President Donald Trump earlier this month announced ban on travel from a dozen countries and partial restrictions from seven more in an effort to protect the United States from terrorist and public safety threats.
The ban fully restricts or limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries “found to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States” including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Seven countries will face partial travel restrictions, including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The White House says the order makes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, people with existing visas, certain visa types, and anyone whose entry would support American national interests.
According to the White House, the goal of the ban is to pressure foreign governments to cooperate on security, help enforce United States immigration laws, and support key national security and counterterrorism priorities.
The restrictions follow a January executive order in which national security agencies were told to assess the security risks of various countries. That review led to the current list.
Here are the reasons the Trump administration says each country is facing restrictions:
<h3>Full Restrictions:</h3>
Afghanistan
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan lacks a reliable government to issue valid passports and civil documents and does not have adequate screening and vetting measures, according to the Trump administration. Furthermore, Afghanistan has a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of nearly 10% and a student (F), vocational (M), and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of nearly 30%.
Burma
Burma has extremely high visa overstay rates — over 27% for tourist/business visas (B1/B2) and more than 42% for student (F), vocational (M), and exchange visitor (J) visas. Burma has also refused to take back its citizens who are ordered to be deported from the U.S. The government added that Burma has “historically not cooperated with the United States to accept back their removable nationals.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
Chad
Chad has one of the worst visa overstay rates, with nearly 50% for business/tourist (B1/B2) visas and over 55% for student (F), vocational (M), and exchange (J) visas in 2023. In 2022, the B1/B2 overstay rate was also high at 37.12%. The U.S. says these numbers indicate “a blatant disregard for U.S. immigration laws.”
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo, which has been embroiled in conflict for more than 30 years, also has a visa overstay issue with a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of almost 30% and student (F) visas, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visas, overstay rate of about 35%.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, located in central Africa, had a business/tourist (B1/B2) overstay rate of 21.98% and student (F) visas, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 70.18%.
Eritrea
The United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea, and says it does not have access to criminal records for Eritrean nationals. The east African country has also historically refused to accept back its deported citizens. Its tourist/business (B1/B2) visa overstay rate is about 20% and student (F) visas, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate is about 55%.
Haiti
Currently overrun by murderous gangs, Haiti had hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens flood into the United States during the Biden administration. According to the Trump administration the “influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.” Haiti also lacks “a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States.” Haiti had a tourist/business (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 31.38% and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of about 25.05%.
Iran
Iran, a leading state sponsor of terrorism, routinely fails to cooperate with the United States government in identifying security risks and has historically failed to accept back its nationals eligible for deportation.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-recovers-bodies-of-two-american-hostages-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDF RECOVERS BODIES OF TWO AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN GAZA</a>
Libya
Libya lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents. The country’s historical terrorism presence amplifies the risk of Libyan nationals entering the United States.
Somalia
Somalia also lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents, does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures, and has historically refused to take back its nationals eligible for deportation. The Trump administration says Somalia differs from the other countries due to its government lacking command and control of its territory, “which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects.” Somalia is also a “terrorist safe haven” where radicals travel to join terrorist groups that pose a threat to the United States.
Sudan
Sudan, located in northern Africa, lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and lacks appropriate screening and vetting measures. Sudan had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 26.30% and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of about 28.40%.
Yemen
Yemen, which is currently overrun by the U.S.-designated terror group, the Houthis, lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-he-will-stop-airstrikes-on-houthis-after-terror-group-capitulated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bombed the group for weeks</a> in an effort to restore global trade that the Iran-backed proxy disrupted.
<h3></h3>
<h3>Partial Restrictions:</h3>
Burundi
Burundi, located in eastern Africa, had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 15.35% and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of about 17.52%.
Cuba
Cuba, a designated state sponsor of terrorism, does not cooperate or share sufficient law enforcement information with the United States and has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-opens-hearing-on-chinese-surveillance-targeting-u-s-from-cuba?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=House+Opens+Hearing+On+Chinese+Surveillance+Targeting+U.S.+From+Cuba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuba</a> had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 7.69% and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 18.75%.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-says-prepared-deal-with-greta-thunbergs-flotilla-en-route-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=IDF+Says+It%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Prepared%E2%80%99+To+Deal+With+Greta+Thunberg%E2%80%99s+Flotilla+En+Route+To+Gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDF SAYS IT’S ‘PREPARED’ TO DEAL WITH GRETA THUNBERG’S FLOTILLA EN ROUTE TO GAZA</a>
Laos
Laos, located in southeast Asia, had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 34.77% and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 6.49%. Laos has also historically failed to accept back its removable nationals.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, located in western Africa, has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals. It had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 15.43 percent and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 35.83 percent.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gazans-flood-the-streets-to-protest-hamas-as-idf-operations-intensify?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Gazans+Flood+The+Streets+To+Protest+Hamas+As+IDF+Operations+Intensify" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GAZANS FLOOD THE STREETS TO PROTEST HAMAS AS IDF OPERATIONS INTENSIFY</a>
Togo
Togo, also located in western Africa, had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 19.03 percent and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 35.05 percent.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia, had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 15.35 percent and a student (F) visa, vocational (M) visas, and exchange visitor (J) visa overstay rate of 21.74 percent.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Venezuela
Venezuela, a socialist-run country  known for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-frees-u-s-air-force-veteran-in-bid-to-ease-tensions-with-united-states?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Venezuela+Frees+U.S.+Air+Force+Veteran+In+Bid+To+Ease+Tensions+With+United+States" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrongfully detaining</a> American citizens, has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals. It also does not have a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and lacks appropriate screening and vetting measures. Venezuela had a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa overstay rate of 9.83 percent.

