12:30 REPORT

Wednesday, March 18 | By Cate Martel

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It's Wednesday. Have you made your March Madness brackets yet? You have until noon tomorrow! 🏀 My toddler made a blue team-themed bracket this year and seeing his final bracket actually makes me think it's not a bad strategy.

In today's issue:

Fiery Mullin, Gabbard hearings
Mullin distances himself from Noem
GOP dives into SAVE Act debate
Behind the scenes of Trump's Iran attack
Bombshell NYT Cesar Chavez probe

🔥 ON CAPITOL HILL

A fiery morning of hearings:

Greg Nash, The Hill

This is a big day for hearings on Capitol Hill. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is facing her first public questioning on the war in Iran since President Trump joined Israel in striking the Middle Eastern country. This is awkward timing for Gabbard — her top deputy Joe Kent dramatically quit yesterday in protest of the war in Iran. Her statement following his resignation notably made no mention of Kent but rebutted his claims. 💻 Livestream

And one Senate office building over, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) moved to the other side of the dais to face questions from his colleagues about taking over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from Kristi Noem while it is both shut down and in crisis mode. Keep in mind: Mullin is widely expected to be confirmed. 💻 Livestream

💬 Follow today's live blog

🔷 First, let's start with Mullin — the newsiest moments of the hearing🔷

Mullin has distanced himself from Noem several times: First, Mullin says he would use "judicial warrants to enter homes, businesses unless we are pursuing a subject who ran into that home." (Remember: Noem recently argued for warrants that are not signed by a judge.)

He also has a different vision for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) asked Mullin whether he would eliminate the agency, like Noem has said. Mullin noted he would like for FEMA "to be restructured, not eliminated."

Oh, and Mullin says he would revoke Noem's policy of personally reviewing any expenditure of more than $100,000.

Mullin says he regrets comments he made about Good and Pretti: Mullin told senators he regrets comments he made about Renee Good and Alex Pretti, arguing his words "probably should have been retracted." (Reminder: Mullin called Pretti a "deranged individual" and also defended the officer who killed Good, saying he "didn't have an option" and had to "engage.")

Omg, Rand Paul played the clip of Mullin challenging a witness to a fight: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) rolled the 2023 video footage of Mullin challenging a witness, Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, to a fight in the middle of a Senate hearing. Mullin responded by pointing to O'Brien, who is sitting behind him in the hearing. He says they are close friends now.

Paul accused Mullin of having 'anger issues': "You told the media that I was a "freaking snake," Paul said. 🎥 Watch the clip

Mullin's goal as DHS secretary: "My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day." That's a lofty goal. 😅

🔷 Now, Gabbard — here are the biggest highlights in her hearing 🔷

Gabbard is worried about North Korea: Gabbard told senators the intelligence community is "increasingly concerned" that North Korea is a "source of concern regionally and globally."

In what shape is Iran?: Gabbard says the Iranian regime is "intact, but degraded."

SAVE me some popcorn for today:

Ready or not, Republican senators have moved to consider President Trump's No. 1 legislative priority today, to increase voting restrictions.

What would the bill do?: It would require people to show documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote, like a birth certificate or passport. However, it would also drastically restrict absentee voting.

Frustrations are bubbling over within the Republican Party over how to handle the bill, dubbed the SAVE America Act. Several Republicans are not on board with the bill, making it wildly unclear how exactly the GOP will pass it.

The internal GOP debate: Some conservatives want to force Democrats to wage a talking filibuster, which would require them to continuously hold the floor in order to block the bill. But a big chunk of the Senate GOP thinks that's an unrealistic strategy.

Thune's threat to Democrats: Senate GOP Leader John Thune (S.D.) says Republicans will attack Democrats on the midterm campaign trail if they don't "get on board" with the SAVE America Act.

Keep an eye on the Senate floor today. It could be spicy. 💻 Livestream of the Senate floor

NEW — A WHITE HOUSE COUNTEROFFER TO END THE DHS SHUTDOWN:

The White House has unveiled a new counteroffer to reopen the Department of Homeland Security.

The offer includes: Expanding the use of body-worn cameras and limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations around "sensitive locations," such as schools and hospitals.

🛢️ THE IRAN OPERATION:

Israel hits the accelerator pedal:

Israel's defense minister says its military took out Iran's intelligence minister overnight.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Israel has been hunting down Iranian leaders who are hiding, one by one. And it has been successful. "With thousands of regime members killed—from top leaders to street-level grunts—Iranians are reporting that a sense of disorder is starting to take hold. Security forces are under stress and on the run as they threaten protesters to stay off the streets and direct strikes at the U.S., Israel and Arab neighbors across the Persian Gulf."

The problem with Israel and the U.S.'s strategy: "But decades of military experience show it is difficult if not impossible to dislodge a government from the air. And if the Iranian regime survives, it could emerge emboldened and more dangerous." (WSJ)

Meanwhile, the U.S. is focused on the Strait of Hormuz: The U.S. military dropped multiple 5,000-pound deep-penetrator bombs on "hardened" Iranian anti-ship missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF TRUMP'S TIMING:

The Atlantic's Jonathan Lemire and Nancy A. Youssef report that President Trump wanted to attack Iran during the protests early this year but was told he couldn't because it would take weeks for the military to reach the region. "Other experts say this strike was rushed; a former official who is still working with the administration told us that some early preparations were aimed at a May launch."

➤ MORE READS ON THE WAR IN IRAN:

The Atlantic: Everyone but Trump Understands What He's Done: Allied leaders know that any positive gesture they make will count for nothing.

The New York Times: Why This Jump in Gas Prices Feels Different

The Hill: Vance steps into limelight on Iran war as Rubio lays low

The Wall Street Journal: A Visual Guide to the Scale of the U.S.-Israeli Air War on Iran

📰 OTHER NEWS:

This is a stunning report:

The New York Times's Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes published a bombshell investigation, alleging extensive evidence that famous labor leader and Latino civil rights icon Cesar Chavez sexually abused girls for years.

Read the NYT report: 'Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years'

These allegations have jolted the labor movement: The United Farm Workers union canceled events to honor Chavez over the "troubling allegations."

➤ QUICK HITS:

— One person was killed and another was injured in a shooting at a New Mexico Air Force base on Tuesday.

— The man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committee offices on Jan. 5, 2021, argues he's covered by Trump's pardon.

➤ MORE READS:

The Washington Post: Boomers are getting sucked into their phones, and their kids are getting frustrated: Are boomers the real iPad babies?

The Wall Street Journal: I Dogsledded Across Greenland to Test the Reality of Trump's Arctic Ambitions

The New York Times: Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Push to Cleanse His Past Online

COMING UP

The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Delaware this afternoon. (All times EST)

This afternoon: The Senate is considering the SAVE America Act. 📆 Today's agenda

1 p.m. The Hill's courts reporters Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee host a live Q&A breaking down the top legal stories shaping Washington. 👆 Register here

1:25 p.m. Trump participates in a dignified transfer ceremony in Dover, Del.

2:30 p.m. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference. 💻 Livestream

3 p.m. First and last House votes. 📆 Today's agenda

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🍔 Celebrate: Today is National Sloppy Joe Day.

🧠 Keep your brain healthy: A combination of diets is shown to slow brain aging, according to CNN.

"While all three diets are plant-based and quite similar, the MIND method emphasizes eating specific foods thought to reduce the risk of dementia: berries, beans, leafy green vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, olive oil and nuts. Foods with saturated fats, such as cheese, butter, red meat and fried foods, are extremely limited." (CNN)

👋 AND FINALLY…

If you need a reason to love a rainy day, I'm willing to bet this will do it. 😉

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