News of the Week for March 8th, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
Rep. Dan Crenshaw loses to Republican primary challenger in Texas
NBC News projects state Rep. Steve Toth defeated Crenshaw, who was the only GOP House member running for re-election in Texas who didn’t have Trump’s endorsement.
Talarico wins Texas Senate Democratic nomination while Cornyn and Paxton head to Republican runoff
State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and fiercely contested Texas Senate Democratic primary that once again has the party dreaming of a big upset in November.
Cornyn and Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff in Texas’ US Senate Republican primary
Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a May 26 runoff in the state’s Republican primary for US Senate, extending an expensive and divisive clash that has drawn wide national attention.
Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke to retire, will not seek reelection
Congressman Ryan Zinke will not seek reelection for a fourth term in Montana’s first Congressional District. The Republican who has had a storied career will make it official Monday as the filing deadline looms.
Voter ID initiative could appear on California’s 2026 ballot.
A proposed ballot initiative that would require Californians to present identification when voting and mandate that election officials verify the citizenship of registered voters appears to have gathered enough support to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
A Bad Night in Texas for the GOP’s Future
Round one of the Texas primary race has concluded, and what a mess it is for the Republican Party. Without further ado, let’s don our work clothes, grab our battered swabs, and get to work mopping up the blood and entrails.
Texas Latinos turned out in massive numbers for Democrats
In multiple Latino-majority counties, more people cast Democratic votes on Tuesday than voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
GOP Sen. Steve Daines Drops Reelection Bid At Last Possible Minute
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines ended his November reelection bid Wednesday — the state’s last possible day of candidate filing.
Eyeing Voting Rights, Liberals Aim to Secure Wisconsin’s Supreme Court through 2030
In the April election, Wisconsin liberals are hoping to expand their majority on a body that could be a critical backstop for voting rights during the next presidential race.
Rep. Darrell Issa expected to retire from Congress
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is expected to drop his bid for reelection just ahead of California’s congressional filing deadline on Friday
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley files to run as independent
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said Friday he is registering as “no party preference,” rather than as a Republican, as he seeks reelection to Congress.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Judge affirms ‘religious freedom’ exception to Indiana abortion ban
Any woman who asserts that her religious beliefs compel her to procure an abortion is entitled to terminate her pregnancy in Indiana, notwithstanding the significant restrictions on abortion access enacted four years ago by the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Gun Rights
Second Amendment Roundup: Oral Argument in Hemani
Testing whether an unlawful user of marijuana forfeits the right to have arms.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Ghostwriters for the Courts: The Climate Litigation Network Behind a Withdrawn Judicial Manual
Late last year the federal judiciary quietly released a document that almost nobody outside legal circles normally notices: the fourth edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. Within weeks one section of that manual vanished.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Imposes Six-Month Moratorium on Medicare Enrollment of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Suppliers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Federal Register notice imposing a six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for seven types of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers, effective February 27, 2026. The moratorium is based on CMS’s determination, made in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Justice, that medical supply companies have significant potential for fraud, waste, or abuse.
War & Terror
Grand Strategy in Iran and Venezuela
It’s hard to say what this administration is thinking, for three related reasons: The thinking of a lot of disparate people goes into a war-making decision; the president himself is a man of instincts, interests, and improvisations, not ideas or strategy; and there has been so little effort to publicly explain or justify what they’re doing (in good part because they’re not asking Congress or anyone else for permission).
Crews Safe After Three U.S. Planes Shot Down by Friendly Fire over Kuwait
Multiple reports indicate that three American F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident.
France Floats Nuclear Deployment Across Europe
Macron says France will boost its nuclear stockpile and increase cooperation with European allies, including joint exercises
US commanders tell troops Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to start Iran war sparking hundreds of complaints
A nonprofit U.S. military watchdog said it has received hundreds of complaints about commanders providing religious reasons for starting the Iran war
How Many Missiles Does Iran Have Remaining?
Iran Watch wrote on January 26, “Israeli officials reportedly estimated the size of Iran’s remaining arsenal to be 1,500 missiles and 200 launchers at the war’s end but had observed signs by the end of 2025 that Iran was working on replenishing its stocks.” The organization published a list of Iran’s missile arsenal, detailing 27 different types of missiles (with sub-variants) with ranges from about 180 miles to 3,700 miles and a wide range of payload capacity.
CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say
The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.
