The Pentagon has released the identities of six U.S. Air Force members who died last week when a military refueling tanker plane crashed in western Iraq during a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, were killed when their U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft was lost over Iraq on Thursday, according to U.S. officials.

Klinner, Savino and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Koval, Angst and Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | US military sends 2,500 Marines and at least one more ship to Mideast

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said the crew members were on a combat mission over "friendly" territory at the time their plane went down and that the incident was not not the result of hostile or friendly fire. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that a second plane involved in the operation was able to land safely. The incident remains under investigation.

The tanker is the fourth U.S. plane to go down since the war against Iran began. Earlier this month, U.S. ally Kuwait mistakenly downed three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets. All six crew members aboard those jets safely ejected and were recovered.

A Department of Public Works employee in Huntington Woods was killed yesterday after being pinned under a tree limb.

Officials say that around 7:15 p.m., a resident called about a tree limb blocking the road, and crews responded, working to clear debris.

About two hours later, 911 was called when a worker, Doug Chimel, was pinned under a tree limb. Life-saving measures were performed, but we're told he unfortunately died at the hospital.

The Huntington Woods Department of Public Safety told us that Doug was a dedicated public servant who took pride in serving the community. He leaves behind a wife and three young children.

If you would like to help the family, a GoFundMe page has been created.

A massive tree fell onto a home on Delaware Street near Five Mile and Beech Daily in Redford Township during high winds, leaving a couple displaced.

Watch Tiarra's report below

A tree crashed into a Redford Township home during high winds, displacing a couple

Tiffany Baker was at work when the tree came down on the home she and her husband were renting. Her husband was inside at the time.

"He was in the living room, and he said that the walls started looking like they were caving in and had like what's going on," Baker said.

Baker's husband and the couple's two dogs were able to safely make it out of the house. The damage extended beyond the structure itself.

"Even our car was demolished in there too; it went all the way over the house into the driveway," Baker said.

The city condemned the home, preventing the couple from retrieving their belongings.

"Now we have to buy everything new, the city deemed the house condemned and they won't let us in to get anything out. We literally had the clothes on our backs at the time. They were able to get us a few things that they saw that they thought were important," Baker said.

Baker and her husband are currently staying with a friend while they figure out their living situation.

"It just sucks not having somewhere to go that is home," Baker said.

Baker described the experience as surreal.

"It's still kind of like shocking, we both kinds of feel like we're going to wake up and it's not going to be real," Baker said.

A longtime friend set up a GoFundMe to help the couple cover costs not included in their renter's insurance.

"We're so so so thankful to everybody that has donated and is reaching out and donating to us personally and not even through there. It's just amazing to see how many people are in our corner and want to help," Baker said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Israeli soldiers fired on a car carrying a family in the northern West Bank, killing four people including two children, the Palestinian Authoritys Health Ministry said.

The official Palestinian news agency said the family was shot late Saturday after going out to buy new clothes for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this week. Israel said it was investigating the shooting.

The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said that Ali and Waed Odeh, and two of their four children, were shot in the head. The Odehs two surviving children had shrapnel wounds that were examined by first responders once they were granted access, the group said, accusing Israel of delaying ambulances dispatched to the scene.

RELATED STORY | Israel sends tanks into West Bank for first time in decades, says fleeing Palestinians can't return

Israels military and police said in a joint statement Sunday that forces opened fire after a car accelerated toward them in Tammun. They said the forces were pursuing suspects accused of terrorist activity and that the shooting was under investigation.

The members of the Odeh family were the latest casualties in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers and soldiers had previously shot and killed at least eight Palestinians since the start of the Iran war.

Since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Israeli authorities have restricted movement across the West Bank, intermittently closing hundreds of gates and checkpoints on roads used by residents, ambulances and commercial traffic. The barriers have tightened movement and made emergency response significantly more difficult, the Red Crescent told The Associated Press last week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Gaza's border crossing to Egypt reopens but few Palestinians can cross

Israeli rights group Yesh Din said on Wednesday that it had documented 109 incidents of settler violence in the occupied West Bank in dozens of Palestinian communities since the start of the war.

The toll is lower than at this point in 2025 a record year for violence that began with Israel invading northern West Bank cities that the military said were militant strongholds. Israeli forces still maintain a presence there.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded 18 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026, including eight by Israeli settlers. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank.

Representatives from Beijing and Washington began their economic and trade talks in Paris on Sunday, paving the way for U.S. President Donald Trumps state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in about two weeks.

