Top Items:
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Pete Hegseth's Crazed, Angry Tirades on Iran Give Dems a Big Opening — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth knows that playing a decisive tough guy on television is the way to keep Donald Trump happy, so he did just that while addressing reporters Monday about the U.S. bombing of Iran.
Discussion:
Fox News, Politico, Global News, Townhall, The Dean's Report, DNYUZ, The Independent, Jewish Insider, MS NOW, Metro.co.uk, ABC News, Mediaite, PJ Media, Associated Press, Al Jazeera and Washington Times
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Paul Krugman:
War Is Expensive for the Little People — Operation Epic Fury will cost billions that could have been put to much better use — On Sunday, according to the U.S. military, Kuwaiti forces shot down three U.S. F-15s in a “friendly fire” incident. Fortunately, the crews were able to safely eject and survived.
Discussion:
Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog and Jacobin
Axios:
Rubio's war remarks blow open MAGA's Israel divide — MAGA's ascendant “America First” wing erupted after Secretary of State Marco Rubio effectively blamed Israel for drawing the U.S. into war with Iran. … “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action” against Iran, Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Examiner, United States Department …, Politico, The Status Kuo, HuffPost, ABC News, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Truthout, The Intercept, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Military and Veteran …, Poynter, France 24, Bloomberg, The American Conservative, DNYUZ, HotAir, Raw Story, The Hill, Blaze Media, The Wrap, The Federalist, Mondoweiss, Responsible Statecraft, New Republic, Mediaite, NPR, The Bulwark and Louder With Crowder
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
How Trump assassination attempts played into his decision to attack Iran
How Trump assassination attempts played into his decision to attack Iran
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Trump's Iran War and the Article One crisis
Trump's Iran War and the Article One crisis
Discussion:
Drezner's World and The Gateway Pundit
Sophia Cai / Politico:
Trump to POLITICO: Iran is ‘running out of launchers’
Trump to POLITICO: Iran is ‘running out of launchers’
Discussion:
Fox News, Business Insider, Newsbusters, CBS News, NewsMax.com and NBC News
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
‘Breathtaking’: Independent senator deplores Rubio's explanation for Iran attacks
‘Breathtaking’: Independent senator deplores Rubio's explanation for Iran attacks
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
What Is the Point of This War? — A vignette from the end of the U.S.-led global order, per Reuters:
What Is the Point of This War? — A vignette from the end of the U.S.-led global order, per Reuters:
Discussion:
Politico, RNS, NBC News, DNYUZ, The Forward and Foreign Affairs
Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:
Trump has cornered himself with his war in Iran
Trump has cornered himself with his war in Iran
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:
The Trump Doctrine is here. It ends forever wars.
The Trump Doctrine is here. It ends forever wars.
Discussion:
American Greatness
New York Times:
Trump Administration, in Reversal, Tries to Continue Fight Against Law Firms — The administration told a court on Monday that it was abandoning its defense of executive orders targeting the firms. But on Tuesday, the Justice Department abruptly changed its position.
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James LaPorta / CBS News:
Military questioned use of makeshift office space in Kuwait where U.S. troops were killed — Add CBS News on Google — The first American service members to die in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Hill, DNYUZ, Stars & Stripes, New Republic, Blaze Media and Detroit Free Press
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NBC News:
Live updates: U.S. shuts embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait after drone attacks; Israeli troops stage incursion into Lebanon — President Donald Trump indicated the conflict could last weeks and said wars can be fought “forever” with America's stock of munitions.
emptywheel:
“Squirter:” The Catastrophic Stupidity that May [Have] Set Off a Larger Religious Conflict
Discussion:
The Guardian and Reuters
Associated Press:
Live updates: Strikes escalate across the Middle East as Iran attacks US embassy in Saudi Arabia
Live updates: Strikes escalate across the Middle East as Iran attacks US embassy in Saudi Arabia
Discussion:
Axios, NPR, Washington Examiner, BBC, New York Times, Townhall, Associated Press, France 24, The Times of Israel, MPR News, WTOP News, DNYUZ, The Hill, Bloomberg, Iran War Dispatches … and Breitbart
Jonathan Larsen / Jonathan Larsen's Substack:
U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus — To support my reporting and keep it free for everyone, you can become a paid subscriber. Thank you. — A combat-unit commander told non-commissioned officers at a briefing Monday that the Iran war is part of God's plan …
Discussion:
Wonkette, Raw Story, Esquire, New Republic, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Joe.My.God.
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Brandi Buchman / HuffPost:
Military Commander Tells Troops Bombing Iran Is 'Part Of God's Divine Plan' — One commander had a “big grin” on his face while saying Donald Trump “has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran,” a service member said. — For some U.S. military commanders …
Discussion:
DNYUZ
NOTUS:
Americans Stranded in the Middle East Aren't Getting Help from the State Department — The Trump administration has not been helping U.S. citizens make travel plans to evacuate the Middle East, despite urging Americans to “depart now” from 16 countries in the region as the war with Iran continues to escalate.
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Axios, Washington Post, DNYUZ, One America News Network, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, MS NOW, Semafor, NewsMax.com and Bloomberg
Associated Press:
Live updates: Midterm primary voters head to the polls in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas — The midterm elections officially begin on Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. As war with Iran breaks out, Democrats and Republicans are figuring out who they want to lead …
Discussion:
Politico, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, ABC News, WFAE 90.7, WWL-TV, UPI, The Hill, NC Newsline, New Yorker, New York Sun, The Guardian, Newsweek, DNYUZ, NPR and 270toWin.com
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Calen Razor / Politico:
Capitol agenda: Marco Rubio works to stave off a revolt on Iran
Discussion:
Punchbowl News, Raw Story, Axios, Semafor, CNBC and Wall Street Journal
Christian Paz / Vox:
The Texas Democrat trying to reclaim Christianity from the right
The Texas Democrat trying to reclaim Christianity from the right
Discussion:
New York Times, Fox News, Slate, Newsweek and Mother Jones
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Israel bombs council choosing Iran's next supreme leader, official says — The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday struck the building housing Iran's Council of Experts in the holy city of Qom in an attempt to disrupt the process of appointing a new supreme leader, an Israeli defense official said.
