Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard laid out her defense for President Donald Trump and his decision to take action, alongside Israel, against the Iranian regime.
Gabbard argued that it was her job to ensure that the president had the best and most accurate information possible, but it was Trump&#8217;s responsibility alone to determine what does and does not constitute an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; against the United States.
&#8220;Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country,&#8221; Gabbard posted on Tuesday.
&#8220;The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.&#8221;
Gabbard&#8217;s statement comes just hours after Joe Kent announced his resignation as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, claiming that there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States and that Trump had been pushed by Israel into waging war against the Iranian regime.
Kent, according to an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-wasnt-involved-in-iran-war-planning-intel-official-says">intelligence official</a> who spoke with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mary Margaret Olohan, had been excluded from planning and briefings regarding the war with Iran. That same official refuted earlier reporting stating that Gabbard had been advised to fire Kent, but had failed to do so.
&#8220;Intelligence official tells @realDailyWire that it’s true that Joe Kent wasn’t part of the planning of the Iran war or briefings on the war,” Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2033953793629401411" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. “It is not true that DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard was asked by the White House to fire Kent, source says— if she had been asked to do so, she would have fired him.”

Karoline Leavitt Holds Daily White House Press Briefing

Tulsi Gabbard Defends Trump’s Decision To Take Action In Iran

Tulsi Gabbard Defends Trump's Decision To Take Action In Iran

Donald Trump

Iran

Media

Military

Politics

Tulsi Gabbard

Joe Kent claimed on Tuesday that he did not believe the Iranian regime had presented an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States prior to President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to attack — but he sang a very different tune in 2020, when he called for the elimination of Iran&#8217;s nuclear capabilities.
Kent announced that he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-wasnt-involved-in-iran-war-planning-intel-official-says">leaving his post</a> as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and claimed in his resignation letter he could not &#8220;in good conscience&#8221; support the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, at least in part because there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States from the regime.
But in January of 2020, when a U.S. strike ordered by President Trump eliminated top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Kent argued on social media that the president — to his way of thinking — had not gone far enough.
On January 7, four days after Soleimani was killed, Kent appeared to <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1214778671564611584">address</a> the threats coming from Iran promising retaliation for the strike on their general: &#8220;We remain in striking distance by choice for no clear benefit. We should crush their ballistic &amp; nuke capes and get out of Iraq, with sanctions to follow. Cut Iran off from funds and targets. Let them deal with proxies looking for $ &amp; their protesters. We don&#8217;t need IZ (Iraq) or IR (Iran).&#8221;
One day later, on January 8, Iran launched a dozen ballistic missiles at two targets in Iraq: Al Asad Airbase and another site near Irbil.
&#8220;Trump’s restraint shows that he wants a deal with Iran &amp; his red line is American loss of life &amp; IR nuke development. Our fundamental venerability remains — Troops in striking range of IR weapons &amp; proxies w/ no vital US mission,&#8221; Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1214960125200330752">posted</a> on the 8th, adding, &#8220;I personally think we should have crushed their ballistic &amp; nuke capes, but Trump has a plan, he has definitely earned the confidence of any clear eyed observer.&#8221;
Even as recently as 2024, Kent&#8217;s posture toward Iran was far more in line with President Donald Trump&#8217;s current actions than with his own resignation letter that would come less than two years later.
On October 7, 2024 — one year after Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel and slaughtered more than one thousand Israelis — Kent blamed former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration for allowing Iran access to the kind of money that could fund such an operation.
&#8220;October 7th b/c happened Biden/Harris gave Iran access to over 100 billion,&#8221; Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1843402393461182550">posted</a>. &#8220;Trump used diplomacy to build the Abraham accords, cut off Iran’s funding &amp; killed key terrorists. America &amp; our allies were safe &amp; there was less war. No more neocons, no appeasement, Trump ‘24.&#8221;
Just a few weeks earlier, he took a <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1840425323743395853">similar tone</a>: &#8220;Iran’s goal in orchestrating 7 Oct was to break up the Abraham accords because the historic alliance isolated Iran’s terror regime. Trump used a balance of diplomacy, economic pressure &amp; targeted strikes to contain Iran. The embodiment of peace through strength. Israel’s dismantling of Hezbollah would have been much more challenging, if not impossible had Trump not taken out Iran’s terror mastermind Qasim Solemani.&#8221;
On March 17, 2026, however, Kent claimed in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-intel-official-joe-kent-quits-over-iran-strikes-claims-israel-controls-trump">resignation letter</a> that Iran posed no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States and that Trump was taking action against the regime because he was being pushed into it by Israel.
&#8220;Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,&#8221; he wrote.
&#8220;Who got to Joe Kent?&#8221; Steve Guest <a href="https://x.com/SteveGuest/status/2033947809758548390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2033947809758548390%7Ctwgr%5E3399c8bcd88c7621f5a833b70157ac50cef0ca02%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsamj%2F2026%2F03%2F17%2Fold-posts-come-back-to-haunt-joe-kent-n2426119">wondered</a>.

