Following a third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democratic lawmakers for rhetoric that openly invited violence.
“They’ve incited violence, in my view,” he said. “It’s time to turn down the rhetoric. We’ve been seeing this over and over. I hope that this will be a sobering reminder for everybody about that very important cause.&#8221;
Leavitt, who was already supposed to have begun her maternity leave, hosted an impromptu White House Press Briefing and echoed Johnson’s tone.
&#8220;This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment,” she said. “Those who constantly, falsely label and slander the president as a fascist, as a threat to democracy and compare him to Hitler, to score political points, are fueling this kind of violence.”
Addressing the gathered reporters, Leavitt asked what separated the rhetoric wielded by Democratic lawmakers from that contained in the would-be assassin’s manifesto.
The shooter who attempted to attack Trump administration officials on Saturday, for example, claimed that he acted because he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has repeatedly claimed that Trump is an authoritarian and a threat to Democracy — and, like shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen, did not hesitate to call the president a “rapist.”
“Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” she said in a 2025 X <a href="https://x.com/AOC/status/1943736675877658637">post</a>.
And Ocasio-Cortez was not alone. Even after one assassination attempt on Trump — which left one dead and two others gravely injured at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally — former Vice President Kamala Harris ignored calls to tone down the rhetoric and referred to her opponent as a “fascist.”
President Trump appears to have had enough of the rhetoric as well, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-explains-delay-leaving-ballroom-says-he-wanted-to-personally-assess-scene">pushed back immediately</a> when CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell raised a question from Allen’s manifesto: “I was totally exonerated &#8230; You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that &#8230; You’re a disgrace.”
Since the news broke that yet another would-be assassin had targeted President Trump, a number of Democratic lawmakers have attempted to sidestep the landmines in their own party’s rhetoric and simply issue blanket calls condemning political violence.
Former President Barack Obama sparked backlash when he did so, in part because he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-claims-shooters-motive-is-unknown-despite-manifesto-raging-against-trump">also claimed</a> hours after the manifesto’s release that “we don&#8217;t yet know the details about the motives.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp (D-WA) was one of the few who stood out, <a href="https://x.com/RepMGP/status/2048232340954943936">saying,</a> in spite of her own personal and political opinions, “Please stop trying to murder the President.”

Secret Service

Republican Leaders Blame Democratic Rhetoric After Third Trump Assassination Attempt

