues, counter drone threats, and coordinate law enforcement activity.” "Instead, Democrats’ shutdown has much of that vital preparation on pause, jeopardizing the safety of millions of Americans and international visitors," McCaul added. McCaul is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Task Force on Securing the Homeland Amidst Special Events and is intimately familiar with the extensive 2026 World Cup planning. The event will spread across 10 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Millions of people are expected to attend games and World Cup events across the country. Garbarino added that the DHS shutdown is "disrupting federal interagency coordination with state and local law enforcement partners, and undermining the operations and morale of frontline personnel at agencies like TSA and the Secret Service before we welcome millions of international visitors.” "House Republicans passed a full-year DHS funding bill again," said Garbarino following a Thursday vote on DHS funding. "But Democrats still chose politics over the safety of the American people.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Daily Signal they have been working on planning efforts for over a year, but with less than 100 days until the event, the agency has been forced to shut down their grant system. "At the time Democrats blocked funding and triggered the shutdown, DHS was finalizing awards under the FIFA World Cup Grant Program. Because of the funding lapse, FEMA’s grants management system is not operational and significant portions of FEMA’s workforce have been furloughed," a FEMA spokesperson told the Daily Signal. "Delays in appropriations directly affect DHS’ ability to finalize awards and support host jurisdictions. DHS stands ready to resume full operations immediately once Congress restores funding," the spokesperson continued. "I call on my Democrat colleagues to put public safety over their desire to obstruct this administration and immediately fund DHS—before it’s too late," concluded Evans.

Breitbart [3/8/2026 11:58 AM, Pam Key, 2238K] reports Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs “dramatic, bold, meaningful and transformational changes.” Host Kristen Welker said, “Leader Jeffries, let me ask you about another aspect of this. As you well know, President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week, something you and other Democrats have been calling for. Democrats continue to block funding for DHS amid these demands that there be changes to ICE in the president’s deportation policies. Is the change in leadership at DHS enough for you and other Democrats to reopen the government, to start defunding DHS again?” Jeffries said, “Well, again, let’s understand Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They’ve made an affirmative decision that they would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSA as opposed to getting ICE under control. What we want is a situation where ICE is actually conducting itself, like every other law enforcement agency in the country, as opposed to using taxpayer dollars to brutalize or, in some cases, kill American citizens.” Welker said, “Is replacing Noem is a big enough step for you to get to a Yes?” Jeffries said, “No, it’s certainly not. What we need is a change in policy, not simply a change in personnel. Now, Kristi Noem was a disgrace. It was totally unqualified. She’s a pathological liar. She called American citizens domestic terrorists without any justification whatsoever. But we need dramatic, bold, meaningful and transformational changes to get ICE under control. That’s what the American people want to see. That’s what we’re working hard to deliver.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [3/8/2026 5:09 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports Pro-American lobby groups cautiously praised President Donald Trump’s decision to pick Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "We’re congratulating on his nomination and indicating that we look forward to working with the Trump administration and with Secretary Mullin to continue ramping up deportations," said one advocate for Americans and less migration. "He’s a little bit of a dark horse," the source added. A new coalition of groups that favors less migration posted a welcome note with a low-key reminder: The newly formed Mass Deportation Coalition congratulates Senator Markwayne Mullin on his nomination to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security … The American people gave the Trump administration a mandate to deport the millions of illegal aliens in this country, and they deserve to see that mandate fully honored. Pro-migration groups said little about Mullin, who has a mixed record on labor migration. But he was endorsed by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has been a champion for corporate hiring of migrant workers. Trump chose Mullin after considering other hires, including Glenn Youngkin, an investment banker who served as Virginia’s governor, and Jason Chaffetz, a former House member. Mullin will enter the job with the agency’s primary task already solved: Kristi Noem’s DHS has blocked the southern border to job-seeking illegal migrants. As Secretary of Homeland Security, Mullin will have to oversee Trump’s evolving deportation policy.

The Hill [3/8/2026 3:10 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Sunday said White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was “calling the shots” at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and he said Miller will continue to remain in control after her departure. Noem was ousted from her role on Thursday after facing months of scrutiny for immigration enforcement operations across the country and her response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration authorities in Minnesota. “She was a governor; governors are often good Cabinet secretaries. But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn’t calling the shots. Stephen Miller is calling the shots,” Kaine said during an appearance on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “And as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department,” he added. Miller is widely known for his hard-line stance against immigration and has frequently touted the administration’s push to carry out the largest deportation effort in history. Kaine said he’s now concerned that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R), who has been selected to replace Noem, will face the same subordination. “That’s our fear. So, he could demonstrate otherwise. But what we want to see is not just the change in the nameplate on the door,” he told anchor Margaret Brennan. “We want to see reforms to the way ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] operates. They should operate like local law enforcement does, not invading people’s homes without warrants, body cameras, not wearing masks.”

Breitbart [3/8/2026 10:44 AM, Pam Key, 2238K] reports Sunday on CNN’s "State of the Union," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said White House adviser Stephen Miller should leave because he was a "big problem" in the Trump administration. Tillis said, "It gives me pause that you had people like Stephen Miller calling the shots, that actually, I believe that maybe Kristi Noem acted on. It was Stephen Miller that was talking about a terrorist brandishing a gun. It was Stephen Miller who said it was the position of United States that we should go after Greenland. It’s Stephen Miller that’s been repeatedly responsible for embarrassments for the President of the United States, by acting too quickly, speaking first and thinking later. I don’t think Markwayne goes to the podium and repeat something that Stephen Miller says. I think Stephen Miller has demonstrated. He, too, is out of his depth. And I think I think Markwayne will learn from that.” Host Jake Tapper said, "Do you think Stephen Miller should go?". He added, "Not only does Stephen really want to just paint a picture, he’s not worried about substance. He’s more worried about form. But I also think that he has an outsized influence over the operations of the cabinet. And I believe we’ve got qualified cabinet members there that sometimes are doing less than what they want to because of his direction and his outsized influence. He’s a big problem in this administration. He has been from the beginning. But Noem is a Senate-confirmed cabinet member. She should have been independent.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
The Hill [3/8/2026 10:58 AM, Max Rego, 18170K]
Washington Examiner [3/8/2026 3:56 PM, Asher Notheis, 1147K]

The Hill [3/8/2026 11:35 AM, Max Rego, 18170K] reports Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he is pleased that President Trump is removing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem from her post. “Well, I’m glad he moved on,” Tillis told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Secretary Noem may have been effective as the governor in South Dakota, but it’s very clear that her experience didn’t scale to something the size and scope of Homeland Security.” “So I’m glad the president made the decision,” he added. Trump said Thursday that Noem will depart DHS on Mar. 31, with the president nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement. Noem will transition to the role of special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new partnership among Western Hemisphere nations to address drug trafficking. CBS News [3/8/2026 1:50 PM, Kaia Hubbard, 51110K] Video: HERE reports Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, expressed regret on Sunday for supporting Kristi Noem for Department of Homeland Security secretary last year. "Big mistake," Kaine said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” President Trump announced Thursday that Noem would leave her role following a string of controversies that boiled over last week. The president announced that he had selected GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement. Kaine was one of seven Democrats who voted in favor of Noem’s confirmation to the role at the helm of DHS last year. On Sunday, Kaine, a former governor, pointed to Noem’s time leading South Dakota as his justification for supporting her confirmation, saying "governors are often good Cabinet secretaries.” "But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn’t calling the shots," Kaine said. "Stephen Miller is calling the shots, and as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department.” Kaine said Democrats fear that Mullin could face the same fate when he takes over as DHS secretary, warning of the possibility that he could bow to the top Trump aide. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina also warned about Miller’s "outsized influence" on Sunday, saying on CNN that Miller should be ousted as well, though Tillis said he believes Mullin will act more independently than Noem. Kaine also acknowledged that Mullin "could demonstrate otherwise.” "What we want to see is not just the change in the name plate on the door, we want to see reforms to the way ICE and CBP operates," Kaine said. "They should operate like local law enforcement does — not invading peoples’ homes without warrants, body cameras, not wearing masks.”

