作者： root

How the Trump administration could be hurting Israel’s already damaged brand

Analysis by Aaron Blake
3 hr ago
PUBLISHED Mar 19, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

The Middle East Donald Trump Oil & gas Fighting disinformation

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President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office on Thursday, during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

President Donald Trump joined with Israel to launch the Iran war at an inauspicious time for the US-Israeli relationship.

Just a day before the first strikes, Gallup polling had shown Americans’ views of Israel hitting a 21st century low; most strikingly, Americans for the first time didn’t sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians.

Making matters even more fraught, the right has in recent months become riven over how to deal with what many regard as a troubling rise in antisemitism in its base and influencer class. Some of the biggest names in conservative thought have increasingly — and often conspiratorially — linked Israel to all manner of American maladies.

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Given Americans seemed quite skeptical of this war from the jump, it didn’t take an active imagination to surmise that some people would blame Israel and even craft conspiracy theories about that.

And that’s certainly happened. But, in a twist, that’s thanks in large part to some of the Trump administration’s rhetoric about the war.

The president and those around him have done Israel no favors with some of their claims.

On two major occasions now, the administration has gestured at Israel being mostly responsible for major inflection points in the war — even though the evidence on both counts isn’t totally clear.

Rubio’s claim about an ‘imminent’ Iranian threat

First, it was Secretary of State Marco Rubio making a kind of bank-shot case for why Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. Rubio said Israel was going to strike Iran no matter what, and Iran was going to retaliate by striking at US targets; ipso facto, the argument went, Iran was an imminent threat to the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting between President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The political problem with this formulation, though, was that it sounded a lot like the United States government was having its hand forced by Israel.

So the Trump administration quickly abandoned that argument and moved on to another in its long line of justifications for the war.

Joe Kent’s resignation

But this week has showed how Israel’s PR problem is going nowhere.

On Tuesday, we learned that the first high-profile Trump administration official had resigned while citing the Iran war. But outgoing National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent didn’t just criticize the war; he heavily blamed “pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby” for coercing the United States into it.

Kent in his resignation letter went on to repeatedly cite Israel and blame it for other wars, too. And in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, he played into conspiracy theories about Israel and the assassination of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The reaction on much of the establishment right has largely been to dismiss Kent as an antisemitic crank. But this is someone Trump put in a powerful position — and did so despite his known past associations with extremists, including White nationalists and a Nazi sympathizer. And Kent is now using the credibility the administration vested in him to target Israel.

Trump’s latest claim

And finally came Trump’s bizarre missive late Wednesday night.

In a social media post at about 10 p.m. ET, he disclaimed any US role in the major Israeli attacks on facilities linked to the South Pars gas field in Iran.

“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack,” Trump maintained.

The attack was a big deal because Iran responded by striking Qatar’s portion of the gas field, raising tensions between neighbors in the region. (Trump also threatened to “massively blow up” Iran’s portion of the gas field if it keeps attacking Qatar.) And the gas field is the world’s largest, meaning its destruction could have an outsized impact on the already struggling global energy markets and supplies.

Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an attack in Bushehr Province, Iran, on Wednesday, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

Reuters

The first thing to note is that Trump’s account has been contradicted. A US source has told CNN that the US was “aware” of the strike, and an Israeli source has said the two sides coordinated on the strike. (Other experts, including former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, have noted it would be shocking if Israel didn’t loop the United States in on an attack of this scale and significance.)

But setting that aside, Trump’s comments — much like Rubio’s — imply that Israel is singularly responsible for this escalation, and they cast the United States in a role of responding to that Israeli-imposed escalation.

Disclaiming involvement might serve Trump’s domestic political purposes, but it doesn’t help Israel’s reputation in the United States. If anything, Trump’s position that the US knew nothing feeds those harboring theories like Kent’s.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israel had “acted alone” in a strike on a processing facility linked to the South Pars gas field, without directly addressing whether the United States was aware of the operation beforehand.

Netanyahu also rejected the idea that Israel coerced the United States into the war, casting doubt that anyone could do that to Trump.

“This canard that we dragged the United States into it – it’s not just a canard; it’s ridiculous. It’s just ridiculous,” Netanyahu said at his news conference.

