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Mar 8, 2026 - World

Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has been exposed by the Wall Street Journal for "coaching" a foreign leader on how to influence Donald Trump.The WSJ ahead of the weekend published a story called, "Lindsey Graham's Quest to Sell Trump on Striking Iran." In that piece, there is a nugget about the senator engaging in a campaign to help Netanyahu to persuade Trump to launch an Iran war."To help make the case on Iran, Graham traveled several times to Israel in recent weeks, meeting with members of the country's intelligence agency," the Journal reported Friday.Graham is quoted in the article as saying, "They'll tell me things our own government won't tell me."The report further states, "He spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coaching him on how to lobby the president for action. Netanyahu showed the president intelligence that persuaded Trump to go ahead, Graham said."That line stood out to White House columnist Niall Stanage, who flagged it on X."Just so we’re all clear — a new WSJ story has a U.S. senator (Lindsey Graham) meeting a foreign intelligence agency and 'coaching' that foreign nation’s prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) on how to push Trump into bombing Iran," he stated Saturday.Popular podcaster Mel also chimed in, "The WSJ has an article out today describing how Lindsey Graham plays toddler memory games with Trump and coaches Netanyahu on the things to say in order to get Trump do some more war."

Mar 7, 2026 - World

Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin’s declining fortunes have taken a major turn for the better because Donald Trump’s war on Iran has given the staggering Russian economy a shot in the arm as oil prices lurch upward.According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian crude that was languishing unsold just days ago has become a hot commodity. The U.S. has eased sanctions on Russian oil, opening the door for key buyers to increase purchases. With oil and natural gas prices surging, Russian producers are reaping substantial profits.The shift is already visible in global markets. In India, traders who previously demanded steep discounts to purchase Russian oil are now attempting to sell at prices above global benchmarks—a dramatic reversal."The longer that this conflict goes on, the world will increasingly rely on both Russian crude oil and Russian refined products," said Naveen Das, senior crude analyst at Kpler.Emboldened by his suddenly improved fortunes, Putin has grown more aggressive with "renewed swagger' on the global energy stage. He has threatened to cut off remaining energy supplies to Europe before the continent's deadline to eliminate Russian LNG and pipeline gas imports by 2027."Other markets are opening now," Putin declared on state television Wednesday. "If they shut us down in a month or two, wouldn't it be better to stop now and move to those countries that are reliable partners?"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that the Iran conflict has directly fueled demand for Russian energy products.Global benchmark Brent crude has surged nearly 30 percent since the attacks began. While higher prices normally benefit all oil producers, disruption in the Gulf has crippled Russia's primary competitors in that region, leaving Moscow uniquely positioned to capitalize on the crisis.You can read more here.

Mar 7, 2026 - World

The White House has blocked the release of a joint intelligence bulletin warning state and local authorities of elevated terror threats stemming from Trump's military assault on Iran, according to the Daily Mail.A five-page report compiled by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center was scheduled for Friday release but has been indefinitely held up by Trump officials.The classified bulletin detailed "elevated threats by the government of Iran to US military and government personnel and facilities, Jewish and Israeli institutions and their perceived supporters, and Iranian dissidents and other anti-regime activists in the United States."Titled "A Public Safety Awareness Report: Elevated threat in the United States during US-Iran conflict," the document warned: "Radicalized individuals with a variety of ideological backgrounds also may see this conflict or other geopolitical events as a justification for violence."The five-page assessment provided specific operational details on how Iranian proxies could execute attacks across the country, along with guidance for local law enforcement response protocols.Homeland Security broke protocol by alerting the White House hours before the bulletin's scheduled release. Trump officials immediately ordered it placed on hold.The White House did not deny the suppression. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson offered a defensive explanation: "The White House is coordinating closely with all government agencies to ensure information being disseminated is accurate, up to date, and has been properly vetted — even if that means taking additional time to review to ensure nothing is done in a vacuum."A senior DHS official directly contradicted the White House account, stating: "The three [agencies] were going to release a joint intelligence statement that would elevate the threat level and start addressing the Iranian threat on American soil. The White House stopped it, and verbalized down to DHS that any unclassified 'for official use only' information going forward concerning Iran has to be reviewed by the White House before any dissemination."You can read more here.

Mar 7, 2026 - World

Newly appointed “Special Envoy for the Shield of Americas” Kristi Noem made her debut in Florida Saturday morning to witness Donald Trump promote his new “Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere,” but was not invited to the lectern to speak to the assembled South American dignitaries despite her lofty status.That led to MS NOW’s Ali Velshi to smirk at her exclusion because Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were invited to stand with the president, as well as speak, during the ceremonies, while Noem sat in the audience.Noem was shifted to her new position in the Trump administration after being unceremoniously fired by Trump on Truth Social and replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) who still faces Senate approval to take over as the new head of Homeland Security.Noem has previously expressed excitement about her invite to Trump National Doral where the gathering was held, taking to X and writing, “Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”Sharing clips of the proceedings, with Noem seen speaking with some attendees, Velshi quipped, “Notably, the newly minted special envoy of the Shield of the Americas did not take the podium with the president at the summit. In case you don't know who that is, that is the newly ousted or the ousted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. She's been named the envoy to the Shield of America.""She was there by the way,” he dryly added.Noem later spoke during a group lunch with attendees. - YouTube youtu.be

Mar 7, 2026 - World

Three members of the Donald Trump administration have confirmed to the Washington Post that a classified document created by the National Intelligence Council poured cold water on the president’s hopes about regime change in Iran following his war launch.According to the Post, the warning was completed a week before the president gave the go-ahead for the Department of Defense, under Secretary Pete Hegseth to proceed with the bombings on February 28th.The classified report examined succession scenarios under two potential military scenarios: a targeted campaign against Iran's leadership or a broader assault on its government institutions. In both cases, intelligence analysts concluded that "Iran's clerical and military establishment would respond to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by following protocols designed to preserve continuity of power," according to those familiar with the findings.The National Intelligence Council comprises veteran intelligence analysts tasked with producing classified assessments representing the combined judgment of Washington's 18 intelligence agencies.White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the implications in a statement to the Post, asserting: "President Trump and the administration have clearly outlined their goals with regard to Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran's ballistic missiles and production capacity, demolish their navy, end their ability to arm proxies, and prevent them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed."Suzanne Maloney, an Iran scholar and vice president at the Brookings Institution, characterized the NIC assessment as credible, stating: "It sounds like a deeply informed assessment of the Iranian system and the institutions and processes that have been established for many years."You can read more here.