assassination attempt

Karoline Leavitt

Mike Johnson

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is investigating the &#8220;troubling&#8221; deaths and disappearances of scientists and researchers who each reportedly had access to classified information at some point in their careers.
&#8220;In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Her remarks came after Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy pressed both Leavitt and President Donald Trump about the eerie timeline, given that at least 11 scientists have died or disappeared under strange circumstances. All of these individuals have been tied to military, nuclear, or aerospace research, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/11th-scientist-death-emerges-string-missing-dead-officials-access-us-secrets">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,&#8221; Leavitt emphasized on Friday.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy&#8217;s National Nuclear Security Administration told The Daily Wire on Friday that it is &#8220;aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter.&#8221;
Trump himself said that he had just left a meeting on the topic as he departed the White House on Thursday for Las Vegas.
“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump said. “Pretty serious stuff … hopefully a coincidence, or whatever you want to call it.”
<div id="attachment_1079913" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-scientists-are-turning-up-dead-or-missing-now-the-white-house-is-stepping-in/us-avery-closea-to-making-iran-deal-as-two-week-ceasefire-nears-end-trump-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1079913"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1079913" class="wp-image-1079913 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>President Donald Trump speaks to the Press before departing from the White House to Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 16, 2026, in Washington DC. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Amy Eskridge, for example, was an Alabama researcher who died on June 11, 2022, at the age of 34 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science and worked on &#8220;antigravity&#8221; research. In a 2020 interview with YouTuber Jeremy Rys, she described receiving &#8220;harassment, threats,&#8221; and sabotage of her research. Notably, she suggested at one point that scientists who had breakthroughs in their work would &#8220;disappear&#8221; or stop working.
&#8220;If you stick your neck out in public, at least someone notices if your head gets chopped off,&#8221; Eskridge said in the interview. &#8220;If you stick your neck out in private, they will bury you. They will burn down your house while you’re sleeping in your bed, and it won’t even make the news.&#8221;
Other strange cases include NASA scientist Monica Jacinto Reza, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/21/us-news/rocket-scientist-with-professional-ties-to-missing-gen-william-mccasland-disappeared-under-similar-circumstances/">vanished on a hike in June 2025</a>; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, <a href="https://abc7.com/post/man-charged-killing-caltech-astrophysicist-carl-grillmair-llano-carjacking-own-relative-burglarizing-home/18626990/">who was shot on his front porch in February</a>, Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Nuno Loureiro, who <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/nuno-loureiro-professor-director-plasma-science-and-fusion-center-dies-1216">was shot and killed in his home in December 2025</a>, and Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missing-general-scientist-deaths-tied-secret-us-work-prompt-white-house-probe">vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home</a> in March.
NASA researcher Michael Hicks <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/09/us-news/another-mysterious-nasa-death-as-ninth-scientist-linked-to-secret-programs-dies/">passed away in July 2023</a>, while NASA engineer Frank Maiwald <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/frank-maiwald-obituary?id=55630404">died in July 2024</a>. Two Los Alamos employees went missing and have not been found: Melissa Casias, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing in June 2025</a>, and Anthony Chavez, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing just before Casias</a> in May 2025.
Pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas went missing in December 2025 and <a href="https://people.com/body-found-lake-believed-belong-scientist-missing-3-months-11928819">was recently discovered</a> at the bottom of a Massachusetts pond, and Kansas City National Security Campus government contractor Steven Garcia <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/news/steven-garcia-missing-contractor-overseeing-us-nuclear-weapons-assets-disappears-list-grows-to-10/articleshow/130275011.cms?from=mdr">disappeared in Albuquerque in 2025</a>, allegedly with only a handgun.
Officials have not established that there is a connection between the deaths, but the public has grown increasingly disturbed by the frequency of the incidents. Four of the mysterious cases involve New Mexico, for example, where the Los Alamos National Laboratory is located.

US âvery closeâ to making Iran deal as two-week ceasefire nears end: Trump

Top Scientists Are Turning Up Dead Or Missing. Now The White House Is Stepping In.

Donald Trump

Executive

Nuclear

U.S.

Press Briefing LIVE THUMBNAIL (11)

LIVE COVERAGE: White House Highlights Trump’s ‘Historic’ Cuts On Tax Day

Press

White House

The Trump administration has made it a &#8220;top priority&#8221; to remove anyone residing in the United States illegally or fraudulently, especially those connected to the Iranian regime, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Wednesday.
Olohan asked Leavitt about the administration&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/family-members-of-slain-iranian-general-arrested-u-s-legal-status-revoked">efforts to deport</a> people with close ties to the Iranian government, such as the niece and grandniece of the late Iranian terrorist general Qasem Soleimani. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
&#8220;I understand one of the individual&#8217;s visas was revoked by Secretary Rubio, and they were deported by ICE because they had a fraudulent asylum claim,&#8221; Leavitt told The Daily Wire. &#8220;That is against the laws of the United States, so anyone who is here illegally or fraudulently is subject to our nation&#8217;s immigration laws and will be removed from our country. And I know this continues to be a top priority for the State Department working in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> asks <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> if the Trump administration plans to deport more relatives of Iranian officials in the U.S.
&#8220;Anyone who is here fraudulently is subject to our nation&#8217;s immigration laws and will be removed from our country.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/urZfy1Bgpu">pic.twitter.com/urZfy1Bgpu</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2041940236997988685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Soleimani&#8217;s family members appeared to live lavish lifestyles in the United States, with photos they posted to social media <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/photos-inside-california-home-qasem-soleimanis-relatives-following-immigration-customs-arrest">showing</a> them in designer clothing, bikinis, and low-cut dresses. Meanwhile, women in Iran are forced to wear restrictive religious garb — including mandatory hijabs and full-body cloaks — and are threatened with arrest if they show their hair. While Afshar lived with freedom in the United States, she was outspoken in her support for the Iranian regime and celebrated attacks on Americans, Rubio said.
Afshar and Hosseiny are not the only Iranians living in the United States with close connections to the brutal regime. The son of one of the top spokeswomen for Iran&#8217;s propaganda machine is also living in the United States and is working as an adjunct associate professor at The Chicago School in Los Angeles, The New York Post reported. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/his-mother-raised-him-on-irans-regime-propaganda-now-hes-teaching-your-kids">Eissa Hashemi</a>, 43, is the son of the former Iranian vice president for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar, who was better known as “Screaming Mary.”
Ebtekar was the leading spokeswoman for the Iranian radicals who took 66 American hostages in 1979. Hashemi has lived in the United States since 2010 and has never publicly denounced his mother&#8217;s actions.
Last September, the Trump administration deported at least 55 Iranians back to their home country, which sparked fear among many in the Iranian diaspora who had fled the country to escape persecution under the radical Islamic regime. As many as 400 Iranians in America were expected to be sent back to Iran last year.

