MON SIX

The U.S.launched missile attackson Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, with PresidentDonald Trumpcalling the mission a "major combat operation."

Iran has retaliated with attacks on U.S. air bases in the Gulf region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The clash between the United States and Iran comes just months before Iran is scheduled to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Iran was drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Team Melli is scheduled to play two group stage games in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).

In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. attacks on Iran, Grafstrom said that FIFA is monitoring the situation but remains optimistic that the World Cup will go forward with Iran as planned.

"I read the news [about Iran] this morning the same way you did," Grafstrom said at the International Football Association Board's annual general meeting in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday.

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"We had a meeting today and it is premature to comment in detail, but we will monitor developments around all issues around the world.

"We had the finals draw in Washington in which all teams participated, and our focus is on a safe World Cup with all the teams participating.

"We will continue to communicate as we always do with three [host] governments as we always do in any case. Everybody will be safe."

Visitors from Iran are already set to be barred from entering the United States for the World Cup. Iran was among 19 countries included in atravel banthat the Trump administration announced in June.

In December, Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj warned that some national team players and staff may also be denied U.S. visas for the World Cup due to their military background.

Several Iran national team players have served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of the Iranian military that the U.S. government has designated as aforeign terrorist organization.

TheU.S. State Department has not ruled out the possibilitythat some Iranian players could see their visas denied.

2026 World Cup: 20 players who will get you out of your seat

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:USA attack on Iran: FIFA responds to World Cup concerns

The weather forecast is looking promising for warmer weather as the calendar turns to March. In the East, a dramatic warm-up is in the forecast, and theClimate Prediction Center's outlook for March 6 to 12 shows warmth spreading across much of the nation, including the beleaguered Northeast.

But awinter weather boogieman may still be lurking.

"We are not completely done from an influence from the polar vortex," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok in an e-mail to USA TODAY.

The infamous weather pattern is actually partly influencing our weather as February ends. And it may again throughout the month of March, forecasters told USA TODAY.

Meanwhile, Sunday, March 1, is the first day of meteorological spring, which is the three months when meteorologists expect the weather to feel more like spring (even if it sometimes takes the calendar a few weeks to catch up).

Polar vortex helped shape multiple cold weather outbreaks

The polar vortexmade its biggest headlines of the winterin late January and early February, as it was a significant factor in the Arctic air that flooded south into the eastern United States, helping produce record cold and memorable snowstorms.

As meteorologists predicted multiple cold snaps this winter, the polar vortex was often one of the many forces at play. After the dust settled, experts found only one example (in late January and early February) where sudden stratospheric warming (and the polar vortex disruption that causes) was the primary cause of freezing weather in the United States.

But disruptions of another phenomenon, the Arctic Oscillation, contributed to frigid temperatures as well.

Experts, including Laura Ciasto, a meteorologist withNOAA's Climate Prediction Center, tend to describe cold outbreaks as a dance between multiple weather forces.

"It's been an active winter for both the stratospheric polar vortex and the Arctic Oscillation (AO)," Ciasto told USA TODAY in an e-mail.

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The polar vortex has become a popular point of discussion in winter weather, in part because of its catchy name. But meteorologists note it's a complex and confounding climate force that acts in mysterious ways.

For one thing, a weaker polar vortex tends to send cold air to the United States, as it fails to contain cold air way above the Arctic. (For another: Meteorologists will distinguish between a stratospheric and tropospheric polar vortex, based on where the cold air is in the atmosphere.)

A Nor'easter winter storm buried streets, cars and neighborhoods across the Northeast. At least 49 locations reported more than 24 inches of snow by 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
Matt Powers shovels a Jersey City sidewalk, Monday, February 23, 2026 after more than a foot of snow had blanketed the area.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Almost a foot of snow covers cars and a home on Main Street in Marshfield, Mass. on Feb. 23, 2026.

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Snow up to your eyeballs! Photos show how deep the wintry blanket got

ANor'easter winter stormburied streets, cars and neighborhoods across the Northeast. At least 49 locations reported more than 24 inches of snow by 1:30 p.m. on Monday.Matt Powers shovels a Jersey City sidewalk, Monday, February 23, 2026 after more than a foot of snow had blanketed the area.

Polar vortex changes may shape the forecast again for March

Pastelok said a "lobe" of the vortex is extending into eastern North America and is influencing the cold, snow and ice into early March in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, although the polar vortex isn't the only weather system at play.

A polar vortex expert,MIT's Judah Cohen, told USA TODAY that "another sudden stratospheric warming looks all but inevitable and this time it would be a polar vortex split. This looks to take place at the end of the first week of March."

(Sudden stratospheric warming is a rapid warming high above the Arctic that disrupts the polar vortex — and can set the stage for major winter weather shifts weeks later down here in the United States.)

Cohen said the warmth could be replaced later in the month by more cold. "I would expect a milder period in the eastern US until close to the spring equinox," Cohen said. "Then I think eventually colder weather arrives to the eastern US related to the polar vortex split in late March or early April that could hang around for a while."

