"This is not Iraq," Hegseth said. "This is not endless. I was there for both — our generation knows better, and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb and he's right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission..."

#WDEFWeather #News12Weather School Day Forecast for Tuesday

"You are in my thoughts and prayers during these challenging times. The U.S. stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon, peace will be yours." CBS News

#WDEFWeather #News12weather Air Quality Currents courtesy Chattanooga Allergy Clinic

#WDEFWeather #News12Weather BlipCast Monday: Mild for the rest of the first week of March 2026. More storm systems on the way, but not expected to arrive before week's end bringing in more rain & thunder. Details tonight on @WDEFNews12.

FIRED: Rutgers has fired women’s basketball coach Coquese Washington after the Scarlet Knights ended the season with 11 straight losses and failed to win 10 games for the second time in three years.

WHAT'S RIGHT WITH OUR SCHOOLS: Teenage boys don't always talk about their feelings. Getting them to open up was the focus of a recent Brotherhood Brunch at a Pneuma Church. We give you a seat at the table in this week’s “What’s Right With Our Schools.”

The House Oversight Committee has released video of last week’s depositions with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Watch for more:

Savannah Guthrie and her sister have returned to their mother’s home outside Tucson in their first sighting at the house since Nancy Guthrie went missing a month ago.

#WDEFWeather #News12Weather Night Planner Forecast

"The U.S. struck more than 1,250 targets over the first two days of Operation Epic Fury, according to a fact sheet released by U.S. Central Command." -CBS.

FLED BUT FOUND: A man was found in a barn after fleeing officers and crashing his car. More details:

CHILD INJURED: A shooting at a DeKalb County home has ended with a child rushed to the hospital and their adult brother in custody, police say. Read more:

HEADED HOME: The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is headed to South Carolina to lie in state.

REFUND UPDATE: A federal appeals court has declined to delay implementation of the Supreme Court ruling that invalidated most of President Trump's tariffs, allowing next steps in processing of tariff refunds to begin.

FOLLOWING THE WAR: With no sign of the conflict abating anytime soon, Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

Creature Comforts Brewing Company has announced it is opening the Creature Comforts Beer Garden in Chattanooga’s Foundries District. Learn more:

PET OF THE WEEK: Join us at Prime News at 7 to meet this week's Pet of the Week: Rooster!

COMING UP: The Chattanooga Zoo says it will be holding its annual Hug a Bunny event on April 3 and 4. Read for more:

AIRLIFTED: Three individuals have been airlifted following a party/bonfire on Otis way in Dalton, Georgia.

KILLED: Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder, 23, died early Sunday morning in a single-car crash, police said.

ROAD RAGE INCIDENT: A 39-year-old woman and a dog have been killed, and three other people stabbed in a road rage incident on the outer belt of the Washington D.C. beltway. More details:

""Destroy Iranian missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure and they will never have nuclear weapons," said Hesgeth.." -CBS.

President Trump has refused to rule out the use of ground troops in Iran in a new interview, saying he wouldn’t hesitate to deploy them “if they were necessary.”

BUSTED: Four individuals involved in drug trafficking have been arrested in Murray County. Read more:

TODAY: President Trump is set to speak at the White House today at his first public event since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. He will be hosting a Medal of Honor ceremony at 11 a.m.

FIREARM SAFETY: Erlanger Children’s Hospital, in partnership with Voices for a Safer Tennessee, is now providing firearm safety information cards and free cable locks to every parent of babies born at the hospital.

INVESTIGATION ONGOING: The FBI is investigating a Texas bar shooting, which erupted a day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, as a potential act of terrorism.

With Khamenei’s death, the Islamic Republic must now choose a supreme leader for the first time since 1989. Learn more:

FREE CHICK-FIL-A: Participating Chattanooga Chick-fil-A® restaurants will offer Guests a complimentary 5-count Chick-fil-A® Nuggets entrée via the Chick-fil-A® App from Monday, March 2-Thursday, March 5.

TROOPS KILLED: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says that the four American service members who were killed over the weekend died when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.

Go to wdef.com/photos  to pick your favorite HEP Heating #WeatherWindow #PictureOfTheDay for this past week. We'll announce the winner on tonight's @WDEFNews12 Prime News At 7.

NWS Nashville continues its online #Skywarn storm spotter training with the next session coming up tonight, Monday, March 2 at 6:30 PM Central Time. Find out more at https://www.weather.gov/ohx/skywarn 

IRANIAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE: An Iranian American woman who fled the Islamic regime nearly five years ago is sharing her perspective as protests continue across the United States over the recent strike on Iran.

"Are you, or someone you know, afraid of storms? Empower yourself with the facts on storms and adequately preparing for severe weather." @NWSMorristown has a great page with Advice from Meteorologists on Dealing with #StormAnxiety" https://www.weather.gov/mrx/stormanxiety 

Protesters gathered at Millar Park this evening to oppose the military strike on Iran. But not everyone agrees. Tonight at 11, hear from demonstrators and from an Iranian woman who is in favor. What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments.

"A pioneering artist says collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence can bring in a "new age of imagination." Critics question if it's even art. " CBS News 60 Minutes

ONE ARRESTED: The HCSO, responded to Single Vehicle Crash on Hixson Pike. After hitting a utility pole and multiple parked campers the driver, Jessica Highfield, was arrested and charged with DUI and Violation of the Implied Consent Law.

ROAD REOPENED: Early Sunday morning, the 7300 block of Hixson Pike, between Stonewall Farms Subdivision and Thrasher Pike, was Temporarily Closed Due to Single Vehicle Accident. HCSO says that the road has now been reopened to Traffic

"While these skills are valuable, the data shows that HR teams are not yet using pay differentials to reward these specialized skills," the report states."

"Just 350 miles from Washington, D.C., McDowell County, WV, is among the poorest parts of this country and many homes lack drinkable water. This Sunday, 60 Minutes visits the birthplace of food stamps to learn about the impact of looming federal cuts."

"Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Department of Justice earlier this year, which included discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge and introducing a Military Service merit badge, the Pentagon said."

#WDEFWeather #News12Weather Golf Course Forecast for Sunday

"Eva Clarke, Hana Berger-Moran, and Mark Olsky are survivors born to survivors. During the Holocaust, their mothers were young Jewish women sent to concentration camps when they were newly pregnant." CBS News 60 Minutes

#WDEFWeather #News12Weather Outdoors Forecast for Sunday

"...we worked with CBS News to understand what, if anything, underpins the most viral conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and their supposed ties to some of the biggest news stories in American history. Here's what we found.

"Dr. Jonathan LaPook talks with David Oshinsky, author of "Polio: An American Story," and with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, who contracted polio as a child, about how parents opting out of vaccinations for their children could affect polio rates here." CBS News Sunday Morning

"When the first games were released on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld in 1996, they weren't expected to be a huge hit. But strong word-of-mouth and the console's low price helped it to sell more than one million copies in its first year on sale."

"As her dad, my first instinct, I would trade a thousand times stepping in front of her to protect her," Tim Ganger said. "You would take those bullets?" Gutman asked. "Absolutely," he said. "A thousand times we all would." CBS News

STRIKE ON IRAN: While at Ross’s Landing covering an ICE protest, News 12 also spoke with community members about their thoughts on the strike against Iran.