House Homeland 12/11/25

Joe Kent, Circa 2020: ‘I Personally Think [Trump] Should Have Crushed Their Ballistic & Nuke Capes’

Joe Kent, Circa 2020: 'I Personally Think [Trump] Should Have Crushed Their Ballistic & Nuke Capes'

ballistic missiles

Nuclear Weapons

Social Media

President Donald Trump took a brief question from a French reporter on Monday, and immediately proceeded to jab at French President Emmanuel Macron as he answered.
The reporter asked Trump whether or not he&#8217;d been in contact with Macron about plans to force the Iranian regime back and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — in order to allow oil tankers and other ships to pass — and Trump said that Macron had rated an &#8220;eight&#8221; on a scale from zero to ten.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reporter: Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;Yeah, I have spoken to him. He&#8217;s been, on a scale of 0-10, I&#8217;d say he&#8217;s been an 8. Not perfect — but it&#8217;s France.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/VqCGUHUFDa">pic.twitter.com/VqCGUHUFDa</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2033590292209860933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?&#8221; the reporter asked.
&#8220;Yeah, I have spoken to him. He&#8217;s been, on a scale of 0-10, I&#8217;d say he&#8217;s been an 8. Not perfect — but it&#8217;s France,&#8221; Trump said with a laugh. &#8220;We don&#8217;t expect perfect.&#8221;
The reporter, undeterred, forged ahead: &#8220;Are you confident that France will help with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz?&#8221;
Trump nodded. &#8220;Yeah, I mean, sure. He&#8217;s going to — I think he&#8217;s going to help, I&#8217;ll let you know. I spoke to him yesterday.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t do a hard sell on them, because my attitude is we don&#8217;t need anybody,&#8221; the president continued. &#8220;We&#8217;re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world; we don&#8217;t need them!&#8221;
Trump went on to say that, in some cases, he asked foreign leaders for their assistance not because he thought he needed the help, but because he wanted to see how they might react to the question: &#8220;I&#8217;ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won&#8217;t be there. Not all of them, but they won&#8217;t be there.&#8221;
The president went on to say that he&#8217;d been shocked when the United Kingdom had seemed reluctant to send ships.
&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to do it, we&#8217;ve been with you, you&#8217;re our oldest ally,&#8221; Trump aimed his response at the United Kingdom. &#8220;And we spend a lot of money on NATO and all of these things to protect you.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-FRANCE-G7-SUMMIT

‘Not Perfect, But It’s France’: Trump Uses French Reporter’s Question To Jab At Macron

'Not Perfect, But It's France': Trump Uses French Reporter's Question To Jab At Macron

