đ¨ Pentagon Deploys USS Tripoli and Marines to Middle East Amid Iran Conflict
The Pentagon has ordered the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, along with elements of an amphibious ready group and the attached Marine Expeditionary Unit featuring roughly 2,500 Marines, to redeploy from Japan toward the Middle East. This move bolsters U.S. forces in the ongoing conflict with Iran, particularly to counter Tehranâs disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, where attacks have snarled oil shipping and driven up global prices. The deployment, approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Central Command request, adds warships, potential F-35 support, and amphibious capabilities for operations like mine clearance or securing key routes. It arrives as the war enters its third week under Operation Epic Fury, following earlier naval repositionings and President Trumpâs sharp warnings against Iranian leadership, though the Pentagon offers no official comment, citing operational security.
Sources: The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal
đ Trump Signs Executive Orders to Tackle Housing Costs with Deregulation Push
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on March 13, 2026, aimed at improving housing affordability amid ongoing voter frustration with high home prices and mortgage rates. One order focuses on slashing federal regulatory barriers that slow new home construction, directing agencies to review and revise rules on permitting, environmental requirements like stormwater and wetlands, and other mandates while offering incentives for state and local governments to speed up approvals and adopt innovative building methods. The second order targets mortgage lending by easing rules that have increased costs, limited access for creditworthy borrowers, and reduced community bank involvement, calling for reforms to capital, liquidity, appraisal standards, and supervisory guidance to boost competition and lower borrowing expenses. These steps build on earlier actions, such as restricting institutional investors from buying single-family homes and encouraging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bond purchases to ease rates, as the administration addresses a persistent supply shortage stemming from post-2008 slowdowns and local zoning hurdles.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Examiner
đš Murkowski Rejects SAVE America Act Over Rural Voter Concerns
Alaskaâs Sen. Lisa Murkowski has stated she will not support the SAVE America Act in its current form, arguing that its requirements for proof of citizenship in voter registration would prove difficult to implement in rural states like Alaska and could disenfranchise a large number of voters. She emphasized support for citizenship verification and voter ID principles but insisted any measures must be practical and avoid harming legitimate voters, following a direct question from a reporter about her position on the bill, which aims to tighten election rules and has backing from Trump-aligned figures.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, NBC News
đ¨ Fugitive Security Guard for Rep. Jasmine Crockett Killed in Dallas SWAT Standoff
A man publicly known as Mike King, who worked on U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockettâs security detail in Washington and Texasâincluding during her recent Senate primary campaignâdied after a standoff with Dallas police SWAT officers on March 11, 2026. King, a fugitive wanted for impersonating a law enforcement officer while running a business placing officers in off-duty jobs, barricaded himself in a vehicle in the parking garage of Childrenâs Medical Center Dallas around 11:40 p.m. Officers used tear gas to force him out, after which he pointed a gun at them and was fatally shot. He used aliases and had a criminal background that somehow escaped scrutiny for his role near the congresswoman, with payments for his services documented as recently as last year.
Sources: The New York Times, CBS News
𤥠Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Proposes Handing Medicaid Control to Fraud-Plagued DHS
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has proposed centralizing Medicaid administration under the Department of Human Services (DHS) by eliminating managed care organizations and shifting from county oversight to a state-run fee-for-service model, at a cost of $72 million, claiming it will enhance transparency with AI and modern practices to combat fraud. This comes amid massive scandals where criminal networks, often linked to the Somali community, bilked billions from Medicaid and other DHS-overseen programs through fake claims for services never provided, such as housing stabilization and autism therapies. DHS itself bears significant responsibility for the mess, having ignored repeated warnings from managed care entities about suspicious billing, failed to implement adequate controls despite years of red flags from whistleblowers and auditors, and allowed fraud to proliferate unchecked under its watch before federal prosecutors stepped in with charges against dozens. Skeptics, including Republican lawmakers, argue that rewarding the very agency that let the Somali-linked fraud schemes run rampant with even more power makes little sense and could worsen accountability issues rather than fix them.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, FOX9 News Minneapolis
đš California Officials Probe Alleged Ballot Petition Fraud in San Francisco
California election authorities have launched an investigation into claims of improper signature gathering for ballot measures in San Francisco, sparked by a viral video showing petition collectors allegedly offering cash paymentsâaround $5âfor people to sign using false names and addresses. The activity appears tied to efforts collecting signatures for initiatives backed by a group called Building a Better California, including measures opposing taxes on billionaires and retirement savings, with the campaigns quickly distancing themselves by reporting the issue, rejecting suspect petitions, and cooperating with officials who confirmed awareness and active review of the matter under state laws prohibiting paid or forged signatures on petitions.
