1 Iran Conflict: Trump Says US And Iran Have "Major Points Of Agreement"
President Trump’s messaging on the Iran conflict shifted again yesterday, with Trump saying that the U.S. and Iran have reached "major points of agreement" in talks aimed at ending the war between the two countries. Trump made the announcement after ordering a five-day pause in planned strikes on Iran's power plants, which he had threatened just days earlier if Iran didn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's parliament speaker denied any talks with the U.S. had taken place, calling reports of negotiations false. Iran then said it was "fake news" and alleged that the President was manipulating the markets. Trump said he is talking with someone he described as a "top person" and highly respected within Iran's leadership, though not the new supreme leader. He acknowledged he couldn't guarantee a deal, but said there was a "very serious chance" of reaching one. News of the potential breakthrough sent oil prices down roughly 10-percent and pushed the stock market sharply higher yesterday.
2 Senate Confirms Sen. Markwayne Mullin As New Secretary Of Homeland Security
The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of Homeland Security yesterday, making the Oklahoma Republican the second DHS chief of this Trump administration, replacing Kristi Noem. Two Democrats, John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich, crossed party lines to vote for him, while Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote no after a combative confirmation hearing last week. Mullin takes over a department still under a partial shutdown that has left over 100,000 employees working without pay since mid-February.
3 Pentagon To Remove Media Offices From Building After Judge's Ruling
The Pentagon announced yesterday that it’s shutting down the media offices that journalists have used for decades inside the building. The move comes just one week after a federal judge struck down some of the Defense Department's restrictive press rules. The area known as "Correspondents' Corridor" will close immediately, with reporters eventually relocated to an outside annex, though the Pentagon gave no timeline for when that space would be ready. The decision came after a federal judge ruled last week that the Pentagon's new credentialing policy from last year was unconstitutional, finding it was designed to push out reporters who were not supportive of the government. The Pentagon said it is appealing the judge's ruling; the current Pentagon press corps consists mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the credentialing restrictions last fall.