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From Biden’s ‘war’ on gas prices to ‘small price to pay’: GOP shifts tone as Iran conflict hits pumps

Gas prices jumped 50 cents per gallon since Operation Epic Fury began, reaching $3.54 average nationwide

By Adam Pack
Fox News

Published March 11, 2026 6:00am EDT

Republicans sharply criticized former President Joe Biden over rising prices at the gas pump, but a spike in energy prices amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran threatens to scramble the party’s affordability messaging.

The Iran conflict has led to a surge in gas prices for Americans, leading to an average 50 cents a gallon increase since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.

The average price of gas reached $3.54 per gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA. Diesel prices have also risen to $4.72 per gallon. The increases have been mostly fueled by volatility in oil prices, which rose above $100 per barrel on Monday as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shuttered.

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The president characterized the gas price hike amid the Iran conflict as “a very small price to pay” in a Truth Social post Sunday.

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THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME

That statement represented a sharp break with Trump’s typical messaging touting low gas prices prior to Operation Epic Fury.

“Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was quite honestly a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon,” President Donald Trump said during his Feb. 27 State of the Union address. “And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.”

The surge in gas and diesel prices threatens to undermine the economic message of President Trump and congressional Republicans, who have touted low gas prices as a major win in the lead-up to November’s midterm elections. Cost of living issues are expected to be a key concern among voters as both parties claim to be laser-focused on making everyday life more affordable.

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President Donald Trump attends the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday, March 7, 2026.(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

During the 2024 presidential contest, Trump frequently campaigned on ending Biden’s “war on American energy” and pledged to reverse a surge in gas prices that occurred under his predecessor’s tenure.

Gas prices averaged $3.45 per gallon across all fuel grades during Biden’s four-year term, surging to a record high of more than $5 per gallon in June 2022 after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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“Starting on Day 1, we will drive down prices and make America affordable again,” Trump said during a speech at the Republican National Committee convention in July 2024. “People can’t live like this.”

Democrats have seized on rising prices at the pump amid the conflict in Iran.

“I wish the administration thought about this before they started this unnecessary war,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, said Monday when asked about the gas price hike.

“Donald Trump’s war has sent gas prices skyrocketing through the roof,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on social media Monday. “What contempt. What cluelessness.”

Schumer has called on the president to release oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat supply bottlenecks in the Middle East. The top Democrat notably opposed a Trump-led effort to replenish the stockpile in his first term when oil prices were much lower.

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President Donald Trump has argued that the rise in gas prices will be “a very small price to pay” amid Operation Epic Fury.(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TANKERS TO RESUME NORMAL MOVEMENT IN MIDDLE EAST IN ‘A FEW WEEKS’ AT WORST, ENERGY SEC SAYS, ENDING OIL SURGE

Republicans have voiced confidence that the rise in gas prices would be temporary. GOP lawmakers have frequently cited their efforts to roll back Biden-era energy regulations and boost domestic production as evidence that their policies are working to lower energy prices.

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“It’s going to be probably volatile for a period of time. I think what’s going to be key is ensuring we can get safe access to the Strait of Hormuz,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Monday, adding that he was confident the disruption would be short-lived.

Daines, who abruptly suspended his re-election campaign last week, highlighted that average gas prices were under $3 per gallon prior to Trump’s State of the Union speech.

“That’s an important win for the American people,” the retiring Montana lawmaker said. “Something you’re reminded of usually weekly when you’re gassing up your vehicle.”

Some Republicans and Trump administration officials are also arguing that a defeated Iran will ultimately spur lower gas prices, even if there is pain in the short run.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the recent increase in oil and gas prices as “temporary” during a briefing Tuesday.

“Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation,” Leavitt said.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to destroy this regime, and their ability to disrupt oil is going to be less, and we’re going to have more production, not less,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Monday. “Once you take the largest state sponsor of terrorism off the planet, who depends on oil for their revenue, that’s a more stable world.”

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A Navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes, on March 1, 2026.(Sahar Al Attar/AFP via Getty Images)

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Nearly seven in 10 Americans — including 44% of Republicans — expect gas prices to keep increasing in the coming months, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll released Monday.

Trump has threatened Iran with unprecedented force if the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is further restricted.

