Top Items:
Jonathan Saul / Reuters:
US Navy tells shipping industry Hormuz escorts not possible for now — The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, according to sources familiar with the matter.
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Natasha Bertrand / CNN:
Iran begins laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say — The Middle East Oil & gas Investing National security — Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar …
Discussion:
The Hill, Bloomberg, Axios, CBS News, The Verge, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, USNI News, The Maritime Executive, The Independent, Forbes, The Daily Wire, Mediaite and Middle East Monitor
Wall Street Journal:
Deleted Tweet From Energy Secretary Sends Oil Markets on Another Wild Ride — A now-erased post from Chris Wright whipsawed crude for the second-straight session — For days, the global oil market has swung wildly while traders from New York to London to Singapore have watched footage …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Mail, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, CNBC, Bloomberg and Washington Post
Torrie Herrington / NOTUS:
White House Walks Back Chris Wright's Claim of U.S. Oil Tanker Escort
Discussion:
The Wrap
Claire Carter / Washington Examiner:
Trump says US destroyed 10 ‘inactive’ Iranian mine-laying vessels
Trump says US destroyed 10 ‘inactive’ Iranian mine-laying vessels
Discussion:
Scripps News, Breitbart, New York Sun, Fortune, The US Sun, Reuters, Raw Story, 19FortyFive and Bloomberg
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Thune eyes action on SAVE America Act next week — without a ‘talking filibuster’ — Senate Majority Leader John Thune is aiming to take action on a GOP-only election bill next week — without pursuing a longshot procedural gambit advocated by some Republican hard-liners.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Signal, One America News Network, New York Sun and The Hill
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP leaders, Trump see tensions flare over Senate filibuster — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is standing his ground against President Trump's campaign to pressure Republicans to radically reinterpret the filibuster rule to pass sweeping voting reform, a contest of wills …
Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Grow Nervous Over Iran War, Gas Prices
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fox News and NOTUS
Politico:
Trump's revised SAVE America Act faces headwinds in the House
Trump's revised SAVE America Act faces headwinds in the House
Discussion:
NOTUS, NBC News, Straight Arrow News, CBS News, Townhall, Deseret News, Washington Examiner, Joe Pags and Democracy Docket
Max Rego / The Hill:
Rand Paul: Midterms will be ‘disastrous’ for Republicans
Rand Paul: Midterms will be ‘disastrous’ for Republicans
Discussion:
New York Post, Washington Times, Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation and Mediaite
Jack Fitzpatrick / MS NOW:
Trump's newest pledge has Democrats cheering — and Republicans squirming
Trump's newest pledge has Democrats cheering — and Republicans squirming
Discussion:
PinkNews, The Post Millennial, Raw Story, Semafor, Bloomberg, Washington Times and Washington Examiner
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: U.S. asks Israel to halt strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure — The Trump administration asked Israel on Monday not to carry out further strikes on energy facilities in Iran, particularly oil infrastructure, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Human Events, BBC, NewsMax.com, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The War Zone, The Hill, The Daily Signal, Reuters and The Gateway Pundit
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Edward Luce / Financial Times:
Taco on Iran will come too late for Trump — The US president has already done lasting damage to international trust in America — Sometime soon Donald Trump will ring the closing bell on his Iran war. That moment will have less to do with whether his mission is accomplished (whatever that is) than how much pain he can endure.
Discussion:
Fox News, Al Jazeera, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Japan Times, Grabien, France 24 and Bloomberg
Axios:
Exclusive: U.S. dismissed Ukraine deal for anti-Iran drone tech last year
Discussion:
Mediaite, Washington Examiner, New Republic, DNYUZ, Semafor, CBS News, NewsMax.com and Raw Story
Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Sen. John Kennedy apologizes for Iran school strike after Trump suggests enemy misfire
Sen. John Kennedy apologizes for Iran school strike after Trump suggests enemy misfire
Discussion:
New York Times, NewsMax.com, CNN, PolitiFact, The Hill, IJR, TMZ.com, MeidasTouch News, Mediaite, New Republic, BizPac Review, ABC News, Washington Examiner, Politico, Newsweek and HuffPost
Tara Suter / The Hill:
Retired Army general: Iran regime ‘fundamentally miscalculated’ Trump
Retired Army general: Iran regime ‘fundamentally miscalculated’ Trump
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Washington Post:
Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job — The Social Security inspector general's office is investigating allegations that the former DOGE engineer took sensitive data on a thumb drive in a major potential security breach, said people familiar with the process.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Engadget, The Independent, TechCrunch, New Republic and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »
Associated Press:
Iran Live Updates: Pakistani Navy Escorts Tankers as Conflict Chokes Off Oil Traffic — Lebanese leaders and aid groups warned of a growing humanitarian crisis as Israel targeted Hezbollah. The Pentagon said 140 American service members had been wounded, eight severely, in the war.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Times of Israel, Responsible Statecraft, Asia Times, HotAir, HuffPost, DNYUZ, Mediaite, Axios, Bloomberg and UN News
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Herb Scribner / Axios:
5 scenarios for how the Iran war could end
Discussion:
The Hill, Reuters, Scripps News, Fox News, Algemeiner.com, Melanie Phillips, UPI, Foreign Affairs and France 24
New York Times:
U.S. Showers Iran With Bombs in Most Intense Strikes of the War, Pentagon Says
U.S. Showers Iran With Bombs in Most Intense Strikes of the War, Pentagon Says
Discussion:
The Intercept, Bangor Daily News, Bloomberg, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal
Associated Press:
Live updates: About 140 US troops wounded in Iran war, 8 severely, Pentagon says
Live updates: About 140 US troops wounded in Iran war, 8 severely, Pentagon says
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Times, WFAA-TV, The Independent, DNYUZ, CBS News, WTOP News, WTTG-TV and New York Daily News
Finya Swai / Politico:
MAGA war skeptics rage over Lindsey Graham
MAGA war skeptics rage over Lindsey Graham
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, The Daily Caller, DNYUZ, Mediaite and Esquire
Axios:
Scoop: White House tells House Republicans to stop talking about mass deportations … - Nearly half — 49% — of Americans say Trump's mass deportation campaign is too aggressive, including 1 in 5 voters who backed the president in 2024, a Politico poll from January found.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, New York Magazine, The Independent and Mediaite
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Reuters:
Exclusive: As many as 150 US troops wounded so far in Iran war, sources say — As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded so far in the war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. — The figure has not been previously reported and is far higher …
Discussion:
UPI, Politico, Al Jazeera, CBS News, Axios, Truthout, The Daily Signal, Forbes, Raw Story, Krassencast and Mediaite
Hannah Allam / ProPublica:
The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It. — Images from the missile strike in southern Iran were more horrifying than any of the case studies Air Force combat veteran Wes J. Bryant had pored over in his mission to overhaul how the U.S. military safeguards civilian life.
