Category: News
A $220 million ad blitz and a public split with President Trump mark the end of Kristi Noem’s DHS tenure
WASHINGTON — In a one-minute video, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, decked out in Western riding gear and a cowboy hat, rides a horse through a pine forest near Mount Rushmore. She trumpets her department’s hard-line message: “You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you.”
The ad was one of the many times the outgoing secretary made herself the public face of her department. In the end, that approach led to her undoing.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was firing Noem, a decision that came on the heels of back-to-back hearings in Congress this week where she faced rare but blistering criticism from Republican lawmakers, especially over the $220 million ad campaign that featured the secretary on horseback.
An administration official said the ad campaign, along with other “many unfortunate leadership failures” such as fallout from the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota and mismanagement of her staff, led to her firing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the private considerations for the firing.
Noem had faced criticism for months, primarily from Democrats, about the administration’s tough immigration crackdown, especially in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two Minneapolis protesters at the hands of federal officers. Despite outrage over how she characterized the protesters as agitators, publicly Trump stood by her throughout her 13-month tenure.
Noem’s social media was awash in videos of her out on the streets seemingly joining arrest sweeps of illegal migrants, and photographs of her posing in front of inmates at a notorious El Salvadoran prison. Airports across the country also beamed videos of Noem blaming Democrats for a federal government shutdown.
In the end, keeping the spotlight on herself drew fierce scrutiny that may have pushed the president over the edge in deciding whether to keep her on board. Trump said he will nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place and will make Noem a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that will focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem was grilled in Congress this week over the ads
In the Mount Rushmore ad, a montage of video clips shows classic images of American history and culture — a rocket launching into air, a woman standing in a golden wheat field — interspersed with images of Trump being sworn into office, pumping his fist in the air after being shot at, and walking along a row of saluting cadets.
“Anyone who searches for freedom can always find a home here, but that freedom’s a precious thing. And we defend it vigorously. You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you,” Noem says in the video.
“But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these open skies. From President Trump and me, Welcome home.”
Over two days of questioning this week, senators and representatives pushed her to explain the ad campaign.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked whether spending $220 million was appropriate when the administration was in a battle against waste. And he asked what the president knew.
“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?”
“Yes, sir,” Noem replied. “We went through the legal processes. Did it correctly.”
She was repeatedly pressed about contracts awarded surrounding the campaign.
The Associated Press reported last year that the Department of Homeland Security, citing “an unusual and compelling urgency” over the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, skipped a fully competitive bidding process when it launched an ad campaign early in 2025 and gave two Republican-linked firms the first part of the funding.
Noem insisted to Kennedy that the campaigns were effective.
“Well, they were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy replied.
Kennedy said Trump and Noem had different versions of the president’s role
Kennedy went on to suggest that the campaign “puts the president in a terribly awkward spot.”
“It’s just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut and I’m going to spend $220 million running them’ that he would have agreed to that,” said Kennedy.
Trump later told NBC News that he didn’t know about the campaign and that he wasn’t “thrilled” with it.
“I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it,” he said.
Kennedy told CNN that he got a call from Trump Tuesday evening and the president was angry.
“Her version and the president’s version of whether the president, A) was informed and B) consented are decidedly different,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy, speaking after Noem’s firing, said he spoke with the president after the secretary’s testimony and he was “mad as a murder hornet.”
When Trump nominated Noem for his Cabinet, he said he’d known her for years and she was “very strong” on border security. As recently as after the Minneapolis fallout in January, Trump said she was doing “great.”
Noem made herself the public face of DHS
Beyond the Mount Rushmore ad, Noem appeared in other ads and a stream of social media videos and photos put out by the DHS communications team or in news reports. The constant appearances and content showed an image of a secretary out in the field, carrying out Trump’s vision. She swooped into the heart of immigration enforcement operations, with visuals of the action following shortly after.
It was a tactic she employed right from the beginning of her tenure, when she went out with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents making arrests in New York City. Wearing a flak jacket and baseball cap, Noem said in a video that they were “getting the dirtbags off the streets.”
Later images showed her at the controls of a plane in Alaska or decked out in firefighting gear taking part in a training exercise. In Chicago she accompanied agents on a raid near a local Walmart store.
In one video, she stood in front of a cell packed with inmates in a Salvadoran prison and warned people not to come to the U.S. illegally or they could end up there.