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“Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

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波斯湾国家保持克制 避免直接参与冲突

2026-03-11 18:20 / 联合早报

（多哈法新电）截至星期三（3月11日），伊朗已连续第12天炮轰波斯湾地区，以报复美国和以色列的袭击。尽管面对加入战局的压力，但波斯湾国家一直只守不攻，避免成为冲突参与方。

波斯湾多国已公开表明，不会加入针对伊朗的军事行动，也不会允许领土被用于发动这类袭击。分析指出，这些石油资源丰富的国家正集体押注于置身冲突之外，因为它们认为直接介入的代价将远高于保持克制。

波斯湾安全问题分析员雅各布斯说，伊朗的袭击虽对波斯湾地区的经济、社会、关键基础设施和防御系统构成了挑战，但目前波斯湾国家仍采取防御姿态，并将继续尽力避免蹚浑水。

伦敦国王学院安全问题专家克里格形容，波斯湾国家正以“克制与韧性”应对伊朗袭击。他说：“（波斯湾国家）不想卷入以色列的战争，它们认为公开参与攻势的政治和经济代价非常高，却只能换来有限军事优势。”

这场冲突也考验着数十年来把波斯湾与华盛顿紧密联系在一起的安全架构。沙特阿拉伯长期通过向美国供应原油得到美国军事支持，这种“石油换安全”安排是两国伙伴关系的基石。但伊朗报复怒火席卷波斯湾，凸显了这种关系的局限性。

与此同时，华盛顿正加大对波斯湾盟友施压，要它们支持对伊朗的行动。

美国共和党参议员格雷厄姆日前在社交媒体上写道：“沙特拒绝动用它强大的军队来协助终结……伊朗政权。希望这种情况很快改变，否则后果自负。”

专家：波斯湾国家重新思考与美国安全伙伴关系

克里格说，波斯湾国家正重新思考与美国的安全伙伴关系，但由于替代方案有限，它们不会放弃这种关系。他指出：“它们并不认为俄罗斯或中国能取代美国安全保护伞。”

沙特国防部星期三拦截了10多架无人机与七枚弹道导弹，其中七架无人机的目标是东南部的谢拜油田。阿联酋同日报告遭伊朗导弹和无人机袭击。迪拜国际机场附近有无人机坠落，导致四人受伤，机场一度暂停运营。

尽管受战火波及，但许多居住在迪拜和其他波斯湾城市的外籍人士仍选择留下。他们说，这场冲突虽扰乱了工作和生活，但他们相信当地政府会采取足够的安全措施，也希望战争早日结束。

在迪拜科技业工作的法国公民维奥说，她和丈夫目前居家办公，孩子也改为线上上课，“这对我们来说更像是冠病疫情时的情况”。

驻多哈的美国公民阿萨德说，美国大使馆虽提出要帮助他们一家离开，但除非平民成为袭击目标、电力和供水受到影响或食物短缺，否则他们打算留在当地。

波斯湾国家保持克制 避免直接参与冲突

2026年3月11日 18:20 / 联合早报

面对伊朗报复袭击，波斯湾国家至今保持克制，图为3月10日在迪拜海滩，一名骆驼夫坐在骆驼背上滑手机。 （法新社）

（多哈法新电）截至星期三（3月11日），伊朗已连续第12天炮轰波斯湾地区，以报复美国和以色列的袭击。尽管面对加入战局的压力，但波斯湾国家一直只守不攻，避免成为冲突参与方。

波斯湾多国已公开表明，不会加入针对伊朗的军事行动，也不会允许领土被用于发动这类袭击。分析指出，这些石油资源丰富的国家正集体押注于置身冲突之外，因为它们认为直接介入的代价将远高于保持克制。

波斯湾安全问题分析员雅各布斯说，伊朗的袭击虽对波斯湾地区的经济、社会、关键基础设施和防御系统构成了挑战，但目前波斯湾国家仍采取防御姿态，并将继续尽力避免蹚浑水。

伦敦国王学院安全问题专家克里格形容，波斯湾国家正以“克制与韧性”应对伊朗袭击。他说：“（波斯湾国家）不想卷入以色列的战争，它们认为公开参与攻势的政治和经济代价非常高，却只能换来有限军事优势。”

