Posts on Tuesday, March 31, 2026
American and Israeli leaders excoriated the cowardly, treacherous French government for preventing American airplanes from flying through the country’s airspace with military supplies for beleaguered Israel.
As the Iranian regime continues to fire at civilian targets in Israel and other nations, and as the United States and Israel take on the world’s worst terror-sponsoring regime (Iran’s), French President Emmanuel Macron and his government are determined to be on the wrong side of history.
Donald Trump pulled no punches. “The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’
A new federal rule could significantly raise wages for foreign workers and ignite a broader fight over the future of high-skilled immigration.
The U.S. Department of Labor has opened a 60-day public comment period on a proposed rule that would increase required wages for employers hiring foreign workers through programs such as H-1B visas and permanent labor certifications.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register, would adjust how “prevailing wages” are calculated, raising the minimum salary levels employers must pay foreign workers to better align with U.S. worker wages, according to the agency.
As of Monday, March 30, 52 public comments had been submitted. The Dallas Express was unable to review those comments
President Donald Trump announced that his administration was looking into how insurance companies handled claims related to the 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared that it was brought to his attention “that the Insurance Companies,” like State Farm had been “absolutely horrible to people that have been paying them large Premiums for years.” Trump added that he asked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to give him “a list of the Companies who acted swiftly, courageously, and bravely” and the companies “that were particularly bad.”
“It was brought to my attention that the Insurance Companies, in particular, State Farm, have been absolutely horrible to people
As Gen Z conservatives come of age, Republicans have a groyper problem.
Young GOP associations across the country have gotten caught up in all manner of scandals, from racist group chats to Nazi salutes.
Earlier this month, the College Republicans of America shared on X that they were “proud to welcome” 23-year-old Brigham Young University student Kai Schwemmer as national political director. The appointment immediately drew scrutiny due to Schwemmer’s past affiliation with Nick Fuentes, the controversial far-right streamer popular with Gen Z and Gen Alpha boys.
There's a Thomas Edsall column up today which suggests that while Democrats have reason to be optimistic about this year's election, in just a few more years they may be doomed. It's worth noting up front that Edsall, while a Democrat himself, frequently seems to be looking for the dark cloud attached to every silver lining. He is the doomiest Democrat at the New York Times almost without fail. Still, he's also pretty interesting.
Democrats are favored to win the House and have a shot at taking control of the Senate in the midterm elections later this year...
But in 2030,
Did Masoud Pezeshkian just signal a capitulation by the Iranian regime? Or is he just trying to claim turf in a power struggle among what's left of the mullahcracy's leadership?
Perhaps the answer is ... yes. Iran's president has been sidelined during the conflict as the IRGC seized power after the death of Ali Khamenei. Both the US and Israel left him alone while targeting other top-ranked regime officials, either to have a potential negotiating partner, a reflection of Pezeshkian's impotence in the war, or both. With Trump threatening to wipe out what's left of Iran's energy infrastructure and B-52s now flying unopposed in Iran's airspace,
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson drew fire from an unlikely colleague on Tuesday over her lone dissent in the Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision finding Colorado’s ban on so-called "conversion therapy" for minors violated free speech rights. Fellow liberal Justice Elena Kagan criticized Jackson for failing to acknowledge case law that governs when speech can be regulated in the medical field, marking a rare public break between two justices typically aligned in cases centered on high-profile cultural issues. "Justice Jackson’s dissenting opinion claims that this is a small, or even nonexistent, category," Kagan wrote in a footnote of a concurring opinion, which
The Dow Jones is up 1,000 points today on news that Iran is willing to make a deal, President Donald Trump might terminate Operation Epic Fury prematurely, and yet War Secretary Pete Hegseth insists that the U.S. will "negotiate with bombs" until the regime cries uncle.
It's chaos in the White House! Again! More seriously, before anybody gets all panicky, I'm certain that only two of those things are true. Can you guess which ones?
Yeah, don't believe that Trump is about to quit Epic Fury, and please read on to learn why.
Markets are way up, and oil is down a bit, even as Hegseth said
President Donald Trump has announced the dates for King Charles III’s upcoming state visit to the United States, confirming the trip will take place from April 27 through April 30 and will include a formal banquet at the White House.
The visit marks the first official royal trip to the United States in nearly two decades, following the 2007 visit by the late Queen Elizabeth II during the presidency of George W. Bush. King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to visit the United States to “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the UK and the US,
Wall Street ended sharply higher on Tuesday, lifted by speculation about a potential de-escalation in the Middle East conflict that has sent oil prices soaring and fueled fears of global inflation in recent weeks.
All three major U.S. indexes rallied after the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump told aides he was willing to end the military campaign against Iran, even if the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the next few days in the Iran war would be decisive and warned Tehran that the conflict would intensify if it did not make a deal.
The month-long conflict
A month into the war with Iran, the Israeli military has almost completed bombing all of the targets it defined for itself at the start of the conflict, and has now been ordered by Israel’s political leadership to shift to hitting “economic” targets of the Iranian regime, The Times of Israel learned on Monday.
Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the United States, to degrade the regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 30, and immediately coming out of that meeting, at a joint press conference, Merz said that a significant number of Syrian refugees who’ve made a home in Germany will be repatriated to Syria. How many are we talking, exactly? Try 80% of the Syrians in Deutschland, or 700,000 to 800,000. That’s how many Syrian immigrants will be returned to Syria from Germany over the next three years. The migrant issue that Merz inherited from his predecessor, Angela Merkel, is something that’s required a good deal of his focus throughout his term. While it appears Merz
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says the United States will probably wrap up the Iran war in two or three weeks — an admission that the war will likely extend beyond the White House’s four-to-six week timeline.
Speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump first says that the US will be “leaving” Iran “very soon,” insisting that gasoline prices will subsequently “tumble down” as well.
After a reporter notes that Americans are feeling the financial squeeze at the gas pump, Trump declares they’re also “feeling a lot safer” because Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon.
Eric Trump released a video preview Monday night of what his father’s presidential library will look like, and it perfectly reflects the aura of American patriotism, while symbolizing what President Donald Trump has fought so hard to achieve.
Not only does it resemble the World Trade Center’s Freedom Tower in scope and size, but it also prominently displays the American flag, has an antenna that lights up in red, white, and blue, and the entrance will be done in a classic gold style, similar to his New York City properties.
In addition, the structure will include Trump’s name in capital letters at the very top, golden escalators, and a bright, modern-looking garden
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says Iran doesn’t have to agree to a deal for the US to end its military operation in the country.
“No, they don’t have to make a deal,” Trump says in response to the question in the Oval Office.
“When we feel that they are… put into the stone ages and won’t be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we’ll leave whether we have a deal or not,” Trump says. “It’s irrelevant now.” It’s unclear if the US unilaterally ceases fire that Iran would follow suit.
President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom on the former site of the White House’s East Wing cannot move forward without authorization from Congress, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Richard J. Leon said when issuing a preliminary injunction on Tuesday.
Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, found that the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation, the plaintiff in the case, was likely to succeed with its argument that the Trump administration would overstep its statutory and constitutional authority if it moved forward with the project.
Leon said the Trump administration’s arguments assumed that “Congress has granted nearly unlimited power to the President to construct anything, anywhere on federal
Hollywood is in big trouble, and everybody can feel it now. The panic is real, and it’s setting in. Jobs are drying up, and the people inside the Tinsel Town machine are finally having to admit that something really big is going very wrong. Yes, some of this panic is about streaming, economics, COVID fallout, and production fleeing to other states and countries, thanks to Gavin Newsom. But let’s not play dumb here. Hollywood also did this to itself. The movie industry made a very deliberate choice to stop entertaining people and start lecturing them. When Trump came down that escalator, Hollywood went bonkers. Actors, studios, late-night bozos, and
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday changing the name of Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The change will take effect July 1.
Appropriate federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, will coordinate with other organizations, such as the International Air Transport Association, to adopt the new designation. Trump will be just the second president to have his initials — DJT — as the airport call letters, CBS affiliate WPEC-TV reported. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport’s call letters are JFK,
George Washington University estimates that students returning to campus will pay close to $100,000 in total costs this upcoming school year alone.
All undergraduate students attending George Washington University (GW) for the 2026–27 academic year will pay $72,000 in tuition, a 3% increase from the previous year, the Washington, D.C.-based school announced in a Friday press release. The total estimated price tag balloons to $98,165 for returning resident students and $95,155 for new students living on campus when all costs are accounted for, the school’s student newspaper The GW Hatchet first reported.
