Today in One Sentence. Sen. John Cornyn said he’d back “whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary” to pass the SAVE America Act Trump suggested that the war with Iran would end soon because there was “practically nothing left to target” the Trump administration believes it has three to four weeks before sustained high oil prices become a political liability the International Energy Agency said its 32 member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency oil stocks U.S. consumer prices rose 2.4% in February from a year earlier a foreign hacker breached an FBI server in February 2023 and accessed files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation 46% of Americans say they support using the National Guard to monitor polling places in during the midterm elections 22% of registered voters say they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in the Supreme Court 52% of likely voters say they believe Trump launched the war on Iran at least partly to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and 41% of Americans approved of Trump’s decision to take military action in Iran – the lowest approval ever for initiating an international military action.

1/ Sen. John Cornyn said he’d back “whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary” to pass the SAVE America Act, reversing his long-held support for the filibuster as he seeks Trump’s endorsement ahead of a competitive Republican primary runoff for his Senate seat against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Trump has called the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote in federal elections, his “No. 1 priority” in Congress. Cornyn, who recently called eliminating the filibuster an “absolute nonstarter,” denied that his reversal was driven by a possible Trump endorsement, but said it was “an evolution in my own thinking.” (NBC News / New York Post / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Politico)

2/ Trump suggested that the war with Iran would end soon because there was “practically nothing left to target.” When asked for a timeline, Trump replied “we’re not finished yet” and that the U.S. needed to keep doing “more of the same.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz added that the campaign would continue “without any time limit.” Meanwhile, three commercial ships were struck near the Strait of Hormuz, which effectively remains closed. The Trump administration believes it has three to four weeks before sustained high oil prices become a political liability. The Pentagon told Congress that the first six days alone cost the U.S. more than $11.3 billion. (Axios / Politico / Bloomberg / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

  • The U.S. spent an estimated $4 billion in munitions in the first 72 hours of its strikes on Iran, including roughly 400 cruise missiles and 800 air defense interceptors. (Bloomberg)

3/ The International Energy Agency said its 32 member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency oil stocks – the largest coordinated drawdown in the agency’s history – as the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to cut off roughly 20% of global oil supply. Oil prices still closed more than 4% higher, with Brent crude near $92 a barrel, while analysts warned that the release would only cover roughly 26 days of lost supply. Trump separately said he’d tap the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which holds about 415 million barrels. (NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

4/ U.S. consumer prices rose 2.4% in February from a year earlier, matching January and economists’ forecasts. The report, however, captured inflation before the Iran war sent oil prices up more than 20% and pushed average gasoline prices above $3.50 a gallon. The Fed is expected to hold rates steady at its March 18 meeting, but economists warned that rising energy costs and a weakening labor market could raise stagflation risks. (CNBC / ABC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Axios)

5/ A foreign hacker breached an FBI server in February 2023 and accessed files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The FBI said the “cyber incident” was isolated, but it’s not clear which Epstein files were viewed, whether any data was downloaded, or who carried out the intrusion. A person familiar with the breach said the hacker appeared to be a cybercriminal rather than a foreign government operative and seemed unaware the server belonged to law enforcement, because they left a message threatening to report its owner to the FBI over child abuse images on the device. The server was left exposed after Special Agent Aaron Spivack tried to navigate the bureau’s digital evidence procedures, and the breach was discovered the next day when he found the warning message on his computer. (Reuters / The Guardian)

  • A bipartisan group of senators asked the Government Accountability Office to review how the Justice Department handled the release and redaction of Jeffrey Epstein files. Sens. Dick Durbin, Ben Ray Luján, Jeff Merkley, and Lisa Murkowski said DOJ exposed some victims’ identifying details, including email addresses and nude photos, while heavily redacting records tied to alleged co-conspirators or material witnesses. The request comes as the House Oversight Committee has already voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Washington Post / Politico / CNBC)

poll/ 46% of Americans say they support using the National Guard to monitor polling places in during the midterm elections, while 54% oppose it. Two-thirds say they are confident their state or local government will run fair and accurate elections this year. (NPR)

poll/ 22% of registered voters say they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in the Supreme Court – the lowest level recorded in NBC News polling since 2000. Another 40% say they have some confidence, while 38% say they have very little or none. 9% of Democrats say they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in the court, compared with 35% of Republicans. (NBC News)

poll/ 52% of likely voters say they believe Trump launched the war on Iran at least partly to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, while 40% disagree and 8% are unsure. (Zeteo)

poll/ 41% of Americans approved of Trump’s decision to take military action in Iran – the lowest approval ever for initiating an international military action. For comparison, 47% approved of the 2011 Libya intervention, 53% for Grenada in 1983, 76% for the Iraq War in 2003, and 92% for the Afghanistan War in 2001. (New York Times)

The 2026 midterms are in 237 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 972 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, making Wyoming the fifth state to bar abortion at that stage. Gordon said the law lacked rape and incest exceptions and would likely trigger more litigation. The state’s only abortion clinic said it would challenge the ban in court. (Associated Press)

  2. Kansas invalidated about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents under a new law that also ban changes to birth certificates. A state judge declined to block the law while a legal challenge moves forward. (NBC News)

  3. Trump personally ordered the Justice Department to reverse its decision to stop defending White House sanctions against several law firms, telling aides “I never signed off on that.” The reversal keeps the administration’s appeal alive of four trial court rulings had ruled the executive orders were unconstitutional. (Wall Street Journal)

  4. Congressional Democrats opened an investigation into at least $63 million pledged by ABC, Meta, Paramount and X to Trump’s planned presidential library through legal settlements. The original fund set up to receive the money was dissolved by Florida officials last year. A second nonprofit reported receiving $50 million in contributions last year, but hasn’t confirmed publicly that it took possession of the settlement funds. (Washington Post)

  5. The Pentagon banned press photographers from Pete Hegseth’s Iran war briefing after Hegseth’s staff deemed the photos “unflattering.” Only Defense Department staff photographers have been permitted into briefings since, while video cameras remain allowed. (Washington Post / Associated Press)