3月10日，巴林首都麦纳麦一栋建筑物在伊朗无人机袭击中受到破坏。（法新社）

这场冲突也考验着数十年来把波斯湾与华盛顿紧密联系在一起的安全架构。沙特阿拉伯长期通过向美国供应原油得到美国军事支持，这种“石油换安全”安排是两国伙伴关系的基石。但伊朗报复怒火席卷波斯湾，凸显了这种关系的局限性。

与此同时，华盛顿正加大对波斯湾盟友施压，要它们支持对伊朗的行动。

美国共和党参议员格雷厄姆日前在社交媒体上写道：“沙特拒绝动用它强大的军队来协助终结……伊朗政权。希望这种情况很快改变，否则后果自负。”

专家：波斯湾国家重新思考与美国安全伙伴关系

克里格说，波斯湾国家正重新思考与美国的安全伙伴关系，但由于替代方案有限，它们不会放弃这种关系。他指出：“它们并不认为俄罗斯或中国能取代美国安全保护伞。”

沙特国防部星期三拦截了10多架无人机与七枚弹道导弹，其中七架无人机的目标是东南部的谢拜油田。阿联酋同日报告遭伊朗导弹和无人机袭击。迪拜国际机场附近有无人机坠落，导致四人受伤，机场一度暂停运营。

尽管受战火波及，但许多居住在迪拜和其他波斯湾城市的外籍人士仍选择留下。他们说，这场冲突虽扰乱了工作和生活，但他们相信当地政府会采取足够的安全措施，也希望战争早日结束。

在迪拜科技业工作的法国公民维奥说，她和丈夫目前居家办公，孩子也改为线上上课，“这对我们来说更像是冠病疫情时的情况”。

驻多哈的美国公民阿萨德说，美国大使馆虽提出要帮助他们一家离开，但除非平民成为袭击目标、电力和供水受到影响或食物短缺，否则他们打算留在当地。

Richard Kahn, Epstein’s accountant and confidant, to testify to House committee today

March 11, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News

An accountant who worked closely with Jeffrey Epstein for more than a decade and became an executor of Epstein’s estate after his death will be questioned behind closed doors Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee.

Richard Kahn was one of Epstein’s closest associates in his final years, managing his finances, investments and other minutiae, such as renovations on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.

Kahn is the first of two executors of Epstein’s estate expected to testify before the committee. The other, lawyer Darren Indyke, is scheduled to sit for questions on March 19. Epstein survivors have honed in on both men as critical cogs in the wealthy sex trafficker’s complex finances and operations.

Documents released in lawsuits and among the Epstein files — millions of documents the Department of Justice released after Congress passed an act mandating it to do so — show a sophisticated and tangled web of businesses operated by the trio.

After Kahn and Indyke were subpoenaed in January, an attorney for the men, Daniel H. Weiner, said in a statement to CBS News that allegations against them are “false.”

“It is worth emphasizing that not a single woman has ever accused either Mr. Indyke or Mr. Kahn of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any time that she reported to them any allegation of Mr. Epstein’s abuse,” Weiner said. “Indyke and Kahn did not socialize with Mr. Epstein, and they have always rejected as categorically false any suggestion that they knowingly facilitated or assisted Mr. Epstein in his sexual abuse or trafficking of women, or that they were aware of Mr. Epstein’s actions while they provided legal and accounting services to Mr. Epstein.”

Kahn and Indyke recently settled a lawsuit alleging they facilitated sham marriages in which foreign-born victims married Americans whom Epstein abused, for immigration purposes.

Dozens of interconnected companies facilitated payments to victims, whose attorneys have said Kahn and Indyke were key figures in the management of those firms. Internal banking communications and personal emails included in the Justice Department’s Epstein files show the pair kept close tabs on Epstein’s finances.

Kahn’s testimony is the latest in an ongoing procession of high-profile depositions of people with whom Epstein associated.

Former President Bill Clinton denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes during a Feb. 27 deposition. It was the first time a former president had been compelled to testify to Congress.

“I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” Clinton said.

His wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said she didn’t know Epstein, and suggested President Trump be subjected to a similar interview, “answering questions under oath as should others who are prominently featured in the files.”

Mr. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before a falling-out in the mid-2000s. The Epstein files include uncorroborated accusations by a woman against Mr. Trump, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Others who have testified in the committee’s ongoing probe include billionaire Les Wexner and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Wexner, a former client of Epstein, claimed he was “duped by a world-class con man” and knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes. Maxwell, perhaps Epstein’s closest confidante, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions during a virtual appearance before the committee.

