• A TSA official said some airports, “particularly smaller ones,” may close due to the shutdown.
• Smaller airports handle less traffic, but even limited closures would ripple across the system.
• Mass call-outs by TSA staff have led to security wait times of over 3 hours at some airports.

Airport security is unraveling at some US airports as TSA agents call out en masse — but officials say it could get even worse.

Adam Stahl, the acting deputy administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, said Tuesday on Fox News’ “FOX & Friends” morning show that some airports may close as the partial shutdown drags into its 5th week.

“Frankly, there’s not much else we can do,” he said. “As the weeks continue, if this continues, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones.”

Stahl added that the National Deployment Office, which has sent relief staff to airports to help overwhelmed agents, is “fully depleted.”

It’s unclear which airports would close, how that decision would be made, and whether TSA staff at those airports would stay home or be deployed to busier locations.

The more than 50,000 agents who screen passengers and luggage at roughly 450 airports across the country have received only one partial payment since DHS funding lapsed on February 14.

Smaller airports typically handle fewer flights and have less connecting traffic than larger hubs, but even limited closures would ripple across the system — adding costs and time for both travelers and airlines.

The possibility of airport closures comes on top of an already extremely busy spring break travel period. The US Travel Association estimates a record 171 million people will fly in the US in March and April.

Still, the chaos seems random so far. This author flew through Las Vegas and Los Angeles over the weekend and saw short lines; other major airports like Miami and Boston haven’t felt much impact either.

The TSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

TSA agents, deemed “essential” employees and working without pay during the shutdown, received their first $0 paycheck over the weekend.

In a joint letter on Sunday, airline CEOs from carriers like Delta, Southwest, and FedEx urged Congress to pass legislation protecting TSA, customs, and air traffic control workers from being affected by government shutdowns.

Roughly 21% of the security staff at Atlanta — the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic — as well as at New York-JFK and Houston Hobby Airport have called out in recent weeks, the Department of Homeland Security said.

That has led to checkpoint wait times exceeding 3 hours, with lines snaking out the doors, into parking garages, and onto airport sidewalks. The average nationwide call-out rate before the shutdown was less than 2%, per the DHS.

That has more than doubled since the shutdown began. The agency added that 366 transportation security officers have left the TSA between the start of the shutdown and Monday.

“These numbers illustrate the severe operational strain caused by the shutdown, underscoring the urgent need for resolution to restore stability, morale, and security at America’s airports,” the DHS said in a statement. “TSA funding must be restored immediately.”

• The prediction market Polymarket has few guardrails on what people can bet on.
• An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe and threaten him into changing a story.
• The $9 billion company condemned the threats and said it removed accounts linked to them.

An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe him and threatened to kill him after he reported that an Iranian missile had struck Israel earlier this month.

Polymarket later condemned the harassment and said the conduct violated its rules.

“We’ve banned the accounts for all involved & will pass their info to the relevant authorities,” the company wrote on X.

Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, wrote this week that the harassment began with emails pressing him to revise a blog post saying a missile hit an area roughly 500 meters from homes in Beit Shemesh, a small city in central Israel.

The initial outreach, written in Hebrew, was polite, Fabian wrote. “Regarding your Times of Israel report that described today’s launch as an ‘impact’ — Beit Shemesh Municipality and MDA (Magen David Adom) later corrected their reports to clarify that what fell was an interceptor fragment, not a full missile,” the first email said, referring to an Israeli emergency-response service.

Follow-up messages from others were more insistent. “I have an urgent request regarding the accuracy of your report on the missile attack on March 10. I would really appreciate a response if possible,” read one.

Fabian wrote that he stood by the reporting, citing Israeli military information and video of a large explosion that, in his view, was inconsistent with interceptor debris.

What followed, he said, was a pressure campaign that spilled across email, X, Discord, WhatsApp, and backchannel outreach through another journalist.

Fabian described repeated requests to change the wording of his report, which he believed was intended to influence the resolution of a Polymarket market tied to whether Iran struck Israel on that date. He said some messages — which didn’t explicitly mention Polymarket, but came from Polymarket users or seemed bizarrely hung up on his blog post — escalated into explicit threats.

“If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer,” read one.

Fabian wrote that he went to the police and provided evidence.

