Good morning everyone! It’s already a busy morning with a lot of major news developments. New reporting shows that thousands of documents tied to the Epstein case are still missing or withheld, with many records yet to be released by the DOJ. This comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi has reportedly moved to military housing after receiving threats, including from cartels and critics over her handling of the Epstein files.
Meanwhile, Iran has launched its most intense strikes of the war so far, targeting commercial shipping as the conflict escalates after the Trump administration underestimated how Tehran would respond. At the same time, analysts warn that Russia could try to exploit the global instability created by the Iran conflict to pressure the Baltic states.
On a personal note, I want to share something really special. Today I’m on the cover of USA Today for the first time. If you happen to see it in stores, let me know. It’s an incredible moment and a real testament to what we are building together.
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HEre’s the news:
- Documents released by the Justice Department related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation still appear to be incomplete, with missing FBI notes and interview records involving allegations against prominent figures including former banker Jes Staley and billionaire Leon Black, according to reporting by MS NOW. The missing materials include dozens of pages documenting a woman’s claims that she was sexually abused by Epstein and assaulted by the two men, though both Staley and Black deny wrongdoing and the allegations have not been independently corroborated.
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has moved from her Washington apartment into military housing at a base in the D.C. area after facing increased threats, including from drug cartels and critics of her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to The New York Times. Bondi is one of several Trump administration officials who have relocated to secure military accommodations due to security concerns following events such as the capture and prosecution of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- Several senior Trump administration officials are now living on military bases in or near Washington due to security concerns, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House adviser Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, and Navy Secretary John Phelan.
- Rep. James Comer said the Department of Justice asked New Mexico officials to halt a 2019 investigation into a ranch, telling Fox News host Jesse Watters that he believes the request came from the DOJ when asked which branch of the federal government intervened.
- According to the New York Times, Trump administration officials misjudged how Iran would respond to the U.S.–Israeli military campaign, initially downplaying the risk that Tehran would retaliate by targeting global energy infrastructure or shipping lanes. Instead, Iran has responded far more aggressively than in previous clashes, launching missile and drone attacks across the Middle East and threatening commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, causing shipping to slow dramatically and triggering sharp spikes in global oil prices.
- The escalation has forced the administration to react quickly as economic and strategic risks grow, with officials scrambling to evacuate embassies, stabilize oil markets, and consider measures such as naval escorts for tankers and government-backed insurance for shipping companies. Behind the scenes, some officials are increasingly concerned about the lack of a clear strategy to end the conflict, while the war is already consuming large amounts of U.S. military resources and driving political anxiety in Washington over rising fuel prices and economic fallout.
- According to the Washington Post, a whistleblower complaint has triggered an investigation by the Social Security Administration’s inspector general into a former U.S. DOGE Service software engineer who allegedly claimed to possess highly sensitive Social Security data and intended to use it at a private contractor job after leaving government service. According to the complaint, the engineer reportedly told colleagues he had copies of two restricted databases—Numident and the Master Death File—potentially stored on a thumb drive.
- These databases contain records on more than 500 million Americans (living and deceased), including Social Security numbers, birth details, citizenship status, race and ethnicity, and parents’ names. The whistleblower says the engineer asked for help transferring the data from the thumb drive to a personal computer so he could “sanitize” it before uploading it to his employer’s systems.
- Operation “Epstein Fury” was trending on Twitter for 24 hours:
- Russia’s legislative committee has approved amendments expanding President Vladimir Putin’s authority to deploy Russian troops abroad, allowing the military to operate extraterritorially to “protect Russian citizens” who are arrested, detained, or prosecuted outside the country, according to The Moscow Times. This has lead to fears from experts that Russia could be preparing to invade various Baltic states:
- Iran launched what state media described as its “most intense operation” of the war, firing some of its most advanced ballistic missiles toward major Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa, marking a significant escalation in the conflict as Tehran continues retaliatory strikes against Israel following ongoing U.S.–Israeli attacks on Iranian targets.
- Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani, warned that the Strait of Hormuz could become either a route of “peace and prosperity” or a place of “defeat and suffering for warmongers,” signaling that Tehran may escalate disruptions to global shipping if attacks against Iran continue. The statement underscores Iran’s leverage over the strategic waterway—through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil flows—and reflects growing tensions as the conflict threatens global energy markets and maritime traffic.
- Senator Roger Marshall defended rising gas prices amid the Iran war, saying Americans should expect to make sacrifices during the conflict, arguing that “freedom is not free” and that higher costs are part of the price of confronting adversaries abroad.
- Multiple Middle Eastern countries reported attacks as the war entered its 12th day, with Kuwait saying it shot down eight drones, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar intercepting Iranian missiles, and drones injuring four people near Dubai International Airport while flights continued operating normally.
