Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,

Questions over the integrity of the 2020 election continue to linger after the revelation that analysts inside the U.S. intelligence community sought to conceal evidence of Chinese interference from then-President Donald Trump.

Never before reported upon comments found in a January 2021 report written by analytic ombudsman Barry Zulauf show that intelligence analysts downplayed evidence of China’s meddling because of their disdain for Trump and a desire to undermine policies toward China that they did not support.

According to Just the News, credible evidence exists that Chinese government-linked cyber hackers and Chinese social media troll farms took aim at the U.S. presidential election in 2020 and sought to undercut Trump during his run against Joe Biden.

The FBI found evidence of China interfering in the 2020 election, “Fake driver’s licenses and fake ballots so they can help Joe Biden win”

“What does the FBI do with that one? — We’re gonna throw it in the garbage can”

Democrats rigged the 2020 electionpic.twitter.com/knEppBu5xa

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) March 10, 2026

Zulauf, a longtime intelligence officer, explained in his 2021 report: “China analysts appeared hesitant to assess Chinese actions as undue influence or interference. These analysts appeared reluctant to have their analysis on China brought forward because they tended to disagree with the Administration’s policies, saying in effect, I don’t want our intelligence used to support those policies.”

One analyst was quoted by Zulauf during an interview later that year as having essentially said, “I don’t want my analysis going to the White House where that vulgarian . . . in the White House will use it to pursue policies toward China with which I personally disagree.”

Dr. Zulauf also pointed to differences in the way that analysts of Russia and China examined their targets with China analysts appearing “reluctant to have their analysis on China brought forward because they tended to disagree with the Administration’s policies.”

The review by Zulauf also showed that some analysts treated allegations of Russian and Chinese election interference by differing standards writing in his report: “Due to varying collection and insight into hostile state actors’ leadership intentions and domestic election influence campaigns, the definitional use of the terms ‘influence’ and ‘interference’ and associated confidence levels are applied differently by the China and Russia analytic communities.”

The ombudsman concluded that “the terms were applied inconsistently across the analytic community” and that “failing to explain properly these definitions is inconsistent with Tradecraft Standards.”

According to Just the News, the revelation of Chinese infiltration of voter data in the 2020 election is likely connected to  fake IDs seized at a Chicago airport, fake ballots found, and software companies, election machine parts, and the servers around the globe tied to China.

HUGE: China infiltrated voter data in the 2020 election according to Biden-era intelligence. This goes hand in hand with the fake IDs seized at a Chicago airport, the fake ballots found, and the software companies, election machine parts, and the servers around the globe tied to… pic.twitter.com/XYV9hYqKaG

— The SCIF (@TheSCIF) March 16, 2026

Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Renters across the United States may be able to save a bit more on apartment leases this month, as rents nationwide hit a four-year low last month, marking the 30th consecutive month of declines.

A sign is posted in front of an apartment building with available rentals in San Francisco on June 9, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In its February Rental Report issued on March 17, Realtor.com recorded that the national median rent was $1,667, with 15 major markets posting rents more than 10 percent below their pandemic-era peaks.

The median rent for studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments fell last month to its lowest level since March 2022. Nationally, the median rent fell by $29, or 1.7 percent, from a year earlier. While rents remained 14.2 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, they were $90, or 5.1 percent, lower than their peak in the summer of 2022.

“The persistent softness we’re seeing is increasingly translating into real savings for renters who, for a long time, felt the market was out of reach,” Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist, said in the report.

Hale noted that rents typically skew lower during the winter months but are expected to rise slightly as spring approaches.

“For some areas, this will likely mean new rental price highs, even as renters in the Sun Belt continue to see notably lower rents,” she said.

Lower rents in the South were attributed to a continued boom in multifamily construction. Atlanta, Georgia, has seen 42 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, followed by Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, both have had 41 months of decreases.

The median rent for all apartment sizes in Atlanta last month was $1,543—a 2 percent year-over-year decline. Renters in Phoenix saw a median price of $1,247, a 4.4 percent year-over-year drop, and renters in Las Vegas experienced a median price of $1,423, a 1.8 percent decrease.

