Friday March 6th, 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
Treasury Eyes Swift Action as Iran Conflict Pushes Oil Higher
Rising oil prices tied to the escalating conflict with Iran have
prompted the Treasury Department to prepare measures aimed at easing
pressure on U.S. energy costs, Reuters reported Thursday.
Reuters reported Treasury officials were expected to announce steps as
early as Thursday designed to counter the surge in energy prices
following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
The price increases come as the Middle East conflict approaches the
one-week mark after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes triggered
retaliatory actions from Iran.
Trump Demands 'Unconditional Surrender' from Iran
President Donald Trump said Friday morning that the United States will
not reach an agreement with Iran unless Tehran accepts what he called
“UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” while also signaling that a future Iranian
government could see economic recovery with the help of the United
States and its allies.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
Trump also indicated that after Iran accepts such terms and selects
what he described as a suitable leadership, the United States and
allied nations would assist the country in rebuilding its economy.
Dramatic video shows 50 fighter jets destroy slain Ayatollah Khamenei’s secret underground bunker
Dramatic video shows 50 fighter jets destroying slain Iran Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s secret underground bunker in Tehran
early Friday — just days after he was killed without being able to
crawl into his hideout.
Roughly 100 bombs were dropped in a wave of devastating blasts at the
compound where the unsuspecting supreme leader and dozens of his top
henchmen were wiped out last Saturday.
The underground bunker, which is said to have spanned multiple streets,
was still being utilized by senior Iranian officials in the wake of
Khamenei’s assassination, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Aerial footage released by the Israeli military shows the moment the
bunker — described as “one of the Iranian leadership’s most important
military command centers” — was obliterated in the strike
53 Dems vote against declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley among 53 Democrats opposing nonbinding House measure
House defeats resolution to limit Trump's war powers on Iran 219–212
Dozens of
Democrats have voted against a nonbinding resolution in the House that
reaffirms Iran as the "largest state sponsor of terrorism."
The resolution,
put forward by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., passed by a 372-53 vote on
Thursday, with all those voting no being Democrats. Two Democrats also
voted present.
Among those who
voted against the measure were all the members of the "Squad," such as
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep.
Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
Noem’s answer on ‘sexual relations’ with Lewandowski was ‘final straw’ for Trump, sources say
The “final straw” prompting President Trump to fire Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem was her stunning non-answer at a House hearing
Wednesday about whether she had “sexual relations” with top aide Corey
Lewandowski, sources inside and close to the White House told The Post.
Trump had been nearing a boiling point in his frustration with Noem and
already was considering ousting her after she claimed to senators
Tuesday that he approved $220 million in ads starring the secretary
herself — but her inability to answer the question sealed her fate.
“The question about the affair at the hearing was actually the final
straw. It was f—ing brutal,” one source said of Noem’s reply, which was
widely seen as an admission that she was sleeping with her subordinate.
Her husband of 34 years, Bryon Noem, had joined her at the hearing.
Lewandowski was not in attendance.
The soon-to-be-axed DHS head refused to answer directly when asked if
she was having sexual relations with Lewandowski, calling the question
“garbage.”
House GOP Leaders Back Mullin as Trump's Pick to Lead DHS
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise,
R-La., said Thursday they are confident Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.,
can lead the Department of Homeland Security.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social earlier Thursday that
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was reassigned to oversee a new Western
Hemisphere security initiative. He said Mullin was his nominee to
replace her at the helm of DHS.
"Sen. Markwayne Mullin is going to do an extraordinary job in that
position," Johnson told Newsmax congressional correspondent Kilmeny
Duchardt on Capitol Hill. "He's well suited for it.
Scalise told Duchardt that he served with Mullin in the House and has
worked with him in the Senate since Mullin won a 2022 special election
to replace retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe. Mullin is up for reelection this
year.
CNN reporter arrested live on air as broadcast dramatically cuts off in Israel
CNN correspondent Emrah Cakmak and cameraman Halil Kahraman were
detained by Israeli security personnel whilst reporting outside
Israel's Ministry of Defense. The CNN Turk crew was broadcasting live
from Tel Aviv, documenting the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack
on the city.
In widely circulated footage from the broadcast, Cakmak narrates the
immediate consequences of the strike, displaying a phone image of
residents heading toward shelters and subsequently exiting once the
threat subsided.
He was wearing a CNN vest and carrying a branded microphone, clearly
identifying himself as working for the international news network.
However, their report was interrupted by two individuals in military
attire. Whilst their faces aren't visible in the footage, they placed
their hand over the camera, and the feed abruptly cut out. It was
subsequently reported that both journalists were brought in for
interrogation and their equipment was seized. It comes as a haunting
new map reveals the 4 safest US states to live in during a nuclear war.
The incident involving Cakmak occurred shortly after Iran conducted a
missile strike targeting Tel Aviv, heightening regional tensions. As
events developed, the CNN TURK crew went live from the vicinity of the
Defence Ministry to cover unfolding developments, Turkiye Today
reported.
California voter ID initiative clears signature threshold, setting up November showdown with Newsom
'Polling overwhelmingly shows a supermajority consensus for voter ID requirements,' said a petition organizer
A petition to
require voter ID and allow only U.S. citizens to vote has gained
momentum in California and surpassed the required 875,000-signature
threshold to qualify for the November ballot, the group leading the
effort said.
According to
Reform California, a nonpartisan political activism group, organizers
submitted the "California Voter ID Initiative" petition to county
authorities with 1.3 million signatures. The group says the petition
has garnered bipartisan support, with signatures from Californians
representing all walks of life and political persuasions across all 58
of the state’s counties.
Reform
California believes the measure has a solid path to passage in
November, citing polls showing 71% of Californians favor the
initiative. If passed, the measure would bypass the Democratic
legislative supermajority and amend the state constitution to require
voter ID when casting a ballot, require election officials to verify
the citizenship of registered voters and require the state to maintain
accurate voter rolls.
US and Venezuela Agree to Reestablish Diplomatic Relations in Major Shift after Maduro's Ouster
The United States and Venezuela agreed to reestablish diplomatic
relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship,
the State Department said on Thursday.
The move comes after rounds of Trump administration officials have
visited the South American nation following a U.S. military operation
that deposed former President Nicolás Maduro in January. Since then,
the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Maduro
loyalists now in power to accept its vision for the oil rich nation.
Relations between the two countries were cut off following another
geopolitical debacle in 2019, during the first Trump administration.
The U.S. Embassy was closed in Caracas and diplomatic staff moved to
neighboring Colombia.
‘Self-serving glory hound’ Kristi Noem got the heave-ho she deserved
By Rich Lowry
At times, you could be forgiven for having thought that Kristi Noem
wanted to be a uniformed Department of Homeland Security officer rather
than the secretary of the department.
Now, the cabinet member most inclined to glamour shots out in the field
is going to have to go back to wearing civilian clothes.
For all his trademark firings during “The Apprentice” and the rapid
turnover of his first term, President Trump has been loath to oust top
officials this time around.
Noem is the exception, and she’s earned the dubious distinction.
Incompetent and preposterously self-promoting, Noem took a serious role
and made it like something out of the HBO political spoof “Veep.”
Unlike past presidents, Trump delivered on his promise to eliminate our enemies
By Douglas Murray
Perhaps we forgot what it’s like when politicians act on their promises.
Perhaps our enemies forgot as well.
For decades, American presidents — Democratic and Republican — have
said the theocratic dictatorship in Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.
For decades, those same administrations were strung along by the ayatollahs.
American negotiators — like their European counterparts — sat through years of negotiations.
Well, not this time.