Donald Trump

Trump Travel Ban 2.0: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Afghanistan

Cuba

Haiti

Iran

Sudan

Venezuela

Yemen

President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States will halt its airstrike campaign “effective immediately” against the Houthis in Yemen after the terror group said they will stop attacking ships.
&#8220;They&#8217;ve said &#8216;please don&#8217;t bomb us anymore, and we&#8217;re not going to attack your ships,&#8217;” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Trump added that the terror group “capitulated” and that his administration will “take their word.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
REPORTER: Can you tell us a bit more about the deal that you&#8217;ve reached with the Houthis?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;They&#8217;ve said &#8216;please don&#8217;t bomb us anymore and we&#8217;re not going to attack your ships.'&#8221;
REPORTER: And where did you hear about that?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;A very good source&#8230; would you say,… <a href="https://t.co/FbSYvAmR6R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/FbSYvAmR6R</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1919792536450674862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
“They just don&#8217;t want to fight anymore,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We will honor that and we will stop the bombings.&#8221;
Trump declined to say where he heard the Houthis&#8217; message, but said he was given the news by a “very good source” last night.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi Political Council, said the terror group&#8217;s attacks &#8220;will not stop regardless of the consequences until the end of the aggression on Gaza and blockade on its people,&#8221;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/trump-says-houthis-to-end-ship-attacks-us-will-cease-bombing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg News </a><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/trump-says-houthis-to-end-ship-attacks-us-will-cease-bombing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Al-Bukhaiti reportedly suggested that the Houthis would be willing to stop attacking U.S. military ships if the airstrikes stop, &#8220;but we will definitely continue our operations in support to Gaza,&#8221; he insisted.
Trump said the purpose of the airstrikes was to stop the terror group, which has attacked more than 100 international cargo ships, tankers, and naval vessels following Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel. Since March, over 800 Houthi targets have been hit, resulting in the elimination of hundreds of fighters and leaders.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-saudi-arabia-qatar-and-uae-in-first-middle-east-trip-this-term?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+Visit+Saudi+Arabia%2C+Qatar%2C+And+UAE+In+First+Middle+East+Trip+This+Term" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO VISIT SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR, AND UAE IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP THIS TERM</a>
“They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore and that’s what the purpose of what we were doing,” the president said. “I think that is very positive. They were knocking out a lot of ships sailing beautifully down the various seas. It wasn’t just the [Suez] Canal, it was a lot of other places.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-re-designates-the-houthis-as-a-terrorist-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump re-designated</a> the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization upon taking office in January, reversing President Joe Biden’s earlier decision to remove them from the list.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goal of getting the terrorist group to stop attacking ships was achieved, so the strikes will stop.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
&#8220;This was always a freedom of navigation issue,” Rubio said. “These are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping, and the job was to get that to stop — and, if it&#8217;s going to stop, then we can stop.”
Earlier on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-bombs-yemens-capital-airport-fully-disabling-houthi-terrorist-base?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Bombs+Yemen%E2%80%99s+Capital+Airport%2C+%E2%80%98Fully+Disabling%E2%80%99+Houthi+Terrorist+Base" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Israeli airstrike</a> left the main airport in Yemen’s capital, which serves as “a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime,” fully disabled, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Flight runways, aircraft, and airport infrastructure were struck in the attack.
The strike was part of a wider <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-coordinates-us-counterstrike-houthis-following-airport-attack?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Coordinates+With+United+States+To+Counterstrike+Houthis+Following+Airport+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-day attack</a> which also targeted civilian infrastructure that the Houthis have used for terror activity, including the Hudaydah Port, concrete plants, and several central power plants in the Sana’a area.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-world-stop-buying-iranian-oil-or-else?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+World%3A+Stop+Buying+Iranian+Oil+%E2%80%94+Or+Else" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO WORLD: STOP BUYING IRANIAN OIL — OR ELSE</a>
The IDF said the strike on Sana’a Airport was a direct response to a missile fired by the Houthis that landed near Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, injuring six people and temporarily halting flights. The IDF said the missile was not intercepted due to a technical malfunction, noting that its systems typically maintain a 95% success rate against missiles launched from Yemen.
<div id="attachment_916385" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916385" class="size-large wp-image-916385" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png" alt="IDF map showing Houthi targets of air strike" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-300x157.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-768x402.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The IDF struck Houthi infrastructure in Yemen on Monday, May 5, including at the Hudaydah Port as well as the “Bajil” Concrete Plant. (IDF)</div>
Following the strike, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the Iranian will “bear direct responsibility for any attack by the Houthi tentacle against the State of Israel.”
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">In March, Trump declared that “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN.” He added that Iran would be held responsible and “suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire.”</div>
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper"></div>
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-will-pay-the-consequence-pete-hegseth-warns-iran-over-lethal-support-to-houthis?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98You+Will+Pay+The+Consequence%E2%80%99%3A+Pete+Hegseth+Warns+Iran+Over+Lethal+Support+To+Houthis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> last week that Iran would “pay the consequence” for providing “lethal support” to the Houthis.</div>