The delegations, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, convened in the French capital in the morning, China's official news agency Xinhua reported. The White House has said that Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not officially confirmed it.

Bessent said on Thursday that his team will continue to deliver results that put America's farmers, workers and businesses first. The U.S. Treasury Department said Bessent will meet He on Sunday and Monday.

Chinas commerce ministry said Friday the two sides are set to discuss trade and economic issues of mutual concern.

RELATED STORY | Trump holds wide-ranging call with Xi, touching on Iran, Taiwan and trade

Trumps visit to China will be the first for a U.S. president since he went in his first term in 2017. It will come five months after the two leaders met in the South Korean city of Busan and agreed to a one-year truce in a trade war that temporarily saw tit-for-tat tariffs soar to triple digits before the two sides climbed down.

Still, trade remains a source of tensions. The commerce ministry on Friday hit back against the Trump administrations new trade investigation into 16 trading partners, including China. The investigation which came after a Supreme Court ruling struck down Trumps sweeping global tariffs that were imposed last year could pave the way for new tariffs.

Another issue that could be discussed is the Iran war, especially when global anxiety is soaring over oil prices and supplies. Trump said Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others will send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump asks allies to deploy warships as Iran vows to block oil flow

Before Sunday's talks, Gary Ng, a senior economist at French bank Natixis and a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, said the Paris meeting is likely the most important bilateral one before the Xi-Trump summit.

The key issue is "whether China and the U.S. can agree on what is agreed and manage disagreement. Iran is a new factor, but Beijing is more concerned about the flip-flopping of U.S. policies, he said.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it would be a big year for China-U.S. relations. While he did not confirm the state visit, Wang said that the agenda of high-level exchange is already on the table.

Bessent and He have led trade negotiations between the countries since last year, having met in Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Council Re|Sale, one of the oldest resale shops in metro Detroit, will be hosting its annual Spring Showcase on Sun. March 22 from noon to 5 p.m.

The popular event will feature spring fashion and accessories for both men and women at bargain prices and will include high-end brands including Johnny Was, St. John, Burberry, Theory, Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman, Lululemon and Athleta.

Proceeds raised at Council Re|Sale go towards the many community impact projects and social advocacy work to benefit local families. To learn more, visit councilresale.net.

For a busy travel morning on the go, you need a quick breakfast the whole family will love. These granola bars are whole grain and contain fiber, protein and fuel to keep you full all morning. They have no added sugar.

Makes 10 to 12 bars (depending on size)

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats cup unsweetened peanut cup unsweetened applesauce 5 tbsp water 2 tbsp chia seeds cup pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts cup unsweetened coconut - cup stevia-sweetened chocolate chips 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/16 tsp salt

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix chia seeds and water. Let the mixture sit off to the side. In a separate, larger bowl, the dry ingredients, oats, cinnamon, salt, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips. To the chia seeds, add the vanilla, peanut butter, and applesauce and mix until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.Press the granola bar mixture firmly into a parchment-lined 88 pan. Refrigerate overnight until set. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars. Store these in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze. Store stacked with layers of parchment between each bar.

N CASE YOU MISSED IT | Try these refreshing melon-cucumber popsicles for a healthy spring break treat

Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power Saturday after high winds raked eastward from the Great Lakes region, leaving trees down and substantial property damage in their wake. Further west, at least one person died in a massive wind-driven wildfire in Nebraska.

Nearly 450,000 customers were still affected by midafternoon in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

RELATED STORY | California walloped by winter storm with high winds and heavy rain and snow California on Monday saw a powerful winter 

A 66 mph gust at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday was deemed its fourth-strongest on record that was not caused by a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport saw winds hit 85 mph Friday afternoon.

Winds took down a gas station canopy in New Franklin, Ohio, and an auto parts store sign in Baldwin, Pennsylvania. Trees and tree limbs fell into or onto homes and cars from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. The roof of a school building in the Chicago suburb of Niles, Illinois, was severely damaged by wind.

High winds fueled multiple wildfires across a broad swath of Nebraskas range and grassland, causing one death in Arthur County, officials said. The victim was not immediately identified and the sheriffs office did not disclose other details about the death.

What state officials have dubbed the Morrill County fire has burned at least 735 square miles across four counties since Thursday. At least 12 structures have been destroyed, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

Chelle Ladely of Sidney said her home is currently safe, lying about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the nearest fire. But she worries for other friends and family in the area.

Smoke is filling the air and at night, I can see the burn of the fires on the horizon, Ladely said. My father is a crop agronomist, and his company as well as other local farmers are all gathering their water trucks to help aid with the fires, and truckloads of bottled water and food is being supplied by our good patrons for our volunteer firemen trying to extinguish the blazes.

Several other wildfires being pushed by winds of up to 65 mph burned another 225 square miles for a total of nearly 938 square miles by midday Saturday. The strong winds have kept firefighters from containing any of the fires, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said. Gov. Jim Pillen on Saturday toured areas burned by the Morrill County fire.

RELATED STORY | World already seeing more dangerous heat days and its just the beginning, study says

In Chicago, thousands of revelers turned out to see the city's namesake river dyed bright green and a downtown parade celebrating the St. Patrick's holiday, despite the threat of snow and stiff winds that drove the feels-like temperature to well below freezing.

Dangerous winds are but one piece of a wild weather mosaic that includes heavy rains in Hawaii, triple-digit heat ahead in Phoenix and the return of winter cold to the Midwest and Northeast. Chicago was expected to approach the single digits Fahrenheit by Tuesday, with Minneapolis seeing lows around zero.

Several Minnesota cities have already declared snow emergencies starting Sunday, when what could be the seasons largest snowfall is expected to hit. Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula are also in the crosshairs.

AccuWeather is describing conditions as a potent triple-threat March megastorm from Sunday into Monday.

Its definitely a very active weather weekend, thats for sure, AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick said. Its a highly amplified pattern, which means you get a lot of extremes. Also, not just the Lower 48, but Hawaiis getting hit hard right now with some very heavy rain.

Feerick said people along the Wisconsin-Iowa border might see some ice as travel conditions become dangerous in large parts of the Upper Midwest.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that other nations will send ships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid fears that Iran may restrict the flow of oil and other goods through the vital waterway.

Nearly one-fifth of the worlds oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Irans new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to close the strait as the U.S. and Israel continue their bombing campaign against the country.

RELATED STORY | Trump says war in Iran is 'pretty well complete,' but does not give specific end date

In the weeks since the U.S. and Israel began their war with Iran, oil prices have surged. A barrel of oil averaged around $65 last month before the strikes began. This week, prices climbed to more than $110, before settling at $97 on Saturday.

The price spike has pushed U.S. gas prices up 70 cents per gallon over the past month, according to AAA.

Trump suggested that nations affected by Irans actions will join the U.S. in efforts to protect shipping through the strait.

Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Irans attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe, Trump said on Saturday. We have already destroyed 100% of Irans Military capability, but its easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are. Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.

RELATED STORY | Crude oil prices spike near $120 a barrel as the Iran war impedes production and shipping

Irans foreign minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the Trump administration is growing desperate.

The touted U.S. security umbrella has proven to be full of holes, inviting trouble rather than deterring it, Araghchi said. The U.S. is now begging others, even China, to help make Hormuz safe. Iran calls on brotherly neighbors to expel foreign aggressors, especially as their only concern is Israel.

The federal government has responded to a judge's order on why ICE detained Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodriguez.

Attorneys for the government say that Rodriguez entered the US on a valid B-2 visa on March 10, 2021 and was authorized to stay through September 9, 2021.

The government claims she remained in the U.S. illegally and did not obtain any paperwork to allow her to remain in the country.

RELATED STORY | Kristi Noem defends ICE's deadly conduct during second day of hearings

Attorneys say Rodriguez was ordered in January and February to report to the Nashville ICE field office, but they say a warrant was issued when Rodriguez did not show up.

According to court documents, the government states that a G-56 letter to report was issued to Rodriguez on January 8, directing her to report on January 26 to the Nashville ICE Field Office.

On February 10, they added that another G-56 letter to report was issued to the petitioner, directing her to report on February 25, 2026.

Rodriguez's husband, Alejandro Medina III, who was with her when ICE agents surrounded the couple in the Nashville Noticias news vehicle, said that a massive winter storm shut down practically all of Nashville on the same day as the first scheduled meeting. A second meeting in February was also rescheduled when he said ICE officials could not find anything related to a scheduled meeting in their system.

"There was a valid warrant for her arrest as an alien issued on March 2, 2026, two days prior to her arrest," the court document reads. "The arrest warrant clearly marked the cause of her arrest."

