White House says increase in gas prices is ‘temporary’ and claims there will be rapid drop – US politics live

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Steve Downes, the voice of Halo protagonist Master Chief, said he was neither consulted by the White House nor involved in a promotional video using the character’s voice.

“It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran,” Downes posted on X on Sunday. “Let me make this crystal clear: I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys.”

He called the clip, posted 5 March, “disgusting and juvenile war porn.”

The 42-second clip posted by the White House, captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY”, also uses scenes from Iron Man 2, Top Gun: Maverick, Tropic Thunder and other film and TV series.

Ben Stiller, who directed and acted in the film Tropic Thunder, also condemned the White House for using a clip from the film.

“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller posted on X. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

Earlier today, Donald Trump referred to Canadian prime minister Mark Carney as the “future Governor of Canada,” a remark similar to his past comments suggesting Canada should become the 51st US state.

“I’m working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp, which is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I’ll be asking other Governors to join into this fight, including those of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, New York and, of course, the future Governor of Canada, Mark Carney, who I know will be happy to contribute to this worthy cause.”

This isn’t the first time the US president has made this joke. He previously referred to Justin Trudeau, Canada’s former prime minister, as a state governor after having warned of tariffs on the country last year.

Senator Elizabeth Warren condemned the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran, questioning the administration’s funding priorities.

“Here we are well into the second week, and it is still the case that the Trump administration cannot explain the reasons that we entered this war, the goals we’re trying to accomplish and the methods for doing that,” Warren told reporters on Tuesday. “The one part that seems clear is that while there is no money for 15 million Americans who lost their health care, there’s a billion dollars a day to spend on bombing Iran.”

“I’m very worried about how long this will drag on. We are hearing no logical estimates about when it will be over,” she added. “This is not a war the American people want us to engage in. This is not a war supported by this country, and this is not a war that makes us safer.”

Trump says US destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying vessels

Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US hit “10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships” within the last few hours, according to a post on Truth Social.

“I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!,” he posted.

Donald Trump demanded on Tuesday Iran to remove any mines they might have placed in the strait of Hormuz amid earlier reports that the country had laid a few dozen mines in the passageway.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said the US “had no reports of them doing so,” but said Iran would face military consequences, “at a level never seen before,” if the mines were not to be removed.

Trump’s post comes after earlier reports that Iran began laying mines in the strait, a crucial passageway for global energy supply. According to CNN, a few dozen mines have been laid in recent days.

“If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump posted. “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

Trump added that his administration is “using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently.”

Here's a recap of the day so far

• The Pentagon confirmed that since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded. “The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” said Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell.

• During a White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that the recent hike in gas prices since the onset of the war is “temporary” and assured a rapid price drop. The press secretary also noted that the US military is “drawing up additional options” following Donald Trump’s directive to continue keeping the strait of Hormuz open. This comes after Trump’s threat to hit Iran “twenty times harder” if the regime does anything to prevent the flow of oil through the crucial waterway.

• At a Pentagon press conference, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday will be the “most intense day of strikes inside Iran”. He did not give any guidance on when the military action against Iran might end. “We do so on our timeline and at our choosing,” he added. Hegseth also insisted that America is “winning” the war, and assured those watching that military action was not endless. “This is not 2003…It’s not protracted. We’re not allowing mission creep,” he told reporters.

• At the House Republican policy conference in Doral, Florida, speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn congressman Andy Ogles’ Islamophobic comments on social media. The GOP lawmaker, who represents Tennessee’s fifth congressional district, wrote that “Muslims don’t belong in America” in a post on X this week. Today, reporters pressed Johnson for his response. The speaker said that the “demand to impose Sharia law” is a “real issue” in an attempt to justify Ogles’ comments. “That’s the language that people use, it’s a different language than I would use,” he said.

• In the wake of Donald Trump telling CBS News that the US-Israel war on Iran could end “very soon”, oil prices rebounded on Tuesday. Brent crude has now slipped just below $90 a barrel, down 9.9% to $89.22. This comes after they surged past $100 a barrel on Monday morning, the highest price in four years.

Pentagon says that 140 US service members injured since beginning of Operation Epic Fury

The Pentagon confirmed that since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” said Sean Parnell, chief spokesperson for the Department of Defense.

“Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.”

Earlier, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she couldn’t confirm the exact number of those injured, but knew it was “within that ballpark”.

US asks Israel to stop strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure - report

Lucy Campbell

The United States has asked Israel to halt strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, Axios reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter, marking the first time the US has reined in its ally since they went to war 11 days ago.

Washington sent the message at a senior political level and to IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.

Per Axios’s report, the Trump administration gave three reasons for the request, including a goal to cooperate with Iran’s oil ‌sector after the war (as Trump has done with Venezuela); fears that the ⁠strikes would harm the ​Iranian public; and concerns that it could trigger ​massive Iranian retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across Gulf states.

