National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

More Money to Fund War With Iran? Speaker Mike Johnson Hints at Vote | 2 March 2026 | Congress may soon have to decide how to pay for the growing conflict with Iran. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Monday that appropriators are already discussing whether lawmakers will need to approve supplemental funding if the military campaign known as “Operation Epic Fury” stretches beyond its initial objectives. “Our appropriators certainly asked that question,” Johnson told reporters after a classified briefing at the Capitol on March 2. He said final figures would depend on how long the operation lasts and what munitions and assets are required. If operations expand, Congress could be asked to approve billions in new spending at a time when the national debt exceeds 34 trillion and defense spending is already approaching record highs.

War in the Mideast Widens as Trump Says Strikes on Iran Could Last Several Weeks | 2 March 2026 | The war in the Middle East spiraled further Monday as Israel and the United States pounded Iran in a campaign that U.S. President Donald Trump said would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s energy production. The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe; oil prices shot up; and U.S. allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones. With no sign of the conflict abating anytime soon, Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

Trump promises swift retaliation for drone attack on U.S. embassy and deaths of service members as Americans told to flee 15 countries amid ‘major uptick’ in strikes | 2 March 2026 | Donald Trump has promised revenge “soon” after six service members were killed in Iran and the US embassy was struck by drones in Saudi Arabia. The embassy in Riyadh on Monday was “struck by two UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] that hit the roof’ and the perimeter of the consulate, the US State Department told The Wall Street Journal… The strikes came as the U.S. urged all Americans to leave 15 countries across the Middle East ahead of a planned “major uptick” in strikes on Iran. Trump told News Nation Monday night that “you’re going to find out soon” what the retaliation would be for the attack, but also said he did not think boots on the ground were necessary.

Israel strikes Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks, widening Iran conflict | 2 March 2026 | Israel launched new air strikes targeting Tehran and expanded its military campaign to include attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the U.S.-Israeli military assault on Iranian targets could continue for weeks. Israel said it was attacking sites connected to Lebanon’s Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah militants, one of Tehran’s principal allies in the Middle East, after Hezbollah acknowledged launching missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israel carried out air strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, with more than a dozen explosions rocking the Lebanese capital.

Oil tanker attacked off coast of U.S. ally –The vessel is the third to be targeted in the region since Washington and Israel launched strikes on Iran | 2 March 2026 | A crew member has been killed in an attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, local media reported on Monday, citing the Defense Ministry. The vessel is the third to be targeted in the region since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Massive bombing strikes on Iran began on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, senior officials, and hundreds of civilians. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. bases, while the escalation has disrupted shipping in the crucial Strait of Hormuz passage. The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MKD VYOM was attacked by an explosive-laden remotely operated boat while it was sailing 52 nautical miles (over 95 km) off the coast of Muscat Governorate, according to Omani authorities..

3 U.S. troops killed and 5 are seriously wounded during Iran attacks, military says | 1 March 2025 | Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the U.S. attacks on Iran, the military announced Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump said could likely lead to more losses in the coming weeks. The three who were killed were U.S. Army soldiers deployed to Kuwait as part of a unit that oversees supplies and logistics, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred as the Islamic Republic retaliates over the joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel.

Fury as Marco Rubio admits Israel forced U.S. into war with Iran | 2 March 2026 | The U.S. launched preemptive strikes against Iran after learning Israel was about to attack — and American troops in the region faced an imminent threat of retaliation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday. Rubio made the revelation on Capitol Hill, where he briefed a small group of congressional leaders on the joint U.S.-Israel offensive. “There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio stated. “And the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded.” Rubio said the Department of War determined that a defensive posture following an Israeli attack would only open the U.S. to more casualties. Five American soldiers have died so far in combat. The revelation outraged both Democrats and Republicans.

