The Daily Wrap Up

11 March, 2026

[Transcript edited for clarity, flow and length]

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There was a special election in Georgia yesterday to fill the congressional seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene. It was an extremely crowded race. Roughly twenty people were running, including about seventeen Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent or libertarian candidate. In the end, the Democrat, Sean Harris, who had previously run against Greene in 2024, came in first with 37.3 percent of the vote. The next candidate, Republican Clayton Fuller, received 34.9 percent.

Because neither candidate secured a majority, the race will go to a runoff in April.

Harris, a retired brigadier general in the United States Army and an excellent candidate, finished first despite the district being deeply Republican. Yet the New York Times headline framed the results by emphasizing that Donald’s preferred Republican candidate had advanced, while the Democrat who actually finished first was not even mentioned.

It is true that Donald endorsed Clayton Fuller. It is also true that Republicans collectively received more votes in the aggregate because there were so many Republican candidates on the ballot. Still, the fact that the candidate Trump endorsed could not even defeat a Democrat in a crowded field is not exactly encouraging news for Republicans.

It is also worth remembering that elections like this typically attract the most energized Republican voters. Does this mean Sean Harris will win the runoff in April when it becomes a direct head to head race between him and Fuller. That remains unclear. This is still a very red district.

However, the fact that Donalds endorsed candidate could only secure 34.9 percent of the vote should raise some concerns for Republicans. Democrats, if you have been paying attention, are extraordinarily motivated this year. Republicans should be worried, and Democrats should act as though the wind is at their backs.

We will see how it plays out. There were several elections yesterday and a few primaries. Nothing earth shattering yet, as primary season has only just begun. We will keep you posted as things develop.

Unfortunately, we now have to turn our attention back to Iran.

Iran sharply escalated the war today, attacking commercial ships and striking near Dubai International Airport as the conflict that the United States and Israel chose to engage in spreads across the Persian Gulf. Now in its second week, Tehran’s response is disrupting major trade routes and energy supplies across the region.

Oil shipments, fuel exports, and fertilizer exports are being squeezed while air traffic through one of the busiest airports in the world is under threat.

Meanwhile Israel has expanded its strikes in Lebanon against targets it says are linked to Hezbollah militants backed by Iran. The United Nations refugee agency reports that the fighting has displaced approximately 759,000 people inside Lebanon. More than 92,000 have fled into neighboring Syria.

Iranian drones and missiles have also struck targets across the Gulf. Two drones hit near Dubai’s airport, injuring four people. Flights are continuing, but the threat remains. A separate projectile struck a Thai cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it on fire.

Since the war began at least twelve shipping incidents have occurred in or near the strait. The Strait of Hormuz is an extremely narrow waterway. At its narrowest point it is only about thirty five kilometers wide. Yet it carries roughly one fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Iran has effectively shut down cargo traffic moving through the area. It has also targeted oil facilities and refineries in Gulf Arab countries in an effort to create enough economic pressure to force the United States and Israel to stop their airstrikes.

That is, strategically speaking, Iran’s best available move.

If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, oil prices could rise higher than anything most of us have seen in our lifetimes. That possibility appears to have caught Donald Trump completely off guard.

According to Reuters, Iran is shifting its military strategy away from simple retaliation and toward continuous attacks against its adversaries. A spokesperson for Tehran’s military headquarters explained that Iran would no longer wait to be struck first before responding.

This is how that warning was delivered.

We will no longer limit ourselves to responding after being hit. The United States will not be able to control global oil prices as this war spreads. We will not allow even one liter of oil to reach the United States, Israel, or their partners. Any tanker bound for them will be a legitimate target. Get ready for the oil barrel to reach two hundred dollars because oil prices depend on regional security which you have destabilized.

The United States and Israel have indeed destabilized the region through a war of choice that had no clear endgame and no coherent explanation for why it began in the first place.

Before this conflict started, oil prices were hovering around ninety dollars per barrel. Prices have since fluctuated dramatically and at one point rose above one hundred and ten dollars per barrel. Nobody knows how high they could ultimately climb.

