12:30 REPORT

Wednesday, March 11 | By Cate Martel

Today in DC: ☀️ 78° View Online | Sign up

It's Wednesday. There's a lot of news happening, but by far the most important thing you need to know is: 🚨 Donna Kelce is remodeling her home.🚨 The jokes about this headline have become the biggest meme of the year.

In today's issue:

Graham gets heat from anti-war MAGA
Iran's new leader injured on Day 1
Strait of Hormuz risks global emergency
Iran lays mines to threaten oil supply
World leaders hold emergency meeting
Inflation steadies with March warning signs

🔥 IRAN WAR

Lindsey Graham infuriates Iran war skeptics:

Greg Nash | The Hill

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) has been one of President Trump's strongest advocates for the war with Iran.

He has pushed for harder strikes in the Middle East and has proudly touted his closeness to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier this week, he urged Saudi Arabia to join the U.S. and Israel in the conflict.

This has enraged the anti-war wing of the MAGA movement and sparked blowback from other Republicans.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who said she has been reassured there will be no American boots on the ground in Iran, emphasized in a post on the social platform X that Graham "does NOT tell the President what to do, nor does he control Congress."

"If Senator Graham wants to go fight in a foreign conflict, let him be the first to volunteer," she wrote.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has been a fierce critic of the Iran war, posted on social media, "Please South Carolina, send Lindsey Graham to the front lines instead of your precious children."

Conservative commentator Meghan McCain also went after Graham, arguing he isn't in a position to make decisions about war.

"Nothing like a single, childless, septuagenarian telling American mothers to send their children to go possibly die in a war," she posted.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) panned Graham's comments from a Fox News interview in which he suggested the U.S. should "move all our stuff to Israel." Gaetz said such a move would not be "America First."

Oh, and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly likened the GOP senator to "a homicidal maniac." 👀

💡 Why this matters: Graham is a longtime defense hawk. His position on Iran makes sense for his ideology on foreign policy. However, the Republican Party is no longer as hawkish as it once was.

Trump ran as the "anti-war" candidate and pushed for ending conflicts. This new war in Iran has driven a wedge between these two factions within the GOP. At the same time, Graham's visible advocacy for the war is drawing arrows away from administration officials, and Trump himself.

📣 Graham's response: Graham responded to Luna's critique, saying, "I got a Bronze Star. I'm not a combat soldier, and I've served my time, and I'm proud of what I do. And so the argument is, the only people that can make war decisions are soldiers? What happened to civilian control of the military?" (via HuffPost's Igor Bobic)

The Hill has reached out to Graham's office for further comment.

Ground zero for the war today — the Strait of Hormuz:

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important sea passages. It sits on the coast of Iran and is crucial for global trade, most notably oil. In fact, 20 percent of the world's oil passes through this waterway.

It's become ground zero for the Middle East conflict — and a lot has happened today involving the critical waterway. Iran just threatened to stop all oil shipments through the strait, a threat that would choke a major passage for the world's oil supply.

To up the ante, Iran on Tuesday started placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz to flex its power. CNN reports that a few dozen mines have been laid.

This infuriated President Trump, who threatened retaliation against Iran "at a level never seen before" if the mines aren't removed.

U.S. Central Command says it has destroyed 16 Iranian warships that deploy mines. 🎥 Footage of a minelayer as it's struck

For context: AP notes there have been at least 12 confirmed incidents involving the strait since the war began.

Earlier today: At least three commercial ships were struck by unknown projectiles, one of which caused a fire onboard and forced most of its crew to evacuate.

This could cause an international energy crisis: French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency call with leaders of the Group of Seven this morning to discuss the looming energy crisis.

Japan, Germany and Austria are jumping in to help: The countries announced they would release oil from their strategic reserves to make up for the energy disruptions in the Middle East.

Let's say the Strait of Hormuz does become unusable: There are two pipelines, one in Saudi Arabia and one in the United Arab Emirates, which have become some of "the most critical pieces of infrastructure in the world." Read The Wall Street Journal's explainer

➤ NEW TODAY — IRAN'S NEW LEADER INJURED ON DAY 1:

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded on the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on the country that killed his father.

What happened?: Khamenei suffered a fractured foot, a bruise around his left eye and minor lacerations to his face in the bombardment campaign, according to CNN. Reuters says he is still active. Khamenei is sheltering in a highly secure location with limited communication, per The New York Times.

➤ OOPSIE:

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced Tuesday that the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Stocks jumped. But Wright then deleted his post a few minutes later.

U.S. officials, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, contradicted Wright, saying that post was not true. This sent oil stocks plunging.

Yikes: "During a roughly 10-minute span when Wright's post appeared, an exchange-traded fund linked to oil futures saw $84 million of its market capitalization evaporate." (WSJ)

💬 Follow today's live blog

➤ CAN IRAN PARTICIPATE IN THE WORLD CUP?:

The president of FIFA says Trump assured him that Iran's men's national soccer team can come to the U.S. this summer for the World Cup.

⛽ OTHER NEWS:

But, but inflation is just settling:

The monthly inflation figures are in! Inflation held steady at 2.4 percent in February, before the war in Iran drove energy prices up and threatened the global economy.

The numbers: Consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in February and are up 2.4 percent over the past year. This is right on track with economists' expectations.

Keep in mind: This figure does not factor in the surge in gas prices since the U.S. and Israel began the military operation in Iran. Keep an eye on the Strait of Hormuz this month for clues for what inflation figures could look like in March.

➤ QUICK HITS:

— A van drove through a barricade near the White House this morning. The driver has been detained.

— King Charles III, Prince William and Princess Kate were heckled by protesters during their largest public outing since former Prince Andrew's arrest. Photos and details

— The Global Entry program has restarted after pausing due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. (Yes, the DHS shutdown is still happening.)

— Senate staff has been given the OK to use OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini chat or Microsoft Copilot.

➤ MORE READS:

The New York Times: iPads in Kindergarten, YouTube on Breaks: The School Screen-Time Battle

The Hill: In ICE masking debate, these former officers say take them off

COMING UP

The Senate is in. The House is out. President Trump is in Hebron, Ky., this afternoon. (All times EDT)

2:30 p.m. Trump visits Thermo Fisher Scientific in Cincinnati.

3:05 p.m. Trump does a local TV interview, followed by a podcast interview.

4:25 p.m. Trump delivers remarks in Hebron. 💻 Livestream

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🧇 Celebrate: Today is National Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day.

☀️ A 'super El Niño' sounds intimidating: The Earth may experience a super El Niño later this year, which could spark extreme heat, floods and drought. Washington Post explainer on what this could mean for weather this year

🤖 Do you prefer writing from AI or a human?: Take this New York Times quiz to find out.

👋 AND FINALLY…

Because a brief reprieve from the news is even more important than ever these days, please let me distract you with this dog adjusting to motherhood.

Stay Engaged

📺 Miss the previous issue of this newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video.

I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time!