Cara Tabachnick and Daniel Ruetenik contributed to this report.

Latino Texans helped fuel a surge in Democratic primary turnout, as GOP aims to hold onto gains

2026-03-11T06:00:17-0400 / CBS News

Latino voters helped propel record turnout in last week’s Texas primaries — with most voting in the Democratic contest — a trend Democrats are watching closely as they try to reclaim ground with the group and pull off an upset win in the red-leaning state’s Senate contest.

Over 4.4 million ballots were cast in last week’s races, exceeding the 2024 and 2020 presidential primaries. Contributing to the huge turnout were Latino voters, especially in Latino-majority areas like South Texas that trended toward President Trump in 2024.

Relative to their average across 2020, 2022, and 2024, majority-Latino counties saw growth of approximately 37% in their primary votes this year. Other counties in Texas saw closer to a 33% increase in aggregate. Heavily Latino counties like Starr and Hidalgo, which sit along the U.S.-Mexico border, saw some of the biggest jumps — 67% and 51%, respectively.

One reason is that new primary voters were disproportionately Latino. Among Latino early voters, for example, a full third hadn’t turned out in a recent primary. And Latino turnout skewed heavily Democratic this year. Both precinct data and individual-level data from the voter file suggest that about three in four Latino voters chose to vote in the Democratic primary over the Republican one — new primary voters even more so.

Democrats have increasingly struggled with Latino voters. Mr. Trump won 48% of nationwide Latino voters in 2024, a 12-point jump from four years earlier, according to a Pew Research Center survey of confirmed voters. In Texas, where Democrats view Latino voters as crucial, some heavily Latino counties along the Rio Grande went from being Democratic strongholds to light-red areas.

But Democrats hope that Latino voters will shift back in their favor this year.

“There is no question this is a red flag for Republicans, a five alarm fire,” said Mike Madrid, a political analyst and veteran California GOP strategist who has been a critic of Mr. Trump. “Now can they mitigate it? Yes. Are they doing things to limit the damage? No.”

Madrid argues the implementation of tariffs is what started the “downslide” for Republicans among Latino voters. The decline further accelerated, Madrid believes, with immigration raids seen across the country, including in towns along the U.S.-Mexico border. Recent polling shows most Americans — including most Latino respondents — disapprove of Mr. Trump’s handling of immigration and feel he is overly focused on putting tariffs on foreign goods.

“They’re going to have to distance themselves from key Trump policies, without distancing themselves from Trump,” Madrid said. “That is very difficult to do.”

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Republican party is in a “course correction mode” while addressing the Latino vote in the 2026 midterms.

“We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters for certain because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous and everybody can describe it differently,” said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. “But here’s the good news, we are in a course correction mode right now.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair encouraged House Republicans in a closed-door briefing Tuesday to avoid emphasizing “mass deportations” when discussing his agenda ahead of the midterms, according to two sources in the room. Instead, Blair said lawmakers should focus on the administration’s efforts to target and remove violent criminals who are in the U.S. illegally, the sources said.

Blair said immigration remains a winning issue for Republicans that helped propel Mr. Trump back to the White House, but he encouraged lawmakers to focus on public safety.

Axios was first to report on Blair’s comments.

Asked about Blair’s remarks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS News: “Nobody is changing the Administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. President Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of illegal alien criminals who endanger American communities.”

A White House official said the administration’s immigration policy hasn’t changed, and Blair “was just emphasizing the message that we know resonates the most with respect to the policy.”

Talarico focuses on Latino voters

High turnout among Latino voters helped boost the Democratic Senate bid of state Rep. James Talarico, who won last week’s primary and is looking to be the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since 1988. Talarico outperformed his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, in the state’s heavily Latino areas.

Talarico’s campaign sought to court Latino voters through early outreach, with some done in Spanish. For that task, Talarico relied on Carlos Eduardo Espina, a Hispanic TikTok influencer with over 20 million followers across social media platforms. Espina — who says he acted as a volunteer — posted pro-Talarico videos, stumped for Talarico and helped the 36-year-old seminary student-turned-politician with Spanish-language social media content.

“We’re getting to a point where beyond Talarico, in general, if you want to win in Texas, it’s very hard to do so, especially at the state level, without having Spanish communication,” Espina told CBS News.