According to the report, the national median rent for two-bedroom apartments declined by nearly 2 percent year over year in February, to $1,844 per month. One-bedroom apartments had a median rent of $1,548, and studios $1,393.

Oklahoma City offered the country’s lowest median rent at just $983 for all apartment sizes. Median rent in Birmingham, Alabama, came in at $1,125 last month, and in Columbus, Ohio, at $1,190. Other metros with median rents under $1,500 include Austin, Memphis, Nashville, Raleigh, and Jacksonville.

Three California metros had some of the country’s highest rents in February, with the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro topping the list with a median rent of $3,331—nearly a 2 percent year-over-year increase, and the 28th consecutive month in rent growth. San Francisco’s median rent was $2,768, while the San Diego metro saw a median rent of $2, 626.

Conversely, rents increased in five metro areas in February, settling just 3 percent below their all-time highs. Virginia Beach experienced a 4.5 percent hike in the median price, to $1,620. Baltimore, Richmond, and San Jose also saw unusual spikes in median rents. While rents were relatively low in Kansas City, Missouri, at $1,387, the metro experienced a larger-than-usual rise.

“We are seeing two different stories across the country,” Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu said in the report.

“As the spring season approaches, these markets are poised to resume an upward trajectory and push toward new all-time highs.”

A mid-February report by RentCafe predicted a mix of metro areas in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and South will be “hot spots” for the spring market.

Cincinnati ranked number one as the most sought-after city by renters, jumping 10 spots from 2025. The rise in its popularity was attributed to the city’s robust job market, revitalization of downtown neighborhoods, and riverfront development. Potential renters showing interest in the city were mainly from Columbus, Chicago, and New York City.

Atlanta, Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Baltimore also made the top 5 list of popular rental cities. Even with its sky-high rents, San Jose earned seventh place on the list, due to its reputation as a tech-hub hotspot.

The only Northeast location to make the list was Philadelphia, drawing prospective renters mainly from New York City and Boston.

Iranian authorities have newly announced hundreds more arrests across the country, describing that anti-government “pro-monarchy cells” and “traitors” have been exposed and caught. 

Tehran officials have touted busting up more than 100 of these alleged cells in 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces in a major overnight security operation, describing that these groups were aligned with US and Israeli interests.

Security forces from the Intelligence Ministry “have identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces before they could take action on the last Wednesday of the year,” the ministry stated according to Fars.

AFP/Getty Images

The ministry said that firearms, knives, and other weapons of various types were recovered. As for how many individuals were precisely rounded up and detained, this was undisclosed.

According to more details via Al Jazeera:

The ministry says four suspected spies linked to the United States were arrested in Hamedan city and West Azerbaijan province, both in the country’s west.

Authorities also arrested another 21 people accused of cooperating with the London-based broadcaster Iran International, which is outlawed in Iran.

Iran has long accused the London-based outlet Iran International of being a front for Mossad, and it also reportedly has links to Saudi Arabia – and is well known for actively promoting former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as the next ruler of Iran.

As for Pahlavi, despite his name often appearing in Western media reports connected to the Iran crisis, the Shah’s family has been in exile for nearly fifty years – and so is a name not widely known or supported among the bulk of over 90 million citizens of Iran.

However, Reza Pahlavi’s profile has been rising – given also Western satellite and government programming has been beaming his name into the Islamic Republic, going back especially to the large deadly January economic protests.

As for domestic pressure on the Iranian government, the opposition remains fractured and small, with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard telling a Senate Intelligence hearing on Wednesday “the Iranian regime appears to be intact, but largely degraded by the US military operation.”

What we are likely going to continue to see at least in the near term, amid the US-Israeli bombing campaign, is summed up in an international relations concept which is so basic and foundational (in terms of being entirely predictable as ‘blowback’) that it even has its own Wikipedia page: the rally ’round the flag effect. 

