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The new battleground in the Gulf isn’t just on the water — it’s in the insurance market, where war-risk coverage can determine which oil tankers sail and which stay put.With the conflict driving gasoline prices higher, the White House is weighing steps to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and to keep prices from climbing further.The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of global supply of liquefied natural gas. When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor.WATCH SHIPPING THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ GRIND TO A HALT AMID IRAN CONFLICTAnd with so much at stake, the White House is turning to an unlikely tool: insurance.President Donald Trump said the U.S. could use a government-backed insurance program to lower war-risk premiums for vessels in the region. Under a backstop, the government would absorb part of any major losses, easing pressure on private insurers and shipowners.Because when danger rises, the bill rises.Insurers charge more to cover ships and cargo, shippers add “war-risk” surcharges and some vessels slow down, detour or pause altogether. Those delays can tighten supply and push crude prices higher even if oil production hasn’t changed.Against that backdrop, the latest disruption, sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 27 and retaliatory Iranian drone and missile attacks across the region, is forcing shippers and insurers to rethink whether it’s safe to transit the waterway. NEW SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW FIRES, NAVAL BASE DAMAGE ACROSS IRAN AFTER US-ISRAELI STRIKESSome global insurers are already tightening terms. Maritime insurance titans Gard, Skuld, NorthStandard, the London P&I Club and the American Club, have already canceled war-risk coverage, leaving voyages through Iranian and nearby waters without insurance.Not all coverage is disappearing though. Lloyd’s of London, an insurance marketplace that brings together multiple insurers to cover large, high-risk voyages, said its vessels operating in the Gulf region have a combined hull value exceeding $25 billion. It added that coverage is still in place.A Lloyd’s spokesperson told Reuters the market is in talks with U.S. officials about possible options. Separately, global insurance broker Marsh said it met with Trump administration representatives to discuss the idea.Matt Smith, an analyst at Kpler, said coverage is a baseline requirement for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk. “It’s essential for all of these tankers to have insurance. You simply cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz if you don’t have the insurance, given the high possibility of getting struck by a missile,” Smith told Fox News Digital.”But even with that insurance in place, it’s little comfort for those on the ship if there’s a chance the vessel is going to be attacked,” he added.With that calculus in mind, Maersk, widely regarded as a bellwether for global ocean freight, said it will suspend all vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice and warned service to Arabian Gulf ports could be delayed.When big shippers hit the brakes, the ripple effects can be felt fast. If oil becomes more expensive or slower to reach buyers, those increases can move through the supply chain and show up for Americans at the pump.How much Americans feel at the pump will depend on how long the disruption lasts and whether shipping and insurance markets stabilize. Until then, the world’s most important energy chokepoint is likely to keep traders and drivers on edge.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and President Trump announce the Shield of the Americas, a new multinational effort to use military force to counter drug cartels. Photo courtesy of the White House via screengrab.
 
On March 3, 2026, the United States and Ecuador launched joint military operations targeting drug trafficking organizations the Trump administration has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos. According to U.S. Southern Command, American Special Forces are advising and supporting Ecuadorian commandos conducting raids against suspected drug facilities and trafficking sites across multiple provinces.
U.S. personnel are providing planning assistance, intelligence, and logistical support but are not believed to be directly participating in the raids. The announcement included video of helicopters and aerial surveillance imagery, indicating the start of coordinated anti-cartel actions on the ground.
The Ecuador deployment represents a possible expansion of U.S. anti-cartel operations from maritime interdiction onto land targets. Since September 2025, U.S. forces have carried out dozens of strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific under Operation Southern Spear.
Ecuador has become a key partner in these efforts under President Daniel Noboa, who has pursued a hardline security strategy to address rising cartel violence and record homicide rates. Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major transit hub for drugs originating in Colombia and Peru. Noboa welcomed the partnership, saying it marked a “new phase” in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining.
The country’s role as a transit hub and its government’s willingness to cooperate with Washington made it a natural entry point for the administration’s more militarized approach to counter-narcotics operations in the region.
The Ecuador operation came four days before President Trump hosted leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean at Trump National Doral Miami on March 7, 2026, to launch the Shield of the Americas coalition. The summit was convened as a direct alternative to the traditional Summit of the Americas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Kristi Noem hosted leaders from 12 nations: Argentina, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Honduras, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, and Chile. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, the region’s three largest powers, did not attend, signaling a divide between the coalition and the region’s larger, more left-leaning governments.
At the conclusion of the summit, participating nations signed the Doral Charter, establishing the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition. Attendees included Argentine President Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Ecuador’s Noboa, and Chilean president-elect José Antonio Kast, several of whom have embraced hardline policies on crime and migration.
The coalition targets three primary threats: transnational cartels, foreign encroachment, and mass migration. Trump told attending leaders that military force was necessary to destroy gangs such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 and indicated that the United States could strike cartel leaders with missiles if partner nations requested assistance.
He criticized regional governments that have allowed gangs to control territory and called for stronger cooperation to dismantle cartel networks and restore state authority. Rubio stated that security is the foundation for economic progress and that the initiative would focus on concrete actions rather than symbolic gatherings.
On the question of foreign influence, Trump warned against hostile outside powers gaining a foothold in the Western Hemisphere, a reference widely understood to target China’s growing presence in the region. Chinese trade with Latin America reached roughly $518 billion in 2024, and Beijing has financed major infrastructure projects and extended billions in loans across the hemisphere.
The administration is pushing coalition partners to limit China’s role in ports, energy projects, and strategic infrastructure and is working to replace Chinese-built ports, 5G networks, and subsea cables while redirecting critical mineral supply chains toward the United States and its allies.
On migration, the initiative envisions a hemispheric enforcement posture designed to stop flows before they reach the U.S. southern border. Noem cited the deportation or removal of more than three million migrants over the past year as evidence that stronger border enforcement has freed resources for regional partnership and economic development. She praised security reforms under Bukele and economic policies under Milei as models for the kind of regional cooperation the administration is seeking to expand.
Noem was appointed Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas immediately after her removal as Secretary of Homeland Security. She is tasked with overseeing deportation logistics and negotiating security treaties with coalition partners, maintaining continuous engagement between summits.
The administration frames the initiative as a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, reasserting U.S. primacy in the Western Hemisphere and committing to prevent outside powers from controlling strategic assets such as the Panama Canal. The approach echoes what officials describe as gunboat diplomacy, citing the military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a recent precedent.
U.S. military leaders have also met with counterparts from across the hemisphere in recent weeks to expand cooperation against drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations, and the Ecuador deployment signals the possibility of additional joint military operations against cartels in other partner countries.
The post Strikes on Ecuador, Shield of the Americas, and the Trump Corollary appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A New Jersey research university that collected some $70 million in public funding last year repeatedly discriminated against a distinguished Israeli-born Jewish professor due to his Orthodox beliefs, derailing his academic career, according to a blistering lawsuit.