Espina says he plans on continuing to share Talarico’s campaign message and that of other Democratic congressional candidates in hopes of flipping red Texas seats in November through his social media content that reaches millions of Hispanics.

“I don’t consider myself to be a hardline Democrat,” Espina told CBS News. “I just think at this moment, with everything going on, the best thing I can do for my community is advocate for a positive change and I try to align myself with not just any Democrat, but Democrats that I feel speak to me and my community.”

While it is largely expected that Latino Texans — who make up around 40% of the state’s population — will be critical in determining the outcome of the Senate race, among other races in the state, the degree to which it benefits Democrats might depend on who ends up being the Republican Senate candidate.

In the Republican primary, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn defied expectations and also performed better in Latino-majority areas than his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“What we do know is there’s going to be a very high turnout,” Madrid said of November’s general election. “It will be more Democratic, but the question is how much more Democratic?”

The role of redistricting

Last year, at the request of Mr. Trump, Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional districts, making five Democratic seats more favorable for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms.

These boundaries were drawn based on voting data, with the gains that Republicans made with Latino voters in 2024 in mind — meaning GOP congressional candidates will need to replicate those gains in this year’s midterms in order to hold onto and potentially flip seats.

One closely watched House race will take place in a majority-Hispanic district that stretches from the Rio Grande Valley to areas east of San Antonio.

Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz is running for reelection in the 15th Congressional District against Democratic candidate Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star. The district has heavily favored Republicans in recent years, but Democrats are hoping to flip it as Latino voters swing leftward.

“I hear what their concerns are,” De La Cruz told CBS News ahead of last week’s Texas primary when asked about Latino constituents. “I also understand that they don’t want to return to the chaos and the lack of law and order that was happening under the Biden administration,” De La Cruz said. “They asked for a secure border, President Trump has delivered on that secure border, and the next step is to look at enforcement policies that are going to work for all.”

The Texas Republican congresswoman has called for bipartisan solutions on Capitol Hill on immigration, like temporary work visas for construction workers, an industry impacted by immigration arrests within the congressional district.

While the high Latino turnout for Democratic candidates last week could be a problematic sign for Republicans, some caution against drawing too many conclusions from primary results.

“When you look at some of the historical data in Texas from 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2020, the data has shown more Hispanics vote in the Democratic primary, but in the same years during the general election, Republicans still ended up winning statewide races,” said Jorge Martinez, an adviser to the Libre Action Texas organization.

Libre Action is supporting a Trump-endorsed Republican congressional candidate, Eric Flores, who is hoping to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

Gonzalez represents a border district that was made more favorable to Republicans in last year’s redistricting effort. Latino voters in the region are especially concerned about the state of the economy and immigration enforcement, according to Martinez, who emphasizes the importance of conducting on-the-ground voter outreach.

“Look, if you’re not reaching out to our community, you’re going to lose,” Martinez said. “We’ve seen over the last few election cycles, Republicans making inroads because of gains they made through outreach. We’ve been out there for many years, informing on issues, but you also see Democrats trying to do the same because they’ve realized that they took Hispanics for granted.”

*

The data analyses in this story incorporate voter registration lists, as well as county- and precinct-level election results. The precinct results were scraped from a diverse set of 18 counties that account for approximately half of precincts statewide.

Olivia Rinaldi contributed to this report.

House Republicans confront Iran war and gas prices as they struggle to push economic agenda

2026-03-11T10:00:34.637Z / CNN

DORAL, Florida—

Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team have been struggling to find consensus behind an election-year agenda to address Americans’ chief concerns over affordability and their cost-of-living.

But now they have a new problem: Rising gas prices.

After hammering Democrats relentlessly over $5-per-gallon gasoline, a threshold that was crossed when Joe Biden was president, Republicans are confronting a similar dilemma in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to wage war against Iran. Gas prices are threatening to spike indefinitely with the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint where roughly 20% of crude oil shipments pass through, virtually shut down as a result of the conflict.

Republicans are left with this message: Just hope that the war ends soon and crude oil prices settle in time for November.

“Temporary blip,” Johnson asserted.

“Snapshot in time,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, the No. 4 House Republican.

“Short-term volatility,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York.

Others – like Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri – said Republicans need to convince voters to stomach the pain.