The Hill [3/8/2026 10:09 AM, Max Rego, 18170K] reports Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) said Sunday his party has “lost the debate” on immigration, days after President Trump tapped Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. “We’ve lost the debate over immigration and deportations. I believe that we should deport everyone that we can find that came across the borders during the Biden administration. But we’ve got to be smart, use our limited resources, go after the most dangerous first,” Tillis told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It didn’t look like that happened under Noem,” he noted. Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, repeatedly criticized Noem after federal immigration officers fatally shot U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year. Protests against the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown erupted nationwide in the wake of those incidents. An AP-NORC survey last month also found that 52 percent of respondents believe Trump has gone too far in his deportation efforts. “We’re beginning to get the American people to think that deporting people is wrong. It’s the exact opposite,” Tillis told Noem during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week. “The way you’re going about deporting them is wrong, the fact that you can’t admit to a mistake, which looks like under investigation, it’s going to prove that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti probably should not have been shot in the face and in the back,” he said. As for Mullin, whom Tillis praised Thursday after Trump nominated the Oklahoma Republican to helm DHS, the retiring senator hopes his Senate colleague can “fix what’s broken there and build on what’s right” within the department.

Reported similarly:
CNN [3/8/2026 10:32 AM, Jake Tapper, 19874K] Video: HERE

New York Times [3/8/2026 4:11 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz, 13K] reports Kristi Noem was not fired after federal agents in Minneapolis shot and killed two American citizens. She was not ousted when a chief judge in Minnesota said her immigration agency had violated more court orders than some federal agencies do in their entire existence. Nor did it happen when she described a Veterans Affairs nurse shot by her agents as a domestic terrorist, or when she falsely claimed he had brandished a weapon before he was pinned down and killed. Rather, Ms. Noem was ousted shortly after she appeared to cross one of the few red lines of the Trump White House: She appeared to shift responsibility for her own political problems back to President Trump. During a congressional hearing this week, Ms. Noem was asked if Mr. Trump had approved a $200 million-plus government ad campaign in which she was prominently featured. Ms. Noem said Mr. Trump had tasked her with “getting the message out to the country.” Asked if Mr. Trump had signed off on the campaign before the ads aired, Ms. Noem responded, “We had that conversation, yes, before I was put in this position and sworn in and confirmed. And since then as well.” Ms. Noem’s comments suggested Mr. Trump had signed off on a massively expensive ad campaign that even some in her department found cringe worthy — with Ms. Noem on a horse at Mount Rushmore. And by indicating Mr. Trump had ownership of the messaging campaign, Ms. Noem rattled Mr. Trump out of one of his comfort zones, which is as a spectator to his own policies. Shortly after her statement, Mr. Trump told Reuters he did not know about the contract. The decision to remove Ms. Noem was another reminder that Mr. Trump’s barometer for his cabinet is not just measuring policy actions on the ground as much as an appearance of disloyalty and political optics. In making her the first cabinet official to be pushed out of a job in his second term, Mr. Trump did not condemn the mass deportations and aggressive tactics Ms. Noem enthusiastically embraced under the watchful eye of Stephen Miller, the architect of Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda. He did not signal a shift for the department, which administration officials have said will continue to advance the same goals under Senator Markwayne Mullin, the Republican of Oklahoma tapped to replace Ms. Noem. The decision instead appeared driven by an eagerness to distance Mr. Trump from the person who had become politically untenable. “The loyalty is absolutely the key,” said Gil Kerlikowske, a former commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, which is under the umbrella of the Homeland Security Department. “It’s a good rule of thumb to never throw your boss under the bus and with him in particular I think it’s the cardinal sin and she certainly violated that.”

FOX News [3/9/2026 3:00 AM, Howard Kurtz, 37576K] reports we can now openly admit what has been unfolding before our eyes for a year: that Kristi Noem was an utter, complete, total catastrophe, her tenure in charge of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) little more than a self-promoting crusade. She was unqualified for the job from day one, and largely responsible for the awful excesses of ICE and the frustrating failures of FEMA. President Donald Trump’s decision to fire her, which took way too long, liberates many Republicans to acknowledge what many in the media, including me, along with Democrats and outside critics, have been saying all along: Noem was a slow-motion train wreck. The former South Dakota governor had no experience in national security issues, and that became painfully evident. This is a woman so determined to project the image of a tough cowgirl that when she wrote a memoir, she boasted about having shot her dog because she hated the pet. Talk about a self-inflicted wound. This is a woman who trashed two American citizens tragically killed by ICE by calling them domestic terrorists, and in one case an agitator. And refused to take it back. The proper response was simple: This is awful, we feel terrible for the family, we are investigating, and I’ll report back when we have more information. How hard is that? In the case of Renee Good, who was fatally shot after dropping off her child at school, there was no investigation. Noem simply declared the ICE agent had acted properly, and that was that. Noem also bears responsibility for the hyper-aggressive approach of ICE in Minneapolis, which led to innocent Americans being dragged out of their cars and homes. The agents have a tough job to do, but many were hired after ICE slashed training for new recruits. She and the agency lied about that too. The constant mistakes turned the public against ICE to the point that Trump had to bring in border czar Tom Homan to try to salvage the situation. Noem also exacerbated the mess at FEMA. By insisting that she approve every contract or grant over $100,000, she created a huge backlog in which people who had been through the process in disaster areas have waited months and months and can’t get their money. Some Republicans complained about this after taking heat from their constituents. Meanwhile, DHS spent millions on ads promoting the boss, not to mention the private plane used to ferry her around. She posed at the notorious El Salvador prison, the shirtless inmates behind her reduced to props, wearing a $50,000 gold Rolex watch. She posed riding a horse at Mount Rushmore to further that gun-toting image. Other agents nicknamed her "ICE Barbie.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [3/8/2026 2:00 PM, Zachary Faria, 1147K] reports Kristi Noem is on her way out as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. It is long overdue, and it should mean that DHS will be more effective and more serious under the new leadership of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). Noem was always a poor pick for a position that was going to be crucial to President Donald Trump’s agenda. Democrats were always going to make DHS their top target as Trump pursued widespread deportations. That meant his DHS secretary would need to be able to weather storms. Noem proved she was incapable of that while serving as the governor of South Dakota. With Noem’s encouragement, the South Dakota legislature passed a bill restricting boys and men in girls’ and women’s sports, only for Noem to back out at the last moment and veto it in fear of the NCAA. Noem showed in that moment that she was willing to back down from a popular position under almost no pressure, which would not bode well for her under Democratic pressure on the more mixed immigration debate. Noem was also an unserious, performative politician, more concerned with stunts that put her in front of the camera than her job performance. Noem carried that characteristic into the job, dressing up in various DHS costumes, performing the role more than executing it. Noem’s lack of competence on the job naturally bled into DHS operations. DHS sources spoke to the Washington Examiner to praise her firing, saying that "People in the office are actually crying out of happiness." DHS under Noem was chaotic, and it quickly burned through the goodwill that voters had toward Trump’s deportation plans and toward federal agents. Under Noem, Trump’s approval on border security and immigration dropped from a 50%-50% split to a 40%-60% split. Approval of Immigration and Customs Enforcement dropped to 34%. Noem’s incompetence has saddled her successor with problems that will now be his (and Trump’s) to solve. Trump chose Mullin to replace Noem, and he already has support and praise from Democratic Sens. John Fetterman (PA) and Peter Welch (VT). Noem has also saddled Mullin with a partial shutdown initiated by Senate Democrats, who are blocking funding for DHS. Unlike Noem, Mullen has good working relationships with Democrats. But he is also no pushover, willing to mix it up with Democrats and liberal media, and do so with an actual grasp of the issues in front of him. He has shown that he is capable of vociferously defending ICE agents from Democratic rhetoric without resorting to reckless accusations as Noem did.