Houthis and Trump photo illustration

Trump Says He Will Stop Airstrikes On Houthis After Terror Group ‘Capitulated’

Houthi

Israel

An Israeli airstrike left the main airport in Yemen&#8217;s capital, which serves as &#8220;a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime,&#8221; fully disabled on Tuesday, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.
On Tuesday morning, the IDF <a href="https://x.com/IsraelArabic/status/1919718827119476993" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a warning</a> in Arabic for all individuals to immediately evacuate Sanaa International Airport and its surrounding areas. About one hour later, IDF fighter jets struck the airport and other infrastructure in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, Yemen.
The retaliatory strike comes as Israel and the United States continue attacks on Houthi terrorists, who continually shot ballistic missiles at Israel and attacked more than 100 international cargo ships, tankers, and naval vessels following Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel.
The strike “dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa fully disabling the airport,” according to the IDF. Flight runways, aircraft, and airport infrastructure were struck in the attack. According to the IDF, the airport “served as a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons and operatives” and was used for “terrorist purposes.&#8221;
“This underscores the Houthi terrorist regime’s brutal exploitation of civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity,” the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF said the strike on Sanaa Airport was a direct response to a missile fired by the Houthis that landed near Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, injuring six people and temporarily halting flights. The IDF said the missile was not intercepted due to a technical malfunction, noting that its systems typically maintain a 95% success rate against missiles launched from Yemen.
“Over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating under Iranian direction and funding, in order to target the State of Israel and its allies, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the IDF said. “The IDF is determined to continue operating, at any distance, against all threats posed to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Following the strike, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the Iranian regime will &#8220;bear direct responsibility for any attack by the Houthi tentacle against the State of Israel.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-saudi-arabia-qatar-and-uae-in-first-middle-east-trip-this-term?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+Visit+Saudi+Arabia%2C+Qatar%2C+And+UAE+In+First+Middle+East+Trip+This+Term" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO VISIT SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR, AND UAE IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP THIS TERM</a>
The IDF also targeted Al Imran Concrete Plant north of Sanaa, which the IDF says the Houthis use to build underground tunnels and terror infrastructure, as well as several central power plants in the Sanaa area. According to the IDF, the Houthis exploit energy infrastructure for terrorist purposes.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-world-stop-buying-iranian-oil-or-else?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+To+World%3A+Stop+Buying+Iranian+Oil+%E2%80%94+Or+Else" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP TO WORLD: STOP BUYING IRANIAN OIL — OR ELSE</a>
“This strike further degrades the Houthi regime’s economic and military buildup capabilities,” the IDF said. “The strikes were carried out with prevision, and steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
The strikes were approved by the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force and the IDF’s Chief of the General Staff.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-coordinates-us-counterstrike-houthis-following-airport-attack?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Israel+Coordinates+With+United+States+To+Counterstrike+Houthis+Following+Airport+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IDF also struck</a> Houthi infrastructure in Yemen on Monday, including the Hudaydah Port which it claims is used for the transfer of Iranian weapons and military equipment as well as the “Bajil” Concrete Plant, described by the IDF as a “significant economic resource for the Houthis” and is used for the construction of “underground tunnels and terrorist infrastructure for the terrorist regime.”
<div id="attachment_916385" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916385" class="size-large wp-image-916385" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png" alt="IDF map showing Houthi targets of air strike " width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-300x157.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2-768x402.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Cover-images-1200-x-628-px-2.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The IDF struck Houthi infrastructure in Yemen on Monday, May 5, including at the Hudaydah Port as well as the “Bajil” Concrete Plant. (IDF)</div>
During Monday’s strike, around 20 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped 50 munitions on dozens of Houthi targets. The strike, which was coordinated with the United States, marked Israel’s sixth airstrike on the group since July 2024 in response to over 400 attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis during the war. It was the first such strike since President Donald Trump took office.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
In March, Trump declared that “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN.” He added that Iran would be held responsible and “suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-will-pay-the-consequence-pete-hegseth-warns-iran-over-lethal-support-to-houthis?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98You+Will+Pay+The+Consequence%E2%80%99%3A+Pete+Hegseth+Warns+Iran+Over+Lethal+Support+To+Houthis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> last week that Iran would “pay the consequence” for providing “lethal support” to the Houthis.
The United States has been conducting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-orders-troops-to-middle-east-to-counter-houthi-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weeks of airstrikes</a> on the Houthis in response to the group&#8217;s more than 100 attacks on international cargo ships, tankers, and naval vessels following Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel. Since March, over 800 Houthi targets have been hit, resulting in the elimination of hundreds of fighters and leaders, and Houthi ballistic missile launches and suicide drone attacks are down 69% and 55% respectively, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-strikes-kill-hundreds-houthi-fighters-hit-over-800-red-sea-targets-central-command" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News reported</a>.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Air Force

