WILL THE WAR ON IRAN TURN INTO A DISASTER?

Leaked spy report warns Trump's Iran war faces disaster

 

By Sophie Gable 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

A classified intelligence report has concluded that it is unlikely the US will initiate regime change. The report was reportedly dated just a week before the military operation began. Pictured above is a suburb of Beirut after Israeli strikes 

 

A leaked classified report by the National Intelligence Council has shed an unfavorable light on Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran, warning that military involvement could be disastrous. 

In just one week, tensions have dramatically risen in the region, starting with a joint military operation conducted by the US and Israel against Iran. 

The strikes took out Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases in the Gulf Cooperation Council. 

Trump has stood firm on the military attack, but a report completed by the NIC just a week before raised doubts about the US's ability to overthrow the regime. 

The NIC is a federal government agency that reports to the Director of National Intelligence. NIC members bridge 18 intelligence agencies with policymakers to provide analytical assessments. 

Three people familiar with the findings told the Washington Post that Iran would likely respond to Khamenei's death by following protocols to preserve the regime. Sources said it was 'unlikely' that Iran's opposition would seize control.

Khamenei's successor has yet to be named. Iran's Assembly of Experts and high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been tasked with naming his replacement. 

The ayatollah's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is rumored to be assuming the role, but Trump has previously called him 'incompetent' and a 'lightweight.' 

 

Speculation has mounted that Mojtaba Khamenei, pictured above in 2019, will assume the role of Supreme Leader after his father's death 

Strikes have continued across the Middle East following the joint military operation led by Israel and the US. Pictured is a Marine fighter jet 

 

The Trump administration initially said the strikes were intended to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities, but in recent days has demanded 'unconditional surrender.'

The president has made it clear that he wants a say in Iran's leadership, telling NBC News: 'We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job.' 

Experts told the Washington Post that the NIC report coincides with how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates. 

Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the publication that bending the knee to Trump would go against 'everything they stand for.' 

Suzanne Maloney, an Iran scholar and vice president at the Brookings Institution, agreed with the assessment: 'There’s no other force within Iran that can confront the remaining power that the regime has.' 

'Even if they’re not able to project that power very effectively against their neighbors, they can certainly dominate inside the country.' 

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s Parliament speaker, defiantly denied that Iranian leadership would cooperate with Trump's demands. 

'The fate of dear Iran, which is more precious than life, will be determined solely by the proud Iranian nation, not by [Jeffrey] Epstein’s gang,' he wrote on X. 

 

The president promised to continue striking Iran as tensions escalate in the region. He's pictured at a roundtable discussion on Friday at the White House 

Military strikes in the Middle East have been ongoing for the last week. Pictured is the aftermath of an explosion in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday 

Trump announced in a Truth Social post that Iran is no longer the 'bully' of the Middle East and will be 'hit very hard' on Saturday morning 

 

The White House maintained Trump's position in a statement to the Washington Post, claiming that the Iranian regime is 'being absolutely crushed.' 

'President Trump and the administration have clearly outlined their goals with regard to Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and production capacity, demolish their navy, end their ability to arm proxies, and prevent them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon,' the statement said. 

Despite the recent assessment, Trump has remained confident in media interviews that the regime in Iran would soon fall. 

During an interview with Politico on Thursday, the president maintained that the US would have a hand in influencing Iranian leadership. 

'I’m going to have a big impact, or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to go do this again,' he said. 

Trump said 'people are loving what's happening' in Iran, adding: 'We’re taking out a threat to the United States of America, major threat, … and doing it like nobody’s ever seen before.' 

 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to Gulf neighbors for military strikes targeting their countries, as Trump has promised 'complete destruction' of Iran. Pictured is smoke from an explosion in Tehran on Saturday 

GCC countries have been targeted in retaliatory strikes from Iran this past week. Pictured is the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's suburbs on Saturday 

  

The president praised the operation in a post on Truth Social, boasting that Iran had been beaten 'to hell' and was forced to apologize to GCC countries for retaliatory strikes. 

Countries in the GCC, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan were hit with a barrage of missiles this past week. 

Iranian leadership has said the strikes were intended for US military bases, and citizens of GCC countries were not the target of the operation. 

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to GCC countries in a video message on Saturday for the deadly drone and missile strikes.  

'I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,' he said. 

'From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.'

Pezeshkian delivered the message next to a picture of Khamenei, but did not directly address the Supreme Leader's slaying. 

Despite the apology, the video was in no way a surrender, as the Iranian president vowed that the country's enemies 'must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves.'

 

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, pictured above in February, issued a defiant message on social media refusing to meet Trump's demands of surrender 

 

A statement issued by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) just hours after the video message claimed to have targeted bases in the UAE and Kuwait. 

Qatar also confirmed it had intercepted an Iranian missile and issued a 'heightened' security alert to citizens. 

As Trump and Pezeshkian issue defiant messages, hope for an end to military activity in the area has dwindled. 

Warfare has continued in the area over the last week, as Israel led a fleet of 80 fighter jets in the early hours of Saturday morning against Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, one of two that serve the capital.

Israel's broad military operations did not end there. The Israel Defense Forces have intensified attacks in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

Israeli military forces launched a raid in eastern Lebanon, which resulted in at least 41 deaths, the New York Times reported, citing Lebanese officials and state media.  

Iran also hit back on Saturday, with air raid alerts and explosions heard above Jerusalem as well as Gulf cities Dubai, Manama and near Riyadh - where Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base housing US military personnel.

 

The US and Israel have remained defiant in the pursuit of destroying Iranian nuclear capabilities. Pictured above is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump at a news conference last December 

 

 

Video footage has revealed an explosion near Dubai International Airport. The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East has severely impacted international travel 

 

Video footage in Dubai revealed a potential drone strike near Dubai International Airport, a major hub for international travel. 

The ongoing air strikes temporarily closed airspace over the Middle East. Airports have gradually resumed flight operations, but travel remains a headache for international passengers. The State Department is continuing to coordinate travel for Americans abroad.  

Iran's Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted the oil tanker Prima in the Gulf as it attempted to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global shipping that Iran has effectively closed.

It has been reported that at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel. Six US troops have also been killed.

NOEM NO LONGER A HAPPY CAMPER

Kristi Noem's face says it all as Trump drags her out in public in ultimate humiliation after she was fired

 

By Jensen Bird 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

Kristi Noem put on a brave face at the summit which was held in Florida on Saturday

 

Kristi Noem was spotted scowling at her first media appearance since being ousted by Trump as Secretary of Homeland Security. 

Noem was forced to watch the president as he spoke at the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday, addressing his administration's plan to take on cartels and secure the American border. 

After her unceremonious firing on Thursday, Trump appointed Noem as a special envoy to the security initiative.

Shield of the Americas is a coalition of more than 17 Latin American countries that have agreed to cooperate with the US in securing the Western Hemisphere. 

Noem has been appointed to work with foreign leaders within the Americas to combat human trafficking, drug smuggling and illegal immigration within North and South America. 

According to Trump, the administration has already been wildly successful in its mission to knock down illegal imports coming into the US. 

'We knocked down drugs coming in by sea, drugs coming in through water 96 percent,' he said at the conference in Miami.

'We’re trying to find out who the other four percent are, because I think they must be the bravest people in the world.' 

 

Trump addressed a crowd at the Summit on Saturday as Noem was forced to watch

 

With Noem sitting uncomfortably in the crowd, the president sang the praises of Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, who have spearheaded the new initiative.

Both Hegseth and Rubio addressed the crowd without a word from the latest addition to the initiative, Noem.

Trump lauded the accomplishments of Treasurer Scott Bessent and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, among other staff and constituents. 

But for Noem, Trump simply mentioned her name among the list and moved on. 

He made no comments about her accomplishments, as he did with the others who were aiding with the initiative, though she joined them on stage as leaders signed the coalition.

Several Latin American leaders, many of whom Trump mentioned by name, attended Saturday's summit. 

'Everybody leader here today is united in the conviction that we cannot and will not tolerate the lawlessness in our hemisphere any longer,' the president said. 

Despite her humiliating dismissal and Saturday's snub, Noem seemed grateful to the president for her new appointment with the Shield of the Americas. 

She addressed the new role on her social media on Thursday. 

 

Noem was appointed to a new position with the Shield of the Americas after she was fired

Noem will join Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth to spearhead the new initiative

Noem (second from right) joined Trump and American leaders on stage as they signed the initiative

 

'Thank you, President Trump, for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,' she wrote. 

'Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth are incredible leaders, and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren. 

'The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security. 

'We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard.'

Noem was fired amid mounting criticism of her handling of the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda.

She was replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.

PROTESTS IN NYC AGAINST ISLAMIFICATION AND PUBLIC MUSLIM PRAYER

Six arrested after 'homemade nail bombs' launched at home of NYC mayor

 

By Wilko Martinez-Cachero 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

It was not immediately clear whether if the homemade explosives were truly functional bombs or hoax imitations

 

Six people were arrested Saturday after homemade explosive devices were thrown near the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a protest.

The devices contained nuts, bolts, screws and a fuse, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Authorities said it was not immediately clear whether the devices were functional bombs or hoax imitations.

There was no indication the incident was related to the ongoing hostilities in Iran.

Panic erupted as far-right influencer Jake Lang was leading an anti-Muslim protest outside Gracie Mansion, Mamdani's official residence.

Lang was denouncing what he called the 'Islamification' of the city and demanding an end to public Muslim prayer in New York when two suspects were seen lighting and lobbing the devices near a line of police.

The protest drew around 20 people, while about 125 counter protesters gathered nearby.

Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji were not believed to be at home at the time. No injuries were reported.

 

A man flees after throwing an apparent incendiary device during a protest organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang outside the official residence of the New York mayor

Lang was demonstrating against alleged 'Islamification' and calling for an end to 'public Muslim prayer' in New York

 

Tensions between the two groups escalated around 12.15pm after a seemingly peaceful start to the day. 

An individual from the Lang's protest allegedly used pepper spray against the liberal counter protesters and was arrested, police said.

About fifteen minutes later, Emir Balat, 18, allegedly lit and dropped an explosive near cops.

Balat then allegedly secured a second device from Ibrahim Nikk, 19. He dropped that on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and 87th streets.

'Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it travelled through the air before it struck a barrier a few feet from police officers,' Tisch said. 

Both teenagers were taken into custody, and the incident was captured by surveillance cameras.

The explosives were described as being smaller than a football. 

 

Six people were taken into custody by the NYPD. Two teenagers were arrested after being involved in setting off the explosives

Far-right influencer Jake Lang holds a goat on a leash during a protest to ask for a 'stop of public Muslim prayer' in New York

There was no indication that the incident near Mamdani's residence was related to the ongoing tensions in Iran and the Middle East

 

Charges against Balat and Nikk had not been determined as of Saturday night. 

Ian McGinnis, 21, was also arrested in connection with the bedlam near Gracie Mansion.

McGinnis allegedly pepper sprayed the counter protesters, according to The New York Times. He was expected to be charged with reckless endangerment. 

Three others, who have not been identified, were arrested over alleged disorderly conduct and traffic obstruction.

Lang's protest was called 'Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer.' 

The counter protest was titled 'Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate.'

Saturday's demonstrations happened during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Mamdani is the city's first Muslim mayor.

 

Lang's protest was called 'Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer' 

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the full incident was captured by surveillance video cameras

Tensions between both groups of demonstrators escalated around 12.15pm before complete chaos ensued

 

'Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly,' spokesperson Joe Calvello said, according to NBC News.

Calvello added that Lang's protest was 'despicable and Islamophobic,' and that Mamdani had already spoken with Tisch. 

Lang is one of the more than 1,500 Capitol riot defendants who was pardoned by President Donald Trump last year after taking office. 

He later described the January 6, 2021, rioters as an 'organized unit of patriots trying to take on tyrants.' 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYPD and Mamdani's office for further comment. 

EENIE MEENIE MINEY MO

Who really runs Iran?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized on state television to neighboring countries for recent attacks, but missiles and drones continued to strike the Gulf region soon afterward. At the same time, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and other hardline figures publicly rejected the president's statement, showing deep divisions within Iran's leadership and suggesting that real power remains in the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

 

by Danny Citrinowicz  

 

Israel Hayom

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian 

 

 

Pezeshkian's statement was not a marginal episode. It raises a fundamental question: who is actually in charge of Iran right now? The assumption that the Iranian system was resilient enough to withstand the shock of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's assassination, partly because it had long prepared for such a possibility, is now facing serious doubt, especially in light of Israel's continuing strikes on Iranian command and control centers. 