NBC News [3/8/2026 9:00 AM, Bridget Bowman and Ben Kamisar, 42967K] reports majorities of registered voters disapprove of how President Donald Trump has handled the issues that defined the first months of a tumultuous midterm election year, as Democrats maintain an advantage in the battle for control of Congress, according to a new national NBC News poll. Voters give Trump poor marks for his handling of immigration after his administration surged federal agents into the heart of American cities and immigration officers in Minnesota killed two U.S. citizens in January. They are down on his tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down his main tariff program in February and Trump later reimposed some of those levies. And they don’t like his actions on Iran, with the U.S. now at war with the nation after Trump ordered strikes starting last weekend — strikes a majority say should not have happened. Meanwhile, voters continue to disapprove sharply of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living, issues that were key to his 2024 victory and remain among Americans’ top concerns heading into the midterm elections. Against that backdrop, Democrats have a 6-point lead in the fight for control of Congress, where Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. The survey was conducted Feb. 27 to March 3, as the war with Iran began and the first primaries of the midterm elections occurred.

New York Post [3/8/2026 12:01 PM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports a majority of Americans oppose President Trump’s migrant raids — as well as the early US strikes against Iran — while supporting the White House on issues such as sanctuary cities, according to a new poll. On ICE’s immigration tactics, 54% of registered voters told an NBC survey that they oppose them, compared to 44% who came out in support. The president is also underwater on other key issues, such as foreign policy, with a 43% approval to 54% disapproval rating, and dealing with Iran, 41% to 54%, showed the poll, which sampled 1,000 registered voters between Feb. 27 and March 3, two days after the US launched its missile blitz against Iran. Americans are unhappy with the cost of living, 36% to 62%, too. But the registered voters said they agree with Trump’s opposition to sanctuary cities, which limit and sometimes bar local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, with 43% viewing the set-up negatively compared to 33% positively. The president also clinched a 53% approval to 44% disapproval rating on general border security, the survey said. But some Republicans said ICE’s recent violent, sometimes deadly raids have swung the pendulum too far. "We’ve lost the debate over immigration and deportations," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a fierce critic of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, to CNN’s "State of the Union" on Sunday. Trump fired Noem last week and tapped Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement, recalibrating his administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and to the Department of Homeland Security more broadly. Tillis was optimistic that his colleague, Mullin, would help get "this department under control so that Republicans can seize an issue that helped us get elected.”

New York Post [3/8/2026 7:32 PM, Staff, 40934K] reports "Finally," cheers National Review’s Jim Geraghty, President Trump exorcised "one of the biggest liabilities" on his team: Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security. She’d "racked up an impressively unimpressive record" in the national spotlight, and her response to the Minnesota shootings proved she was among his "worst" picks. But "what got Noem dismissed" was Trump’s anger over her $220 million DHS ad campaign, which featured her "prominently," and her claim that he’d approved it. "If that ad campaign had been a television series, it would have ranked among the most expensive series of all time." She also reportedly mismanaged border-wall construction. Fact is, "nobody has done more to harm the career and reputation of Kristi Noem than Kristi Noem.”

Bloomberg [3/8/2026 8:00 AM, Tobin Harshaw, 18082K] reorts man oh man, just when everything was going so well for US President Donald Trump — the Kristi Noem dumpster fire had been extinguished, the word “Epstein” had been banished to headlines across the pond and, of course, the punching down and sucking up were both going gangbusters — this had to happen: “US employers unexpectedly cut jobs in February and the unemployment rate rose, pointing to lingering fragility in a labor market that was thought to be stabilizing,” writes Bloomberg News’s Mark Niquette. “Nonfarm payrolls fell 92,000 last month, one of the largest declines since the pandemic.” Also not stabilizing: Vice President JD Vance’s “heritage Americans.” “An estimated 130,985,000 native-born Americans had jobs in February, according to the employment report released Friday. That’s 128,000 more than in the month a year earlier ... a 0.1% increase,” writes Justin Fox, calling it “a far cry from the huge gains in native-born employment that the Bureau of Labor Statistics was reporting last year.” Fortunately for Trump, the jobs report is inherently a Friday news dump. (Unless, of course, the administration just cancels the pesky thing altogether.) And jobs are not a problem if you like scrubs, Crocs and fruit cups. “The two main drivers of US economic growth right now — artificial intelligence and an aging population — are combining to make health care the most appealing career option for job seekers,” writes Conor Sen. “The sector bucked the hiring caution that infected so many other industries last year, becoming the biggest job creator. But what happens when health care openings start drying up, too?” If there’s a silver lining here for the administration, it’s that shrinking jobs = shrinking inflation. Not even a Mideast war, or a booming market in Crocs, can straighten the Phillips Curve. “Labor market slack is primed to act as a disinflationary force,” Jonathan Levin writes. “Not only is the unemployment rate higher than it was during the last energy shock, but job openings have also plummeted and payrolls growth has flatlined in just about every industry outside of health care. Whereas higher pump prices led workers to demand higher wages in 2022, they have no such bargaining power today.”

Wall Street Journal [3/8/2026 12:07 PM, Mary Anastasia O’Grady, 646K] reports opponents of Operation Epic Fury say the U.S. war on Iran is unjustified because the theocracy presents no imminent threat. But Tehran was close to acquiring nuclear weapons and already had the ballistic missiles and launchers needed to deliver them. It made no sense to wait until the West faced annihilation to confront the mullahs. Another reason to go on the offensive is Iran’s infiltration of the Western Hemisphere. Malign governments in Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Venezuela have formed diplomatic, military and security partnerships with Tehran. Corruption in places like Argentina enabled bad actors like Hezbollah, sponsored by Iran, to put down roots and carry out devastating attacks. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva has an affinity for the cruel Middle Eastern dictatorship. As the Trump administration’s unfinished work in Caracas demonstrates, getting the cooperation of the regime to go after illicit networks where they have been allowed to flourish isn’t easy. Better to destroy, or at least degrade, central command in Tehran. On Dec. 30, Treasury announced it would impose sanctions on Venezuela-based Empresa Aeronáutica Nacional SA and its chairman, José Jesus Urdaneta González, for the company’s military-hardware partnership with Iran. In a press release, Treasury said EANSA “maintains and oversees the assembly” of Iran’s Qods Aviation Industries’ Mohajer-series unmanned aerial vehicles in Venezuela and “has directly negotiated with QAI, contributing to QAI’s sale of millions of dollars’ worth of Mohajer-6 UAVs to Venezuela. The Mohajer-6, a combat UAV with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, is manufactured by QAI. EANSA was also involved in the assembly of aircraft that QAI sold to Venezuela.” Days later President Trump launched Operation Absolute Resolve over Caracas. The U.S. took control of the skies, neutralized Venezuelan armed forces, and captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The show of force was impressive, but not much has changed. Yes, the new dictator, Delcy Rodríguez, has been hosting U.S. officials and getting good reviews from Mr. Trump. But on most counts her government is indistinguishable from Mr. Maduro’s. Opposition leader María Corina Machado hasn’t been able to return safely to the country. Venezuela initially criticized the U.S. offensive. Later it deleted those remarks and went silent on the matter. But the Iranian presence in Venezuela and around the region hasn’t gone away. A U.S. official told me that the sanctions on EANSA and its chairman remain. But neither the Treasury nor State department answered when I asked if the company had ceased production. Even if it has, as some Venezuelans have told me, it’s unknown where the Iranians who worked there or ran training camps in the state of Aragua are now.

CNN’s State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash [3/8/2026 12:24 PM, Staff, 739K] reports Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has been very critical of Noem’s leadership. Tillis was very aggressive in the questioning of her during her testimony on the Hill this week, questioning her competence in the role. Two days later, the president fired her. Today he gives his reaction on Noem’s departure. "Secretary Noem may have been effective as the -- as governor in South Dakota, but it’s very clear that her experience didn’t scale to something the size and scope of Homeland Security. So I’m glad the president made the decision. I hope Markwayne Mullin gets in there. He’s a friend of mine. I have had a great relationship with him in the Senate. He’s got to fix what’s broken there and build on what’s right. We have lost the debate over immigration and deportations. I believe that we should deport everyone that we can find that came across the borders during the Biden administration. But we have got to be smart, use our limited resources, go after the most dangerous first. And it didn’t look like that happened in Noem or under Noem." Tillis comments.