Israel Bombs Yemen’s Capital Airport, ‘Fully Disabling’ Houthi Terrorist Base

Houthis

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

The &#8220;case has been closed&#8221; at the White House after the high-profile leak of a Signal group chat in which leading Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Monday.
Leavitt also indicated that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who has taken responsibility for the breach, will stay on the job.
&#8220;As the president has made it very clear — Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team and this case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXWhrp20VKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the Signal group chat:
&quot;As the president has made it very clear &#8212; Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team. This case has been closed here at the White House.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/Hz9Ow3YTEj">pic.twitter.com/Hz9Ow3YTEj</a>
&mdash; The American Conservative (@amconmag) <a href="https://twitter.com/amconmag/status/1906766213209878693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Since The Atlantic&#8217;s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke</a> the news last week that he was added to the Signal chat and revealed its contents, some have called for Waltz to resign or be fired. Waltz <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg12ewv7xyo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that he took &#8220;full responsibility&#8221; for the breach in which Goldberg was added to the chat because he built the Signal group. President Donald Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1904615849450971537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">informed</a> reporters that Waltz was a &#8220;good man&#8221; and &#8220;would continue to do a good job.&#8221;
The controversy that stemmed from the breach, which has become known as &#8220;Signalgate,&#8221; has embroiled other top members of the Trump administration who took part in the thread. One of those officials, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has also faced calls to resign over the information he shared in the conversation. Some lawmakers have <a href="https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/chairman-wicker-ranking-member-reed-request-inspector-general-probe-into-signal-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> for an investigation by the Pentagon&#8217;s inspector general. Hegseth has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-fires-back-at-the-media-over-signalgate-reporting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his &#8220;job&#8221; was to &#8220;provide updates in real-time, general updates in real-time, keep everybody informed.&#8221;
In a post on X last week, Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that no classified material was included in the thread and warned that Goldberg &#8220;is well-known for his sensationalist spin.&#8221; She also rejected Goldberg&#8217;s characterization that &#8220;war plans&#8221; were discussed, affirmed that the National Security Council was &#8220;looking into how Goldberg&#8217;s number was inadvertently added to the thread,&#8221; and noted that the White House Counsel&#8217;s Office had provided guidance on communications across different platforms.
On Monday, Leavitt said there have been &#8220;steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again and we&#8217;re moving forward and the president and Mike Waltz and his entire National Security team have been working together very well if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.&#8221;

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz

‘This Case Has Been Closed’: White House Shuts Book On Signalgate, Stands By Mike Waltz

White House: Signalgate 'Case Has Been Closed,' Stands By Mike Waltz

Executive

Karoline Leavitt

Mike Waltz

National Security

Politics

Scandals

White House

The United States launched airstrikes against Yemeni cities controlled by Iran-backed Houthi militants over the weekend in a renewed effort to beat down the terror group.
The strikes began on Friday and ran into Saturday. The Houthi-run SABA news agency said bombs killed at least one civilian and wounded four others, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/29/world-news/us-airstrikes-pound-houthi-controlled-yemen-cities-killing-1-reports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. Houthi soldiers often dress in civilian clothing and the group is known for undercounting its casualty numbers.
The United States has yet to confirm the strike. Houthi-run media reported that bombs struck the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, as well as targets in the governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, all areas under Houthi control, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-airstrikes-israel-hamas-war-b46abf73435b3c340b7fba3d0fff877f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
The strikes came a day after the United States escalated its retaliation against the Houthis by hitting their general command headquarters. The U.S. military released a video of the strike on Friday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CENTCOM Forces Attack Houthi Positions&#8230;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HouthisAreTerrorists?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HouthisAreTerrorists</a> <a href="https://t.co/6pOZhOmTp6">pic.twitter.com/6pOZhOmTp6</a>
&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1905716545667617196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. airstrikes have increasingly pummeled the Houthis in recent weeks in an effort to deter the terror group from striking Israel or commercial ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and Suez Canal. The Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on the terror group, expanding targets from the missile launch sites hit under former President Joe Biden to include top Houthi commanders and key military sites.
The Houthis have threatened commercial shipping and launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza. The increased military action against the Houthis from the United States has yet to stop the terror group.
On Thursday, Israeli missile defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis. On Sunday morning, Israeli defenses again intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile, the eighth such missile fired from the Houthis at the Jewish state since March 18, the day Israel’s military renewed operations against Hamas in Gaza after ceasefire negotiations fell apart.
The Houthis as recently as Thursday have also launched attacks against the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier stationed in the Red Sea. The terror group has targeted over 100 commercial ships sailing near Yemen since November 2023.

