Iran’s top officials keep dying. This is how the regime is surviving.

Summary

Apple News Today

Episode Title: Iran’s top officials keep dying. This is how the regime is surviving.
Date: March 18, 2026
Host: Cecilia Ley, Gideon Resnick
Podcast: Apple News Today

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Episode Overview

This episode covers Iran’s loss of several key officials in Israeli strikes and examines how, despite significant blows to its leadership, the Iranian regime is maintaining control and suppressing dissent. Correspondents from The Wall Street Journal and BBC contribute analysis on why mass uprisings remain unlikely, and the episode explores the regime’s harsh crackdown, its implications for Iran’s future, and wider geopolitical responses. The latter part of the episode also addresses U.S. Homeland Security transition challenges, Cuba’s catastrophic nationwide blackout, lawsuits against XAI over explicit AI content, a subpoena related to the Epstein files, and a shift in U.S. retail trends.

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Iran: Leadership Losses and Regime Resilience

Key Events and Analysis

• Israeli Strikes Decimate Iranian Leadership

  • Several high-ranking officials killed, including the leader of Iran’s volunteer paramilitary group, the security chief (described as “Iran’s ultimate backroom power broker” by Reuters), and reportedly the intelligence minister.
  • Israel describes these actions as part of an effort to destabilize the regime and create an opening for a popular uprising.
  • Iranian retaliation involved strikes that killed at least two people in Israel.
  • The world waits for Iran’s new Supreme Leader to make his first public statement.
  • “Israel has strategically targeted the regime’s senior decision makers. Some say their aim is to destabilize the very top in the hopes of stoking a revolution from below.” — Gideon Resnick [00:35]

• Regime Response: Suppression and Intimidation

  • The government threatens “intense violence” against anyone who protests, with widespread arrests and direct communications to citizens warning of lethal consequences.
  • “The government has made it very clear that if anyone takes to the streets during the war, they will face intense violence.” — Unnamed speaker [00:14]
  • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard sends mass messages referencing previous violent crackdowns and enforces a shoot-to-kill order on demonstrators.
    • “They send messages…saying that they will face violence like they did on January 8th…Another Revolutionary Guard commander saying…there’s a shoot-to-kill order in place for anyone who rises up.” — Margarita Stancati, Wall Street Journal [02:49]

• Public Sentiment and Obstacles to Uprising

  • Some celebratory displays followed the Supreme Leader’s death, particularly among regime opponents, but no mass protests like those seen previously.
    • “There were some public shows of celebrations because some people were definitely happy that this happened, and there was a lot of hope…that this could be the beginning of the end…” — Margarita Stancati [02:10]
  • Severe personal risk, internet blackouts, and growing surveillance with checkpoints in the capital prevent large-scale gatherings.
    • “Internet blackouts in Iran largely remain…checkpoints have started appearing in the Capital to deter protests.” — Cecilia Ley [03:21]

• Crackdown as a Sign of Weakness

  • Evidence suggests that the regime’s domestic hard-line measures reflect increasing stress under bombardment, possibly weakening the government’s grip over time.
    • “The fact that the government is flexing its muscle and cracking down domestically…doesn’t mean that it hasn’t weakened...a possible scenario is that…we will see another popular uprising…because the regime is weakened.” — Margarita Stancati [03:45]

Timestamps

• 00:05–03:45 — Iran: Official assassinations, regime crackdown, and analysis of internal dynamics

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U.S. Homeland Security: New Leadership, Old Problems

Key Points

• Mark Wayne Mullen’s Confirmation Hearing

  • President Trump appoints Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
  • Mullen’s confirmation expected to be smooth, but the future direction and handling of controversies is uncertain.
    • “It’s really an open question as to if he has some kind of idea to take DHS in a different direction or how he might run the department differently from Kristi Noem and her team.” — Nick Miroff, The Atlantic [05:10]

• Policy Expectations

  • Mullen is known to support the MAGA agenda.
    • “…we shouldn’t expect big policy changes, at least to begin with.” — Nick Miroff [05:21]
  • Immediate challenges include immigration enforcement, FEMA, and filling leadership gaps following Kristi Noem’s departure.

• Expansion of Detention System

  • $38 billion planned for converting warehouses to immigrant holding centers; largest expansion of US immigrant detention in generations.
    • “They really just went out and bought these 11 warehouses, in some cases at above market rates, creating a lot of doubt and uncertainty…” — Nick Miroff [07:37]
  • The strategy is controversial, even among Republicans, due to cost, management concerns, and rapidity of the rollout.