“I think it’s our job to help bring people along to them and explain what’s at stake,” Alford said. “I’m willing to pay 30% or 30 cents more at the pump to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon that’s going to hit the United States.”

It’s not what the GOP thought they’d be discussing weeks ago, as they hashed out their agenda for their three-day retreat here at Trump’s golf resort in Doral. But as Iran is now dominating their focus, they’re running short on time – and votes – to execute their agenda.

Johnson is leaning hard on Republicans to get behind another big legislative push this spring – in the wake of successfully enacting Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” last summer. But he’s facing growing doubts from within his own conference and in the Senate.

And even his top taxwriter, Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, says it’s time to drop the effort.

“We have a smaller majority now than what we did when we passed the first reconciliation bill,” Smith told CNN, referring to the fast-track budget process Republicans used to pass the measure along party lines in the Senate. “I said all along that we needed to do one big, beautiful bill because I never saw a pathway that two different reconciliations would happen. I would love to do two reconciliations, but I’m also a realist.”

Some Republicans think they’ll need to pass a party-line bill to replenish munitions stocks depleted in the Iranian war effort. Otherwise, they’ll need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to help them overcome a filibuster and pass new funding.

But Republicans had an excruciatingly difficult time wrangling the votes to pass Trump’s massive bill last summer. And with an even slimmer House majority now, leaders will need near unanimity in their conference to get anything out of the House. Any member with an objection to the legislation would have outsized leverage in influencing it – and there are sharp divisions on what to include in the bill and how to pay for it.

Plus Johnson hasn’t even laid out what he wants to see in a new election-year bill that he says will focus on cost-of-living issues, indicating he is still trying to get consensus within his conference.

“Stay tuned,” Johnson said when asked about the details of the plan.

At the Tuesday session in Doral, Republicans heard presentations from some of Trump’s senior advisers, including top White House aide James Blair and his former campaign aide, Chris LaCivita. The message, according to members who attended the session: GOP groups are raising tons of cash and can defy the odds to hold the House, arguing that Democratic opposition to Republicans’ tax cuts will be a salient issue in the fall campaign.

But GOP lawmakers later said the challenge remains in staying unified on their message – a challenge with a mercurial president – and to make sure they can break through to voters as Iran and other crises dominate the headlines.

“People who are frustrated with the increased price of oil and gas. That’s to be expected,” said Rep. Dale Strong, an Alabama Republican. “But this is war.”

But the president’s top legislative priority has not been on an economic agenda – it’s been on passing the so-called SAVE America Act, a measure that would require proof-of-citizenship and voter ID to cast a ballot and has virtually no chance of passing the Senate.

“It must be done immediately,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It supersedes everything else. MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE.”

It’s even animated House conservative hardliners who are demanding that Johnson include the legislation into a party-line bill to advance the GOP economic agenda. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said he doesn’t have the votes to bypass a filibuster to otherwise pass the legislation.

“It’s just a reality, and I’m a person who has to deliver sometimes the not-so-good news that the math doesn’t add up. But that’s just, those are the facts,” Thune said Tuesday.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a retiring Washington Republican, said at the retreat that Trump’s focus on the “SAVE America Act” is playing into Democrats’ hands – especially if the president carries through with his threat to refuse to sign legislation until the bill passes Congress.

“It’s going to be part of the Democrat playbook,” Newhouse said.

CNN’s Alison Main and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.

伊朗国内银行遭袭 恫言打击地区涉美以经济设施

发布/2026年3月11日 18:29 / 联合早报

图为2026年2月21日，市民正在伊朗德黑兰的自动取款机取款。 （法新社）

伊朗一家银行遭到袭击后，军方发言人恫言将打击与美国和以色列有关联的地区经济和银行利益。

路透社报道，伊朗哈塔姆安比亚中央总部（Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters）发言人佐尔法卡里星期三（3月11日）发表上述言论。

半官方的伊朗梅尔通讯社报道称，德黑兰一家与塞帕银行（Bank Sepah）相关的行政大楼，前一晚遭到袭击。

塞帕银行是伊朗最大的公共银行之一，与军方有历史渊源。伊朗国家媒体称，佐尔法卡里表明：“在之前的行动失败后，恐怖的美国军队和残暴的犹太复国主义政权（指以色列），将目标对准了伊朗的一家银行。”

