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March 17, 2026
Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
(AP) Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
Go to discussionAll four living former presidents deny Trump's bizarre Iran bombing claim
(Raw Story) Aides to all four living presidents confirmed to CNN on Monday that none of them have spoken with President Donald Trump about his bombing strikes in Iran, as Trump claimed during a press conference. Trump claimed in the Oval Office that he had spoken to a former president about bombing Iran, and that the former president had approved of the operation. Trump added that the former president claimed he "wished" he had made the decision to bomb Iran. The president also declined to identify which president he was talking about.
Go to discussionTrump upset as US partners reject call for Hormuz warship escorts
(Reuters) Several U.S. allies rebuffed Donald Trump's call on Monday to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the U.S. president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.
Go to discussionTrump Stuns CNN Anchor With Head-Spinning Flip-Flops In Minutes
(Huff Post) CNN’s Kasie Hunt on Monday aired a montage showing Donald Trump contradicting himself multiple times within a matter of minutes on the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz caused by his Iran war. Trump’s demand that traditionally allied nations send warships to help the U.S. Navy safeguard the narrow channel off the coast of Iran — through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes — has received, at best, a muted response.
Go to discussionTrump Has Lost Working Class White Voters
(Political Wire) G. Elliot Morris: “In our data, this group recalled voting for Trump by 22 points in 2024. But these voters now give him a net approval of -4 — or a 26-point swing against him.” “The working-class whites who powered Trump’s rise are, for the first time, opposed to how he’s handling his job as president.”
Go to discussionWe're frightened here
For those who may not know, I'm retired in the Philippines and live here about 10 or 11 months a year. I'm 73 years old and my Filipina wife is 71. The Philippines gets 98% of its fuel from the Middle East. Already the price of diesel (most passenger vehicles run on diesel) has skyrocketed. The price at the pump today in Iloilo Province was 98 Philippine Pesos (PHP) per liter. That translates to $6.28 a gallon. That's really not the worst part. This country only has a 50-day supply of reserve. If this war goes on for two more months, we're out of fuel.
Go to discussionTrump Presidential Library Fund Paid by Companies He Sued Has Dissolved With No Public Accounting, Lawmakers Allege
(International Business Times) Tens of millions of dollars that ABC, Meta, X and Paramount paid to settle Donald Trump's lawsuits, intended for his future presidential library, allegedly ended up in a fund that quietly dissolved in Florida without any public disclosure of where the money went. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), together with Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), sent formal letters on March 11, 2026 to the chief executives of all four companies demanding answers about the terms of their deals and the current location of the pledged funds.
Go to discussionTrump Orders Scores of Kennedy Center Staff Fired in Final Insult
(Daily Beast) In his presidential sidequest to overhaul the Kennedy Center, Donald Trump wants to get rid of most of the people who make it work. Dozens of employees of the historic performing arts center are on the chopping block after its board of trustees, handpicked by Trump, 79, voted to approve a two-year renovation project on Monday, CNN reported. Monday’s meeting minutes said that “approximately 75 to 175 of the Center’s roughly 300 employees” would be impacted by the two-year full shutdown, according to the outlet.
Go to discussionPostmaster Warns of 'End of Postal Service as We Know It'
(Newsweek) The head of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is expected to tell Congress on Tuesday that the agency needs to increase its borrowing capacity or face "the end of the Postal Service as we know it now." "In order to ensure our survival beyond next year, we need to increase our borrowing capacity so that we don't run out of cash," Postmaster General David Steiner's written testimony obtained by Reuters said. "The failure to do this could lead to the end of the Postal Service as we know it now."
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