She may have successfully raised her profile. But in the end, she became the latest senior administration official to rankle the president and be shuffled into obscurity.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/kristi-noems-dhs-tenure/
‘Victory’ In Iran Will Look Nothing Like 1945
‘Victory’ In Iran Will Look Nothing Like 1945
Authored by James Howard Kunstler,
You probably wonder what the end of this war will look like. It won’t look like V-J Day in Times Square, 1945, with sailors kissing girls they met five seconds ago. Our country is way too divided and disturbed with politically-inflected mental illness for love to bloom in the streets like it did then. If you happen to catch the glum crew on CNN you will detect that they really want this operation to fail because, you know, Trump.
The war will be over when Iran loses the ability to spray missiles and drones all over the place — and notice how they are pouring it on the Emirate states, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and even Azerbaijan, for Gawdsake, turning would-be bystanders into pissed-off additional enemies they need like a hole in the head.
At some point they will run out of ordnance, or the will to roll them out of the supposed 10,000 bat caves their weapons are stashed in. Our side apparently has an uncanny knack for seeing the launchers creep into daylight and efficiently blowing them up. Creates a disincentive to even think about launching. Of course, Iran might have some spectacular last-ditch thingie they can unleash to horrify the world — perhaps a “dirty” bomb that uses the 460 kilos of 60-percent enriched uranium they bragged about at one of the last negotiation sessions before the war with Witkoff and Kushner. Standing by on that.
But, at some point a week or so hence, a stillness will fall upon the earth and sky above Iran, and that will be all she wrote for sheer havoc. Victory will not look much like anything. Just that stillness. The body politic in Iran is another matter. Expect awful turmoil. Iran’s command structure is shattered. Officials don’t dare pick a room in some building to meet in. The Internet is down and most communication with it. Nobody knows who is really in charge, and nobody may be in charge, not for quite a long time to come.
Let’s hope we have the patience to let the Iranians sort out their own governing structure, and that it will be made up of people who are not insane, not fanatics of the martyrdom cult that has ruled the place for fifty years. It’s probably not part of the US plan to slaughter the Revolutionary Guard, or Sepah, the chief apparatus of despotic control in the country. Or the Basij, (Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz’afin, which means “Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed”), an auxiliary volunteer paramilitary militia that acts as the “morality police” and cracks down on dissent. Hundreds of thousands are employed by these groups.
You might imagine circumstances in which the members of those dastardly outfits decide to peel away from them, sensing a loss of legitimacy and danger in remaining on-board. Surely, a lot of Iranians will have blood in their eyes, looking for scores to settle, just as the people took revenge on members of the Shah’s secret police, the Savak, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Even now with the bombs still falling in Tehran (perhaps even because of them), many ordinary Iranians are dancing in the streets. You must suppose there is massive opposition to the regime. But first, chaos.
Why would we feel any necessity to put “boots on the ground” in there? Why expose American troops to the factional fighting that is apt to break out, as it did in Iraq? Did we not learn the lessons of Fallujah? Wouldn’t it be enough that Iran just loses its ability to fire weapons at anyone? Loses its ability to mess with shipping in the Persian Gulf? And loses its ability to foment mischief in other countries, including any ideological influence it might still have, or any financial mojo for sponsoring terrorism? Can we not just stand by and let the Iranians figure out their own future?
Try imagining a peaceful Iran not bent on exporting Jihad (just like you might imagine a peaceful Ukraine, not making itself a problem for the rest of the world). Forgive the cliché, but Iran (a.k.a. Persia), is an old and durable culture, with a highly educated population, one of the world’s largest oil-and-gas reserves, and plenty of other resources. Iran could be somebody. It doesn’t have to be a bum with a one-way ticket to Palookaville.
As for our own country, too many people here are busy wolfing down the black pills with their Adderall and their Starbucks iced lavender cream chai. It’s actually possible that there is a satisfactory outcome to this Iran operation. Would that disappoint you — as it apparently disappoints the glum crew at CNN? As with Iran, it doesn’t pay to be insane, and something close to half of America is insane. That perturbation is mostly lodged in the American Left these days, the Democratic Party, devoted to a long list of ideas and propositions at odds with reality and locked into a strange willful hysteria that regards any kind of good faith as poison. That is exactly why we can’t have clean elections. How about fixing that?
Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/06/2026 – 20:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/victory-iran-will-look-nothing-1945
En medio de guerra en Irán, EEUU permite a India comprar petróleo ruso por 1 mes
Por DAVID McHUGH
FRÁNCFORT (AP) — La decisión del Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos de permitir que India compre petróleo ruso durante 30 días representa un impulso para Moscú en el contexto de la guerra con Irán, ya que las exportaciones de petróleo de Rusia ayudan al Kremlin a pagar su propia guerra en Ucrania.
El Departamento del Tesoro indicó esta semana que India puede seguir comprando crudo y derivados a Rusia hasta el 4 de abril.
Esa medida busca ayudar a aliviar la presión sobre los precios del petróleo, que afectan los costos de la gasolina para los consumidores de Estados Unidos. Pero también subraya cómo el conflicto entre Estados Unidos e Israel con Irán está afectando los mercados de petróleo y gas, incluido el crudo ruso.
Una compleja mezcla de petróleo, aranceles y 2 guerras
China e India se convirtieron en los mayores clientes del petróleo ruso después de que la invasión de Ucrania por parte de Moscú en febrero de 2022 provocara un boicot de la Unión Europea, que hasta entonces era el mayor importador del crudo de Rusia.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, había impuesto aranceles del 25% a India por seguir comprando petróleo ruso. Las importaciones indias de petróleo desde Rusia disminuyeron después de que Trump retirara el arancel el 6 de febrero, a cambio de lo que, según afirmó, fue una promesa de dejar de comprar petróleo ruso.
El viernes, el crudo Brent subió a 89 dólares por barril, comparados con poco menos de 73 dólares una semana antes, en vísperas de la nueva guerra en Oriente Medio. La mezcla Urals de exportación de Rusia alcanzó los 70 dólares, cuando en diciembre se cotizaba en menos de 40 dólares.
La expansión de la guerra con Irán y el riesgo de ataques iraníes con drones o misiles ha paralizado casi todo el tráfico de buques petroleros a través del estrecho de Ormuz, el único paso marítimo de salida del golfo Pérsico y el conducto por el que transita el 20% de las necesidades de petróleo de la economía mundial.
Los buques petroleros que atraviesan el estrecho, que limita al norte con Irán, transportan petróleo y gas de Arabia Saudí, Kuwait, Irak, Qatar, Bahréin, Emiratos Árabes Unidos e Irán. Ahora no está pasando nada.
El fuerte aumento de los precios del petróleo tras el cierre de facto del estrecho de Ormuz ha supuesto, al menos de manera temporal, un giro favorable para los ingresos de Rusia por combustibles fósiles.
Esos ingresos habían disminuido debido a los bajos precios internacionales anteriormente y al endurecimiento de las sanciones occidentales contra la flota clandestina de petroleros rusos utilizada para eludir el tope de precios impuesto por el Grupo de los 7, así como por las sanciones contra las dos principales empresas petroleras de Rusia: Rosneft y Lukoil.
Una exención bienvenida
Al conceder a India un respiro de un mes, el secretario del Tesoro estadounidense, Scott Bessent, afirmó que el periodo de 30 días “no proporcionaría un beneficio financiero significativo” al gobierno ruso, ya que sólo se aplicaba al petróleo ruso varado en buques petroleros después de que no se pudiera encontrar ningún comprador.
Los analistas estimaron que eso podría equivaler a unos 125 millones de barriles de crudo.
Bessent escribió en X que “esta medida provisional aliviará la presión causada por el intento de Irán de tomar como rehén la energía mundial”.
El petróleo ruso todavía se negocia con un descuento considerable respecto del Brent, la referencia internacional. Sin embargo, el crudo ruso ahora está muy por encima del nivel de referencia de 59 dólares por barril que se asumió en el plan presupuestario del Ministerio de Finanzas ruso para 2026.
Los ingresos fiscales por petróleo y gas pueden representar entre el 20% y el 30% del presupuesto federal ruso. El impuesto se basa en el precio del petróleo una vez que los productores rusos han cubierto sus costos, de alrededor de 15 dólares por barril, por lo que una caída del precio puede reducir sustancialmente los ingresos del gobierno.
Además, la paralización de la producción de gas natural licuado transportado por barco por parte de Qatar —tras un ataque con drones contra la mayor planta de GNL de Qatar al inicio de la guerra con Irán— incrementará de forma marcada la competencia mundial por los cargamentos disponibles, incluidos los procedentes de Rusia.