The man whom longtime former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s mentee Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) hired to run his U.S. Senate campaign to replace the outgoing McConnell in Kentucky this year is a raging Never Trumper with a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).
Barr’s campaign manager, Blake Gober, ascended to his current position leading Barr’s campaign back in January of this year. On Jan. 12, 2026, Politico reported that Gober would be taking the reins of Barr’s U.S. Senate campaign, meaning the congressman was putting his entire political future in Gober’s hands. Gober himself shared the news on his account on X,
NYC mayor under fire from anti-Semitism opponents after celebrating Ramadan with pro-Hamas activists Zohran Mamdani is struggling to distance himself from a variety of anti-Semitism scandals involving himself, his wife, and members of his staff.
Maybe this will help. The New York City mayor is expected to attend a Passover Seder on Monday with Don Lemon, the disgraced former CNN host who was arrested earlier this year for storming a church in Minnesota, and a drag queen rabbi devoted to fighting "patriarchy."
Lemon will chant the traditional Four Questions at the Seder—
The president added in a Monday morning Truth Social post that the Iran regime must open the Strait of Hormuz or face military consequences President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday that his administration is negotiating with "A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME" in Iran but that he is prepared to destroy the Islamic Republic's oil, gas, and electrical infrastructure if it does not reach a ceasefire deal with the United States soon.
We Americans are an impatient lot. If we must engage in warfare, we would prefer it be wrapped up in weeks, not months, and certainly not years like World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. In those wars, we had the draft, so more Americans were engaged in fighting and watching their progress, or lack thereof. Today, while recruiting numbers have increased in our all-volunteer military, the taste for war among the public has declined. One of President Trump's positions that attracted voters was his promise to end wars, not start new ones.
The tipping point, jumping the shark, enough is enough – however you want to express it, the communal prayer in Trafalgar Square was one raised bottom too many for a lot of people, Nick Timothy MP included. It is worth pausing for a moment to consider why it was this particular event that aggravated the ordinary chap in the street. I think it’s less the specifically Islamic aspect of the event, rather the in-your-face-nature of it all. It seems that those seeking to make Islam ‘mainstream’ and ‘nothing to be frightened of’ and ‘just another way of being’
Among the pub-table strategists and commentators in Europe talking about Iran you often hear the phrase, “This is not our war.”
That’s a view as wrong as it is strategically unwise.
Of course it is our war. It is far more our war than America’s. The infiltration of European societies by Islamist networks is further advanced and more acute here than in America. (And solidarity with Israel, whose very existence is under threat, ought to be far stronger in Germany than in the United States.) But even if one believed it was not our war, or even if one were disappointed
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said on Tuesday that Israel is “prepared to keep operating for weeks to come,” even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the war against Iran was “definitely beyond the halfway point” as it entered its fifth week.
“We are prepared to keep operating for weeks to come. We have the targets for that, the munition for that, the manpower for that. And it’s up to the leadership to decide,” Shoshani said on Tuesday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that all of its “critical” and “essential” targets in Iran will have been destroyed by Passover
President Donald Trump had a message Tuesday for U.S. allies whose access to oil has been imperiled by the White House’s war against Iran: You’re on your own.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” he wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
The critical waterway, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply
Hegseth, Caine Lay Out How Iran Is Being
Crushed, Coming Days 'Will Be Decisive'
in Operation replies
Crushed, Coming Days 'Will Be Decisive'
in Operation replies
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine held a briefing Tuesday morning on the progress of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
Hegseth said that the "upcoming days will be decisive." That sounds like they think they're getting close. "Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it," Hegseth claimed.
The Defense Secretary said that "American firepower is only increasing," while saying Iran's is "decreasing."
"Just one month in — only one month — we set the terms," Hegseth said.
"The last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missile
American consumers shrugged off the Iran war and rising gas prices in March, pushing the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index up to 91.8 from 91.0 in February — well above the 87.9 reading economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected.
It was the second consecutive monthly increase and a sharp rebuke to forecasters who had predicted the combination of military conflict in the Middle East and surging energy costs would send confidence tumbling. The survey period ran from March 1 to 24, capturing the bulk of the initial war shock — meaning confidence didn’t merely hold steady through the conflict but actually firmed.
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump from moving ahead with any further work on a massive new $400 million ballroom on the former site of the White House’s East Wing.
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Judge Richard Leon wrote.
Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said he was delaying implementation of his ruling for two weeks for a possible appeal. But
Swalwell threatens FBI with legal action
as Patel reportedly weighs 'Fang Fang'
files release replies
as Patel reportedly weighs 'Fang Fang'
files release replies
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is threatening legal action against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as it reportedly considers releasing potentially damaging files just weeks before he faces voters in California’s wide-open gubernatorial race. Lawyers for Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, warning the bureau would violate federal privacy law if it moves ahead with releasing records regarding the congressman’s decade-old relationship with a suspected Chinese spy named Christine "Fang Fang" Fang.
"[Y]our attempt to release the file is a transparent attempt to smear him and undermine his campaign for Governor of California," Swalwell’s attorneys
AGADIR -- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially confirmed today that Alireza Tangsiri, commander of its naval forces, died after sustaining severe injuries.
Last week, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israeli forces killed Tangsiri in an overnight airstrike, and that the operation also killed senior naval officers. He claimed that Tangsiri is the one responsible for many “terrorist” operations and blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian authorities however did not confirm his death at the time of the Israeli announcement. The US -Israel – Iran war continues after US and Israel carried out a joint strike against Iran on February 28, targeting Tehran and several Iranian cities.
Italy has delayed its plan to close its coal-fired power stations by more than a decade as the Iran war drives up oil and gas prices and countries around the world turn back to coal. The Telegraph has the story.
In a significant reversal, the country will now continue to burn coal in at least one, and possibly up to three, power generation plants until 2038.
Italy’s move comes as countries around the world, including Japan, South Korea and Germany, are turning back to coal to alleviate the spiralling energy crisis.
Italy had planned to be one of the first countries in mainland Europe to phase out coal,
In the span of nine months, nine top-level scientists in the United States have died or vanished without a trace. Seven of them were connected to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) or the institutions it directly funds.
AFRL develops and transitions the most sensitive aerospace technologies in the United States’ defense arsenal.
1) Monica Jacinto Reza vanished June 22, 2025 while hiking with friends in the Angeles National Forest in California. She was last seen waving to a hiking companion approximately 30 feet behind the group. Despite an extensive search involving helicopters, drones, and canine units, only a beanie and lip balm were recovered, and her body was never found.
I was just getting ready to wrap up my day and kick back with a little Golden Girls and ginger ale zero (living on the edge!), when I saw that Secretary of State Marco Rubio's schedule for tomorrow says he's meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Admittedly, that made my heart sing a little bit. I know she is the future of that country, and I've become so invested in the future of that country that watching all the progress we're making unfold in real time is quite a thrill.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Colorado law banning “conversion therapy” for minors, ruling in a 8-1 decision that the law violates the First Amendment free speech rights of licensed counselors.
The Court’s majority found that the law favors one viewpoint by allowing counselors to affirm a client’s gender identity or sexual orientation, but preventing counselors from helping clients change their identity or orientation if they want to.
“Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote on behalf of the majority. “But the First Amendment stands as a shield
Strait Man
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~As you know, in deference to the divergence of opinion among readers, we are now starting each column by linking to an alternative position to my own - that's to say, a pro-war analysis. (Snip) Meanwhile, back in what passes for the real world, the war aims continue to shrivel. (Snip) So a month ago Iran controlled four per cent of global oil. Now they control twenty per cent - and their parliament's plan is for the "Tehran toll-booth" to become a permanent fixture. Which would mean they control more of the world's oil than America.
The clock is running. The political landscape heading into the midterms is tightening. It demands clarity, discipline, and focus.
Early polling does not show a runaway advantage for either party. It shows a contest that remains within reach. That reality carries a blunt implication for Republicans. Victory will not come from diffuse messaging or broad, unfocused outreach.
It will come from consolidating and mobilizing the voters most likely to show up, as well as those most likely to support the party. That means building a precise, unapologetic coalition of MAGA voters and senior citizens.
The data leaves little room for interpretation.
A law enforcement officer showed up to the O’Keefe Media Group headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida,
“Police showed up at my office looking for me,” James O’Keefe said.
“We don’t know what this is about,” he said.
“Nobody has been arrested in our recent videos. We have another coming tomorrow showing more crimes on tape,” he added. “I can promise you he’s not going to jail, it’s not a criminal act. Okay, that I can promise you, 100%, okay?” a detective from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said to OMG staffers.
What must Iran agree to in any cease-fire deal?