Iranian officials family members living in U.S.

Daily Wire Asks Leavitt About Iranian Official’s Family Living Lavishly In The U.S.

deporation

Iran

Trump Administration

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is urging Republican and Democratic lawmakers to move at &#8220;Trump speed&#8221; and send the SAVE America Act to his desk.
Leavitt&#8217;s comment was in response to Olohan&#8217;s question during a press briefing on whether the White House has been satisfied with the effort from Republican leadership to pass the SAVE America Act.
&#8220;I think the president has made it very clear that he wants everyone on Capitol Hill to move as quickly as possible to get the SAVE America Act passed,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;And he wants to see that legislation on his desk as soon as Republicans and Democrats can move to pass it.&#8221;
Olohan pressed, &#8220;But are there any lawmakers in Congress that the president is frustrated with on this matter and feels could be doing a better job?&#8221;
&#8220;I think the president wants to see everybody on Capitol Hill move faster all the time,&#8221; Leavitt replied. &#8220;He wants everyone in this town to work at Trump speed like we do here at the White House.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> that President Trump wants everyone on Capitol Hill to move &#8220;as quickly as possible&#8221; to pass the SAVE America Act:
&#8220;He wants everyone in this town to work at &#8216;Trump Speed&#8217; like we do here at the White House.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/c747W2wtiM">pic.twitter.com/c747W2wtiM</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2036868027912724840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The legislation, which passed the House last month, has been caught up in the Senate as Democrats remain united in their opposition to the bill, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, mandate voter ID, and impose restrictions on mail-in voting. On Tuesday night, the SAVE America Act <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-save-america-act-just-cleared-a-huge-legislative-hurdle-despite-full-dem-opposition?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+SAVE+America+Act+Just+Cleared+A+Huge+Legislative+Hurdle+Despite+Full+Dem+Opposition">cleared</a> a legislative hurdle and advanced to debate, but the 60-vote filibuster threshold remains in the way of the bill&#8217;s final passage.
Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/be-a-leader-trump-challenges-john-thune-as-save-america-act-faces-uncertainty?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Be+A+Leader%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Challenges+John+Thune+As+Save+America+Act+Faces+Uncertainty">called</a> on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to &#8220;be a leader&#8221; and &#8220;get [the votes].”
“It’s the most popular bill put before Congress,” Trump added.
Democrats appear unwilling to compromise on their opposition to the SAVE America Act as it currently stands, and at least one Republican senator — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — has come out against the bill. Around half of Republican senators have said they would support a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, which would force Democrats to speak nonstop on the Senate floor if they want to block a vote.
A large group of Republican senators, however, oppose changing filibuster rules to use the talking filibuster, and Thune argues that the move would be &#8220;complicated and risky&#8221; as it would allow Democrats to control the Senate floor and propose an unlimited number of amendments that could be tacked onto the SAVE America Act.
President Trump has said that he will not sign any legislation until the SAVE America Act is sent to his desk, adding on Sunday night that he does not want Republicans to make a deal with Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless Democrats &#8220;Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.'&#8221;

Press Secretary Leavitt Holds Briefing At The White House

Daily Wire Presses Trump Team On Lawmakers Dropping The Ball

Leavitt Pressed On Whether White House Is Satisfied With GOP Efforts On SAVE America Act

