“Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley, who just won the Academy Award for Best Actress on Sunday night, is being praised for her pro-family, pro-baby acceptance speech that stands in stark contrast to previous winners who celebrated abortion from the podium. 
Buckley, 36, became visibly emotional when her name was announced during Hollywood’s biggest night. She began her speech by thanking the cast and crew, but then drew the most attention by directing it toward her family. 
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“My family, my Irish family, they’re all here,” she said. “Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation and to carve from your own passion.”
Buckley next turned her attention to her husband of three years. “You, Fred, I love you, man. I love you; you’re the most incredible dad. You’re my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you, I do. I do!” she said.
The mom of one then addressed her baby daughter. “And Isla, my little girl who is eight months, who has absolutely no idea what’s going on and is probably dreaming of milk, but this is kind of a big deal, and I love you, and I love being your mom, and I can’t wait to discover life beside you,” she went on. 
“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart. We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role. This is the greatest honor. I can’t even believe it.”
Buckley was the first Irish woman to win a Best Actress award, but chose to skip blathering about representation and instead focus on her loved ones.
Reactions on social media were overwhelmingly positive.
“Imagine if every Hollywood actor showed this level of humility and poured this kind of love onto their kids instead of giving us preachy lectures. Hollywood would still have fans,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/kangminlee/status/2033384463489466865?s=43">wrote</a>.
“This is the greatest expression of love between two healthy people,” conservative pundit Bethany Mandel <a href="https://x.com/bethanyshondark/status/2033468952936866079?s=43">said</a> of the “want to have 20,000 more babies with you” line. 
“Beautiful,” pro-life activist Lila Rose agreed. “Marriage isn’t a trap. Babies aren’t burdens. Motherhood is a gift.”
Buckley’s testament to family following her win stands in stark contrast to Michelle Williams’ infamous acceptance speech at the Golden Globes in 2020, when she said, &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t have been able to do this without employing a woman&#8217;s right to choose.”

Jessie Buckley

Best Actress Winner Praised For Pro-Family Message At Oscars

Academy Awards

Celebrities

Entertainment

family

Hollywood

Motherhood

Oscars

World

North Korea fired more than 10 ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, South Korea&#8217;s military said, as the U.S. and South Korean forces conducted military drills and U.S. President Donald Trump renewed overtures towards Pyongyang for dialogue.
The missiles were launched from an area near the capital Pyongyang, around 1:20 p.m. (0430 GMT) towards the sea off the country&#8217;s east coast, South Korea&#8217;s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Japan&#8217;s coast guard said it had detected what could be a ballistic missile that fell into the sea. It appeared to have fallen outside Japan&#8217;s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK said, citing the military.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Saturday that it is aware of the missile launches and is consulting with allies and partners.
&#8220;Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies,&#8221; the USINDOPACOM posted on social media platform X.
North Korea has test-launched a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades in a push to develop the means to deliver nuclear weapons, which it is believed to have successfully built.
As a result, Pyongyang has been under multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006 but it remains defiant, despite severe obstacles they created to its trade, economy and defense.
South Korea and Washington this week launched the annual major drills in South Korea, which they say are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea.
Hundreds of U.S. and South Korean troops conducted river-crossing drills on Saturday with hardware including tanks and armored combat vehicles, overseen by the commander of their combined forces. The U.S. military has about 28,500 troops and squadrons of fighter jets stationed in South Korea.
North Korea frequently displays its anger at such exercises, saying they are &#8220;dress rehearsals&#8221; for armed aggression against it by the allies.
On Thursday, South Korea&#8217;s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with the North. Trump is eager for any opportunity to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea&#8217;s Kim told reporters.
(Reporting by Jack Kim, Sebin Choi, Heejin Kim in Seoul, Daewoung Kim in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Anton Bridge in Tokyo; Editing by William Mallard, Sergio Non and Chizu Nomiyama )

