Wildfires expose millions in the Midwest and Northeast US to dangerous smoke

GAME OVER? America's ALL-OUT ATTACK On Iran! 10 Missile Attacks COLLAPSE INDIA'S GOLDEN PORT?

Lady Columbia

 

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Martyrdom: The secret shield protecting Iran from collapse

Iran’s strength lies in belief—martyrdom turns suffering into power, making war strengthen resolve instead of breaking the system from within

Written By : Girish Linganna
Updated: Mar 30, 2026 12:21 IST

Highlights

Created by News24 AI • Verified by the editorial team

Understanding Iran's Resilience Amidst Conflict

• Iran's identity is deeply rooted in Shia Islam, specifically the 1,400-year-old story of Imam Hussein's sacrifice at Karbala in 680 AD.
• Shia belief teaches that suffering and dying for what is right is not defeat but a victory, a concept the Iranian government has used since 1979.
• External attacks, such as missile strikes and leader killings, can inadvertently strengthen the Islamic Republic's narrative by validating its claims of oppression.

Impact of External Pressure

• Demands for 'unconditional surrender' from the US, like those made by Donald Trump, are perceived by Iran as attempts to humiliate and erase them, turning even doubtful Iranians into defenders.

There is a war happening right now — America and Israel are attacking Iran with missiles, bombs, and strikes. Leaders have been killed. Buildings have been destroyed. And yet, something strange is happening. Instead of breaking down, many people inside Iran seem to be holding on even tighter to their beliefs. To understand why, we do not need to study military maps. We need to understand something much deeper — the power of faith, sacrifice, and what people believe they are fighting for.

This is the part that most news channels never explain to us.

Consecration of the United States for the 250th Anniversary of the Country

 

Consecration of the United States for the 250th Anniversary of the Country

Catholics for Catholics

Mar 27, 2026

Full Benediction and Consecration of the United States for it's 250th anniversary at the 3rd annual Catholic Prayer For America Gala on Thursday March 19, 2026, feast of St. Joseph. Celebrating 250 years of the United States! Watch the full event: https://www.youtube.com/live/Qa79PD7TreM

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Major Storm Alert: 70–80 MPH Winds, Heavy Snow, and Fire Weather Threat Spread Across U.S.

A powerful weather system is spreading multiple hazards across the U.S., including 70–80 mph winds, heavy snow in the northern states, and dangerous fire weather conditions across the Plains.

Mar 14, 2026 6:35 AM EDT

Cars drive on snow covered road Getty Images

By Adam Lynton

Managing Editor, Autoblog

Drivers across several parts of the United States could face dramatically different weather hazards over the weekend and into next week as a powerful weather pattern pushes across the country.

Forecasters say a fast-moving storm system is expected to bring strong winds and heavy snow across the northern tier, while dangerous fire weather conditions develop across the Plains and unusually warm temperatures build across parts of the western U.S.

According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center forecast discussion, an intensifying clipper-type system is expected to sweep from the northern Plains into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, bringing heavy snow and potentially damaging winds.

Snowplows removing snow on highway
Getty Images

Worship Resources in a Time of War

March 2, 2026


As the United States has begun military combat operations in Iran, we are called to pray and ask for God’s mercy.

Several resources are available to assist you.

Below are three prayers from the resource Prayer Book for the Armed Services. (In addition to the print resource, PBAS is available digitally through Sundays and Seasons.)

Time of war

Eternal God, whose steadfast love never ends, we ask that you look upon the nations now engaged in war and hasten the day of peace. Look in mercy on those exposed to peril, conflict, sickness and death; and show compassion to the dying. In your good providence, remove all causes and occasions of war. Incline the hearts of all people to follow the path to peace and concord, that war may cease and the day of reconciliation may come quickly, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Those Who Suffer from War

Merciful God, you grieve amid the pain, fear and suffering of your children. Look with compassion on all who endure the miseries of war. Be mindful, too, of those who day and night face peril in defense of our nation. Guide them in their duties as they seek justice for those subjected to tyranny and liberty for those who are oppressed. Eternal Protector of the helpless, hear the cry of the distressed and grant speedy deliverance in a new day of peace and concord. Amen.

Those in the country’s service in a time of war

Almighty God, let your protection be upon all those who are in the service of our nation. Guard them from all danger and harm; sustain and comfort those at home, especially in hours of anxiety, loneliness, and sorrow. Prepare the dying for death and the living for your service. Uphold those who bear arms on land and sea and in the air; and grant unto us and all nations a speedy, just and lasting peace, the glory of your holy name. Amen.

What US adults think about Pope Leo XIV, according to a new AP-NORC poll

Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Luis Andres Henao

AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX

The Associated Press

Washington, D.C. — June 17, 2025


Just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church, a new poll shows that American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader.

About two-thirds of American Catholics have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Pope Leo, according to the new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while about 3 in 10 don't know enough to have an opinion. Very few Catholics — less than 1 in 10 — view him unfavorably.