Polymarklet didn’t answer questions from the Times of Israel about the details of the investigation. Representatives for Polymarket didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

Advocates for prediction markets have said they encourage honesty by requiring users to put their money where their mouth is. Shayne Coplan, Polymarket’s founder, has said that people in the Middle East can use military-strike markets to decide whether they want to sleep near a bomb shelter.

The nitty-gritty details of contracts and how they are resolved can lead to contentious arguments. People on Polymarket who wagered on whether Iran would strike Israel by March 10 still haven’t gotten paid, as the contract appears to remain in dispute. Polymarket, which is legally based in Panama, uses a complex, crypto-based process to resolve disagreements.

Fabian isn’t the first person to say they were targeted by prediction market users. The NCAA has cited concerns with prediction markets, reporting that 36% of Division I men’s basketball players said they had been harassed by “someone with a betting interest.”

In January, the organization called for a pause on college sports-related betting prediction market betting until the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platforms, “implements appropriate regulations.”

Polymarket was valued at $9 billion last year and is seeking a $20 billion valuation in talks with investors, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The company and its competitor, Kalshi, have poured millions of dollars into marketing online, on TV, and in real life, even giving people free groceries in New York City.

The largest chunk of activity on both platforms is betting on sports in a manner that competes with companies like DraftKings, BetMGM, and other traditional sportsbooks. The second-biggest category is speculating on cryptocurrency prices.

Business Insider has previously reported that Polymarket has drawn scrutiny from US lawmakers over concerns about manipulation, insider trading, and the difficulty of investigating crypto-based bets.

Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Greg Casar announced Tuesday that they will introduce the “Bets Off Act,” which would ban certain prediction market trades, including terrorism, war, and assassinations.

The attacks on Iran are only one of several geopolitical flashpoints that have been accompanied by concern about the prospect of people with insider information cashing in. One Polymarket user made several hundred thousand dollars correctly betting on the US operation to remove Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.

• Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Greg Casar introduced the “BETS OFF Act” to regulate prediction markets.
• It includes a ban on trades on events where insiders have control or knowledge about the outcome.
• That applies not just to government actions, but also to things like the Oscars.

If two lawmakers on Capitol Hill get their way, making prediction market bets on the Oscars or the Super Bowl halftime show would be illegal.

“If you bet on who’s performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and lose your money to someone who controlled the answer, you’re getting ripped off,” said Democratic Rep. Greg Casar of Texas.

“Wouldn’t the government protect consumers from markets that were transparently rigged?” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. “The people who benefit in these markets are always the powerful.”

Murphy and Casar introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban a slew of prediction markets currently offered by platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket.

Dubbed the Banning Event Trading on Sensitive Operations and Federal Functions (BETS OFF) Act, the bill would ban prediction market trading on the following:

• terrorism, assassination, and war;
• non-financial government actions in general;
• events where individuals know or can control the outcome.

At a press conference on Tuesday, both Murphy and Casar largely focused on what they described as the perils of allowing prediction market trading on government actions, including the war in Iran.

“It is frankly stunning to people that it is legal, that it is allowed, for these prediction markets to allow for bets to be made on such consequential questions like war and peace,” Murphy said.

Yet trading on events like awards shows and other cultural events has only grown in popularity. According to Kalshi, traders bet more than $105 million on the Oscars this year, up from roughly $30 million last year.

Despite that growing popularity, both lawmakers told Business Insider that they weren’t concerned about ending up on the wrong side of public opinion, given their belief that those markets are susceptible to corruption and rigging.

“When people get on their phone and see these prediction markets, they expect that there are rules to make sure the game isn’t rigged against them,” Casar said. “I think that voters would clearly stand with us, saying we want to make sure that you aren’t betting on a rigged poker game.”

As prediction markets have come under greater scrutiny, Kalshi has emphasized that its rules forbid insider trading, and the company recently said it took action against a MrBeast video editor for insider trading.

Polymarket has generally taken a more lax approach, and because it’s an international platform that hasn’t yet fully rolled out its US markets, American regulations don’t always apply.

Murphy and Casar’s bill aims to change that, including by amending existing laws to block payments to offshore prediction market platforms and imposing criminal penalties on people who promote them domestically.

Here’s the full text of the “BETS OFF Act”:

• St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 every year.
• Irish leaders traditionally visit the White House and gift the president with shamrocks.
• Ireland’s prime minister met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, where they discussed the war with Iran.

The White House typically marks St. Patrick’s Day with a visit from Irish officials and the exchange of a shamrock.

This year, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office amid the US war with Iran.

