If large numbers of Iranians return to the streets, Israeli officials say “the people will get slaughtered” because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s principal military force, “has the upper hand,” according to the cable. Despite the grim forecast, Israeli officials said they hoped for a popular revolt and urged the United States to prepare to support protesters if that happens, according to the cable. Other Israeli officials have said the assault on Iran is a success even if a popular uprising doesn’t materialize. Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert and vice president at the Brookings Institution, said the vulnerability of Iran’s unarmed protesters should be a consideration for U.S. and Israeli officials. “That really badly informed assumption is interesting given how impressive Israeli intelligence penetration of Iran has been,” she said.

The officials expect inflation to fall back to 2.2% in 2027 and hit the Fed’s 2% target in 2028. “It’s been amazing to see.”Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington. Advertisement“The rate forecast is conditional on the performance of the economy, so if we don’t see that progress then you won’t see the rate cut,” he said. Fed officials slightly boosted their outlook for growth this year and expected unemployment to stay unchanged at 4.4%. With inflation still elevated, many Fed officials are wary of repeating the mistake.

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Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, speaks during the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, on March 13, 2025. When it passed, Newsom touted the law’s requirement that utilities must tie executive compensation to their safety record, saying it would keep them accountable. That’s because Edison ties most executive compensation not to safety, but to the company’s financial performance. Scott Johnson, an Edison spokesman, said Tuesday that Pizarro and other company executives holding stock took a financial hit after the fires when the price plummeted. He said that requiring utility executives to hold a significant portion of their stock until retirement would focus their efforts on the company’s long-term success.

US less safe without permanent CDC director, experts warnKey takeaways:The CDC has not had a permanent director for 13 of the last 14 months. Image: CDC“Both are eminently qualified for these positions, and the White House has confidence in them to deliver on the President’s agenda,” the White House official said. “The concern is whether the acting CDC director is even an acting CDC director,” she said. The White House did not respond to specific questions about whether it would name a permanent CDC director. “Additional personnel decisions will be announced by the White House in due time,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Healio | Infectious Disease News.

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President Donald Trump recently tapped Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, to replace Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Advertisement“You told the media that I was a freakin’ snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted,” Paul told Mullin. “Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it,” Paul fumed. “Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us,” Mullin told Paul, later adding, “You have spent millions of dollars in my campaigns against me. AP/GETTYThe hearing tumbled forward for a little bit, until Paul went after Mullin again for never apologizing for saying he deserved being physically attacked.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGMS NOW host Lawrence O’Donnell on Tuesday slammed “sociopath” President Donald Trump over his latest lies about the Iran war, highlighting one confession from the “mad bomber” that does appear to be genuine — and will “live in infamy” for centuries to come. The president said, “I’m really not afraid of anything.”AdvertisementO’Donnell played a clip of the Oval Office exchange before roundly debunking that answer. “No president in history has ever claimed to drop bombs ‘just for fun,’” said O’Donnell. Advertisement“That phrase will live in infamy with Donald Trump’s name for hundreds of years, as historians are able to isolate those words, ‘just for fun,’ as the conclusive proof they will need to make the case that Donald Trump is a sociopath,” he said. O’Donnell continued, “That Donald Trump was a mad bomber in every sense.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGSen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) bashed former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent’s abrupt resignation, made in protest of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. “To my friend Joe Kent, who’s a decorated war veteran who lost his wife in Syria, what are you doing? AdvertisementGraham’s comments referenced Kent’s first wife, a Navy cryptologic technician who was killed in 2019 during a suicide bombing in Syria. They fear him more than they fear the ayatollah with a nuclear weapon,” Graham said. If you believe the ayatollah would use a nuclear weapon if he had it, you’re right.”Advertisement

LOADING ERROR LOADINGSen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) played an astonishing supercut video of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), President Donald Trump’s pick to take over the Department of Homeland Security, at the Oklahoma lawmaker’s Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. AdvertisementPaul also referenced Mullin’s 2023 confrontation with Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien during a Senate committee hearing when he rose from his seat as if he wanted to physically fight. After the video ended, Paul asked the nominee if he thought “fighting as a resolution for political difference” was a good example to set. “As you can notice, over my shoulder is my good friend, Sean O’Brien,” he said. Not like this, chairman.”The Oklahoma Republican then went on to accuse Paul of “character assassination.”“Sir, I get it.

Stand With UsPresident Trump has called news coverage of the Iran war “criminal” and “unpatriotic,” while his FCC chairman threatens broadcasters’ licenses. Support journalism that holds power accountable. Become a HuffPost member today. Already a member? Log in to hide these messages.

Hannity noted that he had already apologized to Fetterman at Mar-a-Lago in early 2025 when Trump was the president-elect. Advertisement“I’ll do it publicly because I really needed to,” Hannity told his guest. Everything I believed, thought about you, and I really believed it, was wrong.”“I don’t have grudges,” Fetterman told the host. In another noteworthy exchange, Hannity poked fun at Oz for saying crudité instead of veggie plate on the campaign trail. Earlier, Hannity turbocharged the cringey bonhomie by introducing Fetterman as “the only normal Democrat in Washington.”Advertisement

The White House has said that it plans to begin aboveground construction of the ballroom in April. “This is an iconic symbol of this nation.” The judge added that Trump was a “steward” of the White House, not its owner. “It does not benefit the [National] Trust, it does not benefit the public, to have this [White House] site dormant,” Roth said. The planned addition represents the most significant change to the White House campus in decades. The White House subsequently submitted plans to the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal review panel that advises on major design projects.

Sawyer's Butcher & Delicatessen will launch in the former Thistle & Grouse space on Cotton Street. (Courtesy of Sawyer's Butcher & Delicatessen)The former chef-owner of lauded South Portland restaurant Judy Gibson aims to open Sawyer’s Butcher & Delicatessen in Old Port this summer. Sawyer’s will launch in the former Thistle & Grouse restaurant at 10 Cotton St. Sawyer’s will be a whole animal butcher shop with a full-service butcher counter, offering beef, pork, lamb and chicken all sourced directly from Maine farms. The store will also offer counter service lunch, with sandwiches and prepared foods made with house-made deli meats, hot dogs, sausages and charcuterie.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell arrives to speak during a press conference following the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve on January 28 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesThroughout much of 2021, many Federal Reserve officials hesitated to raise interest rates despite consistently rising inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has repeatedly acknowledged the central bank could have helped prevent the vicious chapter of inflation that ensued had it not waited so long to raise rates. Now, with the risks of higher inflation climbing due to soaring energy prices stemming from the war with Iran, Fed officials may be much more hesitant to lower rates, even as the labor market has weakened significantly over the past year. On the other hand, some analysts believe the Fed may have to cut, in order to avoid the economic slowdown that comes as a result of higher gas prices.