 

Pezeshkian, who can be described as perhaps the weakest president in the history of the Islamic Republic and someone with limited influence in the regime's key power centers, now joins Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in suggesting that they are struggling to reach forces on the ground that had already received prior instructions. 

In his address to Iran's neighbors on state television, Pezeshkian offered a rather subdued apology for the attacks and called for regional cooperation. "From now on, we will not attack neighboring countries unless they attack us first," he said, referring to attacks launched from their territory. Pezeshkian is one of three members of the temporary leadership council established following Khamenei's assassination, alongside the head of the judiciary and a cleric representing the Assembly of Experts.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, together with other figures from the hardline camp closely aligned with the Revolutionary Guards, responded in unmistakable terms, openly challenging the authority of someone who is theoretically one of the three people tasked with running the country during the interim period until a new supreme leader is selected.

"The defensive policy of the Islamic Republic is fixed and will not change, according to the directives of our martyred imam," the parliament speaker wrote. "As long as American bases exist in the region, countries will not see calm. The source of any attack will be the target of our response."

 

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 

 

The continued attacks point to two possible explanations: either there is a growing disconnect between the political leadership and the security apparatus, or elements within the security establishment are acting independently of the political leadership. What is happening behind the scenes is impossible to see, but when the political leadership says one thing while the opposite occurs on the ground, it signals a mounting challenge within the regime's decision-making system.

Pezeshkian was a weak president even before the war. Khamenei's death may have increased his authority on paper, but in practice the security establishment appears to pay little attention to his statements or directives. He can say whatever he wishes. The reality is that the decisions that matter are made by the security institutions, foremost among them the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Every day that Iran delays appointing a new supreme leader deepens the sense of uncertainty within the regime. The system was expected to move relatively quickly after Khamenei's death, but the ongoing hesitation suggests profound internal disagreements over the succession.

One possible outcome is the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, the eliminated leader's son. Such a move could raise concerns that the next supreme leader would function largely as a figurehead while the Revolutionary Guards hold the real power.

 

Mojtaba Khamenei 

 

If that scenario unfolds, it could further complicate Iran's internal power structure and make the situation even more volatile. While Pezeshkian appears to be trying to participate in the decision-making process, or at least signal that he is doing so, the Revolutionary Guards seem to be operating according to their own calculations, with the forces on the ground still guided by instructions that Khamenei issued before his death.

In a sense, the spirit of the supreme leader still governs events. Even the appointment of a successor may not necessarily lead to a departure from the course he set.

Either way, the regime's embarrassing chain of events likely increased pressure to accelerate the decision on Iran's next supreme leader, if only to provide it a sense of certainty.

BOMBS AWAY

80 IAF jets drop 230 bombs on Iranian terror targets

“We are striking the enemy: its leadership, its oppressive regime, and various targets, those in Lebanon included,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

 

 By Charles Bybelezer

 

JNS

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

The IDF confirmed it had carried out strikes on the Iranian regime's infrastructure on Saturday night. Pictured: Flames erupt near to Mehrabad International Airport on March 7, 2026.

 

More than 80 Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped a total of some 230 munitions in an additional wave of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure in Tehran and central Iran, the military announced on Saturday.

The strikes targeted the main Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military university, Imam Hossein University, which has been used to train IRGC officers. The university compound also functioned as an emergency asset and, most recently, as an IRGC assembly site during “Operation Rising Lion” in June, the IDF said.

The IAF also attacked a storage site for the Iranian missile unit containing military bunkers and launch infrastructure, as well as an underground ballistic missile production and storage facility from which hundreds of regime soldiers operated and that housed command centers used by Iranian officials.

Additional targets were struck, including launch sites identified in several areas of western and central Iran, in an effort to reduce attacks on Israel as part of an ongoing campaign to degrade the Islamic regime’s firing and defense capabilities, as well as its military production infrastructure.

Overnight Friday, the IAF conducted strikes on military infrastructure at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force as a central hub for arming and funding the regime’s terrorist proxies across the Middle East.

Aircraft loaded with weapons and cash frequently departed from the airport and landed at locations across the region to supply the regime’s proxies, the IDF said.