RELATED STORY | Famous high school mariachi players reunited with their family after ICE detention

She was detained on March 4th and was sent to a detention center in Alabama.

Attorneys for Rodriguez argue her First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated when ICE agents detained her and believe her detention was retaliation for her reporting on ICE activity through Nashville.

A hearing between her attorneys and the government is set for next Monday.

This article was originally published by Kelly Broderick for the Scripps News Group station in Nashville.

Math nerds and dessert enthusiasts unite to celebrate Pi Day every March 14, the date that represents the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi.

Representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, pi is approximately equal to 3.14159 but its digits go on forever. In school, you might have used it to calculate the area of a circle or the volume of a cylinder. But the applications of pi are endless and part of every corner of our world.

The holiday was created in 1988 by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco.

He had a very open and expansive view of the world and saw an opportunity with this number, mathematical concept, to invite people into the joy of mathematical learning, said Sam Sharkland, program director of public programs at the museum, who worked with Shaw before he died in 2017.

While it began as a small staff celebration featuring pie, it soon turned into a grand procession where hundreds of visitors marched around the pi shrine, each carrying a digit. Attendees often show up early to claim their favorite digit for the parade. One woman who has the symbol tattooed on her neck comes every year and marches near the front with a pi flag, Sharkland said.

RELATED STORY | 10 fascinating things to know about pi on Pi Day

The celebration begins at 1:59 p.m., signifying the next three digits of pi.

Here are a few ways pi is being used on the cutting edge of science.

Pi in outer space

In Artur Davoyan's field of mechanical and aerospace engineering, pi is so fundamental that it would be hard to pinpoint one use case for it, he said.

Pi is part of literally every single formula that you would use to do any calculation, like for spacecraft motion, for materials and how they work, or propulsion systems, said Davoyan, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Anything that is round or has cyclical or repeating properties such as radio waves involves pi. Even squares or irregular blobs can be broken down into a series of progressively smaller circles and calculated using pi, Davoyan said.

Davoyan's research looks at how to create new propulsion systems to send spacecrafts more quickly to the far reaches of the solar system to gather and send back information to Earth. He pointed to NASAs Voyager 1 and 2, which launched in 1977 but didn't reach interstellar space until 2012 and 2018.

To send a signal to those space probes, NASA must calculate Earth's exact position in orbit around the sun and design antennas for communication using pi. Then scientists use pi once more when receiving and breaking down complex signals that are being beamed back to Earth.

Say aliens send something to us, something that we dont know how to deal with, Davoyan said. So the very first thing that you would do, you would try to split it into simple functions... and turns out that when you do this operation, you will naturally have pis in it.

Tiny droplets of pi

Pi also comes up frequently when studying small amounts of fluids.

Dino Di Carlo, chair of the bioengineering department at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, conducts research that involves creating little particles out of polymers that act as tiny test tubes for cells. This is used as an important tool to examine cells closely and learn about their functions and what's inside them.

The pi constant is used in calculating how to form those droplets, surface tension calculations that define how droplets can break up, and how researchers can control the size of those volumes, Di Carlo said.

Di Carlo is using this technique to find antibodies small proteins that fight diseases in your body that could block signals put out by cancer cells.

Pi is also an important part of calculations when looking at how liquids flow through tubes and barriers. One example is when the fluid sample slowly flows sideways in a take-home COVID-19 test.

Di Carlo used these properties to devise a new test for Lyme disease that can be completed in 20 minutes, rather than days or weeks like previously.

As an engineer and scientist, (pi) is just a part of life, Di Carlo said. Maybe Ive taken it for granted.

After another delay to NASAs planned mission to return humans to the moon, the four-member crew of Artemis II has been given a new launch window.

NASA said the crew could lift off as soon as April 1, with additional launch opportunities later in the month. Officials plan to roll the Artemis II rocket and its Orion spacecraft off the launch pad on March 19. The astronauts will also begin a two-week prelaunch quarantine in the coming weeks.

The latest delay came after engineers discovered an interrupted flow of helium to the Space Launch System rockets interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The mission was previously postponed for about four weeks when a rehearsal revealed a problem with Orions liquid hydrogen tank, which leaked excessive propellant into the rockets core stage.

RELATED STORY | Potential Artemis II liftoff date set as astronauts prepare for moon flyby

Artemis I, launched in 2022, was the first mission in NASAs Artemis program, which aims to enable deep space exploration beyond the moon. While Artemis I was uncrewed, Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby.