Moscow condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran | 28 Feb 2026 | The U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran are a “premeditated and unprovoked act of aggression,” the Russian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement, warning that it could have dire consequences for the Middle East and the entire world. Washington and West Jerusalem launched the attack on Saturday, with U.S. President Donald Trump stating that the operation is aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program and bringing about regime change in Iran… Moscow is calling on the UN and its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to give an impartial assessment of the “reckless actions aimed at disrupting peace, stability and security in the Middle East,” the ministry’s statement said.

President gives bleak warning to Americans and reveals four-week plan after U.S. troops are killed in Iran war | 1 March 2026 | President Donald Trump broke his silence Sunday on the first U.S. casualties of the Iran war in an exclusive phone interview with the Daily Mail. Three U.S. service members were killed in the fighting. They have yet to be identified publicly. “They’re great people,” the president said. “And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous – it could happen again.” Trump acknowledged that the three casualties were the first in his second term… Trump also revealed a potential timeline for the war with Iran — suggesting fighting could go on for the next four weeks. “It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four-week process so — as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks – or less,” the president explained.

Oil prices spike over U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran –Brent crude briefly surged to a 14-month high as the attacks plunged the Middle East into renewed conflict | 2 March 2026 | Global oil prices jumped by as much as 13% on Monday after intense US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered major concerns about global economic disruption. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already been heavily impacted as attacks continue across the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, carries about 20% of global oil and gas supplies. Although Iranian authorities say it remains open to tankers, news reports indicate shipping is largely paused due to strike risks. Brent crude jumped to 82 d-llars per barrel on the ICE exchange on Monday, marking a 14-month high amid the latest developments surrounding the passage, but has since retreated to around 79.5.

Iran Destroys $1.1 Billion U.S. AN/FPS-132 Radar in Qatar – IRGC Strike Shakes American Missile Defense Shield Across the Gulf | 28 Feb 2026 | In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, the Qatari Ministry of Defense has confirmed that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully destroyed a key U.S.-operated early warning radar system stationed in Qatar, underscoring the vulnerability of advanced American military assets in the Gulf and highlighting the growing sophistication of Iranian missile capabilities. The targeted system, the AN/FPS-132 Block 5 Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR), was installed by the United States in 2013 at a cost of approximately U.S. 1.1 billion, and its destruction signals a new phase in the conflict in which Tehran is directly challenging American military dominance in the Middle East. Designed to detect and track long-range ballistic missile launches from distances of up to 5,000 kilometers, the AN/FPS-132 was positioned at or near Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, where it provided critical early warning against potential threats, including those originating from Iran itself.

Israel declares nationwide emergency after strikes on Tehran | 28 Feb 2026 | Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency following the county’s strikes on Iran, amid fears of retaliation. The announcement came shortly after Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF had conducted what he called a preemptive strike against Iran, highlighting that retaliatory missile and drone attacks against the Jewish state are expected in the near future. Sirens sounded across Israel, accompanied by advance alerts sent directly to mobile devices, instructing residents to remain near protected spaces, the IDF said. New Home Front Command guidelines have been issued in Israel, banning educational activities, public gatherings and workplace attendance, with exceptions only for essential services.

Multiple members of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s family killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran | 28 Feb 2026 | Multiple members of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s family — including his daughter and grandchild — were killed when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran Saturday morning. The eliminated 86-year-old’s daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed in the joint military attack, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, according Iranian state media. Iranian state media claimed he was killed at his compound, showing that Khamenei “stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities.”