In the strike, the IAF destroyed 16 planes that were transferring weapons to Hezbollah. Several Iranian fighter jets that posed a threat to IAF craft operating in Iranian airspace were also targeted.

 

  

The destruction of 16 Quds Force planes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran overnight on March 6-7, 2026. 

 

“We are striking the enemy: its leadership, its oppressive regime, and various targets, those in Lebanon included,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. “We possess determination, initiative, and stratagem that the enemy will yet encounter even more intensely.”

On Friday, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 400 targets across several areas in Iran, including ballistic missile launchers and drone storage facilities.

During the operation, an IAF craft identified a truck in Shahrud transporting an Iranian air defense system to another location. The aircraft targeted the truck, destroying the system.

“The Israeli Air Force continues to strike in order to minimize fire directed at the territory of  the State of Israel,” the military said.

 

An Israel Air Force fighter jet on the way to strike targets in Iran on March 4, 2026.

Also on Friday, the IAF destroyed the underground command bunker in Tehran of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the IDF said. Approximately 50 IAF fighter jets targeted the site beneath the regime’s leadership compound in the heart of the Iranian capital.

The bunker was intended to serve as a secure emergency command center for the supreme leader and continued to be used by senior regime officials after he died in the leadership compound above it on Feb. 28, the IDF said.

According to the IDF, the facility spanned multiple streets in the heart of Tehran and included numerous entrances and meeting rooms for senior members of the Iranian regime. The bunker was struck by about 100 munitions following a lengthy intelligence-gathering and research process conducted by the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate.

Khamenei, 86, was killed by an Israeli opening strike that targeted his fortified compound in Tehran last Saturday morning.

The targeted killing came as Israel and the United States launched preemptive strikes against the Islamic Republic aimed at neutralizing the threat it poses to the broader region.

“The Iranian terrorist regime has attacked 12 different countries and continues to deliberately target civilians throughout the Middle East,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on Friday.

“This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered. We will continue working with regional partners to address this threat to innocent people across the region,” he added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday said that the “achievable objectives” of the military operation against Iran are expected to take four to six weeks to complete, with U.S. forces already making progress toward their goals.

GAMBLERS AT WORK IN TENNIS

Tennis players receive threatening messages, including photos of a gun, demanding they lose matches

Panna Udvardy and Lucrezia Stefanini were sent photos of a gun

 

By Ryan Morik  

 

Fox News

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

Lucrezia Stefanini and Panna Udvardy received threatening messages ordering them to lose recent tennis matches. 

 

Two women's tennis players were sent threatening messages, and each received a photo of a gun and were ordered to lose matches.

Panna Udvardy and Lucrezia Stefanini detailed the disturbing messages in which they and their families were threatened.

"Last night around midnight I received several very disturbing messages on WhatsApp from an unknown number on my personal phone. The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family," Udvardy posted on Instagram. 

She included screenshots of the messages regarding her match against Anhelina Kalinina at the Megasaray Hotels Open, which she lost in two sets.

"They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun."

The message Udvardy received said the culprit or culprits "know everything about your family and you" and were "ready for war if necessary, and we won't hesitate to send them to your mother's house to kidnap her until she returns the money we would lose because of your disobedience."

Udvardy said she contacted the Women's Tennis Association, and three additional police officers were sent to her match, "which I’m extremely grateful for." Police also went to her parents' and grandmother’s homes, she added.

The message Stefanini received was eerily similar.

"I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday's match. They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun," Stefanini said in an Instagram post of her own. 

Stefanini also told the WTA about the situation, and she also received boosted security.

"I'm making this video and explaining what happened because I don't think it's right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match," Stefanini said.

Udvardy said the messages are "not normal."

"Even as athletes or public figures, it’s not acceptable to receive threats against our families, especially not on our private phone numbers and alongside disturbing images. We should not normalize abuse like this in sport."

Stefanini lost her Indian Wells qualifying match in three sets.

GAMBLING IN TEXAS RUNS HEAD-ON INTO BAPTIST OPPOSITION

Pro-gambling interests fail to gain ground in Texas primaries as legislative roadblocks remain

Despite slow progress, casino empire Las Vegas Sands promised to continue investing in candidates who support bringing destination resort casinos to Texas. 