Democrats

Republicans

SAVE America Act

Senate

While our military is busy liquidating the Iranian regime’s ability to function, CNN has pivoted to its favorite pastime: inventing &#8220;intelligence failures&#8221; based on the whispers of anonymous cowards.
On Friday, the network of record for the &#8220;unserious&#8221; released a report claiming the Trump administration &#8220;significantly underestimated&#8221; Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz. Relying on the typical &#8220;three sources familiar with discussions&#8221; — who likely couldn&#8217;t find the Persian Gulf on a map — CNN suggested the Pentagon was caught flat-footed by the regime’s desperate move to choke off global energy.
The response from the administration and those actually in the room was swift, brutal, and entirely justified.
Montana GOP Senator Tim Sheehy — a man who knows a thing or two about mission planning, as he served several hundred days in active combat zones, including multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as platoon commander and team leader, specializing in unconventional warfare and special operations — wasted no time in nuking the narrative. Having attended a classified briefing, Sheehy took to social media to call out the blatant disinformation.
&#8220;It is categorically false that they did not plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; Sheehy fired back. &#8220;Lawmakers and national security officials have known for years that this was Iran’s plan once their backs were against the wall.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I received a classified briefing from the administration. It is categorically false that they did not plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. 
Lawmakers and national security officials have known for years that this was Iran’s plan once their backs were against the wall. <a href="https://t.co/3jHvdnKZRg">https://t.co/3jHvdnKZRg</a>
&mdash; Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimSheehyMT/status/2032454091327078845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The idea that the most sophisticated military planning in human history simply &#8220;forgot&#8221; about a choke point Iran has been threatening since the 1980s isn&#8217;t just bad journalism — it’s fan fiction.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went even further, labeling the story &#8220;100% FAKE NEWS&#8221; and a &#8220;complete disgrace.&#8221; In a scathing statement, Leavitt pointed out the absurdity of CNN running with anonymous hearsay when the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and every lawmaker present for the briefing had already directly debunked the claims.
&#8220;The Pentagon has been planning for Iran’s desperate and reckless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for DECADES,&#8221; Leavitt declared. &#8220;The idea that Chairman Caine and Secretary Hegseth weren’t prepared for this possibility is PREPOSTEROUS.&#8221;
Leavitt correctly noted that Operation Epic Fury was specifically designed to solve this problem permanently. By annihilating the regime’s navy, missile sites, and drone factories, the U.S. is stripping the terrorist Iranian regime of the very tools they use to hold the global economy hostage.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This story is 100% FAKE NEWS. 
CNN decided to run this garbage based on three anonymous “sources familiar with discussions.”  
This is despite the fact that myself, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and multiple lawmakers (who were actually present for the recent… <a href="https://t.co/IchmwpDnO7">pic.twitter.com/IchmwpDnO7</a>
&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2032461051493511299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While CNN frets over &#8220;economic fallout&#8221; and &#8220;interagency debate,&#8221; the adults in the room are focused on the mission. Energy Secretary Chris Wright summed it up perfectly: &#8220;To win in life, you’ve got to suffer short-term pain for the long-term gain.&#8221;
President Trump, for his part, remains unshakable. While the media wrings its hands over oil prices, Trump reminded the world that stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a slightly higher priority than a temporary shift in energy markets.
The media’s &#8220;work overtime&#8221; to discredit the administration is failing for one simple reason: the results on the battlefield speak louder than anonymous sources.
Meanwhile, CNN will still be looking for its next fake headline.

MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-10-52-AM-8092

Sheehy, Leavitt Torch CNN’s ‘Garbage’ Fan Fiction On Strait Of Hormuz ‘Intelligence Failures’

