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Mar 17, 2026 - World

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back at U.S. intelligence official Joe Kent after he resigned over President Donald Trump's war with Iran."After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today," Kent wrote Tuesday in a post on X.Kent insisted in his resignation letter that Iran had not posed an imminent threat."This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over," Leavitt replied later on Tuesday. "Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.""The Iranian regime is evil. It proudly killed Americans, waged war against our country, and openly threatened us all the way up to the launch of Operation Epic Fury," she continued. "The President, through his top negotiators, gave the regime every single possible opportunity to abandon this unacceptable course by permanently giving up their nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief, free nuclear fuel, and potential economic partnerships with our country.""President Trump ultimately made the determination that a joint attack with Israel would greatly reduce the risk to American lives that would come from a first strike by the terrorist Iranian regime and address this imminent threat to America's national security interests."Leavitt also blasted Kent for suggesting that Iran had pushed him into the war."The Commander-in-Chief determines what does and does not constitute a threat, because he is the one constitutionally empowered to do so - and because the American people went to the ballot box and entrusted him and him alone to make such final judgments," she said. "And finally, the absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable. President Trump has been remarkably consistent and has said for DECADES that Iran can NEVER possess a nuclear weapon.""As someone who actually witnesses President Trump's decision-making process on a daily basis, I can attest to the fact that he is always looking to do what's in the best interest of the United States of America — period," she added.Trump was later asked about Kent's resignation."It's a good thing that he's out," the president said. "We don't want those people."

Mar 17, 2026 - World

President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will be "doing something with Cuba very soon" as the administration tightens its economic squeeze on the island's communist leaders.

Mar 17, 2026 - World

The abrupt resignation of Donald Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center with a very public rebuttal of the Iran war could lead to more officials fleeing the embattled White House.Early Tuesday morning, Joe Kent, who worked hand-in-hand with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, dealt a devastating blow to the president’s war narrative that was already being greeted with no small amount of skepticism.On X, Kent wrote, “After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”Appearing on MS NOW just as the news broke, the New York Times Peter Baker told host Anna Cabrera, Kent’s high-profile departure could signal an exodus."Peter, we've seen rumblings of discontent between the president and some of his MAGA base over Iran, but most have stuck with Trump. Is this a sign the bases may be shakier than he may have thought?” Cabrera prompted her guest.“Well, it would certainly be a warning on that front, and it will be interesting to see if anybody else follows Joe Kent out the door,” Baker replied. “Does this encourage others who might have doubts, who might be uncomfortable with what's going on, to speak out or take action themselves? We saw from the very beginning people like Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a handful of others who say that Trump appealed to them when he first ran because he was going to keep them out of Middle East wars, because he promised no new wars, because he said no regime change.”“Now, of course, this resignation underlines that there's a part of the base that's deeply uncomfortable with this,” he added. “So we'll see if this encourages others to take the same direction, but it will be seized on by a lot of people in the coalition as an example of what they have been personally thinking. And it will confirm to those who are very critical of Israel and that wing of the MAGA spectrum as well, that their suspicions are correct.” - YouTube youtu.be

Mar 17, 2026 - World

Pakistani strike on Afghan capital kills 400 people, who burned in their beds or were crushed by collapsing wallsWitnesses and survivors have described the horrific scenes of a Pakistani air raid that hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing more than 400 people, who burned in their beds or were crushed by the collapsing building.Afghan rescue crews were still digging bodies out of the rubble on Tuesday after the strike, the deadliest single attack so far in a three-week war between the two countries. Continue reading...

Mar 17, 2026 - World

MAGA followers were enraged Tuesday after Joe Kent, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest over the U.S. war in Iran. Kent, a longtime MAGA ally of President Donald Trump who was appointed by him, shared his public statement and rejection of the conflict in the Middle East. This was the first time an administration official had rebuked the military action and spoken out against it. MAGA loyalists had seething responses to Kent's announcement: "Gold Star wife here. My husband didn’t die for Israel. He died because this war has been targeting Americans for decades. Long before most people ever started paying attention. We didn’t suddenly stumble into this because of Israel. Our service members have been in the crosshairs of Iranian-backed terror networks for years. That’s the reality families like mine have lived with. So spare me the talking point that this is 'Israel’s war.' Some of us have already paid for it in American blood," Sharrell Anne, who self-describes as "America First" wrote in a post on X. "Very disappointing from you. It's an insult to Trump to imply he has no agency and no ability to resist pressure from anyone, including Israel," Jon Murray, who shares pro-MAGA content and commentary, wrote on X. "'Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation' ok good you left because seems like you're an ignorant ...," Samuel Cardillo, who frequently shares MAGA talking points, wrote on X. “'Without getting us drawn into never-ending wars.' It’s been 3 weeks lol," conservative commentator and attorney Matt Bilinsky wrote on X."Joe Kent is a crazed egomaniac who was often at the center of national security leaks, while rarely (never?) producing any actual work. He spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States. This isn’t some principled resignation—he just wanted to make a splash before getting canned. What a loser," Taylor Budowich, former deputy White House chief of staff and cabinet secretary to Trump, wrote on X.