Uncomfortable questions

Trump seemed to double down on his claim on Thursday, telling reporters that the US and Israel were “independent” but “get along great.”

He said of Netanyahu: “It’s coordinated. But on occasion he’ll do something, and if I don’t like it, and so we’re not doing that anymore.”

But the situation is again posing uncomfortable questions for the administration.

At Thursday’s Pentagon briefing, a reporter for the right-wing website Gateway Pundit asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Trump’s Wednesday Truth Social post.

“Why are we helping Israel prosecute this war, if they’re going to pursue their own objectives?” the reporter asked.

Hegseth didn’t address the substance of Trump’s post, instead offering vague assurances that US objectives were being met.

“We hold the cards. We have objectives. Those objectives are clear,” he responded. “We have allies pursuing objectives as well, and the truth speaks for itself.”

Later that morning, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was asked at a House intelligence committee hearing why Israel would strike Iranian energy infrastructure (purportedly) against Trump’s wishes.

“I don’t have an answer for that,” she responded.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies before a US House Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday.

Kylie Cooper/Reuters

Gabbard was then asked if Israel’s objectives aligned with the United States’, and she again appeared stumped. After a long pause, she said she was “thinking carefully” about what she could say publicly.

(She eventually acknowledged that Israel was more focused on taking out Iran’s leadership, while the United States was more focused on disarming Iran — both on the nuclear front and with its conventional weapons.)

Also at the hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that what Rubio said had a real basis in US intelligence.

Ratcliffe said there was a “body of evidence” available that said, “in the likely event of a conflict between Iran and Israel, that the US would be immediately attacked — regardless of whether the United States stayed out of that conflict.”

This war was always going to be a tough sell with the American people and a real test of the US-Israeli relationship.

But through its inability to craft a consistent message and Trump’s tendency to say whatever might be expedient at the moment, the administration has made the latter portion of that equation even more complicated than it had to be.

American society — and Israel’s reputation — could be feeling the effects of that for a long time.

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U.S. oil producers could get $63 billion boost from high crude prices, analysis shows

Updated on: March 19, 2026 / 5:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Soaring energy prices due to the Iran war could provide a massive windfall for U.S. oil companies.

Rystad Energy, a market research firm, estimates that shale oil producers in the U.S. could earn an additional $63 billion in sales as prices soar past $100 a barrel.

If oil prices averaged $70 a barrel — their approximate level before the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East last month — U.S. producers would generate generate $99 billion in free cash flow for the year. At an average of $100 a barrel, that figure would jump to $162 billion, according to the firm. Among the companies poised to benefit: BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell.

Brent crude, the international oil benchmark most directly linked to the price of gas in the U.S., topped $119 on Thursday after signs of escalating violence in the region, before ending the day at $108.65.

The U.S. is the world’s largest crude producer, with an output of 13 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). It exports roughly 11 million barrels of oil daily, and imports 8 million, making the U.S. a net oil exporter.

Oil prices have soared as Iran effectively blocks the Strait of Hormuz following the February 28 attack by the U.S. and Israel. Normally, roughly 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass through the key waterway.

“Demand destruction” risk

In a social media post on X last week, President Trump touted the benefits to the U.S. of higher oil prices. “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” he said in the post.

But while U.S. oil producers could benefit in the short-term, financial gains from sustained higher oil prices could be short-lived as higher energy costs wash over consumers, Rystad Energy analyst Thomas Liles told CBS News.

“It’s good for U.S. producers, but in the short-term primarily,” he said. “Once prices increase to very high levels, the question from a producer perspective is how long the good times can last, because once you get to a certain price, you see demand destruction.”

If oil prices jumped to $150 per barrel, consumers would likely cut their spending, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, to offset higher gasoline and other energy-related costs. A reduction in energy consumption, in turn, could lead to an economic slowdown depending on how long the conflict lasts and how oil prices react, Liles said.

“The bigger question is what happens next, and if the disruption continues and prices continue to rise, all this sends the economy into a tailspin,” he said.

For now, oil prices remain well below their all-time highs. That came in July 2008, as the housing crash was denting the economy, when both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, reached around $145 per barrel, or about $215 on an inflation-adjusted basis, according to data from FactSet.