Strait of Hormuz

Tim Sheehy

Oil prices have dropped for two straight days following previous surges, having hit four-year highs on Monday before logging the biggest single-day percentage drop since 2022.
Oil prices plunged on Tuesday when Secretary of Energy Chris Wright claimed in an X post that the U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent Crude dropped to around $81 per barrel, according to <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/future/brn00?countrycode=uk&amp;gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqe4k1-WtbbEc0_rDe9RmjIzBeQ_NbvsmIuohb4DQSo55Be0bfuc1Ez2yJhY6Pc%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69a5b024&amp;gaa_sig=kegHiaf_xsPW94kPXb2xUx2YgsMT9F6cMvHsnXelmzUTlyMm_8GalBG_mAiBT6m4gV0Q7YYn6j8miOFnbJ_EGA%3D%3D">MarketWatch</a>. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt corrected that claim in her Tuesday afternoon press briefing, which sent oil prices back up, with Brent Crude closing around $91 per barrel.
“I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that’s an option that the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time,&#8221; Leavitt said.
Using the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil travels, is just one of the options the Trump administration has announced that would bring down prices.
The administration ordered the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to <a href="https://www.theinsurer.com/ti/news/trump-orders-us-government-to-provide-political-risk-insurance-for-gulf-shipping-2026-03-04/">offer</a> political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Gulf. Insurance policies covering a vessel traveling through the strait have reportedly jumped by as much as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-in-focus-after-iran-targets-key-oil-route">37.5%</a>, while others were canceled altogether. In addition, the Treasury Department lifted oil sanctions — most notably on Friday, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a temporary <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/world/middleeast/iran-war-putin-russia-energy-oil-prices.html">30-day lift</a> allowing India to buy Russian oil.
Senate Democrats criticized the decision to lift oil sanctions, writing in a statement, “Now is not the time to clear the way for sales for Russian oil majors and Russian-owned and shadow fleet vessels.”
Bessent argued that the lifted sanctions were narrow in scope and would not provide a substantial financial benefit to the Russian government. Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia lead the world in oil production.

Oil Rig

Oil Prices Yo-Yo As White House Walks Back Navy Escort Claim

Global Politics

World

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Americans on Tuesday that oil and gas prices would soon come back down, and President Donald Trump&#8217;s massive military operation in Iran would result in lower gas prices in the &#8220;long-term.&#8221;
During a White House press briefing, Leavitt urged Americans to stay patient after gas prices rose to their highest national average in four years. Leavitt said oil and gas prices could drop &#8220;rapidly&#8221; after the U.S. military achieves its objectives in &#8220;Operation Epic Fury.&#8221;
&#8220;The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long-term.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;Rest assured to the American people: the recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KeF8ele6HE">pic.twitter.com/KeF8ele6HE</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2031437515320598782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Brent crude, the international benchmark price point for oil, skyrocketed to nearly $120 per barrel earlier this week, but then plummeted to under $90 after President Trump said on Monday that the war in Iran was &#8220;very far ahead of schedule.&#8221; As of Tuesday afternoon, Brent crude remained just below $90 per barrel, which is still much higher than before the United States and Israel began their joint operation targeting Iran on February 28.
The ongoing war in Iran has squeezed oil flow coming through the Strait of Hormuz, which sits between Iran and the United Arab Emirates and is the only passage for tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. Around 20% of the world&#8217;s oil is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, but that oil flow came to a near complete halt last week. As of Monday, oil tankers again began traversing the strait, with oil tanker traffic ticking up to 20% of its normal level, according to analysis from Goldman Sachs.
Trump has floated taking control of the strait. The White House is also considering using U.S. ships to escort oil tankers.
&#8220;That’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time,” Leavitt said on Tuesday.
The president warned Iran on Monday, saying, &#8220;If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.&#8221;
U.S. intelligence suggests that Iran could be preparing to drop mines in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News <a href="https://x.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/2031433322555937181">reported</a>. Such a move could further threaten oil tanker traffic and stall oil flow to the world. If tankers are prevented from passing through the Strait of Hormuz for more than two weeks, oil could reach $150 per barrel, some experts warned, according to the Associated Press. Saudi Arabia&#8217;s state-run oil company also warned of &#8220;catastrophic consequences&#8221; for global oil markets if the important shipping lane does not reopen soon.

