Yesterday, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned and issued a dramatic statement saying he could no longer remain in the Trump Administration because he does not support the strike on Iran because Iran poses no threat to us. And you could almost respect such an extreme, principled stance….if it were true. But many are confused about how he could hold such views when just three months ago he told Shawn Ryan that Iran was an enemy and a clear threat to the United States: DEVELOPING: Footage of Joe Kent expressing why Iran was an enemy and threat to the United States on the on The Shawn Ryan Show 3 months ago is going viral amid his new claims that no threat was present. pic.twitter.com/RHqYwfp9cj — Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 19, 2026 So that already was putting his resignation into a strange light….things already not quite making sense.  Dots not connecting. And now we may have just got the big bombshell that might explain everything. Fox News reports that Joe Kent is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly leaking confidential information. And you might think “sure he is, the Trump Administration is retaliating because they’re mad about the statement he released” … but that would be incorrect. Because the big bombshell here is the fact that the investigation began BEFORE he resigned. In other words, did he catch wind that they were onto him and so he bolted? See here from Fox News, Laura Ingraham looks visually stunned announcing this news: BREAKING: Resigned NCTC Director Joe Kent is reportedly under FBI INVESTIGATION for "allegedly leaking CLASSIFIED INFORMATION" And the investigation was reportedly going on before he resigned This is INSANE.pic.twitter.com/IzHVtKcPVd — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 18, 2026 FULL TRANSCRIPT: Laura Ingraham: Moment ago, um, sources are saying that Joe Kent, the former director of the, uh, United States National Counterterror Center, this is from Semafor, he just resigned. He’s now under FBI investigation for allegedly leaking classified information, and the investigation predates his departure. Congressman, your reaction to that tonight. Congressman: Wow. Well, there, there’s a lot there, and I think that we, we need to let this investigation play out. But we shouldn’t tolerate any leakers in the administration, particularly regarding classified national security, uh, interests and information. So, um, we’ll, we’ll let this play out and, and see where it goes, but if he was leaking, he ought to be held accountable just like anybody else would be. Laura Ingraham: Well, 5 minutes ago he seemed to think that Iran was a big threat, and then suddenly that threat went away. It was very odd. Congressman, thank you very much. Great to see you. Backup here on Rumble if needed: So…was Joe Kent the big leaker inside the Trump Admin? Did we just plug the hole? 1/ Theory: The real reasonCandace Owens, General Flynn's circle, Infowars, Bannon & other big MAGA influencers are suddenly raging at Joe Kent isn't just his Iran stance or "resignation drama." It's because they suspect (or know) he was their inside leak source… and now… pic.twitter.com/NfdmQAaFvo — Jeffrey Pedersen (@intheMatrixxx) March 19, 2026 CBS News confirms: BREAKING: The FBI is investigating Joe Kent, the ex-Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned over the Iran war yesterday. https://t.co/CidFkKCFKx — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 19, 2026 Here is more, from CBS News: The FBI is investigating former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent in connection with alleged leaks of classified information, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell CBS News. The probe began before Kent resigned this week over the Trump administration’s handling of the war with Iran, the sources said. The FBI’s Criminal Division is handling the probe, which has been underway for some time, one source said. The FBI declined to comment. Kent did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news was first reported by Semafor. Former deputy White House chief of staff Taylor Budowich alluded to the issue shortly after Kent resigned, writing on X that Kent was “often at the center of national security leaks” and “spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President.” He didn’t specify what information Kent was accused of leaking. Kent announced he was stepping down in an open letter Tuesday that criticized the decision to launch a war against Iran when the country “posed no imminent threat to our nation.” He also asserted that “it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote. He expanded on his reasoning in an interview Wednesday with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Kent insisted to Carlson that there was no intelligence that Iran was going to preemptively attack the U.S. or was on the cusp of building a nuclear weapon, and said there wasn’t a “robust debate” ahead of the war, instead claiming “the Israelis drove the decision.” The Trump administration has vehemently pushed back. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Kent’s resignation letter was filled with “false claims,” asserting that Iran did pose an imminent threat to the U.S. and calling suggestions that President Trump was driven to war by another country “insulting and laughable.” Leavitt has also downplayed Kent’s importance, saying in a Fox News interview Wednesday that Kent “was not involved in any of the discussions” before or during the Iran war, and had not played a part in assembling the president’s intelligence brief in “a while.” RELATED REPORTS: Karoline Leavitt Answers Questions On DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s Future Following Joe Kent’s Resignation President Trump Shares Screenshot Exposing Joe Kent Following Sudden Resignation President Trump always keeps the receipts. As the WLT Report covered on Tuesday, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, suddenly resigned. In Kent’s resignation letter, he claimed he could no longer consciously support the war in Iran. He later claimed it in his letter that Israel and its powerful lobbyists are the ones who persuaded President Trump into the war. In his first response after learning that Kent had resigned, President Trump called Kent “weak.” Watch here: Trump later in the evening shared a screenshot from a post Kent made back in 2020 in which he supported attacks on Iran. Take a look: BREAKING: President Trump highlights Joe Kent’s post from 2020 where Kent said "We shouldn’t sit and wait for the next attack, wipe Iran’s ballistic capability out." https://t.co/GLyhi8BfBT pic.twitter.com/hbv6pExjFa — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 18, 2026 USA Today reported more on Kent Resignation and Trump’s response: The top US counterterrorism official resigned on Tuesday in protest over the Iran war, writing that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” in his resignation letter to President Donald Trump. Joe Kent, a conservative politician and former CIA paramilitary officer, quit as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, alleging the United States went to war “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby” and that Trump had been duped by a “misinformation campaign.” Trump later told reporters “it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said Iran was not a threat. Every country recognized Iran was a threat.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media that Kent’s resignation letter was riddled with “false claims.” Kent, who was a top aide to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, is the first U.S. official to resign over the war, now in its 18th day. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard who Kent served under, also released a statement: Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the… — DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 17, 2026 Full Text: Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions. After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion. So what’s next for Joe Kent? Apparently, he’s about to go on the podcast circuit. https://x.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/2033943962839351687

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the Middle East after getting struck by what’s believed to be Iranian fire. “This would be the first time Iran has hit a US aircraft (in this case a stealth, 5th generation fighter jet) since the war started. The F-35 was ‘flying a combat mission over Iran’ when it was forced to make an emergency landing, per Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spox for CENTCOM,” CNN reporter Zachary Cohen said. “The aircraft landed safely, & the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins said. “This incident is under investigation,” he added. A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at US air base in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire, sources tell @halbritz & @OrenCNN. This would be the first time Iran has hit a US aircraft (in this case a stealth, 5th generation… — Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) March 19, 2026 CNN has more: Both the US and Israel are flying F-35s in the conflict; the aircraft costs upwards of $100 million. The US has lost other aircraft in the war thus far, though none known to have been hit by enemy fire. Three US F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, with all six crew members ejecting safely. And last week, a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, though the cause is still unclear. The US military said the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.” All six crew members aboard the KC-135 were killed. “Iranian officials have just released wild new footage claiming it reportedly shows one of its air defense systems successfully hitting an American F-35 fighter jet, which was forced to make an emergency landing,” Rawsalerts wrote. #BREAKING: Iranian officials have just released wild new footage claiming it reportedly shows one of its air defense systems successfully hitting an American F-35 fighter jet, which was forced to make an emergency landing. pic.twitter.com/7V7TyAuOLB — R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 19, 2026 “Iran’s IRGC says it attacked and ‘damaged’ a US f-35 fighter jet,” Al Jazeera noted. BREAKING: Iran’s IRGC says it attacked and “damaged” a US f-35 fighter jet. US Central Command says a jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing. LIVE updates: https://t.co/AcLp73CTgN pic.twitter.com/AiJLwd6cJw — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 19, 2026 The Hill shared further: The U.S. and Israeli forces have continued striking targets inside Iran, while Tehran has been retaliating with fire against U.S. assets in Gulf states, which have worked to intercept Iranian drones and missiles. On Monday, Centcom said about 200 U.S. service members have been injured in the conflict with Iran, with the vast majority of them returning to duty. Defense officials have said 13 U.S. service members have been killed since the war started. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. remains “on plan” for its objectives in the conflict but declined to give a firm timeline for when the war could end when asked about it Thursday morning.

