Trump wants say in Iran’s successor; Did Noem’s testimony cost her job?
Israel strikes targets in Iran and Lebanon as the war widens. Trump says he wants Iran’s current leadership removed — and a voice in choosing who replaces it.
Plus, Trump fires Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Reports say a bruising Senate hearing may have helped seal Noem’s fate.
And Rep. Tony Gonzales drops his reelection bid. The Texas Republican exits the race after admitting to an affair with a former aide and an ensuing investigation.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, March 6, 2026.
Trump says US should help choose Iran’s next leader
Israel continues its broad wave of strikes in Iran and Lebanon, targeting the Iranian regime and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. It comes as President Donald Trump said he wants Iran’s current leadership removed and a hand in choosing who comes next.
Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Thursday, “We want to go in and clean out everything.”
And in a separate interview with Axios, Trump said he believes the U.S. should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader, comparing it to how he says he helped install Venezuela’s current government.
He also called on members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to stop fighting.
“I’m once again calling on members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and police to lay down their arms. They are only going to be killed. Now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country. You have a chance after all these years to take back your country. Accept immunity. We will give you immunity, and we will put you on the right side of the history because that is what that is. You will be safe with total immunity or face absolutely guaranteed death.”
— President Donald Trump
Trump also said Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be “unacceptable” as Iran’s next leader.
Iranian officials have delayed announcing a successor for days, but political figures in Tehran suggest an announcement could come soon.
On Capitol Hill, the U.S. House on Thursday failed to pass a war powers resolution that would have limited Trump’s ability to order strikes on Iran without congressional approval.
A similar measure failed in the Senate the day before.
Meanwhile, Israel announced it has launched a “broad wave of strikes” targeting Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran overnight.
Israel also carried out new strikes in Lebanon, with the Israeli defense forces saying it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Beirut, including a command center and facilities used to store drones.
Lebanon’s prime minister is now calling for international intervention, warning that a “humanitarian disaster is looming” and stating that the Lebanese people “did not choose this war.”
US asks Ukraine for interceptor drones designed to destroy Iranian Shaheds
The war with Iran has increased demand for a weapon Ukraine has spent years perfecting: interceptor drones designed to target the same Iranian-made drones now striking U.S. forces and allies in the Middle East.
ABC News reported U.S. officials and several Gulf nations are now in discussions with Ukraine about purchasing those systems. They are affordable, quick interceptor drones designed to shoot down Iran’s Shahed attack drones before they reach their targets.
The technology was developed during Russia’s war on Ukraine, where swarms of Iranian-style drones have repeatedly struck Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Ukraine’s interceptor drones are built to pursue threats in mid-air, using cameras and AI tracking before pilots manually guide them into the incoming danger. The systems cost only a few thousand dollars each, which is much cheaper than traditional air defense missiles that can cost millions.
That cost has drawn attention from countries now facing the same drone threat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States and several Middle Eastern partners have already requested help, including equipment and Ukrainian specialists.
He said Ukraine is willing to share its experience, but only if doing so doesn’t compromise Ukraine’s own defenses against Russia.
Trump removes Noem from DHS post, taps Sen. Markwayne Mullin as replacement
Trump has made a major change at the Department of Homeland Security, dismissing Secretary Kristi Noem and appointing Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead the agency.
Trump announced the shakeup on social media, saying he will nominate Mullin to lead the department, with a confirmation process expected to start soon.
The move comes after a week of intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Noem faced tough questions about DHS operations, including the deadly shootings of two American citizens by immigration enforcement officers earlier this year.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana repeatedly pressed Noem during one of those hearings, and multiple reports, including CNN, say her exchanges with Kennedy may have been a turning point for Trump.
The decision also signifies a shift for the president, who had previously supported Noem and stated he had no plans to remove her despite increasing criticism from both parties.
Mullin is expected to step in at DHS at the end of the month and told reporters he hopes his confirmation process starts immediately.
As for Noem, she’s expected to stay in the administration in a new position called “special envoy for the shield of the Americas.”
