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Secretary of State Marco Rubio's longtime confidant and colleague has come under fire for his alleged lobbying ties to Venezuela, and the ordeal has now captured both President Donald Trump's closest allies, Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, in the legal crosshairs. David Rivera, who has been a friend to Rubio for 20 years, was slated to stand trial in Miami federal court over allegations that he acted as a federal agent for Venezuela and now Rubio, who serves as secretary of state, is scheduled to testify against him as a government witness, according to a report Tuesday from The Lever. Rivera, a fellow Cuban American immigrant from Miami, was with Rubio when he picked out his wife's engagement ring. He stood by his side as he pushed his political career forward while they both pursued their political ambitions in the Florida House of Representatives. The case has raised questions about Trump's inner circle and who yields power. "The blockbuster case hasn’t just ensnared Rubio, a central architect of President Donald Trump’s recent overthrow of the Venezuelan government," The Lever reported. "It provides a rare glimpse into a constellation of powerful figures in Trump’s orbit — including his White House chief of staff — who have profited from shaping U.S. policy on Venezuela, potentially without always disclosing the true nature of their work."Wiles, who formerly co-led powerful U.S. lobbying group Ballard Partners, has also been mentioned in the case. Rivera's attorneys have suggested that in their client's defense, they "appear ready to suggest that the foreign-agent violations leveled against their client could just as easily be applied to another political operative: Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff. To make their case, Rivera’s lawyers are zeroing in on two businessmen named in the indictment: a wealthy Venezuelan media mogul named Raúl Gorrín and a convicted cocaine trafficker named Hugo Perera." "The hundreds of pages of Ballard records described by Rivera’s attorneys could shed light on the matter, but the documents may never become public," according to The Lever. "Last month, a federal magistrate judge in Florida’s Southern District Court granted a Justice Department petition allowing Wiles to avoid testifying at Rivera’s trial, thereby permitting related documents to remain under seal.""But in his ruling, the judge made a surprising admission," according to the outlet. "To be clear, no one disputes that Ballard Partners registered under FARA and dealt with Gorrín openly,” wrote Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres," The Lever reported. "Torres’ office refused to comment. But if Torres is correct, it would mean that — despite no publicly available record of the filing — Trump’s chief of staff previously worked as a registered foreign agent for a government the U.S. recently moved to overthrow."

