The proposal to add more than 100 court positions is awaiting approval by Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Senate, after clearing the GOP-led Assembly in February.
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In 1926, the idea of studying dance as an academic pursuit was almost unheard of. But one Wisconsin woman’s unique approach to teaching dance changed the field forever.
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After meeting certification standards, the county’s forests are now producing seven-figure returns.
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If the bill becomes law, Wisconsin tribes interested in offering online sports betting "would need to renegotiate" their gaming compacts with the state. And those compacts would need to be approved by the federal government.
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At 6:42 a.m., a parent refreshes an app on their phone for the third time in two minutes,
watching a small bus icon inch—or not—across a digital map. In school districts across the
country, that moment has become part of the daily routine.
When they work, they build trust. When they don’t, the breakdown is immediate, public and loud. School bus tracking apps, once marketed as a simple way to reduce anxiety and improve communication, continue as a high-visibility link between transportation departments and families.
Growing Pains
While many schools across the country are quite satisfied, some have had problems.
Osceola School District in Florida launched an app at the start of the school year. By January, the district was forced to notify families that the app was not functioning properly. The school district is still trying to work out its glitches.
Prince George’s County Public Schools, which operates roughly 1,000 bus routes daily in Maryland outside of the nation’s capital, adopted a mobile app to give parents real-time tracking and schedule alerts. Persistent reliability issues and mounting parent complaints
prompted the district to abandon the platform and migrate to a new app instead.
Tech Hiccups Aside, Bus Tracking Apps Experience Growing Use and User Satisfaction
Despite technical hiccups, data-integration challenges and the pressure of public scrutiny, school bus tracking apps have become common implementations in pupil transportation.
The Houston County School District in Perry, Georgia has used CalAmp technology for its school bus fleet since 2019 to much satisfaction. The district has 265 school buses that transport approximately 16,000 students twice a day on 180 bus routes. Houston County
initially partnered with CalAmp to utilize the core technology of GPS fleet tracking, comparative analysis, time and attendance, navigation, and engine diagnostics. After its initial installation, the school district added the Here Comes the Bus parent app.
“The fleet tracking system is a world above our previous product and gives us the ability to know instantly the location of a bus, its speed, its status on the route, as well as a history of the buses’ activity,” explained Tom Walmer, Houston County’s director of transportation.
“The tracking system as well as the dispatch monitor module allows staff to have real-time data available to ensure buses are on their routes which stops have been completed, which stops may have been missed, and enhances our ability to address emergency situations as they arise. The navigation capability makes the job of a bus driver much easier and safer. No more need for inexperienced drivers or substitute drivers to fumble with route sheets or printed directions because it is all on the tablet, giving them directions and stop location notifications. Comparative analysis and engine diagnostics are essential tools for supervisors and staff to monitor performance and eliminate issues that we may not have known about otherwise.”
Houston County Schools is not the only district in Georgia to have had success with CalAmp. Trey Stow, the director of transportation operations for Fulton County Schools serving the Atlanta metropolitan area, said over 89,000 users within the school district also use CalAmp Here Comes the Bus app. Stow says the app “works well and is heavily relied upon.”
The experiences of Houston County and Fulton Country are catching on for many other school districts as usage of bus tracking apps continues to grow.
“We are up to 1.7 million active users,” Adam Ortlieb, senior product marketing manager at CalAmp, said. “Parents expect this capability for improved student safety and more efficient use of their time. School districts are aligned on those priorities. Plus, both transportation staff and parents benefit heavily from efficiency gains.”
Integration is Key
Lam Nguyen-Bull is the chief experience officer at Edulog and leads the company’s advisory services team. Edulog claims it is the original school bus routing software company and has been providing routing and planning software solutions to districts across North America since 1977. Nguyen-Bull said a key attribute to success is integration with other software and applications such as routing and GPS systems as well as scanning systems that register students boarding the bus.
“The reality is that many parents currently track their kids via their cell phones,” she said. “The key is that a useful student ridership application has to be completely integrated with the routing system to provide information that is specific to the student’s trips to and from school. The app needs to let parents know when the bus is planned to arrive at the stop and then give the parents a heads up when the bus is nearby. Then, as the student boards the bus, the ridership piece kicks in. The student scans on with an RFID card, maybe a bar code, or the driver “boards” the student on a mobile data terminal (tablet) application. Parents are notified in the app that the student has boarded the bus. Similarly, the parents are notified when the student exits the bus. This might happen a couple of times each morning if the student transfers buses during their trip to school.”
Once implemented and adopted, it’s important for schools to monitor the utility of new apps and features, as well as their effectiveness.
Houston County School District pays attention to the data metrics readily available as subscribers to the CalAmp applications.
“We currently have approximately 15,536 stakeholders utilizing the HCTB app notifications,” said Walmer. “That number is an indication of the success of the roll out. When my staff takes parent calls about bus stop locations and times, it is our practice to ask if the parent utilizes the app. The majority of the time, the answer is yes and includes positive comments. If they do not use the app, it is our practice to bring it to their attention and encourage them to download the app. A testament to the popularity of the app is away from work while in the community. Whether at church, the grocery store or such, when a person finds out that we work at the school district transportation department, people give unsolicited feedback about how much they love the app.”
Stow with Fulton County Schools said app usage indicates when there might be an issue like a school bus driver forgetting to log into a route.
“The phone calls tend to increase in measure and expose an issue,” he said. “CalAmp provides excellent customer service with their team and always resolves any issues quickly which helps us provide the best service possible.”
App Features ‘Wish List’ Continues to Grow
While bus tracking apps are progressing along a curve of early integration, there are many features that users and app producers wish to see.
“We are currently in the process of implementing an existing feature of the Cal-Amp technology and Here Comes the Bus: Student ridership scans,” said Walmer. “We piloted the ridership scans in May of 2025 and had new hardware installed on all of our buses over the summer. We did a soft roll out of the scans at the beginning of this school year and will have full implementation later this month. This is another excellent feature that enhances student safety. Transportation department and school staff have the ability to see from their computers what students are on any given bus in real time, or search for an individual student to see what bus a student is on. It also allows us to see where and when a student boarded or exited a bus. This enhances our drivers’ ability to be successful by notifying them when a student scans whether they are an eligible rider or not, and whether they are the assigned bus or not. It will also notify the driver when a student scans to exit the bus at a stop other than their assigned one.”
