Emily Djushinski reports on March 20, 2026, detailing President Trump's $200 billion Operation Epic Fury against Iran and the subsequent House Intelligence Committee grilling of Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, and John Ratcliffe regarding the "imminent" threat justification. While Trump warns Japanese PM Sana'e Takeichi against oil attacks, intelligence officials confirm Iran retains nuclear ambitions amidst debates over U.S. objectives versus Israel's leadership decapitation goals. The update also covers a California wildlife bridge cost overrun to $114 million and controversy over New York Mayor Zorhan Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, for past posts praising Palestinian terrorists. Ultimately, the episode highlights a fractured domestic landscape where military escalation, fiscal mismanagement, and political scandals converge under Trump's administration. [Automatically generated summary]
I'm Emily Djushinski, host of After Party and the Megan Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111.
It's Friday, March 20th, 2026, and this is your AM update.
No, I'm not putting troops anywhere.
If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you.
President Trump delivering updates on several new reports relating to Operation Epic Fury, including possible troop deployments, budget requests, and more.
The American people need to know if this was an imminent threat or not.
Top intelligence officials pressed on Iran threats in a hearing in front of the House Intel Committee, a California bridge intended to save wildlife, now sparking backlash over soaring costs and delays.
New York City Mayor Zorhan Mamdani's wife under fire for old social media posts praising terrorists and using offensive slurs.
All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.
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Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, briefly spiking to $119 per barrel Thursday before settling near $103 as Iran launches retaliatory strikes targeting oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf.
The barrage coming after a Wednesday Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars gas field, part of the largest natural gas reserve in the world.
Iran responding by striking Qatar's Ras Leifen Industrial City, the world's largest liquefied natural gas facility, responsible for roughly 20% of global liquid natural gas or LNG supply.
The escalation marking a significant expansion of the conflict into global energy markets.
President Trump with a lengthy post on Truth Social Wednesday night explaining the U.S. had no prior knowledge of Israel's strike, warning Iran against further attacks on Qatar, threatening additional consequences if escalation continues.
The developments raising new questions about coordination between the U.S. and Israel after President Trump has recently said he does not want Iranian oil and gas infrastructure targeted.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asked about the Israeli strike at a briefing yesterday.
It kind of seems like a trend of Israel apparently pursuing their own objectives over U.S. objectives.
Why are we helping Israel prosecute this war if they're going to pursue their own objectives?
We hold the cards.
We have objectives.
Those objectives are clear.
We have allies pursuing objectives as well.
And the truth speaks for itself.
I mean, President Trump was very clear about that.
Iran has weaponized energy for decades.
Israel clearly sent a warning, and POTUS has made it clear, very clear.
Iran knows when you hit Carg Island and you hit military capabilities on Carg Island, which is the only thing we hit, we can hold anything at issue.
Anything.
The United States military controls the fate of that country.
Iran has the ability to make the right choices.
It should not, going forward, target Arab allies, Arab countries.
President Trump also addressing the issue yesterday in the Oval Office during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sana'e Takeichi.
We talked to Prime Minister Menethiak about attacking the oil and gas fields.
Yeah, I did.
I did.
I told him, don't do that.
And he won't do that.
We didn't discuss.
You know, we do, we're independent, we get along great.
It's coordinated, but on occasion, he'll do something.
And if I don't like it, and so we're not doing that anymore.
As the conflict nears entering its fourth week, the Pentagon now seeking more than $200 billion from Congress to fund Operation Epic Fury, according to a Washington Post report.
The request aimed in part at ramping up weapons production and replenishing U.S. stockpiles.
President Trump also asked yesterday about that reporting.
We're asking for a lot of reasons beyond even what we're talking about in Iran.
We want to have vast amounts of ammunition, but it was taken down by giving so much to Ukraine.
They gave so much.
Our manufacturers of military equipment are building at a level they've never seen before.
They've never done before.
Raytheon is building four factories.
Lockheed is building five or six factories.
And they're building them fast.
So we're in very good shape, but we want to be in the best shape, the best shape we've ever been in.
So we want to be sure, and it's a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top.
