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Story by Meera Navlakha

President Donald Trump has inadvertently revealed why he launched his war against Iran, Jimmy Kimmel pointed out Monday night.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host had harsh words for the president’s “desperate” strikes in the Middle East, calling the new offensive a ploy for re-election.

Kimmel recalled Trump’s 2012 tweets, which have resurfaced in the wake of the weekend’s first strikes against Iran, in which he repeatedly accused then-President Barack Obama of wanting to start a war with the Islamic Republic “in order to get re-elected” and because he is “desperate.”
Story by Falyn Stempler

A damning new report found that evangelical Christian fundamentalism is underpinning U.S. military action in Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. and Israel launched a joint operation and struck Iran overnight, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among dozens of others across the region. The attack was launched amid Iranian nuclear negotiations and weeks of civil unrest in Iran due to economic turmoil. After the initial attack, Trump said "heavy and pinpoint bombing" would continue "uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!" while calling for regime change in the Islamic Republic.

The operation comes less than a year after Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025 during the 12-Day war between Iran and Israel, during which the president claimed to have obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities. It comes after a chilling map emerged revealing the 12 safest places to find refuge if WW3 erupts.
A judge ruled to preserve the toll, ending, for now, a dispute that has become emblematic of New York’s resistance to federal intervention in local affairs.
By Stefanos Chen and Winnie Hu

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the federal government’s attempt to end New York’s congestion pricing toll was illegal, handing a major victory to the state in its defense of the first-in-the-nation traffic reduction plan, which the Trump administration had tried for more than a year to kill.

While other legal challenges remain, the 149-page decision by Judge Lewis J. Liman of Federal District Court in Manhattan ends, for now, a heated battle between Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has become a staunch defender of the program, and the White House, which has claimed, without offering evidence, that it would harm the region’s economy.

The ruling comes months after Judge Liman granted the toll program temporary protection from threats issued by the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, who had warned that the federal government would withhold approval and funding from a range of highway and transit projects in New York if congestion pricing was not canceled.
US county attorney is ‘confident’ her office will be able to pursue charges in cases which led to criticisms of use-of-force policies
Associated Press

A Minnesota state prosecutor announced an investigation on Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown.

The Hennepin county attorney, Mary Moriarty, said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one in which Bovino, a border patrol official, threw a smoke canister at protesters on 21 January.

Her office is also investigating federal agents’ shooting deaths of 37-year-old US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti on 7 and 24 January, respectively. And she is “confident” they will be able to pursue charges in the cases which led to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of federal immigration enforcement use-of-force policies.

Another case on 7 January involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area.

“Make no mistake – we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly,” Moriarty said. The immigration enforcement operation known as “Metro Surge caused immeasurable harm to our community”.
The Trump administration cited widespread fraud in state social service programs. Minnesota officials said they were victims of “political punishment.”
By Mitch Smith

Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Monday over a decision to withhold more than $200 million in Medicaid funds from the state, which has seen widespread fraud in social service programs.

The lawsuit was the latest front in a wide-ranging legal clash between the state and the federal government, which have been at odds over immigration enforcement, election issues and how to respond to the fraud scandal. A recent deployment of thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota led to three shootings, thousands of arrests, and frequent clashes between agents and residents, all while state and federal officials accused their counterparts of illegal behavior.

In the new lawsuit, Minnesota officials asked a judge to restore most of the $259 million in funding that the Trump administration cut off last week. The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office, said that the federal government had “weaponized Medicaid against Minnesota as political punishment.” Vice President JD Vance said last week that he felt “quite confident that we have the authority to do this,” adding that the Trump administration had to “turn the screws on them a little bit so they take this fraud seriously.”
Story by Analysis by Aaron Blake, CNN

The Trump administration’s stated justifications for going to war with Iran were already a jumbled and self-contradictory mess.

But on Tuesday, Trump made it even worse — laying waste to the administration’s confusing explanation from Monday.

Just a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that Iran posed an imminent threat — because it would respond to imminent attacks from Israel by striking US forces — Trump went with an entirely different explanation: that Iran was going to launch preemptive strikes against the US on its own.

“It was my opinion that they were going to attack first,” the president said.

And with that, the botched rollout of the Trump administration’s case for war enters yet another chapter.

Rubio had already turned plenty of heads with his claims on Monday.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” Rubio said. “We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”

This was problematic for a couple of reasons.

For one, it was different from the explanations for why Iran posed an imminent threat that had been offered in the days before the war began. Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was leading negotiations with Tehran, initially claimed Iran was “probably a week away” from having nuclear bomb-making material. Then Trump in his State of the Union address last week claimed Iran would “soon” have the ability to strike the United States with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
By Eric Levenson, Maxime Tamsett

Colin Gray, the father of Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges Tuesday in a case testing the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before convicting him on all 27 charges: Two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 18 counts of cruelty to children and five counts of reckless conduct.