USS Harry S. Truman

U.S. Pummels Houthi-Controlled Cities In Yemen In Latest Wave Of Airstrikes: Report

United States

Sen. James Lankford (R-LA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday that he does not believe there is an &#8220;issue of leadership&#8221; with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following the leak of a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
During an interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; anchor Dana Bash asked Lankford if Hegseth should take responsibility after noting that the defense secretary &#8220;shared the specific information about the timing and aircraft being used&#8221; in the Signal chat.
&#8220;I think he just joined into an encrypted app,&#8221; Lankford said, adding that he did not &#8220;see it as much of an issue&#8221; because &#8220;they all believed that this was a closed circle of conversation&#8221; and Hegseth was trying to give them &#8220;a heads up&#8221; of the attack plan &#8220;as we had given a heads-up to our foreign partners overseas as well.&#8221;
The White House has <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who publicized the contents of the conversation, was &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to the Signal chat and the breach would be investigated by the National Security Council.
In response to the Signal controversy, Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-fires-back-at-the-media-over-signalgate-reporting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> his &#8220;job&#8221; was to &#8220;provide updates in real time, general updates in real time, keep everybody informed.&#8221; Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg12ewv7xyo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken</a> &#8220;full responsibility&#8221; for the leak, noting that he built the Signal group.
Lankford said the Signal app was being used for &#8220;normal communication&#8221; and what was &#8220;not normal&#8221; was having a reporter &#8220;in the middle of the&#8221; conversation.
When Bash pressed Lankford on whether he had any doubts about Hegseth&#8217;s leadership, the senator <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1906336511341064491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t see this as an issue of leadership.&#8221;
Lankford, who had earlier said an inspector general inquiry into the leak would be appropriate, went on to say that people calling for Hegseth for Hegseth to resign was &#8220;way overkill.&#8221;
Hegseth &#8220;is stepping in and has actually led a very successful first attack here on somebody that had attacked the United States over and over again,&#8221; Lankford said. &#8220;During the Biden administration, they had very limited response. Pete Hegseth has actually organized and coordinated an initial response to pushback and make them stop.&#8221;
Lankford also <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1906334416953114725" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>: &#8220;The story behind the story here is that Houthis have attacked American ships 170-some-odd times. So, for the Trump administration to push back on them is an entirely appropriate thing to be able to do. And they are pushing back on them strong to be able to stop their attack on American warships.&#8221;

Pete Hegseth

No ‘Issue Of Leadership’ With Hegseth After Signal Leak: Senate Intel Republican

Congress

James Lankford

U.S.

U.S. Senate

Satellite images have emerged showing a massive staging of B-2 Spirit heavy stealth bombers in the Indian Ocean that have been moved within range of being able to bomb the Houthis in Yemen and nuclear facilities in Iran.
The bombers arrived at the Diego Garcia base this week after taking off from their base in Missouri.
Images showed at least three B-2 bombers on the tarmac alongside multiple C-17A Globemaster III cargo planes, which would be used to transport munitions and other equipment to support a strategic bombing campaign.
However, there may be an additional four B-2 bombers at the base that cannot be seen by satellite because they could be in the four hardened aircraft shelters at the base.
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A U.S. official told Axios that the deployment of B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is &quot;not disconnected&quot; from President Trump&#39;s two-month deadline for Iran, signaling this is preparation of a military contingency plan should diplomatic efforts fail. <a href="https://t.co/ksZfLwS5Gg">pic.twitter.com/ksZfLwS5Gg</a>
&mdash; GMI (@Global_Mil_Info) <a href="https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/status/1905363355549728905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A fourth B-2 bomber was en route to the base earlier this week when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Hawaii and there were reports that additional B-2 bombers were preparing to take off from Missouri en route to the base.
Seven B-2 bombers represents more than one-third of America&#8217;s fleet of the bombers, all of which are based out of Missouri.
John Hannah, who served as a national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, told The Wall Street Journal that the amassing of the bombers was an &#8220;unprecedented concentration&#8221; of firepower.
“This unprecedented concentration of overwhelming U.S. firepower in close proximity to the region is intended to signal to the Houthis that…unless they stand down immediately, things are about to get much, much worse for them,” he said.
Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, agreed.
&#8220;Iran is vulnerable and outmatched. It’s not even close,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire. &#8220;If the president of the United States is serious about ensuring Iran never gets a nuclear weapon on his watch, there will not be a better time for him to guarantee that.&#8221;
President Donald Trump and his national security team have made it abundantly clear to Iran that they will not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and that they have less than two months to enter a nuclear agreement or else the United States military will remove their program for them.
Top Trump senior adviser Dan Scavino posted a video on X this week showing B-2 bombers flying after news surfaced that they were being deployed to the base.
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B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber🔥 <a href="https://t.co/cw5SRsNSAQ">pic.twitter.com/cw5SRsNSAQ</a>
&mdash; Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/1904710834527363553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The B-2 bomber is the only aircraft in the world capable of carrying the the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bunker buster that is designed to penetrate 200-feet of rock and concrete underground before it detonates a 6,000-pound high explosive warhead. The MOP is the most powerful non-nuclear bunker buster bomb ever built.
The munition could be critical to operations in Yemen where the Houthis have deep, underground munition sites.
In Iran, some of the Islamic regime&#8217;s nuclear facilities are located under the side of a mountain — thus ensuring that the MOP would be needed to destroy them.

