Tuesday morning news: March 3, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

Iran: 6 killed, Trump on military action » The American death toll from Iran’s response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes has now risen to at least six. U.S. Central Command announced that U.S. forces recently–“recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region.”

At the White House on Monday, President Trump says he mourns those lost:

TRUMP:  In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat. This terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat indeed it is.

The president again defended the military action, saying the time to strike was now to eliminate the Iranian threat before it became any more dangerous.

TRUMP:  We thought we had a deal, but then they backed out and, and they came back and we thought we had a deal and they backed out. I said, you can't deal with these people.

Trump said after focused strikes against nuclear targets in Iran last year, his administration warned Iranian leaders not to take further steps toward a nuclear weapon, but they did not listen.

Iran: Rubio remarks » Secretary of State and Acting National Security Adviser Marco Rubio addressed reporters Monday. He said the imminent danger was likely retaliation by Iran from a planned Israeli strike.

But Rubio said, if the US did not act now, it would have been forced to act within a matter of months.

RUBIO:  This operation needed to happen because Iran, in about a year or a year and a half, would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short range missiles, so many drones that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage.

The secretary said the goal of this mission was not regime change, though the administration would be delighted to see more rational leadership in Iran. But the goal of this action, he said, was to destroy the country’s ballistic missile capability and prevent a nuclear Iran. And:

RUBIO:  The hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now. Someone was screaming, how long will it take? I don't know how long it'll take. We have objectives.

President Trump said the initial timeline was 4 or 5 weeks, but the US is more than capable and prepared to go longer if needed.

Iran: Israel strikes Hezbollah » Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon echoed the remarks of President Trump and Secretary Rubio, saying despite the short-term risks of this conflict for Israel, his government had to act.

DANNON: Look at what they’re doing now without a nuclear weapon, threatening the entire region. Now imagine that same regime with a nuclear capability.

Israeli forces launched retaliatory attacks in Lebanon after the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah fired missiles at it. And an Israeli military official did not rule out another ground invasion in southern Lebanon.

Iran: World, Washington react » Meanwhile, some Democrats are taking shots at President Trump's decision to launch Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told lawmakers yesterday he's not shedding any tears over the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At the same time, he accused the president of breaking a core promise to his constituents:

SCHUMER: Donald Trump ran for office on the promise to wind down America's endless wars. What he's doing is exactly—exactly—the opposite. He's picking military fight all over the world, and not taking care of business here at home.

Schumer says he plans to lead a war powers resolution, aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to launch similar strikes in the future without congressional approval.

But Schumer's GOP counterpart, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said Iran's leadership left the president with no choice but to attack.

THUNE: President Trump and his administration relentlessly pursued a diplomatic solution to the threat posed by Iran. But the Iranian regime refused diplomatic offerings. So now the president is taking action.

Thune added that Iran fuels terrorism throughout the Middle East, and the current regime must be stopped.

DHS shutdown » With some expressing growing fears of terror attacks amid the conflict in Iran, the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security rolls into its third week.

WORLD’s Harrison Watters has more.

HARRISON WATTERS: Lawmakers are still negotiating a deal to fund DHS after Democrats derailed funding last month, demanding changes to Immigration and Customs Environment–or ICE.

Neither side has budged since last week, even with heightened fears of threats to the homeland.

On Friday, many DHS employees received partial paychecks. But Border Patrol and ICE officers received full paychecks thanks to funding passed last year.

Later today, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats plan to grill her about the actions of ICE agents in Minneapolis … while Republicans are expected to dig into how the shutdown is affecting the function of agencies like TSA and FEMA.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

I'm Kent Covington.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.