Transfinder is another producer of apps for pupil transportation. “Based on what Transfinder is hearing from our clients as well as from the industry at large, a common wish list of items include predictive ETA adjustments [and] not just real-time location, but responsive to outside forces such as traffic, localized emergency alerts, notifications specific to route disruptions due to weather, accidents, or school closures with recommended alternatives,” said spokesman Rick D’Errico.
He continued, “If alerts are tailored to just those impacted, the likelihood of parents not silencing their alerts is increased, and language [translation] for multilingual support.”
Edulog’s Nguyen-Bull said gaps are in daily operations. “Try as we might, we have not come up with a card that can’t be lost or misplaced,” she said. “That’s why it is so beneficial to have a Plan B, for example, an interface that allows a bus driver to mark that a student has boarded the vehicle. Districts find out that this becomes an onerous task for drivers if it gets out of hand. That is, if Plan B is invoked too much. Some districts charge families for replacement cards, but that approach has its shortcomings, too.”
Ortlieb of CalAmp added the company is releasing more advanced safety, security and efficiency features. “For example,” he explained, “giving districts the option to prevent bus location details from appearing on a map until the vehicle enters the radius specified by the district. Single sign-on for the parent app is a very well-received new enhancement. It offers simplified, secure parent access, and allows districts to systematically manage passwords and deprovision users who should no longer have access.”
Bus Tracking Apps Are Becoming Standard
As school transportation continues its steady adoption of digital technologies, bus tracking apps are no longer experimental add-ons. They are now core service expectations. The experiences of districts highlighted show both sides of that reality: Early frustrations when systems falter, and measurable gains in efficiency, safety, and parent confidence
when technology is implemented thoughtfully and supported consistently.
The most successful deployments share common traits—tight integration with routing and dispatch systems, strong vendor support, clear communication with families, and ongoing measurement of adoption and performance.
Just as important, districts are learning that technology alone is not enough. Daily operational discipline, driver training, and contingency planning remain critical to success.
As features evolve from basic location tracking to predictive ETAs, ridership verification, and targeted alerts, the value proposition will only grow. For transportation leaders,
the takeaway is clear: Bus tracking apps, when executed well, reduce uncertainty, strengthen trust, and transform how districts connect with the families they serve turning a once anxious morning ritual into a more predictable, transparent start to the school day.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the March 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
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Two student transportation professionals at STN EXPO East will discuss how transportation departments can set up a collaborative partnership with local police and fire departments to aid in safe emergency response.
Tracie Franco, director of transportation at Leander Independent School District in Texas, will join Joshua Hinerman, state director of student transportation at the Tennessee Department of Education and former director of transportation for Robertson County Schools near Nashville, in a panel discussion facilitated by STN Editor in Chief Ryan Gray March 29.
They will share tips to proactively reach out and train with emergency first responders to make sure they are aware of the unique response and recovery efforts needed for a school bus incident. They will discuss coordinated training and in-service efforts, student ridership technology that can provide instant access to crucial information in an emergency and making sure transportation departments are engaging with the district wide community to increase awareness on safety efforts.
Attendees will leave the session with a better understanding of the logistics related to involving first responders in emergency response best practices in their student transportation department and strategies to improve their incident response protocol.
The session will provide attendees with practical strategies to work with law enforcement, fire, EMS and other emergency management agencies in preparing response to school bus emergencies. Franco and Hinerman will discuss their personal experiences with school bus crashes and lessons learned on joint training with first responders.
The STN EXPO East conference will be held on March 26-31 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa. Main conference registration gives access to five days of educational sessions, hands-on training, unique networking events, product demonstrations and updates on the latest industry happenings. Register at stnexpo.com/east.
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School bus transportation plays a crucial role in getting children to and from school safely every day. However, ensuring the safety and efficiency of this process requires more than just well-maintained buses and reliable routes.
Effective and streamlined communication between bus drivers, parents, school administrators, and transportation departments is essential for keeping a secure and efficient transportation system.
Here’s why communication is so critical and how it can be improved for the benefit of students, parents, and school communities.
Ensuring Safety
The safety of children is the top priority in school bus transportation. From the moment a child boards the bus until they safely arrive at school or home, clear communication is needed to address any potential issues that arise during the ride.
Real-Time Updates: Bus routes are sometimes subject to delays due to traffic, weather conditions, or mechanical issues. A streamlined communication system allows parents, school administrators, and transportation departments to be informed in real-time about delays or changes. By using communication tools such as two-way radios, apps, GPS systems, and automated messages, parents can track their child’s bus and adjust their schedule accordingly.
Emergency Communication: In case of accidents or emergencies, clear communication channels ensure that the right people are alerted quickly. Bus drivers can contact the school or emergency services, and parents can be notified at once to ensure a timely response.
Incident Reporting: A streamlined system enables prompt reporting of issues such as bullying, inappropriate behavior, or unsafe driving. When parents and school staff can easily communicate with the transportation team, it leads to faster resolutions and keeps the environment on the bus safe for everyone.
Improving Efficiency
School bus systems are large and complex, serving hundreds or even thousands of students each day. For this operation to run smoothly, it’s crucial to coordinate effectively between different parties.
Route Optimization: Communication allows transportation departments to adjust bus routes in real time based on factors like student attendance, road conditions, or changes in traffic patterns. This helps to prevent delays and ensures that buses are running on schedule.
Driver Support and Training: Streamlined communication ensures that bus drivers are well-informed about route changes, student needs, and any unique requirements for children (such as allergies or medical conditions). It also helps ensure that drivers receive continuous training updates and support from their supervisors, which improves overall service quality.
Preventing Overcrowding: With clear communication between transportation departments and schools, it’s easier to monitor bus capacity and adjust schedules accordingly. Overcrowded buses are a safety hazard, and by tracking attendance and bus usage, schools can prevent this issue and improve student comfort and safety.
Leveraging Technology for Better Communication
In today’s digital age, technology can play a huge role in improving communication in school bus transportation.
Automated Messaging Systems: Automated calls or text messages to parents can alert them of route changes, delays, or incidents involving their child’s bus. This minimizes confusion and ensures that parents are always in the loop.
