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March 23, 2026
Insiders reveal Trump personally killed DHS deal: 'He is to blame for airport chaos'
(Raw Story) According to Punchbowl News Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) presented Trump with a proposal on Sunday that would have provided funding for all agencies under DHS, including TSA, other than ICE. “But Trump said no, according to multiple sources,” Punchbowl News reported. “The president wants Republicans to stay in D.C. and keep fighting with Democrats over DHS funding and the SAVE America Act, the GOP’s voter ID and proof-of-citizenship bill.”
Go to discussionTrump Postpones Strikes on Energy Targets But Iran Media Denies Truce Talks
(Bloomberg) US says it held “good” talks with Iran and postponed strikes for five days. Iranian media denied that negotiations have taken place. Brent crude dropped as low as $96 a barrel, before coming back above $100. Trump had issued 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to “fully open” the vital Strait of Hormuz, before postponing strikes. “The statements of the US President are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time for the implementation of his military plans,” state-run Mizan news agency reports, citing a Foreign Ministry statement as saying. “There are no talks between Tehran and Washington.”
Go to discussion'Nobody else is responsible': Trump to blame for Iran crisis, ex-CIA chief says
(The Guardian) Donald Trump is stuck between “a rock and a hard place” after three weeks of war in Iran and “sending a message of weakness” to the world, Leon Panetta, a former US defence secretary and Central Intelligence Agency director, has told the Guardian. Panetta, who served in the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations, recalled that national security officials were always keenly aware of Iran’s ability to create an energy crisis by blocking the strait of Hormuz. That very scenario is now unfolding, leaving Trump with no exit strategy beyond wishful thinking.
Go to discussionLindsey Graham Faces GOP Fury -- 'Needs to Be Removed From the Situation Room
(Newsweek) Senator Lindsey Graham is facing fury from his fellow Republicans after expressing support for the U.S. seizing Iran’s Kharg Island in an interview on Sunday. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, the South Carolina Republican, who is one of the leading advocates for the war, said: “This has been an amazing military operation. God bless the fallen.”
Go to discussionJeffries tells Trump to 'keep his reckless mouth shut'
(Politico) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said President Donald Trump could get “somebody killed” after the president accused Democrats of being the country’s “greatest enemy” after Iran. On Sunday, the president posted, “Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party!” Trump also said Saturday that “Radical Left Democrats have hurt so many people with their vicious and uncaring ways” and that “Fascist Democrats will never protect America.”
Go to discussion'Almost exactly offsetting the boost': Higher gasoline prices this year could wipe out tax refunds
(Fortune) In January, the White House celebrated what they claimed to be the “largest tax refund season in U.S. history,” promising hundreds of dollars more in refunds this tax year as a result of changes to the tax code, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). But economists warn those savings could go up in smoke—or rather exhaust, cancelled out completely by elevated gas prices as a result of the ongoing war in Iran.
Go to discussionTrump Official Says Americans 'Have To Offer The President Grace' On Rising Prices
(Mediaite) Trump Transportation secretary Sean Duffy pleaded for “grace” for President Donald Trump Sunday as Americans continued to struggle with the high cost of living. Duffy appeared on ABC News’s This Week where Jonathan Karl asked if Americans should hold off on buying airline tickets now that oil prices are skyrocketing due to the Iran war. United Airlines’s CEO said last week that he’s bracing for $175 a barrel for crude oil, which could make the cost of an airplane ticket prohibitive for average Americans.
Go to discussionMayor Andre Dickens confirms ICE agents deploying to Atlanta airport
(WAGA-TV) Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has confirmed federal agents will be sent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday morning. "According to federal officials, these personnel will be assigned to support operational needs directed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including line management and crowd control within the domestic terminals," Dickens said. "Federal officials have indicated that this deployment is not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities." ICE agents are supposed to report directly to TSA.
Go to discussionDemocrats warn Colorado governor against commuting sentence of election denier
(The Hill) Democrats on Capitol Hill are sounding alarms over the potential commutation of an election denier and convicted felon’s sentence in Colorado, warning the state’s Democratic governor that clemency for Tina Peters would undermine the justice system and diminish the gravity of her crimes. Gov. Jared Polis (D) has been under heavy pressure from President Trump to release Peters, a former county election clerk and ardent Trump supporter serving a nine-year sentence for election tampering in support of Republican efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 defeat.
Go to discussionChristopher Columbus Statue Is Installed on White House Grounds, replica of the one protestors dumped in the harbor
(NY Times) A statue of Christopher Columbus was installed on the grounds of the White House early Sunday morning, as part of President Trump’s effort to position the explorer as a hero after monuments to him were removed across the country. The statue is a replica of one that protesters in Baltimore tore down and dumped into the city’s Inner Harbor in the summer of 2020. The statue’s marble pieces were retrieved from the harbor, and a Maryland artist used them to guide the creation of the replica.
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