Emmanuel Macron

Global Politics

Joy Reid did a side-by-side comparison of the United States and Iran, and her overall takeaway was that if American women were better off than their Iranian counterparts, they were not better off by much.
Reid, who was ousted from her regular gig with liberal network MSNBC before NBC News jettisoned the now rebranded cable news network (MS NOW), argued that the United States had secret police just like Iran and was just as oppressive when it came to how women were treated — although she listed off the &#8220;oppressive&#8221; policies impacting American women and did not mention one of the many that affect Iranian women. The only real difference, she claimed, was that American oppression came at the hands of Christians and Iran&#8217;s oppressive regime was rooted in Islam.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Joy Reid: America is a Christian form of Iran &amp; women may have be better off there <a href="https://t.co/mDAheewOPU">pic.twitter.com/mDAheewOPU</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2033542969509191976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We get told, particularly when it comes to Arabs and Muslims and Africans, that people are just diabolically evil for no reason, right? That they do things because they hate our freedoms. We were told this about Iraq, that they just hated us for no damn reason at all,&#8221; Reid said, suggesting that the narrative was invented out of whole cloth in order to justify American actions.
&#8220;Now, I’m not saying that that regime is not bad, but, by the way, our regime is not good,&#8221; Reid continued. &#8220;Our regime has secret police. They have secret police. Our regime is oppressing women, taking away abortion rights, taking away women’s rights in like 26 states — some states where they’re trying to have the death penalty for having an abortion.&#8221;
Reid acknowledged briefly that the Iranian rulers &#8220;also oppress women,&#8221; but omitted the <a href="https://iranhumanrights.org/2025/03/gender-apartheid-in-iran-is-crushing-womens-lives-and-futures/">extent of that oppression</a>. A number of the regime&#8217;s laws — and the punishment for breaking them — only apply to women.
<ul>
<li>Women must adhere to a mandatory dress code that requires covering their hair, arms, and legs in public. The regime&#8217;s so-called “morality police” — along with surveillance cameras — enforce the rule, and women who disobey could face hefty fines, prison sentences of five to 15 years, or be barred from travel. In 2022, for example, the morality police arrested Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, and she died after they brutally beat her. Nationwide protests followed.</li>
<li>Women can be arrested or thrown in prison for social media posts showing them without their hijabs or for posting dance videos online.</li>
<li>Women must also wear a hijab when appearing in films or on television, because Iranian law requires the covering in all public media.</li>
<li>Women are not permitted to sing solos in front of mixed audiences, meaning that female performers are restricted to performing at female-only events or recorded performances.</li>
<li>Women have often been banned from attending men’s sporting events, especially soccer matches, leading to a number of women being arrested for dressing as men in order to attend such events.</li>
<li>Many women require permission from a father or male guardian to marry, regardless of their age at the time, if it is their first marriage.</li>
<li>Girls can legally be married at 13, but a younger girl can be forced to marry if her father or a judge decrees it.</li>
<li>Married women are not permitted to leave the country or obtain a passport without first getting written permission from their husbands.</li>
<li>A woman’s testimony in court is only worth half of a man’s testimony.</li>
<li>Women typically inherit less than men, meaning that daughters usually receive only half the inheritance that would be given to sons.</li>
<li>The Iranian constitution bars women from ever becoming president, and women are not permitted to become judges.</li>
<li>Married women can be legally barred from holding a job if their husbands claim that their work conflicts with their family obligations.</li>
<li>Men can file for and obtain divorces for any reason, but women risk losing inheritances and child custody — and are rarely granted divorces anyway.</li>
</ul>
Reid, clearly unbothered by that, went on to claim, &#8220;They have the highest rate of women who are in STEM careers. We’re kicking women out of the military, out of university. We’re saying that DEI means women can’t be hired for high positions in the sciences.&#8221;
While it has been claimed in viral social media posts that 70% of STEM graduates in Iran are women, data from the <a href="https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/view#indicatorPaths=UIS-EducationOPRI%3A0%3AFOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F&amp;geoMode=countries&amp;geoUnits=IRN%2CUSA&amp;browsePath=EDUCATION%2FUIS-EducationOPRI%2Fgraduates&amp;timeMode=range&amp;view=line&amp;chartMode=single&amp;tableIndicatorId=FOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F&amp;chartHighlightSeries=&amp;chartHighlightEnabled=true&amp;chartIndicatorId=FOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F">United Nations</a> shows that 25% of Iran&#8217;s STEM graduates are female.
&#8220;So we’re marginally better,&#8221; Reid concluded. &#8220;And we’re doing it for Christianity, they’re doing it for Islam, right? So, it’s like we don’t get told those things because it would take away the kind of American exceptionalism narrative that makes it easy to take our people and send them off to die in a war that we have nothing to do with, that we don’t want.&#8221;
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Isabel Brown fired back at Reid, saying, &#8220;Forgive my Christian ignorance but when was the last time a woman was BEATEN TO DEATH BY THE MORALITY POLICE for a sliver of her hair showing in a Christian country?&#8221;