Transportation Two-Way Radios Over Cellular, GPS and Tracking: With the ease of use of Push-to-Talk Over Cellular Radios (PoC), schools can check the progress of buses throughout the day, providing real-time data on location and estimated arrival times. This reduces the likelihood of missed pickups or drop-offs and improves overall time management for bus routes. School-Radio can do just that for school communication from transportation to administration.
Aaron Mannan Director of Project Management B&G Transportation, Inc. M&M Tours, Inc. says of their integration of the School-Radio PoC system: “Coming from a background in 9-1-1 communications to School Transportation, there are many differences, but the needs are very much just as important. We were frustrated with outdated aging radio equipment, and even worse, couldn’t find anyone to work on our system to keep us running. But then we were introduced to School Radio. Clarity is what they are all about. Our dispatch can handle communications from anywhere on the planet, our drivers are kept aware of safety sensitive information, and we know where our fleet is at all times”
Streamlined communication in school bus transportation is essential for ensuring the safety, efficiency, and overall success of the system. By using technology, improving parent-school relations, and enhancing real-time communication, school districts can create a safer and more efficient transportation environment for all students. The benefits of a well-coordinated transportation system extend beyond simply getting students from point A to point B—it helps build trust, ensures safety, and fosters a more connected school community.
By prioritizing communication at every step of the process, we can help keep our children safe and our school systems running smoothly. For more information on how School-Radio can optimize your communication, visit www.school-radio.com.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
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Sam Walker, who is deaf and has severe autism, uses sign language to communicate with his mother, Leisa Walker, at a recreation center in Ottumwa, Iowa, where Sam often exercises with caregivers funded by a Medicaid waiver program for people with disabilities. (Photo by Tony Leys/KFF Health News)
OTTUMWA, Iowa — Leisa and Kent Walker recently received a disturbing notice: The private company managing their son’s Medicaid coverage intends to cut nearly 40% of what it spends for caregivers who help him live at home instead of in a nursing home.
Sam Walker, 35, has severe autism and other disabilities. He is deaf and cannot speak. Sometimes when he’s frustrated, he hits himself or others.
Medicaid provides about $8,500 a month for health workers who visit his apartment in the basement of his parents’ home. The staffers help him with everyday tasks, including dressing, bathing, and eating. They also take Walker on outings, such as dining at restaurants, volunteering at Goodwill, and exercising at a recreation center or on park trails. They stick to a strict routine, which soothes him.
His parents say that without the in-home services, their son would need to move to a specialized residential facility in another state. Sending him away would break their hearts and cost taxpayers much more money. They strive to keep him home because they know change makes him anxious.
“The last thing I want is to put him into some kind of care facility, where he’ll just get kicked out,” said his mother, Leisa. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to KFF Health News’ questions about the Walkers’ case.
Patient advocates say state administrators in Iowa appear to be reining in Medicaid spending by cutting what are known as home and community-based services for people with disabilities, and they’ve heard of multiple families facing battles like the Walkers’.
Disability rights advocates expect the pressure to intensify as states respond to reductions in federal Medicaid funding called for under the Trump administration’s signature tax and spending law, which passed last year.
June Klein-Bacon, CEO of the Brain Injury Association of Iowa, said the cuts and proposed rule changes appear to be part of a quiet attempt to save money in response to the state’s budget deficit and expected reductions in federal Medicaid funding.
Medicaid, jointly financed by the federal and state governments, covers people with low incomes or disabilities. Walker is one of nearly 2 million people served by “Medicaid waiver” programs, which pay for care that allows people with disabilities or who are at least 65 to live at home.
Unlike most parts of Medicaid, waiver programs are optional for states. Idaho’s governor noted that fact in January, when he suggested legislators consider cutting them. Disability rights groups fear other states will do the same. Leaders in Colorado, Missouri, and Nebraska have considered such cuts this year.
Leisa Walker has heard Trump administration officials claim the national Medicaid cuts are intended to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. That’s not how it will play out, she said. “These are real people, real families, and this causes real suffering when you do this to people,” she said. “It’s a very scary time.”
Iowa Total Care, a private insurance company that manages Sam Walker’s Medicaid benefits, intends to cut his in-home care coverage by about $3,200 per month, his mother said. Company leaders told a judge they are following state officials’ direction, but they did not dispute Leisa Walker’s math.
Walker has been on the waiver program for three decades. It covers assistance from workers known as “direct service providers” — one of whom has been with him for 25 years. His parents receive no pay for the hours they spend caring for him when the aides aren’t working.
On a February morning, Leisa and Kent Walker drove an hour and a half to Des Moines for an appeal hearing. An administrative law judge sat behind a wooden desk in a conference room as the Walkers and their lawyer faced off against three representatives from Iowa Total Care, a subsidiary of the national insurer Centene Corp.
Leisa testified that her son is 6 feet tall and weighs 230 pounds. Although he knows some sign language, he has trouble communicating, she said. When he becomes frustrated or his routine is interrupted, he sometimes wails and hits himself or other people. “It’s devastating to watch,” she testified.
He’s not a bad person, she said. “He doesn’t understand how strong he is.”
She said her family would try to keep his main caregiver employed under the planned Medicaid reduction but would have to drop others who cover nights and weekends. She said no residential facility near their southern Iowa home could address her son’s complicated needs. She said a case manager told her that a Florida facility might be the closest one that could safely handle him.
Leisa Walker testified that the state’s Medicaid program would pay about $22,000 per month to put him in an institution, more than double what the program spends on his home care.
Sam Walker’s longtime psychiatrist, Christopher Okiishi, testified that Walker’s family and their support staff spent years developing a “fragile” but stable existence for him.
Lori Palm, a senior manager for Iowa Total Care, testified that Sam Walker gets about 16 hours of daily assistance financed by Medicaid. Palm said much of that time amounts to “supervision.” She said state officials recently advised her company that the program should pay mainly for “skill-building” time, not supervision.
The Walkers showed the judge a 2018 document in which a previous Iowa Medicaid director stipulated that supervision of people with disabilities is an allowable service for workers paid under the program.
Judge Rachel Morgan asked the Iowa Total Care representatives if the recent policy change was made in writing by the state Department of Health and Human Services. They said it was not and that they couldn’t specify who at the department had given them the new guidance.