 

 

by Paul Cobler

 

The Texas Tribune

Mar 6, 2026

 

 

Miriam Adleson delivers a keynote speech at the Texas Association of Business Policy Conference in Austin on Dec. 7, 2023.

 

Despite failing to defeat a slate of anti-gambling candidates this primary cycle and facing powerful opposition in the Texas Capitol, casino interests say they are undeterred in their effort to elect legislators favorable to their industry in hopes of one day legalizing gambling in the state.

Republican state Reps. David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio and Andy Hopper, all gambling opponents, defeated primary challenges from candidates backed by billionaire Miriam Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands casino empire on Tuesday. Outspoken anti-gambling activist Cheryl Bean also overcame opposition from Texas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC — super PACs funded by the casino company — in the open race for the Republican nomination to represent House District 94 in Tarrant County.

“If the prize is destination resort casinos in Texas, Las Vegas Sands is now further away from it in 2026 than they were in 2023,” said Mark Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University.

In a news release Wednesday morning, Sands PAC said it would continue to invest in and organize for Texas candidates in favor of bringing casino gambling to Texas.

“The long game matters,” read the statement. “And Texas Sands PAC is playing to win.”

The statement underscores the industry’s strategy to spend millions of dollars across the state in hopes of slowly growing its standing in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. Adelson donated $9 million to both Texas Sands PAC and the Texas Defense PAC last summer to back pro-gambling candidates. Candidates received direct donations from Texas Sands PAC, while the Texas Defense PAC spent millions more to indirectly boost candidates through mail, digital and voter-contact campaigns.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, remains a vocal critic of legalizing gambling: in both the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions, he vowed that the Senate would not even vote on pro-gambling bills.

In 2023, sports gambling legislation advanced from the House but died in the Senate. Two years later, neither casino nor sports gambling bills got traction in the House despite millions spent on lobbyists by Las Vegas Sands.

With the 75-year-old Patrick securing the Republican nomination for a fourth four-year term as lieutenant governor, the deadlock looks unlikely to break any time soon.

But Sands appears to have nothing but time and money, pursuing incremental wins until the Senate is run by someone more sympathetic.

Adding to its base of support in the House, however, has proven challenging.

Republican businessman Kyle Morris, Lowe’s opponent, received $140,000 from the Texas Sands PAC but lost by more than 27 percentage points, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State. Morris was the single largest beneficiary of the PAC among non-incumbent candidates.

Meanwhile, former Mont Belvieu City Manager Nathan Watkins, Leo-Wilson’s opponent, received $110,000 and lost his race by 25 percentage points, according to unofficial results.

Those defeats come after Republican John Huffman, the former mayor of Southlake, failed to advance to the runoff in the Senate District 9 special election in November despite receiving $1.2 million from the Texas Sands PAC, according to campaign finance reports.

“Our mission remains unchanged: trust Texas voters,” Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations for Sands, wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We have and will continue to support candidates who are committed to a business-friendly environment that keeps the Texas economy strong, competitive, and growing. Cycle after cycle, the record speaks for itself, and we are proud of the role we played in delivering those results. We congratulate every candidate who earned the trust of Texas voters.”

Las Vegas Sands’ perseverance in the face of a string of defeats makes sense when factoring in the value legal casino gambling in Texas could bring to the company, said Matthew Wilson, an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University.

“There’s enough to gain that they’ll continue to spend,” Wilson said. “If Texas does at some point open up to casino gambling, there will be an enormous amount of money to be made here in the state.”

Sands does have a significant cohort of supporters and its Sands PAC gave direct donations to more than 40 incumbents in the House and Senate leading up to Tuesday’s election.

“They’ve been successful in protecting a lot of incumbents, but that doesn’t move the needle on the issues they care about,” Wilson said.

If anything, gambling is losing ground in Texas: The Texas Lottery Commission was abolished this year after allegations of corruption surrounding a winning ticket sold by an online courier. And some conservative lawmakers are pointing to recent NBA gambling-related indictments as an example of the moral decay caused by gambling.

Despite the defeats, available public polling in the state shows strong public support for legalizing both casinos and sports gambling, though Republican voters have expressed mixed views. Legalizing gambling in Texas would require the voters to weigh in on the issue directly through an amendment to the state constitution.