Los precios del gas natural para entrega futura se han disparado en Europa, lo que plantea interrogantes sobre los planes de la Unión Europea para detener las importaciones de gas ruso para 2027.
Un futuro impredecible
Mucho depende de cuánto dure la guerra con Irán. En la primera semana, los efectos del conflicto que comenzó con los ataques de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán el 28 de febrero se están ampliando y ahora abarcan más de una docena de países.
Analistas del mercado petrolero señalan que, si termina en una o dos semanas, los precios del petróleo podrían caer rápidamente a los niveles previos a la guerra, en torno a 65 dólares por barril, y Rusia vería poco beneficio.
Sin embargo, un conflicto más prolongado —que deje daños a largo plazo en yacimientos petrolíferos, oleoductos y terminales en Arabia Saudí, Irak, Emiratos Árabes Unidos y Kuwait, y lleve los precios del petróleo por encima de 100 dólares por barril— podría aportar a Rusia una ganancia extraordinaria duradera.
Según cifras del Ministerio de Finanzas, los ingresos estatales de Rusia por petróleo y gas han caído a un mínimo de cuatro años de 393.000 millones de rublos (5.000 millones de dólares) en enero, y el déficit presupuestario de 1,7 billones de rublos (21.800 millones de dólares) de ese mes fue el mayor registrado.
El crecimiento económico se ha estancado debido a que el gasto militar se ha estabilizado. A medida que caían los ingresos por petróleo y gas para el presupuesto estatal, el presidente Vladímir Putin ha recurrido a aumentos de impuestos y a un mayor endeudamiento con bancos nacionales para mantener las finanzas del Estado en equilibrio.
Al cuestionarle sobre la exención, el portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, señaló el aumento de la demanda de petróleo ruso en medio de la guerra en Oriente Medio, y afirmó que “India y China se guían por sus intereses nacionales, y nosotros hacemos lo mismo”.
“Seguimos cooperando con India y China, incluyendo en el ámbito energético”, manifestó.
“Observamos un aumento significativo de la demanda de recursos energéticos rusos en relación con la guerra con Irán”, añadió. “Rusia ha sido un proveedor fiable de petróleo y gas. Puede garantizar todos los suministros contratados”. ___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Saks Global to shutter 15 more department stores in bankruptcy restructuring
NEW YORK — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus is closing more department stores as it focuses on its most profitable businesses and trims debt during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.
Saks Global Inc. said Friday it will close 12 more Saks Fifth Avenue stores and three more Neiman Marcus stores. The shuttered Saks stores include sites in Chevy, Chase, Maryland, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas. The stores will remain open until the end of May, a company spokesperson said.
The closures come on top of the eight Saks Fifth Avenue stores and one Neiman Marcus store it said it would close last month. The stores targeted for the first round of closing are expected to remain open until the end of April.
With plans to close a total of 24 department stores by spring, that would leave the parent company with 13 Saks Fifth Avenue stores — including its flagship store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue — as well as 32 Neiman Marcus locations and Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.
Saks also said 500 brands have resumed shipping, releasing close to $1.3 billion in retail receipts. That accounts for more than 80% of the inventory the company expects to receive from February through April, with momentum expected to continue, the company said.
The parent company is also in talks or has reached repayment agreements with about 175 suppliers.
Saks Global has been shrinking its business since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. Last month, it said it will wind down 14 standalone Fifth Avenue Club personal styling suites, keeping three.
It also shuttered home goods retailer Horchow.com, a business that Neiman Marcus acquired in the late 1980s. As of Feb. 19, shoppers have been redirected to the home category on NeimanMarcus.com.
It’s also closing down all but 12 of its Saks Off Fifth locations The remaining outlets will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/saks-global-bankruptcy-restructuring/
Russia has provided Iran with information that can help Tehran strike US military, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.
The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information as the U.S. and Israel continue their bombardment and Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and allies in the Persian Gulf.
Still, it’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the U.S. and Israel launched on Iran a week ago. Russia is in the rare club of countries that maintains friendly relations with Tehran, which has faced years of isolation over its nuclear program and its support of proxy groups that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
The White House downplayed reports that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. targets in the region. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday told reporters that “it clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a CBS’ “60 Minutes” interview on Friday said the U.S. is “tracking everything” and factoring it into battle plans, when asked about the reports Russia was aiding Iran.