Will U.S. oil producers boost production?

The risks of runaway oil costs are not lost on industry executives. In a meeting with White House officials earlier this week, energy company leaders expressed concern about the Iran war’s impact on the broader economy, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. energy companies are hesitant to boost oil production despite the incentive of higher prices, Rystad analysts note.

“U.S. shale producers are not poised to quickly ramp up production for two major reasons — strategic caution and a lack of drilled, uncompleted wells to quickly bring online,” Rystad Energy analyst Matthew Bernstein wrote in a report. Domestic oil players are unlikely to increase production so long as the duration of the Iran conflict remains hard to predict, he noted.

That’s in part because sustained oil prices above $100 a barrel are far from guaranteed, while ramping up production would take time, Bernstein told CBS News.

Bernstein added that U.S. oil companies have recently grappled with volatile prices and might not have “the willingness” to increase production in an uncertain environment.

“It’s the moment to take a breather and be able to realize some added cash benefits from selling your oil at $100 a barrel,” he said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Epstein’s lawyer ‘not aware’ of any relationship Trump had with late convicted sex offender, Comer says

Epstein’s personal lawyer, Darren Indyke, is the latest individual to testify in House Oversight Committee’s probe

By Adam Pack
Fox News

Published March 19, 2026 5:10pm EDT

Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal lawyer and co-executive of his estate said he had no knowledge of a relationship the late convicted sex offender had with President Donald Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Thursday.

Darren Indyke made the claim in a closed-door session before the House Oversight Committee. He is the latest Epstein affiliate to testify in the panel’s sprawling probe.

Comer said Democrats immediately pressed Indyke with questions about ties between the president and Epstein.

“Republicans asked very substantive questions that any curious media outlet would ask, that any American who’s kept up with this story would ask,” Comer told reporters. “Then the Democrats get their hour, and they ask about Donald Trump.”

BILL CLINTON SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW WOMAN IN INFAMOUS JACUZZI PHOTO DURING CLOSED-DOOR EPSTEIN TESTIMONY

“Mr. Indyke said that he was not aware of any relationship that Mr. Epstein had with Mr. Trump,” Comer added.

Comer also said that Indyke told the committee that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s sexual crimes. Indyke has denied any wrongdoing and did not invoke his Fifth Amendment right when questioned by the panel.

“As with all the other witnesses, they all claim they never had any knowledge before it became public that Mr. Epstein was … doing anything inappropriately with young women,” the Kentucky Republican said.

After Epstein’s first conviction in 2008, Comer said that Indyke told the committee that Epstein “convinced him he would never do it again and that he had remorse.”

“We’re asking all those questions, and like just about every other witness, they either didn’t know or couldn’t recall,” Comer said, referring to individuals in Epstein’s orbit having knowledge of or participating in sex trafficking schemes. “But we’ll keep pressing.”

BONDI, TOP DOJ OFFICIALS BRIEF CONGRESS ON JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE

Democrats on the oversight panel immediately dismissed the idea that Indyke had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

“I’m very surprised that he did not take the Fifth Amendment,” Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., told reporters. ” I think it’s very likely he perjured himself over and over again.”

“He claimed … that he had no knowledge of any women or girls. And yet that doesn’t account for the fact that numerous women have described how he helped them fix their problems,” Min added.

Richard Kahn, the second co-executor of Epstein’s estate, testified to the committee earlier in March. The one-time accountant to Epstein told the panel he was not aware of any transactions between Trump and Epstein.

Former President Bill Clinton also told the committee in February that Trump had never indicated to him that he knew about Epstein’s crimes.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“They have created a narrative, a false narrative, that there’s a cover-up,” Comer said of Democrats on the committee. “And they’ve created a false narrative that Donald Trump has some type of liability in this. Both narratives are getting exploded by every witness we bring in.”

Trump has repeatedly stated that he cut off ties with Epstein in the early 2000s after the two maintained a relationship for over a decade.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6390107494112

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发布/2026年3月20日 07:17

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Mortgage rates rise as Iran war fans inflation fears and lifts Treasury yields

March 19, 2026 / 5:35 PM EDT / CBS News

Mortgage rates in the U.S. jumped this week to the highest level in three months, as the Iran war fans inflation fears and puts pressure on the U.S. housing market.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.22% in the week ending March 19, up from 6.11% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac.

