Wednesday, 18 March 2026

A top U.S. counterterrorism official resigned over Trump's war in Iran, prompting calls for congressional hearings. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, defended the strikes as a strategic success, claiming Iran's conventional military projection capabilities had been 'largely destroyed.'

NATO rejected Trump's request for military assistance in the Strait of Hormuz, leading Trump to declare the U.S. does not need NATO. The rebuff comes amid Iran's threats of retaliation following the killing of senior Iranian figures including intelligence minister Esmail Khatib.

A federal judge indicated he may shut down Trump's $400 million White House ballroom renovation plan, stating he was struggling to view the project as an 'alteration' rather than a major construction requiring congressional approval.

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic resolution for the second time that would have halted Trump's Iran war until the president obtained congressional authorization as required by the War Powers Act.

Trump waived federal shipping laws for oil and gas imports in an attempt to lower energy prices amid the Iran war. Trump also renewed demands for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts as oil prices soar, threatening wider inflation concerns.

A federal judge ordered Voice of America to reinstate approximately 1,000 employees who were cut under Kari Lake's leadership at the agency.

Markwayne Mullin, Trump's pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, faced Senate confirmation hearings where he defended the president's immigration policies while adopting a softer tone than his predecessor Kristi Noem. Concerns arose about potential further cuts to disaster relief agency FEMA.

Trump escalated attacks on press coverage of the Iran war, calling war reporting 'treason' and employing language and tactics associated with authoritarian regimes in his assault on media freedom.

Iran threatened to strike Gulf energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on its South Pars gasfield. Canada launched a push for joint G7 and Middle East efforts to de-escalate the conflict and reduce risks of regional spillover.

The U.S. Postal Service is projected to run out of money by February 2027, with postmaster general David Steiner calling for changes to federal law that currently caps USPS borrowing at $15 billion.

MS NOW published an investigation into David Gentile's clemency, part of a new series 'Justice Interrupted' examining Trump's controversial pardons and their impact on victims. Gentile and his business partner were convicted in 2024 of a $1 billion fraud that victimised as many as 17,000 investors. Trump commuted Gentile's seven-year sentence just 12 days into his imprisonment — despite his own Justice Department having celebrated the original sentencing. Victims, including one woman who lost $500,000, described the clemency as 'a betrayal' and 'an injustice to the system.'