#BREAKING
Iran arrests US spies, dismantles pro-monarchy terror cells pic.twitter.com/TfxTQ1V5wN

— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 18, 2026

A simple definition is the psychological and political phenomenon which describes the unification of citizens and societies behind national leaders and institutions in a time of extreme crisis or external threat, such as war or invasion by a foreign power.

Israel will in the meantime continue to try and peel away and steer opposition groups and movements inside Iran, in an effort to foment regime collapse from within, but it will be a very tall order.

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith targeted more Republican lawmakers and conservative figures than previously known, newly unearthed documents show. 

Smith, tasked by the Biden administration with prosecuting Donald Trump after 2021, has faced scrutiny since 2025, when bombshell disclosures revealed he targeted GOP lawmakers as well as dozens of conservative nonprofits and PACs. 

Newly reported DOJ documents, first obtained Tuesday by Fox News, show the scope extended to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Reps. Brian Babin, R-Texas, and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. 

Also included were now-EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who was then a GOP lawmaker, and former Reps. Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert and Jody Hice. 

Smith’s team internally debated seeking phone toll records for the targets, including highly sensitive data like incoming and outgoing numbers, call times and durations, before deciding whether to issue subpoenas. 

The effort emerged through former DOJ attorney Timothy Duree, who was removed from the department after Trump was sworn in for a second term in January 2025. 

“I’d like to seek [the Public Integrity Section’s] concurrence to get phone tolls for several MOCs who had contact with pertinent parties in our investigation,” Duree wrote.

“I’ll keep the timeframe tight—probably October 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021.” 

The documents show Duree compiled a list of 16 names as he weighed whether to subpoena them all at once, though some of those records were ultimately obtained by Smith. 

That list included additional Republican lawmakers previously identified in earlier disclosures, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was also targeted, but his phone carrier, AT&T, pushed back against the subpoena.

The newly uncovered emails come as the Trump administration and congressional judiciary committees continue examining the scope of the aggressive prosecution targeting Trump and his allies.

The probe began under the controversial Operation Frostbite and later expanded with Smith’s appointment as special counsel.

In February, Headline USA spoke with former FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, who appeared to play a role in the early stages of the probe.

Bowdich stated that the 2021 probe was carried out in a “non-partisan way, with professionalism and in the spirit of the law which was to follow the facts, no matter where they led.”

Duree did not respond to requests for comment.

Fed Chair Powell may be wishing he had quit a month ago as he faces his penultimate press conference (perhaps) amid a dramatically changing global economic and geopolitical environment.

Markets anticipate a “hawkish hold,” with Powell reinforcing the statement’s “hold” that The Fed is prioritizing caution amid heightened uncertainty.

On the bright side, an activist judge rejected the Trump admin’s suit against him – so one reporter is bound to ask him about that (and whether he will stay on as a Governor after his term is up).

On the darker side – will the reporters ask all the tough questions about whether inflationary pressures from an oil crisis can be ‘looked through’ as transitory?

Powell is expected, as usual, to emphasize patience, a data-dependent “wait-and-see” approach, and no rush for policy shifts.

He’ll likely downplay any major pivot, highlight dual-mandate risks (employment vs. price stability), and, as always, avoid concrete commitments on future cuts (or hikes) – now potentially delayed to later in 2026 (e.g., October/December) if at all.

Sue Hill, senior portfolio manager and head of government liquidity group at Federated Hermes, said the focus will remain on the Fed’s expectations for inflation and growth given the runup in oil prices.

“While Chair Powell may officially convey that it’s too soon to tell what the impact will be, we’ll see hints of the Fed’s thinking in any revisions to the summary of economic projections and the dot plot.”

And we did with the SEP showing higher inflation expectations (despite dots being basically unch)…

MUFG’s George Goncalves says this is a “neutral” statement from the FOMC.

“The statement tweaks are an attempt at trying to avoid sending any signals while conveying they are on guard for any growth shocks and inflation spillover from the Middle East Conflict.”

We would expect much usage of the term: …“monitoring developments”

Watch the full press conference here (due to start at 1430ET):

A lot – and we mean a lot – has happened since the last FOMC meeting (Jan 28th).

Oil is up 54% since the last FOMC meeting, bitcoin has tumbled. Gold and stocks are also down notably while the dollar has strengthened…

Both growth and inflation data have outperformed since the last FOMC meeting (but as the chart shows, fears are rising over stagflation as the impact of higher energy prices – and tighter financial conditions – could weigh on growth)…

Rate-cut expectations for 2026 have collapsed since the last FOMC meeting (most notably since the war began) with less than one full cut now priced in…

The market is priced for absolutely nothing to happen today (from a rate change perspective – higher or lower), so all eyes will be on the number of dissents, the new set of SEP (dots) data, and any commentary on the economy and/or the impact of the war.

Expectations are for a continuation of a “hawkish hold” amid heightened uncertainty.

FOMC Statement

Rates remain on hold with one dissent

*FED HOLDS BENCHMARK RATE IN 3.5%-3.75% RANGE IN 11-1 VOTE

*FED SAYS GOVERNOR STEPHEN MIRAN DISSENTS IN FAVOR OF RATE CUT

Fed statement comparison: exactly as expected.

Very little changes, small downgrade to labor market (“some signs of stabilization” to “little changed in recent months”),

…and brief discussion or Iran war (“implications of developments in the Middle East for the U.S. economy are uncertain”)

Dots: Statement of Economic Projections 

*FED MAINTAINS PROJECTIONS FOR ONE RATE CUT IN 2026, ONE IN 2027

The new dots show 7 Fed members preferring to hold for the rest of the year with 12 preferring at least 1 more cut…

In 2027, there is now only one member who sees a rate-hike…

Now all eyes turn to Powell to see how ‘hawkish’ this hold is?

America’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is pulling away from the Middle East region as it nears a record-long deployment and after it suffered a major fire which damaged living quarters and other areas.

Bloomberg reports in a fresh update Wednesday, “The US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is retreating from the Red Sea after a fire broke out in its laundry room, scuttling plans for the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel to project power in the war with Iran.”

It is planning to temporarily pull back into Crete in the southern Mediterranean, and hopefully outside the reach of Iran’s feared long-range ballistic missiles. The Ford had already docked there in late February after being called from Caribbean operations into the CENTCOM region of responsibility.

US Navy/AFP

“Following the incident, which left at least two of the ship’s 4,000 crew members with non-life-threatening injuries, the USS Gerald R. Ford will travel to the Greek island of Crete, according to a US official familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg continues.

Bloomberg concludes, “The incident underscores how even the Navy’s most advanced assets are under strain as the US expands its military endeavors. The Ford — the most expensive warship ever built — has spent months beyond a standard deployment at sea.”

The fire occurred last week, raising immediate questions of whether it was hit by an Iranian drone or missile attack, as Tehran has claimed, amid Pentagon insistence that it was none of these – but just an accidental fire.

There are also widespread rumors, speculation and claims that sailors actually set the fire themselves, in order to sabotage and derail the much longer than expected deployment.

The Ford’s time at sea is entering ten months. The crew has reportedly been informed that they will be deployed into May, which would make an entire year at sea, after the prior Caribbean stint focused on the Venezuela anti-Maduro operation.

The NY Times says this marks twice the length of a normal carrier deployment – one wrought with extreme difficulties and a major emergency, as the report details:

It took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford last week, sailors and military officials said, as the beleaguered ship continued its monthslong slog through President Trump’s military operations.

The fire started in the ship’s main laundry area last Thursday. By the time it was over, more than 600 sailors and crew members had lost their beds and have since been bunking down on floors and tables, officials said.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said two sailors received treatment for “non-life-threatening injuries.” People on the ship reported that dozens of service members suffered smoke inhalation.

CENTCOM has said that the fire caused “no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.”

A tired guy at the bar scans his phone, sighs, looks up, says to nobody, “One of the biggest justifications for the massive Ford Class Carrier $13 billion price tag were, ah, big improvements in damage control.” He shifts in is chair, takes a sip, and turns back to his crossword.

— Craig Hooper (@NextNavy) March 18, 2026

The nuclear-powered vessel has indeed been running around the clock fighter jet operations connected to Operation Epic Fury, amid ongoing heavy aerial bombardment of Iranian cities.

Authored by David Manney via PJMedia.com,

Chief Justice John Roberts, the person in charge of the Supreme Court of the United States, recently stepped forward with a familiar appeal, urging Americans to dial back personal attacks on judges and to show respect for the judiciary. The message landed with a tone of concern, almost paternal, as if the country had suddenly lost its bearings and needed a reminder about decorum.

Roberts framed the issue as one of civic responsibility, arguing that the rule of law depends on public confidence in the courts, which sounds right on its face.

Courts don’t have armies; they rely on legitimacy, and when that legitimacy weakens, the system strains. 

But we didn’t just fall off the bus deciding to turn on the judiciary.

That frustration has been building for years, and it didn’t come from nowhere.

For nearly a decade, a steady stream of rulings from lower federal courts has blocked, delayed, or reshaped executive actions tied to President Donald Trump.

Judges like James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court, and Tanya Chutkan, U.S. district judge, both for the District of Columbia, have played central roles in high-profile cases involving Trump-era policies. Their decisions have drawn sharp reactions, not because people suddenly dislike judges, but because the rulings often carry clear political consequences.

Roberts has spent much of his tenure trying to protect the idea that judges operate above politics, saying more than once that there are no “Obama judges” or “Trump judges,” only independent jurists applying the law.

That’s a noble-sounding principle, but Americans aren’t blind; when rulings repeatedly align with the predictable political outcomes, people begin to question the claim.

The perception of neutrality weakens, not because the public suddenly turned cynical, but because patterns became too hard to ignore.

The frustration cuts both ways; progressive activists have attacked conservative justices like Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas over ethics and past rulings. The left has taken its gloves off, and Roberts knows it.

Still, Roberts’ warning feels incomplete; asking Americans to lower their voices without addressing why the temperature rose in the first place misses the heart of the issue. The judiciary didn’t drift into political relevance accidentally.

Federal courts now play a central role in shaping policy outcomes, often stepping in before laws or executive actions even take full effect. That wasn’t an overnight shift, and it didn’t happen without participation from the judges themselves.

The modern legal environment invites litigation as a political tool; advocacy groups file lawsuits within hours of major policy announcements. Judges issue nationwide injunctions that extend far beyond their districts. Legal strategy has become a parallel track to elections, and Americans see it unfolding in real time. When courts act in ways that influence national policy so directly, people respond, and that response won’t always be polite.

Standing at the center of that tension is our chief justice, who carries more than a ceremonial role. He sets the tone, influences internal dynamics, and typically serves as the deciding vote in closely split cases.

Roberts’ effort to preserve the Court’s image as an apolitical institution reflects a real concern, but it also reflects a gap between message and lived experience. Americans don’t judge the courts by speeches; they judge them by outcomes.

Respect can’t be commanded; it has to be earned and reinforced through consistent behavior. When decisions appear uneven or strategically timed, trust weakens, and when those rulings follow clear ideological lines, skepticism grows. That doesn’t mean every judge acts with political intent, but perception matters, and perception forms over time.

Roberts isn’t wrong to want civility; no functioning system benefits from constant personal attacks, but asking for restraint without confronting the conditions that created public frustration won’t settle anything. The judiciary has stepped deeper into the political arena over the past decade, and Americans have responded in kind, a dynamic that won’t reverse with a speech.

A courtroom doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

Every ruling echoes beyond its walls, shaping how Americans view fairness, authority, and accountability. When those echoes begin to sound uneven, people react.

Roberts wants calm, but calm follows clarity, and if the judiciary wants less criticism, it has to show, over time, that decisions come from law alone, not from outcomes people can predict before the gavel ever falls.