“I definitely think they’re in the long game,” Jones said. “I do think that they had hoped the long game wouldn’t be so long.”

SOMETIMES YOU REGRET WHO YOU VOTED FOR

Mamdani's plan to cut gifted programs in NYC schools driving parents to competitive private education

Mamdani pledged during campaign to end gifted and talented program for kindergarten students at public schools

 

By Joshua Q. Nelson  

 

Fox News

Mar 7, 2026

 

 

New York City parents are reportedly turning to private education for their children after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to cut gifted programs in NYC public schools.

 

Parents in New York City are reportedly worried about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to cut gifted programs in public schools, and it's boosting interest in private schools, according to a new report.

New York Magazine reported that the private school application process prompts parents to network and put their children through "intensive" tutoring.

"Parents have complained for decades that getting into an elite independent school in Manhattan is harder than getting into Harvard; for the wealthy parents who are competing to spend about $70,000 a year, it’s an infamously complicated and time-intensive game of tutoring and networking that involves preschoolers sitting for assessments and ‘interviews’ just before nap time," the magazine reported.

This gave rise to Facebook groups being formed, like "Moms of the Upper Eastside" and "UES Mommas," in which NYC parents vented about their children getting wait-listed and rejected at the school they believed their children would enroll in. 

One parent wrote, "It’s a bloodbath this year."

During Mamdani’s campaign, he planned to end the gifted and talented program for kindergarten students at public schools, a proposal that "divided parents," according to The New York Times.

Mamdani's campaign told the Times he would follow through with former Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan, announced in 2021, to phase out the gifted program for elementary schools. Students currently enrolled in the program will continue, but the program will not be available for kindergartners next fall.

Mamdani has argued that early testing for gifted students contributes to inequities in the school system.

The plan to end the program prompted some education experts to warn that it could deprive high-achieving students — particularly those from low-income families — of critical academic opportunities.

Brooke Parker, a Manhattan admissions consultant who focuses exclusively on kindergarten and nursery schools, confirmed to New York Magazine that the city's private kindergartens were unusually competitive this cycle.

"Applications across the board were up 25%," Parker said. 

She also cited a baby boom during the coronavirus pandemic that led to the growth in applications.

"People who were considering public school were very nervous about Mamdani winning," Parker said. "The only area in Manhattan, really, that voted for Cuomo was the Upper East Side."

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Another NYC admissions consultant, Alina Adams, said public school policies "added to the application glut" as the governor mandated class sizes to be reduced to 25 students per teacher by 2028. She said the mandate may prompt the city to assign children in a wealthy neighborhood to schools outside their home districts.

"You used to be able to buy your way into a good school by buying a home in a good school zone," Adams said. "Now people are really concerned that they will be zoned out even of their zoned schools." 

SOMEONE SCREWED UP IN GALVESTON

Felony charges dropped in case against owner of Galveston Hazy Daze smoke shops

 

By John Wayne Ferguson

 

Newsbreak

Mar 6, 2026

 

 

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office raided three Hazy Daze smoke shops in Galveston on Wednesday, March 27, 2025. 

 

The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office on Friday dismissed two felony charges against the owner of a popular island gift store and smoke shop nearly a year after Galveston County sheriff’s deputies raided the business’ three island locations.

The DA’s office dismissed charges of money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity against Shlomi Wolraich, according to court records.

The dismissal documents say the charges were dismissed “in the interest of justice.” No other explanation was given.

The district attorney's office didn’t immediately return a request for comment. Wolraich’s defense attorney Jonathan Zendeh Del confirmed the dismissal but declined comment.

The dismissals bring a sudden end to the charges born from last year’s trio of simultaneous raids of the Hazy Daze stores in Galveston’s Strand shopping district and along Seawall Boulevard.

In a complaint, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Task Force accused Wolraich of conspiring to sell illegal drugs and then laundering the profits of the illegal sales through other accounts connected to him.

Police said that two items purchased at the stores — a Micro Dose Magic Mushroom Pen and Mushie Conez, a mint-and-chocolate-flavored mushroom snack stuffed into an ice cream cone – contained illegal levels of tryptamine, a psychedelic compound.

