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US negotiating with Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after Trump was coy on which leader was in charge: report

The Trump administration is in talks with Iran’s parliament speaker to try to end the war, according to a new report.

Mohammad ⁠Bagher Ghalibaf, who threatened mass retaliation against energy facilities across the Middle East in the face of President Trump’s ultimatum over the weekend, is the “top person” speaking with the US whom the president mentioned on Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The president stressed that the person leading the talks in Iran was not the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to make a public appearance and is believed to be injured and in hiding.
Trump said he paused his plan to attack Iran’s power plants by Monday night after the US began engaging in talks with a high level regime official who he claimed was effectively in charge of the Islamic Republic.
“A top person,” Trump told reporters, describing the individual the US was allegedly in talks with.

“Don’t forget: We’ve wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two and largely phase three. But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, you know it’s a little tough, they’ve wiped out – we’ve wiped out everybody,” he added.

Iran has denied that any members of its leadership are currently in talks with the Trump administration.
An Israeli official, however, said Ghalibaf was in touch with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Axios reported.

Mediators are currently working to convene a meeting between the trio in Islamabad, with Vice President Vance possibly leading the US delegation, according to Axios.

Others with knowledge of the talks suggested there were not direct communications between Tehran and Washington yet, with Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey serving as in-betweeners.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has been leading the mediation efforts over the past 48 hours, speaking with US, Iranian, European and Middle Eastern leaders on efforts to end the war, according to Ankara.

Trump had warned that Iran had only 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or their power plants would be “obliterated” by the US.

Trump’s threats were met in kind by Ghalibaf, who said his nation would make no concessions as he threatened to attack US critical infrastructure and energy facilities across the Middle East if the president made good on his threats.
Ghalibaf 64, most recently warned that along with US military bases, financial institutions linked to the American armed forces could be “considered legitimate targets.”

Ghalibaf, a former air force commander and mayor of Tehran, has served as the current speaker of parliament since 2020, often leading lawmakers with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

He is the key leader of Iran’s Principlist factions that often clashed with the country’s reformist faction led by the slain Ali Larijani, who was seen as the de facto leader of the Islamic republic after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death at the start of the war.
Experts believed that as Larijani’s main political rival, Ghalibaf was perfectly poised to take control of Iran given his strong ties with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Ghalibaf is widely seen as the man serving as a link among Mojtaba, the state bureaucracy, and the IRGC.

Iran maintains that Mojtaba is the de facto ruler of the Islamic state, but his absence from the public has stirred doubts as to whether he’s even alive.
Trump acknowledged the doubts himself on Monday, saying the US has yet to hear directly from the new supreme leader.

“We have not heard from the son,” Trump told reporters. “We don’t know if he’s living.”

“[Ali] Khamenei was killed,” the president said. “Khamenei’s son is unavailable. Nobody knows what happened to him. I can say they haven’t seen him there either. Something is going on with him. But regardless, I don’t consider him really the leader, but they do have some leaders left.”

Read More : US negotiating with Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf after Trump was coy on which leader was in charge: report
Trump Rejects Exit Ramp in Standoff Over TSA Funding

WASHINGTON—President Trump rejected an approach floated by Senate Republicans to end the standoff with Democrats over funding the Department of Homeland Security, as long airport security lines due to absent workers piled pressure on lawmakers to act.

Read More : Trump Rejects Exit Ramp in Standoff Over TSA Funding - WSJ
Alabama lawmakers have 6 days to decide the biggest bills of 2026: What to watch for

By Mike Cason | mcason@al.com

There are only six days left in the Alabama Legislature’s 2026 regular session and there is still much left to do.

The Legislature is not in session this week -- lawmakers return from spring break on March 31.

When they do return, they will have three big issues to consider: state budgets, whether to close primaries, and a possible reform of the Public Service Commission.

The Legislature must pass the education and General Fund budgets during the final session, spending plans that have been in the works since Gov. Kay Ivey introduced her recommended budget in February.

They will also be looking at major changes to primary elections and the body that oversees utility services across the state.

A bill requiring voters to register with a political party to vote in a primary faces an uncertain fate in the Alabama Senate. It passed the House 63-35.

That bill, HB541 by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, a Republican from Morgan County, is backed by some Republican leaders and the state Republican executive committee.

Six Republicans voted against it in the House and others said it was unnecessary or that it would alienate independent voters and cause the GOP to lose elections in some districts.

“If there’s a fear that Democrats are voting in Republican primaries, we certainly didn’t choose Roy Moore,” House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said. “I think we are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.”

Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, said Thursday that senators have been watching the bill closely but have not discussed what to do with it.

Gudger said he is expecting negotiations on two bills tied to another discussion that has dominated this session -- changing the PSC.

The “Power to the People Act,” passed by the Senate, would expand the PSC from three members elected statewide to seven members elected by congressional district.

The bill, SB360 by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, would create a new secretary of energy position in the governor’s cabinet, and make other changes.

The House also passed HB475 by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City.

It would not change how the PSC is elected but would require it to hold rate cases for utilities at least every three years.

Rate cases would require utility officials to testify and provide information under oath.

The PSC has not held a rate case for Alabama Power in decades. Instead, rates are adjusted to keep Alabama Power’s return on equity within an allowed range.

“I do think that you’re going to see some agreements that have been made on the PSC on both sides,” Gudger said. “That’ll be some big news.”

Other bills that could pass in the final six days would:

Require public schools to begin each day with a student-led prayer. The bill is a proposed constitutional amendment and would require approval by voters.
Require public schools to post the Ten Commandments.

Exclude candy and sodas from foods that can be bought with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, formerly called food stamps.

Allow taxpayers to claim a state income tax deduction of up to $1,000 for overtime pay.

Establish a criminal penalty for tethering or confining a dog without adequate food, water, and shelter and a properly fitted collar or harness.

Provide an annual weekend sales tax holiday for guns, ammunition, and hunting supplies.

Support the availability of ambulance services by updating the rates insurance companies pay for emergency care.

Prohibit the construction and operation of new solar power facilities for one year. Bills are pending in the House and Senate because of opposition to a proposed 4,500-acre solar farm in Stockton in north Baldwin County.

Require schools and state agencies in Alabama to recognize the Gulf of America as the official name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Alabama lawmakers have 6 days to decide the biggest bills of 2026: What to watch for - al.com