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12:20 PM ET, March 2, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Trump won't rule out sending US troops into Iran ‘if necessary’— tells The Post 'I don't care about polling'  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump told The Post Monday that he's not ruling out sending US ground troops into Iran “if they were necessary” — and declared “I don't care about polling” …
RELATED:
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump's lethal presidency … - He's attacked seven nations, three of which — Iran, Nigeria and Venezuela — had never been targeted by U.S. military strikes. … The White House argues he still is — that he always exhausts diplomacy before acting, and that projecting overwhelming force is itself a path to lasting peace.
Reuters:
Pentagon tells Congress no sign that Iran was going to attack US first, sources say  —  Trump administration officials acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff on Sunday that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first, two people familiar with the matter said.
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
How to Think About Trump's War With Iran  —  To think clearly about Middle East wars, you need to hold multiple thoughts in your head at the same time.  It's a complicated, kaleidoscopic region where religion, oil, tribal politics and great power politics interweave in every major story.
New York Times:
Trump Says War Could Last Weeks and Offers Contradictory Visions of New Regime  —  In a brief interview, he said the country's hardened military should simply surrender their weapons to the Iranian public.  —  President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. military intends to sustain its assault on Iran for …
Associated Press:
Live updates: Oil tankers and refineries under attack as US and Israel exchange strikes with Iran and war widens  —  EDITED BY BRIDGET BROWN, LORIAN BELANGER AND HRVOJE HRANJSKI  —  Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states Monday, apparently hitting …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
A Directionless War Meets a Constitutional Crisis  —  As we were putting this newsletter to bed this morning, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took to a Pentagon podium to brief the media on the ongoing state of the conflict in Iran.  TL;DR: Mission Accomplished.
New York Times:
Iran Live Updates: Trump Set to Speak as U.S. Sends More Forces to Mideast  —  Iran and allied militias, including Hezbollah, attacked Israel and U.S. targets, and Israel struck in Lebanon.  Top U.S. officials talked of new attacks and an extended campaign.  —  Watch Live: President Trump Awards Medal of Honor
Ben Rhodes / New York Times:
Trump May Come to Regret This  —  Authoritarian politics and military aggression are a dangerous mix.  As Donald Trump announced his war on Iran wearing a baseball cap in a video released in the early hours Saturday morning while he was at Mar-a-Lago, that lesson hung heavily over the proceedings.
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Higher gas prices are likely coming to the pump after oil prices jump in wake of U.S. strikes in Iran  —  The jump in oil prices could lead to a jump in prices as soon as Monday, but it won't be a spike, an analyst said.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE  —  The price of oil surged after U.S …
Ben Geman / Axios:
Iran attack on giant Saudi refinery pushes up oil prices  —  A Saudi oil refinery — one of the world's largest — suffered “limited” damage overnight from an Iranian attack, per the kingdom's press agency and multiple news reports. … - The overall conflict will push up U.S. gasoline prices …
Paul McLeary / Politico:
Hegseth doesn't rule out U.S. troops in Iran … The open timetable — along with the possibility of deploying ground forces — stands in contrast to President Donald Trump's campaign promises that he would avoid any new wars of choice.  In his election night victory speech in November 2024 …
Tom Ambrose / The Guardian:
Middle East crisis live: Israel launches new attacks on ‘heart of Tehran’; US fighter planes mistakenly shot down in Kuwait  —  Iranian strikes hit Saudi and Qatar energy sites; US crew bailed out safely before crash-landing, says Kuwait  —  Trump doesn't rule out possibility of US boots on ground in Iran
Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Shifting Goals for Iran Complicate Military's Mission  —  President and his allies went back and forth Sunday, between ending the threat from Tehran and regime change  —  WASHINGTON—The length of America's military commitment to its confrontation with Iran depends on what the goals are.
Axios:
U.S. and Israel delayed original Iran strike by a week, officials say  —  The U.S. and Israel originally planned to attack Iran a week earlier than they did, but the opening strike was delayed for operational and intelligence reasons, according to senior U.S. and Israeli officials.
Jake Tapper / CNN:
Trump tells CNN the ‘big wave’ is yet to come in war with Iran  —  President Donald Trump told CNN in a nine-minute phone interview Monday morning that the US military is “knocking the crap” out of Iran - but the “big wave” is yet to come.  —  “We're knocking the crap out of them,” Trump told CNN's Jake Tapper.
Judd Legum / Popular Information:   The money behind the new Iran War
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
The irrational strongman we've been warned about is here
Discussion: The Hill
Tim Kaine / Wall Street Journal:
An Unwise and Unconstitutional Attack on Iran
Discussion: The Hill
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Trump Buries the 20th Century
Discussion: Raw Story
Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Israel strikes Lebanon as conflict broadens throughout Middle East
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Jet Fighters Mistakenly Shot Down as Iran Conflict Widens Across Mideast
Associated Press:
War widens to include Iranian-backed militias as Israeli and American planes pound Iran
New York Times:
3 U.S. Planes Are Shot Down in ‘Friendly Fire’ in Kuwait, U.S. Military Says
Politico:
Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
Trump leaves room to claim victory — or avoid blame — in recorded Iran strike messages
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Christian Paz / Vox:
Trump's Iran war is uniting a strange new anti-war alliance
Discussion: Vanity Fair
Politico:
The questions Trump must answer today
Discussion: New Republic, The Hill and Bloomberg
Wall Street Journal:
Texas Senate Primary Is Heated and Republicans Are Worried  —  Three-way Republican race is likely headed to runoff after Tuesday's election, while Democrats duke out their own primary  —  SAN ANTONIO—The bruising Republican Senate primary in Texas is getting nastier as it heads to an expected runoff …
Discussion: New York Times and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
GOP voters, not congressional leaders, are poised to take action on Tony Gonzales
Discussion: Raw Story
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
GOP insiders fretting over Texas Senate primary
Discussion: Emerson Polling and New York Post
Associated Press:
Bar shooting in Austin leaves 3 dead, including the suspect, and 14 injured  —  A gunman wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah” killed two people and wounded 14 early Sunday at a Texas bar, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
FBI probing whether Iran attack motivated Austin shooter who killed 2
New York Times:
Welcome to Wyoming, the Frontier of America's New Gilded Age  —  Jackson, Wyo., has long been a refuge for the rich.  But the last five years saw a boom in wealth of a kind never before seen.  Across the country, the 2017 tax cuts minted hundreds of new billionaires.
Discussion: Washington Times
 
 
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Karl Bode / Techdirt:
Semafor Keeps Hosting Ridiculous “Restoring Trust In Media” Events That Only Further Undermine Trust In Media
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
An Illegal, Unjustified War Underscores Danger of Media Consolidation
Vox:
The “Epstein class,” explained
 Earlier Items: 
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Bill Whitaker / CBS News:
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Discussion: Mediaite