At the defense table, Colin Gray did not visibly react to the verdict. He was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs. He faces 10 to 30 years in prison on each murder charge and 1 to 10 years on each manslaughter charge.

Prosecutors accused Gray of buying his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas present and allowing him access to that weapon and ammunition despite warnings that his son was a danger to others. Colt Gray, then 14, used that rifle to carry out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024, killing two teachers and two students and wounding nine others.
Story by Richard Luscombe

The US justice department abruptly reversed course on Tuesday and decided it would defend executive orders made by Donald Trump to try to penalize law firms that represented clients or causes the president did not like.

On Monday, the department announced in a court filing that it was dropping its appeal against a ruling by a district court judge that blocked Trump’s retaliatory executive actions against four companies that refused to make a deal with him.

Trump’s “capitulation” was celebrated by at least two of the the companies that welcomed the DoJ’s voluntary withdrawal from the legal proceedings.

On Tuesday, however, the government filed a new, single-paragraph request to the US court of appeals for the Columbia circuit, announcing it had changed its mind, and wished “to pursue this appeal”.

It gave no reason for its sudden about-face, and quoted attorneys for the four companies who unanimously opposed “the government’s unexplained request to withdraw yesterday’s voluntary dismissal, to which all parties had agreed”.

In a statement, Susman Godfrey, one of the four law firms that initially stood up to Trump, said: “Yesterday evening, the administration told the court that it gave up and wouldn’t even try to defend its unconstitutional executive orders. Today, it reversed course. Regardless, Susman Godfrey will defend itself and the rule of law – without equivocation.”
Trump is drawing backlash online over a video where he appears to be teasing an elderly veteran during a ceremony. Users have accused him of belittling the military service.
Story by Pedro Camacho

First Lady Melania Trump's decision to chair a United Nations Security Council meeting quickly ignited a wave of reaction on social media, with users across the political spectrum debating the optics of the moment.

Within hours, clips of the first lady wielding the gavel circulated widely on X, prompting commentary that ranged from praise to disbelief.

Trump became the first spouse of a world leader to preside over the Security Council, taking the seat marked "President" and "United States" during the U.S. rotating presidency of the body, as BBC explains. The session, titled "Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict," had been scheduled before the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran over the weekend. Her office said the meeting would "emphasize education's role in advancing tolerance and world peace."

The timing became a focal point online. The Tennessee Holler wrote, "What is happening." Political commentator Adam Schwarz posted, "Melania Trump is chairing a UN Security Council meeting. I'm not joking." Other users questioned the symbolism of convening a meeting on protecting children amid ongoing military operations, with one widely shared reaction from @ReallyAmerican 1 calling the moment "Beyond parody:"
Story by Jelinda Montes

The Department of Justice removed 47,635 files from the publicly available database of Jeffrey Epstein case files, including various claims against President Donald Trump.

Links to the offline files now return a “page not found” error on the department’s website.  DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre told CBS News that they have “not deleted any files from the library” and that the files will be available after “redactions are made.”

“Our team is working around the clock to address victim concerns, redact personally identifiable information and any images of a sexual nature,” she said in a statement.

The removed files related to Trump were first discovered in a Feb. 24 investigation by NPR. The outlet found several documents that were withheld centered on an FBI investigation into claims that Trump sexually abused a minor in the 1980s.
Story by Travis Gettys

An internal email sent from Liberty University Law School to its first- and second-year students reveals the Trump administration's prioritization of loyalty over qualifications.

The evangelical university's law school emailed students Friday afternoon publicizing “exciting opportunity to intern with the Department of Labor in DC" that promised "incredible connections that will payoff [sic] later" and the possibility of full-time job offers after graduation, reported journalist Judd Legum in his Popular Info newsletter.

"The two most important requirements are you MUST be aligned politically with President Trump and his administration and you must be willing to work hard," read the email sent by Derek Green, an associate director at the law school. "Don't be scared off by the transcript requirement. GPA is not a strong factor. If you meet those two requirements, you have a shot."
Trump made bold claims about climate change, from calling it the greatest con ever to praising clean beautiful coal. This video breaks down each statement with actual data and measurable outcomes. Some claims fall apart instantly while others contain a tiny grain of truth. The result is a much clearer picture of what is real and what is rhetoric.
Story by Stephen Rivers

Dozens of hidden plate readers line Southern California highways.
Privacy groups say federal agencies are sidestepping state law.
Caltrans approved permits but says it does not control the data.

Border Patrol has a tough job to do, and now it is leaning on technology to help shoulder the load. The difficult part is that hiding surveillance cameras in public looks a bit sketchy. Now, one man’s curiosity has sparked a deeper investigation and uncovered a network of cameras tracking drivers all over California’s southern highways.

