Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign
www.politico.com

... Two companies with ties to veteran political operatives received at least $23 million in commissions for their role in the controversial Department of Homeland Security ad campaign that helped lead to Secretary Kristi Noem's ouster.

One of the firms, Safe America Media, received at least $15.2 million and was formed last February just a few days before it was awarded the limited-bid contract to work on the overall $220 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign, according to an internal DHS memo and three people familiar with the contracts who were granted anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the contracts. Safe America Media was run by Republican operatives Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who have ties to a firm that did extensive media buying on President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.

The second firm, People Who Think, received at least $7.7 million from its 10 percent commission on a portion of the $220 million, according to the memo, which was written by DHS Deputy Under Secretary for Management Paul Stackhouse, and reviewed by POLITICO. People Who Think was co-founded by Jay Connaughton, who did work for Trump's 2016 campaign and has reportedly worked for other conservative politicians and causes.

The March 3 DHS memo noted there was only a "limited competition" for the awarded contracts because of the "urgent and compelling need" for the ad campaign. ...

Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: 'Takes money to kill bad guys'
www.cnbc.com

... Hegseth on Thursday declined to say when the U.S. expects to achieve its objectives in Iran.

"It will be at the president's choosing, ultimately, where we say, Hey, we've achieved what we need to on behalf of the American people to ensure our security,'" he said. "So no time set on that, but we're very much on track."

President Donald Trump, asked in the Oval Office later Thursday why the Pentagon is seeking so much money, said, "We're asking for a lot of reasons."

He then boasted that the U.S. is well-stocked with "vast amounts of ammunition" and that defense companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are "building at a level they've never seen before."

"So we're in very good shape, but we want to be in the best shape," Trump said.

He also told a reporter he would not send U.S. troops to the region. But he added, "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you." ...

Resigned Trump counterterror adviser Joe Kent says 'Israel drove the decision' to strike Iran
abcnews.com

... Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned over his opposition to the Iran war, told Tucker Carlson that "Israel drove the decision" to strike Iran and rejected that there was an "imminent" threat to the United States.

Kent, who announced his resignation on Tuesday, also said that he thinks President Donald Trump knows the war "is not going well."

"The Israelis drove the decision to take this action, which we knew would set off a series of events, meaning the Iranians would retaliate," Kent said in a nearly two-hour-long interview that aired Wednesday evening.

"The Israelis felt emboldened and that no matter what they did, no matter what situation they put us in, that they could go ahead and take this action and we would just have to react," he added. ...

Trump is poised to take Iran's Kharg Island. Here's what could unfold next.
www.politico.com

... A tiny Iranian island responsible for virtually all of the country's oil exports is in President Donald Trump's crosshairs.

Trump began attacking Kharg Island, the 5-mile strip of land that nearly all of Iran's oil exports pass through, late last week as part of his war against the country. He's warning that a broader assault could come next as part of his campaign to get Iran to stop targeting tankers in the all-important Strait of Hormuz.

"We can knock out their oil in Kharg Island," Trump told reporters Tuesday. "The only thing we didn't take down was the oil, because if we knock out, I call them the pipes, very complex, but if you do that, it will take them forever to rebuild."

Hitting or seizing the island holds enormous risk for a president whose political standing at home could erode if military action against Kharg Island ignites a full-scale war by Iran against energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf. A widening conflict in the Middle East involving the destruction of oil fields ports, and natural gas storage depots could send crude prices soaring " and bring the world closer to a recession. ...

US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase
www.reuters.com

... President Donald Trump's administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran, said a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter.

The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options as he weighs expanding U.S. operations, with the Iran war well into its third week.

Those options include securing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would be accomplished primarily through air and naval forces, the sources said. But securing the Strait could also mean deploying U.S. troops to Iran's shoreline, said four sources, including two U.S. officials. ...