After Rush finally broke with 2112, they tended to refine and progress with each new album. When it came to the 1980s, that process had to conform to a more streamlined, user-friendly result. Rush accepted the challenge, embraced the technology, and trimmed down the epics to bite-sized songs that the record-buying, MTV-viewing public could relate to. Strangely enough, the Ayn Rand-inspired lyrics were a direct reflection of the “Me” generation that dominated the mindset of the late 70s and 80s. Once synths worked their way onto Signals and its lead-off single “Subdivisions,” Rush seemed to be moving in the right direction. For them, however, more changes were necessary with their 1984 follow-up, Grace Under Pressure. And that started with replacing long-time producer Terry Brown with someone with a fresh perspective. Forty years later, Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition not only features a new remaster and multi-channel remix, but also a new stereo remix by Terry Brown from the original studio album’s analog multitracks co-produced by Rush with Peter Henderson. The eight songs that fill Grace Under Pressure sort of pick up from where Signals left off by incorporating many of high-tech apparatuses of the day like fancy dialup synths and electronic drums. In an effort to appease record company brass and hit parade impresarios, the object for Rush in 1984 was to come off as a sleek, modern-age band built for MTV comfort without alienating their more guitar-oriented fanbase of the 70s and early 80s. Grace Under Pressure achieves a balance, letting Alex Lifeson’s guitar operate front and center, without overextending its place in the mix. So you can listen to simple chord patterns frame songs like “Distant Early Warning” and “Red Sector A,” while low-flying keys follow along and fill in the gaps. Any short-run leads Lifeson plays are structured for purpose, not for showboat pyrotechnics. By the time you get to the reggae jump of “The Enemy Within” or the deep-seated groove of “Kid Gloves,” it’s as if the band is distancing themselves from their prog rock roots. On an album where none of the eight songs exceed six minutes, each and every track packs an economical punch without tedium excess. By the time you reach “Between The Wheels,” the guitar and keyboards intersect, without any intention of drifting apart. The Terry Brown remix seems to bring out a little more warmth of the original stereo mix. Without hearing them proper, the jury is still out on Richard Chycki’s 48kHz/24-bit Dolby Atmos and 96kHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes. His surround mixes of other Rush titles haven’t been well received. Steven Wilson’s take on A Farewell To Kings is really the only Rush 5.1 mix audiophiles seem to care about. Too bad it’s only available in the out-of-print box set currently fetching hundreds of duckets on the resale front. Thankfully, the included Blu-ray and the third and fourth CDs on Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition include the complete show Rush performed on September 21, 1984, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, also newly mixed. The video — originally issued on VHS and Betamax as Grace Under Pressure Tour in 1986, two years later on Laserdisc, then reissued in 2006 on DVD as Grace Under Pressure 1984 — has now been retitled Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984. Newly edited, mixed and visually remastered in HD concert video, this is the 20-song live set finding the band totally in sync at every turn and easily at the peak of their powers. Watching Geddy Lee sing, play bass and keyboards in one song is a marvel to behold. And seeing the band lock in on “YYZ” into “2112: The Temples Of Syrinx” is all the proof you need that Rush, even as streamlined as they were in the 80s, always kept their musicianship at the highest level. Available in multiple configurations — five LPs or four CDs, the Blu-ray, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, and Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 free to view on YouTube — Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition also includes new liner notes by Geddy Lee, as well as new illustrations by original album designer Hugh Syme for the box set  cover and each of the album’s eight songs. Altogether, we’re looking at another teaser to wrap your ears and eyes around before Lee and Lifeson return for the Fifty Something tour to celebrate Rush’s music, legacy, and the life of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Fans will expect to hear their favorites from Hemispheres, Moving Pictures and Signals. With 19 albums, they have plenty to choose from. That being said, there’s little doubt a song or two from Grace Under Pressure will find its way to the setlist. ~ Shawn Perry Purchase Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition

Muse share video for new single Be With You and will release The Wow! Signal in June

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) endorsed populist veteran Graham Platner in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Thursday, further intensifying an already contentious race against Gov. Janet Mills. Platner has also been backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), while Mills is supported by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The winner will face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the November general election, which is expected to be competitive and costly. “Graham Platner is the real deal,” Warren said in a video announcement. “He’s a fighter, and he’s ready to take that fight to Washington.” Warren argued that Platner could help Democrats reclaim the Senate majority, currently held by Republicans, 53-47. “Graham Platner has the grit to go against the grain and to fight for what is right,” she added, saying Platner exhibits the “fighting spirit that the Democratic Party needs now more than ever.” Platner’s campaign faced numerous scandals last fall, including old Reddit posts from 2013 in which he described himself as a “communist” and made demeaning comments about women. He has since apologized for the remarks. He also faced scrutiny over a tattoo that critics said resembled a Nazi symbol, which he later covered. The Mills campaign made the past Reddit comments a key focus of a new ad released earlier this week, specifically highlighting posts saying women should “act like an adult for f*** sake” and “not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.” “Just no way I could vote for you,” a woman says in the ad. In response, Platner re-shared a previous apology video from October and said in a post on X that he “was horrified” by the comments and “did not recognize the man on the other side of the posts.” Samantha Cantrell, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson, said that “Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate is so unpopular in Maine that Elizabeth Warren just endorsed a guy with a Nazi tattoo.” Despite the past controversies, most polling averages show Platner leading Gov. Mills ahead of the June 9 primary, according to RealClearPolling. The Cook Political Report has the general election race ranked as a “toss-up.” Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997, won re-election in 2020 with roughly 51% of the vote, defeating Democrat Sara Gideon, who received about 42%.

