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11:50 AM ET, March 2, 2026

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 Top Items: 
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.
RELATED:
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.
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” …
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 …
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.
Washington Examiner:
Three US fighter jets downed in Kuwait in ‘friendly fire’ accident  —  Three U.S. military jets “went down” in Kuwait in a friendly fire incident, the Pentagon announced Monday morning.  —  The three F-15s were shot down during active combat by the Kuwaiti air defense systems.
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 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.
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 …
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.
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
The money behind the new Iran War  —  In private calls over the last several weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) reportedly urged President Trump to attack Iran.  Iran is a top regional rival of Saudi Arabia, and MBS had become concerned about Iran's growing military capabilities.
Discussion: Washington Post
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
The irrational strongman we've been warned about is here  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🫵 Subscribe to PN 🫵  —  In the run up to the Iraq War, President George W. Bush characterized Saddam Hussein as a “madman” …
Discussion: The Hill and BBC
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.
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Trump Buries the 20th Century
Discussion: Raw Story
Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Israel strikes Lebanon as conflict broadens throughout Middle East
Associated Press:
Live updates: Oil tankers and refineries under attack as US and Israel exchange strikes with Iran and war widens
Politico:
Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense
Associated Press:
War widens to include Iranian-backed militias as Israeli and American planes pound Iran
Tim Kaine / Wall Street Journal:
An Unwise and Unconstitutional Attack on Iran
Discussion: The Hill
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Jet Fighters Mistakenly Shot Down as Iran Conflict Widens Across Mideast
New York Times:
3 U.S. Planes Are Shot Down in ‘Friendly Fire’ in Kuwait, U.S. Military Says
Washington Post:
Trump pursues Iranian decapitation without a plan for what comes next
Discussion: American Prospect, MS NOW and Bloomberg
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
Trump leaves room to claim victory — or avoid blame — in recorded Iran strike messages
Discussion: DNYUZ
Politico:
The questions Trump must answer today
Discussion: Thinking about, The Hill and Bloomberg
Christian Paz / Vox:
Trump's Iran war is uniting a strange new anti-war alliance
Discussion: Vanity Fair
Reuters:
Israel strikes Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks, widening Iran conflict
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
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 …
RELATED:
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.
New York Times:
Labor Secretary's Tenure Marked by Frequent Travel and Internal Tumult … In the weeks after President Trump nominated Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be his labor secretary, she told potential deputies, Labor Department veterans and administration officials that her vision for the role was that of a figurehead.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
An Illegal, Unjustified War Underscores Danger of Media Consolidation
Reuters:
US aircraft leave Spain after government says bases cannot be used for Iran attacks
Discussion: The Guardian and Washington Times
Vox:
The “Epstein class,” explained
 Earlier Items: 
Punchbowl News:
The House Dems in trouble on Tuesday
Bill Whitaker / CBS News:
Judges describe threats amid Trump's attacks on judiciary
Discussion: Mediaite
 

 
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