- Tuesday March 24th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Trump’s Iran strategy showcases ‘doctrine of unpredictability’ amid strike threats and sudden pause
Iran denied any negotiations were underway as the US continued expanding its military footprint in the region
President Donald Trump paused planned U.S. strikes on Iran just hours
before a self-imposed deadline, citing diplomatic progress that Tehran
immediately denied, even as U.S. forces continued moving into position,
a split signal that leaves the next move uncertain.
The move creates a narrow five-day window in which the administration
is signaling diplomacy while preserving the ability to strike, raising
the stakes for whether talks materialize — or whether the delay simply
sets up near-term escalation.
The abrupt shift follows a weekend ultimatum in which Trump warned the
U.S. would begin targeting Iran’s power infrastructure if the Strait of
Hormuz was not reopened, a threat that rattled global oil markets and
heightened fears of imminent conflict.
Iran has placed deadly sea mines in Strait of Hormuz: report
Iran still has at least a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which
are imperiling oil tanker traffic through the critical passage.
The underwater explosives were identified as Iranian-manufactured Maham 3 and Maham 7 Limpet mines, US officials told CBS News.
The explosives threaten any unauthorized ship that dares cross the
Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s permission, effectively shutting down a
key trade route that oversees the transport of 20% of the world’s oil
supplies.
Trump, Senate GOP See Breakthrough on DHS Shutdown Deal
A meeting late Monday between President Donald Trump and key Senate
Republicans has created optimism a deal may have been found to end the
Democrats' partial government shutdown.
After more than five weeks of disruption, Republican lawmakers emerged
from the White House signaling renewed momentum toward reopening the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to reports from
Punchbowl News and The Hill.
The shutdown — now stretching past a month — has been driven largely by
Democrat opposition to fully funding Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE).
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who attended the meeting, said negotiators
were working urgently to "land this plane," reflecting a growing sense
among Republicans that a breakthrough is within reach.
Iran Names Hardline Ex-IRGC Commander to Replace Slain Security Chief
Iran named a former Revolutionary Guards commander and senior figure in
the hardline political faction on Tuesday to replace the powerful head
of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, killed in
U.S.-Israeli strikes last week.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr was appointed as Larijani's successor as
secretary of the SNSC, the Iranian president's deputy of communications
posted on X on Tuesday.
The SNSC, formally chaired by the elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian,
coordinates security and foreign policy, and includes top military,
intelligence and government officials in addition to representatives of
the supreme leader who has ultimate say over all matters of state.
Minnesota millionaire who qualified for food stamps warns of 'fraud by design' loophole ahead of hearing
Rob Undersander: 'I have purchased lobster and filet mignon on my EBT card'
Ahead of a
Tuesday hearing where Minnesota lawmakers will discuss food stamp
fraud, Fox News Digital spoke to a millionaire who says he was able to
qualify for food stamps through a loophole — one that he hopes will
soon be closed as the state grapples with a massive fraud scandal.
Rob
Undersander, a retired engineer who volunteers to help seniors navigate
the government benefits system, said he learned during training that
eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in
Minnesota was based on income only, not assets. Because his retirement
income was low, he realized he could qualify even though he had
significant savings and property.
To test the
system, Undersander applied for benefits in Stearns County in 2016 and
was approved within weeks. He later said he collected thousands of
dollars in SNAP benefits over more than a year, which he donated to
charity, in an effort to draw attention to the issue.
Alleged Iranian spies are already in the US — and infiltrating Silicon Valley
Alleged Iranian spies with ties to regime bigwigs have been charged with infiltrating Silicon Valley.
Last month, a federal grand jury indicted three Iranian software
engineers for allegedly stealing trade secrets from tech companies,
including Google.
Two of the suspects are sisters, Samaneh Ghandali, 41, and Sorvoor
Ghandali, 32. They were charged alongside Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40,
who is Samaneh’s husband, with allegedly using their employment at
unidentified technology companies to “obtain access to confidential and
sensitive information,” according to the Department of Justice.
The tech workers then allegedly “exfiltrated confidential and sensitive
documents, including trade secrets related to processor security and
cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology
companies.”