2024 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ Presented By Coca-Cola® – Day 3 – Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Joy Reid Says Iranian Women Are As Free As Americans — The Brutal Reality Says Otherwise

Joy Reid Compares U.S. And Iran Side By Side, Concludes America Is Just Barely Better

Joy Reid

United States

Women

Women's Rights

Democrats and the legacy media have been spinning since the very beginning of President Donald Trump&#8217;s military actions against the Iranian regime. Over the span of two weeks, they have pulled out all the stops to win the battle of narratives and convince the world that it was wrong to strike Iran — or if it was right to strike Iran, this was the wrong time. And if it was the right time to strike Iran, then Trump is doing it wrong.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
On ABC News, for example, Martha Raddatz spoke with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). He agreed that Iran was &#8220;a problem,&#8221; but immediately pivoted to argue that &#8220;war&#8221; was not the proper response to every problem. He then went on to draw a comparison between Iran and previous military actions in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan — and he argued that they were all essentially the same.
&#8220;Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban is, you can have a threat and not have a military solution that’s going to make it better.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING: Rep. Adam Smith tells Martha Raddatz that “war is not always the answer to a problem.”
“Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban… <a href="https://t.co/C5oi0rvSQy">pic.twitter.com/C5oi0rvSQy</a>
— Axel Vesa (@AxelVesa1) <a href="https://twitter.com/AxelVesa1/status/2033209072921481404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Smith also offered a comparison to Venezuela and the recent operation to extract former President Nicolás Maduro, adding, &#8220;Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith on President Trump’s foreign policy: “Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.” <a href="https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S">https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S</a> <a href="https://t.co/ns5XiVOxU0">pic.twitter.com/ns5XiVOxU0</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2033191028044271657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; anchor Jake Tapper brought in former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who promptly declared that the action in Iran was proof that &#8220;this is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House.&#8221;
Buttigieg, after claiming that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden had secured nuclear deals that prevented Iran from gaining access to nuclear weapons, argued that President Trump had rushed into war because he was unable to get &#8220;a better deal&#8221; and had done so without any kind of planning or preparation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pete Buttigieg on the war with Iran: &#8220;This is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/liOQlGQ50w">pic.twitter.com/liOQlGQ50w</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033192256820121841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tapper took a pause to defend the media&#8217;s oppositional stance, arguing that he and others doing the same were not being critical because they wanted the United States to lose, but because they were just doing their jobs.
&#8220;Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war,&#8221; he claimed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: “Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war.” <a href="https://t.co/KtfZYSnBJU">pic.twitter.com/KtfZYSnBJU</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033185159428591690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Margaret Brennan, on &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; spoke to several who reinforced the Democrat-driven narrative that the Trump administration was in over its head in Iran.
Former CIA operative Joey Gannon told her that Iran had moved to keep supreme leadership in the Khamenei family because it sent a signal to the world that the regime still had complete control.
&#8220;So, he was a gatekeeper for the supreme leader&#8217;s office in the past. He has strong ties to the IRGC and the Basij, he knows how power actually operates, and he is, effectively, a symbol of continuity right now,&#8221; he explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former CIA operative Jonny Gannon says the decision to appoint Motjaba Khameini as the new supreme leader “is the message from the regime that they are still in control.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is clearly not a charming public face; what he is is a systems operator,” he says. “So, he… <a href="https://t.co/oP6zveXtvO">pic.twitter.com/oP6zveXtvO</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033222131090084297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Samantha Vinograd, an Obama administration alum, took the same posture when she argued that Iran was essentially outwitting the United States strategically.
&#8220;The Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as well as hiring people to do their dirty work for them, to such an extent that I am concerned that they have the intent and capability to, if not direct attacks here in the homeland, to inspire them .&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former Homeland Security official Samantha Vinograd says “the Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive” in the way they carry out attacks.
“They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as… <a href="https://t.co/GgKqrE9CEG">pic.twitter.com/GgKqrE9CEG</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033219553694503149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) told Brennan that he did not believe the Iranian regime — despite a 47-year record of Iran and its proxies killing over 1,000 American service members and civilians and a recent boast that the regime had nearly enough enriched uranium for almost a dozen nuclear bombs — posed an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States. What&#8217;s more, Warner argued that Iran did not pose an immediate threat to Israel — despite Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah striking Israeli targets on a regular basis.
&#8220;There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was even an imminent threat to Israel from Iran,&#8221; Warner declared. &#8220;Over a period of time, particularly with the ballistic missile capability, Israel would be more under threat. The decision to go to war in this case was a choice by President Trump.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says he stands by the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment by U.S. intelligence leaders who testified at the time that Iran had not reauthorized their nuclear weapons program.
“There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was… <a href="https://t.co/MLJA4YT5Gc">pic.twitter.com/MLJA4YT5Gc</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033215927228002331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Jake Tapper

