The Daily Brief - Mar. 16, 2026
The latest on DHS funding, the SAVE Act, Iran, and more
These are today’s top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. Read below to catch up on all the news you might’ve missed.
Iran: Kharg Island
On Friday the US hit military targets on Kharg Island, where 90% of Iranian oil is exported. The island sits about 15 miles off the coast of Iran.
Trump said the strikes “totally demolished” most of the island, but didn’t damage “anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.”
A US official told Axios that the president might consider seizing the island, but would need troops on the ground to do that, and Trump isn’t “there yet.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has long advocated for attacking Iran, said the future of the conflict depends on this site. “If Iran loses control or the ability to operate its oil infrastructure from Kharg Island, its economy is annihilated. He who controls Kharg Island, controls the destiny of this war.”
Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump said on Monday that “numerous countries,” which he did not name, had told him they were “on the way” to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He criticized US allies for not volunteering to help with the mission, but also said, “We don’t need anybody” to help reopen the strait. He claimed that he was asking other countries for help “because I want to find out how they react.”
On Saturday, Trump called on China, Great Britain, France, Japan, and South Korea to join an effort to reopen the strait, which Iran has mostly closed by attacking ships in the Persian Gulf.
None of the nations agreed publicly to assist.
Trump suggested on Monday that other countries should help the US reopen the strait because the US has protected them. “I’ve been a big critic of all of the protecting of countries,” he said, “because I know that we’ll protect them. And if we ever needed help, they won’t be there for us.” On Saturday, he said that NATO faced a “very bad future” if its member states did not help reopen the strait.
Dubai Airport and Hezbollah Ground Operation
An Iranian drone attack caused a large fire at Dubai’s international airport on Monday, temporarily grounding air traffic. As of Monday afternoon in the US, the airport was gradually resuming flights.
Since the war with Iran began on February 28, Iran has attacked ports, oil facilities, hotels, and other civilian infrastructure in a number of Arab Gulf states allied with the US, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar. It has fired nearly 2,000 missiles and drones at the UAE alone. Seven American service members were killed when Iran targeted a radar installation in Kuwait at the beginning of the conflict.
The US says it has reduced Iran’s capability to carry out such attacks. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth noted on Friday that Iranian missile attacks had fallen by 90% since the start of the war, and that one-way drone attacks were down by 95%.
Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had begun ground operations in southern Lebanon against the Iranian-aligned paramilitary group Hezbollah, which fired rockets at Israel in response to US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the goal of the operation was to “destroy terror infrastructure in the nearby Lebanese border villages — to prevent threats and the return of Hezbollah to the area, exactly as was done to Hamas in Gaza” and elsewhere.
Iran Media Coverage Targeted
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told broadcasters that their licenses could be pulled over what he says are “hoaxes” and “fake news” being aired about the war with Iran.
Carr said, “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
The Communications Act of 1934 states that broadcast news organizations must operate in the “public interest, convenience, and necessity” of the communities they serve, but they are not permitted to engage in censorship.
Last night President Trump said media outlets “should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!” He said he’s “so thrilled to see Brendan Carr… looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”
SAVE Act
The Senate is set to debate the SAVE Act this week, and Trump allies who want the bill to pass say they are willing to take over the Senate floor to make that happen.
Sen. Mike Lee said Republicans could debate the SAVE Act for weeks, shutting down all other Senate business in the process, saying he wants to “try to maximize the period of time in which we debate it.”
Sen. Katie Britt said she and her colleagues are “working through” how the debate will go down but that they’re ready for a prolonged battle.
They hope that by tying up the Senate for long enough, they can convince some members to vote in favor of the bill.
Since the legislation does not have 60 votes in support of it, it can’t move forward unless the Senate agrees to change the rules. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to bring the bill up for debate and a vote, so the Senate can move on.
Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill one of the “most despicable” bills he’s ever seen, saying, “Nothing is more important than defeating this dagger to the heart of our democracy.”
To read more on how the SAVE Act could upend voting for married women, make sure you read today’s article from our executive editor Ashton Lattimore.
Satellite Images Delayed
US-based satellite firm Planet Labs will delay access to updated images of the Middle East for 14 days, increasing a previously announced four-day delay. The company said the restrictions are meant to keep the images from being used to plan attacks by enemies of the United States.
“This conflict is dynamic and in many ways unique to others, and thus Planet is taking robust steps to help ensure our images do not contribute in any way to attacks on allied and NATO personnel and civilians,” said a spokesperson for Planet Labs.
The company operates a fleet of satellites that takes images of Earth from space and sells them to companies, governments, and media outlets, which may use them as part of news reporting on the region. The delay in sharing updated images may reduce news outlets’ ability to provide accurate information about conditions in the region.
DHS Funding
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is seeking to force a vote on legislation that would reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without funding ICE or CBP. The DHS shutdown began just over a month ago when the department ran out of funding, and Congressional Democrats have refused to provide the votes to reopen it until Republican lawmakers agree to new limitations on federal immigration enforcement agents.
DHS also oversees FEMA, the Secret Service, CISA, and TSA, and in recent weeks the lack of funding has begun to impact the public. Recently, many DHS employees missed their first paycheck since the shutdown began, and more than 300 TSA agents have quit. Other TSA employees have missed work as they look for other paid employment. Airport delays have been widespread, with many travelers reporting hours-long security lines in airports around the country.
Jeffries plans to force a vote on DHS funding by using a procedural tool called a discharge petition, which can bring legislation to the House floor when the majority party’s leaders refuse to do so. It’s the same procedure the House used late last year to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It requires the signatures of half the House — 218 members. Since Democrats only hold 214 seats in the House, they will need at least some Republicans to support the petition for it to succeed.
Afghan War Vet
An immigrant from Afghanistan who worked with the US military during the war in his country died in ICE detention in Texas, according to his family and an advocacy group.
Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, was an Afghan special forces soldier and worked with the US army starting in 2005. He later moved to the US and applied for asylum here. He was a father of six.
ICE took Paktyawal into custody outside his apartment building in a Dallas suburb last week, and less than 24 hours later he died of unknown causes. He had no known health issues. His death is now under investigation, according to a statement from ICE.
“Mr. Paktyawal survived our war in Afghanistan and trusted the United States enough to rebuild his life here,” said Shawn VanDiver, president of advocacy group AfghanEvac, in a statement. “His family deserves answers. The American public deserves answers. The US service members who fought alongside Afghan partners deserve answers.”