NATO Air Defenses Shoot Down Iranian Missile Headed Toward Turkey
The Incirlik air base in southern Turkey hosts American forces but Turkey has said that it will not allow its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.
Iranian warship torpedoed by submarine in first US incident of its kind since WWII
An Iranian warship has exploded and sunk in a torpedo attack in the first US submarine sinking of an enemy ship since World War Two. The vessel named IRIS Dena, which is armed with heavy guns, missiles, torpedoes and helicopters, sank 25 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka.
US launches military operations in Ecuador
The joint military operation with Ecuador targeted what the U.S. called “designated terrorist organizations” in the country.
Poland’s Nuclear Option, Maybe
Given its history and its geography, it is no surprise that Poland takes its defense seriously. Its reaction to the “full” Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been a substantial increase in spending on its military, up from a level that was already more than the (then) NATO target of 2 percent of GDP. Poland will be spending a little under 5 percent of GDP on defense this year.
Asking the Ukrainians
I posted on the Corner the other day about the increasing sophistication of Ukrainian defense tech, the investment it is attracting, and the prospect that Ukraine could become a useful contributor to European rearmament, as well as to European (and not just European) defense.
Ukraine Depended on Western Weaponry. Now That Script Has Flipped.
Kyiv’s European allies are snapping up its military know-how as they seek to build up their own defenses
US will ‘unleash Chang’ on Iran, Marco Rubio says — a nod to sword gifted by mentor Jeb Bush
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the US was preparing to “unleash Chang” on Iran — making an obscure reference to a mythical conservative warrior whose sword Jeb Bush gifted him 20 years ago.
America’s Offensive Might Contrasts with Hegseth’s Defensive Crouch
So far, America and its allies are routing their Islamic Republic foes.
America and Israel Remind the World How Wars Are Fought to Victory
For some, it is a disorienting experience.
Suddenly, It’s America That Needs the Kurds and the Ukrainians
The United States, while dominant in the skies over Iran, is not without the need of support from its partners and allies. And we’re not talking just about NATO or Israel. Even America’s most embattled partners abroad, some of whom the president’s allies were willing to cast off as so much deadweight just months ago, are finding America shuffling up to their doorstep, hat in hand.
Trump says Cuba’s next: Here’s how it could play out
America’s pressure campaign on Cuba is pushing the country to the breaking point, with President Trump and Republicans in Congress predicting the communist regime’s imminent fall.
What Would Be Indicators of Regime Collapse in Iran?
A fierce but brittle regime can hang on for a long time in the absence of a unified, national opposition enjoying outside help
Hillbilly Elegy
Will the Iran war derail J.D. Vance?
On Iran, Congress Still Has a Say
The further we are from an actual threat, the greater is the president’s political need for congressional support.
Intel report warns large-scale war ‘unlikely’ to oust Iran’s regime
A classified U.S. report doubts that Iran’s opposition would take power following either a short or extended U.S. military campaign.
Trump has privately shown serious interest in U.S. ground troops in Iran
The president’s private comments have not focused on a large-scale ground invasion of Iran, but rather on the idea of a small contingent of U.S. troops that would be used for specific strategic purposes, sources say.
Russia is providing intelligence to Iran on the location of U.S. forces, sources say
The assistance could help Iran locate American warships, radar or other communication systems, but there’s no indication Moscow is helping direct Iranian strikes, sources tell NBC News.
National
Court turns down several cases, including on filing fees for indigent prisoners and ability of felons to possess guns
Over the objections of the court’s three Democratic appointees, the Supreme Court on Monday morning declined to hear a case involving the payment of filing fees by indigent prisoners. The announcement was part of a list of orders released on Monday from the justices’ private conference on Friday, Feb. 27. The justices did not add any new cases to their docket for the 2026-27 term.
Supreme Court Prevents California Schools from Hiding Kids’ Gender Confusion from Parents
California reprehensibly enacted a law that prohibits school administrators and teachers from informing parents about their child’s gender confusion. It is almost beyond belief that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals quashed a trial court injunction against the law — but, then again, it is the Ninth Circuit.
Black enrollment shifts, not shrinks, after affirmative action ban: report
Black enrollment at highly selective colleges has significantly declined post-Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, but overall black enrollment in four-year institutions has remained steady due to increased participation at less selective schools. The report by Class Action reveals that more than 80% of state flagship universities saw an increase in enrollment of underrepresented students of color, compensating for declines at elite institutions. The concept of a ‘cascade effect’ is introduced, where highly qualified students of color move to less selective schools, potentially leading to better academic outcomes due to a better fit with their credentials.
