Oil tankers are again passing through the Strait of Hormuz this week as President Donald Trump ratchets up the pressure on Iran to stay away from the ships that transport around 20% of the world’s oil every day. The number of tankers passing through the strait ticked up to 20% of its normal level on Monday, according to an analysis from Goldman Sachs. Some tankers have braved the strait by turning off their transponders. The increase in tanker traffic in the strait comes after nearly a week of oil flow had been effectively shut down due to the ongoing war in Iran. Goldman Sachs: some oil is moving through the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/G396UEgdSj — Brian Sozzi (@BrianSozzi) March 10, 2026 In an interview with CBS News on Monday afternoon, President Trump said he is considering taking control of the Strait of Hormuz and warned that the Iranian regime would be completely obliterated if it continued to threaten maritime traffic. Trump also suggested that the U.S. military is close to achieving its goals in “Operation Epic Fury” and added that the United States is “very far ahead of schedule” after initially predicting a four-to-five-week operation. After Trump gave his optimistic update, the price of Brent crude plummeted, and stock prices ticked up. Later on Monday, Trump warned, “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.” “Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” Trump added. Ali Larijani, a top Iranian official, shot back at Trump with a direct threat of his own aimed at the U.S. president. “The Ashura-loving nation of Iran does not fear your paper threats,” Larijani said. “Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch out for yourself—lest you be eliminated!” FOLLOW THE DAILY WIRE’S LIVE UPDATES ON IRAN WAR U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegsesth said during a press briefing that Tuesday would mark the most intense day of U.S. strikes yet, while Iran’s military capabilities continue to dwindle. Since the beginning of “Operation Epic Fury,” U.S. forces have hit over 5,000 targets in Iran, according to Adm. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Americans are beginning to feel the effects of the ongoing war in Iran as gas prices jumped to their highest national average since 2022, with the conflict disrupting global oil flow. Brent crude reached nearly $120 per barrel on Monday — its highest price in nearly four years — before dropping late in the afternoon. President Trump promised on Sunday that oil prices “will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over.” He argued that the “short term” increase in prices “is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.” “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!” he added.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** My first thought after reading the viral “I Regret Having Children” article in The Cut was: “Wow, those are some young kids they’re complaining about.” The article consults three moms having second thoughts about their decision to become parents, and the oldest child among them is only 6. There are toddlers and babies but no older kids. That’s telling. These sorts of articles are horrifying because they normalize a former taboo: admitting you don’t want the children you have. But more than that, they miss a fundamental point about parenthood: It has seasons. This reminds me of when Chelsea Handler made headlines in 2023 for bragging about sleeping in and not shuttling kids to school in the early morning hours. Critics rightly pointed out that considering how the comedian was in her late 40s, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that if she were a mother, any children she had would be getting themselves on the school bus or even at college sleeping late and partying just like their mom. The baby years are time-consuming and sleep-deprived, but they are also brief. Toddler years last a little longer and also get more rewarding as your offspring start developing their personalities even more and engaging with the world around them. Those big kid years? They are challenging too, but also magical and rewarding. Any experienced parent will tell you they are nothing like the baby years. My own kids are getting older, with the youngest out of diapers and the oldest entering her pre-teen years. They pour their own juice, get themselves dressed, clean up after themselves (mostly), and even cook dinner sometimes. Our family is in a completely different rhythm now compared to just five short years ago. One mom I talked to mentioned how having children is an investment in the future, and that resonated deeply with me. She said for all the sleepless nights, she’s thinking ahead to her Thanksgiving table in 30 years being filled with the family she’s started now.  The moms interviewed by The Cut complain about missed career opportunities, flabby tummies, and less free time.  “Having a kid turns you into a morning person the way being chased by a bear turns you into a runner,” one interviewee complained. Another recalls how she “hallucinated from lack of sleep” when her daughter came home from the hospital, while the third said of her one-year-old, “If there is a hell, I’ve been living in it since I gave birth.” Those are all problems that parents would tell you are worth the trade-off of ensuring the continuation of the family line. But even for these women with more superficial concerns, their desires don’t have to be given up forever. The older the kids, the more independent they become, and the more time moms will have for personal fulfillment again.  