“The American people can rest assured their commander in chief is well aware of who’s talking to who,” he said. “And anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
Leavitt declined to say if Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the reported intelligence sharing or whether he believed Russia should face repercussions, saying she would let the president speak to that himself.
Asked whether Russia would go beyond political support and offer military assistance to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there has been no such request from Tehran.
“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” he said Friday.
Pushed on whether Moscow has provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the Iran war’s start, he refrained from comment.
Russia has tightened its relationship with Iran as it looked for badly needed missiles and drones to utilize in its four-year war against Ukraine.
The Biden administration declassified intelligence findings that showed Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones and has assisted the Kremlin with building a drone-manufacturing factory.
The former U.S. administration also accused Iran of transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Details about the U.S. intelligence were first reported by The Washington Post.
Asked whether the revelation had shaken Trump’s faith in Putin’s ability to cut any peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, Leavitt said, “I think the president would say that peace is still an achievable objective with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. Tehran has been supplying Russia with Shaheds for its war on Ukraine and are now utilizing them in retaliatory attacks throughout the Gulf.
Zelenskyy says that he’s spoken to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
“Ukraine knows how to defend against Shahed drone attacks because our cities have faced them almost every night,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna. “When our partners are in need, we are always ready to help.”
Trump, who has struggled to fulfill a campaign pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war, has had an up-and-down relationship with Zelenskyy. He’s frequently pressured the Ukrainian leader to heed Russian demands, including that Kyiv concede Ukrainian territory still in its control.
With the Pentagon facing questions about whether the Iran war is depleting U.S. stockpiles, Trump this week grumbled that former President Joe Biden provided billions in high-end weaponry to Ukraine and failed to replenish U.S. reserves.
Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/russia-iran-information-military-strike-us/
Berger toma una ventaja de 5 golpes en el Arnold Palmer Invitational en Bay Hill
ORLANDO, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — A Daniel Berger le encanta jugar en Florida en marzo. Para casi todos los demás que participaron el viernes en el Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill se sintió como un adelanto primaveral del Abierto de Estados Unidos.
Berger volvió a estar a la altura en las condiciones más exigentes, al apoyarse en una dosis constante de fairways y greens, y sintiéndose tan bien con sus putts como con los cinco birdies que logró en una ronda de 68 golpes, cuatro bajo par, que le dio una ventaja de cinco impactos.
“Sólo hay que mantener la paciencia y tomar lo que el campo te da. Y cuando tienes una oportunidad, tienes que aprovecharla porque no hay muchas ahí fuera”, dijo Berger, cuyo acumulado es de 131 golpes, 13 bajo par.
Akshay Bhatia firmó la mejor ronda de una tarde templada con un 66 para colocarse a cinco golpes del liderato. Ludvig Aberg (71), Collin Morikawa (71) y Sahith Theegala (67) estaban un golpe más atrás.
Mantener la paciencia fue un desafío.
Ben Griffin estaba a un golpe de la línea de corte de 2 sobre par o 146, cuando enfrentó un putt de par de 30 pies en el 18. Se le pasó casi por 15 pies, lo falló y estaba vaciando su casillero.
Scottie Scheffler se quedó atónito cuando su golpe desde el búnker en el 15 rodó junto al hoyo y no dejó de rodar hasta que se salió del green, a 30 pies de distancia. Embocó el chip para salvar el par. Pero en el 18, su putt de 30 pies para birdie, que apenas tocó, se pasó unos 10 pies y terminó en bogey y 71, dejándolo a 10 golpes.
Se dio la vuelta y lanzó su bola al agua para desahogarse, y después firmó su tarjeta.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
DuPage undersheriff and sheriff hopeful placed on leave less than 2 weeks before March primary
With less than two weeks to go before the March primary, DuPage Undersheriff Eddie Moore — who’s vying to rise the ranks to sheriff — has been placed on administrative leave.
The leave, first reported by the Daily Herald, comes as Moore faces investigation after an auto incident last month that the undersheriff maintains his opponent is leveraging as political fodder.
Moore, the undersheriff since 2020, is running for sheriff as current officeholder, James Mendrick, sets his sights on governor, leaving the countywide seat open. Moore is seeking the Republican nomination in the sheriff’s race against former DuPage County Board member Sean Noonan. The pair will be on the ballot in the March 17 primary election.