Future 30,000-pound bomb reaches mile stone

Trump Stages ‘Unprecedented Concentration Of Overwhelming U.S. Firepower’ At Base Near Mideast

Global Politics

Iran Nuclear

Military

World

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he did not believe anyone should lose their job in response to a controversy regarding a journalist &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to a Signal group chat in which Trump administration officials discussed plans for airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
While some Democrats have called for <a href="https://x.com/MarkWarner/status/1904535761304576311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resignations</a>, Johnson emphasized how the White House <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1904512527699968437" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> no &#8220;war plans&#8221; were discussed in the conversation, which was how Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg characterized the Signal thread to which he was included. Johnson also pointed out the White House denied that classified materials were sent to the thread and is looking into how the number was &#8220;inadvertently added&#8221; to the chat.
&#8220;Obviously that was a mistake and a serious one, but I just want to say: thanks to President Trump and his strong leadership and &#8230; everybody on that group chat — the leaders on that group chat — are extraordinary people,&#8221; Johnson said during a House GOP leadership press conference on Capitol Hill.
&#8220;I know them all personally. They&#8217;re patriots, they&#8217;re doing a great job for the country, and that was a successful mission,&#8221; the speaker added. &#8220;I mean, we&#8217;re taking out Houthi terrorists. That&#8217;s what the American people expect the administration to do — to restore peace through strength and to act decisively.&#8221;
The Signal thread had a number of top officials from President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Johnson, a Trump ally, dismissed the notion that he would have responded more harshly if such a breach had happened to the previous administration under former President Joe Biden.
&#8220;Look, they&#8217;ve acknowledged that there was an error, and they&#8217;re correcting it, and I would have asked the same thing of the Biden administration,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone should have lost their job over that — because an errant number, you know, found its way onto a dialogue between leaders. It&#8217;s a mistake, but we got to correct it going forward and they will.&#8221;
Johnson declined to get into whether he believed the use of Signal to discuss national security matters was appropriate.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t use Signal. &#8230; I don&#8217;t know all the parameters of it, so it&#8217;s not my — I&#8217;m not in a position to determine whether 
that&#8217;s appropriate or not,&#8221; Johnson explained. &#8220;You have to leave that to others but I would just say obviously we got to be careful with these things and I know that they will.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-stands-national-security-adviser-leaked-military-plans-saying-mi-rcna197944" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News that one of Waltz&#8217;s staffers put Goldberg in the Signal chat. Yet he defended his national security adviser, saying, &#8220;Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.&#8221;
Johnson also vouched for Waltz and noted that they were former colleagues in the House. He also said Waltz &#8220;was born for the job. He is highly qualified&#8221; and stressed that &#8220;the president said he has total confidence in him, and we do as well.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> on Signal group chat: &quot;They&#39;ve acknowledged that it was an error and they&#39;re correcting it&#8230;I don&#39;t think anyone should have lost their job over that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/afOPw8XPTr">pic.twitter.com/afOPw8XPTr</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1904579992203203034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA)

Speaker Johnson Responds To Signal Group Chat Fracas

Mike Johnson

Trump Administration

U.S. House of Representatives

The big news from the weekend is that President Trump announced attacks by the United States military on the Houthis, a group of America-hating, Jew-hating, anti-Israel, anti-American, near-Satanic terrorists in Yemen, who have been at war with the Saudi government for a very long time.
The Biden administration pushed the Saudis to give up their war with the Houthis on “humanitarian grounds.”
After October 7, 2023, the result was that the Houthis decided to target Israel with missile strikes and to target shipping in the Red Sea, a major artery for international shipping and trade. The Houthis are almost entirely funded and staffed by the Iranian military, which has propped up the Houthis for years.
How much has international shipping been affected by the Houthi attacks? Global consumer goods inflation increased by approximately 0.6% to 0.7% in 2024 alone, due to higher shipping rates caused by Houthi attacks.
That is a significant amount. The current inflation rate in the United States is hovering around 2.8% to 3%. Imagine subtracting 0.6% or 0.7% from that. That amount would be much closer to normalcy.
A huge chunk of the hike in inflation could theoretically be attributed to the attacks that the Houthis are launching on international shipping.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2159-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
The average cost for shipping a 40-foot container has risen to around $3,000, up from less than $1,500 before the attacks. Why? Because shipments that used to take the shortcut through the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea are now forced to go all the way around the Horn of Africa, which takes much longer and is much more costly.
Additional fuel costs for rerouting ships around Africa are roughly $1 million more per voyage. About 90% of ships are now avoiding the Red Sea route due to those Houthi attacks. Container shipping through the Red Sea has declined by approximately 90%. The number of merchant ships passing through the Red Sea annually has dropped from 25,000 to 10,000. Such rerouting adds an average of 10 to 14 days to voyage time.
For those wondering why receiving packages takes longer than it did just a few years ago, that would be one reason. Seventy-five percent of all United-States- and United-Kingdom-affiliated vessels and 60% of European-Union-affiliated vessels are now rerouting around Africa instead of transiting the Red Sea. At least 30 ships have been damaged by Houthi attacks. Normally, the Suez Canal handles about 12% of all global trade. That&#8217;s $1 trillion of goods per year, and that number is shrinking to close to zero because of the Houthi attacks.
Yes, it&#8217;s about time we went after them.
So, President Trump announced over the weekend that the United States military was targeting the Houthis. He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114167864888304754" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>: 
<blockquote>The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depends. 
Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom. No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.
To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!</blockquote>
This is what I signed up for — because it turns out that freedom of the seas is unbelievably important. And the United States, as the global hegemon, is the guarantor of the freedom of the seas.
Launching attacks on pirates is a United States tradition that dates back to Thomas Jefferson fighting the Barbary pirates who were attacking American shipping.
What President Trump is doing is an excellent use of the United States military.
This is the “peace through strength” model that President Trump has always applied. Guaranteeing freedom of the seas is also a very good international signal. The Chinese government has been exploring farther away from land masses it controls into waterways in the South China Sea, which is a massive shipping artery as well, holding up boating and shipping from places like the Philippines.
Thus, this attack on the Houthis is a very powerful signal (to countries such as China) that the United States is not going to allow the shutdown of international waterways.
The White House shared some pictures of President Trump overseeing the strikes on the Houthis. I love it. President Trump came in from his game of golf wearing his MAGA hat with headphones on.
I love the casual nature of President Trump coming off the golf course so he could watch what was happening. I think that&#8217;s wonderful, because it&#8217;s with that level of casualness that we should treat America&#8217;s enemies.
If you screw with us, we will stomp you into the ground. We should smash you like a giant boot on a worm.