Fortunately, X users were mostly horrified by the views expressed in the article. “A life focused on pleasure, comfort and money instead of love is ultimately a meaningless, miserable one,” pro-life activist Lila Rose observed. “You have a soul. You need love.” “Motherhood has its rough parts, but this seems to be a consequence of our obsession with self-actualization not taking into account that some worthwhile things are hard, and that roles of service are often more meaningful long-term than those activities that provide instant gratification,” Daily Wire contributor Emily Zanotti wrote. “Motherhood—physical, spiritual, or otherwise—is just a *good and natural thing.* It’s not always fun, or fulfilling, or even interesting. But it doesn’t need to be those things *all the time* to be the best thing you will do in your life.” “There is only one thing that will make you chronically miserable as a parent and that thing is selfishness,” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh wrote. “Immense joys are available to parents—a unique kind of happiness that non-parents cannot experience—but those joys do require you to pull your head out of your own ass for long enough to experience them. If you can’t, or refuse to, then yeah you’ll be miserable all the time. But the good news (if you want to call it that) is that selfish people are miserable no matter what they do, whether they have kids or not, so there’s still no need to feel regret.” Children are needy when they’re little. Then they become self-sufficient and later they become helpful. The precious baby you’re wishing wasn’t here so you could have uninterrupted Sudoku afternoons could become your best brunch companion in a couple decades—or sooner. The little boy climbing furniture and throwing tantrums will be helping clean your gutters in a blink. In Bryan Caplan’s 2011 book “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think,” the economist asks parents take such a long-term approach: consider how many kids you’ll want to have had when you’re 60. Regretting or questioning having kids, like polyamory, has become the latest norm-bucking trend. But like anything in life, parenthood doesn’t always, or even usually, offer instant gratification. Raising children is just part of the story. It’s a mistake to close the book before you’ve reached the good part. *** The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The writing was already on the wall before President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem from her post as Homeland Security Secretary. Key officials tied to some projects that have received massive scrutiny for their hefty price tags left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the weeks leading up to Noem’s ouster. Tricia McLaughlin, Noem’s chief spokeswoman, left the agency last month. At the time, she said she originally intended to leave in December, but that she stayed on in the aftermath of the two fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Those shootings happened in January. McLaughlin was tied to the scandal that led to Noem’s demise involving $200 million contracts for flashy TV ads promoting the secretary. Last week, Noem testified to Congress that the contracts “went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.” Records obtained by The Daily Wire showed that the contracts were awarded using “other than full and open competition” to a company formed days before. That company subcontracted some of the work to a group run by McLaughlin’s husband. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), on behalf of the Office of DHS Public Affairs office intends to limit competition to three contractors,” a justification for the decision said. A competition waiver stated that the department researched the internet and “industry publications” to choose Safe America Media LLC to produce the ads. The subcontractor, Strategy Group, said Tuesday it “has never had a contract with DHS,” adding that “We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services.” “Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements,” the company said. McLaughlin referred The Daily Wire to a recent statement from DHS General Counsel James Percival, who said he’s “personally reviewed the allegations” against her and “find them to be baseless.” “Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors. She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms,” Percival said. McLaughlin herself said in a phone conversation with The Daily Wire that “As soon as it became clear that my husband’s firm would at all be involved in subcontracting, which subcontracting DHS has no … there’s no legal mechanism that we can dictate who is subcontracted to,” adding “So as soon as that became clear to me … I immediately firewalled, recused myself from anything with subcontractors.” Then-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, who left the Trump administration in January to launch a campaign for Congress in Ohio, was involved in a separate $100 million campaign to recruit more immigration officers, according to NBC News. The contract was awarded to People Who Think and Safe America Media. Sheahan previously served as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and worked for Noem as she served as the