News for March 18, 2026

Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that Iran’s government is still standing but weakened, while refusing to say what she told President Donald Trump about the war’s risks.

Jerome Powell says he will stay on the Federal Reserve board until the Justice Department probe tied to his testimony is fully resolved, even as Donald Trump keeps pushing to replace him.

Sen. Ron Wyden says the Justice Department blocked release of an unredacted file about a secret drug and prostitution probe into Jeffrey Epstein, while the department denies stopping it.

House Democrats led by Rosa DeLauro are trying to force a vote on a bill to fund key Homeland Security agencies while leaving out ICE and CBP.

The Treasury Department eased sanctions on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., letting U.S. companies do business with the state oil firm as President Donald Trump moves to boost global oil supply during the Iran war.

Trump’s tariffs were meant to help U.S. factories, but the AP reports they are instead raising costs, cutting jobs, and hurting manufacturers like Allen Engineering Corp.

A federal judge ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media to reinstate more than 1,000 Voice of America workers after ruling that the Trump administration’s cuts were unlawful.

The State Department ordered U.S. embassies and consular posts worldwide to review security right away as violence and spillover risks from the Middle East spread.