Spin Cycle: Dems, Media Wage War Over Who Controls The Narrative In Iran

ABC News

CBS News

Democrats

Israel

Middle East

NBC News

The terrorist who opened fire in a Virginia classroom on Thursday had been released early from federal custody and later enrolled in classes at Old Dominion University, developments that may have been made possible by Democrat policies.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/15/us/mohamed-bailor-jalloh-old-dominion">Mohamed Bailor Jalloh</a> was initially sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was released in December 2024 after completing a substance abuse program that could qualify inmates for reduced sentences under a provision of the 1994 crime bill signed by then-President Bill Clinton. A Trump administration policy change in 2025 later barred inmates convicted of terrorism-related crimes from qualifying for such early release.
Jalloh&#8217;s release came just eight years after he told investigators that he had considered a Fort Hood-style attack on American military personnel.
Less than two years after he was released, he walked into a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) classroom, shooting and killing a decorated service member and ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, before students subdued him.
Another law that may have cleared a path for Jalloh, <a href="https://www.progress-index.com/story/news/2021/06/03/virginia-governor-removes-criminal-record-checkbox-college-apps/7527473002/">signed in 2021</a> by then-Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), bars colleges from asking prospective students about their criminal histories on applications — and may help explain how Jalloh, 36, was able to enroll in online classes at Old Dominion despite his 2016 guilty plea to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS).
Former Attorney General Jason Miyares drew attention to the issue with an <a href="https://x.com/JasonMiyaresVA/status/2033160143395836335">X post</a>, referencing what he called a &#8220;social justice&#8221; law signed by Northam.
The Common Application, which many Virginia universities use, removed its criminal history question by 2019, and Northam later signed legislation in 2021 prohibiting public universities from asking applicants about criminal records.
The U.S. Department of Education, under former President Joe Biden, urged the rest of the nation to move in the same direction as recently as 2023. A report titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-ban-box-incarcerated-students/649091/">Beyond the Box 2023</a>&#8221; advised universities to stop asking prospective students to provide their criminal histories, stating that there was not enough evidence to prove that previous crimes were indicative of on-campus behavior.
“The use of criminal justice information is very different from the traditional information reviewed in a college application,” the report stated. “Properly trained admissions staff are key to ensuring that a criminal record does not unfairly bias the admission decision and that formerly incarcerated applicants are treated with dignity.”
Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024, re‑enrolled at ODU in summer 2025, and was taking <a href="https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/03/13/jalloh-was-student/">online classes</a> at the university at the time of the shooting. Authorities have not said whether he used a student ID to access the building where the shooting occurred.