The judge suggested during the hearing that for someone like Sam Walker, learning to regulate emotions could be an important form of skill-building. Three days later, the judge ruled in the Walkers’ favor, writing that the insurer’s attempt to cut care hours was improper. The insurer appealed the decision to the director of the Iowa Department of Health Human Services, who could overrule it. The dispute could eventually wind up in district court.
Iowa Total Care and the state Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to questions about the reports that many other Iowans with disabilities face reductions in care hours covered by Medicaid. Department spokesperson Danielle Sample said in an email that the agency supports home and community-based services, which, she noted, help “states save money by avoiding expensive long-term facility care.”
Spokespeople for the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicaid nationally, did not respond to a request for comment on the issue.
Medicaid waiver programs started in the 1980s, after President Ronald Reagan heard about an Iowa girl with a disability who was forced to live in a hospital for months because Medicaid wouldn’t pay for home care. The Republican president thought it was outrageous that the girl, Katie Beckett, had to live that way, even though home care would have been cheaper.
Members of Congress approved allowing states to use their Medicaid programs to pay for in-home care. But they made the change optional, to offer states flexibility and encourage innovation.
Designating such spending as optional “waiver programs” also made the change more politically palatable, said Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid policy for The Arc of the United States, which represents people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Prospects were much different for babies born with serious disabilities before the change, Musheno said. “Doctors instructed families to forget they existed, and to put them in an institution.”
All states have Medicaid waiver programs, but benefits and the number of people covered vary significantly. Applicants often wait months or years to get into the programs because of limited funding. More than 600,000 Americans were on waiting lists or “interest lists” for waiver services in 2025, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.
Disability rights advocates and care providers have fought for decades to maintain funding for the programs, but a national leader said the threat feels especially severe now.
“When Medicaid is cut, people with disabilities are at the center of the impact,” said Barbara Merrill, CEO of the American Network of Community Outcomes and Resources, which represents agencies that care for people with intellectual disabilities or autism.
That’s what happened after Congress reduced Medicaid funding in 2011, according to a recent paper published by Health Affairs.
States could again rein in waiver programs by limiting enrollment, reducing covered services, or cutting pay for caregivers, who already are in short supply.
However, states that try to cut the in-home care programs could face legal challenges, Musheno said. The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1999 that people with disabilities have a right to live outside of institutions if possible. The decision, in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., has been cited in lawsuits against states that fail to provide care options apart from nursing homes and similar facilities.
Several Iowans who belong to a Facebook group for Medicaid participants have posted in recent weeks that their families were notified of impending cuts in coverage of home care services for people with disabilities.
Sam Walker’s main caregiver, Andy Koettel, has worked with him since Walker was in fourth grade. Koettel, who works full-time, knows how to keep Walker calm in most situations and soothe him during a blowup. Their relationship took years to build, and it is a key reason Walker can continue to live at home with his parents, Koettel said.
“If I was not there, it would be incredibly difficult for all of them,” he said.
This story was originally produced by Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Mourners began lining up at 8 a.m. ahead of the ceremony honoring the late Rev. Jesse Jackson at the South Carolina Statehouse Monday, March 2, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)
Editor’s note: This article has been updated following the day’s ceremonies.
COLUMBIA — Thousands of mourners came to South Carolina’s capital Monday to say “thank you” to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the iconic civil rights figure whose activism helped change a nation.
Jackson died Feb. 17 at his home in Chicago at age 84. Though never an elected official himself, he inspired generations of Americans through his historic 1984 and 1988 campaigns for president. Two of his sons became congressmen: former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois.
But it was at a segregated library in Greenville in 1960, while as a college student home from summer break, that their father’s leadership in the Civil Rights Movement began.
Both inside the Statehouse and later at a church ceremony, the audience declared “I am somebody” — the iconic phrase Jackson used to encourage and empower youth, whether with children on Sesame Street or to open a music festival in a Los Angeles coliseum.
“From the streets of South Carolina to the global stage, he carried a message rooted in faith and committed to expanding opportunity for all,” reads the program for a Statehouse ceremony “welcoming home a son of South Carolina.”
The tribute in his home state began with a mile-long procession of his casket on a horse-drawn wagon from Leevy’s Funeral Home to the Statehouse. On top of the dome the flags flew at half-mast in his honor from sunrise to sunset. His closed casket, draped with an American flag, was brought into the Statehouse shortly before 10 a.m.
By then, people had already been standing in line for nearly two hours.
They included Camden residents Shirley Stanley Gorham, 79, and Mary Stanley, 78, who attended the 1963 March on Washington, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” speech. Jackson, also in the crowd, later marched alongside King and witnessed his 1968 assassination in Memphis.
Gorham’s daughter, Theresa Allen, said the voices of King and Jackson gave her hope and a belief in equality.
She came to the Statehouse to give him one last “ginormous ‘thank you’ for his service,” Allen, also of Camden, told the SC Daily Gazette. “Being here today is also saying to him, although you earned your wings, we’re still here to be that voice for you.”
Gentarra Williams, 30, of Columbia, watched the procession with her mother and 1-year-old nephew Jordan.
“We get to witness history,” Williams said. “I want my nephew to see a history book and see this picture and say, ‘Everybody, I was there. I saw it.’”
Jackson’s stop at the Statehouse was a “high and unusual honor,” said his eldest daughter, Santita Jackson.
He’s among only a dozen or so people to lie in honor in the Statehouse and likely the first who was not an elected official.
Santita Jackson thanked Gov. Henry McMaster for the honor. The Republican governor approved the family’s request after the office of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson denied a similar request that Jackson lie in state beneath the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. McMaster did not attend the morning ceremony but later stopped by the casket to pay his respects.
Monday’s events are part of a nationwide opportunity for people to say goodbye to Jackson, who learned directly from King before mentoring others and launching the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago that helped create the modern Democratic Party.
Celebrations of his life are also scheduled in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
It’s more fitting that Jackson lie in state in South Carolina anyway, said Jesse Jackson Jr.
“Our father was a South Carolina native. He began his fight for civil rights here. He brought meaningful change back to benefit his home state,” he said.
Ahead of the doors opening to the public around noon, more than 100 people gathered inside the Statehouse to celebrate “a life well-lived and a job well-done,” said Rep. Jermaine Johnson, a Hopkins Democrat who’s running for governor.
