Hello readers! Kathryn Palmer here, welcome to this week's last edition of On Politics. Without further ado, here's today's politics news. |
Pentagon wants billions more for Iran war |
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wants billions more from Congress to fund the Iran war, as gas prices hit an average of $3.90 a gallon nationwide and global oil prices surged after Israel attacked a critical Iranian gas field. At a Pentagon press conference this morning, Hegseth appeared to confirm a Washington Post report that he would seek $200 billion from Congress to continue the now 20-day-old U.S.-Israel war with Iran. "It takes money to kill bad guys," Hegseth said. In July, Congress approved $1 trillion for the Pentagon as part of the president's package of domestic priorities, and Trump has said he wants to increase that amount by 50%, to $1.5 trillion, for next year. It's the biggest defense budget, adjusted for inflation, since World War II. | U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. Evan Vucci, REUTERS |
Homeland Security might launch website about extraterrestrials |
Two new government-owned website domains created this week have caused a stir, after an agency under the Department of Homeland Security registered Alien.gov and Aliens.gov. It's still unclear if anything will come out of the domains − as of today, neither hosts a website and visiting the URLs results in an error message. But the move, by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is still raising some eyebrows. It comes less than a month after Trump said he would order federal agencies to release government files related to "extraterrestrial life." When asked about the website names, Anna Kelly, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told USA TODAY to "stay tuned!" Her brief statement was punctuated by an alien emoji. |
Mullin on path to become next DHS secretary |
Trump's pick to replace Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, is on his way to a Senate confirmation after a Democrat helped clear an important procedural hurdle. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs moved Mullin's nomination out of committee today, with the support of Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. It comes after Mullin faced a brutal day of questioning yesterday, including from some within his own party. A Senate vote is next, likely to occur in the coming week. The Oklahoma Republican only needs a simple majority vote to get the job, and with the GOP in control of the upper chamber, he will almost certainly get it. | | "The TSA lines are ridiculous," the "Beverly Hills" star told USA TODAY, lamenting the monthlong shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. | | Cesar Chavez was heralded as a labor and civil rights icon. This is being questioned after allegations he sexually assaulted women and girls. | | | | National Republicans are sharing videos from inside the Atlanta airport blaming the partial government shutdown on Democrats. Long lines continue. | | | | Authorities have described the March 12 synagogue attack as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. | | | | Head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent resigned over the war in Iran. President Donald Trump called him 'weak on security.' | | | | | Sign up for the news you want | Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. | | | | | |
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