US-NEWS-CMP-OLD-DOMINION-SHOOTING-GUNMAN-2-VP

How Democrat Policies Helped The ODU Terrorist Pull Off His Attack

Islamists

Joe Biden

Ralph Northam

terrorist attack

Virginia

Liberal outlet MS NOW — formerly MSNBC — ran a segment on Saturday during which one of the cohosts complained about the way that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration have described the &#8220;opponent&#8221; in recent American military action against the Iranian regime.
Antonia Hylton, during Saturday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The Weekend: Primetime,&#8221; complained that &#8220;racism&#8221; was fueling the way President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth talked about Iran and the regime&#8217;s terrorist proxies.
&#8220;The other piece of this that I found really disturbing in the messaging around the war recently — and Ayman, I really want your thoughts on this in particular — is some of the language in the description of their opponent,&#8221; Hylton said, describing the regime that has murdered more than 1000 Americans, both military and civilian.
&#8220;Sort of the way they seem to create this image of the Iranians and all of their sort of proxies or allies, the sort of imagery that they conjure up,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And I think that it takes a certain amount of arrogance and I’m also going to say it, a bit of racism, to constantly talk about people like they are savages. That is a word that we have heard Hegseth use. [They] talk about people as though they are subhuman, too stupid to engage in a war with the United States, incapable of possibly out-maneuvering us, and then find ourselves in the exact position in which it appears they are consistently out-maneuvering us.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/03/06/iranian-and-iranian-backed-attacks-against-americans-1979-present/">Iranian regime&#8217;s efforts</a> to kill Americans have stretched across the decades since the Islamic takeover in 1979. In 1983, 258 Americans were killed between a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, and a truck bombing in the same city. Iran-backed Hezbollah killed 19 U.S. Airmen in Saudi Arabia at the Khobar Towers in 1996. Iranian proxies are estimated to have killed nearly 700 between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and nearly 50 Americans were killed by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists during the attack on Israel that took place October 7, 2023.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Lefty Network Melts Down Over How Trump, Hegseth Describe Iran’s Evil Regime

Lefty Network Melts Down Over How Trump, Hegseth Describe Iran's Evil Regime

Pete Hegseth

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked on Sunday whether Democrats were waiting for Americans to die before they would be willing to take action to ensure national security.
Duffy joined host Maria Bartiromo on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; on Fox News, and he specifically questioned the recent flip-flop from Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) — who repeatedly voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security only to demand that Congress fund DHS when a terror attack rocked her home state.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Are Democrats waiting for Americans to get hurt or killed before they make YOUR security a top priority?<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorSlotkin</a> voted EVERY TIME against funding <a href="https://twitter.com/DHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHS</a>. And now that an attacker tried to kill Jews at a synagogue in her home state of Michigan, she’s ready to fund Homeland… <a href="https://t.co/YyDhOlydAO">pic.twitter.com/YyDhOlydAO</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2033192290122891305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Look at Senator Slotkin from Michigan, where there was a synagogue attack,&#8221; Duffy began. &#8220;She voted every time against funding DHS, and once the threat to her community was real, from radicals, now she says let&#8217;s open up DHS.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that begs the question, are Democrats to get hurt, to get killed before they actually put your security before those who have come to this country unlawfully and illegally?&#8221; Duffy asked. &#8220;I hope that&#8217;s not their position, but we can get to a better place if they would just come to their senses and negotiate after they open it up.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-calls-for-dhs-funding-after-synagogue-terror-attack-but-rewind-24-hours">Slotkin</a> called for DHS to be funded in the wake of the attack on Temple Israel, during which armed security guards were able to thwart an attacker who crashed his vehicle into the building, armed with a rifle. She had voted with her party against fully funding the Department of Homeland Security, prolonging the partial government shutdown.
The partial shutdown, largely driven by Democrat criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), does not actually impact the funding already carved out for ICE but has cut off pay for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the United States Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among others.

TOPSHOT-US-SHOOTING-SYNAGOGUE-MICHIGAN

Dems Forced To Face Brutal Question About Americans Dying

Sean Duffy: How Many Americans Need To Die For Dems To Care About National Security?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Sean Duffy