Moore, in a statement, confirmed that last month, he and his wife were at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in west suburban Oak Brook when, as he pulled his car around to pick his wife up, “an individual stepped in front of my vehicle.” Moore stated that he immediately stopped, exited his car and “repeatedly asked if he needed assistance,” but the man declined. Moore said his wife, a nurse, also checked on the man, but he again declined medical help.
“We exchanged information and handled the situation responsibly at the scene,” Moore said. However, the man later asked the Oak Brook Police Department for assistance locating Moore after he “mistakenly wrote down the wrong phone number,” Moore said.
“If the individual chooses to pursue anything further, the matter would be handled through the insurance company,” he said, noting that as of Friday, they had not been contacted.
DuPage County sheriff’s office spokesperson Michael Cirolia confirmed to the Tribune Friday afternoon that Moore was “in fact on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.” Cirolia said he could not provide any further comment because of the investigation.
Moore’s statement lamented that “the individuals involved in the incident deserved their privacy,” saying the situation was instead used for politicking.
“A race for sheriff should be about qualifications, experience, and leadership,” Moore said. “Unfortunately, Mr. Noonan and his campaign appear more interested in political attacks than in discussing the issues that matter to DuPage County residents.”
Noonan did not return requests for comment.
Meanwhile, at least one of Moore’s endorsements has been withdrawn. DuPage County Board member Cindy Cronin Cahill, in a written statement, confirmed she’s no longer endorsing Moore for sheriff.
“While I don’t know all of the details, what has come to light is deeply concerning to me,” she wrote. “The office of DuPage County sheriff requires sound judgment, integrity, and conduct that earns the public’s trust, and under these circumstances, I can no longer support him.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/dupage-sheriff-hopeful-eddie-moore-placed-on-leave/
Bessent Says US May “Unsanction” More Russian Oil Amid Energy Crisis
Bessent Says US May “Unsanction” More Russian Oil Amid Energy Crisis
Yesterday, when discussing the stunning development that Russia would be granted a one-month license to sell (formerly) sanctioned oil to india while the Straits of Hormuz are blocked, we said that this step is just the start, and precited “unlimited extensions” in the future. We had to wait less than 24 hours for this to come true.
Speaking to Fox Business, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US may lift sanctions on further Russian oil supply after a move Thursday to give Indian refiners the green light to purchase crude from the nation.
“Treasury agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water,” Bessent said, explaining that “to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil. We may unsanction other Russian oil.”
NEW: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:
Due to the temporary global oil gap, we may also unsanction other Russian oil. pic.twitter.com/dvP6IIsLoQ
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 6, 2026
Bessent said there’s “hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of crude on the water now and in essence, by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply,” he said, quoting verbatim what we said on February 19.
Cushing drained at fastest pace since June while hundreds of millions of barrels are stuck at sea. Vitol will make a trillion $ this year.
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 19, 2026
He was referring to this chart:
Crude prices surged past $90 a barrel on Friday, rising to the highest level since 2023, as fighting in the region kept tankers away from the Strait of Hormuz, with some traders and energy executives warning that prices could climb to more than $100 per barrel if the conflict continues and local producers are forced to shut in production.
Bessent echoed other officials in anticipating the US efforts to defeat Iran will prove victorious. “Our campaign has been overwhelming,” he said. “They’re trying to create economic chaos, and I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it.” Meanwhile, NBC reported citing anonymous officials, that “Trump has privately shown serious interest in U.S. ground troops in Iran.”
“We’ve considered all this,” Bessent said. “This is in the president’s calculus, and things are proceeding as planned.”
It’s unclear if the president’s calculus also accounts for $3.80 gas at the pump which is what the surge in oil prices will translate to unless there is a quick resolution to the Iran crisis.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/06/2026 – 20:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/bessent-says-us-may-unsanction-more-russian-oil-amid-energy-crisis
Storms rip through Michigan, tearing off roofs and downing trees
Powerful storms ripped across Michigan on Friday, tearing the roof off a home improvement store and parts of a storage building, and knocking down trees as tornado warnings were issued across the southern part of the state.
In Edwardsburg, Michigan, area, near the Indiana border, officials reported downed trees and several homes that had been heavily damaged, and warned residents to avoid the area.
In St. Joseph County, about 34 miles (54.7 kilometers) northeast of Edwardsburg, the sheriff’s office told residents to “seek shelter immediately” following reports of an unconfirmed tornado, a severe thunderstorm watch and possible winds more than 60 mph (96.6 kph).