Gas Prices

White House Reassures Americans About Oil Prices, Hints At ‘Long-Term’ Relief At The Pump

Crude Oil

Israel

U.S. Military

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put a quick stop to The Independent&#8217;s Andrew Feinberg, who tried to claim that the Trump administration had not properly outlined the imminent threat posed by the Iranian regime.
Leavitt rejected &#8220;the premise of the question&#8221; out of hand, then laid out a list of Trump administration officials who had, in fact, made the case for Iran posing an imminent and ongoing threat to the United States and to American interests.
WATCH:
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> does not make these decisions in a vacuum. This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/hJtO1Igz5S">pic.twitter.com/hJtO1Igz5S</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2029271931598352667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;At the top of the briefing, you listed a long list of grievances against the Iranian government going back to the takeover of the embassy in &#8217;79,&#8221; Feinberg began, listing a couple of examples. &#8220;But no one in this administration has laid out the imminent threat that was supposed to be taken care of by this &#8230; Why is it that you can&#8217;t say what the imminent threat against the U.S. was that required us to launch this?&#8221;
&#8220;I completely reject the premise of your question,&#8221; Leavitt replied. &#8220;You have had the President of the United States, the Secretary of War, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and now I am out here today to explain to you exactly what led the president to make the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury.&#8221;
But Leavitt didn&#8217;t stop there. Instead, she went on to lay out, in more detail, some of the actions taken by the Iranian regime that had spurred President Trump to action, from their previous and ongoing support of terror proxies to their persistent attempts to create nuclear weapons that could eventually threaten the American people even at home.
&#8220;President Trump does not make these decisions in a vacuum. This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America, and the president’s feeling based on the fact that Iran does pose an imminent and direct threat to the United States of America,&#8221; she continued.
The press secretary took her explanation a step further, noting that Trump had only resorted to military action when it was abundantly clear that negotiations were going nowhere — and once he&#8217;d determined that Iran was likely to take action against the United States, he chose to strike first and prevent it from happening.
&#8220;The president found that through these extensive, exhaustive, failed negotiations with Iran that they were hell-bent on death and destruction,&#8221; she said. &#8220;So again, the president was not going to be just another president on a very long list who sat back, and stood by, and passed the buck of this direct threat to the next administration &#8230; Again, these decisions are not made in a vacuum. They are made by the president’s feeling that Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region, and he was not going to sit back and watch that happen. The determination was made that the president was going to strike first alongside Israel, and that has obviously been proven to be the right decision and an effective one at that.&#8221;

Media Briefing Held By White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Leavitt Rejects Premise Of ‘Imminent Threat’ Question In Fiery Defense Of Iran Strike

Leavitt Lets Reporter Have It For Questioning Iran Rationale: 'I Completely Reject The Premise'

Media

Operation Epic Fury

Politics

The Trump administration is keeping up the pressure on the Mexican government after assisting in the operation that killed a major drug cartel kingpin over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration is &#8220;pushing&#8221; Mexico to take stronger action to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
&#8220;We are coordinating and cooperating and pushing the Mexican government to do more to end the scourge of deadly drugs coming through our United States Southern border, which of course is now secure thanks to President Trump as well,&#8221; Leavitt said during a Fox News appearance.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>&#8230; and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gwbUaD5oi9">pic.twitter.com/gwbUaD5oi9</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026293274827272418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Leavitt said the Sunday strike that took out longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, &#8220;would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
&#8220;He has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long,&#8221; Leavitt said, citing President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to designate some of Mexico&#8217;s most notorious cartels as terrorist organizations and the administration&#8217;s dozens of military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Following Sunday&#8217;s operation, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in some of the most popular vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
The State Department <a href="https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2025636042007605353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> American citizens to “shelter in place” if they are in the Mexican state of Jalisco — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, leaving tourists stranded.
American tourist Jim Beck, who said he has been going to Puerto Vallarta “for almost twenty years,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7609924460602313997?q=puerto%20vallarta&amp;t=1771858884471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that it’s the first time he’s been “actually terrified” while visiting the area.
“We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that’s when they got the shelter in order place and we’ve been here all day,” Beck said.
“It’s been pretty scary … all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there’s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel … so that they had some place to go too. It’s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,” he said.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is &#8220;unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president.&#8221;
The State Department has also set up &#8220;24/7 phone lines&#8221; to help Americans who are stranded in Mexico, Leavitt said.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-OPERATION