Johnson, who emceed the hour and-a-half ceremony, was among scores of Black politicians, businessmen and activists who credited Jackson with paving the way for their successes.
Underscoring Jackson’s outsized impact was the celebrity-attendance at the invitation-only ceremony.
They included U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn; former U.S. Rep. Andrew Young of Georgia, a close confidante of King during the Civil Rights Movement; and University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. Greg Mathis, of TV fame for the show “Judge Mathis,” credited Jackson with telling him to take his TV opportunity.
Legislators past and present attending both events included former Rep. James Felder. In 1970, he, I.S. Leevy Johnson and the late Herbert Fielding made history as the first Black South Carolinians elected to the House since 1902.
Felder said he first met Jackson when their schools took a field trip to the Statehouse. As Black students, however, they had to stay outside.
“He stood in the force of history and changed its course,” Felder said.
Clyburn said he too first met Jackson in high school. The two played for rival schools in football and basketball.
Jackson was his school’s starting quarterback, while Clyburn was “a prolific benchwarmer,” he said.
But Clyburn befriended Jackson’s mother, who supported Clyburn’s political career from the get-go. At her urging, Clyburn and Jackson became friends, and eventually their families grew so close that their children became friends, too.
“This is a friendship that spans generations,” Clyburn said.
State Rep. Chandra Dillard, a Greenville Democrat, and Greenville Mayor Knox White talked about Jackson’s work in his hometown.
That included organizing a July 1960 sit-in at the then-segregated Greenville County Public Library. The arrest of the Greenville Eight, as the group of students became known, prompted the library’s integration several months later.
Nearly half a century later, in 2005, Jackson led a march in his hometown to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, as a way to highlight Greenville County’s status as the nation’s last to recognize MLK Day as a holiday for public workers. The County Council voted the next month to make MLK Day a holiday starting in January 2006.
That was six years after MLK Day became a permanent state holiday as part of a compromise that brought the Confederate flag off the Statehouse dome and put it on a 30-foot flagpole beside a monument along Columbia’s main thoroughfare. It was a compromise that neither Jackson nor the NAACP supported.
Jackson was back in the Statehouse in July 2015 to watch the Legislature vote to remove the battle flag from Statehouse grounds for good. He was among those who called for the flag to come down after an avowed white supremacist killed nine people at a historic Black church at the conclusion of a Wednesday night Bible study.
“He identified with the leftover, the lowdown and the mistreated,” Dillard said. “And he gave them a home by telling them that they were somebody.”
Because of him, “little boys like myself are able to say, ‘I am somebody,’” said Sen. Karl Allen, a Greenville Democrat and friend of Jackson’s.
Allen and politicians who followed his speech repeated Jackson’s mantra, declaring with the crowd: “I am somebody.”
Jackson often cited those words from a 1950s poem by an Atlanta pastor.
During a nearly three-hour memorial at Brookland Baptist in West Columbia, Jesse Jackson Jr. led the crowd of hundreds in a roaring call and response of the words he father often repeated and adapted.
“Respect me,” Jackson Jr. said, as the crowd chanted back each phrase. “Protect me. Never neglect me. I am somebody.”
Those inspirational phrases, as well as his father’s use of them, were more than political, he said.
“I believe dad’s contribution is psychological,” he said. “That ‘I am somebody’ restores the hope of a people who did not believe in themselves.”
Other civil rights leaders sharing their memories of Jackson included Cleveland Sellers, the former president of Voorhees College, a historically Black private school in Denmark.
Sellers worked as Jackson’s campaign coordinator for southeastern states. Their early activism required sacrifice, he said.
During the 1960s, peaceful protests in the South landed people in jail on trumped up charges, put them in harm’s way and often took them away from their families. But Jackson did it anyway, said Sellers, who also paid a price. He was the only person imprisoned for what became known as the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre, when state troopers killed three and injured 28 students who were protesting a whites-only bowling alley. Sellers, among the injured, received a one-year sentence for inciting a riot.
A formal apology from the state took 35 years, issued by Gov. Mark Sanford.
“It doesn’t look easy,” Sellers said. “It never was easy.”
Santita Jackson also talked about the family side of her father, who often brought her and her siblings with him on trips. He was daddy first, she said, before singing “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power” with the church choir’s backing.
Jackson’s children urged the audience to continue working toward the dream of equality.
“We thank God for this king, this son of South Carolina, this great man who will live forever and ever and ever, as long as you call his name and as long as you don’t just remember him but resemble him,” said Santita Jackson.
“Do the work,” she finished.
This story was originally produced by SC Daily Gazette, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
U.S. Reps. Kelly Morrison, Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig of Minnesota, all Democrats, arrive outside of the regional ICE headquarters at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The lawmakers attempted to access the facility where the Department of Homeland Security has been headquartered in the state. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Monday temporarily blocked a Department of Homeland Security policy that instituted a seven-day notice requirement for members of Congress to conduct oversight visits at facilities that hold immigrants, finding it likely violates appropriations law that allows for unannounced visits.
The order from Judge Jia Cobb of the District Court for the District of Columbia rejects initial arguments from the Trump administration that the separate funding stream from the tax cuts and spending package passed last year circumvents a 2019 appropriations law that allows for unannounced oversight visits to those facilities from lawmakers.
Members of Congress sued the government over the policy from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Throughout this litigation, Defendants have emphasized the vast amount of money appropriated to DHS and ICE under the (One Big Beautiful Bill Act). The Court agrees that these funds are indeed staggering,” Cobb said. “But the power of the purse rests with Congress, and even a deep-pocketed agency must comply with Congress’s restrictions on the permissible uses of appropriated funds.”
The Department of Justice appealed the decision shortly after the order was given.
Monday’s decision came amid a partial government shutdown of DHS over Democrats’ concerns about enforcement tactics used by immigration agents following the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
The group representing the 13 members of Congress who filed suit, Democracy Forward, praised the decision.
“Today’s ruling makes it clear that Secretary Noem cannot operate detention facilities in the shadows or silence elected officials who are doing their jobs,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement. “The court has once again affirmed that oversight is not optional, transparency is not negotiable, and human rights do not disappear at the doors of a detention center.”