“Citizens should anticipate power outages, closed roadways and/or neighborhoods and cellular/internet interruptions,” the office said on Facebook.
Powerful storms were forming Friday afternoon in Michigan and all the way to North Texas. There were no immediate confirmed reports of a tornado on the ground, but many videos posted online showed violent, rotating columns of air in Michigan.
In an eerie scene captured on video Thursday, a first responder drove straight at a storm near the western Oklahoma town of Fairview, where flashes of lightning illuminated a giant funnel that appeared to reach the ground. That storm, among the first outbreaks of severe weather on the verge of the spring storm season, was filmed by a camera mounted on the deputy’s car.
Nearby, a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter from Fairview were found dead in a vehicle near an intersection of a highway and a county road at about 10 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. The crash “appears to be tornado related,” Sarah Stewart, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said in a statement.
“Severe weather struck Major County last night and tragically claimed the lives of a mother and daughter,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement Friday. “I am praying for the family as they grieve this tragic loss, as well as all those impacted by the storms.”
The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, planned to send out a damage survey crew Friday to see whether Thursday night’s storms were confirmed tornadoes, meteorologist Ryan Bunker said. “As of right now, we’re still investigating that.”
More than 7 million Americans were at the highest risk of severe weather Friday in an area that includes the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. Nearly 25 million people were at a slightly lesser risk in a zone that includes Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Severe, scattered thunderstorms are expected Friday evening from areas of the Plains states to the Ozarks and Midwest, the National Weather Service said.
“The greatest potential for a few strong tornadoes and very large hail should exist across eastern portions of Oklahoma/Kansas/Nebraska into western Arkansas/Missouri and southern Iowa,” it said.
The general setup for the strong storms is a clash between warm air streaming north from the Gulf Coast and cooler Canadian air behind cold fronts, according to meteorologists with the private forecasting service AccuWeather.
“This is probably our first real event this season where people are really starting to pay attention getting into the spring storm season,” said Melissa Mayes, deputy director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, north of Tulsa.
The spring storms in the forecast come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at different times in different parts of the U.S. Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit, including having a weather radio and a plan for where to take shelter.
Meanwhile, parts of the Northeast were under winter weather advisories as rain, snow and slush made for a messy morning commute from Pennsylvania to Maine on Friday. Several vehicle slide-offs were also reported on the Maine Turnpike as drivers contended with sleet and snow.
Some schools canceled or delayed classes in states including New Hampshire and Maine.
The weather began to ease at midmorning in some areas, but Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut remained under weather advisories. In Ohio, flood warnings were issued in the southern part of the state.
In parts of the southern U.S., the weather pattern is also expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.
“Temperatures will be 20-30 degrees above average, with 80s reaching as far north as parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic,” federal forecasters wrote in their long-range forecast discussion. “Daily records could become widespread.”
McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Martin reported from Atlanta. Associated Press Writer Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/storms-michigan-damage/
After trade-deadline dust settles, Kyle Davidson stands firm in his vision for young Chicago Blackhawks
The NHL trade deadline has passed, the smoke has cleared and the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves as one of NHL’s youngest teams.
General manager Kyle Davidson traded away four players this week, three of them veteran captains in Nick Foligno and alternates Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy. They were difficult but necessary moves to make, Davidson said Friday.
“They are some people that have certainly left a very strong, positive and impactful mark on our organization, our city, and a lot of our players that’ll be here for a long time to come, and so I just can’t thank them enough for their professionalism, their play, their dedication and everything that they brought to the organization,” Davidson said in his opening remarks at a post-trade-deadline news conference at the United Center.
“We accomplished some pretty strong acquisitions in terms of future assets and players that can serve a purpose here with us over the next little while. It’s tough to see really amazing people move on, but I’m really excited for all of them and their new opportunities.”
Murphy and Dickinson joined the Edmonton Oilers in separate trades this week, while Foligno went to the Minnesota Wild on Friday. Both teams are in playoff position. The Hawks’ plan for the future is to be buyers, not sellers.
The Hawks find themselves in a peculiar position in the last stretch of the season. Their playoffs odds are very low — at 23-28-10 (56 points), they’re 11 points out of a wild-card spot — but with 21 games remaining they’re not completely out of the conversation.
Davidson, though, didn’t emphasize a late-season playoff push, instead highlighting youth, opportunity and development.
