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.

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.

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 …

Trump Administration, in Apparent 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 appeared to abruptly change its position.

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 …

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.

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 …

The bruising, messy House primary battles to watch today … Here's what POLITICO is watching today.  —  The vulnerable incumbents  —  Republican and Democratic incumbents alike are facing challenges in mostly safe House seats, and it's worrying leaders of both parties.

Capitol agenda: Marco Rubio works to stave off a revolt on Iran  —  The White House is trying to stave off a revolt on Capitol Hill against its military actions in Iran, as both chambers are set to vote on resolutions this week that would put guardrails on President Donald Trump's unilateral use of military force.

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

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 …

The casino-fication of war  —  On February 28, the United States and Israel began major combat operations in Iran.  For some, the consequences of this action were fatal.  By Monday, the war had claimed the lives of at least six U.S. soldiers, hundreds of people in Iran, and dozens more in neighboring Gulf states.

Exclusive: U.S. Marines fired on protesters storming consulate in Karachi, officials say  —  U.S. Marines opened fire on demonstrators during the storming of the Karachi consulate over the weekend, two U.S. officials said on Monday—a rare use of force at a diplomatic post …

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 …