It comes after an Israeli bombing of fuel storage facilities blanketed Tehran - a city home to some 10 million people - in toxic black smoke and acid rain over the weekend, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.

Iran has appealed to to the United Nations to condemn the US and Israel for a “manifest environmental crime”.

During today’s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump would ultimately determine when Iran is “in a place of unconditional surrender”.

The press secretary clarified what this state looks like, after the president insisted that only at this point would the military operation be complete. “He’s not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves,” Leavitt said. “What the president means is that Iran’s threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country.”

Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Pentagon will release a full report of its investigation into the bombing of an Iranian girls’ school that killed at least 175 people.

Donald Trump has insisted that Iran was responsible for the attack, claiming that Iran might have Tomahawk missiles.

However, my colleague Tess McClure reports that a video has shown a US Tomahawk missile hitting the Iranian naval base next to a primary school in Minab – adding to evidence that indicates the US was responsible for the school strike.

“As the president said yesterday, he will accept the conclusion of this investigation,” Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, without commenting on when the report might be released.

US Navy has not escorted a vessel through strait of Hormuz, White House confirms

Lucy Campbell

Karoline Leavitt was also just asked why Trump’s energy secretary earlier claimed that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the strait of Hormuz, before deleting the X post a few minutes later.

She replied:

I know the post was taken down pretty quickly, and I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course that’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.

In response to a Reuters report that around 150 US service members have been injured since the military action against Iran began, the press secretary said she could not confirm this is the exact number. “I know it’s within that ballpark,” she said.

Karoline Leavitt did not provide any more specifics about the lifting of oil sanctions.

On Friday, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that India had been issued a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil to offset the repurcussions of a distrupted supply chain since the US-Israel strikes on Iran began.

The press secretary told reporters that she had no announcements about the lifting of new sanctions.

Leavitt insists that hike in gas prices is 'temporary' and assures rapid price drop

The press secretary used her opening remarks to assuage anxiety around the hike in prices at the pump that many Americans have seen in the past week.

The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term. 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 says US military is 'drawing up additional options' to keep strait of Hormuz open, amid disruptions to oil supply chain

Leavitt noted today that the president and his energy team are closely watching the markets, when it comes the price of oil which has surged and dropped in recent days.

The press secretary noted that the US military is “drawing up additional options” following Donald Trump’s directive to continue keeping the strait of Hormuz open. “I will not broadcast what those options look like, but just know the president is not afraid to use them,” Leavitt said.

Karoline Leavitt said today that US forces have hit 5,000 enemy targets since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

She noted that the regime’s ballistic missile attacks are down “more than 90%” and their “drone attacks are down by approximately 85%”.

In a short while we’ll also hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as she briefs reporters. I’ll bring you the latest lines here.

Johnson reiterated that the SAVE America act is a top priority for GOP lawmakers moving forward. The legislation, which has already passed the Republican-controlled House, has stalled in the Senate.

A reminder that the bill would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and showing voter ID to cast a ballot. However, Donald Trump wants to revise the legislation further and limit mail-in voting with a few exceptions, and include unrelated measures that would ban transgender people participating in women’s sports and gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

“Why is not passing in the Senate? Because no Democrat will go along with that,” Johnson told reporters in Miami on Tuesday. “Every Republican is in favor of those principles,” the House speaker added, while noting that the Senate’s majority leader, John Thune is “looking at all other avenues” to advance the bill.

The upper chamber’s top Republican appeared to dash his party’s hopes that they would be able to forge ahead without the 60-vote threshold requirement. “The votes aren’t there, one, to nuke the filibuster, and the votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster. It’s just a reality,” Thune told reporters.

Mike Johnson refuses to condemn GOP congressman's Islamophobic social media posts

At the House Republican policy conference in Doral, Florida, speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn congressman Andy Ogles’ Islamophobic posts on social media.

A reminder that the GOP lawmaker, who represents Tennessee’s fifth congressional district, wrote on X that “Muslims don’t belong in America”. Ogles has repeatedly denigrated the Muslim faith, insisting that it is “incompatible” with American values. His Islamophobic espousals have manifested in a piece of proposed legislation that would ban immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Syria and Libya.

On Tuesday, reporters pressed Johnson for his response to Ogles’ comments. “There is a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem,” he said in a attempt to justify Ogles’ posts. “That what animates this. That’s the language that people use, it’s a different language than I would use.”

He went on to say, without providing any evidence, that the imposition of Sharia law – the legal system of Islam that is enforced to varying degrees of severity across Muslim-majority countries – is a “real issue”.

“When you seek to come to a country and not assimilate…that is the conflict,” Johnson added. “It is not about people as Muslims, it’s about those who seek to impose a belief system that is in direct conflict with the constitution.”

Mike Johnson speaks before Donald Trump delivers remarks to members of the Republican party in Miami, Florida, 9 March 2026. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters