TRUMP'S EVOLVING IRAN TIMELINE. CHEAPER CONCERT TICKETS COMING? "BRADY BUNCH" HOME IS NOW HISTORIC LANDMARK.

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026

7TH AMERCAN SERVICE MEMBER KILLED RETURNED HOME

Today, the Department of Defense has just identified a seventh US soldier killed during this war with Iran. He was identified as 26-year-old Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington of Glendale, Ky. The Pentagon says Sgt. Pennington died on Sunday as a result of his injuries sustained during the March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base. He had been assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Sgt. Pennington’s remains have just returned to US soil at tonight’s dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. The president was not in attendance, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President Vance were both there.

More from the Defense Department here.

Statement from Space Force here.

TRUMP CLAIMS WAR IS “CLOSE” TO BEING OVER. THEN BACK TRACKS

President Trump told CBS News this afternoon that the war with Iran was “very, complete.” But then later in the afternoon when pressed by reporters about when this war could be over Trump became very non-committal. Hear exactly what the president said about why we’re in Iran, when this is going to be over, and what’s going to happen with gas prices as a result.

Watch Trump’s full press conference here.

Look at oil prices here.

Look at today’s gas prices here.

IRAN WAR UPDATES

There are several other matters related to the war that you should be aware of tonight.

NEW SUPREME LEADER CHOSEN: Over the weekend the Iranians selected a new Supreme Leader. They chose the son of the Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for 36 years until he was killed in a missile strike on the first day of this war. Iranians selected 56-year-old Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei. President Trump said today that he was “disappointed” by that selection. Mojtaba’s wife and, reportedly, one of his children, were also killed on the first day of the joint US-Israeli war. By most accounts Mojtaba’s ideology is the same or even more hard-line than his father’s. President Trump has said that HE must be involved in the selection of a new Iranian leader. And today he said multiple times that because of the US strikes, Iran “doesn’t have a leader.” But that doesn’t seem to actually be the case because Mojtaba has been leading the country since he was selected. During tonight’s press conference Trump refused to say if Mojtaba had a “target on his back.”

TRUMP TALKS TO PUTIN: President Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. He said that Putin wanted to be “helpful” in this conflict with Iran. Trump told reporters that he told Putin the best way for him to be “helpful” would be to end the war with Ukraine. Trump said Putin was not interested in that. However, Trump also said that he lifted very serious oil sanctions on Russia so that Russian oil can flow onto the market while the Iranians slow up more than 20% of the global supply through the Strait of Hormuz. We know that Putin uses the money from oil sales to fund his military efforts against Ukraine. In the end, Putin may be one of the biggest “winner” of this US/Israel/Iran war.

TRUMP BACK TRACKS ON GIRLS SCHOOL BOMBING: Over the weekend President Trump said clearly and confidently on Air Force One that it was his opinion that the missile that struck the Iranian girls school at the beginning of this war belonged to Iran. But today when pressed by reporters, Trump seemed to be less confident in that answer.

Reporter Question: “You just suggested that Iran somehow got its hands on a Tomahawk and bombed it’s own elementary school on the first day of the war. But you are the only person in your government saying this. Even your own Defense Secretary wouldn’t say it even though he was standing over your shoulder on your plane on Saturday. Why are you the only person saying this?”

Trump: “Because I just don’t know enough about it. I think it’s something I was told is under investigation. But Tomahawks are used by others as you know numerous other nations have Tomahawks. They buy them from us but I will certainly whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report.”

FACTS: The United States absolutely has been using Tomahawk missiles in this conflict with Iran. Multiple credible media outlets and military experts have been analyzing the video of the strike on the girls elementary school and many have come to the conclusion that it is likely this missile came from the United States. It’s also true that that school shares a wall with an Iranian Revolutionary Guard base in Minab, Iran. The United Nations says 165 school girls have been killed and countless more have been injured by this airstrike. Trump claimed Iran has access to the Tomahawk missiles, which are made by American defense contractor Raytheon. While the company sells the missile to allied countries like Japan and Australia, there is no evidence to suggest that Iran has acquired Tomahawk missiles.

More from the UN here.

ISIS-INSPIRED ATTACK NEAR NEW YORK MAYOR’S HOME

Two young men are in police custody tonight after the Department of Justice charged them with federal crimes for attempting to detonate two explosive devices in the vicinity of Gracie Mansion (the home of the Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York), and that they were acting in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The bomb in question was reportedly stuffed with glass, and screws and other sharp items that could have, if detonated, caused shrapnel related injuries and death. The two young men were in attendance at a counter-protest outside of Mamdani’s home over the weekend on March 7. According to the DOJ they threw these homemade bombs into the crowd and near the Gracie Mansion and even near NYPD officers who were there. The bombs did not detonate and no one was injured.

The two men involved were identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi. Balat and Kayumi both made voluntarily statements to the police in which they said that ISIS, as the Islamic State is known, had motivated their actions. Both young men live in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Mayor Mamdani said the entire incident was “a heinous act of terrorism.” He went on to say of Balat and Kayumi that “they should be held fully accountable for their actions.”