- Three commercial ships were struck in separate incidents near the Strait of Hormuz, including vessels hit by unknown projectiles that caused fires and damage, according to a British maritime monitoring agency, underscoring rising security risks in the key shipping corridor through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes. Crews were evacuated or rescued and no casualties have been reported so far.
- Sen. Roger Marshall acknowledged he was wrong about earlier claims that U.S. strikes had set Iran’s nuclear program back for years, admitting during an interview that despite believing the facilities had been “obliterated,” Iran is now restarting nuclear efforts at other sites. Confronted with his previous comments, Marshall said the situation had changed and suggested Tehran was rebuilding parts of its program despite the earlier damage.
- Iran has warned that facilities linked to major U.S. technology companies could become targets as the regional war expands, naming firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, IBM, Oracle, and Palantir and suggesting infrastructure connected to them in places like Israel, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi may be considered “legitimate targets.” The warning, reported by multiple outlets citing Iranian sources, reflects a widening of the conflict to include private tech and data-center infrastructure that Tehran claims supports military or intelligence operations tied to the U.S. and Israel.
- Iran’s military warned that ships belonging to the United States, Israel, or their allies could be targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that any such vessel or oil cargo would be considered a “legitimate target” and vowing it will not allow oil shipments to pass through the critical waterway.
- Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded during the war but is reported to be safe, according to Iranian and Israeli officials who spoke with NBC News, with the son of Iran’s president saying he had been told Khamenei’s injuries are not serious; the leader has not appeared publicly since taking power after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed at the start of the conflict.
- After 11 days of fighting, Israel has received 9,115 damage claims from missile strikes, including 6,586 for damaged buildings, 1,044 for contents or equipment, and 1,485 for vehicles, highlighting the extensive infrastructure and property damage caused by the ongoing conflict.
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- The International Energy Agency is preparing to call for the largest release of emergency oil reserves in its history, potentially releasing about 400 million barrels to stabilize global markets shaken by the Iran war and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The proposed move, backed in principle by G7 countries, would dwarf previous releases such as the 182 million barrels deployed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and aims to counter supply shocks and volatile oil prices caused by the conflict.
- At least 570 people have been killed and 1,444 wounded in Lebanon since the start of the Iran war, according to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office, as renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah spreads across the country and nearly 800,000 people have registered as displaced in shelters.
- According to The Guardian, the United States has reportedly begun redeploying parts of its THAAD missile defense system and other military assets from South Korea to the Middle East for the war with Iran, a move that has unsettled officials in Seoul and raised concerns about weakening defenses against North Korea. South Korean leaders have sought to reassure the public that the country can still deter threats from Pyongyang, but critics warn the shift could signal reduced U.S. focus on Northeast Asia and potentially embolden North Korea to test the allies’ security posture.
- Democrats flipped a seat in the New Hampshire State House as Democrat Bobbi Boudman won a special election in a district Donald Trump carried by nine points, marking a roughly 13-point Democratic overperformance compared with the 2024 results, when Boudman lost the same seat by 14 points.
- Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris will face off in an April 7 runoff election to fill the House seat formerly held by Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th district, after both candidates finished ahead in a crowded special election field. The race is being closely watched as a test of Donald Trump’s influence in the district, which heavily favors Republicans, while Democrats see a potential opening after Greene resigned earlier this year following a public break with Trump and political tensions within the GOP.
- An activist group called Secret Handshake installed a statue in Washington, D.C., depicting Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as Jack and Rose from the Titanic:
- Sen. Jon Husted said people living in poverty often lack experience navigating finances, arguing that some individuals who rely on programs like SNAP may not understand basic budgeting or how money works in everyday transactions, and that financial education is needed to address affordability challenges.
- Jeremy Carl withdrew from consideration for assistant secretary of state for international organizations after backlash over past remarks about Jewish people, race, and immigration left him without enough Republican support in the Senate, marking a rare setback for Donald Trump in a GOP-controlled chamber. Carl faced unified Democratic opposition and lost key Republican backing on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with critics citing comments viewed as antisemitic, racist, and sympathetic to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory.
- According to The Guardian, health experts and lawmakers are raising alarms about a controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau that would have vaccinated only half of newborns, warning it could serve as a model for future studies under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Critics say the proposed research raises serious ethical concerns because it would withhold a widely recommended vaccine in a country with high hepatitis B prevalence and limited research oversight, prompting protests, congressional scrutiny, and intervention from global health officials before the study was ultimately paused for review.
- Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game against the Washington Wizards, recording the second-highest single-game scoring performance in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game. Adebayo set multiple team records in the 150–129 win, including points in a quarter and half, finishing 20-of-43 from the field and 36-of-43 from the free-throw line as he surpassed Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance and delivered one of the most prolific scoring nights ever recorded in the league.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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