Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Amina KilpatrickSun, March 1, 2026 at 11:16 PM UTC
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Israel launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Sunday, a day after killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint strikes with the U.S.
Iran has continued to retaliate, striking Israel and U.S. military assets in the region. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq that they could become “legitimate targets” if they allow the U.S. and Israel to use their territory to attack Iran.
More than 200 have died in Iran following U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Ten people have been killed in Israel, eight today in a single strike, as Iran and its enemies trade blows, plus two in the UAE.
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Trump says 'we expect casualties' after strikes, draws mixed reactions from lawmakers
Hours after the U.S. military announced that three U.S. service members were killed during military strikes against Iran, President Donald Trump told NBC News, “We expect casualties with something like this.”
The strikes drew mixed reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with most Republicans commending the president’s decision to strike Iran and most Democrats criticizing Trump’s decision to strike without authorization from Congress.
“It’s in America’s interest to make sure that Iran can no longer be the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who appeared separately later on the program, rebutted Graham’s statement, with Kelly questioning the Trump administration’s goals in the military operation.
When Congress returns to Washington this week, lawmakers are expected to vote on a war powers resolution that would compel the president to seek approval from Congress to conduct more military operations in Iran.
Khamenei's death met with public mourning, quiet celebrations
AFP; Getty Images (AFP; Getty Images)
For the first time in 37 years, the sun rose on a leaderless Tehran, its streets unusually hushed as Iranians awoke to the news that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
Questions now hang over who will succeed the Middle East’s longest-serving head of state, and what comes next for a nation already battered by war abroad and dissent at home.
Opponents of the regime, who turned out in the thousands for protests that faced a brutal crackdown in January, largely stayed off the street. While there were no mass celebrations, some still welcomed the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Suspect identified in Texas bar shooting that left 2 dead, 14 injured
A law enforcement unit sits at the entrance to Buford's bar in Austin, Texas, on March 1, 2026. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images) (Brandon Bell)
The gunman who killed two people and injured 14 others after opening fire on patrons outside an Austin bar early Sunday had a history of mental illness, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
Ndiaga Diagne, 53, was a Senegalese national and naturalized U.S. citizen living in Pflugerville, Texas, according to law enforcement.
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At the time of the attack, he wore a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah” and a shirt underneath with an Iranian-flag theme.
Officials said they are still working to determine a possible motive for the attack. Investigators are examining whether it was an act of terrorism, four people briefed on the matter said.
Overseas, Epstein investigations multiply. In America, not so much.
Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, Mass., on Sept. 8, 2004. (Rick Friedman / Corbis via Getty Images file) (Rick Friedman)
At least nine investigations have begun in eight countries and within the European Union’s anti-fraud unit following the release by the U.S. Justice Department of millions of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the U.S., not so much. Following an “exhaustive review,” there was no evidence of an “incriminating ‘client list’” or evidence that would lead to additional prosecutions of third parties, according to a Justice Department and FBI memo last year.
Yet the publication of more than 3.5 million documents has prompted a global reckoning, raising questions about why the Trump administration isn’t doing more.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., called on both President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify about their relationships with Jeffery Epstein, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that said he’s working with a Republican colleague to subpoena Lutnick.
Khanna, a member of the House Oversight Committee, referenced former President Bill Clinton’s testimony before the committee last week, saying Clinton “set a precedent” for high-profile figures to testify.
Politics in brief -
Right to bear arms: Gun rights advocates say Trump has failed to live up to his promise of backing the Second Amendment by defending restrictions in court.
Winner, winner tariff dinner: China is benefiting from the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, as its lower rate reduces the incentive for companies to shift production to other countries in Asia.
The AI child exploitation crisis is here
Justine Goode / NBC News; Getty Images (Justine Goode)
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has made it easier than ever for bad actors to create child sexual abuse material, leaving prosecutors and lawmakers struggling to keep up.
Despite efforts by tech companies, law enforcement and activists, offenders consistently exploit system loopholes, open-source AI models and ready-made sexual exploitation platforms to generate imagery of both identifiable and nonexistent children, according to experts and law enforcement officials who spoke with NBC News.
Between January and September of 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline — the official online sexual exploitation tip line in the U.S. — received over a million reports related to generative AI, according to Fallon McNulty, the executive director of the center’s exploited children division.
“The almost indistinguishable nature of the content that is being generated makes it extremely difficult for victim identification efforts,” McNulty said.
Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted.
A Spartanburg, S.C., mobile health unit. (Patrick Martin / NBC News) (Patrick Martin)
In early 2025, as measles began to tear through West Texas, Katherine Wells knew she needed money. Addressing an outbreak comes with expensive resources: vaccine clinics, extra staffing and quarantine monitoring.
“We were really relying on staff that aren’t hourly, because I can work them for 80 hours if I have to, which is horrible,” said Wells, who heads Lubbock’s public health department.
The financial toll of measles outbreaks is only expected to increase. If measles vaccination rates continue to drop just 1% annually for the next five years, the cost to the U.S. could reach $1.5 billion a year, according to a new report from the Yale School of Public Health.
Notable quote
Your phone is the silent witness to your life. It knows everything you do.
Heather Barnhart, a digital forensics expert who worked on the University of Idaho murders
As the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance continues with no suspect publicly identified and challenges with DNA evidence, experts may turn to digital forensics. The tool involves the analysis of data from digital devices, the internet and cloud services — from cell tower data to Wi-Fi logs — for clues.
In case you missed it -
A Hunter College professor’s remarks about Black students during a Manhattan school meeting have sparked outrage and prompted a university investigation.
Cher’s son Elijah Allman was charged with simple assault and criminal trespass at a New Hampshire private school.
Shia LaBeouf is attributing his arrest in New Orleans during Mardi Gras to his fear of “big gay people.”
The Los Angeles Police Department launched a homicide investigation after a 12-year-old student died while trying to protect her sister from an alleged bullying incident.
Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 murder of his father-in-law and attempted murder of his mother-in-law.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