U.S. Ambassador to the UN. Mike Waltz said on Sunday that he did not believe President Donald Trump was likely to take any options off the table with regard to the ongoing military action in Iran — even options that could compromise oil production in the region.
Waltz, a Green Beret veteran, addressed recent attacks on Iran&#8217;s &#8220;crown jewel&#8221; — Kharg Island — and said that while the initial attacks specifically targeted military assets, he did not believe Trump would rule out the possibility of strikes that damaged the regime&#8217;s oil infrastructure.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: Is President Trump prepared to target those oil facilities on Kharg Island? 
UN AMB. MIKE WALTZ: &#8220;Well President Trump&#8217;s not going to take any options off the table&#8230; I would certainly think he would maintain that optionality if he wants to take down their energy… <a href="https://t.co/EIonYFHELY">pic.twitter.com/EIonYFHELY</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033179456186044769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tapper noted that Kharg Island was Iran&#8217;s &#8220;key oil hub&#8221; — and that the attacks thus far had been limited to solely military targets — but turned to Waltz and asked, &#8220;Iran says oil production on the island is proceeding normally. If Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, is President Trump prepared to target those oil facilities — which, as you know, handle 90% of Iran&#8217;s crude oil exports — and if so, are you worried that could risk even more of an escalation when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz?&#8221;
&#8220;Well President Trump&#8217;s not going to take any options off the table, Jake, and he pointed out in his Truth [post] when he announced the military infrastructure strikes on Kharg, which by the way they used to project their fast boats, drones, and other types of attacks into the Gulf, that he deliberately hit the military infrastructure only — for now,&#8221; Waltz replied.
&#8220;I would certainly think he would maintain that optionality if he wants to take down their energy infrastructure,&#8221; he added. Waltz went on to say that an unrestrained Iran had been using those military assets to put a stranglehold on shipping — whether of oil or other goods — from other countries, and that those efforts would only redouble and get more dangerous for all involved if Iran had been allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities.
Trump said late on Friday, after ordering the strikes on Kharg Island, that his intention was to only hit military targets unless Iran continued to wreak havoc on any ships attempting to travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

2023 Concordia Annual Summit – September 18

Trump’s United Nations Head Lays Out What Cards Trump Won’t Take Off The Table With Iran

Trump's United Nations Head Lays Out What Cards Trump Won't Take Off The Table With Iran

Mike Waltz

President Donald Trump ordered a strike on military targets on Iran&#8217;s Kharg Island, on Saturday — 38 years after he first promised to be &#8220;harsh&#8221; with the despotic regime and take aim at the oil hub.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) shared video of the strikes on X, noting that it was aimed at &#8220;naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites.&#8221;
In addition, CENTCOM explained that the strike had selectively targeted only military assets, leaving the nation&#8217;s oil capabilities intact: &#8220;U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Last night, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran. The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg… <a href="https://t.co/2X1glD4Flt">pic.twitter.com/2X1glD4Flt</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/2032777791247155482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Trump gave a similar explanation in a Truth Social post, saying that it would obviously have been easier to simply destroy the island in its entirety — but that his goal had been to only take out the military targets and leave the oil production infrastructure untouched.
&#8220;Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,&#8221; Trump posted. &#8220;Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island.&#8221;
Trump went on to say that he was keeping his options open, however, and would consider additional strikes on the island — and the oil production capabilities — if Iran made additional attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
&#8220;Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;During my First Term, and currently, I rebuilt our Military into the Most Lethal, Powerful, and Effective Force, by far, anywhere in the World. Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing they can do about it! Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon, nor will it have the ability to threaten the United States of America, the Middle East or, for that matter, the World! Iran’s Military, and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much!&#8221;
Trump hinted at just this kind of action while promoting his book, &#8220;The Art of the Deal,&#8221; in 1988. Saying that he would be &#8220;harsh,&#8221; with the Iranian regime, Trump explained, &#8220;They&#8217;ve been beating us psychologically, making us look like a bunch of fools. One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I&#8217;d do a number on Kharg Island.&#8221;

Trump Monitors Military Operations at White House

FLASHBACK: Trump Promised To Be ‘Harsh’ With Iran, Annihilate Kharg Island In 1988

FLASHBACK: Trump Promised To Be 'Harsh' With Iran, Annihilate Kharg Island In 1988