South Dakota governor. But before it was handed out to those groups, Sheahan battled with an ICE employee she threatened after he suggested that the agency consider other contractors that were offering to do the work for a cheaper price, according to NBC, which cited internal communications. The decision to award the contract, she said, was “made by the secretary.” Sheahan called the employee into her office before yelling at him for trying to go against the secretary, an administration official who heard the conversation told NBC. The employee eventually gave up the fight and let the contracts go to the companies of Noem’s choosing, according to the report. We will have our country back.https://t.co/nZkBEj4evQ pic.twitter.com/gYKzwMJV52 — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 14, 2025 Sheahan also wasted millions in taxpayer funds to purchase a couple thousand flashy pickup trucks and SUVs emblazened with ICE’s logo, despite agents working in a heightened threat environment, according to The Washington Examiner. Three Homeland Security sources told The Daily Wire they believe the cars only exposed them at a time when threats against ICE are at an all-time high. The sources were granted anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. The agency traditionally uses unmarked vehicles to maintain the element of surprise and protect their safety. ICE agents currently face an 8,000% increase in death threats and a 1,300% surge in assaults, according to DHS. One source called the decision to deploy the cars “absurd,” adding that agents who were forced to use the cars “were apoplectic” feeling they put a “huge target on them.” Another source said it “does not make sense” “for an agency that arrests individuals hiding and trying to prevent us from doing our job.” “The need for surveillance, the element of surprise, and the need to remain inconspicuous, requires the use of unmarked vehicles,” the source said. “We would never be able to arrest anyone rolling around in a marked ICE vehicle that would alert anyone and everyone to our presence in the area.” DHS didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would mark the “most intense” day of strikes against Iran since the launch of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation.  “Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence, more refined, and better than ever,” Hegseth said during a press briefing Tuesday morning. “On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing yet.” During the same briefing, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 5,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the operation began. He also said that Air Force bombers had dropped dozens of 2,000-pound GPS-guided penetrating weapons on deeply buried missile launchers in recent days.  “On day 10 of Operation Epic Fury, we are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives,” Hegseth said. “No hesitation, no half measures. As President Trump declared yesterday, we’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force. We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated.” Hegseth also defended the U.S. military’s record on minimizing civilian casualties.  “No nation takes more precautions to ensure there is never targeting of civilians than the U.S.,” he said. “From the boat strikes in the Caribbean to this campaign here, no nation in the history of warfare has ever attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.” Hegseth added that the U.S. military investigates any incidents where questions arise. “It’s a point that isn’t appreciated enough,” he said. “Where things happen that need to be investigated, we’ll investigate.” Those comments came after the Pentagon said it was investigating reports that an Iranian girls’ school had been struck during the operation.  During the briefing, Caine and Hegseth outlined the three primary objectives of the campaign. First, Caine said the goal was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities to prevent attacks on U.S. forces and regional partners. “That means attacking launch sites, command and control nodes, and stockpiles before they can threaten our personnel, our facilities, and our partners,” he said. Second, Caine said the U.S. military is targeting Iran’s naval forces while protecting shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.  The third goal, Caine said, is targeting Iran’s military and industrial base, including weapons production facilities, research sites, and related infrastructure.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged travelers to return to more respectful attire, he was met with vicious backlash. People called his PSA racist, classist, and prudish despite him asking for what would have been considered the bare minimum just decades ago. Similarly, when the Tampa International Airport banned pajamas, outraged fliers vowed to never visit Tampa again. These measures aren’t just a push for aesthetic decorum but are active efforts to help mitigate the 400% increase of “in-flight outbursts” Duffy cited. People can cling to their right to pajamas all they want, but the way people dress is one of the best indicators of social respect. As a recent college graduate, I’ve seen firsthand how dressing well can transform an academic experience. When I was four, the greatest dread in my life was getting ready for school in the morning. I attended a classical Christian academy, whose strict dress code applied even to the preschool students. The boys were expected to wear crisp white shirts and black trousers, while we girls wore red tartan dresses. Over the years, I grew accustomed to wearing a uniform. They were old-fashioned, but they ensured a standard of neatness and modesty throughout the student body. Most of the students complained about wanting to wear more casual clothing, but complaints were quickly dismissed as we redirected our attention on learning Latin or reading great books.  