Kim Jong Un

North Korea Fires 10 Ballistic Missiles During U.S.-South Korea Military Drills

Baliistic Missiles

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Military

North Korea

South Korea

Russia hammered Ukraine with missiles and drones on Saturday, killing six people and inflicting damage across several regions of the country, Ukrainian officials said.
Five of the dead were in Kyiv region outside the capital, where President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure, but also damaged residential buildings, schools and businesses. Fifteen people were injured.
Zelensky said the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions were also targeted in an attack that included around 430 drones and 68 missiles, most of which were downed by air defences.
Later in the day, the governor of the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, said a residential area of the city of Zaporizhzhia had been hit by Russian-guided bombs, killing one person and injuring three.
Reuters Television footage showed emergency crews at work amid piles of rubble and twisted metal. Windows and frames on balconies were smashed.
&#8220;The second attack was strong. The kitchen window flew out, as did those in the living room and bedroom, everything went into a roar. I ran and got slightly injured,&#8221; Olha Kiyashko, 65, told Reuters.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve got no strength left. They took away our pension years — the years we could have lived on, the years we&#8217;d planned and counted on. All our health is gone.&#8221;
Saturday&#8217;s strikes come as the Iran conflict has distracted international attention from a U.S.-backed peace push in the four-year war, which Kyiv says Moscow has no interest in ending.
&#8220;Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine,&#8221; Zelensky wrote on X.
He repeated his call for Kyiv&#8217;s partners to boost production of air-defense weapons, stocks of which have been diminishing as the U.S. and its allies in the Gulf have fended off Iranian strikes.
Russia&#8217;s winter attacks on Ukraine have left swathes of major cities without power or heating, part of a campaign to weaken resolve as Moscow&#8217;s troops press a battlefield offensive and demand Kyiv cede more territory in the east.
Ukraine&#8217;s forces have targeted Russian strategic infrastructure such as oil refineries, depots and terminals in long-range strikes.
Ukraine&#8217;s Energy Ministry said on Saturday that consumers in six regions were without electricity after the overnight strikes and Russian shelling of frontline areas.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no way Russia will stop,&#8221; said local resident Natalia Fetko, 57, whose building was damaged in the strike. &#8220;Nothing is enough for them.&#8221;
Damage was recorded in four districts outside the capital, according to regional military administrator Mykola Kalashnyk.
Saturday&#8217;s attack also prompted NATO member Poland to scramble jets to protect its airspace, but no violations were observed, Warsaw&#8217;s military said.
In Moldova, on Ukraine&#8217;s western border, the Foreign Ministry denounced what it said was an intrusion by a Russian drone into its airspace in a border district, saying Moscow&#8217;s actions undermined regional security and posed a danger to its citizens.
(Additional reporting by Yurii Kovalenko, Serhiy Chaliy and Alexander Tanas; Editing by Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Diane Craft)