We also do not know how many more casualties will occur. More than 150 American service members have been wounded and seven have been killed since the conflict began.

Donald is traveling today to Ohio and Kentucky where he plans to talk about the economy. In Ohio he is visiting a Thermo Fisher Scientific facility in Cincinnati to promote his administration’s prescription drug pricing policies. Afterward he will head to Hebron, Kentucky where he is supporting Republican Ed Gallerain, who is challenging Representative Thomas Massie in a primary.

Massie, along with Representative Ro Khanna, helped push forward efforts to release the Epstein files, something Donald strongly opposed.

Before leaving the White House today, Donald answered several questions from reporters. One question involved whether oil companies should continue sending ships through the Strait of Hormuz despite the dangers.

This was his response.

I think they should use it. In my opinion we took out just about all of their mine ships in one night. We are up to boat number sixty. I did not realize they had that big a navy. Every one of their ships, just about all of their navy, is gone and at the bottom of the sea.

The fact that the commander in chief did not know how large the enemy’s navy was should alarm everyone.

Donald was also asked whether he would take responsibility for the bombing of an Iranian elementary school that was struck during the first day of the campaign. Nearly 180 people were killed, most of them children.

This is what happened when he was asked directly about the report.

I do not know about that.

The United States previously claimed Iran had bombed its own school. Donald insisted Iran possessed Tomahawk missiles. That claim was false. Tomahawk missiles are manufactured in the United States and sold to only a few allied countries. Iran does not have them.

Now the New York Times reports that a United States military investigation has concluded that American forces were responsible. A Tomahawk missile intended for a nearby Iranian base struck the Sasha Tayeba Elementary School in Tehran instead.

Officials say the strike occurred because the Pentagon relied on outdated maps.

More than 160 children died.

The investigation continues, but the attack is already being described as one of the most devastating military mistakes in decades.

Meanwhile other stories illustrate just how unserious the leadership in Washington has become. The Washington Post reports that press photographers are no longer allowed inside the Pentagon briefing room after images were published that staff members felt made Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth look “unflattering.”

According to the Guardian, Donald has also developed an unusual habit of giving shoes to officials and visiting allies.

During one meeting in the Oval Office, Donald reportedly looked at the footwear of JD Vance and Marco Rubio and commented on their shoes before pulling out a catalog and asking for their sizes.

The shoes in question come from Florsheim, a brand that sells dress shoes for roughly 145 dollars a pair.

Several officials have reportedly received them, including Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick, Lindsey Graham, Tucker Carlson, and Sean Hannity. One White House official joked that all the boys have them.

Some have even worn the shoes despite the fact that they do not fit properly. In photographs Marco Rubio appears to be wearing a pair that are visibly too large.

These are the people currently running the United States government.

Meanwhile Donald continues pushing his election interference legislation known as the SAVE Act, which would impose new identification requirements that could strip millions of Americans of their voting rights.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune recently addressed whether the bill has the votes needed to pass.

We do not have the votes to proceed nor to sustain a talking filibuster if we attempted one. That is simply a function of math. I understand the president is passionate about the issue but ultimately it comes down to the numbers.

The truth is simple. Non citizens do not vote in American elections. That claim is a lie used to justify suppressing legitimate voters.

And while all of this unfolds, the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network continues. Richard Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant and executor of his estate, testified before the House Oversight Committee under subpoena.

He claimed he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities.

I was not aware of the nature or extent of Epstein’s abuse until after his death. Had I learned of any such behavior I would have acted immediately.

Representative James Walkinshaw responded bluntly, noting that Kahn repeatedly claimed he could not recall emails or communications connected to Epstein.

If he was ignorant of Epstein’s crimes he was willfully ignorant.

The Epstein files remain critical. The war in Iran may dominate headlines, but we cannot lose focus on the many other crises unfolding simultaneously. We must continue paying attention to the war, to the economy, to the actions of federal agencies, and to the ongoing investigation into Epstein’s network.

And above all, when the time comes, we must vote.

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