• Ongoing DHS Controversies

  • Noem was fired after questions about contract management, including a high-profile media campaign and jet purchases.

Timestamps

• 04:30–08:27 — DHS leadership transition, migration policy, detention expansion, contract controversies

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Cuba: Total Blackout Amidst Economic Collapse

Key Points

• Nationwide Power Outage

  • Cuba’s electrical grid collapses, plunging 10 million into darkness; citizens protest by banging pots and pans.
    • “There is no water, no electricity, no gas…All of this is really very bad.” — Cuban man to Reuters [09:27]
  • Crisis is deepened by U.S. energy sanctions and loss of Venezuelan oil.

• Personal Impacts

  • Residents forced to cook and charge phones at odd hours due to sporadic power.
    • “It’s at 2 o’clock in the morning when the power comes on and then he and his wife have to scramble, get out of bed, charge their phones, immediately start cooking…” — Carmen Sassine, NBC News [11:15]

• A Failing System

  • Infrastructure is outdated and underfunded.
    • “Cuba’s electrical system is very old, it’s very outdated and it needs a lot of work to keep it going.” — Carmen Sassine [10:17]
  • Even recent economic reforms are met with skepticism by observers.

Timestamps

• 08:27–11:37 — Blackout, personal stories, system explanation, modest economic reforms

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Other Headlines

• X AI (Grok) Faces Lawsuit Over Child Sexualization via AI [11:37+]

  • Families sue Elon Musk’s company, alleging their software’s “spicy mode” enabled the creation of millions of sexualized images, including 23,000 depicting minors.

• House Oversight Subpoenas AG Over Epstein Files [12:30+]

  • DOJ calls the subpoena “unnecessary,” but lawmakers demand more transparency on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.

• US Retail Shift: More Service Businesses than Retail Stores [13:15+]

  • For the first time, U.S. retail space is dominated by service-based businesses, reflecting a major shift in business models.

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Memorable Quotes

• On Iranian Regime:

  • “The government has made it very clear that if anyone takes to the streets during the war, they will face intense violence.” — [00:14]
  • “The fact that the government is flexing its muscle…doesn’t mean it hasn’t weakened.” — Margarita Stancati [03:45]

• On Cuba’s Crisis:

  • “There is no water, no electricity, no gas…All of this is really very bad.” — Cuban citizen [09:27]
  • “It’s at 2 o’clock in the morning…they have to scramble, get out of bed, charge their phones, immediately start cooking…” — Carmen Sassine [11:15]

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Notable Segments

• 00:05–03:45: Iran leadership assassinations, regime outlook
• 03:45–04:30: Discussion on possibility of future uprisings
• 04:30–08:27: DHS transition and detention plans
• 08:27–11:37: Cuba blackout and grassroots impact
• 11:37–13:15: Lawsuit against XAI, government subpoena for Epstein documents
• 13:15–End: Retail trends; closing and upcoming narrated content

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Episode Tone

Urgent, analytic, and grounded in first-hand reporting, the episode delivers context and perspective on crises spanning the Middle East, U.S. policy, and Latin America, with an undercurrent of concern regarding authoritarian responses to instability and technological overreach.

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For more in-depth coverage, listeners are encouraged to explore Apple News’ curated reporting and narrated articles.

Transcript

[A]

Good morning. Israel kills Iranian officials in a major blow to the country's leadership. But the Wall Street Journal explains why an uprising remains unlikely, at least for now.

[B]

The government has made it very clear that if anyone takes to the streets during the war, they will face intense violence.

[C]

Trump's pick to run Homeland Security faces the Senate. The Atlantic looks at a major challenge coming his way. And what happened when all the lights went out in Cub, Cuba. It's Wednesday, March 18th. I'm Cecilia Ley.

[A]

And I'm Gideon Resnick. This is Apple News today. Iran suffered major losses at the top yesterday after Israel killed the leader of the country's volunteer paramilitary group as well as its security chief, a man described by Reuters as Iran's ultimate backroom power broker. The country's intelligence minister was also reportedly killed overnight, and Iran retaliated with strikes that killed at least two people in Israel. The deaths of these officials raise more questions over who is making the decisions on Iran's war behind the scenes. As the world waits for its new supreme leader to make his first public appearance since the start of the war, Israel has strategically targeted the regime's senior decision makers. Some say their aim is to destabilize the very top in the hopes of stoking a revolution from below. Announcing the strikes yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his military was undermining the regime to give Iranians the chance to take fate into their own hands. But despite heavy losses from US And Israeli bombardment, Iran's new rulers are cracking

[B]

down on dissent that's manifesting itself in a variety of ways, including widespread arrests, but also threats, making sure that people know that if they do rise up, they will be faced with lethal force.