CBS’ Face The Nation [3/8/2026 11:54 AM, Staff, 5053K] reports 50,000 U.S. troops deployed, six Americans that we know of so far killed in action, civilians stranded. According to CBS polls the was on Iran is an unpopular war among the majority of Americans. More than half of them, 56% disapprove. When Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to energy executives about the scope and duration of American involvement, what does he tell them? How long? "I tell them that for 47 years, Iran has waged war against the United States, and throughout that 47 years, they’ve tried to undermine the energy development and energy infrastructure of all their neighbors, as they’re doing right now, and it’s time to put it to an end. So yes, we have a, we have a temporary period of elevated energy prices, but it will not be long. In the worst case, this is weeks, this is not months, and it leads to a much better place. It leads to an Iran that’s defanged, that can’t threaten its neighbors, can’t threaten American soldiers and can’t continue to drive up energy prices by making a mess of the Middle East. They can move to commerce, not conflict." Wright comments.

NBC’s Meet the Press [3/8/2026 12:43 PM, Staff] reports, the United States is a week into the conflict with Iran. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said he won’t shed a tear for the Supreme Leader who was taken down. Jeffries says the big question is, why did the US get into the war and what are the strategic objectives because they keep shifting. Jeffries goes on to say that the American people don’t want to see billions of dollars spent to bomb Iran and the Middle East while not being able to afford everyday living.

NPR [3/8/2026 7:52 AM, Staff, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports NPR collected dozens of accounts from people who have been caught in the massive surveillance web set up by the Department of Homeland Security.

CBS News [3/8/2026 8:14 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports hundreds of people gathered in Walton County over the weekend to protest a proposed immigration detention center planned for Social Circle, Georgia. Speakers at the rally urged community members and lawmakers to oppose plans to convert a warehouse into a facility that could hold thousands of immigration detainees. Organizers said the event brought together residents, students, veterans, and advocacy groups concerned about the impact the project could have on the small town. "It’s a solemn atmosphere, but there’s also a sense of community," said Gareth Fenley, a co-leader of the advocacy group Indivisible Boldly Blue. "We’ve got hundreds of people out here today rallying against the ICE detention center that’s planned in Social Circle.” Fenley said opponents include people with a wide range of political views, but many agree the facility would be the wrong fit for the area. "Even people who support ICE’s mission as a whole believe that this detention center is in the wrong place," Fenley said. At the rally, speakers pointed to the potential size and cost of the proposed facility. One speaker cited Department of Homeland Security figures estimating the average daily cost of detaining a person at about $187. Based on those figures, a facility holding up to 10,000 detainees could cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually to operate, according to estimates shared at the event. Some residents say the development could dramatically change the character of Social Circle, a small town in eastern metro Atlanta. "That warehouse could be something that builds the town — real jobs, small businesses, something the community actually chose," said Lisa Walrath, a Georgia veteran who spoke at the rally. "But instead someone else is trying to make that choice for you," she added. Walrath said she also spoke about concerns affecting military families and veterans connected to immigration enforcement. Organizers say opposition to the detention center has grown across Walton County, with residents urging state and federal leaders to reconsider the proposal.

ABC News [3/8/2026 8:54 AM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports ABC News’ Christiane Cordero provides the latest analysis of the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by a Homeland Security agent, as new body camera footage is released.

New York Times [3/8/2026 9:23 AM, Orlando Mayorquín and Edgar Sandoval, 148038K] reports last June, two teenage brothers from South Texas and their high school mariachi bandmates traveled to Capitol Hill. They had been invited there by their congresswoman, Monica De La Cruz. She was going to recognize the band on the House floor for winning a state mariachi competition. “Your community is so so proud of your hard work, your talent and your dedication,” Ms. De La Cruz, a Republican, told the students. Nine months later, the brothers, Antonio Yesayahu Gámez-Cuéllar, 18, and Caleb Gámez-Cuéllar, 14, along with their parents and younger brother, are in ICE detention and facing deportation. The family’s detainment has drawn concern and criticism from Texas lawmakers, who have raised questions about the kinds of people the Trump administration is targeting in its mass deportation campaign. “Donald Trump said he was going after criminals,” Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, said in a video posted to social media on Saturday. “He said he was going after people who were dangerous to Americans. Well, how is it that these two young men were good enough to perform at the United States Capitol at the invitation of their congresswoman?” Mr. Castro continued: “They were safe enough to tour the White House. And yet, the Trump administration has them sitting in a prison.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New York Post [3/8/2026 4:36 PM, Jon Fleischman, 40934K] reports Highland Park activists in Los Angeles are installing air-raid style sirens across their neighborhood. Not to warn residents about earthquakes. Not to warn about wildfires. But to warn illegal immigrants that ICE agents are nearby. According to The California Post, activists have placed roughly 20 bright red sirens across the Highland Park neighborhood. When someone spots federal immigration agents, they can activate the devices through a mobile phone app. The sirens can reportedly be heard up to half a mile away. Flyers posted around the neighborhood explain the purpose clearly enough. When the siren goes off, residents are told to get off the streets, go indoors, and lock down. In other words, it is a coordinated warning system designed to help illegal immigrants evade federal immigration enforcement. And the activists involved appear proud of it. They say it helps "keep the community safe.” Let’s be clear about what is actually happening here. People are deliberately interfering with federal officers who are enforcing federal law. That should not be celebrated. It should be investigated. Illegal entry into the United States is a federal offense. And people who remain in the country unlawfully — whether by entering illegally or overstaying a visa — are subject to federal immigration enforcement and removal. The people these sirens are meant to warn are illegal immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

San Diego Union Tribune [3/8/2026 8:02 AM, Kristen Taketa, 1257K] reports Herman Rovelo-Gallegos fled to the U.S. six years ago with his wife and young children from Honduras, where he said gangs killed his brother and tried to kill him, too. In the U.S., Rovelo-Gallegos followed the rules. He filed his asylum application on time. He got work authorization, a Social Security card and a driver’s license. He wore an ankle monitor for more than a year and attended his immigration court hearings and check-ins. He has no criminal record. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him anyway. On Jan. 5, they took him as he was making an Amazon delivery to a customer on Camp Pendleton. He was jailed for more than a month at Otay Mesa Detention Center, where he said he wore the same set of clothes for 20 days in a row and got sick from the food. The detention was unlawful, Rovelo-Gallegos’ attorney later argued in court, alleging that ICE denied him due process — they failed to give him adequate notice of why he was being detained, and they failed to give him an interview in which he could respond to his detention, both of which were required by federal regulations. On Feb. 11, a San Diego federal judge agreed and ordered his immediate release. Rovelo-Gallegos won his freedom by filing for habeas corpus, a court petition that challenges the legality of a person’s detention. He’s one of thousands of noncitizens around the country who have turned to this eight-century-old legal tool to challenge ICE’s campaign of mass arrests. From last January to this February, about 1,400 such immigration-related petitions have been filed in the U.S. Southern District Court of California, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. More than 24,000 petitions have been filed nationwide since President Donald Trump took office, according to Habeas Dockets, a website that tracks such cases. Noncitizens detained by ICE say in the petitions that they were arrested without proper justification and in violation of due process rules, as well as ICE’s own regulations. Federal district judges have overwhelmingly agreed with them. The Union-Tribune reviewed dozens of San Diego federal judges’ opinions on these cases and found that the district court has, the vast majority of the time, either ordered ICE detention centers to immediately release the petitioners or ordered immigration courts to give them a bond hearing. Despite the repeated court orders, neither ICE nor immigration courts, which are overseen by the Trump administration and operate separately from the judicial branch, have appeared to change their practices. In response to questions from the Union-Tribune, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the Trump administration is “applying the law as written.” “No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been treated better than illegal aliens in the United States,” the spokesperson said. “Additionally, it should come as no surprise that more habeas petitions are being filed by illegal aliens — especially after many activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.”

