FBI Director Patel fires experts on Iran
Just days before Donald Trump started the war against Iran, his FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from a counterintelligence unit tasked with monitoring threats from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter. As a result, Patel hamstrung the Washington, D.C.-based FBI counterintelligence unit, known as CI-12, which handles cases ranging from mishandling of classified documents to tracking foreign spies operating on U.S. soil. In Trump’s first term, CI-12 was instrumental in tracking Iranian plots to kill Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Trump says war may last longer than what he has suggested
Donald Trump now says that the war he started against Iran may last longer than the four to five weeks he previously suggested. Six U.S. service people have been reported killed so far. Israel says it is carrying out “simultaneous strikes” in Tehran and Beirut, targeting Iranian military sites and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Iran, meanwhile, is retaliating by attacking neighboring U.S. allies, plunging the region into further upheaval. The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel from Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait, after urging Americans to leave the Middle East immediately.
Nationwide protests against war
Thousands of people gathered peacefully across the U.S. on Monday to protest the war against Iran. Demonstrators rallied from Boston to New York and Los Angeles. Similar protests unfolded in Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin. At the same time, some Iranian Americans have openly welcomed the killing of Iran’s supreme leader and called for regime change. A University of Maryland Critical Issues poll released on Tuesday showed that only 21% of Americans favor the U.S. having attacked Iran. Of those in favor, 40% were Republicans, 6% were Democrats and 21% were Independents.
High-stakes primaries in Texas
All eyes are on Texas, where today’s high-stakes primaries are expected to offer an early snapshot of voter engagement and party momentum. The first votes will begin to come in at 8 p.m. ET, when polls close in most of the state. While every election night is slightly different, Texas typically reports quickly: In November 2024, more than half the vote was counted within the first hour, and nearly 90% was in by midnight. The first results of the 2026 primary season, however, will come from North Carolina, where polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET. All polls in Arkansas close an hour later at 8:30 p.m. ET. In 2024, most of the vote in both states was reported by midnight.
Clinton deposition videos released
The House Oversight Committee on Monday released video of the closed-door depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton that occurred last week as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Although former President Bill Clinton has more documented ties to Epstein, it was Hillary Clinton’s deposition that grew more heated as she frequently clashed with Republicans. Bill Clinton, with a calmer demeanor, denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Lawmakers repeatedly showed the former president photos of him with women from the released Epstein files, asking if he had sex with them. Each time, he said he did not.
Still no sign of Nancy Guthrie
One month after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home, investigators still have no clear account of what happened to the 84-year-old. Aerial video on Monday showed her daughter, “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie, and other family members laying flowers at a memorial outside the house. Authorities say they have received tens of thousands of tips and pursued thousands of leads, but none has produced a breakthrough. DNA recovered from inside the home — described by investigators as a mixture from multiple people — is now undergoing genetic testing.
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