San Diego County resident James Cordero stopped to check out what appeared to be an abandoned trailer. Instead, what he found was a sophisticated setup with an automatic license plate reader (ALPR), power, and likely the ability to transmit data to the cloud. After that discovery, Cordero began spotting other cameras with even more convincing disguises.

The hardware itself isn’t exotic. ALPRs are widely used across the country. Police departments mount them to cruisers. Cities install them at intersections. Private companies operate massive plate databases. What makes this situation different is who appears to be running these units, how they’re hidden, and how little information is available about them.

Who Controls The Data?
According to CalMatters that first reported the story, these cameras only popped up after Caltrans granted permits to Border Patrol and other federal agencies to place them on state highways during the Biden administration. Now, there are over 40 near the border capturing every plate that rolls by, citizen or not.

Caltrans says it does not operate the cameras, manage them, or have access to any of the data they collect. Here’s just one example of how well-hidden these cameras are.
Story by Kate Perez, USA TODAY

President Donald Trump ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from her role on March 5, announcing on social media that she would be replaced and become special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, the president's initiative for security against narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.

Noem will be succeeded by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, effective March 31. The former secretary's job shift comes ahead of the "Shield of the Americas" Summit scheduled for March 7, a meeting between U.S. federal officials including Trump, as well as a dozen Latin American leaders in Florida.

Here's what we know so far about the Shield of the Americas.

What is the Shield of the Americas?
Information is limited on the Shield of the Americas and the role Noem might play in her new position, though Trump described it as a "security initiative" in his post announcing the job switch.

"The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida," Trump wrote on social media. "I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland.'"
Miami Republicans, university rocked by report of racist group chat
Story by Maria Tsvetkova

NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters) - A Florida university said on Thursday law enforcement is investigating a Miami Herald report that prominent members of the local Republican Party and conservative student leaders exchanged racist, antisemitic and homophobic messages in an online group chat.

The Herald reported on Wednesday that leaked logs of a WhatsApp group chat that began in the autumn showed participants included Republicans such as Abel Carvajal, secretary of Miami-Dade County’s Republican Party, and student leaders of Florida International University's Turning Point USA chapter, a conservative youth group founded by slain activist Charlie Kirk.
Notorious GOP elections official out after revelations he broke the law
Story by Matthew Chapman

An infamous former Republican state lawmaker recently appointed to the North Carolina State Board of Elections is resigning, after it emerged he violated state law to contribute money to political candidates while serving in that role.

According to The Assembly, Robert Rucho "donated to two county sheriffs" since joining NCBSE last year. According to public records, "Rucho wrote a $259 check to Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell in October and a $1,000 check to Catawba County Sheriff Don Brown in January. Brown has since returned the contribution. Both Campbell and Brown are up for reelection this year."

This is against North Carolina law, which says election board members cannot “make a reportable contribution to a candidate for a public office over which the State Board would have jurisdiction or authority.”

Rucho has also faced criticism for social media posts defending his former legislative colleague Phil Berger, one of the most powerful Republicans in the state — which is also a violation of the same law. As of Thursday, Berger trails his primary challenger, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, by just two votes, with a recount set to take place.
Story by Zac Anderson, USA TODAY

The Department of Justice released FBI interviews with a woman who said she was introduced to Donald Trump by Jeffrey Epstein and that Trump sexually and physically abused her when she was a minor, accusations the White House called “completely baseless.”

The release came after multiple news reports about documents related to the accusations against Trump being withheld. The Department of Justice said it had withheld records that had been “incorrectly coded as duplicative.”

The woman, whose name has been redacted, said in a 2019 interview with the FBI that she traveled to New York or New Jersey with Epstein when she was between 13 and 15 years old and met Trump “in a very tall building with huge rooms,” according to a summary of one of the interviews. She stated multiple people were present and that Trump asked everyone to leave the room and then sexually assaulted her.
Story by Melissa Rudy

Cold, flu and COVID may get the most attention, but a lesser-known, highly contagious virus is taking the West Coast by storm.

Wastewater SCAN data show that human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is rampant in Northern California — specifically San Francisco, Marin, Vallejo, Napa, Novato, Santa Rosa, Sacramento and Davis, per reports.

The virus peaked sharply in January and remains elevated in early March, although the seasonal winter wave is now tapering.

HMPV is in the same viral family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was first discovered in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), part of the CDC, monitors samples of wastewater (sewage) for viruses and bacteria to detect infection patterns in communities.
Story by Katie Hawkinson

Corey Lewandowski, a top adviser to Kristi Noem, is out at the Department of Homeland Security, according to MS NOW.