Dak Prescott’s fiancée’s recent social media activity took on a new meaning following the couple’s reported split. 

Lindsey Graham advocated for ‘liberating’ Cuba during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday. Credit: Fox News screenshot
Senator Lindsey Graham (RINO-SC) was in a happy mood on Fox News as Iran continues to get pounded by Israeli and American airstrikes in ‘Operation Epic Fury.’ In fact, he already has the next country on his list for ‘liberation.’
As The Gateway Pundit reported, the United States and Israel launched ‘Operation Epic Fury’ against Iran last weekend.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was eliminated in a joint military operation conducted by Israel and the United States.
At least 40 other senior Iranian regime leaders were also killed in the strikes.
The bombing campaign has been hailed as a stunning success, even from Democrats and left-leaning news sources.
During an appearance on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Graham excitedly discussed the Iranian operation before turning his attention to another country: Cuba.
There has been speculation that if the Trump Administration is successful at dismantling the tyrannical Iranian regime for good and giving the people there a chance at actual democracy, they will do the same for the communist island 90 miles off Florida’s coast.
Graham certainly hopes so. In fact, he busted out a Free Cuba hat while teasing “stay tuned!”
He went on to say Cuba’s liberation is inevitable, particularly as Trump ‘cleans out’ enemies of America around the world.
“Iran is going down, and Cuba is next!” Graham boasted.
WATCH:

Graham: You see this hat? Free Cuba. Stay tuned. The liberation of Cuba is upon us. We’re marching through the world. Iran is going down and Cuba is next. pic.twitter.com/yv8g8LTM9g
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 8, 2026

GRAHAM: I’m in Miami, you see this hat? Free Cuba! Stay tuned!
The liberation of Cuba is upon us; it’s just a matter of time now.
You see this hat, make Iran great… We’re marching through the world, we’re cleaning out the bad guys.
Donald Trump is reshaping the world in a way no one could have dreamed of a year ago.
Iran is going down, and Cuba is next!
The post A Jubilant Lindsey Graham Goes Full NeoCon: “You See this Hat?…The Liberation of Cuba is Upon Us…Iran is Going Down and Cuba is Next!” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

James Woods
Actor and President Trump superfan James Woods has announced he is “done with the Republican Party,” saying he’s “disgusted” with the GOP’s refusal to protect election integrity, along with its members in Congress killing a motion to subpoena the immigration records of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
Sunday on X, Woods voiced his extreme frustration: “Let’s get my position on the Republican Party crystal clear. I’ve been a registered Republican since Bill Clinton turned the Oval Office into his own personal brothel.
“Now that Senate Majority John Thune refuses to protect election integrity, I am disgusted with my party. I will NEVER vote for a Democrat in my life, but the RINO elements destroying the Republican party are a disgrace.
“I am a devout follower of President Trump, and as a registered Independent will continue to vote with Republicans when they stand behind this great President and act like Republicans again. Democrats, the ragtag band of con artists and grifters that they are, manage to work together in lockstep, but getting Republicans to accomplish anything is like herding cats. It’s absolutely infuriating.”
Woods previously said of the SAVE America Act being stalled in the U.S. Senate by Republican Majority Leader John Thune: “Sadly weasel John Thune is blocking the voice of the people. Somebody must have some serious dossier on this guy, that he would block the will of a super majority of Republicans and a healthy majority of Democrats.
“It may be the only thing both Democrats and Republicans have agreed on in years, yet the leaders of both parties, Schumer, and Thune, are blocking it with all their might. The deal stinks to high heaven.”
The actor also posted video of a disappointed Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who said of Omar: “I tried to subpoena her immigration records, her brother husband’s immigration records, and it was Republicans that killed my motion.”
“I am done with the Republican Party,” Woods commented atop that video.
“Between this and Thune’s refusal to pass the SAVE Act, I’m done with these uniparty traitors. I’m changing my party affiliation to Independent. No wonder President Trump is fighting an uphill battle every day.”