Minimally competent leaders would have considered at least five obvious questions before launching the nation into war. President Donald Trump considered none of them.1: What’s the objective?It’s not surprising that more than half of all Americans oppose Trump’s War. From the outset, his administration has offered numerous and contradictory justifications for it.February 28: Trump cited 47 years of grievances, a desire to destroy Iran’s missiles, and a message that the Iranian people should “seize the moment” because now was their chance to “be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country.”But he also said that the attack was a campaign to “eliminate the imminent nuclear threat,” although he had boasted in June that the United States had already accomplished that goal.The same day, Trump told the Washington Post, “All I want if freedom for the people.”United Nations Ambassador Mike Walz claimed to the UN Security Council that the US was invoking the right of self-defense in response to Iran’s imminent threat.But the next day, Pentagon officials told congressional staff members that no intelligence supported the notion that Iran was planning to attack the US first.March 2: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told the press that the objective was retaliation for decades of Iranian behavior, destruction of their missiles, and providing an opportunity for Iranians to “take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”But only hours later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a new justification for the war: Israel was going to attack Iran and, if that happened, Iran would then attack US interests in the region. He made it sound as if Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had maneuvered Trump into a corner.The next day, Trump contradicted Rubio, saying: “It was my opinion that they [Iran] were going to attack first. They were going to attack if we didn’t do it.” Rebutting any impression that Netanyahu had manipulated him, Trump added, “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”Rubio complained that his earlier remarks had been taken out of context and the operation “had to happen anyway.”March 6: Trump posted on social media that only “unconditional surrender” would end the war.2: How long will it last?March 1: Trump told the New York Times the operation could take “four to five weeks.” He didn’t mention the Pentagon’s concerns that the war could further deplete reserves that military strategists have said are critical for scenarios such as a conflict over Taiwan or Russian incursions into Europe.March 2: Trump said that the war could go on longer than four to five weeks.March 4: Hegseth said that the Iran war is “far from over” and has “only just begun.”March 6: Trump told the New York Post he hadn’t ruled out putting “boots on the ground, if necessary.”3: Who will lead Iran after its Supreme Leader is killed?March 1: Trump told the New York Times he had “three very good choices” for who could lead Iran.March 3: Trump admitted: “Most of the people we had in mind are dead… Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports. So I guess you have a third wave coming. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.” Asked about the worst-case scenario for the war, Trump said, “I guess the worst case would be we do this and somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person.”More than a dozen Middle East countries are now embroiled in Trump’s war, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.March 5: Trump told Axios, “I have to be involved in the appointment [of Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s successor], like with Delcy in Venezuela” — referring to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who remained in charge of Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt and repressive regime after the US abducted him. Trump said that Khamenei’s son — then rumored to be a leading candidate as successor — was “unacceptable to me” and “a light weight.”The same day, he told NBC News, “We have some people who I think would do a good job.”March 7: The Washington Post reported that a classified National Intelligence Committee study issued prior to the war found that even if the US launched a large-scale assault on Iran, it likely would not oust the Islamic republic’s entrenched military and clerical establishment.March 9: Iran chose Khamenei’s son, a cleric expected to continue his father’s hardline policies, as the country’s Supreme Leader.4: How would a war affect the Middle East?Before US bombs began to fall, thousands of American citizens were in the war zone. But ahead of the strikes, the State Department didn’t issue official alerts advising Americans that the risk of travel in the region had increased.Yael Lempert, who helped organize the evacuation of Americans in Libya in 2011, observed, “It is stunning there were no orders for authorized departure for nonessential US government employees and family members in almost all the affected diplomatic missions in the region — nor public recommendations to American citizens to depart — until days into the war.”After attacks and counterattacks closed airspace and airports throughout the region, on Wednesday, March 4 — four days into the war — the State Department finally began evacuations by charter flight. The following day, the New York Times reported:Until midweek, the State Department had mainly provided stranded travelers with basic information about security conditions and commercial travel options via a telephone hotline and text messages. Before Wednesday, desperate people calling the hotline got an automated message that said the US government could not help get them out of the region.5: Could the war lead to humanitarian, economic, or geopolitical crises?Only a week into the war, the UN humanitarian chief warned, “This is a moment of grave, grave peril.”Iran is a country of 90 million people. US-Israel bombing has already displaced more than 100,000 of them.Israel’s companion attack on Lebanon has displaced more than 300,000 residents.More than a dozen countries are now embroiled in Trump’s war, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.The ripple effects span the globe as oil prices spike and Iran disrupts tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world’s oil flows. During his state of the union message, Trump boasted that the price of gasoline was down to $2,00 per gallon in some states. Last week, the national average price in the US was $3.41 per gallon.Ominously, on March 6 the Washington Post reported that Russia is providing intelligence assistance to the Iranian military attacking US targets. But Hegseth is “not concerned about that.”Asked to rate his Iran war performance on a scale of one to 10, Trump gave himself a “15.”Introspection rarely accompanies incompetence.Steven J. Harper is an attorney, adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School, and author of several books, including Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story and The Lawyer Bubble: A Profession in Crisis. He has been a regular columnist for Moyers on Democracy, Dan Rather's News and Guts, and The American Lawyer. Follow him at thelawyerbubble.com.

Podcaster Joe Rogan slammed President Donald Trump for waging an "insane" series of strikes in Iran after running for election by promising not to start wars for regime change.During a Tuesday conversation on Rogan's podcast, author Michael Shellenberger said he had scrapped a column on the war in Iran because Trump's reasoning was unclear."But it's not clear that they're really out for regime change or they're just asserting power," he explained. "I mean, some of it's art of the deal, changing the person that we're negotiating with. That's Venezuela and Iran. Is it really going to change those regimes? I don't think — most people don't think so, but I'm not sure that that's what they're going for.""Well, neither thing made any sense to me," Rogan replied. "The Venezuela thing, I mean, look, they wanted him out forever.""They go in, kidnap him, get him out," he continued. "This one's nuts. Like, and what's happening in Tel Aviv. It's hard to know what's real and what's not because there's a lot of fake video going around and a lot of weird posts on X.""They might say that we want that or whatever, but that's not ultimately; they're not acting on the basis of achieving regime change," Shellenberger insisted."But just seems so insane based on what he ran on," Rogan remarked. "I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? He ran on no more wars and these stupid, senseless wars, and then we have one that we can't even really clearly defined why we did it."