My first day at a public high school was shocking for several reasons. I was stunned to see kids vaping, cursing, and shoving one another around. After years attending private schools, it intrigued my rebellious teenage attitude. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the way people were dressed: Some boys wore pajama pants and crude t-shirts, some girls donned crop tops and mini shorts that wouldn’t be appropriate at any age, and a majority wore nothing but sweatpants and sweatshirts. The student body’s appearance fit the school system’s low expectations.  After four years of public high school, I thought that a Christian college would have a higher standard for personal grooming. The day before my classes began, I picked out a cute dress to wear. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone was wearing athletic shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts. The students walked around the hallways with headphones on and their eyes glazed over. During class periods, they fiddled with their laptops, didn’t take notes, and often kept at least one of their AirPods in. Their clothing matched their attitude. The students were late to class, rarely finished assignments on time, and hardly ever engaged in thoughtful conversations. Even in a Christian, collegiate setting, there was a total lack of respect for social order.  I quickly realized that I needed to find an institution where intellectual growth was the actual priority. Transferring schools was my only hope. When I toured Hillsdale College, I felt like I stepped back in time. Every corner of the campus looked like a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life. Professors sat underneath statues in three-piece suits. The young men surrounding them dressed the same as they smoked pipes and talked philosophy. Young women wearing sundresses would set up picnic blankets in the sun to read Homer. Even the athletes and artists had time to change out of soiled clothes and into something fresh and neat for seminars. There is no official dress code, but the young people at Hillsdale were anxious to learn. Their passion was reflected in their appearance.  Our culture often tries to disconnect people from their physical bodies. This is why movements like transgenderism have been able to take hold of the culture: the belief that your body and your personhood will not necessarily align. However, our bodies and our personal grooming habits are often good representations of our souls. Although there can be exceptions, the way we look can be a reliable measure of how we feel about both ourselves and the world around us.  Dressing for comfort is convenient. In the age of social media, DoorDash, and Netflix, convenience often becomes our priority. We want things fast and easy; we want to throw on a hoodie and joggers and avoid making eye contact with anyone at the risk of engaging in small talk. This is not the behavior of a healthy society, but of a utilitarian regime. Frank Sinatra, who had a strict standard of rules for style, used to instruct people, “If black tie is optional, wear it.” Dressing well requires both time and intention. It is something that we don’t do for ourselves, but out of respect for those around us. It is a way to express our gratitude for the social order. In return, good attire gives its wearers esteem and confidence. When students wore suits and skirts to class, as opposed to athleisure, their demeanor changed. They walked, talked, and thought confidently. They had deeper relationships with their fellow students, their professors, and even the custodial staff. They were not simply trying to get a degree but were deeply invested in growing into fully fleshed-out individuals. Researchers often refer to this as “enclothed cognition,” which shows how one’s clothing directly affects their psychological processes. In a test, researchers split 58 science students into two groups. One of the groups performed a series of tests while wearing white lab coats, which are typically associated with intelligence and status. The other group was allowed to wear their own clothes. The group wearing lab coats did significantly better, making “half as many errors.” We can see the effects of poor dressing in all areas of society, from businesses to churches to public parks. The way we dress corresponds to the way we behave. If we want to restore this country’s virtues, there needs to be a polite group effort that begins among Gen Z. Encouraging official or unofficial dress codes in schools may help heal the damage of social slovenliness. To love America is to dress the part. It’s time we teach kids that both are important. *** Brooke Brandtjen is a writer and journalist from Wisconsin who focuses primarily on culture, politics, and religion. She is a senior contributor at New Guard Press, a publication she joined while attending Hillsdale College. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.