Sources: The Daily Sentinel, The Houston Chronicle
â ď¸ DC NeverTrumper Confesses to Epstein Outreach in Anti-Trump Quest
A prominent Washington insider and vocal Trump opponent, Juleanna Glover, has acknowledged maintaining contact with Jeffrey Epstein over more than a year through meetings, phone calls, and numerous emails, all while seeking potential information or leverage to undermine Donald Trumpâs political position. Introduced to Epstein by author Michael Wolff in 2017 amid discussions of Epsteinâs public comments on Trump, Glover described her efforts as a calculated risk to uncover details that could harm Trump, including floating ideas for centrist third-party presidential runs in 2020 to derail his reelection. She insisted the interactions aimed solely at political damage to Trump rather than aiding Epstein or rehabilitating his reputation, though the correspondence also touched on business matters involving clients like Elon Musk and treated Epstein as a conventional wealthy contact despite his prior sex offender conviction. No concrete evidence emerged from the exchanges showing Epstein supplied useful anti-Trump material.
Sources: National Today, The Gateway Pundit
âď¸ Court Revives Free Speech Claim After School Punished 1st Grader for âAny Lifeâ Add to BLM Drawing
A California first grader drew a picture of friends holding hands after a class lesson on Martin Luther King Jr. that mentioned Black Lives Matter, misspelling it as âBlack Lives Materâ and adding âany lifeâ to express that everyoneâs life matters; she gave it to a Black classmate who accepted it positively, but the classmateâs mother complained to the principal about messages tied to skin color, prompting Principal Jesus Becerra to confront the girl, allegedly call the drawing inappropriate and racist, force an apology, ban her from giving drawings to classmates, and exclude her from recess for two weeks without notifying parents, though the principal denies using those terms or imposing such punishment; the family sued the school district for First Amendment violations, a lower court dismissed the case by ruling young students lack such protections and the speech could interfere with the recipientâs right to be left alone, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reversed that decision on March 10, 2026, affirming that elementary students do have First Amendment rights, age factors into the analysis but does not eliminate protections, and schools must meet a high bar under Tinker v. Des Moines to justify punishing student speech by showing it was necessary to prevent substantial disruption or protect safety and well-being, remanding the case for further review.
Sources: ZeroHedge, Just The News
â ď¸ Norfolkâs Soros-Backed Prosecutor Points Finger at GOP âGun Absolutismâ After Old Dominion Terror Shooting
Norfolk Commonwealthâs Attorney Ramin Fatehi, often tagged as Soros-backed, held a press conference shortly after a deadly March 12, 2026, shooting at Old Dominion University where he called gun violence a national sickness and blamed pro-gun Republican lawmakers, the Supreme Court, and what he termed the cult of gun absolutism for enabling such attacks rather than focusing on the shooterâs background as a former ISIS supporter who shouted Allahu Akbar during the incident. The attack in an ROTC classroom left one person dead (identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, head of the program) and two others injured before students subdued and killed the gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen with a prior terrorism conviction who had been released from prison in late 2024. Fatehi insisted the tragedy stemmed from a lack of political will for sensible gun controls and urged blame on those blocking reforms instead of local factors, drawing sharp criticism for sidestepping the Islamist terrorism angle confirmed by the FBIâs investigation.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, FOX News
âď¸ Nine Antifa Members Convicted in Texas ICE Facility Shooting Case
A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas, convicted nine individuals tied to a self-described North Texas Antifa cell on terrorism-related charges, including providing material support to terrorists, stemming from a violent July 4, 2025, incident at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado. The group allegedly orchestrated an ambush involving gunfire, explosives, fireworks as distractions, vandalism, and shots fired at officers, which wounded an Alvarado police officer in the neck; the lead shooter, Benjamin Song, faced additional conviction for attempted murder of the officer and related firearm discharges targeting correctional staff, while the others were found guilty on counts like rioting with intent to commit violence. This marks the first federal case applying material support to terrorism charges against alleged Antifa operatives, following the Trump administrationâs designation of the decentralized far-left movement as a domestic terrorist organization, though some defendants maintained it was merely a protest that escalated.