Trump Sends Clear Message After Cartel Rampage Leaves Americans Stranded

Claudia Sheinbaum

Drug Cartels

Mexico

National Security

A CBS News reporter set off a heated exchange during a Wednesday briefing when he challenged White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to prove President Donald Trump&#8217;s claims that he has been falsely called &#8220;racist.&#8221;
CBS Senior White House Correspondent Ed O’Keefe referenced the late Reverend Jesse Jackson — whose passing was announced on Tuesday — and said, “Yesterday in his statement about Jesse Jackson the President said ‘Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics on the radical left, democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way’ where or when does the President believe he’s been falsely called racist?”
Leavitt did not attempt to conceal her shock: “You’re kidding right?&#8221;
WATCH:
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Seriously dude? Lefty reporter gets laughed at after he asks if Karoline Leavitt has any examples of the media calling President Trump racist.
Leavitt: &#8220;You&#8217;re kidding, right?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/2unmwVXQVY">pic.twitter.com/2unmwVXQVY</a>
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) <a href="https://twitter.com/theMRC/status/2024192999354237364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;You’re kidding right? I will pull you a plethora of examples,&#8221; the press secretary promised. &#8220;I will get my team in that room to start going through the internet of radical Democrats throughout the years, Ed, who have accused this President falsely of being a racist. And I’m sure there’s many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Leavitt went on to say that the President has been looking forward to having an event later that same afternoon to celebrate Black History Month as well as to “advancing opportunity and prosperity for all Americans,” such as the Trump Accounts, “which all Americans can access, regardless of race.”
Fifteen minutes later, the White House Rapid Response X account <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47">pulled</a> a video of Don Lemon anchoring a CNN broadcast. He opened his monologue with, “This is CNN Tonight. I’m Don Lemon. The President of the United States is racist. A lot of us already knew that.”
The White House has continued to update the platform with additional examples.

WATCH: CBS Reporter Tries To Corner Trump Team — Karoline Leavitt Starts Rolling Tape

Racism

CNN&#8217;s Kaitlan Collins may often find herself at odds with President Donald Trump, but during a recent interview, she conceded that it was White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt who stepped in to defend her rights as a journalist.
Collins explained the situation to &#8220;Absolutely Not&#8221; podcast host Heather McMahan, which unfolded when Collins traveled with the president to Saudi Arabia. She explained that the Saudi Royal Guard attempted to bar her from attending an event with Trump, and Leavitt lobbied for her to be allowed in the room.
WATCH:
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CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Says Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Free Press Rights
“The Saudi Royal Guard freaked out because I dared to ask a question … and said, you can&#8217;t come into the next event … Karoline, to her credit said, no Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S.… <a href="https://t.co/uhB9al4GVX">pic.twitter.com/uhB9al4GVX</a>
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/2021943212605165863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When we were in Saudi Arabia, we were on a foreign trip with the president, and [Trump] came in with all the other leaders, including the Saudi Crown Prince,&#8221; Collins said, setting the scene for McMahan. &#8220;They famously do not like the media there, to put it lightly.&#8221;
&#8220;[I] shouted a question to President Trump, who had seen me when the U.S. press came in,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t answer, which is, I mean, that&#8217;s how it works: you shout questions, they either answer or they don&#8217;t, it&#8217;s their prerogative. And then the world leaders left the room.&#8221;
That, Collins said, was when things started to get sticky for her. The Saudi Royal Guard, unaccustomed to reporters being allowed to shout questions at their leaders, attempted to bar her from entering the room ahead of the next event.
&#8220;The Saudi Royal Guard kind of freaked out because I dared to ask a question, and they&#8217;re not used to that there because they don&#8217;t have a free press,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;And so they came up, and they said, &#8216;Okay, well, you can&#8217;t come into the next event,&#8217; which was like two minutes later.&#8221;
Collins said she attempted to explain &#8220;that&#8217;s not how this works,&#8221; but gained little ground with the Royal Guard.
&#8220;I could see them whispering and pointing about me,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Some of the younger White House press weren&#8217;t really sure what to do, and they went to Karoline. And, to her credit, she said, &#8216;No, Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S. press&#8217; &#8230; which I do think is important, in that moment.&#8221;
Collins noted that similar incidents had happened on foreign trips before, such as when President Trump visited the DMZ and met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

President Trump And French President Macron Hold News Conference

Trump Foe Kaitlan Collins Recalls Time Karoline Leavitt Defended Her From Saudis

Regular CNN Trump Foil Admits Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Rights As Journalist

Freedom of the Press

Kaitlan Collins

Saudi Arabia

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