Economists note that current borrowing costs remain well below the 6.67% rate on a conventional 30-year loan a year ago. Still, the latest uptick is a discouraging sign for house hunters as the spring buying season kicks off. In late February, mortgage rates fell below 6% for the first time since September 2022.

“Elevated uncertainty could once again sideline both buyers and sellers, echoing the hesitant market conditions seen last year,” Anthony Smith, senior economist at Realtor.com, told the Associated Press.

Mortgage applications fell nearly 11% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. New Census Bureau data also show that sales of new single-family homes dropped nearly 18% in January from the previous month and are down 11.3% from January 2025.

Iran war impact

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has climbed since the conflict in the Middle East began in late February. The war has tightened global energy supplies, raising oil prices and injecting uncertainty into financial markets.

The 10-year Treasury yield, which influences the direction of mortgage rates, was at 4.26% on Thursday afternoon, up from 3.96% before the war started. As long-term bond yields rise, that pushes up mortgage rates.

“Rising energy prices and renewed trade uncertainty have lifted inflation expectations, putting upward pressure on longer-term interest rates and, in turn, mortgage rates,” Realtor.com senior economist Anthony Smith said in a blog post.

Mortgage rates are also indirectly influenced by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions, which impact the broader lending environment. The central bank doesn’t set mortgage rates, but its decisions to raise or lower its short-term rate are watched closely by bond investors and can affect the yield on 10-year Treasury.

The Fed decided this week to hold rates steady as it assesses the impact of the Iran war, while also signaling that it could move to lower rates at least once this year.

However, some Wall Street analysts have cast doubt on that. EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco said in a report that it’s “entirely plausible that the Fed won’t deliver any rate cuts this year.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/impact-of-rising-fuel-costs-on-feds-interest-rate-decision/

Live Nation CEO says it’s ‘disgusting’ that a top executive talked about ‘robbing fans blind’

By Kara Scannell | 2 hr ago | PUBLISHED Mar 19, 2026, 5:27 PM ET

Michael Rapino, president and chief executive officer of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., departs from federal court on March 19, 2026 in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The chief executive of Live Nation testified Thursday that it was “disgusting” that one of his top ticketing executives talked about “robbing fans blind” in internal messages.

CEO Michael Rapino, who has led Live Nation since 2005, parsed his answers and pushed back at times to repeated questions about rising ticket fees, exclusivity deals, and Live Nation’s profit margins on venues, ticketing and advertising.

He was called to the stand Thursday in a civil antitrust trial in Manhattan from states alleging that Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, operates as a monopoly. Roughly two dozen states say Live Nation is gauging customers by charging high fees through exclusivity deals.

[Related article A Live Nation sign is displayed at an office building along Hollywood Blvd on May 23, 2024. Mike Blake/Reuters Judge scolds Live Nation and Justice Department for secret settlement talks 4 min read]

Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer representing the states, pressed Rapino about the increase in fees fans have paid for tickets over the last several years and artists’ complaints about those fees and ticketing rules.

Kessler confronted Rapino with a 2016 message he sent to a representative involved in Alabama Shakes concert, stating, “Our fees are too high we can’t defend them.”

Rapino said he didn’t remember the email or what it was referring to.

Other artists, including Adele, Paul McCartney and The Cure at times complained about ticketing, Rapino acknowledged.

Rapino defended the company saying he is “very proud” of the business he built.

‘Robbing them blind baby’

Midway through his testimony Rapino was asked about a derisive internal message sent by a Ticketmaster executive about an increase in premier parking fees charged to fans.

In a message sent over the Slack messaging system in 2022, the employee Ben Baker wrote, “robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.” His colleague responded, “lol.”

Rapino said of the exchange. “It’s disgusting and it’s not the way we operate.”

In another message from 2022, Baker called fees charged for access to a VIP area of a show “f—ing outrageous,” adding “these people are so stupid.”

Baker testified at trial earlier this week that his remark was “indefensible,” and he said he was expressing shock at the amount people would pay, according to the Associated Press.