The 13 Democratic members of Congress who sued included: Joe Neguse of Colorado, Adriano Espaillat of New York, Kelly Morrison of Minnesota, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Robert Garcia of California, J. Luis Correa of California, Jason Crow of Colorado, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Dan Goldman of New York, Jimmy Gomez of California, Raul Ruiz of California, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Norma Torres of California.
This policy is the third from Noem to require members of Congress to notify the agency to conduct an oversight visit. A 2019 appropriations law, referred to as Section 527, allows any member of Congress to carry out an unannounced visit to a federal facility that holds immigrants.
A Recall Vos sign in rural Racine County in March 2024. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has recommended that the Racine County District Attorney file charges against 13 people for unlawful irregularities in the petitions collected during a failed attempt to recall Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in 2024.
In a letter sent on Friday, WEC said that it was recommending charges against two people who collected signatures on behalf of the recall effort who had listed addresses that aren’t their residences on paperwork they submitted for the signature drive. WEC recommended charges against another 11 people for turning in petition paperwork that listed signatures from people who later said they did not sign to support the recall.
However WEC did not recommend charges against recall effort organizer Matthew Snorek. The letter states that in a complaint to WEC, Vos made “vague allegations” against Snorek, but they weren’t enough to confirm that he had broken a state law.
The recall effort at the center of the allegations was the second failed recall drive against Vos in 2024. A faction of the Wisconsin Republican party, particularly around Vos’ Racine County district, has become especially engaged in conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. The recall drives were started because of what organizers charged was Vos’ failure to adequately investigate claims that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump.
This is also not the first time that conservatives have run afoul of the rules while opposing Vos. The state ethics commission alleged that during the 2022 primary elections, a political action committee connected to Trump, the Langlade County Republican Party and then-state Rep. Janel Brandtjen worked to illegally funnel $40,000 to the campaign of Vos’ primary challenger.
Vos announced last month that he will not seek reelection this year, ending his time as the state’s longest serving Assembly Speaker. For the past eight years under Wisconsin’s divided government, he has been the most powerful Republican in the state.
In a statement, Vos called the recommended charges “just another example of how these recall attempts were a complete waste of time and money when we hold regularly scheduled elections every two years.”
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Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly speaks with reporters in the Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — A federal circuit court announced Monday it will hold oral arguments in May to determine whether a lower court erred when it blocked the Pentagon from downgrading Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s retirement rank and pay for appearing in the “Don’t Give Up The Ship” video.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s new schedule came just days after the Trump administration requested an expedited timeline.
“In light of the public’s unusual interest in prompt disposition of this appeal, the government respectfully requests that this Court set an expedited briefing schedule that will allow the Court to hear oral argument this Term, before the Court’s summer recess,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate wrote in a filing submitted Friday.
The circuit court now expects the Trump administration to file a brief by March 20 explaining why it appealed the district court’s ruling and for Kelly’s legal team to file its reply brief by April 27. Attorneys for both sides would then present their oral arguments May 7.
Karen LeCraft Henderson, nominated by President George H.W. Bush in 1990; Cornelia T.L. Pillard, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2013; and Florence Y. Pan, nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022, make up the three-judge panel that will rule on the appeal.
The Defense Department’s attempt to punish Kelly stems from when he and five other Democratic lawmakers posted a 90-second video last year, telling members of the military and those in the nation’s intelligence communities that they can and must refuse illegal orders.
Kelly, a former Navy captain, was the only member of the group still subject to the military’s judicial system, leading Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to issue a letter of censure and initiate proceedings to downgrade the senator’s retirement rank and pay.
Kelly filed a lawsuit in January, seeking to block those efforts on several fronts, including that it violated his constitutional rights.
“The First Amendment forbids the government and its officials from punishing disfavored expression or retaliating against protected speech,” Kelly’s lawsuit stated. “That prohibition applies with particular force to legislators speaking on matters of public policy. As the Supreme Court held 60 years ago, the Constitution ‘requires that legislators be given the widest latitude to express their views on issues of policy,’ and the government may not recharacterize protected speech as supposed incitement in order to punish it.”
Senior Judge Richard J. Leon of the District of Columbia District Court wrote in his 29-page ruling granting Kelly a preliminary injunction that “it is a particularly valuable asset for our country to have retired veterans contributing to public discussion on military matters and policy.
“Given their ‘distinct perspective and specialized expertise,’ it is essential for retired veterans to contribute to our ‘public discourse’ on issues of military policy. Allowing Defendants’ actions against Senator Kelly to stand would further chill the speech of these retired servicemembers and thereby ‘impoverish public debate on critical issues relating to our military and its role in domestic and foreign affairs.’”
The Department of Justice had sought a grand jury indictment against Kelly, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, Pennsylvania Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan and New Hampshire Rep. Maggie Goodlander for their participation in the video. But it was unsuccessful.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens to questions during a news conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he expects war with Iran will continue however long it takes to achieve his objectives, which include eliminating the country’s missile program, preventing its leaders from building a nuclear weapon and ensuring it cannot fund terrorism.
“Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks,” he said at a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House. “But we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it. Whatever.”
His remarks followed an early morning briefing by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who emphasized to those in attendance the U.S. war on Iran will continue unabated on Trump’s terms, with more troops on the way and more casualties expected.
Speaking in public for the first time since the United States and Israel launched a massive attack early Saturday, Hegseth would not specify a timeline or exit strategy for the mission.
“We will finish this on America first conditions of President Trump’s choosing, nobody else’s, as it should be,” Hegseth said.
By 4 p.m. Eastern, U.S. Central Command had updated the death toll of American service members to six, though little detail was provided. Their names, ranks and hometowns have not been disclosed.
Trump mentioned the U.S. military troops who had been killed as a reason to continue with his war.
“Today, we grieve for the … heroic American service members who have been killed in action, and send our love and support to their families,” he said. “In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat, indeed it is.”
Trump said the objectives of the conflict with Iran “are clear.”
Military forces, he said, will destroy the country’s missile capabilities and its navy, prevent it from building a nuclear weapon and block its leaders from sponsoring terrorism.
Trump did not say whether he would seek approval from Congress, which holds the power to declare war under the Constitution. And he did not take questions from reporters as he left the Medal of Honor ceremony about whether he would send U.S. ground troops into Iran.
