Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Mullin and Gabbard get grilled

Mullin and Gabbard get grilled

Mar 18, 2026

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THE CATCH-UP

Markwayne Mullin is sworn in.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), nominee for Homeland Security secretary, is sworn in to testify during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

DUELING HEARINGS: Two of the faces of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and immigration agendas took their turns in the hot seat before Senate panels this morning, in a major day for the White House on the Hill.

For Markwayne Mullin, emotions ran high as the Republican senator from Oklahoma faced his colleagues — where Republicans largely sang his praises as an effective operator in Congress and a human being. “I am really upset that [Trump] has made your nomination. Why? Because I will be losing from the Senate one of the best friends that I have,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said. “I’m going to ruin everything for the audience. You will be confirmed,” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio.) told Mullin. Even Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) called him an “upstanding” man.

But there was one notable exception.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — who remained mum with reporters this week about his plans for the hearing — aired out his issues with Mullin, who previously called Paul a “freaking snake” and said he understood why Paul was attacked by his neighbor in 2017, POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil reports from inside the hearing. “Tell it to my face, tell the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung,” Paul said, opening the hearing. “And while you’re at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to” lead DHS.

Mullin in turn accused Paul of “character assassination,” and didn’t retract his comments. Though Paul didn’t back down from his assessment of Mullin, he indicated that the committee vote for tomorrow is still on, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney notes. “I think he's unfit. I think his temperament is not suitable. I think his anger issues are a problem. So I won't vote for him, but I've promised to at least get an expeditious vote,” Paul told Semafor’s Burgess Everett. Other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, remained confident Mullin will be approved, calling him “the right person for the job,” per Jordain.

Both Republicans and Democrats have been looking for Mullin to elucidate how he’ll change the direction of DHS following Kristi Noem’s tumultuous tenure atop the agency. In his testimony, Mullin seemed to address those concerns directly. His goal? “We’re not in the lead story every single day,” he said. Mullin and other Republicans on the committee also used the hearing to slam the partial shutdown of DHS, calling it “unconscionable.”

And while he shied away from any direct criticism of Noem, Mullin did outline some policy changes including ending the $100,000-plus personal approval on FEMA funding, which he labeled “micromanagement.” He signaled support for using judicial warrants — a key Democratic demand — and committed to maintaining open lines of communication (i.e. keeping his phone handy). He also said he regrets having called Alex Pretti “deranged” — but said he wouldn’t offer an apology to Pretti’s family until the conclusion of an investigation into the incident that ended in Pretti’s death at the hands of federal officers.

Over in Hart, all eyes were on DNI Tulsi Gabbard — who was flanked by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and other top intelligence officials — facing a grilling by senators on the war in Iran. It was a crucial appearance for Gabbard, a longtime critic of foreign interventions, who has now defended and lauded the administration’s operation against Iran.

Gabbard’s prepared remarks included a paragraph that said Iran hasn’t restarted its uranium enrichment since U.S. strikes last year, but she scrapped it during her testimony, Bloomberg’s Jamie Tarabay and Tony Capaccio report. Instead, Gabbard said Iran has been trying to recover from those attacks — a more toned-down version of the threat often cited by administration officials.

The omission raised a few eyebrows among Democratic senators on the panel, including ranking member Mark Warner (D-Va.), who asked about it. “I recognized that the time was running long,” Gabbard said of the omission. Gabbard also did not respond when asked if Trump was warned Iran would seek to close the Strait of Hormuz.

The testimony on worldwide threats comes a day after one of Gabbard’s top aides, Joe Kent, announced his resignation in a scathing letter, which press secretary Karoline Leavitt called “laughable” and “insulting.” Asked about Kent’s assertion that Iran posed no imminent threat, Ratcliffe disagreed: “No. In fact, the intelligence reflects the contrary,” he said, per Reuters.