The felony charges carried a potential penalty of up to 99 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

Wolraich and five others were charged in connection with the case. Court records show that some of the co-defendants remain charged with felonies, while others have agreed to plead to misdemeanors. One of the defendants, Cassius Stinson, is now charged with a misdemeanor for possessing a device used to deceive a drug test. The charge is related to a novelty urine kit called a Monkey Flask that was sold in the store.

Another defendant, Brandon Bell, in February pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of delivery of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.

During a news conference announcing the charges, sheriff’s office officials and prosecutors accused store employees of selling illegal drugs over the counter and of making drugs available to minors. Neither accusation appeared in actual criminal charges filed against the employees.

Apart from the criminal case, Galveston County prosecutors have sought to keep $1.7 million that was seized from the business, as well as a huge volume of the store’s inventory. At the time of the raids, sheriff’s deputies were photographed using sledgehammers and pry bars to open an ATM inside one of the stores.

In filings seeking to undo the seizure, Wolraich’s attorney argued that the psychedelics at the center of the case were not actually controlled substances under Texas law.

Attorneys also argued that the seizure was “grossly disproportionate” to the alleged crime, which involved about $100 worth of merchandise.

The seizure case is still pending.

All three Hazy Daze locations are now listed as permanently closed.

MAMDANI'S WIFE CELEBRATED THE OCTOBER 7 ATACK ON ISRAEL

NYC socialist mayor's very disturbing response when asked about his wife liking posts celebrating October 7 the day after horrific Israel massacre

 

By Joe Hutchison 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 6, 2026

 

 

After the Jewish Insider story went live Duwaji's account no longer appears to have liked the posts. (Pictured one of the posts she celebrated at the time)

 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters his wife was a 'private person' when quizzed over her liking a celebratory Instagram post after the day after the October 7 attack on Israel. 

The Democratic socialist took questions on Friday after a story emerged in the Jewish Insider highlighting his wife Rama Duwaji, 28, and her activity on the platform. 

According to the outlet she liked an image which celebrated the attack by Hamas on Israel in October of 2023.

The post, made by leftist group The Slow Factory, included images of groups of people after having taken over an IDF vehicle, with 'Free Palestine' scrawled over it.

Another image said: 'Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation', followed by the date. 

The image showed a bulldozer used by the group to break through into Israel on that day in which nearly 1,200 people died. 

Mayor Mamdani said: 'My wife is the love of my life, and she is also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.' 

But Duwaji is not as shy and retiring as her husband lets on - she recently posed for a cover feature in the prestigious The Cut magazine, an offshoot of the hugely-popular New York magazine.

Another post by the left-wing group People's Forum in which they called for a protest against Israel was also liked by Duwaji, the outlet found. 

 

The democratic socialist took questions on Friday after a story emerged in the Jewish Insider highlighting his wife Rama Duwaji, 28, and her activity on Instagram

Duwahi is pictured here attending a fashion show earlier last month in New York City

 

A post the next day after the protest said: 'FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!”

'Thousands have taken to the streets in #NYC to stand with Palestinian resistance and call for an end to all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel'. Duwaji also liked that post. After the article went live her account no longer appears to like the posts. 

A spokesperson for the mayor told the outlet: 'Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.'

Mamdani has come under heat in the past after apparently using anti-Israel phrases including 'globalize the intifada'.

The city's first Muslim mayor, he has been seen with skepticism by some Jewish New Yorkers over his ardent support of the Palestinian cause. 

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, has promised to offer free daycare and free buses across the city.

He also plans to enact a millionaire tax, with critics warning that his policies could drive out the super-rich, whose taxes fund public services in the Big Apple.

At his inauguration, he made it clear that he would not be moderating his left-wing views as he took office.

 

Mamdani has come under heat in the past after apparently using anti-Israel phrases including 'globalize the intifada'

Noa Argamani reacts as she and her partner Avinatan Or, not pictured, are seized by members of Hamas on October 7, 2023

 

'I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,' he said.

'The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations. Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously.'. 

He also bragged about 'toppling a political dynasty' and launched into a blistering attack against Trump - who has called Mamdani a 'communist'.

'If any city can show a nation how to stop Donald Trump, it is the city that gave rise to him,' said Mamdani.

Mamdani first met with President Trump in the Oval Office in November 2025, with the Republican president full of praise for the new star of the Democrat party.