Discussion:
The Atlantic
NBC News:
FBI finds ‘explosive residue’ in storage unit related to ‘ISIS-inspired terrorism’ outside NYC mayor's home — The FBI said Tuesday it also conducted a controlled detonation of material found in the Pennsylvania storage unit due to safety concerns. — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
The Shadow Docket Thing Is Bumming Me Out — During a joint public appearance, Justices Kentanji Brown Jackson and Brett Kavanaugh disagreed over how the Supreme Court has been operating over the past year. — Okay, let's get the rules straight. Guns or gavels? From NBC News:
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner and Fox News
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
Pete Hegseth Blew Billions on Fruit Basket Stands, Chairs, and Crab — The Pentagon spent more money in September—the end of the 2025 fiscal year—than it had in any other year since 2008. But a good chunk of the budget wasn't used for anything that could be considered a pertinent military expense.
Discussion:
Politico, Mediaite, OpenTheBooks, TMZ.com, The Federalist, The List, DNYUZ and Balloon Juice
Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Erika Kirk appointed to Air Force Academy board — President Trump has appointed Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors, having her replace her late husband. — Consisting of 16 members, the Board of Visitors is responsible …
New York Times:
‘Nothing Will Remain of Tehran,’ Iranians Say Amid Heavy Bombing — Some residents described the strikes overnight Monday into Tuesday as among the worst they had experienced since the war started. — For days, the densely populated Iranian capital, Tehran, and other cities have been battered by fierce U.S.-Israeli bombardment.
Discussion:
Vox, The Week and Al Jazeera
Politico:
House Republicans will advance 18-month extension of spy powers, leaders say — DORAL, Florida — House Republican leaders plan to advance an 18-month extension of a key surveillance law ahead of an expiration deadline next month, Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Brandi Buchman / HuffPost:
Another Statue Of Trump And Epstein Appears On National Mall — This Time Inspired By ‘Titanic’ — Giant statue, right ahead! — President Donald Trump has hung banners of his face all over Washington, D.C., including in front of the Justice Department and Labor Department.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Roll Call, The Independent, Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation and New Republic
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
The worst cabinet in American history — Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — ☄️ Subscribe to PN ☄️ — While he may not have quite the walking-car-crash charisma of the woman he's set to replace …
Sarah N. Lynch / CBS News:
DOJ's Alex Pretti shooting probe excludes prosecutors who specialize in civil rights cases, sources say — Add CBS News on Google — The rank-and-file career federal prosecutors at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division who specialize in excessive force cases are not playing …
New York Post:
Trump lawyer, ex-NJ US attorney Alina Habba ditches millionaire hubby, heads to Palm Beach — Alina Habba, the former acting New Jersey US attorney and one-time personal lawyer for President Trump, divorced her millionaire husband after nearly six years of marriage and relocated to Palm Beach, The Post confirmed.
Discussion:
IJR, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, Bloomberg, Democracy Docket, DNYUZ, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Mike Johnson declines to condemn Republicans' anti-Muslim remarks — DORAL, Florida — Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday he has discussed “our tone and our message” with the two House Republicans who have made anti-Muslim remarks in recent days but defended the right of the lawmakers to oppose “the impostion of Sharia law.”
Discussion:
NOTUS, Fox News, Washington Times, The Guardian, RNS, NewsMax.com, Courthouse News Service, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill
Paul Krugman:
Why I Don't Speak American — And why it's a problem that Pete Hegseth says he does — At a summit with Latin American leaders over the weekend, Marco Rubio said a few words in Spanish. Then Pete Hegseth popped up to say “I only speak American.” And that's why we're facing disaster in the Persian Gulf.
Simon Casey / Bloomberg:
Trump Says US to Get New Oil Refinery With Reliance Backing — President Donald Trump said the US will get its first new oil refinery in 50 years with the help of investment from India's Reliance Industries Ltd. — “I am proud to announce that America First Refining is opening …
Dell Cameron / Wired:
DHS Ousts CBP Privacy Officers Who Questioned ‘Illegal’ Orders — Department of Homeland Security leaders removed top privacy officers who objected to mislabeling government records to block their public release, WIRED has learned. — The US Department of Homeland Security removed multiple career Customs …