Among Americans overall, plenty of people are still making up their minds about Pope Leo. But among those who do have an opinion, feelings about the first U.S.-born pope are overwhelmingly positive. The survey found that 44% of U.S. adults have a "somewhat" or "very" favorable view of Pope Leo XIV. A similar percentage say they don't know enough to have an opinion, and only about 1 in 10 see him unfavorably.

As he promises to work for unity in a polarized church, Americans with very different views about the future of the church are feeling optimistic about his pontificate. Terry Barber, a 50-year-old Catholic from Sacramento, California, hopes Leo will seek a "more progressive and modern church" that is more accepting of all.

"I'm optimistic. Certainly, the first pope from the United States is significant," said Barber, who identifies as a Democrat. "Since he worked under the previous pope, I'm sure he has similar ideas, but certainly some that are original, of his own. I'm looking forward to seeing what, if any changes, come about under his leadership."

The US airports where you should brace for long security lines as unpaid TSA agents stop showing up for work

By Lina Batarags and Taylor Rains

Airline passengers waited in long lines to get through security screening at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The line stretched from the security checkpoint into the lower level baggage claim area and to the parking garage.Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Mar 10, 2026, 9:45 AM ET

• Some US airports are warning travelers about long TSA lines.
• The delays come as TSA agents, facing a missed paycheck amid the partial government shutdown, are not coming to work.
• Houston Hobby, San Juan, and New Orleans Louis Armstrong Airport all warned of delays.

The effects of the partial government shutdown have been on display in some US airports since the weekend.

As TSA agents are expected to miss their first full paycheck on Saturday because of the partial shutdown, which started in February, some are not coming in to work.

On Sunday and Monday, the staffing shortages resulted in long lines in some airports. The disruption, which appears to have lessened in some airports as of Tuesday morning, comes as air travel hits the busy spring break period.

In X posts on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, described the situation as "spring break under siege" and shared photos of throngs of people waiting in an airport.

For now, the chaos appears largely localized to a handful of airports — but travelers should expect lines across the US to worsen the longer the security officers work without pay.

Strikes on Iran will test US cyber strategy abroad, and defenses at home

Smoke rises over Tehran after airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. FATEMEH BAHRAMI/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES

The federal government’s cyber defense agency is short-staffed, and Tehran is known for its retaliatory cyberattacks.


BY DAVID DIMOLFETTA
CYBERSECURITY REPORTER, NEXTGOV/FCW
FEBRUARY 28, 2026 06:14 PM ET

Coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets are putting renewed focus on how the United States integrates offensive cyber capabilities into the battlespace — and how prepared federal agencies are for retaliation at home.

Iran has shown a tendency to respond to overseas threats with cyber means, from defacing websites to spying on U.S. and allied targets. Tracking such actions and alerting the U.S. government and public is a job of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has been operating with sharply reduced staffing due to a funding lapse for its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is a bad time for Washington’s cyber agency to be operating with limited staff,” said Annie Fixler, director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a national security think tank.

That funding lapse comes after Trump-administration moves shrank CISA’s workforce by about one-third last year and degraded public-private collaboration mechanisms. This “limits the ability of the federal government to provide timely cyber threat information to the private sector,” Fixler said.

In the wake of the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, American companies could see a “barrage” of low-level attacks like website defacements and distributed denial-of-service attacks, said Fixler. “Iran might also see some limited success against targets that do not have proper cyber hygiene — exposed edge devices with default passwords, for example.”

Other cyber experts said the U.S. should prepare for a mix of distributed denial-of-service campaigns, ransomware and hack-and-leak operations meant to send a message.

“While it’s not operating at the same technical level as China or Russia, Iranian-linked groups have carried out disruptive attacks against U.S. financial institutions, infrastructure providers and private sector companies,” said Tom Pace, a former Marine intelligence specialist and CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity supply chain firm.

The conflict will likely see a surge in state-sponsored hacking activity, “specifically targeting operational technology and critical infrastructure through the exploitation of internet-facing industrial control systems and vulnerable [programmable logic controller] hardware,” said Brian Harrell, a former CISA official.

“Threat hunters should be working overtime right now. By combining disruptive attacks with psychological operations, Iran will seek to erode public trust in government institutions and project domestic strength during periods of heightened conflict,” he said.

Elisity CEO James Winebrenner echoed that advice. “We should be vigilant in protecting exposed [industrial controls systems] and expect heightened retaliatory activity in the coming days and weeks,” he said. In late 2023, Iran-linked hackers digitally defaced U.S. water treatment equipment.

Tehran may play up the effectiveness and scope of their cyberattacks, said Cynthia Kaiser, a former FBI cybersecurity deputy director who leads the Ransomware Research Center at Halcyon. Industry research has documented these theatrics.

“They’ll turn [an intrusion] into an information operation, and say, ‘Look, we compromised this entire facility,’ even though they compromised just a machine,” Kaiser said.

UN Security Council Emergency Meeting on Iran