Sources: The Epoch Times, US Justice Dept
đ˘ Multiple Nations Agree to Join US Naval Patrols in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that several countries have committed to deploying warships to patrol the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the United States, aiming to keep this critical shipping lane secure and open following recent military actions against Iran. He stated the U.S. has neutralized Iranâs military capabilities entirely, though he noted residual low-level threats from drones, mines, or short-range missiles could linger despite the regimeâs severe setbacks. Trump highlighted participation from energy-dependent nations, including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, framing their involvement as a shared effort to safeguard global oil transit routes and eliminate any remaining Iranian interference in the waterway.
Sources: The Epoch Times, The Hill
đĽUS Forces Obliterate Military Targets on Iranâs Kharg Island in Major Raid
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. Central Command carried out a large-scale bombing raid on Iranâs Kharg Island, striking and destroying every military target thereâincluding hardened ballistic missile facilities and other installationsâwhile deliberately sparing the islandâs vital oil infrastructure, which handles about 90% of Iranâs crude exports. Trump described the operation, using B-2 stealth bombers, as one of the most powerful in Middle East history and warned that oil facilities could face destruction if Iran interferes with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes occurred amid an ongoing conflict now in its third week, with the U.S. emphasizing precision against military assets only and Iran confirming hits on military sites but reporting normal oil operations.
Sources: Reuters, The New York Post
đĽ UAEâs Fujairah Port Hit by Drone Debris Fire Amid Iran Retaliation Threats
A fire broke out at the UAEâs key Fujairah oil hub on March 14, 2026, after debris from an intercepted droneâattributed to Iranâfell and ignited near energy facilities, prompting authorities to suspend some oil-loading operations while civil defense teams contained the blaze with no injuries reported. The incident followed U.S. strikes on military targets at Iranâs Kharg Island oil export terminal, after which Iranâs Revolutionary Guards declared U.S.-linked sites in the UAE, including ports, legitimate targets and urged evacuations near Jebel Ali, Khalifa, and Fujairah ports in a clear vow of further escalation over perceived threats to its energy infrastructure.
𧧠Chinese Vice Premierâs Defense Background Sparks Questions in Iran Conflict
A Chinese vice premier with a long history in the arms sector is attracting attention for his possible role in facilitating military-related connections to Iran as Beijing strengthens its strategic relationship with Tehran amid the ongoing conflict there. Zhang Guoqing, a Politburo member who once led China North Industries Groupâa major state-owned arms producerâand spent time stationed in the Middle East earlier in his career, has been active in recent high-profile events, including serving as Xi Jinpingâs special envoy at a nuclear energy summit in France; insiders point to him as potentially overseeing supply links to Iran, though such claims remain in the realm of speculation from sources close to the matter rather than confirmed official actions.
Sources: The Epoch Times, ChinaTalk
đĽ Cubans Torch Communist Party Office in MorĂłn Amid Blackouts and Shortages
Residents of MorĂłn in central Cubaâs Ciego de Ăvila province stormed the local Communist Party headquarters early Saturday after days of frustration over prolonged power outages and food shortages. What started as a peaceful protest escalated when demonstrators entered the building, removed furniture and propaganda materials, and set them ablaze in the street while chanting for freedom and against the regime. State media described the actions as vandalism, reported five arrests, and noted additional damage to government property, with unverified social media videos showing fires, stone-throwing, and confrontations; some independent accounts mentioned gunfire, injuries, detentions, and internet disruptions as security forces responded.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, NBC News Miami
â˝US Eases Venezuela Sanctions to Allow Oil and Fertilizer Imports Amid Rising Prices
The Trump administration, through the U.S. Treasury Department, updated several general licenses on March 13, 2026, to expand waivers on sanctions against Venezuela. This change permits greater investment and activities in the countryâs energy and petrochemical sectors, including the purchase and import of Venezuelan oil and petrochemical products like fertilizer directly into the United States. The move also allows companies to supply goods, services, and technology to support Venezuelaâs electricity and petrochemical industries. Officials framed the decision as a way to revitalize Venezuelaâs energy sector, ensure stable global commodity supplies, and specifically help American farmers facing higher fertilizer costs due to disruptions from the ongoing war with Iran.