[A]

Margarita Stancati is a foreign correspondent with the Wall Street Journal. She's been reporting on how Iranians have been responding to the conflict.

[B]

On the very first day of the war, are people celebrating the killing of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Obviously, many people were upset that he was killed, but there were some public shows of celebrations because some people were definitely happy that this happened, and there was a lot of hope among opponents of the regime that this could be the beginning of the end of the Islamic Republic. We have not seen mass protests in the same way that we saw them in January.

[A]

Sankati said. That's partly because of the immense danger facing protesters as strikes continued to rain down on Tehran. And even if they could organize in those conditions, severe threats have been issued en masse.

[B]

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the kind of paramilitary force that is de facto in charge with much of what's happened day to day during the war in Iran. They send messages to Iranian mobile phone users saying that they will face violence like they did on January 8th. So drawing a clear link between what may happen to them and what happened in January. And we've also seen threats in television broadcasts. Another reveal, Revolutionary Guard commander saying that, you know, there's a shoot to kill order in place for anyone who rises up.

[A]

Internet blackouts in Iran largely remain, and the BBC reports that checkpoints have started appearing in the Capitol to deter protests. All of this undermines what the US And Israel had initially said it wanted to achieve, creating the conditions inside the country that might fuel a popular uprising and ultimately regime change. But Sankati reports that the regime's crackdown is perhaps evidence of their stress under bombardment.

[B]

I think the fact that the government is flexing its muscle and cracking down domestically today doesn't mean that it hasn't weakened. And I think a possible scenario is that a few weeks, a few months or even a year from now we will see another popular uprising. So I think it does make a difference in terms of what's happening in the short term. But in the long term, we may still see large scale popular demonstrations depending on what happens, because the underlining populist content is there and the regime is weakened.

[A]

You can find more coverage in the Apple news app. Cecilia has more news coming up next.

[C]

The man poised to take on one of the most powerful jobs in Washington heads to the Senate today for confirmation hearings. Mark Wayne Mullen, an Oklahoma senator, is President Trump's pick to replace Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security. It's expected to be a straightforward confirmation process. But what comes next is a different story. It's a job with sprawling responsibilities and historically large budget. And as of late, it's been mired by controversies. Even some Republicans have characterized DHS as having major problems. Nick Miroff covers the department for the Atlantic. He says a lot is riding on Mullins appointment.

[D]

It's really an open question as to if he has some kind of idea to take DHS in a different direction or how he might run the department differently from Kristi Noem and her team.

[C]

Miroff said that Mullen is a strong proponent of the MAGA agenda, so we shouldn't expect big policy changes, at least to begin with.

[D]

President Trump, who was looking to replace Kristi Noem with someone I think that he believed he could trust, who had been a loyal defender of his, who has been outspoken on some of the homeland security issues like the border wall, like defending ICE agents. Over the course of the last several months, amid various controversies right out of

[C]

the gates, Mullen will face big questions about the future of immigration enforcement tactics, the disaster relief agency fema, and how he will fill the leadership void left by Noem's sudden departure. And of course, DHS hasn't been functioning properly for weeks. It's been shut down until the two parties can agree on some ref for immigration enforcement tactics. Miraf has been looking into the issue of immigration as Mullen prepares to step into his new role. In particular, he reports on the administration's plans to spend $38 billion to make over the nation's detention system by converting warehouses into large scale immigrant holding centers. This moment of transition could also provide a chance for some reflection as to how this all might work.

[D]

There's an expectation that there's going to be a pause now that things have been kind of going off the rails and that the arrival of a new secretary is an opportunity for a reset and particularly to try to do some of the groundwork that wasn't done in advance to get local jurisdictions, get them on board with isis.

[C]

Re engineering plan quickly Building new detention centers are a key component of the administration's plan to detain and deport millions of people. Upon confirmation, the Mullen will oversee the largest expansion of US Immigrant detention in generations. But it's no small task to retrofit warehouses that were built for storing products into centers to house people. The strategy has also run into opposition from some Republican lawmakers who have said that the rapid buildup would strain resources in their jurisdictions. Miroff said the warehouse's purchases came quickly after the White House pressed DHS on its promised detention capacity.

[D]

I really just went out and bought these 11 warehouses, in some cases at above market rates, creating a lot of doubt and uncertainty and raising a lot of questions in these local jurisdictions. What is the government doing in my county, right in my backyard?

[C]

And as Miroff notes, The questions over DHS's management and contracts were a key part of why Noam was fired.