Photos show how St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated at the White House through the years.

As President John F. Kennedy was America’s first Irish-Catholic president, St. Patrick’s Day held special meaning for him.

In 1952, Ireland’s ambassador to the US, John Hearne, sent President Harry Truman a box of shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, and a tradition was born.

In 1961, Irish Ambassador Thomas J. Kiernan presented Kennedy with a basket of shamrocks and the Kennedy coat of arms with a family tree showing his Irish ancestry.

Irish Ambassador William Patrick Fay pinned a cluster of shamrocks to President Richard Nixon’s lapel in 1969.

The Irish delegation also gifted him with a foot-high Waterford crystal vase engraved with a White House etching.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter received a Waterford crystal vase from Irish foreign minister Garret FitzGerald.

FitzGerald went on to serve as Taoiseach, the prime minister of Ireland, from 1981 to 1982 and from 1982 to 1987.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave FitzGerald a hat embroidered with the words “Very Important Irishman.”

Reagan also accepted the traditional shamrock gift.

Reagan was visited by a man dressed as a leprechaun on St. Patrick’s Day in 1986.

The leprechaun presented Reagan with a personalized shamrock.

President George H.W. Bush received a bowl of shamrocks from deputy prime minister of Ireland Brian Lenihan in 1990.

The reception took place in the White House Rose Garden.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wore a green dress for St. Patrick’s Day in 1995.

President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton posed with Irish Prime Minister John Bruton and his wife, Finola Bruton, in the Grand Foyer of the White House.

President Bill Clinton received a bowl of shamrocks from Prime Minister John Bruton in 1996.

The two men also wore shamrock lapels.

In 2001, President George W. Bush accepted the traditional gift in the Roosevelt Room.

First lady Laura Bush wore a green jacket in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Bush, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were serenaded by the United States Air Force Reserve Pipe Band in 2007.

The group walked down the steps of the House of Representatives on their way to the White House for the shamrock ceremony.

Michelle Obama wore a green Michael Kors dress to the White House St. Patrick’s Day reception in 2011.

Obama stood onstage with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s wife, Fionnuala Kenny.

In 2012, the White House fountain on the South Lawn was dyed green for the occasion.

President Obama also visited a bar and attended a St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the Capitol.

First lady Melania Trump wore a green animal-print sheath dress designed by Brandon Maxwell to greet the prime minister of Ireland in 2018.

She paired the dress with Christian Louboutin snakeskin heels.

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar wore shamrock lapels on St. Patrick’s Day in 2018.

When asked if he would visit Ireland, Trump said, “I would love to visit Ireland soon, I will come, I love it, I have property there, I will go.”

President Joe Biden continued Obama’s tradition of dyeing the fountain green for his first St. Patrick’s Day in the White House.

St. Patrick’s Day had special significance since Biden was the first Irish Catholic president since Kennedy. He is known for often quoting Irish poets in his speeches.

In 2021, Biden held a virtual meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, where he accepted the traditional shamrock from afar.

Like many of his predecessors, Biden wore a green tie and shamrock lapel.

Vice President Kamala Harris also held a virtual meeting with Martin.

The meeting went virtual again in 2022 after Martin tested positive for COVID-19.

The Taoiseach was supposed to meet with Biden in person in the Oval Office and attend the yearly St. Patrick’s Day Friends of Ireland lunch hosted by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was able to meet with Biden in person on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023.

Former One Direction member Niall Horan, who is Irish, performed at the Shamrock presentation.

During Trump’s second non-consecutive term, Martin visited the White House amid a brewing trade war with the European Union.

During their Oval Office meeting, Trump said that Ireland “took our pharmaceutical companies” and that the European Union “was set up in order to take advantage of the United States.” Martin countered Trump, saying that the trade relationship between the two countries is “a two-way street.”

The day after Martin’s visit, the EU announced tariffs of its own on more than $28 billion worth of US goods. In response, Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on European alcohol and called the European Union “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World, which was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States” in a Truth Social post.

As of summer 2025, there is a baseline 15% tariff on most European goods imported to the US.

Martin visited the White House for St. Patrick’s Day in 2026 amid the US war with Iran.

After having breakfast at the vice president’s residence, Martin met with Trump in the Oval Office, where the two leaders discussed the ongoing war with Iran.