Ukraine

Russia Launches 400+ Drones, Dozens Of Missiles In Ukraine Strike, Killing 6

Ukraine-Russia War

Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

European authorities are investigating an overnight explosion that struck a Jewish school in Amsterdam, the latest in what officials say is a troubling string of Islamic attacks targeting Jewish communities across the West.
The blast struck the exterior wall of a Jewish school in the Buitenveldert neighborhood, widely regarded as the Dutch capital’s modern Jewish quarter and home to synagogues, kosher restaurants, and religious schools. Authorities said the explosion caused minor structural damage, charring part of the outer wall and damaging a rainpipe, but no injuries were reported.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jewish-school-amsterdam-attack-explosion/">condemned</a> the incident as a deliberate act of intimidation against the city’s Jewish population. “This is a cowardly act of aggression towards the Jewish community,” Halsema said, adding that additional security will be deployed around Jewish institutions throughout the city.
Dutch police say investigators have obtained images of the suspect believed to have detonated the device, though no arrests have been announced.
The incident comes amid a surge of antisemitic attacks in Europe. Earlier this week, an explosive device ignited a fire at a synagogue entrance in Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ second-largest city. <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/13/dutch-police-arrest-four-over-rotterdam-synagogue-fire_6751421_4.html#:~:text=On%20Monday%2C%20an%20explosion%20shook,potentially%20jihadist%20video%20claiming%20responsibility.">Police later arrested four teenage suspects</a> nearby after officers spotted a vehicle driving erratically near another synagogue.
In <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-liege-synagogue-antisemitic-attack/">Liège, Belgium</a>, a synagogue was also struck by an explosion earlier in the week, an attack local officials described as antisemitic.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said the Amsterdam bombing would prompt renewed security consultations with Jewish leaders. “There must be no place for antisemitism in the Netherlands,” Jetten said in a post on <a href="https://x.com/MinPres/status/2032724208963186982">social media</a>. “I understand the anger and fear and will quickly engage in talks with the Jewish community. They must always feel safe in our country.”
The European incidents come as authorities in the United States are also grappling with a series of threats and attacks linked to extremist ideologies targeting Jewish institutions.
However, the trend of antisemitic and general Islamist violence was not contained to just Europe. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-respond-to-reports-of-active-shooter-as-michigan-synagogue-goes-up-in-smoke?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Police+Respond+To+Reports+Of+Active+Shooter+As+Michigan+Synagogue+Goes+Up+In+Smoke">In Michigan</a>, a gunman rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, the largest Reform Jewish congregation in the United States, before opening fire. The attacker was killed in a shootout with armed security, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which described the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.
Authorities said the synagogue’s security team engaged the attacker after he drove a vehicle through the building’s entrance, sparking a fire and filling parts of the synagogue with smoke. No congregants were killed, though one security guard was injured after being struck by the attacker’s vehicle.
The Michigan attack came shortly after a separate act of terrorism at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gunman-opens-fire-injures-two-at-old-dominion-university">Old Dominion University</a> in Norfolk, Virginia, where a gunman identified as Mohammad Bailor Jalloh opened fire inside an academic building. Three people were wounded and one later died from their injuries. Officials said Jalloh, a former National Guard soldier previously convicted of supporting the terror group Islamic State, was killed at the scene.
Then earlier in March, there was an attempted bombing in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-opens-terror-probe-after-homemade-bombs-in-nyc-linked-to-isis">New York City</a> in which two suspects deployed improvised explosive devices outside Gracie Mansion during competing protests. Authorities said the devices contained triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, an explosive compound frequently used in terrorist attacks.
According to investigators, the suspects allegedly admitted they were inspired by ISIS propaganda. The case has been taken over by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Security officials have <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/12/iran-war-fuels-further-threats-to-europes-jewish-communities-experts-warn">warned</a> that Jewish institutions remain frequent targets for extremists, particularly during periods of heightened geopolitical tension involving Israel and Iran. For Jewish communities in Amsterdam and beyond, the latest explosion underscores fears that synagogues, schools, and community centers remain symbolic targets for violent actors.
Authorities say the investigation into the Amsterdam attack remains ongoing.

Amsterdam Police

Amsterdam Jewish School Latest Target In A Week Of Antisemitic And Islamist Violence

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Radical Islam

Terrorism

Anti-government protesters attacked a Communist Party office in northern Cuba early on Saturday, a state-run newspaper reported, in a rare outburst of public dissent triggered by worsening blackouts that have been exacerbated by a U.S. oil blockade.
A rally against power cuts and food shortages appeared to begin peacefully in the city of Moron late on Friday then turned violent in the early hours of Saturday morning, Invasor newspaper said.
Videos on social media showed a large fire and people throwing rocks through the windows of a building as voices shouted &#8220;liberty&#8221; in the background.
Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of videos that posters said showed the unrest in Moron, a city on Cuba&#8217;s northern coast about 250 miles (400 km) east of the capital Havana near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.
US BLOCKADE TURNS THE SCREW
The ​United States has tightened the screws on Cuba this year since capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro &#8211; Cuba&#8217;s most important foreign benefactor &#8211; in January.
U.S. President Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and threatened to slap tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba, piling pressure on the economy already struggling with shortages of food, fuel, electricity and medicine.
Trump has in recent weeks made a series of statements, saying Cuba was on the verge of collapse or eager to make a deal with the United States. Cuba&#8217;s government said on Friday it had begun talks with Washington to try to defuse the crisis.
Public protests, particularly violent ones, are exceedingly rare in Cuba. Cuba&#8217;s 2019 constitution grants citizens the right to demonstrate, but a law more specifically defining that right is stalled in the legislature, leaving those who take to the street in legal limbo.
&#8220;What initially began peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,&#8221; the Invasor newspaper said.
&#8220;A smaller group of people stoned the entrance of the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area,&#8221; it added.
Vandals targeted several other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a government market, the report said.
In one unverified video on social media, a gunshot is heard, and the camera pans to a person lying on the ground. State media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba dismissed online reports that the person lying on the ground had been shot by police.
&#8220;The image circulating shows the scene of the protest, but it&#8217;s important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured by gunfire,&#8221; Vanguardia de Cuba said on X.
&#8220;Media manipulation seeks to sow fear and confusion among our people. Let&#8217;s not fall for provocations,&#8221; it added.
Police detained five people and one drunken participant fell over and was being treated for injuries in a local hospital.
Over the past week, several small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots in protest against extended blackouts.
Students on Monday staged a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana after the government suspended in-person classes, blaming the U.S. oil blockade. Fuel shortages have vastly reduced public transportation, making it difficult, if not impossible, for teachers and students to get together for classes.
Moron was also the site of significant protests during anti-government riots on July 11, 2021, the largest since Fidel Castro&#8217;s 1959 revolution.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Cuba

