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.

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.

Trump breaks silence on US troops killed in Iran war as president gives bleak warning to the Daily Mail: ‘It could happen again’  —  President Donald Trump broke his silence Sunday on the first US casualties of the Iran war in an exclusive phone interview with the Daily Mail.

Trump Wants You to Get Used to This.  Don't.  —  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 middle of the night while he was at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, that lesson hung heavily over the proceedings.

Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense … But the administration's efforts to construct a case for war only after the shots have started flying has few historical parallels.  The Pentagon has held no briefings nearly 36 hours after the U.S. military strikes …

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.

Iran strikes spark accusations of bad-faith diplomatic negotiations  —  U.S. officials said they were negotiating with Iran in good faith, even if hours later they joined Israeli military strikes that targeted the Iranian government.  —  The talks were not going well, but there were signs that they would continue.

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.

U.S. Jet Fighters Mistakenly Shot Down as Iran Conflict Widens Across Mideast  —  Israel launches dozens of strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continue.  —  Three U.S. jet fighters were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses …

Trump leaves room to claim victory — or avoid blame — in recorded Iran strike messages  —  Trump has taken an approach to selling U.S. citizens on military action in Iran that contrasts with his predecessors, seeking to avoid completely owning it.  —  President George W. Bush used …

The questions Trump must answer today  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Good Monday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard.  Drop me a line.  —  START YOUR DAY WITH THIS — “Trump Buries the 20th Century,” by POLITICO's Alexander Burns.