Hegseth at his briefing commented on the three U.S. service members whose deaths were announced Sunday. The secretary said that “a squirter” — apparently referring to an offensive missile or drone — was not intercepted by air defense systems.
“And in that particular case, (it) happened to hit a tactical operation center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons,” Hegseth told reporters.
The Associated Press reported Sunday the troops were U.S. Army soldiers deployed to Kuwait.
Votes are expected this week in both the U.S. Senate and House on war powers resolutions attempting to check Trump’s power to engage in armed conflict.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during an afternoon floor speech that lawmakers need to “pick a side” this week, urging them to reject what he described as “a war of choice, not necessity.”
“Donald Trump has just launched America into a full-scale conflict against one of our most fervent adversaries without a plan, without an end game and without authorization from Congress, or even a debate in full view of the American people,” he said.
Instead of engaging in “military escapades,” Schumer said, Trump should focus on implementing policies that would bring down the cost of living and focus on ensuring Americans have good-paying jobs.
“They don’t want a war that leads to lost American lives and that costs billions and billions of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was much more supportive of Trump’s military endeavors, saying the “administration relentlessly pursued a diplomatic solution to the threat posed by Iran,” but that country’s leaders “refused diplomatic off-ramps.”
“Iran has relentlessly pursued the development of its own nuclear program despite repeated violations identified by the international atomic watchdog, the (International Atomic Energy Agency),” Thune said. “Iran is also aggressively growing the range and inventory of its ballistic missiles and launchers, an inventory that is already the largest in the region. Combine that with a navy that aims to threaten a key shipping channel and it is clear that Iran poses a serious risk to America’s national security interests as well as those of our allies and partners.”
Thune and Schumer both said their prayers were with the families, loved ones and fellow service members of the U.S. troops killed so far in the war.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said following a closed-door briefing that he believes the vote on the House floor later this week will fail, allowing Trump to keep pursuing war in Iran.
“I am certainly hopeful and I believe we do have the votes to put it down,” he said. “That’s going to be a good thing for our country and our security and civility.”
Johnson said he doesn’t believe that Trump needed to seek congressional authorization to begin the war, arguing that “the president was acting well within his authority” since he believes U.S. military actions were “defensive in nature and design and necessity.”
Johnson said that since Israel was going to strike Iran and that intelligence sources believed Iran would have retaliated by striking both Israel and the United States, Trump acted appropriately when he began the war without lawmakers’ sign off.
There is a chance that if the war drags on the Trump administration will ask Congress to provide additional funding for military operations, but Johnson said “it will be some time before we can put a final number on it.”
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, ranking member on the Intelligence Committee, said after the same briefing that there was “no imminent threat to the United States of America by the Iranians.
“There was a threat to Israel. If we equate a threat to Israel as the equivalent of an imminent threat to the United States then we are in uncharted territory.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon that the administration has “complied with the law 100%” in briefing congressional leadership ahead of Saturday’s attack, and notifying all of Congress within 48 hours afterward.
“If they want to take a war powers vote, they can do that. They’ve done that. They’ve done that a bunch of times,” Rubio said. He added: “There’s no law that requires the president to have done anything with regards to this.”
The secretary told reporters “there absolutely was an imminent threat” that Iran would attack U.S. troops in the region upon Israel striking Tehran.
“We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded, because the Department of War assessed that if we did that … we would suffer more casualties and more deaths,” Rubio said.
“We went proactively in a defensive way to prevent them from inflicting higher damage. Had we not done so, there would have been hearings on Capitol Hill about how we knew that this was going to happen and we didn’t act preemptively to prevent more casualties,” he said as he continued on his way to a classified briefing with the congressional leadership and heads of intelligence committees.
When pressed by a journalist on whether the U.S. was forced to act because of Israel, Rubio said, “no matter what, ultimately, this operation needed to happen.”
Rubio said the U.S. focus is narrowly on destroying Iran’s current conventional weapons capabilities, which he repeatedly claimed are a “shield where they can hide behind” as they continue to build up a nuclear weapons program.
“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” Rubio said.
Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, at the briefing with Hegseth, said more U.S. troops and airpower were expected to arrive in the region Monday.
“This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that (U.S. Central Command) and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work. We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses,” Caine said.
Hegseth said the mission, dubbed by the administration as Operation Epic Fury, is “laser focused” on eliminating Iran’s nuclear ambitions by destroying its offensive missile stockpile and production facilities, as well as its naval and security infrastructure.
“We’re hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly, and unapologetically with every passing day. Our capabilities get stronger and Iran’s get weaker. We set the terms of this war from start to finish,” Hegseth said.
The secretary sidestepped a question on how much of Iran’s infrastructure has been destroyed since Saturday. Caine said assessing what remains of Iran’s long-range strike capabilities “will take some time.”
Trump reiterated that a bombing campaign he initiated earlier this year “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, though he said the country’s leaders, many of whom are now dead, “ignored those warnings and refused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
“In addition, the regime’s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas,” he said. “The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.”
Iranians began rebuilding the facilities bombed by the U.S. and Israel in June, but authorities had blocked international inspectors from assessing the areas, according to a PBS report citing an anonymous U.S. official.
The conflict rapidly spread Sunday and into Monday across the Middle East, as Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones following the targeted fatal strike by Israeli defense forces and U.S. intelligence of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On Monday, Iran attacked key energy infrastructure, interrupting oil and gas production in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s largest suppliers, according to international media outlets.
Gulf nations, usually safe havens and luxury getaways in the volatile region, ground to a halt as strikes and debris from intercepted missiles damaged the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, and nearby iconic tourist destinations, according to Reuters.
The U.S. State Department issued directives for Americans in the region, including a shelter-in-place order Sunday for all U.S. embassy staff in Qatar as airspace remained closed.
No deaths were reported after three U.S. F-15 fighter jets crashed over Kuwait Monday in an apparent friendly fire incident, according to U.S. Central Command. Video of an apparent U.S. fighter jet falling from the sky circulated on social media Monday.
The fighting spread to Lebanon after Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters fired rockets into Israel. Israel returned fire, including in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. Several media outlets reported casualties, citing Lebanon’s health officials.
Nine people were killed Sunday in central Israel after a missile hit a synagogue bomb shelter, The Associated Press reported.