Anti-Government Riot Breaks Out In Cuba Over Blackouts

Communism

Venezuela

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

Iran

Karoline Leavitt

Trump Administration

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

Pope Leo XIV expressed “profound sorrow” this week after a Maronite Catholic priest was killed in southern Lebanon during an Israeli strike, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate along the border.
The priest, Fr. Pierre al-Rahi, was killed March 9 in the village of Qlayaa near the Israeli border after rushing to help parishioners wounded in an earlier attack, <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-xiv-mourns-victims-father-elrahi-middle-east-war.html">according to Catholic officials</a>.
In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff said he was grieving the victims of recent violence across the region.
“Pope Leo XIV expresses his profound sorrow for all the victims of the bombings in the Middle East these past few days, for the many innocent people, including numerous children, and for those who were helping them, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi, a Maronite priest killed this afternoon in Qlayaa,” the Vatican said. The statement added that the pope is “following the events with concern and prays for a swift end to all hostilities.”
Al-Rahi, a parish priest serving the Maronite Catholic community in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon, was reportedly assisting wounded villagers when the fatal strike occurred.
According to accounts from Catholic sources in the region, an Israeli tank shell first struck a house in the village, injuring residents. Al-Rahi and several neighbors rushed to help those wounded in the attack when the location was struck again.
The priest was seriously wounded and later died in a nearby hospital.
L&#8217;Œuvre d&#8217;Orient, a French Catholic organization for Eastern Christians, confirmed the priest’s death and condemned the violence in a <a href="https://x.com/OeuvredOrient/status/2031050689896739153">statement</a>. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need said al-Rahi had been ministering to distressed parishioners when the strike occurred. “Very disturbing reports that a parish priest in southern Lebanon has been killed in an Israeli strike,” the organization said in a <a href="https://x.com/ireland_acn/status/2031040965520036098">statement</a>, asking the faithful to pray for the slain priest and for peace in the region.
Al-Rahi, who was 50 years old, had reportedly refused earlier calls to evacuate the village despite the growing conflict in southern Lebanon. “We are forced to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully,” the priest said in an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVq6tf0DN19/">interview</a> just one day before his death. “None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love.”
The killing comes as Israel has intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, southern Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley in an effort to dismantle the Iran-backed militant group’s military infrastructure.
Hezbollah fighters have frequently operated from populated areas, including villages in southern Lebanon, leading to increasing danger for civilians caught in the crossfire. The violence has tragically fueled a growing humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes in southern Lebanon, joining hundreds of thousands of displaced people seeking shelter elsewhere in the country.
Al-Rahi was widely regarded as a respected figure among local Christians for his dedication to the people of his parish and his decision to remain with them during the fighting. The pope’s statement concluded with a prayer for peace, reiterating the Vatican’s call for an end to the violence that has devastated communities across the Middle East in recent days.