Gonzales drops reelection bid after admitting affair with aide
Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, R, has withdrawn his bid for reelection after admitting he had an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. Gonzales said he would still complete his term in Congress.
In a statement posted on social media late Thursday, he said, “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”
The announcement came just hours after House Republican leadership urged him to step down, and only days after Gonzales moved on to a runoff primary against conservative activist Brandon Herrera.
The move comes as the House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into the relationship. Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate.
Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the House.
Savannah Guthrie returns to ‘Today’ studio as investigators clear DNA lead in mother’s case
Savannah Guthrie stopped by the “Today” show studios this week to thank colleagues who have supported her during the search for her missing mother. NBC said the longtime anchor intends to return to the program but is focused for now on helping her family and the investigation.
Guthrie visited Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center on Thursday, her first time back since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared in early February. The visit was not televised, but hosts later confirmed she spent time with staff and production crews who have been covering the case.
NBC said Guthrie “plans to return to the show on air,” though no timeline has been announced.
During the visit, Guthrie addressed colleagues directly and acknowledged the difficulty of returning while the search continues.
“I have every intention of coming back,” she said. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And I would like to try.”
She told them she still has faith her mother will be found. “I’m holding onto my faith,” she continued. “I still believe. And as my mom would say, ‘Where else would I go?’”
Guthrie has spent much of the past month with family in Arizona as investigators search for her 84-year-old mother, who disappeared from her Tucson home.
Investigators say new forensic evidence linked to the case has hit a dead end. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said black gloves found about two miles from Guthrie’s Tucson home were tested for DNA and linked to a local restaurant employee. Authorities said that the person is not connected to the investigation, and other DNA evidence collected is still being analyzed.
Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Tucson home in early February, and authorities suspect she was taken without her consent.
Investigators have released surveillance images showing a masked suspect approaching the home. Ring’s CEO mentioned that the video could have been more useful if there had been more cameras on the property.
For now, the investigation continues with no arrests and no clear suspect.
‘Punch’ grows up: Viral baby monkey trades plush toy for troop
The viral baby monkey that captured the internet’s attention, clutching a stuffed animal, is beginning to loosen its grip and socialize with its troop. Punch, an orphaned Japanese macaque at a zoo near Tokyo, is learning the “rules of monkey society” from keepers.
Born last July and raised by hand after his mother abandoned him, Punch was given a stuffed orangutan to practice an essential survival skill — clinging.
However, zoo staff reported he’s now spending less time with the toy and more time with other macaques, sitting with adults, grooming and even hitching rides on their backs.
He still sleeps with the plushie at night, but the director noted that reducing toy use during the day indicates Punch is becoming more independent. His popularity remains high — the stuffed orangutan has caused shortages, and crowds at the zoo’s “monkey mountain” have grown so large that visitor times are limited to ten minutes.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Return or remain? The Iranian diaspora’s new relationship with ‘home’
Justin Haubrich woke on Saturday to a phone call from his wife: Ayatollah Khamenei was dead, she told him. As a first-generation Iranian-American, Haubrich could hardly believe that the rule of the Ayatollahs had so abruptly been brought to a screeching halt from the weekend’s military actions in Iran.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Haubrich told Straight Arrow News. And it’s one that will have profound implications on his family and his life. “It means we will finally be able to see our country again after 47 years.”
Haubrich was born in Oklahoma to parents unable to return to their home country of Iran after the family spent time in India as dual citizens – a common conundrum following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Now, he told SAN, for the first time in his life, Haubrich has the opportunity to see the nation his ancestors come from.
Haubrich is one of over 500,000 Iranian-Americans living in the United States. And like many others, he is watching the joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes in his family’s home country closely. While he has always desired to visit his family’s homeland, dual Iranian-American citizens have long feared being seized by the government should they cross Iranian borders. Following this weekend’s “Operation Epic Fury,” Haubrich sees the possibility of creating an entirely new relationship with the place his family comes from.
“This is what the Iranian people have been asking for,” he told SAN. “We weren’t sure if we would ever see a free Iran, and now it is happening.” Read the full story now>
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