President Trump Participates In A Kennedy Center Board Meeting And Tour

Trump Stomps On Houthis. No More Screwing With America.

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

President Trump

Red Sea

Shipping

U.S. Military

U.S. Navy

Democrats are openly criticizing party leadership after they got steamrolled in budget negotiations, President Donald Trump unleashed strikes on terrorist targets in Yemen, and two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for months prepare for their journey home.
It’s Monday, March 17, and this is news you need to know to start your week. If you&#8217;d rather listen to your news, today&#8217;s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/democratic-party-divides-trump-targets-houthis-3-17-25/id1576594336?i=1000699470192" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>Dems in Disarray</h2>
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Topline: Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown this weekend after a stunning turn that saw Democratic leaders give in to Republican demands.
On Friday, Republicans passed a continuing resolution through the Senate, which will fund the government for the next seven months. The bill had already passed through the House but could have been stalled in the Senate by a filibuster. The deadline to avoid a government shutdown was midnight on Friday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had been vocally opposed to the bill, reversed himself at the last minute along with seven other Democrats, including John Fetterman (PA), Kristen Gillibrand (NY), Dick Durbin (IL) and Gary Peters (MI).
Context: Much of the saber-rattling surrounding the bill was driven by criticism of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Trump’s memetic initiative for cutting government spending headed by Elon Musk. Critics of DOGE have claimed that the executive branch is overstepping its constitutional authority and wanted to leverage a potential shutdown to rein in their activities.
However, behind closed doors, many Congressional Democrats argued that they would receive the lion’s share of the blame for a government shutdown. Democrats are also in a tenuous position politically, as recent polls have found that public perception of the Democratic Party has reached record lows. A recent CNN poll found that just 29% of Americans have a favorable view of Democrats, the lowest number since the survey began in 1992. Recent NBC polling is even more grim for Democrats, finding only 27% of Americans approve of the party.
Some Democrats also concluded that an attempt to force a shutdown to protect their spending priorities could backfire since the president would have more authority to curb government spending and furlough or fire workers he deemed non-essential.
“A shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,” Schumer said, explaining his reversal. “It would give Donald Trump and DOGE the keys to the city, state, and country.”
Backlash: Democrats in both chambers publicly slammed Schumer and the Senate Democrats who voted with him. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), for example, said Schumer’s effort “only makes matters worse.” In perhaps the most remarkable example, Schumer’s counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), all but threw Schumer under the bus, saying, “House Democrats will not be complicit. We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill.”
&nbsp;
<h2>War and Peace</h2>
<div id="attachment_892619" style="width: 908px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-892619" class="wp-image-892619 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-898x576.jpg" alt="" width="898" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-898x576.jpg 898w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-300x192.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-768x493.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-1536x985.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Bomber-Formation-2048x1314.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px" />(Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The Trump administration took drastic action over the weekend to advance its foreign policy objectives, attacking Iranian proxies in the Middle East while making peace overtures to Russia to end the ongoing war with Ukraine.
The Middle East: On Saturday, President Trump announced that the United States had launched a strike on Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, killing at least 19. The U.S. military attacked by air and sea, destroying missiles, drones, and missile defense systems.
The objective included opening the shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which the Houthis have obstructed for months. Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea. But the attack also sends a clear signal to Iran (and, quite likely, adversaries around the world), that Trump is willing to take a more aggressive approach than his predecessor.
Trump designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization at the end of his first term, a decision former President Joe Biden reversed. Trump touched on this on Saturday, saying that Biden’s attempt to clear the Red Sea “was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going.” The president also issued a warning to Iran, saying: “Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!”
Ukraine: Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to speak this week for the second time since Trump took office in January. Ukraine agreed to a temporary ceasefire last week, which will take effect if Putin agrees.
While the ceasefire has not yet been finalized, early talks have reportedly been promising: Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, met with Putin late last week and told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the meeting was “positive” and “solutions-based.”
<h2> Space X To The Rescue</h2>
<div id="attachment_892621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-892621" class="wp-image-892621 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Space-X-Falcon-Launch-3142025-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: A SpaceX Crew-10 Dragon capsule docked at the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday morning to relieve two American astronauts who have been stuck in orbit for nine months. NASA&#8217;s SpaceX Crew-10 mission launched from Florida on Friday.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon capsule into orbit carrying a mixed crew from the United States, Japan, and Russia.
Who&#8217;s getting rescued? NASA astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams docked at the ISS on June 6 and were scheduled to spend eight days aboard the space station. They were testing a new space capsule from Boeing, the Starliner. However, the Starliner experienced technical problems, and NASA delayed their return, citing unacceptable risks to the astronauts. Boeing maintained that the craft was safe and could have returned Willmore and Williams to Earth, but NASA had the final call.
During their extended stay on the ISS, Williams broke the record for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman: 62 hours and 6 minutes.
The Politics: According to President Trump, former President Biden effectively abandoned Willmore and Williams. Trump asked Musk, who is SpaceX&#8217;s CEO, to rescue them.
“[They] shouldn&#8217;t have been up there so long,” Trump said earlier this month. “The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won&#8217;t let it happen. We&#8217;re going to get them out.”
NASA has disputed Trump&#8217;s characterization, saying that the astronauts weren’t stranded and that nine months on the space station isn’t unprecedented by any stretch, considering astronauts have stayed on the ISS for more than a year. But judging by their reaction to the replacement crew&#8217;s arrival, they are definitely ready to leave. They could be back home as early as Tuesday evening.