“It’d be nice if we hit a high point towards the end, (but) I’m just excited to see some of these young players take on a little more opportunity (and) a little more ownership of the of the season,” Davidson said. “There’s some really good opportunities for guys to jump in grab hold of.
“There’s a lot to watch, a lot to pay attention to and a lot to be excited about from a youth and opportunity standpoint. Hopefully that translates into some nice results down the stretch and some good success for some young players to build on exiting the season and going to next season.”
The Hawks need to learn from scratch to win consistently, as the roster now has little to no experience in that area. The longest-tenured player is defenseman Alex Vlasic, 24, who is in his fifth season.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, left, speaks during the introductory news conference for coach Jeff Blashill on May 27, 2025, at the United Center. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Davidson has preached about giving his young players experience come the deadline, and the trades signaled as much. This week seems to be the next step in the franchise’s lengthy rebuild.
“Alex Vlasic has been around this league a while, and then we’ve got some guys that know what they need to do to win and know what the team needs to do to keep progressing,” Davidson said. “(It’s) an opportunity for a lot of young players to step into the void and continue progressing their own leadership capabilities and developing their voice in the room. I don’t necessarily fear for the lack of leadership.”
One of those leaders will be star Connor Bedard, who is expected to take over as Hawks captain in the near future — pending a contract extension. Davidson said he’ll revisit the issue in the offseason but has shared repeatedly his desire and expectation to keep the young center.
Bedard said he’s doesn’t feel the need to change the way he presents himself, noting he is leader now. He also agreed it’s time for others to step up with the three veteran voices gone.
“It would be weird if I just started giving speeches and stuff, that’s not who I am, especially at this stage of my life,” Bedard, 20, said Friday. “It’s not an exciting opportunity because you’re losing a lot of great people, but it’s an opportunity for everyone to grow and in every sense on (and) off the ice.”
Blackhawks center Connor Bedard talks with left wing Nick Foligno against the Flyers on Feb. 21, 2024, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Bedard didn’t hide his frustration about the Hawks losing players who “help us win games.” The Hawks were preparing to play the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night in their first home game since Feb. 2, but the thoughts of losing friends and teammates clouded the United Center locker room.
Davidson knows that being sellers is frustrating for Hawks players and fans alike. He also would rather the players feel that way than be numb to it all.
“I’d probably worry more if it wasn’t bothering guys, to be honest, because I think that would reflect some sort of disengagement from the group,” Davidson said. “I don’t think anyone’s pleased about being sellers. I don’t want them to be.
“That’s something that they’ve got to feel and they’ve got to take not only into the game but in the offseason and do everything they can to individually combine that into a collective effort to make sure that we’re not in these spots moving forward. You don’t know what the future is going to bring but think it’s a healthy thing to be that invested in your teammates.”
Related Articles
NHL trade deadline: Chicago Blackhawks deal captain Nick Foligno — ‘an outstanding human being’
Column: Is it un-American to root against Team USA in WBC? Plus other pressing sports issues.
As Chicago Blackhawks see veterans move on, they hope ‘this is the last year’ of being trade-deadline sellers
NHL trade deadline: Chicago Blackhawks send Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach to Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks lose lead in final minute of regulation and fall 3-2 in overtime to Winnipeg Jets
The Hawks acquired two draft picks — the Oilers’ 2027 first-rounder and 2028 second-rounder — and left winger Andrew Mangiapane in return for the three veterans and Colton Dach.
While compiling draft capital is nice, it hasn’t netted the Hawks the main thing they’ve been lacking in recent years: wins. On one hand, having the picks will give them buyer leverage in the future. On the other, it’s another cycle in seeing whether the draftees will blossom — or underachieve.
Davidson, 37, has exceled at getting higher-than-expected returns for his players since he took over as GM in October 2021 after Stan Bowman’s resignation. Now, it will be about hitting the jackpot with the draft picks and trades for the organization to truly turn the corner.
“Whether people want to hear it or not, we’re committed to a vision here, we’ve picked a path, we’re committed to that, and we’re going to execute within that vision,” Davidson said. “I believe in these young players. I believe in this group of young prospects that we have coming, and as they continue to mature (and) as they continue to get comfortable and develop into the players that we see them becoming, that’s going to drive our team success.
“We believe in them wholeheartedly, not just with rose-colored glasses, that they can get us to where we want to go. That’s the vision, that’s what we’re committed to.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/06/chicago-blackhawks-kyle-davidson-vision/