San Diego Union Tribune [3/8/2026 8:00 AM, Alex Riggins, 1257K] reports Federal court records show that in recent months, at least 22 foreign-born individuals living lawfully in the United States have been detained for hours by Marine Corps personnel at Camp Pendleton, and then arrested by immigration officers and held for weeks or longer, for trying to access the military base inadvertently or for work purposes. In each of those cases, the person who was arrested filed a habeas corpus petition, alleging that their detention was unlawful. In the 20 cases that have been decided, federal judges in San Diego have agreed with the detainees and ruled that those individuals were unlawfully held in detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Two recently filed petitions are still pending. San Diego immigration attorneys said there are dozens of such cases, mostly involving ride-share or delivery drivers, or Interstate 5 travelers in need of food or gas who didn’t realize their phones’ navigation apps were leading them onto a military base. Court records showed the 20 individuals who successfully petitioned for release, most of whom are seeking asylum, were arrested despite being in the U.S. lawfully, obtaining proper work authorizations and abiding by the terms of their immigration parole. At least three additional individuals not included in the court records were arrested under similar circumstances last month, according to reports by NBC 7 San Diego and the Military Times. “This is a concerted, coordinated effort between Camp Pendleton and ICE that anybody who shows up on that base without a green card will be detained,” said Brian McGoldrick, a San Diego immigration attorney who has represented at least 10 such clients. “The military bases are becoming traps,” said Bashir Ghazialam, a San Diego immigration attorney who has also filed at least 10 habeas corpus petitions on behalf of ICE arrestees at Camp Pendleton. Marine Corps officials did not answer specific questions about the practice of detaining certain individuals and turning them over to ICE. Instead, they provided a lengthy statement that included a link to a webpage with detailed procedures for accessing the base, including instructions for both foreign nationals and ride-share drivers. “The safety and security of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and the Marines, Sailors, families, civilians, and visitors who live and work here remain a top priority,” Capt. James Sartain, a communications officer from Marine Corps Installations West, said in the statement. “Individuals seeking entry must have approved credentials and a valid reason to access the base.” Last May, Camp Pendleton announced that it was launching “an interagency security initiative” with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was designed, in part, “to deter unauthorized installation access by foreign nationals.” In its announcement of the initiative, base officials acknowledged that “most unauthorized access attempts are inadvertent, often caused by civilian motorists unintentionally navigating to base gates due to GPS misdirection.”

New York Post [3/8/2026 5:29 PM, Zain Khan, 40934K] reports a San Diego influencer was sheltered by a high school principal after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to arrest him. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. during student drop-off Wednesday, when 24-year-old Arturo Gonzalez was being pursued by ICE officers conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the area. According to NBC San Diego, Gonzalez was allowed into King Chavez High School by Principal Desi Sullivan as federal authorities chased him near the campus. Video footage shows Gonzalez walking in front of an ICE agent’s SUV as it moved toward the sidewalk, loudly protesting, "La Migra. Don’t f–king hit me, bitch. I’m in public. I can stand any place I want.” When the vehicle stopped and an agent began to exit, Gonzalez ran approximately a block to the high school. At the school, Principal Sullivan met Gonzalez at the front gate and instructed others nearby, "Can you just back off? I need to keep kids safe.” She then opened the door and told Gonzalez, "Open the door and go inside. Go inside, please.” Gonzalez said he had only met the principal that morning and described himself as fortunate that her intervention likely prevented his detention or potential charges. When asked whether Gonzalez had shown identification or identified himself to the school, Sullivan declined to comment. The event has sparked a strong reaction from social media users. One viewer said online: "This situation raises serious safety concerns. Regardless of anyone’s political views, the safety of students should always come first.” ICE also issued a statement regarding the incident. According to the agency, Gonzalez has a documented criminal history, including arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, a conviction for reckless driving, and a 2023 restraining order stemming from a domestic violence case. "Running from law enforcement into an active school campus created a dangerous situation and unnecessarily put children, staff, and officers at risk," ICE’s San Diego County office wrote on X.

Houston Chronicle [3/8/2026 2:16 PM, Jarrod Wardwell, 2493K] reports TSA wait times soared to 3½ hours at Hobby Airport on Sunday morning as the partial government shutdown and an influx of passengers combined to create massive lines and halt flights. Lines were seen twisting through the airport as travelers waited to reach TSA checkpoints, which have been under pressure during the Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing shutdown. Houston airport officials said they expected more than 2 million passengers over 11 days starting Friday and stretching through March 16 during a spring break travel rush. Houston also has been host to the World Baseball Classic, attracting fans to the city. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop at Hobby "due to airport volume" from 12:11 to 1:30 p.m. Hobby airport officials said and the partial government shutdown that began last month could affect TSA "from one shift to the next." They told travelers to arrive four to five hours before their flights. "We appreciate your patience and understanding as our partners work to maintain the safety of all passengers," a statement by the airport reads. Meanwhile, passengers at Bush Intercontinental Airport were waiting just 5 to 20 minutes to get through security Sunday afternoon.

ABC News [3/8/2026 7:54 PM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency in several counties.

New York Post [3/8/2026 12:00 PM, Isabel Vincent, 40934K] reports the bloodthirsty Iranian regime has assembled multiple "kill teams" to assassinate President Donald Trump over at least the last five years. Mullahs in the recently decimated hardline Islamist regime have issued numerous fatwas against Trump — religious orders inciting Muslims to kill him — and tried to orchestrate his death through US-based hitmen. "They are absolutely killers, like the mafia. They have a list of the people they want dead and they have dispatched many of their spies to arrange to kill them," Yigal Carmon, a retired Israel Defense Forces colonel who is an expert on terrorism told The Post. Two plots, both from 2024, were foiled but give a shocking insight into the lengths the regime was prepared to go to before US armed forces started their assault on Iran Feb. 28 and killed Ayatollah Khamenei and his henchmen. In one, a spy was ordered by the regime to recruit a "kill team" and come up with a plot to assassinate Trump while he was still on the campaign trail. He recruited two US-based hitmen, who were both later caught. The spy, Farhad Shakeri, said he was directed by his Iranian handlers to come up with a plan for the assassination of Trump, on October 7, 2024, according to court papers. Shakeri indicated to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official that it "would cost a ‘huge’ amount of money. In response, IRGC Official said ‘we have already spent a lot of money … so the money’s not an issue,’" according to the documents from the trials of the hitmen. The papers explain Shakeri understood to mean that the IRGC had previously spent a "significant sum" on efforts to murder Trump and "was willing to continue spending a lot of money in its attempt to procure [Trump]’s assassination.” He was also told he had only seven days to carry out the plot. According to his interview with the FBI, he was told if he couldn’t carry it out his IRGC handler said it would stop the plan until after the 2024 election as they had assessed "[Trump] would lose the election and, afterward, it would be easier to assassinate" him. Shakeri spoke to the FBI by phone from Tehran, the Iranian capital, where he was based. Although born in Afghanistan, he had been taken to the US as a child and served 14 years in prison on various crimes before being deported. It is there he made his criminal connections which allowed him to eventually recruit hitmen for the regime.

FOX News [3/8/2026 12:15 PM, Armando Regil Velasco, 37576K] reports Mexican drug cartels are increasingly calculated in their targeting decisions, often avoiding deliberately attacking American tourists and citizens out of concern it could prompt intensified U.S. retaliation, according to experts. Following last month’s killing of Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the powerful leader of the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt joined "Fox & Friends" and had a warning for the drug gangs: "The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American, or they will pay severe consequences under this president.” Analysts say actions by President Donald Trump — including the designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and high-profile operations abroad such as the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei in Iran — have reinforced cartel perceptions of heightened risk. Mexican drug cartels have long operated with a primary objective: protect revenue streams and avoid actions that could trigger an overwhelming government response. Security analysts and former U.S. officials say that calculus often includes avoiding the deliberate targeting of American tourists and citizens inside Mexico. "Of course, drug cartels are afraid of President Trump since he declared them terrorist organizations. That may be one of the reasons why they don’t attack American citizens or tourists," cartel expert and activist Elena Chávez told Fox News Digital. She said the cartels "modernized and are well-informed about what is happening, especially because they know there are bounties on their heads. That’s why they fear the United States, even more so since Trump became president and declared the cartels terrorist organizations. Of course, they monitor all of this and have people who keep the leaders informed about how things are moving. The price on ‘El Mencho’s’ head in the United States was very high.” Adding to the pressure, Trump spoke Saturday at the newly minted Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida — a coalition of 12 Latin American and Caribbean nations — coming together to take on the cartels, among other policies. "We have to knock the hell out of them because they’re getting worse. They’re taking over their country. The cartels are running Mexico. We can’t have that. Too close to us," Trump warned.