Rapino agreed that if an artist wants to perform at a venue owned by Live Nation they have no choice but to use the Live Nation promoter. He also acknowledged that fees for tickets, onsite parking, food and beverage and lawn chairs at the amphitheaters it owns comes out of fans’ pockets.

Asked if he thought those fees were “outrageous” as Baker called them, Rapino said, “No.”

Later when questioned about 20% fees Ticketmaster charges for secondary market ticket sales, Rapino retorted, “I’m the only one that says I want to cap secondary, so it goes against the motive you’re trying to deliver.”

Kessler asked Rapino about other past statements including one from a 2019 deposition where Rapino said, “Live Nation is a business model that has an incredible moat around the castle.”

Rapino said the moat is their business model. “You want to build a better mouse trap than the other guy. We were much ahead of the curve in owning ticketing, owning venues and concert promotion. Others replicated that now,” he said.

Kessler later pressed him again, asking if the moat refers to the exclusivity deals binding venues to the ticketing business.

“That keeps competitors from getting in your castle, correct?” Kessler asked.

“Absolutely not,” Rapino replied.

During cross examination, an attorney for Live Nation asked Rapino if he could dictate terms to James Dolan, the owner of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks basketball team and Rangers hockey team.

“Is he the kind of buyer you can push around?” the lawyer asked.

“Certainty not,” Rapino said.

The states are expected to rest their case next week.

DOJ subpoenas Comey over role in 2017 Russia intelligence assessment | Fox News

Move marks escalation after prior criminal probe into Comey and Brennan tied to 2017 ICA

By Brooke Singman, Jasmine Baehr
Fox News

Published March 19, 2026 5:22pm EDT | Updated March 19, 2026 5:26pm EDT

The Justice Department (DOJ) has subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey over his role in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The subpoena marks a new escalation after Fox News Digital previously reported that Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan were under criminal investigation related to the probe.

Sources at the time said the investigations were examining potential wrongdoing tied to the creation of the 2017 assessment and possible false statements to Congress.

The 2017 ICA concluded that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election, but a later review found the process was rushed and included “procedural anomalies.”

FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES

Former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed by the DOJ.(Getty Images)

A well-placed source briefed on the matter confirmed to Fox News the subpoena was served last week from the Southern District of Florida and is also connected to the ongoing investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan.

Fox News Digital first reported that Comey and Brennan were under federal investigation.

OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW

In July, Fox News Digital first reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe sent a criminal referral for Brennan to the FBI after he declassified records revealing that Brennan did, in fact, push for the discredited anti-Trump dossier to be included in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment despite the CIA’s consensus that it was filled with “internet rumor.”

Former CIA Director Brennan and former FBI Director Comey(Getty Images)

The referral came after Ratcliffe declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help candidate Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards.

It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”

The dossier was an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC. It has been widely discredited. The review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees.

Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA.

FBI Director Kash Patel received the criminal referral and opened an investigation into Brennan.

Patel, at the time, also opened a criminal investigation into Comey.

FBI Director Kash Patel listens during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill.(Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

The full scope of those criminal investigations is unclear, but two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options.

Last year, Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise.

Declassified documents obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital last year revealed that in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community consistently assessed that Russia was “probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means.”

CLAPPER ALLEGEDLY PUSHED TO ‘COMPROMISE’ ‘NORMAL’ STEPS TO RUSH 2017 ICA, DESPITE CONCERNS FROM NSA DIRECTOR

One instance was on Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s talking points stated, “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.”

Fox News Digital obtained a declassified copy of the Presidential Daily Brief, which was prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, with reporting from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, State Department and open sources, for Obama, dated Dec. 8, 2016.

“We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure,” the Presidential Daily Brief stated. “Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.”

But the brief stated that it was “highly unlikely” the effort “would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.”

“Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,” it stated.

The brief noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed that any Russian activities “probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.”

The brief stated that cyber criminals “tried to steal data and to interrupt election processes by targeting election infrastructure, but these actions did not achieve a notable disruptive effect.”

Fox News Digital obtained declassified, but redacted, communications from the FBI on the Presidential Daily Brief, stating that it “should not go forward until the FBI” had shared its “concerns.”