Horror Icon Bruce Campbell Shares ‘Treatable’ Cancer Diagnosis, Cancels Summer Appearances
“I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support,” says Campbell.
Judge Blocks Virginia’s One-Hour Social Media Limit for Minors as Unconstitutional
Virginia set the government as the default gatekeeper of how long children can read, watch, and talk online, and a federal judge found that unconstitutional before the law ever took effect.
Trump Says He Is Replacing Kristi Noem
The Homeland Security secretary’s combative Senate hearing this week was a key factor, advisers say
Kristi Noem fired as DHS boss after frustrating Trump over $220m immigrations ads
KRISTI Noem is officially out as Homeland Security chief as reports surfaced that she would be fired after claiming President Donald Trump directed her to spend $220m on ads for the DHS.
Artemis Reboot: NASA Announces Extra 2027 Test Flight, Two Moon Landings in 2028
If Artemis IV and V succeed as planned, they could mark the beginning of a new era of sustained lunar exploration.
In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad
53% of U.S. adults say Americans have bad morals and ethics
How a DHS shooting of a third US citizen went unnoticed for months
After the Texas Ranger knocked on her door and delivered the numbing news, Rachel Reyes realized she hadn’t thought to ask who shot her son. She figured it had been another Ranger that killed Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, after he allegedly failed to comply with a law enforcement officer’s orders.
How Kristi Noem’s ‘Chief’ Corey Lewandowski Ran Her DHS Tenure into the Ground
Concerns about Corey Lewandowski’s role at the Department of Homeland Security came to a head this week with a series of public hearings that resulted in former Secretary Kristi Noem’s dismissal — but questions about the longtime Trump ally’s influence within the agency have been simmering in the background since Noem first took charge of the agency.
Pakistani Man Is Found Guilty of Plot to Kill Trump Backed by Iran
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Asif Merchant on Friday of planning to kill American politicians, in a scheme backed by the Iranian government. Mr. Merchant faces life in prison.
Virginia passes legislation prohibiting schools from teaching falsehoods about Jan. 6 riot
Virginia’s legislature has passed a bill prohibiting schools from teaching what it considers to be falsehoods about the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including portraying it “as peaceful protest.”
Long-delayed Jan. 6 plaque honoring police quietly erected overnight at Capitol
The memorial was required by law to be installed by March 2023. This morning, while most of Washington slept, it appeared.
RFK Jr. ‘definitely’ running for president in 2028, says his cousin Jack Schlossberg
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) will emerge as a leading candidate in the race, building on his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign, Schlossberg told The Post this week during campaign stops in his own Congressional race in Manhattan.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Lies, damned lies, and statutes of limitations.
Economy & Taxes
Asking the Norwegians
This is, of course, not always the case, but it is telling to see how often acute demand (or acute potential demand) for a resource can lead to discoveries of what is needed. Incentives work.
Rare Earths Norway says estimate of Europe’s biggest deposit jumps 81%
An estimate of the mineral resources at a mine being developed by Rare Earths Norway, ?Europe’s largest rare earth project, has soared by 81% since the ?last evaluation two years ago, the privately held firm said on Tuesday.
Talking about taxes
In 2005 Karl Zinsmeister was editor of the American Enterprise — the monthly publication of the American Enterprise Institute — when he invited John and me to write a historical essay on income taxes that would be included in an issue devoted to George W. Bush’s promotion of an “ownership society.” Remember? I don’t either.
U.S. payrolls unexpectedly fell by 92,000 in February; unemployment rate rises to 4.4%
Nonfarm payrolls in February fell by 92,000, compared with the estimate for 50,000 and below the downwardly revised January total of 126,000. It was the third time in five months that the economy lost jobs. Health care, the primary growth driver in payrolls, saw a loss of 28,000, due largely to a strike at Kaiser Permanente that sidelined more than 30,000 workers in Hawaii and California. Wages rose more than expected. Average hourly earnings increased 0.4% for the month and 3.8% from a year ago, both 0.1 percentage point above forecast.
Jobs are falling. Spending is, too. That’s a problem
One of the main pillars propping up the US economy — consumer spending — may be starting to crack. For years, a resilient job market has kept Americans from pulling back on their spending, despite persistent fears about where the economy is heading. People’s dollars contribute to two-thirds of economic growth. A buoyant US stock market has also helped drive spending, particularly among wealthier households that are more likely to have financial investments.