Austin bar mass shooter possibly motivated by Iran attacks, Quran found in car as FBI eyes terrorism after 2 killed, 14 injured | 1 March 2026 | The man behind Sunday’s bloodbath at a packed Austin bar was an ex-New York City resident wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie — and possibly out for vengeance over the U.S. attack on Iran, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Crazed Texas shooter Ndiaga Diagne, 53, of Senegal arrived in the U.S. on March 13, 2000, on a B-2 tourist visa during the Democratic Clinton administration and became a lawful permanent resident (IR-6) when he married a U.S. citizen in June 2006, a source familiar with his immigration history told The Post… On Sunday, the killer had a Quran in his car and was possibly also wearing an undershirt featuring the Iranian flag or other Iranian symbols when he opened fire on Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden near the University of Texas-Austin campus, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Austin mass shooter Ndiaga Diagne entered U.S. during Clinton admin, became citizen under Obama – despite string of busts | 1 March 2026 | The gunman behind Austin’s possible terror-related mass shooting entered the U.S. and cemented his legal immigration status under Democratic administrations — despite a growing criminal record. Senegalese national Ndiaga Diagne, 53, arrived in America on March 13, 2000, on a B-2 tourist visa during the Clinton administration, a source familiar with his immigration history told The Post on Sunday. Diagne — who killed two people and wounded 14 more during his rampage outside a Texas bar early Sunday — then became a lawful permanent resident on an IR-6 visa in June 2006 when he married a U.S. citizen, the source said. He had already racked up at least one arrest before that…law-enforcement sources said. He then went on to lodge a string of other arrests in the Big Apple between 2008 and 2016, but that didn’t stop him becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 5, 2013, sources said.

Dem governor under fire after illegal alien allegedly stabs woman to death at bus stop: ‘Heinous’ | 27 Feb 2026 | The Department of Homeland Security is calling on Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to ensure local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration officials by handing over an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal record who allegedly killed a woman earlier this week at a Virginia bus stop. Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, arrested an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone earlier this week on charges of second-degree murder after he allegedly fatally stabbed a woman, Stephanie Minter, 41, who was found dead at a local bus stop with several wounds to the upper body. The alleged suspect, Abdul Jalloh, 32, also has a criminal history of more than 30 arrests, according to DHS, including for rape, malicious wounding, assault, identity theft, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault and pick-pocketing. The request from the Trump administration comes after the newly elected Democratic governor of Virginia signed an executive order to end cooperation between federal immigration officials and state and local law enforcement.

Mother stabbed to death at Virginia bus stop by illegal immigrant with over 30 prior arrests | 1 March 2026 | A mother was stabbed to death at a Virginia bus stop by an illegal immigrant with dozens of prior arrests, including for rape and assault, according to authorities. Stephanie Minter, 41, was allegedly fatally stabbed by Abdul Jalloh, a Sierra Leone national, at a bus stop on Richmond Highway in Fairfax County last Monday, according to Fairfax County Police and the Department of Homeland Security. Minter, of Fredericksburg, was found in the bus stop shelter with multiple stab wounds to her upper body… Police identified Jalloh, 32, as the suspect in her killing after surveillance footage and interviews revealed he was the last person seen with Minter and had exited a bus with her, cops said. He was arrested on Tuesday after a person recognized him entering a business and charged with second-degree murder as well as petit larceny for an alleged crime that happened earlier in the day, according to police.

32 Illegal Drivers Turned Over to ICE During 3-Day Laramie County Truck Crackdown | 27 Feb 2026 | In a three-day operation called “Truck Around and Find Out,” the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office reports stopping 82 commercial trucks, arresting 32 illegal immigrants, and writing 51 tickets, Sheriff Brian Kozak said. It’s the agency’s second commercial truck safety operation on Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 85, both major trucking routes that run through the county, he said. The first, called “Operation Safe Haul,” was in November. By doing targeted traffic enforcement at the county’s borders with Colorado and ports of entry, deputies can identify commercial truck drivers who aren’t following the rules as well as other drivers who aren’t safe around semis, Kozak said. He said this week’s three-day traffic detail was a joint effort with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but that it wasn’t an ICE operation.

Supreme Court blocks California law that stopped schools from telling parents if their child is transgender | 2 March 2026 | The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a law that prevents California schools from telling parents if their child comes out as transgender, after granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group. The order for now blocks a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July 2024 that made California the first state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification. The ruling also blocks a rule that required teachers to use a student’s preferred pronouns. Monday’s granting of an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group comes after many parents and teachers challenged the law. The Thomas More Society, representing two sets of Catholic parents, argued the law causes schools to mislead them and secretly facilitates gender transition in minors.