Those communications revealed that the FBI drafted a “dissent” to the original Presidential Daily Brief.

The 2017 intelligence report concluded Russia tried to influence the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump, but later reviews found the process flawed and included discredited material like the anti-Trump Steele dossier. Officials now say the assessment may have been politicized and used to undermine Trump’s presidency.(Getty Images)

The communications revealed that the brief was expected to be published Dec. 9, 2016, the next day, but later communications revealed that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “based on some new guidance” decided to “push back publication” of the Presidential Daily Brief.

“It will not run tomorrow and is not likely to run until next week,” the deputy director of the Presidential Daily Brief at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose name is redacted, wrote.

The following day, Dec. 9, 2016, a meeting convened in the White House Situation Room, with the subject line starting, “Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on a Sensitive Topic (REDACTED.)”

The meeting included top officials in the National Security Council, Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to discuss Russia.

The declassified meeting record, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that principals “agreed to recommend sanctioning of certain members of the Russian military intelligence and foreign intelligence chains of command responsible for cyber operations as a response to cyber activity that attempted to influence or interfere with U.S. elections, if such activity meets the requirements” from an executive order that demanded the blocking of property belonging to people engaged in cyber activities.

After the meeting, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Clapper’s executive assistant emailed intelligence community leaders tasking them to create a new intelligence community assessment “per the president’s request” that detailed the “tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”

“ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS,” the record states.

Later, Obama officials “leaked false statements to media outlets” claiming that “Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.”

FBI Director James Comey during a Senate confirmation hearing, in Washington, D.C., July 9, 2013.(AP)

By Jan. 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.”

Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that the ICA was “politicized” because it “suppressed intelligence from before and after the election showing Russia lacked intent and capability to hack the 2016 election.”

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Officials also said it deceived the American public “by claiming the IC made no assessment on the ‘impact’ of Russian activities,” when the intelligence community “did, in fact, assess for impact.”

“The unpublished December PDB stated clearly that Russia ‘did not impact’ the election through cyber hacks on the election,” an official told Fox News Digital.

The official also said that the ICA had assessed that “Russia was responsible for leaking data from the DNC and DCCC,” but while”failing to mention that FBI and NSA previously expressed low confidence in this attribution.”

Officials told Fox News Digital that the new assessment “was based on information that was known by those involved to be manufactured, i.e., the Steele Dossier or deemed as not credible.”

Officials said that the intelligence was “politicized” and then “used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more.”

Axios first reported the subpoena.

Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this reporting.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

中国使馆提醒在津巴布韦中资企业进一步增强风险防范意识

发布/2026年3月20日 07:51

中国驻津巴布韦大使馆星期四（3月19日）在社媒发文，提醒在津中资企业进一步增强风险防范意识和守法合规意识，并提及津巴布韦宣布暂停原矿和锂精矿出口。

使馆在微信公众号发文说：“津巴布韦政府近期宣布暂停原矿和锂精矿出口，并出台保留行业新规。中国驻津巴布韦使馆提醒在津中资企业和中国公民，进一步增强风险防范意识和守法合规意识。”

使馆也说，赴津巴布韦投资前，须全面、深入评估津营商环境、产业政策和相关法规，充分考虑各类投资经营风险，谨慎决策，避免因津政府政策变化导致损失。在津生产经营期间，须严格遵守当地法规和监管要求，坚持合规经营，主动做好风险防控，依法维护自身合法权益。

津巴布韦是非洲最大的锂生产国，2025年出口了112.8万吨的锂辉石精矿，比前一年增长11%，大部分运往中国。

路透社报道，津巴布韦以据称存在违规行为和泄漏为由，在2月25日宣布暂停矿产出口。浙江华友钴业、中矿集团等中国矿业公司津巴布韦的锂和铬矿开采行业占据主导地位。

“The Bachelorette” season with Taylor Frankie Paul canceled after 2023 video surfaces, ABC says

Updated on: March 19, 2026 / 7:04 PM EDT / CBS/AP

ABC has scrubbed the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette,” starring Taylor Frankie Paul, citing a newly released video from 2023.

Thursday’s unprecedented cancellation of the already filmed season of the long-running reality television show comes days before it was to premiere, on Sunday.

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.