The headline concessions are obvious: Hand over all nuclear material, destroy all nuke capabilities, open the Strait of Hormuz and stop killing your own people.
(We’d add “destroy all missile capabilities,” but the US and Israeli strikes have already done most of that.)
Tehran would also need to commit to cooperate in serious verification and monitoring of its compliance, with the details to be worked out within a set number of weeks en route to a full peace agreement — but definitely to include “anywhere, anytime” inspections.
The price for peace should also include Tehran’s commitment to internal reforms:
President Trump shared jaw-dropping video footage Monday of a massive explosion in Iran reportedly caused by a US airstrike on a large ammunition depot in Isfahan.
A “high volume” of 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs was used in the strike posted by Trump on Truth Social, a US official told the Wall Street Journal.
The footage that caught the president’s eye is one of several videos of fiery blasts that have taken place in Isfahan, the country’s third-most populous city and the location of the majority of Tehran’s 60% enriched uranium as well as a sprawling “missile city”.
Gasoline prices are spiking everywhere, particularly in California, with premium coming dangerously close $9 a gallon last week in one Los Angeles neighborhood. So what’s an appointed bureaucrat to do? Find a crime, of course.
“Our team is vigilantly monitoring the retail, wholesale, and spot markets,” Tai Milder, first director of the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight (DPMO) for the California Energy Commission, announced last week, as gas prices were rising. “Any reports of unfair practices or market manipulation will be taken seriously, and we will not hesitate to refer any illegal conduct for further investigation and prosecution.”
If you're not paying attention to the Tyler Robinson case, you’d better start now. A fresh court filing just dropped a massive curveball in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The filing claims that the bullet that killed Kirk last September doesn’t match the rifle that Robinson used. “As these cases indicate, determining the number of contributors to a DNA mixture and determining whether the FBI and the ATF reliably applied validated and correct scientific procedures... is a complicated process which requires the assistance of various types of experts, including forensic biologists, geneticists, system engineers and statisticians, all of whom must review and evaluate' several different categories,” the filing states.
Europe’s climate policies offer no relief
for gas prices, as oil-rich U.S. is somewhat shielded replies
for gas prices, as oil-rich U.S. is somewhat shielded replies
West Texas Intermediate oil prices, the U.S. benchmark, took a dip down to around $87 per barrel last week as President Donald Trump spoke of productive meetings with the leadership of Iran.
Then on Monday, the president claimed these discussions were ongoing, but he followed the statement up with threats to resume attacks on key petroleum, electricity and water infrastructure facilities.
“If the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!),
This is why Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent may well go down as the greatest Treasury Secretary of our lifetimes. Unlike the majority who have served in this cabinet position, Bessent is neither a figurehead nor there to maintain the status quo. He's become the financier equivalent of the military: killing, breaking, and blowing things up.
In the latest move to blow up the rampant fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs, particularly by foreign actors, Bessent is empowering financial institutions to report any and all suspicious financial activity to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
A court filing by Tyler Robinson’s defense on Friday reveals the ATF has not been able to “identify” the bullet recovered in the autopsy of slain Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk with the rifle allegedly used in the September 10 shooting at Utah Valley University, according to the Daily Mail. Kirk was reportedly killed instantly by a single rifle shot that tore through his upper body and ripped open the carotid artery in his neck.While not definitive (the bullet could be misshapen from the shooting), until it is resolved, the claim by the defense will fuel concerns about the circumstances of Kirk’s murder and whether Robinson was the shooter.
Are you sitting down? This is shocking news.
It turns out that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new ‘free’ childcare program isn’t free at all. In fact, it’s going to cost $60,000 – Per child. Of course, it’ll be free for the people who get the service, but not for the taxpayers who are funding it.
This is the shell game that is always played by leftists. Nothing is free and they know it. Someone always pays.
Oh and by the way, this is just the rollout of the program. You know it will cost more down the road.The cost of “free” child care is soaring.
The rare quick and total victory over an enemy at little cost often ensures unquestioned political support in modern consensual societies.
In most cases, however, especially in the Western world, ongoing military success or failure is adjudicated through the lens of politics—in a way sometimes at odds with the reality of the battlefield.
Politicians answer to the people. The best do not drift with the prevailing winds. On the other hand, all must face elections, secure legislative support, and ultimately explain to voters the human and financial costs of a war and whether it was existential or optional—and, in the latter case, whether it was worth the costs.