As if all that isn’t enough: VP JD Vance is in Michigan touting Trump’s economic agenda and its impact on auto workers. And Speaker Mike Johnson will travel with Trump to Delaware today to attend the dignified transfer of service members who were killed in the crash of a refueling jet, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai reports. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Moreno are also set to attend. Three of the airmen killed in the crash hailed from Ohio.

Good Wednesday afternoon. This is Ali Bianco and Makayla Gray. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at abianco@politico.com and mgray@politico.com.

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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. MAJOR INVESTIGATION: “Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years,” by NYT’s Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes: “[Ana Murguia] and another woman, Debra Rojas, say that [Cesar Chavez] sexually abused them for years when they were girls, from around 1972 to 1977. He was in his 40s and had become a powerful, charismatic figure who captured global attention as a champion of farmworker rights. … The two women have not shared their stories publicly before, and an investigation by The New York Times has uncovered extensive evidence to support their accusations and those raised by several other women against Mr. Chavez, the United Farm Workers co-founder who died in 1993 at the age of 66.”

“The abuse allegations appear to be part of a larger pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Chavez, much of which has never been publicly revealed. The Times investigation found that Mr. Chavez also used many of the women who worked and volunteered in his movement for his own sexual gratification. His most prominent female ally in the movement, Dolores Huerta, said in an interview that he sexually assaulted her, a disclosure she has never before made publicly. … Mr. Chavez’s family said on Tuesday night that they were ‘not in a position to judge’ the claims. ‘As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual misconduct,’ they said in a statement.”

The reckoning: “Cesar Chavez allegations jolt California’s labor movement,” by POLITICO’s Dustin Gardiner: “The United Farm Workers, the national union which he co-founded, called the allegations of abuse ‘shocking,’ ‘disturbing,’ ‘crushing’ and ‘indefensible,’ and said it would cancel all Cesar Chavez Day events.”

2. IRAN LATEST: Trump issued a 60-day suspension of the Jones Act, a century-old shipping law typically requiring goods to travel between domestic ports on U.S.-built and operated vessels, POLITICO’s Finya Swai reports. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement the temporary measure is meant to ease supply bottlenecks and lower energy prices. “The temporary suspension — which the White House floated last week — could anger American-based shipbuilding and shipping companies, although some analysts previously told POLITICO it would not have a significant impact on the industries as long as it remains temporary.”

More moves: The Treasury Department also eased sanctions with Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company today with some limitations, AP’s Fatima Hussein and Regina Garcia Cano report. The deal allows Venezuela to directly sell its oil to U.S. companies and on global markets.

The death toll rises: Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in overnight strikes, making him the ninth Iranian official to be killed in the course of the war, AP reports.

How it’s playing: “Iran war fuels tensions in US Democratic primary races,” by Reuters’ Tim Reid: “The tensions are emerging in Democratic primaries for Senate and House seats in Michigan, Colorado, Illinois, Maine and North Carolina, a Reuters review shows. At least half a dozen progressives are challenging establishment-backed or moderate rivals over the Iran war, arguing that donations to their opponents from defense contractors and pro-Israel groups undercut their opposition to the conflict.”

3. PRICE, PRICE BABY: Wholesale prices rose 0.7 percent last month and the headline PPI inflation was at 3.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. “For the all-items index, prices rose faster than the 0.5% pace in January. However, the core increase was less than the 0.8% for the prior month,” CNBC’s Jeff Cox reports. “On a 12-month basis, headline PPI inflation was at 3.4%, the most since February 2025, while core was at 3.9%, according to the BLS. … Stock market futures slipped following the report while Treasury yields were higher. Futures traders pushed out the next Fed interest rate cut until at least December.” Expect Fed Chair Jerome Powell to address the state of the economy at his 2:30 p.m. presser.

Pain at the pump: The latest reading comes as consumers are seeing the highest gas prices in nearly two and a half years, AP’s Wyatte Grantham-Phillips reports. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped over $3.84 today, up from the $2.98 average from before the war in Iran.