I am done with the Republican Party.
Between this and Thune’s refusal to pass the SAVE Act, I’m done with these uniparty traitors.
I’m changing my party affiliation to Independent. No wonder President Trump is fighting an uphill battle every day. https://t.co/Qp8zr4y4gA
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 6, 2026

Woods made a number of startling predictions if the SAVE America Act requiring photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship to vote is not passed by the Senate, saying:
Without the SAVE Act, we will…
Lose the House in November.
Democrats will nuke the filibuster.
The Senate will be lost within four years.
More Ketanji Browns will be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Democrats will then cheat a Democrat into the White House.
The border will be opened like a wound. We will be flooded with illegal aliens.
The cheating at the polls will then be irreversible.
Democrats will be a supermajority for decades to come.
Every city and town will look end up looking like every blue city sh**hole looks now.
America will become a socialist sewer.
OR…
The Senate can dump big corp parasite John Thune, and pass the damn SAVE Act.
Jim Hoft at the Gateway Pundit noted: “James Woods’ defection is a wake-up call for every true conservative: The Republican Party is infested with traitors. Time to clean house, support real fighters like Trump, and take back our country.”
Woods is not just slamming Republicans. He’s equally trashing Democrats as well, telling Adam Carolla: “If you’re still a Democrat and you support mutilating 5-year-olds because they like the color pink, you’re just a monster. Shut up. I’m done with Democrats. If you’re still a Democrat now, you’re nuts!”

JAMES WOODS: “If you’re still a Democrat and you support mutilating 5-year-olds because they like the color pink, you’re just a monster … I’m done with Democrats. If you’re still a Democrat now, you’re nuts!” pic.twitter.com/8loccEBiSH
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) March 5, 2026

pic.twitter.com/3rSwpjHCuS
— B-L (Inc.) (@William84831241) March 8, 2026

Is the news we hear every day actually broadcasting messages from God? The answer is an absolute yes! Find out how!
Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews
‘Supersedes everything else’: Trump won’t sign any other bills until SAVE America Act is passed

WATCH: U.S. senator perplexed why Gavin Newsom is in Germany, James Woods provides unnerving answer

Kremlin: “We Are Not Neutral. We Support Iran.”

Russia says it stands with its ally Iran, at a moment Washington officials are outraged at reports that Moscow is supporting Tehran with targeting intelligence related to US bases and Pentagon assets in the region amid Operation Epic Fury. That allegation was first reported by The Washington Post days ago.

President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin had announced late Friday, amid the escalating US-Israeli attacks on Iran. In the call Putin expressed “deep condolences” over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, members of his family, other senior political and military officials, as well as the civilian victims. Putin, it must be remembered, has been hosted in Tehran on several occasions and has been photographed in friendly conversations with the slain Khamenei over the years.

The Kremlin indicated further Putin reaffirmed Russia’s position that there must be an immediate halt to the conflict, and that diplomacy must prevail over use of military force. He said he’s in contact with leaders of countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as the crisis unfolds, countries which have come under Iranian missiles and drones over the past week of war.

Pezeshkian for his part thanked Russia for what he described as solidarity with the Iranian people and briefed Putin on developments in the current phase of the conflict, the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile, Russian diplomats are sending a clear signal on which side of the global divide they stand concerning the rapid events of the Iran war:

“We are not neutral. We support Iran.”

This was the response with Russia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom was asked if Moscow is neutral regarding the Iran war…

Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom:
“We are not neutral. We support Iran.
We take the current situation very badly and we do not understand the Western logic that consists of holding Iran responsible for everything.”pic.twitter.com/0mtIJFJkZf
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) March 8, 2026
Still, Russia and China are not expected to get deeply or directly involved, and may be more content to wait and see if Washington gets sucked into a new Vietnam or Iraq-style quagmire. 

The question of Iranian oil exports to China still looms large, however, and there have been reports that Beijing could be mulling some kind of military escort operation for its tankers in the Strait of Hormuz – but this reporting appears speculation at this moment, and could be premature.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 03/08/2026 – 13:25

“Donald Trump is resetting the world in a way nobody could have dreamed of a year ago,” Graham said Sunday.

The youngest daughter of the disgraced former prince and Sarah Ferguson stepped down from her role her role at the world’s oldest human rights organization.