FOX News [3/8/2026 10:25 AM, Eric Mack, 37576K] reports at least two are dead after a plane crashed near Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Saturday night. Officials said a private aircraft bound for the Gulf Shores airport crashed at approximately 6:50 p.m. local time Saturday (7:50 p.m. ET), according to local WKRG. The U.S. Coast Guard said emergency response efforts began immediately, with multiple agencies launching a coordinated search by air, land and water, the outlet reported. "A large emergency response effort is underway in the area of Sailboat Bay and Plash Island following a plane crash in Bon Secour Bay," the Gulf Shores Police Department wrote in a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday night. "Marine & Dive Units along with other first responders are on scene," they said. Responding agencies reportedly included the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Daphne Search and Rescue, American Medical Response (AMR), and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with other partner organizations. Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were on board the aircraft. The investigation remains ongoing.

NewsMax [3/8/2026 12:06 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports the United States remains well-positioned militarily against Iran, though emerging threats such as inexpensive attack drones and potential terror plots require close monitoring as the conflict enters a new phase, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said Sunday on Newsmax. "Well, I’m very confident of that," Holt said when asked by Newsmax’s "Wake Up America" about the U.S. military’s capacity in the conflict. "But I will tell you that the resources are not unlimited or infinite," he added. "When you have finite resources and missile interceptors, then you can apply different tactics and strategies to mitigate that risk." Still, Holt said that despite concerns about missile interceptor supplies, the United States still has the resources needed to counter Iranian threats. U.S. forces have been actively weakening Iran’s ability to launch large-scale attacks, Holt said. "We still have interceptors. There’s no emergency crisis," Holt said. "But you see that they have lost the ability to hit barrages like they were before, because the United States Air Force and U.S. Navy team is systematically destroying anything that lights up to try to launch out of Iran," he added.

NewsMax [3/8/2026 3:01 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K] reports Mexican cartels are increasingly avoiding direct attacks on Americans in Mexico as President Donald Trump threatens military action against traffickers and pushes a tougher regional crackdown that U.S. officials say is meant to raise the cost of cartel violence. Cartels have long sought to protect business interests and limit actions that could trigger a major government backlash. Some analysts believe that calculus includes avoiding the deliberate targeting of American tourists and citizens in Mexico, Fox News reported. That broader pressure campaign is being articulated openly by the administration and its allies. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "America is prepared to take on these threats and go on the offense alone if necessary" and added that "business as usual will not stand," underscoring the administration’s push for a more aggressive regional response. Stephen Miller, the White House homeland security adviser, went further, saying cartels "must be treated just as ruthlessly" as ISIS and al-Qaida. Trump sharpened that message Saturday at the Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, where he said the coalition’s "heart" was a "commitment to using lethal military force" against cartels. He later added, "We’ll use missiles," offering the clearest public statement of how far he’s willing to go to stop the lawlessness.

FOX News [3/9/2026 3:09 AM, Landon Mion, 37576K] reports the Pentagon on Sunday announced that U.S. forces have carried out a lethal strike on a vessel allegedly carrying suspected narco-traffickers in the Eastern Pacific, killing six people on board. The U.S. Southern Command said it conducted "a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" at the direction of the new leader of the Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps, who took over in January. "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the Southern Command said in a press release. Six men on the ship were killed but no U.S. forces died in the attack on the vessel, according to the Southern Command. The latest strike brings the death toll in the Trump administration’s attacks on ships carrying people it accuses of drug smuggling to at least 156, according to New York Times. This was the 45th strike since the U.S. began targeting boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific in early September and comes amid a recent increase in the pace of strikes, the newspaper reported. The attack on Sunday was one of the deadliest boat strikes the military has conducted in recent weeks. "Going on offense with Operation Southern Spear has restored deterrence against the narco-terrorist cartels that profited from poisoning Americans," Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said last week. "Last month, we went a few weeks without targeting a single boat. Why? Well, because we couldn’t find a whole lot of boats to sink, and that’s the whole point is to establish deterrence from narco-terrorists who have been able to traffic almost unfettered.” The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed in the strikes since last fall or provide evidence of drugs on board. The administration has been scrutinized in recent months over the strikes, including by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people. "I look at my colleagues who say they’re pro-life, and they value God’s inspiration in life, but they don’t give a s‑‑- about these people in the boats," Paul said in January. "Are they terrible people in the boats? I don’t know. They’re probably poor people in Venezuela and Colombia.” The senator previously cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The AP [3/8/2026 1:38 AM, Staff, 35287K] reports President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” In a meeting with Latin American leaders on Saturday, Trump encouraged them to join the U.S. in taking military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the region’s national security. To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this past week against organized crime groups in the South American country. With Saturday’s gathering, Trump aimed to demonstrate that he remains committed to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere, even while waging a war on Iran that has had repercussions across the Middle East. Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India. The boat strikes also drew intense criticism following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the killings were murder, if not a war crime. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
AP [3/9/2026 1:30 AM, Staff, 35287K]
NBC News [3/8/2026 10:53 PM, Raquel Coronell Uribe, 42967K]

CBS News [3/8/2026 7:59 PM, Will Croxton, 51110K] Video: HERE reports this week, 60 Minutes reported on the Havana Syndrome, the mysterious constellation of injuries – like cognitive difficulties, vision impairment, and issues with balance – that have befallen high-ranking officials in the United States government while they were serving in the U.S. and abroad. For nine years, producers Oriana Zill de Granados and Michael Rey reported with correspondent Scott Pelley on what victims described as an invisible force that suddenly overwhelms their senses, causing headaches, nausea and vomiting in some cases, while they are in their homes, walking to their cars, or asleep in their beds. Some victims believed they were attacked with an energy weapon, and were targeted because of their job within the U.S. government. The New York Post [3/9/2026 1:07 AM, Zoe Hussain, 40934K] reports undercover US agents obtained a mysterious Russian weapon that could finally explain a baffling cluster of brain injuries suffered by American diplomats, spies, and military officers for nearly a decade that’s been deemed "Havana Syndrome," according to a report. The miniaturized microwave device was allegedly secretly purchased from a complex Russian criminal network for about $15 million in a Pentagon-funded operation by undercover Department of Homeland Security agents, confidential sources told CBS News’s "60 Minutes.” The programmable weapon is designed to be concealed and silent, but doesn’t create heat like a traditional microwave oven. It can be controlled remotely and can penetrate several hundred feet through windows and drywall, according to the outlet. The programming of the weapon shapes a unique electromagnetic wave that rises and pulses abruptly, which can target soft brain tissue — possibly tied to sudden attacks of debilitating neurological symptoms reported by hundreds of American personnel stationed overseas and within the US since at least 2016. The cluster of incidents became known as "Havana Syndrome," after early cases surfaced among US diplomats in Cuba. The symptoms include vertigo, hearing loss, migraines, vision problems, and cognitive impairment. The still-classified stealth weapon has been tested at a US military lab for more than a year — with tests on rats and sheep showing injuries similar to those of people with Havana syndrome, three sources told the outlet. Classified security footage described to the outlet has also been collected, showing Americans being hit with the weapon. In one, a camera captured two FBI agents on vacation in a restaurant in Istanbul, sitting at a table with their families. After a man with a backpack walks in, everyone at the table suddenly grabs their head in pain, the outlet reported. In another video from the US Embassy in Vienna, two people suddenly collapse on a stairwell to a secure facility. Dr. David Relman, a Stanford University professor whom the government asked to lead two investigations into the phenomenon, concluded the most likely explanation for some Havana Syndrome cases was "a form of radiofrequency or microwave energy," he recalled. "In both of our investigations, we found the large majority of work to have been conducted in the former Soviet Union," Relman told "60 Minutes," noting that Russia appeared to have been perfecting the concept for decades.