4. IMMIGRATION FILES: An internal DHS document shows that Trump’s $915 million incentive program to push unauthorized immigrants to voluntarily leave the country has led to 72,000 people departing the U.S. as of this month, CNN’s Audrey Ash and Priscilla Alvarez scoop. “The majority who signed up were already in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, the document shows. Homeland Security officials have not publicly released detailed data on how many people have left the US under the new program, which the administration argues saves money by slashing the cost of deportations.”

Speaking of documents: Scott MacFarlane reports on Substack that DHS “has been asked to ‘preserve all communications and internal records’ about the work conducted by Corey Lewandowski.” The top Democrats on the House Homeland Security, House Oversight and the House Transportation and Infrastructure committees this morning launched probes into Lewandowski’s tenure, accusing him of “serving as a ‘shadow chief-of-staff’” and alleging he “might have violated rules and restrictions of designated Special Government Employees.”

5. DATA DIGEST: FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the agency is buying information that tracks people’s location history, marking the first time the FBI confirmed purchasing such data since 2023, POLITICO’s Alfred Ng reports. “We do purchase commercially available information that’s consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us,” Patel told the Intelligence Committee at a hearing today. The Supreme Court has required agencies to obtain a warrant for people’s location data from cell phone providers since 2018, but data brokers offer an alternative avenue by purchasing the information directly.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE — Polymarket is expanding its presence in D.C., opening “The Situation Room” — a bar solely dedicated to tracking news. “Imagine a sports bar... but just for situation monitoring - live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket screens,” Polymarket said in its announcement. The grand opening is set for Friday — though no address for the new establishment was listed.

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Statue removed during a city’s racial reckoning to be displayed in D.C.,” by WaPo’s Joe Heim and Olivia George: “Soon, the statue of [Caesar Rodney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and enslaver] astride his horse, removed from public view during the 2020 racial justice protests, will be brought to Washington and displayed in a much more august setting, on an outdoor concourse on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the U.S. Capitol honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

“The National Park Service plans to install the Rodney statue temporarily in Freedom Plaza, a federal park in downtown Washington that was renamed to honor the civil rights leader in 1988. The statue would be displayed for up to six months as part of the nation’s celebration of its 250th birthday, according to Interior Department documents.”

MEDIAWATCH — “MS NOW Overhauls Lineup From ‘Morning Joe’ Through ‘The 11th Hour’ In Major Move,” by the Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin: “The changes, which will go into effect come June, will include Ali Velshi taking over the late night show The 11th Hour from his friend and It’s Happening co-host Stephanie Ruhle, with Ruhle moving to a new morning period from 9-11 a.m. weekdays where she will delve into money and politics as the opening bell rings. … With that new change, Morning Joe will return to three hours from 6-9 a.m.”

OUT AND ABOUT — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition hosted an event at the National Union Building on how the U.S. can win the global critical minerals race, featuring Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.), and administration officials including MCC’s Dan Petrie and USTDA’s Sam Kwon. SPOTTED: J. Peter Pham, Heather Kulp, Liz Schrayer, Kelley Currie, Joe Foltz, Susan Adams, Bonnie Glick, Carl Budd, Lorraine Keeler, Amanda Jennings, Ted McKinney, Adrienne Ross, Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Michelle Jelnicky, Alan Carroll and Isabelle Icso.

POLITICO MOVES — Madison Fernandez is joining the New York Playbook team to cover the congressional delegation and the midterms. She previously worked on the New Jersey team. … Fernando Rodas will be deputy editor for the Legislative Compass team. He previously was a central editor. … Cassandra Dumay is joining POLITICO’s financial services team covering housing policy. She previously was a fellow. … Alexia Underwood is joining POLITICO as California energy, environment and climate editor. She previously was at Inside Climate News.

TRANSITIONS — John Wittenzellner has joined Boies Schiller Flexner as a partner in its patent litigation practice. He most recently worked for Williams Simons & Landis. … Ryan Brack is now SVP of Eden. He previously worked for Meta. … Russ Blauw has joined the Aerospace Industries Association as VP of membership and strategic direction. He most recently worked at RB Solutions.

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