The Daily Brief - Mar. 18, 2026
The latest on today’s Senate hearings, the government shutdown, 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 War
Israel announced on Wednesday that it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, in an airstrike. The Iranian government later confirmed that Khatib was dead. Khatib was responsible for coordinating crackdowns on internal protesters and attacks on dissidents outside Iran, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Force.
The assassination continues Israel’s strategy of targeting senior Iranian leaders. Israel also announced that it had struck facilities associated with the South Pars offshore gas field, the world’s largest. Iran shares the field with Qatar. Israel said the attack was meant to cut off revenue from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran responded by warning that oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar would “be targeted in the coming hours.”
The United States, meanwhile, said that it had struck Iranian anti-ship missiles along the Strait of Hormuz with 5,000-pound bombs. Iran has attacked a number of ships attempting to pass through the strait, shutting down about a fifth of the world’s crude oil supply.
Gabbard and Ratcliffe Testimony
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified today before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Both fielded questions about the Iran war.
Gabbard described Iran’s government as “intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities.” But she added that it remains capable of attacking “US and allied interests in the Middle East” and that “if a hostile [Iranian] regime survives, it will seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] forces.”
Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the committee, noted that Gabbard did not read a portion of her written opening statement that said last year’s strike on Iran’s nuclear program left it “obliterated.” He asked whether Gabbard omitted that part because it might contradict President Trump’s claim that Iran posed an imminent threat. Gabbard said she left it out to save time. In response to later questions by Sen. Jon Ossoff, she said it was up to the president to determine when a threat is imminent.
Sen. Michael Bennett pressed Ratcliffe on the justification for the war and said that it had “become less clear.” Ratcliffe replied that the “defined goals” were “very clear… to destroy and degrade Iran’s missile and drone inventory and its military industrial base.” On the opening day of the war, President Trump also called on the Iranian people to take control of their government, suggesting that regime change was then a goal, but he has declined to repeat such encouragement since.
Ratcliffe also said that pre-war intelligence suggested Iran intended to build ballistic missiles that could reach the continental US. He said he disagreed with Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned yesterday saying that he could not support the war and that Iran posed no imminent threat. Gabbard did not address Kent’s resignation.
Mullin Hearing
President Trump’s nominee to replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for his confirmation hearing today. Senators questioned Mullin about how he would approach immigration enforcement, since DHS oversees both ICE and CBP. He suggested he would work with the leaders of sanctuary cities — where local officials don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts — to understand their concerns. He also suggested that ICE should work more closely with jails to arrest undocumented immigrants.
The hearing began on a tense note when Sen. Rand Paul suggested that Mullin has “anger issues” and might not have the right temperament to lead DHS. Mullin is a former plumber and MMA fighter who once challenged a witness at a congressional hearing to a fight. He also previously called Paul a “freaking snake” and expressed sympathy with someone who assaulted the senator. In response to the question, Mullin accused Paul of smearing him.
Senators also asked Mullin about his past international travel and statements he’s made about “special assignments” abroad and the “smell” of war, despite never having served in the armed forces. Mullin indicated that the details of one particular trip abroad were classified, and after the hearing he went to a secure location with members of the committee to discuss them privately.
The vote on Mullins’ confirmation is scheduled for Thursday. At least one Republican, Rand Paul, says he will vote no on Mullin’s confirmation.
Newsbreak
This is not a conversation built on easy answers or sentimental patriotism — instead, Sharon McMahon and Condoleezza Rice share what it means to tell the truth about America’s history, without giving up on America itself.
Condoleezza Rice brings her own life to that question in a powerful way: as a child, she was excluded because of Jim Crow; as an adult, she became Secretary of State. If you’ve ever wondered whether honesty about the past strengthens democracy or threatens it, this episode of The Preamble Podcast is worth your time.
Government Shutdown
The White House is offering Democrats some concessions in order to try to make a deal to reopen the government, which has been in a partial shutdown since February 14.
In a letter, border czar Tom Homan and James Braid, Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, outlined changes they are willing to make regarding ICE tactics.
Here’s what they say they’ll do:
Expand the use of body cameras during immigration enforcement operations
Limit civil immigration enforcement activity at sensitive locations like hospitals and schools
Adhere to laws allowing Congressional oversight of detention facilities
Enforce a requirement that officers’ ID is clearly displayed
Will not deport US citizens, and will not knowingly detain US citizens
Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says it doesn’t go far enough, since it doesn’t include other demands from Democrats, like ICE officers not being allowed to wear face coverings.
Schumer said, “The key issues of warrants when you bust in someone’s house, the key issue of identity of police, no masks, they haven’t budged on those. They’ve got to get serious.”
SAVE Act Debate Begins
The Senate has begun debate on the SAVE Act, which many Republicans have said could go on for weeks.
Sen. Mike Lee, who is pushing for the lengthy debate, said last night, “If we do not act on an issue that commands this level of support… we should not be surprised when the American people lose confidence in our willingness to fight for them.”
In order for the bill to move forward, it needs 60 votes, and no Democrats are behind it. There are also a few hesitant Republicans, including Sens. Mitch McConnell and Thom Tillis who have said they don’t back the bill in its current form. Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against moving it forward yesterday.
Republicans think if they can continue to debate nonstop — which will prevent any other business from being brought to the floor — they will be able to convince 60 members to join onto the bill.
Voice of America Journalists
Last week a federal judge ruled that Kari Lake was not legally allowed to run Voice of America, the US-government funded international broadcaster, and therefore any decision she made as its head was void. That includes laying off more than 1000 employees last March.
Yesterday, that same judge, Royce C. Lamberth, said the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, has one week to put together a plan to get programming back on the air.
He also said the full-time employees who were let go must return to work by March 23.
Two separate lawsuits were filed after the VOA employees were told to stop coming to work — one by VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, and a separate one from a group of employees.
The Justice Department and USAGM have not said how they will proceed, but Lake said she will appeal last week’s judgement.
The SAVE Act is infuriating. When I called to oppose the bill, my rep’s staffer told me “It’s to keep illegal aliens from voting” to which I responded:
1) Let’s not use the term “alien”; it’s dehumanizing.
2) Voter fraud (even according to the extremely conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation) is extremely rare. Is it really worth disenfranchising tens of millions of voters because a few people commit voter fraud in an election year (at most)? She said she couldn’t answer the question, and I told her I didn’t expect her to— but that I wanted her to really think about what this bill would do if passed, and what their office represents (it’s a Republican office in favor of the SAVE Act). It is a poll tax which violates the 24th amendment, and it’s designed to suppress the votes of married women, people of color, the elderly, and rural voters.