It's time again for CPAC, one of conservatives' largest annual gatherings that last year was a jubilant celebration of President Donald Trump's return to the White House. But this edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference comes at a perilous political moment for Trump — and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran. Plus, new AP-NORC polling on how Americans feel about U.S. action in Iran, Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson's weekly picks and a look at the Democrat elected to represent a Florida district that includes Mar-a-Lago. |
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President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after attending the casualty return at Dover Air Force Base, Del., for the six crew members of an Air Force refueling aircraft who died when their plane crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) |
Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right divided over Iran war — By Thomas Beaumont and Mike Catalini
While neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance has been publicly announced as speaking at CPAC, which gets underway Wednesday near Dallas, some of the slated speakers are among those who are slated to speak are big names in the MAGA movement who have voiced conflicting views on the Iran war.
That includes longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, who said during his War Room podcast this month that should the war become “a hard slog," it could cost the GOP conservative voters ahead of the midterms. There's also former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, now host of a show on the conservative One America News Network, who has said the U.S. has been too cozy with Israel.
Others scheduled to speak include Trump border czar Tom Homan and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who is running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran is more than a wrinkle for activists drawn to his “America First” campaign pledge against getting involved in foreign conflicts. Despite the dividing lines, Trump enjoys enduring approval from his party’s right flank. Eighty-six percent of conservatives said they approved of the president’s job performance in a February AP-NORC poll. And while Trump's supporters remain devoted, some within the most conservative circles say division over Iran could signal trouble for Republicans in November.
Read more of Beaumont and Catalini's reporting on CPAC here. |
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President Donald Trump listens to a reporter during the swearing in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Some of Trump’s Iran war objectives remain unfulfilled as he looks to wind down the conflict — By Michelle L. Price
Michelle L. Price dives into President Donald Trump's Iran war objectives and finds that some of his key goals remain unfulfilled or undefined.
Some state officials say shifting mail ballot deadline will complicate plans for November elections — By Nicholas Riccardi & Julie Carr Smyth
Following Monday's Supreme Court arguments, Nicholas Riccardi and Julie Carr Smyth talked to state officials who shared their concerns that shifting the deadline for mail ballots will complicate plans for November's elections. ICE officers aren’t trained in airport security. Can they help ease long lines? — By Nicholas Riccardi & Rebecca Santana
Riccardi also teamed up with Rebecca Santana this week to look at whether ICE agents, who are not trained in aviation safety, can help ease the long airport security lines caused by the partial government shutdown. |
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AP Elections Spotlight: Democrat wins Florida race to represent Mar-a-Lago |
An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) |
Democrat flips seat in special election for Florida district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — By Jonathan J. Cooper
The big picture: Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election on Tuesday, flipping a state legislative district that is home to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate that Trump counts as his residence. The president had endorsed Gregory’s rival, Jon Maples. The district was previously represented by Mike Caruso, a Republican who won by 19 percentage points in 2024.
Democrats celebrated the victory as the latest sign voters are turning against Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November. Tuesday was the latest in a series of lopsided or improbable victories in special elections across the country since Trump returned to the White House more than a year ago.
Who is Emily Gregory? Growing up north of Palm Beach in Stuart, she's the owner of a fitness company that works with pregnant and postpartum women, and she has never run for elected office before. Speaking to MSNOW after her victory, Gregory said she was “pretty shocked" and “having a fairly out-of-body experience.”
Did Trump vote? Trump — who switched his residency and voter registration to Florida in his first term — voted by mail in the Tuesday election and his ballot was counted, Palm Beach County voter records show. He chose a mail ballot despite publicly bashing the voting method as a source of fraud and pushing Congress to curtail the practice.
Read more of Cooper's reporting on Emily Gregory's win here. |
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The latest AP-NORC Poll: Americans on US military action in Iran |
Gas prices are displayed at a station Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) |
Most say US military action against Iran has gone too far — By Linley Sanders & Mike Catalini Most Americans believe recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far and many are worried about affording gasoline, according to a new AP-NORC poll. As the war launched by the U.S. and Israel continues in its fourth week, the new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that while Trump's approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be swiftly turning into a major political liability for the administration. While Trump is deploying more warships and troops to the Middle East, about 59% of Americans say U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive.
Meanwhile, 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection with promises that he would improve the economy and lower the cost of living.
There is significant support for at least one of the president’s objectives, which is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. About two-thirds of Americans say that should be an “extremely” or “very” important foreign policy goal for the U.S. However, they are just as likely to say it's important to keep U.S. oil and gas prices from rising — a juxtaposition that could be difficult for the White House to manage.
Read more of Sanders and Catalini's reporting on this new polling here. View the AP-NORC Polling tracker. |
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent works at the baggage check at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) |
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