\u201cI would just tell you very strongly, the United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime,\u201d Leavitt said. \u201cI would caution you from pointing the finger at the United States of America when it comes to targeting civilians, because that\u2019s not something that these armed forces do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.05 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Trump signs ‘pledge’ calling on AI firms to pay for electricity upgrades<\/p>\n A short time ago, Donald Trump concluded the public portion of an event with big tech executives in Washington, by signing a proclamation<\/a> calling on AI firms to protect Americans against higher electricity bills tied to datacenter power demand through a non-binding pledge.<\/p>\n The pledge was signed in the ornate, high-ceilinged Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower executive office building.<\/p>\n Donald Trump in the Eisenhower executive office building in Washington DC on Wednesday. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/p>\n Reporters were asked to leave immediately after Trump signed the proclamation, denying them to the chance to ask the president any questions about the war in Iran<\/a> or about the optics of a pledge signed in a room named after the many treaties signed by the US government with Indigenous people that were not honored.<\/p>\n According to an archived White House website page<\/a> from the administration of George W Bush:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe reason for the room\u2019s name \u2018Indian Treaty Room\u2019 is a mystery. It is not clear where it originated, despite extensive research. Some believe it was due to the fact that during the 1930s the War Department stored papers there, including treaties with the American Indian nations. But this is not true, as the State Department used it for storage until the 1940s after the Navy Library moved out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.08 EST<\/p>\n Rachel Leingang<\/p>\n Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democratic senator, served as a marine during the Iraq war, losing dozens of members of his battalion, including his best friend. The Iran<\/a> war is \u201cjust a lot of deja vu\u201d, he told the Guardian today.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a war that was hastily joined without any end goal, without any real reasoning, without full transparency with the American public,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you know, it sounds and smells potentially like another quagmire we\u2019re walking ourselves into.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the war is illegal \u2013 there was no imminent threat, as the White House has said, that allowed the president to circumvent Congress\u2019 role.<\/p>\n Ruben Gallego spoke last week at a news conference, alongside his colleagues Amy Klobuchar and Mark Kelly. Photograph: Annabelle Gordon\/Reuters<\/p>\n Democrats are pushing for a vote this afternoon on a war powers resolution that is likely to fail. Gallego said they should keep working to stop the war and get more answers from the president by leveraging the power of the purse, though he acknowledged there were \u201cvery few things we can do\u201d with Republicans<\/a> in control of Congress and the White House.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be doing everything we can to stop this war,\u201d he said, \u201cto at least figure out how to get it terminated, how to push for a plan from this White House that tells us at least what the victory looks like, what the real angles are, and what Iran is going to look like after we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n The hasty start to the war and lack of clarity on its goals put civilians, military and US allies in danger, he said.<\/p>\n For active duty military, \u201cit\u2019s a scary situation, when you don\u2019t hear what the plan is, what the victory is, when the president doesn\u2019t lay out what the goals are. You don\u2019t know what part you are in that mission, and what does that mean for your life. Are you likely to get activated? Are you likely to go? Anything of that nature. And that kind of ambiguity really scares members of the military as well as with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.03 EST<\/p>\n Here’s a recap of the day so far<\/p>\n Pete Hegseth confirmed during a Pentagon press conference that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The defense secretary also said that \u201cAmerica is winning\u201d the war on Iran, and suggested that in under a week the US and Israel \u201cwill have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace\u201d.<\/p>\n The defense secretary was evasive when asked about the bombing of an Iranian girls\u2019 elementary school<\/a> four days ago, which killed 175 people. \u201cAll I can say is that we\u2019re investigating,\u201d Hegseth said, while providing no information clarifying whose munition was responsible for the strike.<\/p>\n During a White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt was similarly vague about the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school. \u201cI would caution you from pointing the finger at the United States of America when it comes to targeting civilians, because that\u2019s not something that these armed forces do,\u201d the press secretary said.<\/p>\n Leavitt also said that Donald Trump plans to attend the \u2018dignified transfer\u2019 of the bodies of the six US service members who have been killed since the war with Iran<\/a> began. \u201cI understand the Department of War is working on scheduling this transfer, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The House oversight committee voted 24-19 to subpoena the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, as part of the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The motion was introduced by Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace, with five GOP representatives joining all Democrats<\/a> on the committee to compel Bondi to testify.<\/p>\n Senate Republicans are on Wednesday expected to vote down a Democratic-backed war powers resolution that would prevent Donald Trump from continuing the conflict against Iran<\/a>. Democrats have condemned Trump for ordering an air campaign against Iran without first seeking permission from Congress, but are unlikely to muster the 50 votes needed for the resolution to advance.<\/p>\n The House ethics committee announced today that it will open an investigation into Texas<\/a> congressman Tony Gonzales, following accusations that he had an extramarital affair with an aide in his office. In a statement<\/a>, the committee said it would examine whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct or discriminated unfairly by \u201cdispensing special favors or privileges\u201d.<\/p>\n Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett conceded to James Talarico today, after the state representative secured the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas<\/a>. Crockett said that she called Talarico to congratulate him. \u201cTexas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.17 EST<\/p>\n House oversight committee votes to subpoena Pam Bondi as part of Epstein investigation<\/p>\n The House oversight committee voted 24-19 to subpoena the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, as part of the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.<\/p>\n The motion was introduced by Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace, with five GOP representatives joining all Democrats<\/a> on the committee to compel Bondi to testify.<\/p>\n Pam Bondi testifies before a House judiciary committee hearing on oversight of the justice department on 11 February 2026. Photograph: Kent Nishimura\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.02 EST<\/p>\n Dharna Noor<\/p>\n At his meeting with tech bosses at the White House on Wednesday, Trump showcased his longstanding ire for wind energy.<\/p>\n The president said he told his environment secretary, Lee Zeldin, that his agency should speed permitting processes for gas plants, but he also told him: \u201cDon\u2019t worry about wind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cForget it. It\u2019s worthless,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou don\u2019t get approvals for wind. We don\u2019t do wind in this because it\u2019s a loser.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump went on to say that China makes \u201call the windmills\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only problem is, they don\u2019t have windfarms,\u201d he said. \u201cIn China, they make the windmills, then they sell them to the suckers over in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n In reality, China has more wind capacity<\/a> than any other country, equaling 40% of global wind generation in 2024, according to a 2025 report<\/a> from the thinktank Ember Energy. It also has twice as much<\/a> capacity under construction than the rest of the world combined.<\/p>\n The Guardian has repeatedly debunked the president\u2019s baseless claims about China\u2019s wind power \u2013\u00a0most recently during his remarks earlier this at the World Economic Forum in Davos<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.13 EST<\/p>\n Green groups remain unimpressed with pledge to mitigate datacenter energy costs: ‘This is a pinky promise, nothing more’<\/p>\n Dharna Noor<\/p>\n As Donald Trump<\/a> hosts big tech executives in Washington, where they are expected to sign pledges to protect Americans against higher electricity bills tied to datacenter power demand, green groups are largely unimpressed with the plan to mitigate utility price surges.<\/p>\n \u201cThis pledge is like asking the fox to guard the hen house. Datacenter developers have proven time and again that they\u2019re interested in protecting their bottom line only,\u201d said Sierra Club principal adviser Jeremy Fisher. \u201cThis is a pinky promise, nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n Fisher said the tech giants present at the event, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and others, \u201cmust now take real actions and show up in state regulatory venues and hold datacenters accountable for every penny of their energy infrastructure costs, making sure datacenters are building lower cost, lower risk clean energy and minimizing impacts to local residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sierra Club has fought for years for real, meaningful commitments by big tech, and we will not stop at a flimsy pledge to finally pay their fair share,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Trevor Higgins, senior vice-president of energy and environment at the liberal thinktank Center for American Progress, said the pledges are \u201cvague and largely meaningless\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless all datacenters are required to pay their fair share for the costs for their power, companies can opt out or hide the true impacts of their datacenter development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.37 EST<\/p>\n ‘We’re doing very well on the war front,’ says Donald Trump<\/p>\n As Donald Trump<\/a> kicked things off for his roundtable event with tech companies today, he noted that those in the room \u201cprobably want to speak about war\u201d rather than energy costs linked to the rapid build-out of datacenters across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing very well on the war front,\u201d the president added. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t do it first, they [Iran] would have done it to Israel \u2026 If we didn\u2019t hit within two weeks, they would have had a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the ongoing military action against Iran is depleting the regime\u2019s leadership. \u201cEverybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.41 EST<\/p>\n We\u2019re due to hear from Donald Trump<\/a> soon, when he welcomes big tech companies to Washington.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll discuss the \u201cratepayer protection pledge\u201d \u2013\u00a0the voluntary agreement which would commit tech giants to paying for or building the electricity needed to operate datacenters across the country.<\/p>\n The Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, is also at the roundtable event. We\u2019ll bring you the latest lines as things get going.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.35 EST<\/p>\n Joseph Gedeon<\/p>\n A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for the family of Sgt Declan J Coady \u2013\u00a0the 20-year-old Iowa soldier killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on 1 March after the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coady, a Drake University student and army reserve IT specialist who was posthumously promoted from specialist, was one of six US service members killed in the attack. Four of them had been from Iowa\u2019s 103rd sustainment command.<\/p>\n The new GoFundMe campaign has so far raised over $55k and describes Coady as \u201cmore than a soldier \u2013 he was a son, a family member, a friend, and a light in the lives of those who knew him\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.33 EST<\/p>\n Spain \u2018has agreed to cooperate\u2019 with US after Trump ire, says White House During the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt said that Spain had agreed to cooperate with US operations in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cWith respect to Spain, I think they heard the president\u2019s message yesterday loud and clear,\u201d the White House press secretary said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s my understanding over the past several hours, they\u2019ve agreed to cooperate with the US military<\/a>. And so I know that the US military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n But, shortly after, Spain\u2019s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said that the Spanish government\u2019s position \u201con the war in the Middle East the bombings in Iran<\/a>, and the use of our bases has not changed one iota\u201d.<\/p>\n A government spokesperson added: \u201cIt is not true. We categorically deny any change it. Spain\u2019s position has not changed.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>White House doesn’t rule out possibility of US boots on the ground in Iran<\/p>\n During today\u2019s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt did not rule out the possibility of US troops on the ground in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not part of the plan for this operation at this time,\u201d Leavitt said. \u201cBut I certainly will never take away military options on behalf of the president of the United States \u2026 and he wisely does not do the same for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that \u201cmany leaders in the past\u201d have taken options off the table \u201cwithout having a full understanding of how things could develop\u201d.<\/p>\n The question mark around American troops on the ground is in stark contrast to Donald Trump\u2019s campaign, which focused on not embroiling the US in foreign conflicts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Once again, the White House doubled down on its stance that the president had a \u201cfeeling\u201d Iran<\/a> posed an \u201cimminent and direct threat\u201d to the US, as its basis to launch initial strikes. However, Karoline Leavitt did not provide any detail about those threats at the podium today.<\/p>\n In the Oval Office earlier this week, Donald Trump<\/a> insisted that it was his opinion that Iran was \u201cgoing to attack first\u201d after stalled negotiations with the regime.<\/p>\n \u201cThese decisions are not made in a vacuum, they are made by the president\u2019s feeling that Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region,\u201d Leavitt told reporters today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>White House pushes back against accusations that evacuation plans for Americans were too made late<\/p>\n A number of reporters today have asked the press secretary whether the administration should have done more, in advance of the weekend strikes, to evacuate more Americans in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The press secretary insisted that there were plans in place, and listed several travel advisories shared by state department in recent weeks. On Monday, Mora Namdar, the US assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, issued the advisory<\/a> on Monday, urging Americans to \u201cDEPART NOW\u201d from more than a dozen countries, citing \u201cserious safety risks\u201d. However, major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region since Saturday, and several airports paused flights and scaled back operations<\/a>, leaving thousands stranded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe gave notices to leave immediately the countries where these Americans were,\u201d Leavitt said today, despite reports of Americans calling the state department hotline as recently as Tuesday evening and being told they couldn\u2019t receive help to evacuate.<\/p>\n Leavitt said that 17,500 Americans have safely returned home from the Middle East, with more than 8,500 American citizens returning home on Tuesday. She also repeated that US citizens in the Middle East looking to return home should register with the state department to be provided travel options.<\/p>\n You can read more about those left stranded by my colleague, Anna Betts:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.19 EST<\/p>\n At the press briefing on Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump plans to attend the \u2018dignified transfer\u2019 of the bodies of the six US service members who have been killed since the war with Iran<\/a> began.<\/p>\n \u201cWe grieve for these American patriots and their families as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of these American heroes to stand in grief alongside their families\u201d she said. \u201cI understand the Department of War is working on scheduling this transfer, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.06 EST<\/p>\n White House evades responsibility for strike on Iranian girls’ school<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt batted down a question from a reporter about the US involvement in a strike on an Iranian girls\u2019 elementary school, which killed 175 people.<\/p>\n The press secretary did not accept US responsibility for the attack, and noted that the Pentagon is investigating the strike (as Pete Hegseth<\/a> said earlier).<\/p>\n \u201cI would just tell you very strongly, the United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime,\u201d Leavitt said. \u201cI would caution you from pointing the finger at the United States of America when it comes to targeting civilians, because that\u2019s not something that these armed forces do.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.05 EST<\/p>\n Leavitt says Trump had ‘good feeling’ Iran was going to strike US<\/p>\n Leavitt said that while a reported phone call between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump about Ayotollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>\u2019s whereabouts was \u201cimportant\u201d, she doubled down on the president\u2019s claim that he \u201chad a good feeling that the Iranian regime was going to strike the United States assets and our personnel in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n The press secretary added that while Khamenei\u2019s location \u201chad an impact on the timeline of the operation\u201d it was \u201cnot quite the president\u2019s decision in its entirety\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.44 EST<\/p>\n Leavitt accused members of the media of \u201cmisreporting and intellectual dishonesty\u201d when explaining why Donald Trump<\/a> decided initiate Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n The administration has put out conflicting accounts about the lead-up to the initial attacks on Saturday. While the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said that an imminent strike from Israel precipitated pre-emptive action from the US. However, the president said on Tuesday that, \u201cif anything\u201d, he forced Israel\u2019s hand to strike, and rejected any claims that he was pressured by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Anna_Betts.png\")
Anna Betts<\/p>\nAnna Betts<\/p>\n