US expects Iran operation to end in ‘weeks, not months’, says Marco Rubio

• The Pentagon is developing military options described as a 'final blow' against Iran that could include ground forces invasion, according to Axios reporting on March 27. • One plan involves invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal; another would send U.S. forces into Iran's interior to secure highly enriched uranium at nuclear facilities. • The escalation plans emerge as President Trump extended his ultimatum deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, marking the third delay since initially setting the deadline for March 27.

• President Trump stated at a Thursday cabinet meeting that Iran is "begging to make a deal" to end the war, claiming Iran has offered him "eight big boats of oil" as a goodwill gesture—later revising the number to 10. • Trump insisted he is not the one pushing for negotiations despite Iran's repeated official denials of direct talks with the United States as the conflict enters its fourth week. • U.S. Special Envoy Steve Woodcock indicated strong signs Iran could be convinced to reach a peace deal, while Trump also criticized NATO allies for failing to send naval assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

• Israel's military launched a wave of airstrikes in the heart of Tehran early Friday, March 27, while U.S. President Donald Trump delayed his deadline to strike Iran's energy plants until April 6 amid ongoing Strait of Hormuz tensions. • The conflict has resulted in over 1,900 deaths in Iran, nearly 1,100 in Lebanon, 18 in Israel including four soldiers, and 13 U.S. military members, with millions displaced in both countries. • Trump cited Iran's request for a grace period and stated talks on a 15-point proposal are going 'very well,' despite Tehran's public denials of negotiations.

‘Looksmaxxer’ influencer and his girlfriend are suspected of involvement in attack on 19-year-old woman, officials saySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe social media influencer known as Clavicular has been arrested in Florida on battery charges.Braden Eric Peters, who maintains a controversial online presence among “manosphere” circles as a so-called “looksmaxxer”, was taken into custody on a warrant issued by the Osceola county sheriff’s office, according to local jail records and media reports. Continue reading...

FAA investigating after plane carrying 162 passengers forced to change course to prevent collisionA United flight came within a few hundred feet of a US military helicopter near John Wayne airport in southern California, triggering an alarm directing the airline pilots to change course.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday that it is investigating the incident that happened at about 8.40pm Tuesday when a military Black Hawk helicopter returning from a training mission crossed into the plane’s path. The pilots of the passenger plane carrying 162 passengers and six crew members stopped their descent and leveled off to avoid a collision. Continue reading...

Order comes after House Republicans rejected a Senate‑passed deal to fund key DHS subagencies, including the TSASign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump signed an executive order Friday instructing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as the partial shutdown drags on.Negotiations on Capitol Hill remain stalled after House Republicans rejected a Senate‑passed deal to fund key DHS subagencies, including the TSA. After first announcing on Truth Social that he would pay more than 60,000 airport security workers – without explaining where the money would come from – the president issued the order. Continue reading...

Chad Bianco, running for governor, previously confiscated 650,000 ballots for baseless voter fraud investigationSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA Republican sheriff in California has confiscated additional ballot materials from a special election, escalating his conflict with state lawmakers who say he is conducting a baseless investigation into claims of voter fraud.On Tuesday, Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff who is running for governor, was already at the center of a legal controversy after seizing 650,000 ballots from last year’s special election. Earlier this week he ordered his office to seize 426 additional boxes of ballot materials as part of the alleged criminal investigation, prompting criticism from lawmakers including Rob Bonta, California’s Democratic attorney general. Continue reading...

Law firm is preparing claim on behalf of 30,000 consumers who fear the FCA’s redress scheme will shortchange themLloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are set to abandon the City regulator’s official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a £66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds’ motor finance arm, Blackhorse. Continue reading...

Lawyers say agency made misrepresentations in affidavit to obtain search warrant for January raid of election officesLawyers arguing in federal court for the FBI to return Fulton county’s 2020 election records said the agency’s affidavit to obtain a search warrant relied on misrepresentations that rise to the legal standard of a “callous disregard” for the county’s rights.“The only element that turns the election into a crime is intent, and nothing in the affidavit shows intent,” Abbe Lowell, who is representing Fulton county, said during the Friday hearing at the Richard Russell courthouse in Atlanta. He argued that the FBI is pursuing crimes for which the statute of limitations has expired. Continue reading...

School food has suffered at the hands of politics and economics for almost 50 yearsAlmost a generation has passed since Jamie Oliver’s four-part Channel 4 documentary series Jamie’s School Dinners exposed the unhealthy reality of the food served to pupils at lunchtime, including – notoriously – fat-heavy, meat-light Turkey Twizzlers. It proved a shaming and effective intervention. His ensuing Feed Me Better campaign led the then prime minister, Tony Blair, to pledge to make school lunches more nutritious and hand schools more money to do that, given the average lunch at that time cost just 45p to make.Problem solved? Unfortunately not. Continue reading...

Party announces Corey Edwards’ decision to quit Senedd election campaign on grounds of mental healthA Reform UK candidate for the Welsh Senedd elections in May has announced he is standing down because of his mental health, after a photograph emerged of him apparently making a Nazi salute as an imitation of Adolf Hitler.The announcement by Reform comes a day after Nigel Farage defended Corey Edwards, its lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, saying he might have instead been impersonating the John Cleese character Basil Fawlty. Continue reading...