[D]

It's worth pointing out that all of this is occurring basically under a cloud of suspicion around the way DHS contracts have been awarded. Let's keep in mind that when Kristi Noem really got in trouble with the White House, really kind of like the last straw for her were these questions from Republican senators about Noem's media contracts, you know, spending on this glitzy ad campaign with her as the star. In addition to her plans to acquire these jets.

[C]

The future of the warehouse contracts will come down in part to how Mullen wants to handle it. Miroff said that he might give his fellow senators what is often a safe answer in confirmation hearings. I don't know yet. Cuba was plunged into darkness this week after its entire electric grid collapsed, leaving 10 million people without power. Cubans were out on the streets Monday night in darkness, hitting pots and pans in protest. The island nation is facing its biggest crisis in decades after Trump effectively cut its people off from its main energy source, Venezuelan oil. Speaking to Reuters, one man described a situation of total scarcity. It's not just a blackout.

[A]

There is no water, no electricity, no gas.

[D]

There is no water because there is

[A]

no electricity to run the pumps. There is no electricity, no food, no oil, no fuel. All of this is really very bad.

[C]

Reports say that Cuba's electricity is coming back gradually, but their crisis remains acute. This week, Trump has raised the prospect of, quote, taking Cuba in some form without explaining what that actually means. Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose family has roots on the island, said the country needed a new leader.

[D]

The bottom line is their economy doesn't work. It's a non functional economy. It's an economy that has survived on subsidies from the Soviet Union and now from Venezuela. They don't get subsidies anymore, so they're in a lot of trouble.

[C]

Carmen Sassine writes for NBC News and has been reporting on Cuba's crises in recent days.

[E]

Cuba's electrical system is very old, it's very outdated and it needs a lot of work to keep it going. And because of the embargo, because of the shortages they have and the lack of money, they find it hard to keep the system going. On top of that, it requires oil. They're oil fired plants. So with the lack of fuel, that's been going on for years, but even more so now with the oil blockade, they just don't have enough oil to fire up their power plants and give power to people.

[C]

Cecine told us her colleague based in Cuba spoke to one 33 year old man who lives in Havana with his wife and two children. He's in construction, but told NBC the work is inconsistent. Sometimes his income is $40 a month and sometimes it's that means he's not able to afford groceries, so he resorts to buying staples like rice and beans from neighbors. Inconsistent power makes it that much harder to plan.

[E]

And yes, sometimes it's at 2 o' clock in the morning when the power comes on and then he and his wife have to scramble, get out of bed, charge their phones, immediately, start cooking because they don't know when the power is going to go out again. And obviously they can't keep anything in the refrigerator because it'll go bad. It'll go bad in just a few hours after the power going out.

[C]

Earlier this week, Havana announced some reforms to open up the national economy, allowing Cubans living abroad to invest and take a stake in private companies on the island. Ribio described that change as not dramatic enough. And finally, a few other stories were following. Three families with teenagers are suing Elon Musk's X AI over explicit images generated by Grok, the company's chatbot. Police informed the families that a man was arrested for taking photos of minors and using an unnamed app to remove their clothing and manipulate the images to make them sexually suggestive. Lawyers for the family say that if XAI hadn't licensed its technology to app makers, this harmful content would have never existed. They also accused Musk and the company of deliberately designing Grok to make money off of sexually explicit content. From late December 2025 to January 2026, a research group estimated Grok generated around 3 million sexualized images. About 23,000 of them depicted children. In the past, Musk has defended what is known as Grok's spicy mode, calling it a business decision. The family is seeking damages for emotional distress caused by the images. The House Oversight Committee yesterday officially subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify on the Epstein files. Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced the subpoena, saying it's unclear whether the DOJ has released all documents required by a recently passed law mandating their disclosure. In a statement, the DOJ called the subpoena unnecessary and that the lawmakers have been invited to review unredacted files at the Justice Department. The Hill News site notes congressional subpoenas are compulsory and carry the risk of a criminal referral if they are ignored. And finally, are you an online shopper or someone who likes to browse in person? For the traditionalists out there, you might be in for a little disappointment next time you head out. The Wall Street Journal reports the US now has more spas, gyms and other service oriented businesses taking up retail space than actual stores where you buy things. For the first time ever, service based tenants leased a little over half of the total retail square footage in 2025, according to the data firm Costar. The owner of one boxing gym celebrated the change, telling the Journal that this is the new happy hour. That is, if you don't get knocked out in the ring. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The Atlantic explores what the human body goes through when it's struck by lightning and why it can be excruciating for some, but metaphysically transformative for others. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the News tomorrow.