When asked about rising prices in Ireland due to the US war with Iran, Trump said that he thinks the people of Ireland are “very happy that I’m getting rid of a nuclear power, a nuclear terrorist,” and that prices would “drop like a rock” when the war concluded.

Martin also addressed immigration, saying that while “no one is in favor of illegal migration,” Ireland’s population is growing “in a very positive way” because of new workers moving there, making the country’s economy “more robust.”

• Elon Musk said Tesla would “hopefully” unveil the long-awaited Roadster next month, “probably in late April.”
• The car has been delayed for years, with reservations open since 2017.
• Tesla previously promised supercar-level speed, 620 miles of range, and four seats.

Tesla has pushed back the reveal of its long-delayed next-generation Roadster — again. But Elon Musk says it could arrive as soon as late next month.

On Tuesday, the Tesla CEO said on X that the company will “hopefully” unveil the electric sports car next month, “probably in late April.”

That timeline is already slipping from Musk’s recent guidance. In an October interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk said the car would be released “hopefully before the end of the year.” Then, in November, during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, he said that the company was “tentatively aiming” to have the demo event on April 1, adding that the date gives him “some deniability because I can say I was just kidding.”

It’s the latest twist in the more than 8-year reimagining of Tesla’s flagship sports car. The Roadster 2 was first announced in 2017 and originally marketed with an expected delivery in 2020.

The Roadster has since become one of Tesla’s most anticipated — and controversial — projects.

“It’s going to be the most memorable product unveil ever,” Musk told Rogan in October.

Reservations for the Roadster have been open for years. Tesla first began taking deposits in November 2017, when it unveiled the prototype.

Early adopters had to pay a steep price to hold a spot: $50,000 for current models, or a $250,000 deposit for the limited “Founder’s Series.”

Some high-profile reservation holders have grown frustrated with the repeated delays. In late 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee both said they had canceled reservations. Musk later said Altman received a refund within 24 hours, while Brownlee said he still holds a second reservation he was given for free.

Musk has acknowledged the long wait. On a 2024 earnings call, he described reservation holders as “long suffering,” while downplaying the car’s importance to Tesla’s core business, saying the Roadster was “not just the icing on the cake, it’s the cherry on the icing on the cake.”

The Roadster is expected to serve as Tesla’s top-end vehicle, as the company phases out its luxury Model S and Model X vehicles. The automaker’s website says the sports car will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, have a range of about 620 miles, and seat four.

Behind the scenes, Tesla appears to be ramping up work on the Roadster. Business Insider previously reported that the company hired engineers tied to the project in 2025. Musk has said the car will be a collaboration with SpaceX, and could include rocket thrusters to boost performance.

Tesla also filed new trademark applications related to the Roadster in February.

The model is also something of a return to Tesla’s roots. The company’s first vehicle, released in 2008, was a modified Lotus Elise — a lightweight sports car retrofitted with an electric powertrain. It also bore the “Roadster” branding.

The unveiling of the rebooted car comes during a pivotal stretch for Tesla. The company aims to scale production of its Semi truck, self-driving Cybercab, and Optimus humanoid robot.

Musk has said 2026 will be “something special” for Tesla.

So when exactly will the Roadster finally make its public debut? Some fans think they already know the answer.

“How about April 20?” one user replied to Musk on X — a nod to 4:20, one of the CEO’s favorite marijuana jokes.

• The 2026 Oscars took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.
• The live show documented much of the fun, but it didn’t capture everything from the awards ceremony.
• There were A-list meetups and fashion choices that celebrated the nominated films.

The 2026 Oscars were an awards show for the books.

From a tie in the live action short category to an appearance from Anna Wintour, the Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, didn’t disappoint.

The live show on ABC captured much of the night’s fun, but some exciting moments may not have made it to TV. There were fashion choices that nodded to the nominated films, hugs between celebrity attendees, and even a sibling meetup.

Here are the best moments you missed from the 2026 Oscars.

Michael B. Jordan looked giddy as his Oscar was engraved.

After Jordan won the Oscar for best actor for his performance in “Sinners,” he took his trophy to have his name engraved.

He was all smiles as the award was personalized, even pumping his fist for a photo.

The “Sinners” star also shared a hug with Leonardo DiCaprio after his big win.

DiCaprio was also nominated for best actor at the 2026 Oscars for his performance in “One Battle After Another.” Still, he didn’t seem at all disappointed that Jordan won the award instead.

DiCaprio hugged Jordan after he gave his acceptance speech.

Jack O’Connell brought a vampire flair to the red carpet with fake teeth.

O’Connell played the vampire Remmick in “Sinners,” and he paid homage to the character at the Oscars by wearing prosthetic fangs with his red-carpet attire.

It was an eerie and festive touch for the big night.

“Sinners” director Ryan Coogler also nodded to the movie with his style, though in a subtler way.

At first glance, you might miss the guitar and treble clef braided into the side and top of “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler’s hair for the Oscars.

Blues music plays a big role in “Sinners,” so the guitar was a perfect way for Coogler to celebrate the film with his style. Tyzanna B. braided Coogler’s hair for the occasion.

Jessie Buckley took inspiration from Grace Kelly for her Oscars dress.

Buckley, who won the best actress Oscar for “Hamnet” on Sunday, wore a custom Chanel gown to the event.

The pink-and-red dress took inspiration from the Edith Head gown Grace Kelly wore to the Oscars in 1956. The off-the-shoulder bodice created a similar silhouette to the wrap Kelly wore with her gown.

The Oscar winner was also photographed sharing a hug with her “Hamnet” costar.

Jupe played the titular role and Buckley’s son in the film.

The pair squeezed each other tightly amid the fanfare of the Oscars.

Another film duo, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, posed for a photo during the ceremony.

Taylor, who was nominated for best supporting actress, plays Infiniti’s mother in “One Battle After Another,” though they never appear on screen together.

Infiniti sat behind Taylor during the Oscars, and she leaned forward to press her cheek to Taylor’s for a photo.

Emma Stone and her husband, Dave McCary, were caught breaking into their snack boxes.

Nominated for best actress for “Bugonia,” Stone brought McCary as her date to the Oscars.

Mid-show, they whipped out snack boxes that seemed to be provided at the event, each holding a bag of what appeared to be SkinnyPop popcorn.

Jacob Elordi stopped by the front row to greet Nicole Kidman.

Elordi leaned over the front row to get to Kidman, who sat in the second row, kissing her hand as Demi Moore smiled at them.

Elordi was nominated for best supporting actor for “Frankenstein” at the 2026 Oscars.

Pedro Pascal also looked thrilled to see Kidman.

Pascal grinned at Kidman when they ran into each other at the Oscars.

Kidman also seemed happy to see Pascal, jumping for joy at the sight of him.

Timothée Chalamet got a visit from his sister during the show.

Although Chalamet brought his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, as his date to the Oscars, she wasn’t the only one of his loved ones in attendance. His sister, Pauline Chalamet, was also there.

The “Sex Lives of College Girls” star and “Marty Supreme” best actor nominee posed for a photo together near the stage.

Kylie Jenner looked thrilled to be sitting near Elle Fanning at the Oscars.

As Jenner and Chalamet found their seats in the front row of the Oscars, they spotted Elle Fanning sitting just one row behind them. Fanning and Jenner were seated together at multiple awards shows in 2025, after Fanning and Chalamet starred in “A Complete Unknown.”

At the 2026 Oscars, Fanning clapped her hands together when she saw them, while Jenner seemed to cheer at her friend.

Jenner referenced herself with her keyhole Oscars dress.

Jenner accompanied Chalamet to the Oscars in a sparkly gown from Schiaparelli. The dress had a low, scooped neckline and a keyhole cutout on the bodice.

The dress might look familiar to Jenner’s fans, as it’s a red version of a Schiaparelli dress she wore to a 2023 fashion show.

In a Vogue “Life in Looks” video posted in December 2025, Jenner called the silver version her “favorite look of all time” and said she thought about rewearing it.

“Any time I’m trying to figure out what to wear to an event, I’m like, ‘Should I just wear the keyhole dress again?’ I think I need another moment in this dress, or maybe another color,” she said in the video.

Schiaparelli’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry, posted the clip of Jenner talking about the dress to his Instagram story on Sunday, seemingly confirming that the red version was a direct result of Jenner’s request for another keyhole gown.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson didn’t walk the red carpet, but they posed for a photo together backstage before presenting an award.

Ahead of their April film “The Drama,” Zendaya and Robert Pattinson presented the Oscar for best director together.

Neither actor walked the red carpet at the 2026 Academy Awards, but they did pose for a photo together backstage.

Pattinson wore a black tuxedo, while Zendaya took the stage in a chocolate brown, one-shoulder gown from Louis Vuitton with daring side cutouts.