We still need to watch the storm track in late March, Pastelok noted. "Perhaps (there will be) a late winter storm anywhere from the upper Midwest to the interior Northeast."

Cold weather might impact the West this time

This time, the impacts from the split vortex would be for colder and stormier weather in western North America in early March, Pastelok said. Conversely, for many areas in the eastern U.S., temperatures will run above average from March 5-15. "This will lead to rapid snow melt and ice jams in U.S. from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast that can cause flooding."

Cohen agreed with Pastelok, saying that "ironically even though everyone gets most excited about a polar vortex split (that it will cause more severe winter weather) I think the only guarantee is that it will likely bring a milder period to the eastern U.S. that could be multiple weeks. Instead, it probably favors colder, stormier weather in the Western U.S."

Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, focusing on weather and climate.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The polar vortex isn't done. It's still in the March 2026 forecast.

US-Immigration-Detaining-Children

The government has been holdinghundreds of children and their parentsat the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, about 75 miles south of San Antonio. Some have been detained for months.

The Department of Homeland Security has strongly defended the quality of care and conditions there.

Here are key findings from an Associated Press report on how the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement is shaping life inside the facility.

Detention of children has been rising

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement booked more than 3,800 children into detention during the first nine months of the new Trump administration, according to an AP analysis of data from the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project.

On an average day, more than 220 children were being held, with most of those detained longer than 24 hours sent to Dilley. More than half of Dilley detainees during the early part of the Trump administration were children, the AP analysis found.

Sincebeing reopened last spring, the number of people detained at Dilley has risen sharply and reached more than 1,300 in late January, according to researchers. Nearly two-thirds of children detained by ICE in the early months of the Trump administration were eventually deported.

ICE holds many children longer than 20-day limit

The government is holding many childrenat Dilley well beyond the 20-day limitset by a longstanding court order.

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"We've started to use 100 days as a benchmark because so many children are exceeding 20 days," said Leecia Welch, the chief legal director at Children's Rights, who visits Dilley regularly to ensure compliance. In a visit this month, Welch said she counted more than 30 children who had been held for over 100 days.

Many settled families among those currently detained

When the Obama administration opened Dilley in 2014, nearly all the families detained there had recently crossed the border from Mexico.

But many of those now sent to the facility have lived in the U.S. several years, according to lawyers and other observers, meaning children are being uprooted from the familiarity of schools, neighborhoods and many of the people who care for them.

Parents Allege Deficient Care

Parents and children recounted stressful conditions inside Dilley, including experiences that raise questions about the quality of care being provided.

A 13-year-old girl cut herself with a plastic knife after staff withheld prescribed antidepressants and denied her request to join her mother down the hall, the mother told the AP.

Another mother said when her 1-year-old daughter developed a high fever and vomited, medical staff repeatedly offered only acetaminophen and ibuprofen before she was eventually admitted to hospitals with bronchitis, pneumonia and stomach viruses. ICE disputed her account, saying the baby "immediately received proper care."

Other families described more routine problems, like the difficulty of getting children to sleep in quarters where lights are kept on all night and of stomach aches caused by foul drinking water.

Both adults and children described the often overwhelming stress of being detained that has caused many to despair.

ICE, DHS defend Dilley

DHS did not respond to detailed questions about Dilley submitted by the AP. But both DHS and ICE sharply refuted allegations of poor care and conditions in statements issued this week."The Dilley facility is a family residential center designed specifically to house family units in a safe, structured and appropriate environment," ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement.Dilley provides medical screenings and infant care packages as well as classrooms and recreational spaces, ICE said.Once in full operation, Dilley is expected to generate about $180 million in annual revenue for CoreCivic, the for-profit prison company that operates it under contract with ICE, according to the company's recent filing with securities regulators.In response to questions from the AP, a CoreCivic spokesman said no child at Dilley "has been denied medical treatment or experienced a delayed medical assessment." The company said detainees receive comprehensive care from medical and mental health professionals.Questions about oversightThe increased detention of families comes as the Trump administration has gutted an office responsible for oversight of conditions inside Dilley and other facilities.In years past,investigators found problems at Dilley, including consistently inadequate staffing and disregard for the trauma caused by the detention.A special committee recommended that family detention be discontinued except in rare cases, and the Biden administration began phasing it out in 2021. Dilley was closed in 2024. But in reopening it, the Trump administration has completely reversed course.

DHS did not respond to detailed questions about Dilley submitted by the AP. But both DHS and ICE sharply refuted allegations of poor care and conditions in statements issued this week.

"The Dilley facility is a family residential center designed specifically to house family units in a safe, structured and appropriate environment," ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement.

Dilley provides medical screenings and infant care packages as well as classrooms and recreational spaces, ICE said.

Once in full operation, Dilley is expected to generate about $180 million in annual revenue for CoreCivic, the for-profit prison company that operates it under contract with ICE, according to the company's recent filing with securities regulators.

In response to questions from the AP, a CoreCivic spokesman said no child at Dilley "has been denied medical treatment or experienced a delayed medical assessment." The company said detainees receive comprehensive care from medical and mental health professionals.