More from the DOJ on this attack here.

Watch the Mayor’s press conference by clicking the image below.

ANTHROPIC SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

AI giant Anthropic just filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to classify it as a “supply chain risk.” The company was designated as a risk becuase of its refusal to allow the Defense Department to use it’s AI chatbot called Claude for “mass domestic surveillance” or for “autonomous weapons.” That designation as a “supply chain risk” not only cuts off the ability of Anthropic to do business with the US government but it also cuts off the ability of other US contractors from doing business with Anthropic.

In its lawsuit Anthropic says that the Trump administration had embarked on an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” and has asked the courts to reverse the government’s decision. Technically Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits one in California federal court and another in the federal appellate court in Washington, DC.

In the California lawsuit, Anthropic accused the government of violating the company’s First Amendment rights, exceeding the legal scope of the supply-chain risk statute and of violating the process that allows the US government to end contracts.

In the DC lawsuit, Anthropic says this designation from the Trump administration is a clear example of retaliation in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution.

Here is a copy of the Anthropic lawsuit filed in the Northern District of CA.

Here is a copy of the Anthropic lawsuit filed in the DC appeals court.

TICKET MASTER SETTLES WITH DEPT. OF JUSTICE

Ever wonder why tickets for concerns and plays are so expensive? Well the US government believes the merger of Ticket Master and Live Nation back in 2010 effectively created a monopoly for all entertainment in this country. To stop it, the Department of Justice filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the media giant and today, the DOJ announce that it had reached a tentative settlement with Live Nation (the parent company of Ticket Master).

While the settlement isn’t final yet, according to Live Nation, the entertainment giant will change how it makes ticketing deals with venues, allowing them to use multiple vendors to sell tickets to fans, rather than work exclusively with Ticketmaster. Live Nation Entertainment also said that they will let other promoters decide how best to distribute up to 50% of tickets and cap ticketing service fees at 15%. In addition, the company would allow touring artists to use other promoters when performing in its amphitheaters. Live Nation will pay up to $280 million in damages to be split among the states that join the settlement. And lastly, Live Nation will divest its 13 exclusive booking agreements with amphitheaters nationwide.

Now, this deal (if finalized) may not immediately bring ticket prices down. That’s because this settlement does not prevent the other states involved in the case from continuing on with their anti-trust arguments against Live Nation. Lots of states have decided this settlement does not go far enough and say they will continue with their lawsuits. Those states, according to the Attorney General of New York include; Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

Read more from Live Nation here.

Read more from the NY Attorney General here.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR SHOOTING UP RIHANNA’S LA HOME

A 35-year-old woman is in jail in Los Angeles after Los Angeles police say she shot up pop superstar Rihanna’s home with an AR-15-style weapon yesterday. Ivanna Ortiz was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and her bail has been set at more than $10 million. LAPD said Ortiz allegedly parked her car outside the sprawling mansion and fired multiple shots before fleeing the scene. Officers tracked her car and found the weapon inside. It is unclear why Ortiz shot into the pop-star’s home. But Rihanna was reportedly home at the time. She shares that Los Angeles area home with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, and their three young children.

IRANIAN WOMENS SOCCER TEAM GIVEN ASYLUM

Five members of the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team were just granted asylum in Australia. The women’s team had been in Australia for the Asian Cup but faced immediate backlash from Iranian hard-liners after they stood silently while the Iranian national anthem played before their first match March 2. When the women refused to sing the national anthem and refused to salute Iranian state TV, called the players “traitors” and demanded that they be punished for displaying “dishonor and betrayal.” Obviously, as a result the women said they were terrified to go back home to Iran and feared retaliation.

President Trump who knew about the situation interjected and said that if Australia wouldn’t grant the women asylum, the United States would. Early this afternoon the Australian government said the 5 women (seen below) would be granted asylum and then the country’s prime minister held a press conference and said the women should “feel at home here.” If you want to watch the clip from the PM, you can click the image below.

“THE BRADY BUNCH” HOUSE FINALLY GETS LANDMARK STATUS

Believe it or not, for decades, the Los Angeles house where the iconic TV show, “The Brady Bunch” was filmed was occupied by a family. But in 2018 it was sold to HGTV and now it is officially on the list of Historic-Cultural Monuments.

The home in Studio City, California was only used for exterior shots of the Brady home but when HGTV purchased it, the TV network underwent a $3.5 million renovation to transform the interior of the home to match the interior of the home on the show.

HGTV sold the home in 2023 to a “Brady Bunch” fanatic who said she would use the home for philanthropic events. In November of 2024, the home was opened for limited public tours (cost: $275).

NOTE: Unfortunately, I can not answer any questions about the news via email. If you are a subscriber of FactsHQ, you can submit your question through the Substack chat feature and I can do my best to respond that way.