The upper chamber\u2019s top Republican has said he\u2019ll likely hold a vote on the legislation, which requires proof of citizenship while registering to vote and significantly curbs mail-in voting, next week. However, staunch Democratic opposition means it will fall short of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance.<\/p>\n
Thune has said the votes \u201caren\u2019t there\u201d for a talking filibuster, or doing away with the legislative filibuster altogether \u2013 the so-called \u201cnuclear\u201d option. Today, Trump said it was up to the South Dakota lawmaker to \u201cget them\u201d regardless.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.27 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Reporting from Hebron, Kentucky <\/p>\n Amid thunderstorms and a tornado warning, hundreds of people have lined up outside a packaging plant in northern Kentucky this afternoon to see the president.<\/p>\n One was Chuck Wills, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran who waited in line for three hours this morning to secure a front-row seat to see President Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was worth it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n For Wills, who lives locally, it\u2019s his first time seeing Trump in person, although he\u2019s not unaware of the challenges facing the country. He says the economy will take some time improve.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a little pain before it turns around,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lucy Campbell<\/p>\n On Iran\u2019s new leaders, Donald Trump added: \u201cWe knocked out twice their leadership, and now they have a new group coming up. Let\u2019s see what happens to them.\u201d<\/p>\n A reminder that Trump has consistently expressed strong disapproval of Iran\u2019s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the assassinated ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n In recent days, Trump has said his appointment was a \u201cbig mistake\u201d and suggested he wouldn\u2019t \u201clast long\u201d without US approval.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking to reporters at a pharmaceutical company in Cincinnati, Ohio, Donald Trump continued to refer to the US-Israel war on Iran<\/a> as an \u201cexcursion\u201d.<\/p>\n When asked why he keeps using \u201cwar\u201d and \u201cexcursion\u201d interchangeably, the president said: \u201cIt\u2019s both.\u201d<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s both an excursion that will keep us out of a war. For them it\u2019s a war. For us, it turned out to be easier than we thought.<\/p>\n Trump went on to say that the US has hit \u201c28 mine ships as of this moment\u201d. This is up from the 16 that US Central Command said it \u201celiminated\u201d near the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The president also tried to assuage concerns about the whipsawing price of oil. \u201cI would say it went up a little bit less than we thought. It\u2019s going to come down more than anybody understands,\u201d he told reporters in Ohio.<\/p>\n Donald Trump talks with reporters as he visits Thermo Fisher Scientific in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 11 March 2026. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.23 EDT<\/p>\n The FBI warned California police departments that Iran could retaliate against US attacks by launching drones at the west coast, according to ABC News<\/a>, citing a reviewed alert that was distributed at the end of February.<\/p>\n \u201cIran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,\u201d the alert read, according to ABC. \u201cWe have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither the FBI field office in Los Angeles nor the White House immediately responded to ABC\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.54 EDT<\/p>\n Lucy Campbell<\/p>\n The US state department said on Wednesday that Iran and Iran-aligned militas may be planning to target US-owned oil and energy infrastructure and hotels in Iraq.<\/p>\n In a post<\/a> on X, the US embassy in Baghdad said: \u201cIran-aligned terrorist militias have also targeted hotels frequented by Americans throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR).\u201d<\/p>\n It urged US citizens in Iraq to \u201cremain vigilant, maintain a low profile and stay away from areas that could make them a target\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.41 EDT<\/p>\n Trump issues blunt message to Senate majority leader to pass voter ID legislation<\/p>\n As John Thune battles conservative blowback for refusing to alter Senate rules and mandate a traditional \u201ctalking\u201d filibuster that would force Democrats to hold the floor to block the Save America Act, Donald Trump<\/a> had a blunt message for the Senate majority leader. \u201cHe\u2019s got to be a leader,\u201d the president told reporters outside the White House today.