While gala guests danced at Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening, President Trump convened top national security officials — including the CIA director, secretary of state, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — in a secure area of the club to oversee a sustained military attack on Iran, which included the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump monitored the operation from behind black curtains in what functioned as a makeshift Situation Room, and his public presence was limited to two pre-recorded videos and White House-released photos. Mar-a-Lago has been used repeatedly as an operational command center, with past decisions made there including the 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the 2017 airstrikes on Syria. National security professionals have long expressed concern about the security risks of conducting classified operations at a private club accessible to paying members.
Congress is divided over the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, with Republican senators defending the strikes while Democrats criticized them as a "war of choice" conducted without congressional approval or public justification. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed killed, and three U.S. service members have died in the operation so far. President Trump indicated openness to talks with Iran's remaining leadership, even as a second day of strikes and Iranian missile counterattacks escalated the conflict. Trump also appeared to connect his decision to launch the attack to his disputed 2020 election loss claims, citing alleged Iranian interference in that election.
The United States, alongside Israel, has carried out sustained military strikes against Iran, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in what legal analysts argue lacks justification under international law. The attacks do not meet the established criteria for lawful self-defense — which requires an imminent, unavoidable armed attack — particularly given that Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile capability was still years away and diplomatic negotiations had reportedly yielded concessions on Iran's nuclear program. At an emergency UN Security Council session, international condemnation was limited, with most states stopping short of explicitly labeling the strikes a violation of the prohibition on the use of force. Legal scholars warn that the attacks, combined with prior U.S. actions in Venezuela and threats toward Greenland, set dangerous precedents that could erode the rules-based international order and undermine efforts to oppose future aggression by other powers.
Donald Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" platform and pledged to avoid new wars, has shifted notably in the second year of his second term by ordering major military strikes on Iran and overseeing operations that toppled Venezuela's president. Despite repeatedly branding himself a "President of Peace" and boasting of his dealmaking abilities, Trump has embraced military action in ways that contrast sharply with his prior rhetoric against foreign interventions and regime change. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only one in four Americans approved of the Iran strikes, and the military engagements carry potential political consequences, including impact on midterm elections and his core voter base. Former allies like Marjorie Taylor Greene have already criticized the Iran attack, while analysts have described the administration's shift toward military action as a "major surprise."
The opinion piece draws parallels between the Watergate scandal and current Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files, arguing she is engaged in a cover-up similar to those that ended the careers of three Watergate-era attorneys general. The author alleges Bondi has made false public statements about the Epstein files, violated the Epstein Transparency Act, and potentially perjured herself before Congress, while also referencing her past acceptance of a $25,000 Trump Foundation donation while deciding whether Florida would join a lawsuit against Trump University. The piece contextualizes Watergate's timeline — from the 1972 break-in to Nixon's 1974 resignation — to suggest that political scandals often escalate slowly before becoming unavoidable, implying Bondi's situation may follow a similar trajectory.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed her family received death threats following her decision to push for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a move that put her at odds with Donald Trump. The story is highlighted in connection with an ABC (Australia) documentary titled *Diabolical: The Epstein Files*. The article provides limited additional detail beyond promoting the program, which aired on March 2 on ABC TV and ABC iview.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced significant public backlash after posting social media videos praising unpaid TSA workers for their patriotism and professionalism during a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. The funding lapse began February 14 after Democratic lawmakers and the White House failed to reach an agreement over proposed ICE reforms, leaving TSA agents working without pay while ICE remained funded through Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." Noem urged Americans to contact their congressional representatives to resolve the impasse, but her posts drew widespread criticism, with many commenters calling for ICE to be defunded instead. The shutdown also prompted the temporary suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry services, with the PreCheck suspension later reversed following public backlash.
President Trump ordered military strikes against Iran despite his longstanding rhetoric against foreign wars and "forever wars," a move the article attributes to a combination of opportunity, self-belief, revenge, and a desire for glory. Domestically, Trump was facing political pressure from the Epstein files controversy and economic discontent, and the strikes offered a potential "rally-around-the-flag" moment. The decision drew opposition from within his own base, including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, but Trump has publicly justified the action on multiple grounds, including Iran's past attacks on U.S. interests, the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and retaliation for Iranian-backed actions tied to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The Trump administration's efforts to cut the federal government through DOGE are facing multiple legal challenges, with Trump publicly criticizing a judge who ruled against the agency's actions at the Treasury, Department of Education, and USAID. Two top ICE enforcement officials were reassigned amid calls for greater accountability in deportation operations. Separately, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe retired after 26 years of service, having led the agency through reviews following the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump.
A $305 million jury verdict was awarded to 16 Oregon wildfire survivors represented by Susman Godfrey and co-counsel firms, who alleged that utility company PacifiCorp's negligence caused their losses in the 2020 Labor Day wildfires; PacifiCorp is appealing the decision. Judge Aileen Cannon permanently blocked the public release of Volume II of Jack Smith's special counsel report on the classified documents case, ruling the motions unopposed and accusing Smith of a "brazen stratagem" in completing the report after her dismissal of the case. Legal experts have questioned the scope of Cannon's authority to suppress the report given that the underlying criminal case is now closed, and advocacy groups are appealing her denial of their motion to intervene to the Eleventh Circuit.
Federal Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, told CBS News' 60 Minutes that he has received dozens to hundreds of death threats following his ruling that President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship was "blatantly unconstitutional." Coughenour described incidents including an armed swatting hoax at his home and a bomb threat, as well as a congressional "wanted" poster featuring his image. The judge, who has served on the bench for 44 years and previously required protection after sentencing an Al Qaeda bomber, said he has never experienced hostility toward the judiciary at this level before. CBS News spoke with 26 federal judges for the story, though Coughenour was among the few willing to speak on the record.
Dozens of people rallied outside the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City on Sunday to protest ICE enforcement actions, organized by a group called "ICE Out Missouri." The event featured speakers including Robert Olson, a friend of Owen Ramsingh, a long-time Columbia resident and green card holder who was deported to the Netherlands in early February after being detained at Chicago O'Hare Airport in September 2025 following a routine family visit. U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials cited two past drug charges as the basis for Ramsingh's detainment. Organizers said additional protest events are planned, though no specific dates or locations have been announced.