Meanwhile, Reuters reporting this week, the president is considering deploying thousands of additional U.S. troops to the region.
President Trump responding, No, I'm not putting troops anywhere.
If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you, but I'm not putting troops, and we will do whatever is necessary to keep the price.
The escalation also drawing a response from U.S. allies, Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan, issuing a joint statement condemning attacks on civilian infrastructure and calling for safe passage through the Strait of Hermuz.
The statement expressing readiness to support efforts to secure the vital waterway, but stopping short of committing military assets.
Mr. Trump also asked about coordination with allies following the initial strikes, including why key partners like Japan were not notified in advance.
One thing you don't want to signal too much, you know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise.
Who knows better about surprise than Japan?
Okay, why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?
Okay?
Right?
He's asking me, don't you believe in surprise?
I think much more so than us.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and other top national security officials back on Capitol Hill yesterday, this time before the House Intelligence Committee.
Operation Epic Fury dominating the hearing, with Democrats zeroing in on whether the administration had clear intelligence of an imminent threat from Iran and whether the president's military response was justified.
Here, two Democrats, Congressman Jimmy Gomez of California and Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana.
The American people need to know if this was an imminent threat or not.
If they're weeks away or not, if they're months away or not.
None of this dodging.
Were they an imminent threat?
Yesterday, you said that only the president, only person who can determine what is an imminent threat is the president of the United States.
Do you stand by that statement?
Yes, I do.
So is there any evidence that Iran intended to conduct a preemptive attack on the U.S. prior to beginning this war, yes or no?
There's a body of intelligence that we'll be able to cover in the classified portion of this hearing that does reflect that in the likely event of a conflict between Iran and Israel, that the U.S. would be immediately attacked, regardless of whether the United States stayed out of that conflict.
Republican Congressman Pat Fallon of Texas questioning CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Director, what nation state has achieved 60% enrichment and then not produced a nuclear weapon?
I'm not aware of any.
There's none.
You get to 60%.
There's a reason you're at 60% because you are pursuing nuclear ambitions.
So last June, we have Midnight Hammer, and not only did they see the resolve, I mean, they saw that we were committed to actually taking action and not just the words this time.
And even after all of that, did they abandon their pursuit and their nuclear program?
They absolutely did not.
Our intelligence is also clear that they have not lost their ambition and that the activities to rebuild or reconstitute their nuclear facilities and centrifuges is something that the intelligence, there's a body of intelligence that I think confirms that.
Tensions also arising over a growing disconnect between U.S. and Israeli objectives.
After Israel struck Iran's South Pars gas field, despite President Trump signaling that energy infrastructure should be off limits.
Democrat Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas pressing Director Gabbard on whether the two allies are still aligned.
What does the intelligence community assess Israel's goals in this war to be?
And are those goals aligned with the goals of the United States?
The objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government.
And how do they differ?
The Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership and taking out several members, and they continue to focus on that effort.
How does that differ from our goals?
The president has stated that his objectives are to destroy Iran's ballistic missile launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their Navy, the IRGC Navy and Mine Lang capability.
To the best of your knowledge, do you know whether Israel is supportive of the president's call to make a deal with Iran?
I don't know the answer to that.
I don't know Israel's position on that.
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel outlining the scale of the domestic terror threat in the wake of multiple recent Islamic-inspired attacks.
Last year, we had 2,300 arrests related to foreign terrorist organizations.
We had 700 counterterrorism arrests, and the FBI had 640 counterterrorism disruptions where we stopped attacks on the homeland.
Specifically, in December, we stopped four in an 18-day span.
What I need is specifically highlighting the Norfolk attack.
In Norfolk, an individual who was convicted of terrorism and sentenced based upon that conviction should have still been in prison.
I want to work with the legislature to figure out how to increase the sentencing for convicted terrorists and also work on the denaturalization process for someone who should not be in this country who wants to attack and kill American citizens and American service members.
Coming up, a California wildlife bridge drawing backlash over soaring costs and construction delays.
New reporting surfacing past social media posts tied to New York City Mayor Zorah Mamghani's wife praising terrorists and using offensive slurs.