Conservative FISA revolt poses fresh test for Speaker Johnson
House GOP leadership is pushing clean
18-month extension of warrantless surveillance powers, but privacy
hawks say existing guardrails are not enough
A brewing fight over privacy rights and national security will come to
a head in the House of Representatives in the coming weeks, shaping up
to be the latest test for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his
razor-thin GOP majority.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set
to expire on April 20 pending congressional reauthorization. A planned
vote on a "clean" extension of the measure this week, however, has been
delayed amid a growing rebellion.
A vast swath of lawmakers, along with the intelligence community, have
argued the provision is critical to preventing another Sept. 11-style
terror attack. But privacy hawks in Congress — a mix of conservatives
and progressives — say it gives the federal government too much power
to spy on private U.S. citizens.
Democrats hammer ICE for arresting 2 at San Francisco airport
DHS said the family had a final removal order since 2019 and resisted officers
California Democrats blasted federal immigration authorities after a
viral video showed officers arresting two people, including a crying
woman, at San Francisco International Airport.
The video shows the woman — who the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) said is an illegal alien — wailing and dropping to the ground as
she is being arrested by two plainclothes agents on Sunday while her
daughter cries in the background.
California Democrats argued the video showed excessive force and would
instill fear in immigrant communities, while calling for answers from
federal authorities.
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said the woman seen in the video was a "Sacramento mother" and said she was demanding answers.
Senate Confirms Mullin to Lead DHS as TSA Standoff Deepens
The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary
late Monday, approving President Donald Trump's nominee to take over
the embattled department after the firing of Kristi Noem during a
public backlash over the administration's immigration enforcement and
mass deportation operations.
Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma known for his close
friendship with Trump, has presented himself as a steady hand, saying
his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page
of the news.
He takes over at a difficult time, as Trump has ordered Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents to bolster airport security during a budget
standoff in Congress.
Russian Strikes in Ukraine Kill 5, Cut Moldovan Power Line
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least five people, damaged homes
and hit energy supplies including a power link between Moldova and
Europe overnight and early on Tuesday, officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said damage had been reported in 11
regions after heavy missile and drone attacks and issued a new appeal
for allies to supply Kyiv with air defense munitions.
He has repeatedly warned that Kyiv, whose main supplier of air defense
systems against ballistic missiles is the United States, will face a
deficit of missiles while Washington is focused on the U.S.-Israeli war
in Iran.
Homan fires back at Booker after senator voices 'outrage' over ICE airport deployments
Homan accused Booker of 'lying' and 'misleading the American people' over ICE's presence in schools, churches and hospitals
Border czar Tom
Homan fired back at Sen. Cory Booker on Monday after the New Jersey
Democrat blasted the Trump administration’s decision to deploy ICE
agents to U.S. airports and called the move an "outrage."
"[Trump is]
taking the very same agency that has been bursting into our schools,
into our churches, into our hospitals, into our courts, and even into
the homes of Americans," Booker said at Newark Liberty International
Airport.
"He's taking
that agency that is reckless and out of control and bringing them to
our airports under the lie that somehow this is going to help deal with
the long lines that he created in the first place," he added.
"I want him to
give me one example, just one, when ICE went into a church to arrest
somebody, or we went into a hospital to arrest somebody, or we went to
an elementary school to arrest somebody. Just give me just one example.
You know why he can't? Because there isn't any."
How Trump’s ingenious TSA fix calls the Democrats’ bluff
By Daniel McCarthy
Democrats who want to defund ICE aren’t getting away with the political hostage-taking they’re using to do it.
They’re trying to hold the Transportation Security Administration’s
funding hostage until their demands for weakening Immigration and
Customs Enforcement are met.
That means they’re also subjecting millions of air travelers to added
anxiety, and worse, as security-line wait times stretch into hours.
Democrats didn’t foresee that Trump would repair their sabotage of
America’s transportation security by using the very agency Jeffries
& Co. are trying to destroy.
Miranda Devine: We’re still learning the full rot of the Russiagate scandal
By Miranda Devine
Robert Mueller is dead, but his toxic legacy lives on in the destroyed
lives of the innocent victims targeted by the Russia collusion probe
that bears his name.
To understand why President Trump had no kind words for the former FBI
director when he died over the weekend at age 81, you have to
understand the human toll on the president and dozens of his friends
and allies.
Who knows whether Mueller, who had Parkinson’s, was in command of all
his faculties when he was appointed special counsel at age 72? But the
deep state evildoers on his team knew exactly what they were doing when
they used his formerly prestigious reputation to pervert the course of
justice for their “Get Trump” frolic.