When I was in college, I passed the César Chávez statue every day on my walk to class at the University of Texas. Now, César Chávez is the name of the road I take to work.  For years, Chávez was presented as the figurehead for Mexican Americans, a symbol we were expected to revere. But he represented a collectivist ideology that perpetuated ethnic tribalism. After the New York Times broke the story of his sexual abuse of young girls, this false idol is finally toppling. My only hope is that he is not replaced by another. Chávez has long been celebrated as a symbol of the Civil Rights era and as a champion of labor unions in America. He co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union to fight for better conditions for migrant laborers. But in truth, he exploited the very people he claimed to protect, while tying Mexican Americans to socialist ideology. He carefully crafted a public image as a family man devoted to Catholic social teaching, but the reality was much darker. Chávez’s philosophy echoes Marxist rhetoric about the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. At a UFW convention in 1981, Chávez proclaimed:  I would not take one cup of coffee from a grower [farmer]… There’s not a good one. I hate them. A few presents, a little talk, then the noose. That’s how capitalism works. It isn’t just his rhetoric that sounds alarm bells. Early in his career, he worked with Saul Alinsky (the community organizer who defined the modern leftist playbook in “Rules for Radicals”). Chávez and the UFW later implemented Alinsky’s tactics, fostering confrontational, divisive organizing. Then, there is the recent revelation of his extensive sexual abuse of minors. The behavior is not distinct from other far-Left figures. From Josef Stalin to Mao to Kim Jong-il, communist and socialist leaders often share a troubling connection to sexual predation. We should not be surprised that evil ideology attracts evil people. If the warning signs around Chávez have existed for decades, why did he become the face of an entire ethnicity in America? Partly, because he was effective at mobilizing Mexican Americans in California, using rhetoric that created a lasting “us vs. them” mentality. But how did that ideology extend to Texas? Chávez never belonged in Tejano heritage the same way he does in Chicano culture. The Chicano culture and movement are a direct outgrowth of the California Hispanic labor movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s. On the other hand, the Tejano culture traces back to the Mexican settlers of Texas prior to Texas Independence and is a component of what created the Texas identity.  That history is also tied to farming and a cowboy ethos that is incompatible with Chávez’s ideology. Texas agriculture thrived because of ranchers like my ancestors, who embraced a free-market approach, not because of unions or collectivist movements. Before the New York Times exposé, one could argue that Chávez fought for Mexican Americans and deserved gratitude. Yet his legacy has encouraged a troubling mindset: To be loyal to one’s Hispanic heritage, one must embrace left-wing ideology. On campus, I was often labeled a “race traitor” at conservative events, accused of “wanting white approval,” or dismissed as “too white-passing” to comment on border and immigration issues. The type of tribalism promoted by Chávez is just like any other kind of identity politics, limiting and stereotyping the people it is intended to empower. In a political climate in which Texas Hispanics are considering Republicans on the ballot, it is clear why the Left is feeling threatened. So why is a street in Austin named after César Chávez? Why did his statue watch me as I walked to class? The answer is clear: ethnic tokenism. It was fitting for Bill Clinton to award him a Presidential Medal of Freedom and for Joe Biden to display his bust in the Oval Office. Chávez represents the Hispanic worker the political Left wishes we all were: obedient to a union boss and beholden to collectivist ideology. The UFW announced it will not be celebrating César Chávez Day this year amid the allegations. The idol all Hispanics were once expected to adore is finally falling from his pedestal. My hope is that we do not replace him with another. * * * Ariana Guajardo is the Video Production Manager at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She is the creator and host of “The Sweet Tea Series” and co-host of “The Hard Country,” where she and Joshua Treviño examine the history and modern tensions shaping U.S.–Mexico relations. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.