March 3, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 4.

• Death toll estimates from governments and humanitarian groups since the war in Iran started: 787 deaths in Iran, 11 in Israel, 52 in Lebanon, three in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain. Additionally, six U.S. service members assigned to a logistics unit in Kuwait were killed in an Iranian strike. [more on Iran] [more on U.S. deaths]
• U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested yesterday that the war in Iran could last 4-5 weeks, or even longer, and that the strongest U.S. strikes on Iran are yet to come. Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also refused to rule out the possibility of U.S. ground troops being used in Iran "if needed." [more]
• Israel has ordered the evacuation of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon as its operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants expands, with Israeli ground troops expected to intensify operations in the region today. [more]
• The U.S. State Department has urged citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle East nations as Iranian strikes continue to target the region. [more]
• The U.S. has urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia to avoid U.S. embassies and consulates in the country amidst warnings of Iranian missile and drone targeting of the facilities. [more]
• U.K. officials say a British air base in Cyprus has been targeted by Iranian drones and that limited U.K. naval forces will be moved to the area to assist in defending against such attacks. [more]
• Oil and natural gas prices continue to rise on world markets today as disruptions to shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz continue, fears of a protracted interruption of supplies from the Gulf region grow, and Iran continues to target oil facilities in the region. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | The Republican and Democratic parties are holding primaries today in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas to select candidates for November's mid-term elections. Of particular note are the Senate primaries in Texas and North Carolina, which are seen as potentially contributing to determining which party has control of the Senate after the elections in November. [more]

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT | A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked a January policy issued by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that required members of Congress to provide seven days' notice before visiting immigration detention facilities. [more]

LOUISIANA | The Louisiana National Guard announced yesterday that the Trump administration-backed deployment of troops to New Orleans will be extended through August. Reports cite officials as saying some 120 National Guard personnel will remain in the city as part of efforts to reduce crime, particularly in the historic French Quarter. [more]

CALIFORNIA | In a 6-3 decision yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a California law that bans schools from automatically notifying parents if a student changes their pronouns or gender expression at school. The Supreme Court order is set to remain in effect while related court proceedings play out. [more]

NEW YORK | Amidst congressional redistricting efforts in numerous states, the U.S. Supreme Court, overturning a lower state court ruling, ruled that the boundaries of the only Republican-held congressional district in New York City do not need to be redrawn ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections. [more]

MINNESOTA | Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a Minnesota lawsuit against the Trump administration yesterday, seeking to block the withholding of some $243 million in federal Medicaid funding to the state over what Vice President JD Vance said last week was a crackdown on fraud and misuse of public funds. [more]

PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN | Intensifying border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani ground forces continue for a fifth straight day today. Pakistani officials say at least 67 Afghan troops and one Pakistani soldier were killed early today amidst Afghan attacks on 16 locations along the countries' shared border. [more]

FRANCE | As European nations continue to work toward greater defensive and military self-reliance, French President Emmanuel Macron, as part of his speech yesterday on France's nuclear policies, said France will increase the number of warheads in its nuclear arsenal and will, for the first time, allow temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries. [more]

CUBA | Following a recent U.S.-imposed oil blockade and amidst pressures from ongoing sanctions, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called yesterday for his country to take immediate steps to implement urgent transformations to the Caribbean island nation's economic and social models. [more]

ARGENTINA | The General Confederation of Labor, Argentina’s largest trade union group, filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking to block a sweeping labor reform package approved by Congress last week. The reforms, which would allow greater employer flexibility in the areas of hiring, firing, severance, and collective bargaining, are backed by President Javier Milei. [more]

EUROZONE ECONOMY | According to data released today by European statistics agency Eurostat, overall inflation in the 21 countries that share the Euro currency rose to a higher-than-expected 1.9% in February – up from the 1.7% rise seen in January. Core inflation, which excludes volatile fuel and food prices, rose to 2.4% in February from 2.2% in January. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1931, The Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, was officially adopted as the national anthem of the United States by an act of Congress. [more history]