他强调：“敌人这种非法且不同寻常的行动，迫使我们打击本地区与美国和犹太复国主义政权有关联的经济中心和银行。”

他同时敦促当地民众，远离塞帕银行1公里。

伊朗国内银行遭袭 恫言打击地区涉美以经济设施 | 联合早报

发布/2026年3月11日 18:29

伊朗国内银行遭袭 恫言打击地区涉美以经济设施

图为2026年2月21日，市民正在伊朗德黑兰的自动取款机取款。 （法新社）

伊朗一家银行遭到袭击后，军方发言人恫言将打击与美国和以色列有关联的地区经济和银行利益。

路透社报道，伊朗哈塔姆安比亚中央总部（Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters）发言人佐尔法卡里星期三（3月11日）发表上述言论。

半官方的伊朗梅尔通讯社报道称，德黑兰一家与塞帕银行（Bank Sepah）相关的行政大楼，前一晚遭到袭击。

塞帕银行是伊朗最大的公共银行之一，与军方有历史渊源。伊朗国家媒体称，佐尔法卡里表明：“在之前的行动失败后，恐怖的美国军队和残暴的犹太复国主义政权（指以色列），将目标对准了伊朗的一家银行。”

他强调：“敌人这种非法且不同寻常的行动，迫使我们打击本地区与美国和犹太复国主义政权有关联的经济中心和银行。”

他同时敦促当地民众，远离塞帕银行1公里。

福布斯2026年全球富豪榜出炉 鸿海创办人郭台铭重登台湾首富

发布/2026年3月11日 18:49

（华盛顿讯）美国《福布斯》财经杂志星期三（3月11日）公布最新全球富豪榜，全球最大电子代工厂鸿海集团创办人郭台铭以153亿元（美元，下同，194亿新元）的身价，重登台湾首富。

随着半导体与科技产业的兴盛，台湾富豪排行榜重新洗牌。在去年的榜单中，郭台铭以105亿元的身家位居台湾富豪榜第四。今年重回首富宝座后，他在2026年福布斯全球富豪榜身价排名第190。

郭台铭创办的鸿海集团在电子代工服务领域全球居首，市占率超过40%，得益于人工智能云端产品强劲拉动，鸿海集团2026年首两个月的营收增长21.6%。

去年蝉联台湾首富的广达集团创办人林百里，今年以142亿元身价位居台湾第二、全球第 204。

国巨集团董事长陈泰铭以105亿元的资产净值，在台湾排名第三，全球排名第308。台达电子创办人郑崇华、台积电创办人张忠谋，分别以101亿元、84亿元的资产净值位列台湾第四与第五，在全球分别排名第332与442。

今年台湾共有66人进入福布斯富豪榜，比去年多12人，前五名全部来自电子产业和半导体产业。

伊朗总统儿子辟谣最高领袖负伤：他安然无恙

2026年3月11日 15:28 / 联合早报

穆杰塔巴是伊朗已故最高领袖哈梅内伊的儿子，几天前刚获推举为新任最高领袖。图为穆杰塔巴2016年3月2日在伊朗首都德黑兰出席会议。 （路透社档案照片）

伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬的儿子说，新任最高领袖穆杰塔巴“安然无恙”。

法新社报道，伊朗政府顾问优素福（Yousef Pezeshkian）星期三（3月11日）在Telegram频道发文说：“我听闻穆杰塔巴先生受伤的消息。我询问了跟他有联系的朋友，得知他目前安然无恙，感谢真主。”

优素福是总统佩泽希齐扬的儿子。

伊朗国家电视台曾称穆杰塔巴为“斋戒月战争（指伊朗与美国和以色列冲突）中的负伤老兵”，但没具体说明他的伤情。

另据美国《纽约时报》报道，穆杰塔巴早些时候在美以对伊朗军事行动中“腿部受伤”。

目前，伊朗官方尚未就此事发布消息。

以色列一名高级官员则在星期三告诉路透社，以方情报评估认为，穆杰塔巴在以美联合空袭中轻微受伤，这也是他至今未公开露面的原因。

穆杰塔巴是伊朗已故最高领袖哈梅内伊的儿子。哈梅内伊在2月28日美以空袭中死亡。伊朗专家会议3月9日宣布，推举穆杰塔巴为新任最高领袖。