The U.S. Labor Market Is Sputtering
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its jobs report for February today. The numbers are not great, to put it kindly. From the Wall Street Journal: “The U.S. lost 92,000 jobs in February, a sign that the job market continues to struggle across a broad range of sectors.”
Venezuela Inflation Hit 475% In 2025, The World’s Highest Level
Venezuelan inflation soared to 475 percent in 2025, the highest in the world, driven by a tightening of US sanctions in the lead up to the ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro.
International
Mexico Mandates Biometric SIM Registration for All Phone Numbers
Mexico is six months away from building a surveillance system that knows the face behind every phone call in the country.
Inside China’s Black Room torture chambers where ‘Living Dead’ inmates are gang-raped, electrocuted and have nails pulled out in the name of Communist ‘re-education’
The wounds once deeply etched across the body of Dr Sayragul Sauytbay by the Chinese state may have healed, but the emotional scars of her year-long detention will haunt her until her dying breath.
Mexico Mandates Biometric SIM Registration for All Phone Numbers
Mexico is six months away from building a surveillance system that knows the face behind every phone call in the country.
Flying a Union Jack flag is branded a ‘tool of hate’ in Government’s leaked ‘social cohesion’ strategy
Flying English, Scottish and Union Jack flags has been branded as ‘tools of hate’ in a leaked draft of the Government’s new social cohesion strategy.
Opinion
A Liberal Professor’s Case for the UNC Syllabus Policy
Transparency is good for both professors and the public.
On Anthropic, Trump Administration Revives Bill of Attainder–Style Extortion
This is thuggish behavior.
Slavery and Birthright Citizenship
All the Trump Administration’s arguments for denying birthright ctizenship to children of undocumented immigrants are at odds with the main purpose of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment – granting citizenshp to freed slaves and their descendants.
The “Unitary Executive” Theory’s Contribution to the Deformation of the Constitution
The “three buckets” picture of the federal government, in combination with the unitary executive thesis, gives extravagant power to the President.
In the Pentagon Battle with Anthropic, We All Lose
AI companies and the government have followed informal principles to advance the industry and keep us safe. Pete Hegseth is putting that at risk.
The Role of Delegation Theories in Deforming the Constitution
The Supreme Court’s approaches of assuming agency authority to issue legislative rules and of prohibiting Congress from delegating to itself have resulted in an enormous transfer of power to the Executive.
Iran Is One More Humiliation for J. D. Vance
Trump’s war shows that, within the administration, the vice president’s opinions matter less and less.
‘They’re Not Like Us’: Michael McFaul on Autocrats vs. Democrats and the Fight for the 21st Century
Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul returns to Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson to discuss his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. McFaul explains why Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and today’s autocratic leaders fundamentally do not think like we do — and why that misunderstanding has shaped some of America’s most consequential foreign-policy mistakes.
Noem Has No One to Blame but Herself
Kristi Noem is departing as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, finally exorcising one of the biggest liabilities of the Trump administration. Noem racked up an impressively unimpressive record in her roughly two years in the national spotlight, and she has no one to blame but herself. Meanwhile, a new report indicates that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is attempting to help the Iranians target our forces in the conflict in the Persian Gulf.
In defense of sugar
Republicans used to be annoyed at government telling people what to eat.
Kristi Noem Was Never Right for the Job
Kristi Noem is out of a job, and Charlie Cooke, on today’s edition of The Editors, says that the former DHS secretary “should never have been nominated” in the first place.
How Noem Turned a Popular Issue into a PR Nightmare
Likely a part of President Trump’s frustration with Kristi Noem’s management style is that it turned the once widely popular issue of mass deportations into a recurring PR nightmare. In Noem’s defense, her aggressive and expansive approach to deporting illegal aliens was consistent with what Trump promised on the campaign trail. Tom Homan’s “worst of the worst” strategy is more politically prudent, but it’s a downgrade from the “largest deportation campaign in history.” I talked about her firing last night on Fox News at Night with Trace Gallagher.
How the Supreme Court’s Conception of Its Role Contributes to the Deformation of the Constitution
The Court’s law-declaration approach not only departs from its dispute-resolution premise but risks yielding a faulty product.
The FCC thinks it knows best
The central planners running the obsolete agency have another plan to meddle in the private economy.