LEBANON-KFAR KILA-ISRAEL-BORDER-TENSION

Maronite Catholic Priest Confirmed Killed In Southern Lebanon

Catholic

Lebanon

Pope Leo

President Donald Trump brushed off threats from a senior Iranian official Saturday night as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to escalate.
In a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-dismisses-threats-from-iran-security-chief/">phone interview</a>, Trump dismissed comments made earlier in the day by Ali Larijani, who <a href="https://x.com/alilarijani_ir/status/2030377176902586444">warned</a> on social media that the American president would “pay the price” for the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran.
“I have no idea what he&#8217;s talking about, who he is. I couldn&#8217;t care less,” Trump said when asked about the threat, adding that Larijani had “already been defeated.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In a phone interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/costareports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@costareports</a> late Saturday evening, President Trump dismissed threats from Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani. Trump said he “couldn’t care less” about Larijani and said he continues to push Iranian leaders to surrender amid ongoing… <a href="https://t.co/7ulZ4jugLA">pic.twitter.com/7ulZ4jugLA</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2030706021912789185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime confidant of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has become one of the most prominent Iranian officials since Khamenei was killed in a Feb. 28 airstrike that triggered the current war.
Trump used the interview to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unlike-his-predecessors-trump-declares-endgame-for-tehran">reiterate</a> his confidence in the military campaign, saying U.S. strikes have devastated Iran’s military capabilities and will continue as Washington demands what he called Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
“It’s been incredible, the job we’ve done,” Trump said. “The missiles are blown to smithereens. They’re down to very few. The drones are blown. The factories are being blown up as we speak. The Navy is gone; it’s at the bottom of the sea.”
According to <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2030118409883541979">U.S. Central Command</a>, more than 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the start of the war, and at least 43 Iranian naval vessels were damaged or destroyed in the first week of U.S. strikes.
Trump also claimed Iran’s regional ambitions had collapsed under the pressure of the campaign.
“He intended to take over the Middle East and he’s conceded and surrendered to all of those countries because of me,” Trump said of Larijani.
The exchange comes amid growing uncertainty inside Iran’s leadership structure following Khamenei’s death. The country is currently being overseen by an interim three-person governing council that includes President Masoud Pezeshkian.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian released a video message apologizing to neighboring countries that had been struck by Iranian missiles during the conflict, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-calls-beat-to-hell-irans-bluff-warns-regime-losers-the-real-pain-begins-now?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Calls+%E2%80%98Beat+To+Hell%E2%80%99+Iran%E2%80%99s+Bluff+%E2%80%94+Warns+Regime+%E2%80%98LOSERS%E2%80%99+The+Real+Pain+Begins+Nowhttps://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-calls-beat-to-hell-irans-bluff-warns-regime-losers-the-real-pain-begins-now?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Calls+%E2%80%98Beat+To+Hell%E2%80%99+Iran%E2%80%99s+Bluff+%E2%80%94+Warns+Regime+%E2%80%98LOSERS%E2%80%99+The+Real+Pain+Begins+Now">saying</a> Tehran would halt attacks on regional states unless they were attacked first.
However, the Iranian president later appeared to walk back that statement in a <a href="https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/2030275836335579579">follow-up post</a>, asserting that Iran had only targeted U.S. military installations and bases in the region. “We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian wrote. “Rather, we have targeted U.S. military bases, facilities, and installations in the region.”
The mixed messaging from Tehran highlights the increasingly fragmented nature of Iran’s leadership since Khamenei’s death, with different officials appearing to send conflicting signals about both the scope of Iran’s attacks and the regime’s willingness to escalate further. While Pezeshkian’s initial apology suggested Tehran may be attempting to calm tensions with neighboring Gulf states, Larijani’s threat toward Trump and Pezeshkian’s subsequent backpedaling underscore the continued hardline rhetoric coming from elements of Iran’s national security establishment.
The dispute also reflects a broader information battle between Washington and Tehran as both sides seek to shape perceptions of the conflict’s trajectory. Trump has repeatedly portrayed the campaign as a decisive blow to Iran’s military power, pointing to the destruction of missile stockpiles, naval vessels, and weapons factories; Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have attempted to frame their missile strikes as targeted responses against American military installations rather than broader regional attacks — a claim that has been disputed by regional officials and Western intelligence assessments.
For Trump, dismissing Larijani’s threat outright appears to be part of a broader strategy to project confidence and momentum as the conflict enters its second week. The president has repeatedly argued that Iran’s leadership is weakened and that continued pressure will eventually force Tehran to capitulate to U.S. demands.