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CBS News [3/8/2026 7:02 PM, Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados and Michael Rey, 51110K] Video: HERE

FOX News [3/8/2026 4:00 PM, Taylor Penley Fox, 37576K] reports the Trump administration has turned Venezuela into a significant U.S. oil supplier, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sunday, arguing the shift will help offset Middle East disruptions and ease pressure from the global shipping crisis. "[Venezuela] was a sanctioned adversary, and now they’re a strategic ally with the largest reserves with no threat of the chokehold like we have in the Strait of Hormuz," Burgum told "The Sunday Briefing.” "Venezuelan oil can flow to America freely and is starting to flow, will continue to flow, and these are the kinds of things that are going to bring gas prices down in America, because President Trump understands that energy security means national security and energy security also means affordability for Americans," he said. Burgum’s comments align with recent moves to expanding Venezuelan crude exports to the United States, with Venezuela’s state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. signing new contracts last week to supply crude oil and refined products to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. The agreements are part of a broader effort to re-establish commercial ties and bring Venezuelan oil back into major U.S. supply chains.

Washington Examiner [3/8/2026 9:34 AM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports an explosion struck the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, early Sunday, causing minor damage but no reported injuries, Norwegian police said as authorities launched an investigation into what officials believe may have been a deliberate act. A spokesman for the country’s police force said during a news conference that the attack on the U.S. Embassy could be related to the "current security situation," signaling investigators have not ruled out a link to the war in Iran. "It’s natural to see this in the context of the current security situation and that this could be an attack deliberately targeting the U.S. Embassy," police spokesman Frode Larsen said. Police said they received multiple reports of a loud blast around 1 a.m. local time near the embassy compound in western Oslo. Officers arrived shortly afterward and confirmed the explosion had occurred near the entrance of the embassy’s consular section. Larsen said investigators believe the explosion may have been caused by a device placed near the entrance, though officials said it remains early in the investigation. Speaking to a local broadcast station, Larsen said terrorism is "one of the hypotheses" but that investigators are "not completely stuck on that."

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New York Post [3/8/2026 9:25 AM, Ronny Reyes, 40934K]

CNN [3/7/2026 10:40 PM, Laura Sharman and Diego Mendoza, 612K] reports Norwegian police said they weren’t ruling out a terrorism link to an explosion at the US Embassy in Oslo early Sunday that caused only minor damage, but the investigation was still in its early stages. The blast comes at a time of heightened security for US embassies and consulates around the world as Israel and the United States conduct a rapidly escalating bombing campaign against Iran. Multiple US diplomatic buildings in Gulf kingdoms that host American troops have been targeted by Iranian retaliatory strikes, including in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It is not known whether the blast in Oslo is linked to events in the Middle East. “We’ve determined that an explosion hit the American Embassy,” Oslo police spokesperson Mikael Dellemyr told public broadcaster NRK, adding that the blast occurred at the entry to the compound’s consular section. Frode Larsen, head of the joint investigation and intelligence unit, said it is “natural to view this in the context of the current security situation, and that it is a targeted attack against the American embassy.” “But we have not locked ourselves into just that one hypothesis,” Larsen said at a press conference in Oslo on Sunday.

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USA Today [3/8/2026 2:19 PM, James Powel, 70643K]

Breitbart [3/8/2026 9:04 AM, Joshua Klein, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump is weighing options that could include deploying special operations forces into Iran to secure or destroy highly enriched uranium stockpiles as part of his pledge that Tehran "will not have a nuclear bomb," according to multiple reports Saturday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested the possibility of a ground operation had not been ruled out, saying U.S. forces could move in at a later stage of the conflict if necessary. "Right now we’re just decimating them, but we haven’t gone after it," Trump said, referring to Iran’s nuclear material. "But something we could do later on. We wouldn’t do it now.” Axios reported Saturday that U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed sending special operations forces into Iran to secure the regime’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium once Tehran’s military capabilities are sufficiently degraded. The outlet reported that Iran possesses roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, material that could potentially be converted to weapons-grade fuel within weeks. According to the report, officials have debated whether the material would be physically removed from Iran or diluted on site by nuclear specialists working alongside special operations units, possibly including scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the challenge earlier this week during a congressional briefing when asked if Iran’s uranium would be secured. "People are going to have to go and get it," Rubio said, without specifying which country’s forces might carry out such a mission. A U.S. official told Axios the operational questions remain complex, including determining the precise location of the uranium and how troops would safely reach and secure it. "The first question is, where is it?" the official said. "The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?". Semafor reported Friday that the possibility of a special operations raid on Iranian nuclear facilities has long been studied by the U.S. military and Israel, including plans developed by U.S. Central Command for potential commando operations targeting sites such as Isfahan. The outlet reported that elite units such as the Army’s Delta Force train for so-called "counter-WMD missions" designed to locate and secure nuclear material or related infrastructure. Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine Corps interrogator and special operations specialist, told Semafor such missions involve seizing "loose nukes" or fissile material directly from hostile territory. "They practice that. They’re proficient at that," Hackett said, describing the type of operation that could theoretically be deployed against Iranian nuclear facilities.

Wall Street Journal [3/8/2026 6:31 AM, Benoit Faucon, 646K] reports speaking on state television late Saturday in a room plunged in near-total darkness, Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national-security official, vowed to hold President Trump responsible for killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump must “pay the price” for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, he said, calling the U.S. president “very backward.” Trump brushed off the defiant tone. “I have no idea what he’s talking about, who he is. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CBS News. Who he is is arguably the most important person in Iran right now. A senior official once known for engaging the West before remaking himself as a regime hard-liner, Larijani has emerged as the central figure in Iran’s aggressive military response to U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, say Iranian, Arab and European officials. He is leading the retaliatory strikes that are pounding targets in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere across the Persian Gulf. He is also in charge of ensuring that a new round of protests doesn’t break out at home, after he led the bloody crackdown on protesters in January that left thousands of Iranians dead. Iran has selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Khamenei, who was killed in airstrikes Feb. 28, as the country’s next supreme leader, state media said. For now, though, it is Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who is driving the country’s aggressive policies, say the Iranian, Arab and European officials. He has gained the upper hand over Iran’s president and other top leaders, they say. He is also expected to continue in his role coordinating the day-to-day war effort and to maintain a high level of influence on military matters even after a new supreme leader is appointed, they said.

New York Times [3/8/2026 8:00 AM, Raja Abdulrahim, 330K] reports the Israeli military struck several Iranian fuel sites, including oil storage depots, this weekend, which appeared to be the first attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began. Iran has significant reserves of oil and natural gas, and its energy industry is a crucial part of its economy, serving as both a critical export and a domestic energy supply. Continued attacks could make the Iranian government and the country as a whole more vulnerable. “There is no doubt that attacks on energy infrastructure would push Iran into a serious crisis,” said Dalga Khatinoglu, an Iranian energy expert with Iran International, a London-based Persian and English-language news outlet. In 2024, Iran generated $78 billion by exporting energy, including oil products and electricity, according to estimates from FGE, an energy consulting firm. China, which is closely aligned with Iran, buys nearly all of Iran’s oil exports. Loss of even part of that revenue would be a blow to Iran’s economy, which was already in a deepening crisis before the war began. Combined with a plunging currency, the economic instability helped set off widespread protests that snowballed into broader challenges to the government and were violently suppressed. Iran’s petroleum ministry said in a statement that multiple oil storage depots in the provinces of Tehran and Alborz had been targeted over the weekend. The Israeli military said it had targeted the facilities because they were being used by Iran’s armed forces and called the attacks a “significant strike” aimed at dismantling the military infrastructure of the government. Israel has long targeted Iran’s energy infrastructure. In 2024, Israel blew up two Iranian gas pipelines, affecting supplies that cover a majority of the country’s energy use. And during last year’s 12-day war, which included U.S. strikes, Israeli strikes damaged oil storage sites, refineries and power stations. Following the war, Iran experienced a summer of daily power and water cuts, forcing schools, universities and government offices to close for extra days each week to reduce energy and water use. The strikes further exacerbated already existing energy shortages, caused in part by dilapidated infrastructure, which the Iranian government blames on Western sanctions. Lack of capital and expertise has also limited development of oil and natural gas fields. Widespread attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure could create issues that could take decades to resolve, Mr. Khatinoglu said. “Even if the regime were eventually overthrown, no future government would be able to maintain stability or meet the country’s basic needs with a devastated energy infrastructure,” he said. “In other words, destroying Iran’s oil and gas facilities would effectively block the path toward a democratic transition, because any future state would struggle simply to keep the country functioning.”