The death toll across Iran hit at least 555 since the conflict began, according to Iranian Red Crescent Society figures cited by Al Jazeera. Iranian officials attributed more than 150 deaths to a strike Saturday on a school in southern Iran, according to numerous international reports.
The administration began amassing thousands of troops, aircraft and naval ships over the past 30 days in the region, including relocating its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, from its position in the southern hemisphere where U.S. troops apprehended Venezuela’s leader on Jan. 3.
The “rapid buildup,” Caine said, included service members from Wisconsin’s Army National Guard, which was operating in Kuwait and Iraq, and Air National Guard units from various states, including Vermont and Virginia.
Caine would not answer questions about the total number of U.S. troops involved.
Trump gave the final order for the attack on Friday, just before 4 p.m. Eastern, and joint strikes with Israel’s forces commenced overnight Saturday, at 9:45 a.m. Tehran time.
“The president directed, and I quote, ‘Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts, good luck,’” according to Caine.
Operations centers in Tampa, Florida and at the Pentagon directed strikes on more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours, Caine said.
President Donald Trump in a video posted by the White House on social media announces a U.S. strike on Iran, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Screenshot of White House video)
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers called Saturday for Congress to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s order launching “major combat operations” in Iran, while Republicans largely provided cautious support of the attacks.
Trump said in a video posted to social media at 2:30 a.m. Eastern that U.S. forces struck targets in the Islamic republic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were conducted in conjunction with Israel.
Trump said, “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
Late Saturday afternoon, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the strike.
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” said Trump. “The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”
On Saturday morning, as word of the attack spread, numerous Democratic members of Congress were urging a vote on Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers Resolution.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had “implored” Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a briefing this week to make a straightforward public case for any military operation in the Middle East.
The New York Democrat criticized the administration’s strategy, though he also had tough words about the Iranian regime. He called for an “immediate all-senators classified briefing” ahead of a vote on a War Powers Act resolution.
“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” Schumer said in a statement. “Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Trump for taking action to deter Iran from expanding its nuclear program and supporting terrorist groups in the region.
The country poses “a clear and unacceptable threat to U.S. servicemembers, citizens in the region, and many of our allies,” the South Dakota Republican wrote in a statement. “Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns.”
Thune added that administration officials would brief senators as the operation continued.
Trump said in the early-morning video that the U.S. aims to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons. “This regime will soon learn no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States armed forces,” said Trump.
He acknowledged that “we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now, we’re doing it for the future.”
Trump also encouraged the Iranian people to rise up against their government. “Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said. “It will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he flew Friday night following an appearance in Corpus Christi, Texas. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on social media Trump monitored the situation overnight with members of his national security team, and he spoke with Netanyahu by phone.
Prior to the attacks, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” Leavitt said Rubio notified both Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress.
Netanyahu in a statement on social media thanked Trump and echoed the U.S. president’s comments about nuclear arms.
“This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity,” Netanyahu said. “Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.”
Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi early Saturday afternoon wrote a letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations and the president of the U.N. Security Council that “strongly condemned the coordinated and extensive armed aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a statement on social media by the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran also said that the attack came while the United States and Iran were in the midst of diplomatic talks, and vowed a response.
“Now the Iranian people are proud that they did everything necessary to prevent war,” the ministry said. “Now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military aggression. Just as we were ready for negotiations, we have been more prepared than ever for defense. The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to the aggressors with authority.”
The Associated Press said the first strikes appeared to target the compound of Khamenei in Tehran. The Reuters news service said the skies above Tehran were filled with smoke.
The strikes were not specifically authorized by Congress. Trump also ordered airstrikes in Venezuela and the capture of the country’s president earlier this year.
Some members of Congress expressed skepticism about that operation, saying it should have been brought to the legislative branch that is supposed to have war-making powers under the Constitution.
The United States and its allies have long debated how to approach Iran’s nuclear program. The country’s regime is strongly anti-American and the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions for the nearly half-century since a revolution installed a theocratic supreme leader.
Republicans largely laid responsibility for the attacks on the Iranian regime, saying its aggressive posture invited action.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised the move on social media early Saturday. “I echo President Trump’s call to the Iranian military, IRGC and security forces to lay down their arms. I echo his call to the Iranian people to take back their government,” said Graham.
“President Trump was right when he said he’s the first president in 47 years to stand with the people of Iran and give them the backing they need.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, said the strikes were “the inescapable response to 47 years of continuous and calculated aggression by the Ayatollah of Iran and all his generals against the United States, our allies, and the Iranian people.”
“Every day under this regime, the United States and our allies have been under imminent threat of attack by Iran and its terrorist arms across the globe,” Mast said. “They chanted ‘Death to America’ while seeking nuclear weapons and the missile technology to strike our homeland. The days of America waiting to be attacked by Iran are over.”
Democrats, though, called out the administration for going around Congress. Many said Trump should be more focused on domestic issues.
“Though there is bipartisan support for stopping the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, there is no consensus for another interminable war in the Middle East,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said.
“A war in Iran with the goal of regime change could be another long-term military commitment with deadly consequences for thousands of American troops. The rash and unpredictable conduct of President Trump is a well-established worry in many ways but an impulsive commander in chief is a deadly combination.”
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts blasted Trump for violating a campaign pledge of “no new wars” by launching the attack “under cloak of night, without congressional approval of even a clear rationale.”
“Families do not want another war,” she said. “They want a reasonable cost of living. They want health care they can afford. They want an end to (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)’s terror in their neighborhoods. And they do not want their sons and daughters placed in harm’s way by a reckless President. The people of this country deserve better.”
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey called for an immediate vote on a war powers resolution.
“Americans don’t want to go to war with Iran,” Kim said on social media.
“By launching strikes, President Trump has made the same dangerous and foolish decision President Bush did a generation ago. He put Americans in harm’s way without clearly showing there’s an imminent threat to our national security. He put the Iranian people in harm’s way by calling on them to rise up without a broad coalition of partners to assist in their protection. And Trump once again started a cycle of violence that has already escalated and could spiral out of control. This is unacceptable.”
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts said diplomatic talks should be continued. “Trump’s military attack on Iran is illegal and unconstitutional. It was not approved by Congress and holds dangers for all Americans. Trump’s illegal actions raise the threat of escalation into a wider regional war with grave risks for U.S. troops and civilians in the region,” Markey said in a statement.
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