While I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1 as our first opportunity, keep in mind we still have work to go, said Lori Glaze, deputy associate administrator for NASAs Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. There are still things that need to be done within the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and out at the pad. And as always, we'll be guided by what the hardware is telling us, and we will launch when were ready.

RELATED STORY | NASAs next moon mission faces new setback launch delayed by a month

Artemis III was originally planned as a crewed landing on the lunar surface. NASA now intends to use the mission to test an uncrewed lunar lander, making Artemis IV the first crewed landing of the program.

The last time NASA sent astronauts to the moon was Apollo 17 in 1972.

Jeffrey Latson Jr., a 34-year-old truck driver, is facing charges after a multi-jurisdictional police pursuit that ended in Akron, Ohio, on Feb. 28 left an officer injured. Now, Latson's father is speaking out.

It all started in Springfield Township when officers were called to an IHOP where the truck driver was allegedly screaming at employees.

Latson was found in his truck, and as Officer Harold Britt tried to get him out, Latson drove off, which led the officer to fall from the side step of the truck and break a leg.

Body cam released from wild semi chase that ended in police shooting

"At that point, they can't predict what the driver or the semi truck would do or could do," Springfield Township Police Chief Jack Simone said a few days after the incident.

But Latson's father, Jeffrey Latson Sr., believes police escalated the situation.

"They escalated the situation by screaming at him and telling him to get out and he's gonna get shot and tased," Latson Sr. said.

OTHER NEWS | Graduate carries baby across stage as officer gives chase in viral moment

Latson Jr. continued into Akron, where Akron Police and Summit County deputies chased him.

Police said he struck several cars, including two cruisers.

Use-of-force expert Tim Dimoff reviewed the body camera footage from Akron Police and Summit County deputies.

"You have an 80,000-pound truck and trailer, which is really the driver turning it into a weapon," Dimoff told News 5 earlier this month.

Police said moments after a cruiser was hit and disabled, officers exited their vehicles and fired about 20 shots.

Latson Jr. was hit four times, according to his dad.

"Once in the head. Once in the abdomen. Once in the elbow, and I think the other was in the shoulder," Latson Sr. said.

He believes officers acted too quickly shooting into the truck.

RELATED STORY | How the shooting of a teen girl put a post-George Floyd police reform law to the test

"No put your hands up, get out. They didn't do none of that. They said all of that after they shot him," Latson Sr. said.

On the day of the pursuit, Latson called a Summit County dispatcher.

"The police trying to kill me, man," Latson Jr. said during the call obtained by News 5. "I'm not stopping for them. I'm not gonna let them kill me today. They're not gonna kill me today."

Latson's father said the 911 call shows his son was scared and not trying to hurt anyone.

"What kind of criminal calls 911 on himself? He's calling to tell them he's afraid," said Latson Sr. "The nurse said it's pretty much a miracle he survived."

Latson Sr. also expressed his gratitude to the doctors and staff treating his son at Summa Health Akron Campus.

The truck driver remains in the hospital, nearly two weeks after the shooting. He's facing several charges from Springfield Township. In a statement, the city said the incident is under review by BCI, and APD will conduct its own investigation.

This article was originally published by Bob Jones and Mercy Sackor for the Scripps News Group station in Cleveland.

Nearly 830,000 Americans could experience delays in receiving their tax refunds this season after the Internal Revenue Service stopped issuing paper checks.

According to Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, 500,000 filers have received notices to provide the IRS with direct deposit information. Another 300,000 filers are expected to receive the notices.

The National Taxpayer Advocate estimates that about 10 million Americans received paper checks for their refunds last tax season. The group says 4.2% of U.S. households lack a bank account.

RELATED STORY | From tips to seniors: What new laws mean for your upcoming tax return

It said eliminating paper checks particularly affects Americans living abroad, taxpayers with religious constraints, victims of domestic violence, and taxpayers with disabilities.

The IRS says that once a taxpayer provides bank account information, refunds will be released after six weeks.

Democratic Reps. Danny K. Davis of Illinois and Terri A. Sewell of Alabama sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying many of the affected Americans lack bank accounts and could struggle to access their refunds.

Having reviewed the IRS notice and called the IRS phone lines, we learned that there is no simple process for these taxpayers to request an immediate release of their refund by paper check without waiting at least 10 weeks, the lawmakers wrote. Effectively, the president, unilaterally through his executive order, is causing undue hardship on millions of Americans by delaying their paper refunds for months.