Donald Trump/Iran

Trump Shrugs Off Iranian Threat Amid Escalating War: ‘I Couldn’t Care Less’

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

President Trump used the past tense on Saturday to describe the U.K. as America’s “once great ally” when he rejected the country&#8217;s offer to send aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
“The United Kingdom, our once great ally, made the greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” said Trump. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer. But we will remember. We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won.” 
Before changing his stance, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had criticized the strikes, <a href="https://x.com/search?q=uk&amp;src=typed_query">saying</a>, “Donald Trump has plunged the Middle East into chaos. We will stand by ethics, no matter the pressure.”
At a press conference on Friday, Starmer <a href="https://x.com/ChinaNow24/status/2030009994587025619">explained</a> the policy shift came when Iran started attacking countries around the Gulf and the surrounding region.
“When Iran started attacking countries around the Gulf and the wider region, the situation changed. Iran has now fired drones and missiles at ten countries that did not attack them,&#8221; Starmer said. &#8220;These are allies of the U.K. where we have hundreds of thousands of British people as well as British military personnel. Our number one priority is protecting our people.&#8221;
Before Iran’s attacks, Starmer explained he only wanted a negotiated settlement with Iran where they would give up their nuclear ambitions. “That’s why I took the decision that the U.K. would not join the initial strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. That decision was deliberate. It was in the national interest and I stand by it.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-slams-starmer-not-winston-churchill-refusal-back-iran-strikes">criticized</a> Starmer on his initial decision, saying, “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”
Initially, Starmer blocked the United States from using British military bases for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. However, the U.K. later gave Trump permission for “defensive strikes.”
The president wanted to use British territories in the Indian Ocean. Days later, the U.K. agreed, but for the intervening time, American air forces had to make other arrangements.

Trump/Starmer

Trump Nixes Help From Brits, Says Iran War ‘Already Won’

Keir Starmer

U.K.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Latin American leaders to Florida on Saturday to launch a new coalition against drug cartels, telling officials their countries had allowed gangs to seize territory and joking that he had no time to learn their languages.
Trump framed the effort as an aggressive campaign to confront drug cartels, citing them as a primary reason for ramping up U.S. involvement in Latin America, including a pressure campaign against Venezuela that culminated in the January capture of President Nicolas Maduro. At one point, Trump suggested the United States could use missiles against cartel leaders if partners requested it.
He also singled out Mexico as the center of cartel activity and predicted major political change in Cuba, saying the country was &#8220;very much at the end of the line&#8221; and repeating previous statements that Cuban officials are negotiating with him and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
At least a dozen leaders from Central America, South America and the Caribbean joined the &#8220;Shield of the Americas&#8221; summit, where Trump signed a proclamation launching the coalition.
&#8220;Leaders in this region have allowed large swaths of territory in the Western Hemisphere to come under the direct control of transnational gangs, and they&#8217;ve run areas of your country,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We&#8217;re not gonna let that happen.&#8221;
In an opening speech that ran more than 30 minutes, Trump also touched on topics far beyond drug cartels, including Iran, Ukraine, Pakistan and India, political endorsements, Dominican sugar, building battleships, and the importance of interpreters.
Trump joked about language differences between himself and the mostly Spanish-speaking group of leaders. &#8220;I&#8217;m not learning your damn language,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t have time.&#8221;
Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, later delivered brief remarks in English and Spanish, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed Trump&#8217;s stance.
&#8220;I only speak American,&#8221; Hegseth joked.
Trump has pushed to build a coalition of regional partners around a more forceful approach to combating drug cartels and organized crime. Saturday&#8217;s event also gave him an opportunity to project strength closer to home as the war with Iran escalates and threatens to push up global oil and gas prices.
Earlier in the day, Trump said Iran would be &#8220;hit very hard&#8221; on Saturday and that he was considering widening the areas and groups of people targeted, without providing details.
Among those who attended the summit were Argentine President Javier Milei, Chile&#8217;s President-elect Jose Antonio Kast and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose gang crackdown, criticized by human rights groups, has become a model for parts of Latin America&#8217;s right.
Politicians from across the region have toured Bukele&#8217;s sprawling &#8220;mega-prison&#8221;, where the United States last year deported more than 200 Venezuelans without trial.
Also in attendance was Honduran President Nasry Asfura, who narrowly won a disputed election with Trump&#8217;s backing, and Ecuador&#8217;s President Daniel Noboa, who has echoed parts of Trump&#8217;s economic agenda and recently announced joint operations with the U.S. in a military crackdown on drug trafficking.
Many of the leaders share Trump&#8217;s hardline view of crime and migration, favoring crackdowns over deeper social fixes and private business over the state. Their rise reflects a broader rightward turn in parts of Latin America at a time when the region is being pulled between Washington and Beijing.
Trump did not mention China specifically but warned that the United States would not allow &#8220;hostile foreign influence&#8221; to gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere, including in the Panama Canal, a key global freight route.
The comments, while not explicit, come as Washington increasingly views Latin America through the lens of strategic competition with Beijing.
China’s trade with the region reached about $518 billion in 2024 and Beijing has extended more than $120 billion in loans to governments across the Western Hemisphere, according to Ryan Berg of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
China’s growing footprint — from satellite tracking facilities in Argentina to a Chinese-backed port in Peru and economic support for Venezuela — has long troubled U.S. officials.
In response, the Trump administration has pressed governments across the region to curb Beijing’s role in ports, energy projects and other strategic infrastructure.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Miami, Florida, David Brunnstrom in Washington and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington and Natalia Siniawski in Mexico City, Editing by Sergio Non, Himani Sarkar, Alex Richardson and Alistair Bell)