Discussion:
Fox News, France 24, The Washington Free Beacon, Washington Examiner, HotAir, Blaze Media, RedState, NewsMax.com and New Republic
Eric Bazail-Eimil / Politico:
Tillis threatens to hijack Senate business amid frustrations with Noem … The announcement from Tillis, who has called repeatedly for Noem to leave her post, would represent a rare escalation from any senator — in particular one from the president's party — in the face of frustrations with a member of the Cabinet.
Discussion:
The Hill, CNBC, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, United States Senate Committee …, NOTUS, Fox News, Axios, CBS News, USA Today, Democracy Docket, Washington Times, RedState, Mediaite, Raw Story, New Republic, The Guardian, Forbes, Newsweek, MS NOW, FOX 26 Houston, The Gateway Pundit, Military and Veteran …, The Independent and LGBTQ Nation
Mona Zhang / Politico:
Trump administration can't stop New York's congestion pricing, court rules … The Metropolitan Transportation Authority sued the DOT last February, arguing that attempts to halt congestion pricing by the Federal Highway Administration — which is under the DOT — were unlawful after it had gone through a lengthy approval process.
Discussion:
Associated Press
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Joe Patrice / Above the Law:
Law School Tells Students, ‘You MUST Be Aligned Politically With President Trump,’ For Summer Job — In The Hunt for Red October, we learn that Soviet submarine carried a “political officer,” a Communist Party appointee whose job wasn't navigating or torpedoing things, but making sure everyone …
Mike Allen / Axios:
Scoop: Lutnick volunteers to testify on Epstein ties — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, once a Manhattan neighbor of Jeffrey Epstein, voluntarily agreed to an interview with the House Oversight Committee over past ties to the convicted sex offender, Axios has learned.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, New York Post, CNBC, NBC News, Newsweek and Washington Examiner
Hannah Rabinowitz / CNN:
Kash Patel gutted FBI counterintelligence team tasked with tracking Iranian threats days before US strikes, sources say — Just days before the United States launched a major military operation in Iran, FBI Director Kash Patel fired a dozen agents and staff members from a counterintelligence unit tasked …
Discussion:
CBS News, MS NOW, New York Sun, The Independent, Joe.My.God., New Republic and DNYUZ
Ari Berman / Mother Jones:
Justice Alito's Latest Opinion Is a Very, Very Bad Sign for Voting Rights — A decision upholding a New York GOP congressional district could be a prelude to killing the Voting Rights Act. — The Supreme Court on Monday evening overturned a New York state court ruling that found …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and Election Law Blog
Graeme Wood / The Atlantic:
Pete Buttigieg in the Wilderness — In May 2001, at Harvard's Institute of Politics, a 19-year-old freshman named Peter Buttigieg asked David Gergen, a Harvard professor and horse whisperer to five presidents, a question that he might have reserved for himself, a couple of decades later.
Rusty Hicks / California Democratic Party:
Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates for Governor: — California Democrats have no shortage of strong candidates to consider in the race for Governor - current and former Congressmembers, statewide elected officials, State Legislators, Mayors and leaders of Democratic causes.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Post, Pluribus News, Politico, NBC News, Los Angeles Times, Deseret News and DNYUZ
Rebecca Davis O'Brien / New York Times:
Labor Secretary's Top Aides Forced Out — The two aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer had been on leave during an investigation of misconduct at the department. — Two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were forced out Monday night amid an internal investigation …
Discussion:
New York Post, Politico, The Hill, DNYUZ, NewsMax.com and New Republic
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
How you word a poll question can have a large impact on results — Our new poll finds question wording can swing opinion by 20-60 points on immigration, the budget, and transgender rights. That's a problem for people who use polls to tell politicians what voters want — ∙ Paid
Nathaniel Meyersohn / CNN:
Target's plan to win you back — The new Target CEO believes adding new, buzzy brands can win back shoppers after a brutal few years. — CEO Michael Fiddelke said Tuesday that Target will improve its products and redesign stores to draw shoppers and “get Target back to growth.”
Discussion:
New York Times, DNYUZ, CBS News, Associated Press, WTOP News and NewsMax.com
William Jackson / Straight Arrow News:
SCOTUS pauses California student gender-privacy protections, for now — The Supreme Court temporarily stopped a California law and related school policies that prohibit schools from automatically notifying parents when students change pronouns or gender expression.
Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
CBP Tapped Into the Online Advertising Ecosystem To Track Peoples' Movements — Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bought data from the online advertising ecosystem to track peoples' precise movements over time, in a process that often involves siphoning data from ordinary apps like video games …
Discussion:
The Contrarian, Wired and Crooks and Liars
Stan Choe / Associated Press:
Dow drops 800 as stocks sell off around the world and oil prices leap even higher on war worries — A sell-off for stocks is slamming into Wall Street Tuesday after wrapping around the world, as oil prices leap even higher with worries that the widening war with Iran may do more sustained damage to the economy than feared.
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNBC, The Hill, Atlantic Council, France 24 and NewsMax.com