RELATED STORY | Easy way to find unclaimed funds in your name

The Trump administration implemented the near-elimination of paper checks in September to cut costs. The Treasury Department estimates it costs about 50 cents to issue a paper check, compared with less than 15 cents for an electronic funds transfer.

March Madness is almost here, and local fans have plenty to cheer about with both Michigan and Michigan State in the mix.

From Detroit-style pies and pasta to chicken wings and pizza fries, Little Italy Pizza has everything you need to feed your watch party. To see the menu or to place your order, visit

littleitalypizzami.com.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. destroyed military sites on an island vital to Irans oil network and warned that its oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said U.S. forces on Friday obliterated targets on Irans Kharg Island, which is home to the primary terminal that handles the countrys oil exports. The speaker of the Iranian parliament had warned that such strikes would provoke a new level of retaliation.

Meanwhile, an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic.

RELATED STORY | Trump says war in Iran is 'won,' but administration expects fighting to continue for weeks

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the worlds traded oil passes, even as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.

The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.

Marines and assault ship will add to US forces

Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

Marine Expeditionary Units are able to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians, and providing disaster relief. The deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the new Marine deployment.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well as the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying the Marines, are based in Japan and have been in the Pacific Ocean for several days, according to images released by the military. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan, putting it more than a week away from the waters off Iran.

Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. Should the Tripoli join this flotilla, it would be the second-largest ship behind the Lincoln in the region.

RELATED STORY | Oil market sees its worst disruption ever as Iran war threatens supply

While the total number of U.S. service members on the ground in the Middle East is not clear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, one of the largest in the region, typically houses some 8,000 U.S. troops in Qatar.

US strikes Persian Gulf island after Iranian warning

The U.S. strikes on Irans Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf targeted military sites but left its oil infrastructure alone for now, Trump said in a social media post.

But he warned that if Iran or anyone else interferes with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, he will reconsider his decision not to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure.

Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned on Thursday in a social media post that attacks on the islands on Irans southern maritime frontier would cause Iran to abandon all restraint, underscoring how central they are to the countrys economy and security.

On Saturday, Irans joint military command reiterated its threat that it will attack the U.S.-linked oil and energy facilities in the region if the Islamic Republic's oil infrastructure is hit.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned they will target all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America.

The joint military command also threatened to attack cities in the United Arab Emirates, saying the U.S. used ports, docks and hideouts within UAE cities to launch strikes on the islands, without providing evidence. It called on people to evacuate those areas where it said U.S. forces were sheltering

Irans semiofficial Fars news agency Saturday said the U.S. strikes caused no damage to oil infrastructure on the island.

It reported at least 15 explosions followed the strikes, which it said targeted an air defense facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil companys helicopter hangar.

Missile strikes inside US Embassy compound in Baghdad

A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, two Iraqi security officials said.

Associated Press footage showed a column of smoke rising Saturday morning over the embassy compound.

The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure, and may continue to target them.

Members of Temple Israel gathered Friday evening at Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield Township for Shabbat service, supporting one another after an attack on their place of worship.

This comes as the FBI released new details about the suspect and the events leading up to the incident.

Watch the video report below: Temple Israel congregation gathers for Shabbat, FBI reveals new details about attack

Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny reflected on the outcome of the attack during the service.

"Every staff member, security officer and teacher survived. Every parent was reunited with their child. Everyone went home with their family. We survived," Kaluzny said.

Kaluzny praised the security guards who confronted the attacker and stopped him from getting further into the building. One guard was injured in the attack after being hit by the suspect's vehicle.

"Even after he was injured, he got himself somehow to the ECC school door to warn them not to come into the hallway," Kaluzny said.

Related video: Rabbi opens synagogue doors to all after attack on Temple Israel Neighboring synagogue embraces community

Rabbi Paul Yedwab also addressed the congregation.

"We are Temple Israel," Yedwab said.

Related video: What we're learning about the suspect in the attack on Temple Israel What we're learning about the suspect in the attack on Temple Israel

On Friday afternoon, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies shared more details about the events leading up to the attack. FBI Detroit Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said suspect Ayman Ghazali spent about two hours in the Temple Israel parking lot before crashing into the building.

"At approximately 12:19 pm, Ghazali drives his vehicle into Door 5 on the southeast corner of the building," Runyan said.