FBI agents provided an active shooter training seminar for leadership and staff at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, just six weeks before armed security at the synagogue successfully stopped a shooter on the premises.
The FBI&#8217;s Detroit Field Office shared a photo and some information about the training on January 30, 2026, as two special agents joined Temple Israel&#8217;s clergy and staff members to walk them through active shooter scenarios and drills that could help them to prepare for the unthinkable.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FBI Detroit led an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training for the clergy and staff of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. The FBI course combines lessons learned from years of research and employs scenario-based exercises to help participants practice… <a href="https://t.co/qvtJIkClkS">pic.twitter.com/qvtJIkClkS</a>
— FBI Detroit (@FBIDetroit) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDetroit/status/2017244001225564419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;FBI Detroit led an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training for the clergy and staff of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield,&#8221; the post read. &#8220;The FBI course combines lessons learned from years of research and employs scenario-based exercises to help participants practice the decision-making process of the Run, Hide, Fight principles and take necessary actions for survival.&#8221;
&#8220;We appreciate them for having us. Our Division has partnered with many organizations in Michigan and is committed to protecting schools, workplaces, houses of worship, medical facilities, transportation centers, government facilities, other public gathering sites, and communities,&#8221; the post concluded, encouraging other organizations to reach out for access to similar training. &#8220;Contact us or your local FBI Field Office for questions regarding active shooter training.&#8221;
Just six weeks later, on March 12, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-respond-to-reports-of-active-shooter-as-michigan-synagogue-goes-up-in-smoke">shooter attacked</a> the massive synagogue. Ramming the building with his vehicle first — and armed with a rifle — security personnel on site were able to quickly evaluate the situation and engage the shooter.
As The Daily Wire initially reported, a security guard at the synagogue engaged the attacker and “shots were fired,” according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. The shooter was found dead in the vehicle. One security guard was injured after he was hit by the attacker’s vehicle, but he’s expected to recover, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
The Republican Jewish Coalition commented on the fortuitous timing of the training, saying in an X post, &#8220;@FBI led an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training at Temple Israel less than two months [ago]. @FBIDirectorKash. No doubt this helped to prevent a mass casualty event today.&#8221;
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

Screenshot/FBI Detroit

FBI Trained Michigan Temple How To Stop A Shooter Just Weeks Before Attack

Active Shooters

Crime

Michigan

Shooting

Synagogue Attack

U.S.

Retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, went missing on February 27 — and the search has intensified amid reports linking McCasland to highly-sensitive space weapons programs and rumors about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
McCasland was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/retired-air-force-major-general-missing-new-mexico-william-neil-mccasland/">last seen</a> near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, around 11 a.m. local time — and according to officials, he left his phone behind and has not been in contact with any friends or family members in the nearly two weeks since he disappeared.
The retired astronautical engineer held degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University — and while serving in the Air Force, held a number of posts that gave him access to highly-sensitive information.
McCasland, as CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/11/us/retired-air-force-general-fbi-search">reported</a>, served for a time at the Pentagon overseeing several programs related to space weaponry. He was the chief engineer on the Global Positioning System program within the Department of Defense, and served as program director for the Space Based Laser Project Office as well.
He also served for a time as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which has long been rumored to be the &#8220;storage&#8221; facility where UFO debris from Roswell, New Mexico, was held. The Air Force has consistently denied that is the case, but Wright-Patterson was also home to Project <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/">Blue Book</a> — the military program that studied 12,618 reported UFO sightings between 1952 and 1969.
After his retirement, McCasland worked with Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge as a consultant regarding UAP for DeLonge&#8217;s company, To The Stars, Inc.
McCasland&#8217;s wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/susanmccasland.wilkerson/posts/26567647242840474?ref=embed_post">posted</a> on Facebook after he disappeared, saying that she did not believe he knew anything that would have made him a target for abduction.
&#8220;It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community. This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil. Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,&#8221; she said.
Luis Elizondo, a former Department of Defense intelligence officer, added, &#8220;I hope and pray this is not one of those cases where a former senior military officer was specifically targeted and that he will be found happy and healthy in the immediate near term for his sake and the sake of his loved ones.&#8221;
Elizondo said that the best thing for everyone would be to wait for law enforcement officers to do their jobs.
Authorities have interviewed hundreds who live in the vicinity and have asked neighbors to provide footage from security cameras in an effort to determine which direction McCasland went when he left home, apparently on foot. They have also issued a Silver Alert on him, in part because the retired service member reportedly also has a medical condition that was not specified.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico has requested help from the public in locating McCasland, noting that he is an &#8220;avid outdoorsman&#8221; who routinely runs and hikes in the surrounding neighborhoods and in the foothills of the nearby Sandia Mountains.
&#8220;Due to his background and established partnerships, BCSO is coordinating closely with multiple agencies,&#8221; the sheriff&#8217;s office said in a statement, noting that the FBI and McCasland&#8217;s previous Air Force duty stations were among those agencies.

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Virginia Kruta