Noem's scandal-ridden leadership of the agency came to an end Thursday, when President Donald Trump announced he was tapping Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her, effective March 31.

While Noem has recently faced increased scrutiny about her actions as DHS secretary — which culminated in two chaotic congressional hearings this week — questions about her relationship with Lewandowski have also followed her throughout her brief tenure.

MS NOW reportedly confirmed Lewandowski’s departure Friday morning, following reports that he was expected to leave the agency alongside Noem.

It has long been rumored that Noem and Lewandowski, who are both married to other people, have engaged in an affair. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the pair had done little to hide their relationship inside the agency.
Story by Sophie Gable

A leaked classified report by the National Intelligence Council has shed an unfavorable light on Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran, warning that military involvement could be disastrous.

In just one week, tensions have dramatically risen in the region, starting with a joint military operation conducted by the US and Israel against Iran.

The strikes took out Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Trump has stood firm on the military attack, but a report completed by the NIC just a week before raised doubts about the US's ability to overthrow the regime.

Three people familiar with the findings told the Washington Post that Iran would likely respond to Khamenei's death by following protocols to preserve the regime. Sources said it was 'unlikely' that Iran's opposition would seize control.

Khamenei's successor has yet to be named. Iran's Assembly of Experts and high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been tasked with naming his replacement.

The ayatollah's son, Mojitaba Khamenei, is rumored to be assuming the role, but Trump has previously called him 'incompetent' and a 'lightweight.'

The Trump administration initially said the strikes were intended to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities, but in recent days has demanded 'unconditional surrender.'
Story by David McAfee

Donald Trump came under fire on Saturday for his behavior during a solemn moment in which six fallen soldiers killed in the president's onslaught against Iran were honored.

The president was seen during the event standing upright while others bowed their heads. He was also wearing a white baseball cap during the typically solemn event, which was broadcast in complete silence on CNN.
Story by Jennifer Bowers Bahney

The Trump White House is allegedly blocking U.S. intelligence agencies from warning Americans about rising terrorist threats at home, according to a report by The Daily Mail.

The report caught the eye of CNN media reporter Brian Stelter who wrote on X, “‘White House blocks intelligence report warning of rising US homeland terror threat linked to Iran war.’ The Daily Mail quotes from the intel report; says ‘top Trump officials’ are blocking its release; and says the White House didn’t deny it.”

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/jan-6-plaque-honoring-police-who-defended-the-capitol-finally-installed-under-cover-of-night/
Jennifer Bowers Bahney

A plaque honoring police who defended the U.S. Capitol from January 6 rioters has finally been installed just steps from where the armed crowd broken into the building seeking to overturn Donald Trump’s election loss by force.

The memorial plaque, that was approved by Congress and required by law to be installed by March 2023, was finally bolted to the wall of the Capitol by an overnight work crew early Saturday morning.
Story by Robert Klemko, Samuel Oakford

Video released by investigators in the fatal shooting last March of a U.S. citizen by a federal immigration agent calls into question a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson’s claim that the victim “intentionally ran over” a different agent before being shot.

The investigative material released Friday by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows that Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was given conflicting instructions as he encountered law enforcement officers from multiple agencies near the scene of a previous vehicle accident in South Padre Island, Texas, in the early-morning hours of March 15.

His car moved forward very slowly in the moments before Homeland Security Investigations Agent Jack C. Stevens fired three shots into Martinez’s blue Ford sedan. The footage does not show Martinez speeding up rapidly or appearing to target a second Homeland Security Investigations agent, Hector Sosa.

Martinez was under the influence of alcohol and had marijuana in his system, according to autopsy records, as different officers allowed him to keep going and shouted at him to stop.

Sosa told investigators that Martinez’s car struck his legs, causing him to fall over the hood before Stevens opened fire. It is not clear from the nighttime footage whether the slow-moving car actually hit Sosa. Footage from a nearby business shows the hood of the Ford. But the video is grainy and skips through some portions and does not definitively show whether there is a figure on top of the hood.
Story by Ben Blanchet

Richard Hatch, winner of the debut season of “Survivor,” stressed why he’s not so fond of Donald Trump and his “100% self-dealing” ways after his time competing on “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

Hatch, who took part in the fourth season of the Trump-hosted show, told Tim Murphy’s The Caftan Chronicles that he spent “a lot of time” with Trump, and knew Trump for three years before joining the NBC reality competition.

“He is probably the worst human being I’ve ever met in my life,” said Hatch, who once accused Trump of making “****** comments” to “all of the women” competitors — and in front of his daughter Ivanka Trump — during the 2011 season. (Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign called Hatch’s accusation “completely false” at the time.)

Hatch, when asked what Trump was like “one-on-one,” described him as “grotesquely manipulative.”

“It’s all about what he can get out of any situation,” he explained.
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