Trump Launches New America-Led Security Push To Crush Cartels, Counter China

Communist China

Drug Cartels

South America

After touting the destruction of 42 Iranian naval vessels in three days and the disruption of the country’s communications systems and air force, President Trump credited the success to policies from his first term.
“I built the military and rebuilt it and made it very strong in my first administration along with many other things,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;And now we are using it, unfortunately we have to.”
During Trump&#8217;s first four years in office, more than <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/national-security-defense/">$2.2 trillion</a> was directed toward defense spending. That funding went to modernizing nuclear forces and missile defenses, upgrading cyber defenses, and advanced missile defense capabilities and regional alliances.
Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller declared the United States military had been &#8220;unleashed&#8221; after ditching political correctness.
&#8220;One of the reasons I fear that some people in this country lost faith in the military and the capacity to use that military to defend us is because we had a Woke Pentagon — because we had a military who, at the very highest levels—not the warfighters—was forced to fight a less than full fight,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2029391225019654433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2029391225019654433%7Ctwgr%5E878a7800280a4245b5a897fca819016bf58d422a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Funleashed-stephen-miller-declares-end-of-woke-pentagon-as-trump-restores-military-might">stated</a> Miller on Thursday. &#8220;What you&#8217;re seeing now is a military that is unleashed in all of its lethal prowess to go out and seek, destroy, and kill the enemy.&#8221;
President Trump&#8217;s U.S. Space Force, established in 2019, helps feed intelligence across the military. Space Force develops and defends communication satellites, engineers global cybersecurity networks, supports rocket launches, and uses space systems to connect operations on land, sea, air, cyber, and space. Space Force provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines with GPS/navigation, missile warning systems, and intelligence from space.
The strength of the United States military is known worldwide, with world leaders praising it as well. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-europe-us-nuclear-trump-defense-security-c1575be708cbd813f1c7d97c87628ff6">told</a> EU lawmakers, “If anyone thinks here … that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming.”
President Trump said he did the world a favor by targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They were very close to a nuclear weapon. They would have had one if we didn’t do our B2 hit, Midnight Hammer. They would have had it eight months ago. They would have had a nuclear weapon and they’re crazy and they would have used it.”
When asked to rate the success of Operation Midnight Hammer on a scale from 1-10, the president responded, “About a fifteen, I would say—with ten being the best.” He added, “There’s no military on earth like it, not even close. We are doing very well in Iran. You see the result. It’s been amazing.”
The U.S. Central Command revealed on Friday that U.S. forces struck over <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2030118409883541979">3,000</a> targets in the first week of Operation Epic Fury. The military is targeting Iranian command and control centers, ballistic missile sites, Navy ships and submarines, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) joint headquarters.
&#8220;They’re just bad people. When you look at October 7 and beyond October 7, look at all the killing that they’ve done. Over the years, for 47 years. And this had to be done,&#8221; the president said.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/at-least-5000-dead-in-iran-unrest-official-says-as-judiciary-hints-at-executions">Thousands</a> of people have been killed while protesting in Iran, with the total number of protester deaths believed to be in the tens of thousands.

TOPSHOT-IRAN-US-ISRAEL-WAR

Trump Credits First-Term Military Rebuild With Powering U.S. Offensive Against Iran

Stephen Miller

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