Wall Street Journal [3/8/2026 11:52 AM, Cristina Roca, 646K] reports after last year’s 12-day war with the U.S. and Israel, Iranian leaders decided they needed a change in strategy. To salvage the regime in the event of the supreme leader’s potential assassination, they activated a high-risk and aggressive plan that is now playing out across the Middle East. Iran had for two years responded to foreign attacks with limited counterpunches directed at its attacker. Instead, under the new strategy, Tehran would escalate conflict across the region and let the military keep battling even if its top commanders fell. Explosions and fires from U.S. and Israeli strikes rocked Tehran this weekend, while a drone attack on a desalination plant in Bahrain brought the war to the Persian Gulf’s most strategic resource: drinking water. The U.S. military is focused on Iran, but its biggest challenge is China. Washington has struggled to pick its battles, and Trump’s war against Iran is the latest campaign that has drained missile stockpiles and stretched American forces thin. If Beijing ordered an invasion of Taiwan and America decided to fight, U.S. troops would need mountains of munitions, experts say.

ABC News [3/8/2026 8:09 PM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports the U.S. service member was injured during an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia on March 1.

The Hill [3/8/2026 7:53 AM, Sophia Vento, 18170K] reports President Trump on Saturday evening dismissed one of Tehran’s few surviving leaders’ threats against the U.S as its military campaign in Iran enters its second week. “I have no idea what he’s talking about, who he is. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CBS News, when asked about Ali Larijani, who has vowed to retaliate against the U.S., making threats against U.S. military bases and Trump himself on social media in recent days. Larijiani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, has emerged as one of the country’s key figures after U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Ayotollah Ali Khamanei last week. “We won’t let #Trump off the hook; he must pay the price—he’s martyred our leader and our people. This isn’t a simple matter; we won’t let it go until we retaliate in kind,” Larijiani wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday. Trump, in his interview with CBS News, pushed back on Larijiani and other Iranian officals threats on social media. He also claimed Larijiani has “already been defeated.” Since the start of U.S. and Israeli joint strikes in the region, the president has said that he must be involved in the selection of Tehran’s new leader. After Khamenei’s death, a three-person leadership council was formed to head the country until the Assembly of Experts selects the next supreme leader. The interim panel includes Larijani, as well as Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Mojtaba Khamenei has emerged as the frontrunner to replace his late father to lead the country next. Earlier Saturday, Pezeshkian reportedly rejected Trump’s demand for “unconditional” surrender in a video message, where he also indicated that the interim council had agreed to halt attacks against other Middle Eastern countries — unless strikes originated from within their borders. Trump, in turn, vowed to press on with the military campaign, doubling down on his policy and strategy in the region.

New York Post [3/8/2026 12:22 PM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports President Trump blamed Iran for the deadly strike on a girls’ elementary school in the country following reports saying the US was responsible. "We think it was done by Iran because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions," Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One en route to the Shield of Americas summit in Florida Saturday. "They have no accuracy, whatsoever. It was done by Iran.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who stood beside Trump on the flight, added, "We’re still investigating. "But the only side that targets civilians is Iran.” During the first day of the joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, Shajarah Tayyebeh Girls’ School in southern Iran was struck, with Iranian officials claiming the death toll was over 180 people. Unverified claims from Iranian state media say that 168 children and 14 teachers were killed in the strike. The school was attached to a military compound tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and previously served as an IRGC headquarters facility, the Wall Street Journal reported. Satellite imagery from 2013 showed the school and the IRGC facility were once part of the same base, CNN reported. Imagery from last December indicates it had a school’s courtyard and showed people paying there. Multiple reports, including from the Wall Street Journal, said based on satellite imagery and other evidence, the US is likely responsible for that attack. Imagery and data out of Iran are limited due to the theocratic regime’s internet blackout, which makes it difficult for independent groups to assess the strike. Thus far, neither side has taken responsibility for what appears to be the deadliest strikes that hit civilians since the war with Iran broke out. The school is located in Minab, which is not far from the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint, where about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows through annually. Iran has blamed both the US and Israel for the deadly strikes. Israeli officials were not aware of the country carrying out strikes in the area, the Wall Street Journal reported. Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Department of War was investigating. "I would just tell you strongly, the United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime, that … uses propaganda quite effectively," Leavitt said. "And unfortunately, many people in this room have fallen for that propaganda." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/8/2026 10:45 PM, Margaret Brennan, Olivia Gazis, Camilla Schick, 51110K] reports the U.S. may be responsible for the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran that killed 168 people, many of them children, on Feb. 28, sources told CBS News. The preliminary U.S. assessment suggests that the United States is "likely" responsible for the deadly attack but did not intentionally target the school and may have hit it in error, possibly due to the use of dated intelligence which wrongly identified the area as still part of an Iranian military installation, a person briefed on the preliminary intelligence told CBS News. Israel’s military was also not operating in the area, two sources told CBS News. An additional source familiar with the ongoing inquiry told CBS News that investigators believe the U.S. military may have been responsible because it was operating in the area while Israel’s military was not, though no final conclusions have been reached. And an Israeli government source told CBS News that Israel was not behind the attack and its military was not operating near the school. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that the "investigation is ongoing", and "There are no conclusions at this time, and it is both irresponsible and false for anyone to claim otherwise.” CBS News has confirmed the school building was located in close proximity to two sites controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Minab, a city in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan. Footage filmed from a parking lot showed black smoke billowing from a damaged building adorned with murals featuring drawings of crayons, children and an apple. The CBS News Confirmed team geolocated the video to a building in Minab. Iranian media identified the building as the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school. Iranian state media said at least 168 people, including schoolgirls ages 7 to 12, were killed in the strike which occurred last Saturday, on the first day of the war. Saturdays are regular school days in Iran. A list published in Iranian state media from authorities in Iran’s Minab county claimed to show the names of 57 of those killed. Human Rights Watch has said at least 48 of those names appear to be children, according to their birthdates on the list, along with their school principal and teachers. Without providing evidence, President Trump said Saturday that the U.S. believes the bombing "was done by Iran" and cited information that he had seen. "We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran," Mr. Trump said aboard Air Force One after attending the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers who were killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command have both said an investigation was ongoing and did not echo the president’s assertions. Questioned about the incident in a CBS News "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, Hegseth said "unlike our adversaries, the Iranians, we never target civilians", and "it’s being investigated, which is the only answer I’m prepared to give.”

NBC News [3/8/2026 10:24 AM, Alexandra Marquez, 42967K] reports House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday would not commit to blocking any additional funding for the war in Iran, saying the president has so far failed to justify the war but "we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” The New York Democrat was asked on NBC News’ "Meet the Press" whether House Democrats would move to block a funding request if the White House were to ask for more money for the military. Jeffries said the administration has so far "failed to make its case ... for this war of choice in the Middle East," and unless President Donald Trump provides a "compelling rationale," he’s "going to have a difficult case to make on Capitol Hill.” Congress last year approved a $900 billion defense spending bill as part of routine annual budget appropriations, and the president signed the bill into law in December. But since the U.S. began its military operation in Iran, lawmakers have been considering the need to pass additional defense spending to bolster the U.S. military. On Tuesday, following a classified briefing for senators about the war, several lawmakers including Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters that they expect the Trump administration will ask for supplemental funding for the war effort. Coons added that he would support additional funding for troops, but, like Jeffries, he demanded more information from the administration about the war. "I expect that the Pentagon will come forward with a supplemental request for funding, and I will continue to support our troops and to make sure we are making all the investments we can to keep them and their families safe," Coons said. "But we need an open hearing, so that you and the American people can get questions answered about the failures in planning that led to some of the challenges, the losses and mistakes in this war so far.”

FOX News [3/8/2026 1:27 PM, Staff, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., discusses Russia’s support for Iran in targeting American forces. He addresses the investigation into a deadly strike on an Iranian girls’ school and comments on Kristi Noem’s rumored Senate run.

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