The statement appeared to reference a 2023 video of an altercation between Paul and her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, that was published by TMZ on Thursday. Paul was arrested in 2023 and charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty that August to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault; the other charges were dismissed.

A police spokesperson in Draper City, Utah, told People magazine that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” of Paul and Mortensen, and that “allegations have been made in both directions.” The Draper City Police Department confirmed to CBS News on Thursday evening the accuracy of People’s report. Mortensen is the father of one of Paul’s three children.

Representatives for Paul and Mortensen didn’t immediately return requests for comment. ABC’s statement didn’t include details on what the network planned to do with the show’s time slot.

Taylor Frankie Paul appears at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Paul, who was promoting Season 22 as recently as Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and on the red carpet before Sunday’s Oscars telecast, was an unusual choice to helm “The Bachelorette.” Unlike previous leads, the 31-year-old had not appeared on the “Bachelor” franchise before — a departure from the typical practice of casting runners-up from previous seasons.

Her selection did offer synergy, though, as she also stars on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a Hulu reality show. Both Hulu and ABC are owned by Disney. In a statement confirming her casting in October, ABC credited Paul with “igniting ‘MomTok’ and going viral for pulling back the curtain on Salt Lake’s soft-swinging scene.”

Paul became known as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their lives on TikTok. She made news when she announced in 2022 that she had “stepped out” of an agreement with her husband in terms of relationships with other couples, and they were getting divorced.

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” premiered in 2024. While Season 4 was released last week, filming on Season 5 had already paused over the investigation.

“It was a decision that all of us girls came up with,” Paul’s co-star Mikayla Matthews said Wednesday on Instagram in response to a fan question about the production freeze. “We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”

Paul posted on Instagram in December that filming had wrapped on “The Bachelorette,” which is hosted by Jesse Palmer.

Former FBI agents sue Patel claiming they were fired for work on Trump election conspiracy case

March 19, 2026 10:59 PM UTC / Reuters

• Summary
• Agents say they were assigned to the investigation
• Firings violated agents constitutional rights, lawsuit says
• Neither agent has been able to find employment since firing

March 19 (Reuters) – Two former FBI special agents sued agency director Kash ​Patel in federal court on Thursday, claiming they were fired because of their work on ‌the investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The agents, who filed their lawsuit in Washington D.C. federal court anonymously, said Kash fired them last fall after Trump and his supporters pushed for their removal ​over their work on the investigation. Kash, who said agents who worked on the election case ​were “corrupt actors” who “weaponized law enforcement,” terminated them without a hearing or investigation, the lawsuit ⁠claims.

节点运行失败

The agents said they were assigned to work on the investigation, which led to Trump’s indictment in 2023 on ​charges he led a conspiracy to block the certification of his election defeat to former President Joe Biden. ​The U.S. Department of Justice dropped the case in 2024 after Trump’s reelection.

The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate the agents to their positions and find that the firings violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution to free speech and due process.

An ​FBI spokesperson declined to comment.

The agents suing said they were assigned to work in the Washington field ​office and had been lauded for their performance during their years of service.

They were each assigned to the investigation into an ‌alleged ⁠scheme to overturn the 2020 election through the use of fake electors, a probe the FBI called “Arctic Frost.” The work was not part of their normal assignments and neither agent played a major role, they said in the lawsuit.

Throughout Trump’s reelection campaign in 2024 and after his election, he and his supporters vowed to seek ​out government employees who ​they said were politically ⁠opposed to Trump, with a special focus on the FBI.

Trump has called the agents who worked on Arctic Frost “total Scum” and “Radical Left Lunatics” in social media posts, according ​to the lawsuit.

Both agents were fired between late October and early November 2025, ​according to ⁠the lawsuit. Each was given a termination letter, and neither was told their termination was based on poor performance or misconduct, the lawsuit said.

Neither agent has been able to secure new employment, in part because the language in ⁠their termination ​letters bars them from further employment with the Executive Branch, the ​lawsuit said. But they have also been repeatedly rejected from employment with other organizations, based in part on a fear that their ​hiring could harm relationships with the Trump administration, the lawsuit said.

Reporting by Diana Novak Jones; Editing by Stephen Coates