<\/p>\n The upper chamber\u2019s top Republican has said he\u2019ll likely hold a vote on the legislation, which requires proof of citizenship while registering to vote and significantly curbs mail-in voting, next week. However, staunch Democratic opposition means it will fall short of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance.<\/p>\n Thune has said the votes \u201caren\u2019t there\u201d for a talking filibuster, or doing away with the legislative filibuster altogether \u2013 the so-called \u201cnuclear\u201d option. Today, Trump said it was up to the South Dakota lawmaker to \u201cget them\u201d regardless.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.27 EDT<\/p>\n The president said that US forces were working \u201cvery hard\u201d for Lebanon. This comes as Lebanon\u2019s ministry of health said on Wednesday that 634 people have been killed in Israeli strikes against Beirut. \u201cWe\u2019re working on it very hard. We love Lebanon,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe got to get rid of the Hezbollah. Has been a disaster for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n While speaking to reporters today, Donald Trump evaded a question about the bombing of an Iranian girls\u2019 school that killed at least 175 people. Earlier we noted<\/a> that a preliminary investigation found that the US is to blame for the strike, according to a report from the New York Times.<\/p>\n When asked whether he takes responsibility for the attack, the president simply replied: \u201cI don\u2019t know about it.\u201d This comes after Trump insisted that Iran was to blame in recent days, despite mounting evidence<\/a> that suggests US liability.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.57 EDT<\/p>\n When asked what it will take for the military action against Iran to end, Trump added that it requires \u201cmore of the same\u201d. Earlier, the president told Axios<\/a> that the war would end \u201csoon\u201d since the there is \u201cpractically nothing left to target\u201d in Iran.<\/p>\n Outside the White House, Trump extolled how much headway US forces have made against Iran: \u201cThey\u2019ve lost their navy, they\u2019ve lost their air force \u2026 We could take them out by this afternoon, in fact, within an hour, they literally would never be able to build that country.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.22 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump just spoke to reporters briefly outside the White House.<\/p>\n Asked if oil companies should be using the strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas where traffic has effectively ground to a halt amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, Trump said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI think they should.<\/p>\n Iran has reportedly deployed about a dozen mines in the strait and reiterated today that any ships belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies passing through the strait could be targeted.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n An Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed six US service members in the early hours of the US-Israeli war on Iran was more severe than previously revealed, with dozens suffering injuries including brain trauma, shrapnel wounds and burns, multiple sources have told CBS News<\/a>, with at least one requiring the amputation of a limb.<\/p>\n More than 30 military members remained in hospital on Tuesday night with injuries from the attack on a tactical operations center at the Shuaiba port outside Kuwait City, according to CBS News\u2019s report.<\/p>\n The Pentagon said yesterday that about 140 US service members had been injured so far in the US-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care,\u201d Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.<\/p>\n Donald Trump and several members of his cabinet joined the families of the six US soldiers<\/a> killed in the strike during a \u201cdignified transfer\u201d ritual at Dover air force base on Saturday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.56 EDT<\/p>\n A man was taken into custody earlier after driving his van into a security barrier outside the White House this morning, the Secret Service confirmed to the Guardian.<\/p>\n In a statement, a spokesperson for the agency said the man crashed into the temporary security barrier just before 6.30am. He was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service\u2019s uniformed division.<\/p>\n The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was being interviewed by investigators. Criminal charges were pending, the Secret Service said.<\/p>\n A police bomb squad was called to the scene, checked the vehicle and determined it to be safe.