Watch the full news conference below: RAW VIDEO: Law enforcement holds a news conference updating Temple Israel Attack

Runyan said Ghazali hit a security guard as he rammed his truck into the building. The suspect then engaged in a gunfight with security guards.

"Soon after, his engine compartment catches on fire, and at some point during the gunfight, Ghazali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," Runyan said.

The FBI said fireworks were found in Ghazali's truck. Phantom Fireworks said video shows Ghazali at their Livonia location on Tuesday, making two trips for fireworks and spending more than $2,000. The company said he only purchased consumer-grade fireworks, which are less explosive than professional grade pyrotechnics.

Watch the video from Phantom Fireworks below: Video shows suspect buying fireworks before attack at Temple Israel

As the investigation continues, members of Temple Israel say they are thankful they survived the attack.

"In some way, just being here tonight is a sign of survival, of defiance, but tradition teaches us that's not enough. It is incumbent upon us to respond aloud and say this prayer. Why? Because we survived it together as one community," Kaluzny said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Potential travel troubles are looming just as spring breakers get set to take off.

TSA workers missed their full paychecks on Friday due to the ongoing partial government shutdown caused by a standoff between Democrats and Republicans over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

"You have now agencies of government with employees who aren't going to get paid that perform important national security functions," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). People are starting to travel. They're hitting the airport and the lines are getting longer and longer and longer.

And theres worry those lines could continue to grow longer with TSA agents being absent.

Some of them have to call out, some of them probably have to take other jobs so they can't meet the regular shifts, which is resulting in bottlenecks at some major airports, said Eric Rosen, Director of Travel Content for The Points Guy.

RELATED NEWS | Spring travel savings hacks, as gas prices and airfares rise

Unscheduled absences among TSA workers have approximately doubled during the partial shutdown, according to DHS. And more than 300 TSA workers have left the agency during that time.

Some airports like Denvers and Seattles are asking for donations to support TSA workers.

In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts donated lunch for TSA workers at the airport on Thursday.

it's a token, a small token of our appreciation for these tsa workers that continue to show up for work," said John Flynn, Senior VP of MGM Resorts. If people can show up and they have a seamless travel experience, we get more people to the strip, more people in our communities. There's a trickle down effect to the entire economy.

If you are traveling, experts say to give yourself plenty of extra time at the airport.

RELATED STORY | Lawmakers eye a new secretary of Homeland Security as shutdown drags on

During a Friday evening press conference with multiple law enforcement agencies about the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, a timeline of events and new details were released, including that the suspect shot and killed himself during a gunfight with security.

The FBI confirmed the suspect was 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Dearborn Heights resident. Ghazali had no previous criminal history, no registered weapons and had not been involved with any previous FBI investigations, said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

RAW VIDEO: Law enforcement holds a news conference updating Temple Israel Attack

The timeline for the events Thursday are below:

9:58 a.m.: Suspect drives Ford F-150 into parking lot of Temple Israel10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Suspect remains inside parked vehicle with no one else or other vehicles associated with him12:19 p.m.: Suspect drives through Door 5, hitting security guard12:20 p.m.: Vehicle gets jammed between hallway walls and suspect begins firing his gun through windshield.After that, Ghazali and a security guard engage in a gunfight through the rear window of the vehicle. Ghazali then became trapped since the vehicle was jammed in the hallway.12:22 p.m. Second guard engages suspect in gunfight from front of the vehicle. Then, the vehicles engine compartment caught fire. Ghazali then shot himself in the head.

Runyan says commercial-grade fireworks were found in the bed of the pickup truck as well as several jugs of flammable liquid that's believed to be gasoline. Some of that was consumed in the fire.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard says 605 law enforcement officers responded to the scene from 42 different agencies.

He says a total of 63 law enforcement officers were sent to the hospital from smoke inhalation. First responders continued to pour into the building despite the fire to make sure there was no threat and to evacuate the innocent.

Related video: What we're learning about the suspect in the attack on Temple Israel as feds search his home What we're learning about the suspect in the attack on Temple Israel

Bouchard says training within the last month at Temple Israel was a coincidence, despite some questioning the timing.

Were training all the time as agencies with our partners, our houses of worship, our schools. That was one of those trainings. There was no credible intelligence that it was about to get hit, the sheriff said.

To the partners across the state, federal agencies and more, "thank you for your invaluable assistance during one of the darkest days in West Bloomfield Township's history," West Bloomfield Township Police Chief Dale Young said.

Officials said there are no new known threats to the community.