Takeaways from Mullin’s testy DHS confirmation hearing

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:39 am

Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here. In today's issue: ▪ Mullin’s confirmation hearing ▪ US tries to limit economic impact of war ▪ Japanese prime minister visiting DC ▪ Chavez celebrations canceled Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) faced scrutiny from senators on both sides of the aisle during his confirmation hearing to lead the Department...

GOP debate on SAVE America Act morphs into 'circular firing squad'

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

Senate Republicans say the debate within their conference over how hard to push for passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, a sweeping voting reform bill, is becoming a “circular firing squad” as President Trump’s allies ramp up pressure on their GOP colleagues to use extraordinary tactics to pass the bill.  ...

HHS investigating 13 states for 'coercing' healthcare providers to provide abortions

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that it is launching investigations into 13 states for violating a federal health refusal clause and "coercing" healthcare entities into providing or performing abortion services. HHS officials said the department's Office for Civil Rights will be launching investigations into 13 states for allegedly violating the...

Gulf states walk tightrope between Trump’s ire, Iran’s crosshairs

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

Gulf states are between a rock and a hard place as the Iran war stretches into its third week, quietly encouraging the U.S. and Israel to complete the war convincingly, while trying to maintain some relations with whatever government remains in Iran when the dust settles. It’s a delicate diplomatic dance for the six countries...

Will Trump's moves to bring down gas prices actually work?

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

The Trump administration has rolled out a slew of policies aimed at bringing down rising gasoline prices amid the war with Iran, but experts say they’re unlikely to have much of an effect. Analysts who spoke with The Hill said that the only way to meaningfully bring down prices is to open up the Strait...

House eyes clean FISA reauthorization vote that will be tricky

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

House GOP leaders are aiming for a clean reauthorization of key provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) next week, a vote that could be tricky given demands from conservative Republicans on reforms and on the unrelated SAVE America Act voting bill. Section 702 of FISA, which authorizes surveillance of foreign nationals outside the...

Trump weighs risky bet on Kharg Island in ‘game of chicken’ with Iran

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

President Trump is weighing a seizure of Iran’s critical oil depot on Kharg Island in a bid to force Tehran’s hand and open the Strait of Hormuz. Such a move, which would require U.S. boots on the ground to capture the strategic terminal, would mark a major turning point in a war in which Trump...

Kennedy’s vaccine agenda takes a major blow 

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 10:00 am

A court ruling on Monday dealt a heavy blow to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to transform America’s vaccine policy, just as the White House is reportedly losing interest in the project. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy granted a preliminary injunction on the reduced childhood immunization schedule Kennedy...

Former Israeli ambassador doesn't think Iran war will last for an extra 6 months 

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 3:09 am

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran will last six more months. “From our point of view, removing a threat to global security, and definitely to Israel, because for Israel, Iran poses an existential threat, it's worth even another six months. I...

FBI investigating Kent over allegedly leaking classified information 

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 2:52 am

The FBI is investigating Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned earlier this week over opposition to the U.S. ongoing war with Iran, over allegedly leaking classified information, The Hill’s sister network confirmed on Wednesday. The agency’s probe was underway before Kent, a top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi...

Blanche, Bondi hold closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Epstein files

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 2:24 am

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche held a closed-door meeting Wednesday with lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee over files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that did not land well with Democrats, as Bondi faces a subpoena from the committee. “We were told 24 hours ago, the attorney general...

Macron calls for moratorium on striking energy, water infrastructure in Iran conflict

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 12:27 am

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for strikes in the U.S. and Israeli conflict against Iran on energy and water infrastructure to be stopped. “I have just spoken with the Emir of Qatar and President Trump following the strikes that hit gas production facilities in Iran and Qatar today,” Macron said in a post...

Republicans defeat resolution to halt US military strikes against Iran

By: The Hill

Published on: March 19, 2026, 12:01 am

Senate Republicans on Wednesday defeated a Democratic-sponsored motion to advance a war powers resolution to halt President Trump’s military strikes against Iran, a conflict that has caused oil and gas prices to soar. The Senate voted 47-53 against discharging the resolution to rein in Trump’s authority from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) was...

Joe Kent discusses decision to resign over Iran on Tucker Carlson program

By: The Hill

Published on: March 18, 2026, 11:44 pm

Joe Kent, the former top Trump administration intelligence official who resigned this week over the U.S. military’s ongoing operations in Iran, discussed his decision in a podcast interview Wednesday with right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson, who shares many of his opinions on the war. Kent sat for a wide-ranging interview with Carlson and argued U.S. involvement in the...

Padilla says he will 'rework' bill establishing Chávez National Park after abuse allegations

By: The Hill

Published on: March 18, 2026, 11:25 pm

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Wednesday vowed to “rework” a bill he introduced last year proposing the creation of a national park dedicated to César Chávez, after a lengthy piece in The New York Times revealed numerous allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights leader. “We’re going to rework that piece of legislation,...