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.26 EDT<\/p>\n Preliminary investigation says US to blame for bombing of Iranian girls’ school \u2013 report<\/p>\n A preliminary investigation into the bombing of an Iranian girls\u2019 elementary school found that the US is to blame for the strike that killed at least 175 people, according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Citing unnamed officials familiar with the preliminary findings, the Times reports that Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school was the result of a \u201ctargeting mistake\u201d by the US military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base, which used to include the school building.<\/p>\n The Guardian has previously reported on the growing body of evidence <\/a>that shows the US to be responsible for the attack.<\/p>\n According to the officials briefed on the preliminary investigation whom the Times spoke with, officers at US Central Command (Centcom) created target coordinates for the strike \u201cusing outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency\u201d.<\/p>\n The officials emphasized that \u201cthere are important unanswered questions about why the outdated information had not been double checked\u201d.<\/p>\n Donald Trump has insisted that Iran bears responsibility for the attack, despite admitting that he \u201cdoesn\u2019t know enough\u201d about the strike, and administration officials are withholding blame until a full report is released. The president has said he is \u201cwilling to live\u201d with the investigation\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.47 EDT<\/p>\n Senator Rick Scott says Trump has ‘no interest’ in boots on the ground in Iran<\/p>\n The Republican senator Rick Scott, who sits on the upper chamber\u2019s armed services and foreign relations committees, said that Donald Trump<\/a> \u201chas no interest in troops on the ground\u201d in Iran, during an interview with CNN.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, after a closed-door briefing with defense and state officials, Democrats on the Senate armed services committee lambasted the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cincoherent\u201d strategy when it comes to the US-Israel war on Iran<\/a>. \u201cThis is a disaster of epic proportions. It\u2019s already getting Americans killed. It\u2019s driving up prices here at home,\u201d Chris Murphy said in a TV interview after the meeting.<\/p>\n Scott said that Democrats<\/a> were being \u201cdisingenuous\u201d about the possibility of Trump sending US soldiers to Iran \u2013\u00a0a move that he hasn\u2019t entirely ruled out.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing in this briefing that said that we are going to put troops on the ground. There was nothing,\u201d the GOP lawmaker from Florida told CNN.<\/p>\n Scott added that while it is going to be \u201cvery difficult\u201d to open the strait of Hormuz, the administration \u201cclearly\u201d has a plan. This comes after the US military said it attacked and destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the crucial waterway. On Tuesday, CNN reported that Iran<\/a> has begun laying explosive devices in the strait in recent days.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody wants to see gas prices up,\u201d Scott said. \u201cSo we want prices to come down. I think, unfortunately, prices are going to be up for a while until this ends.\u201d<\/p>\n Rick Scott speaks to reporters after a briefing by Trump administration officials to members of the Senate on US strikes on Iran, on 3 March 2026. Photograph: Nathan Posner\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.32 EDT<\/p>\n Rachel Leingang<\/p>\n A Democrat<\/a> won a special election for a state house seat in New Hampshire on Tuesday, flipping a Republican<\/a> district that Donald Trump<\/a> carried and marking the latest in a string of 28 Democratic upsets that could usher in a blue wave in the midterms.<\/p>\n Bobbi Boudman beat Republican Dale Fincher in New Hampshire\u2019s Carroll county district 7. It was Boudman\u2019s third try at the seat \u2013 she lost to incumbent representative Glenn Cordelli in the last two cycles by several points. Cordelli resigned from the seat after moving, leading to the special election on 10 March.<\/p>\n Unofficial results<\/a> show Boudman winning with about 52% of the vote among the more than 4,000 voters who turned out.<\/p>\n Marissa Hebert, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Democratic party, noted on X<\/a> the swing Boudman made in the district: she lost in 2024 by more than 13 points. \u201cBad day for @NHGOP!\u201d Hebert wrote.<\/p>\n National Democrats pointed to Boudman\u2019s win as part of a pattern of Democrats winning in red and toss-up areas: Democrats have now flipped 28 seats since Trump won in November 2024, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) said. Republicans<\/a> have not flipped any.<\/p>\n The committee hopes for more wins this year, with a strategy<\/a> that could deliver the biggest Democratic gains in two decades, Heather Williams, the DLCC\u2019s president, said.<\/p>\n![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Stephen_Starr.jpg\")
Stephen Starr<\/p>\n