The internet erupted Tuesday after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt snapped at CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes and insisted President Donald Trump wasn't "making anything up" when it came to the ongoing war with Iran.Cordes had asked Leavitt to clarify Trump's decision to launch military strikes with Israel on Iran. "There are no U.S. leaders or Israeli leaders who are making those same claims. So is he making this up to justify his decision to go to war?" Cordes said. Leavitt wasn't happy with the reporter's question. "The president is not making anything up," Leavitt fired back. "Iran wanted to attack the U.S., and the president was not going to allow that to happen, and everyone in this room should be grateful for it." Social media users responded to Leavitt's claims. "Leavitt keeps lying, and the media keeps letting her," technologist and geographer Linda Stevens wrote on X."There was no threat. It was all in Trump delusional mind," nurse Ellen Hanley wrote on X. "That’s all the president does is make crap up," retired educator Ben Adler wrote on X."Imagine if Jen Psaki had said nonsense like this on behalf of Biden or Robert Gibbs had said this on behalf of Obama? Insane the kinda crap they get away with saying to the media. He had a 'feeling' about launching an unprovoked and illegal war of aggression," Mehdi Hasan, editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, wrote on X."Trump is bombing Iran based on his feelings," PatriotTakes, an X account that self-describes as dedicated to researching and exposing right-wing extremism and other threats to democracy, wrote on the platform. "HAHAHAHAHA Every time he speaks he lies!!" Vince Wilson, liberal political commentator, wrote on X. Leavitt: "The president is not making anything up, Nancy" pic.twitter.com/9mXQmQ2l2u— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 10, 2026

Pro-MAGA morning hosts David Brody, Gina Loudon, and Terrence Bates expressed full-throated support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's "religious war" in Iran after he quoted scripture to support the U.S. strikes."Religious war! It's on!" Brody exclaimed during a Real America's Voice segment following Hegseth's Tuesday briefing. "I'm telling you that's happening. We've always looked at this from a Judeo-Christian standpoint, as relates to spiritual warfare. We know that God is richly blessed America.""The fact that Pete Hegseth quoted Psalm 144, quoted the Bible, you've got Iran quoting the Koran," he continued. "They believe that this is all, they think they're going to heaven with 77 or whatever it is, virgins and all that. You know, they're not, by the way.""Gina, I'm telling you, and I think you agree with this, that this is being now going to be cloaked as a religious war.""Do you think that's a bad thing, David Brody?" Loudon wondered."No!" Brody insisted. "I think he just feels that God is looking over the United States of America, and the fact that he would actually go there, I think, suggests that there's going to be a lot of, that's adding some fuel to the fire.""Having said that, no, we don't. And what I mean by that is straight up. Pete Hegseth is absolutely correct that God has been watching out for the United States of America. We don't go by the Koran. We go from the Bible, and that is accurate, what he's saying."Loudon agreed: "I think the minute we shy from the fact that this is a Christian nation is the minute we remove God's hand and protection. And so I agree with you. I think we go bullish on this.""Yeah, I mean, the reality is this is a religious war from the perspective of the Iranians, and God has us protected," Bates chimed in. "And so we are operating in the right.""So kudos to President Trump. And kudos to Secretary Hegseth for invoking the Bible," he added, "in this religious war, because that's ultimately what it is. That's just the reality, whether we want to admit it or not."

China has reopened passenger train service to North Korea, ending a long COVID-era shutdown and boosting cross-border travel

Travel operators say Chinese and North Koreans can now buy tickets for services leaving this weekPassenger train services between China and North Korea are to resume this week, six years after their suspension because of the Covid-19 pandemic, travel operators have said.Train journeys between the two countries were halted in 2020 as strict border closures were imposed to prevent the virus spreading. Continue reading...

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, California