California Bridge Cost Backlash00:06:22
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California Governor Gavin Newsom facing criticism over a costly state infrastructure project, now dubbed a bridge to nowhere.
City Journal reporting on a wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway in Southern California, designed to allow cougars, butterflies, and other animals to safely pass over one of the busiest highways in the country.
The project breaking ground in 2022, with Governor Newsom announcing $54 million in state funding at the time and suggesting it could be completed for roughly $10 million more.
But the timeline's slipping, the original completion date passing last year and costs continuing to climb.
According to City Journal, the total price tag now reaching $114 million, about $21 million over previous estimates, with approximately $77 million coming from state funds.
Photos of the site showing a landscaped structure spanning the freeway, but no ramps yet for animals to access it.
Beth Pratt, a member of the project's leadership team, attributing the overruns to inflation, tariffs, and rising construction costs and issuing pleas to the public on social media for donations to help finish the project.
When we started stage one and were waiting to start stage two, the world changed beneath us, though.
This spring, construction costs increased considerably.
And although we were holding reserves to finish construction, all those are exhausted at this point because of tariffs, inflation, and so many other factors impacting construction projects, not just ours.
So we need your help one more time to get us to the finish line and help us build back those reserves so that we can ensure that we finalize construction by November.
Please donate today to Save LA Cougars and we're going to complete this together, this dream that we started.
Thank you for being a part of it.
Supporters argue the crossing is critical to preventing deadly vehicle collisions and preserving the region's endangered cougar population.
City Journal pointing out the state could pursue the lower cost alternative of importing cougars to bolster the population.
Governor Newsom's office pushing back on the reporting on X quote, MAGA's outrage over a project that literally saves lives tells you everything.
This freeway project, grounded in decades of research, restores a critical wildlife corridor and reduces deadly collisions on one of the busiest highways in the country, protecting both drivers and animals.
The Post going on to blame rising construction costs due to tariffs and inflation and weather delays for project extensions, noting, quote, five years of work is far from a boondoggle.
Online critics pointing to similar projects in other states completed at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time, including a roughly $15 million wildlife crossing over Interstate 25 in Colorado completed in just one year.
The Washington Free Beacon uncovering social media accounts tied to New York City Mayor Zorhan Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, featuring posts praising Palestinian terrorists and using racist and homophobic slurs.
In one 2017 Tumblr post, Duwaji, now 28 years old, sharing a picture of Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled with her, quote, If it does good for my cause, I'll be happy to accept death.
Khaled, a member of the U.S.-designated terror organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, praised by her supporters as the first woman to hijack a plane.
According to the Free Beacon, the majority of the posts made by Duwaji are from her late teens and early 20s.
The accounts, though still accessible, appear inactive.
A repost from 2015 criticizing American service members, quote, American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave, nor are they fighting for anyone's freedom.
They are mercilessly slaughtering third world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony.
In a post from 2013, then 15-year-old Dhawaji responding to another user writing, quote, hell yeah, and word soft A, super duper genius.
Following this reporting, ex-users digging up more posts, including one from 2013, appearing to use an abbreviated pejorative for gay men, quote, why are all these F-words following me?
The mayor's office did not respond to the Free Beacon's request for comment.
The Free Beacon also reported last week that Duwaji provided illustrations for an essay by an author who called the October 7th attack, quote, spectacular, and frequently refers to what she calls Jewish supremacist vampires.
In early March, Jewish Insider reporting Mamdani's wife liked social media posts celebrating the October 7th, 2023 attacks when Hamas terrorists killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251 people.
Mayor Mamdani asked about that reporting on March 6th.
My wife is the love of my life, and she's also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my city hall.
I, however, was elected to represent all 8.5 million people in the city, and I believe that it's my responsibility because of that role to answer any questions about my thoughts and my policies and my decisions.
We reached out to the mayor's office for comment on this latest reporting and have not heard back.
Emily Drushinsky AM Update00:00:13
That'll do it for your AM update.
I'm Emily Drushinsky, host of Afterparty.
Catch the Megan Kelly Show live on SiriusXM's The Megan Kelly Channel 111 at Noonese, on youtube.com/slash Megan Calley, and on all Podcast platforms.