Questions about oversight

The increased detention of families comes as the Trump administration has gutted an office responsible for oversight of conditions inside Dilley and other facilities.

In years past,investigators found problems at Dilley, including consistently inadequate staffing and disregard for the trauma caused by the detention.

A special committee recommended that family detention be discontinued except in rare cases, and the Biden administration began phasing it out in 2021. Dilley was closed in 2024. But in reopening it, the Trump administration has completely reversed course.

In the wake of the strikes, carried out by the highly advanced American B-2 bombers, President Donald Trump declared that the Iranian regime's nuclear capabilities had been "obliterated."

However, questions arose in the wake of the strikes about what was actually destroyed.

MORE: Iran live updates: Trump announces 'major combat operations'; could last for days

In the intervening months, the U.S. has tried to negotiate with the Iranian regime to reach a nuclear deal and Trump has repeatedly threatened the regime.

Recently, the administration began to float a potential strike, while maintaining that the nuclear program had been "obliterated," leaving the justification for doing so unclear. In his address after Saturday's strikes, Trump mentioned "imminent threats from the Iranian regime," missile and nuclear capabilities as well as regime change.

Iran has stated numerous times that it doesn't want nuclear weapons but believes it has the right to use nuclear power for civilian purpose.

A recent Defense Intelligence Agency memo suggested Iran was looking to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035, but Trump suggested missiles could be capable of reaching the U.S. "soon."

MORE: Trump starkly warns of potential US casualties in 'massive ongoing operation' to stop Iranian regime

Here's how the events have unfolded.

June 12, 2025:Israel launches a series of preemptive strikes against Iran, hitting military targets including the nuclear program. A dayslong conflict erupts.

June 22, 2025:U.S. launches Operation Midnight Hammer, with more than 100 planes, including seven B-2 stealth bombers, targeting three nuclear sites in Iran. In the wake of the strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the country's nuclear ambitions were "obliterated."

Hegseth said at the time that the scope of the operation was "intentionally limited" to give the Iranians a chance to negotiate and the attack was not about "regime change." At the same time, Israel said that it struck "dozens of military sites" in Iran.

Trump floated the idea of regime change at the time writing on Truth Social - "It's not politically correct to use the term, "Regime Change," but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???"

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December 2025-January 2026:Protests break out in Iran that become widespread. The protests turn deadly, with the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) saying that thousands were killed. Trump threated to hit the regime "hard" if protesters were killed.

MORE: US-Israeli operation against Iran was in the works for months, IDF says

Jan. 26, 2026:Trump tells Axios that Iran "wants to make a deal." "They were going to hang 837 people, and I told them, if you do it, you're going to pay a price like nobody's ever paid before. They pulled back. I appreciated that, but a lot of people have been killed. So, we'll see what happens. I can say this. They do want to make a deal," he said.

Jan. 28, 2026:Trump says on Truth Social that a "massive armada is heading to Iran" and "Hopefully Iran will quickly "Come to the Table" and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS." He further warned that "he next attack will be far worse" than Midnight Hammer.

Jan. 30:Trump says Iran wants to make a deal.

Feb. 3:A U.S. official confirms talks are tentatively scheduled to take place in Turkey.

Feb. 4:Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is ready for Iran talks but "they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes a nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people."

Feb. 6:U.S. and Iran engage in indirect talks in Oman. After the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called them a "good start" according to state media.

Feb. 11:Vice President JD Vance says he wants a deal with Iran, but "if we can't cut that deal, then there's another option on the table." He said regime change was "up to the Iranian people."

Feb. 13:Trump says regime change is the "best thing that could happen." He urged Iran to make a deal. "I will say they wanted to talk, but so far, they do a lot of talking, and no action," he said.

MORE: 'Serious moment': Reactions pour in from Congress after Trump strikes Iran

Feb. 19:Trump gives Iran 15 days "maximum" to make a deal. "We're either going to get a deal or it's going to be unfortunate for them," he said.

Feb. 24:During the State of the Union speech, Trump issued a stark warning to the Iranian regime. "They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America," Trump said. Trump insisted that Iran would not agree to not pursue a nuclear weapon. He said "no nation should ever doubt America's resolve."

Feb. 26:The U.S. and Iran hold high stakes talks in Geneva. The administration said that it wanted a full stop to Iranian uranium enrichment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the regime posed a "threat" and "you can see them always trying to rebuild elements of" the nuclear program. Vance says there is "no chance" of a drawn out war.

Feb. 27:Trump says he is "not happy" with negotiations with Iran. "I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have." But he said a final decision had not been made as to whether to strike. Earlier in the day, it was announced that Rubio would travel to Israel on Monday and Tuesday.

Feb. 28:The U.S. launches Operation Epic Fury, which Trump called "major combat operations" alongside Israel. Trump justified the attacks to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime." He also called on the Iranian people to rise up and depose the regime. Trump has not provided evidence of the threats posed by Iran and did not seek the approval of Congress.