Rep. Cori Bush Sleeps Outside Capitol Building In Push To Extend Federal Eviction Moratorium

Morning Brief: Dems Divided, Trump Hits Terrorists, And A Space Rescue Unfolds

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A gutsy Yemeni Arab journalist blasted the UN and its fellow Israel haters after the U.N. High commissioner condemned Israel for its war against Hamas.
“Nothing justifies the appalling manner in which Israel has conducted its military operations in Gaza, which consistently breached fundamental principles of international humanitarian law,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk declared.
That prompted Yemeni journalist Luai Ahmed, invited to speak by UN Watch, to fire back.
“High Commissioner, my name is Luai Ahmed and I come from Yemen,” he began. “I ask the UN, the Arab League, and everyone who has been raising the Palestinian flag since October 7: Where is the flag of Yemen? In my country, half a million people have died in the last 10 years, the biggest famine and humanitarian crisis in modern history.”
“Why does no one care what half a million Yemenis die?” he asked. “What about Sudan? In less than two years, more than 150,000 people have been killed. Where is the flag of Sudan? What about Syria? Half a million Syrians have been killed? Where is the Syrian flag?”
Then Ahmed came directly to the point, snapping, “High commissioner, why is it that when Arabs kill millions of Arabs, no one bats an eye? Where is the outrage? And where are the protests?”
“Why don’t you mention the Houthis in Yemen who have spent millions of dollars firing missiles at Israel instead of feeding my starving people?” he questioned. “May I ask why your report mentions Israel 188 times yet fails to mention the Islamic regime in Iran even once? How can you speak about the conflict while ignoring the party that has armed, trained, and funded terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis who have been bombing Israel thousands of times?”
He did not forget Qatar, either: “And why is Qatar sitting here as a member of the Human Rights Council when they host the Hamas terror leaders in luxury hotels?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“High Commissioner, my name is Luai Ahmed, and I come from Yemen. 
May I ask why your report mentions Israel 188 times — yet fails to mention the Islamic Republic of Iran even once?
How can you speak about the conflict while ignoring the party that has armed, trained, and…
&mdash; Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer/status/1895944166518968646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Gutsy Arab Yemeni Journalist Blasts UN, High Commissioner For Targeting Israel

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The U.S. military said in a statement on Saturday that it launched airstrikes against terrorist targets belonging to Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/yemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yemen</a>.
The statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) comes after the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on merchant and naval vessels operating in and around the Red Sea for more than a year.
U.S. forces “conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sana&#8217;a, Yemen, on Dec. 21 Yemen time,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The operation involved the use of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including F/A-18s.
CENTCOM said that the strike was made to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.”
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During the mission, CENTCOM said that they shot down “multiple Houthi one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CENTCOM Conducts Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Houthi Missile Storage and Command/Control Facilities in Yemen
TAMPA, Fla. &#8211; U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by… <a href="https://t.co/YRWWQJIweP">pic.twitter.com/YRWWQJIweP</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1870576182934323203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></blockquote>
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CENTCOM has also conducted strikes in Syria over the last couple of weeks after Islamic terrorists overran dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime, forcing him into exile in Russia.
The strikes successfully eliminated the leader of ISIS and more than a dozen ISIS terrorists.

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U.S. Military Hits Houthi Terrorist Targets In Yemen

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