Top Items:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Trump to America: Thank Me for Your Gas Bill — At today's Pentagon press briefing on the ongoing war in Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth started the show laser-focused on what really matters: not that more American service members had lost their lives in the Middle East …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Axios:
U.S. sending USS Tripoli, thousands of Marines to Middle East — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Axios on Friday.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, Metro.co.uk, New Republic, The National Pulse and WTOP News
Lara Seligman / Wall Street Journal:
Pentagon Is Moving Additional Marines, Warships to the Middle East — The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request …
Discussion:
New York Post, NPR, Townhall, DNYUZ, The Maritime Executive, The Daily Caller, Forbes, USA Today and Middle East Monitor
Financial Times:
France and Italy open talks with Iran in hope of securing safe Hormuz passage — Europeans look for ways to restart energy shipments as Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep strait shut — European countries including France have opened talks with Tehran seeking to negotiate a deal …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Forbes, NewsMax.com, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, Agence France-Presse, France 24 and NPR
CNN:
Trump administration underestimated Iran war's impact on Strait of Hormuz — The Middle East Donald Trump Oil & gas Economy — The Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran's willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, RedState, Breitbart, Media Matters for America, The Nation, HuffPost, New Republic, MS NOW, The American Conservative, The Hollywood Reporter, Good Politics/Bad Politics, Mediaite, Semafor, New York Times, Deadline, HotAir, BBC, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Forbes and Sky News, more at Mediagazer »
Evan Halper / Washington Post:
Trump administration allows for Russian oil sales as energy prices soar — The move is likely to be a boon to Russia as the United States tries to stem the economic fallout from its war on Iran. — The Trump administration on Thursday night temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil shipments …
Discussion:
The Hill, Financial Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, France 24, Daily Mail, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Politico, The Floridian, New York Post, Forbes, CNBC, The American Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Raw Story, CoinDesk and WTOP News
Sebastian Murdock / HuffPost:
Trump Says Iran War Will End ‘When I Feel It In My Bones’ — It's another stunning admission that the president and his administration have no real timeline for ending the conflict. — President Donald Trump did little to reassure Americans that war with Iran will end anytime soon …
Discussion:
MS NOW, The Hill, Raw Story, The Guardian, PoliticusUSA and The Philadelphia Inquirer
Politico:
‘Oh, boy’: Oil industry frets over Trump's profit-minded Iran post … “The idea that the industry profits from war and death is not one a VP of public relations wants to promote,” said Mark Jones, political science fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute. — Trump's post drew groans from some in the industry.
Discussion:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Raw Story, Bloomberg, Truthout, New Republic, IJR and NewsMax.com
Alex Leary / Wall Street Journal:
Trump: Will “Feel It in My Bones” When Iran War Should End
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CNBC, New York Post, New Republic, Mediaite, Reuters, Raw Story and WKZO
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is “about to surrender”
Scoop: Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is “about to surrender”
Discussion:
CNBC, Euronews, NewsMax.com, CBS News, HotAir, Metro.co.uk, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week and Los Angeles Times
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Pete Hegseth Says ‘the Sooner David Ellison’ Buys CNN, ‘the Better’
Pete Hegseth Says ‘the Sooner David Ellison’ Buys CNN, ‘the Better’
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, RedState, Raw Story, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, IJR and New Republic
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict
Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, EconomyNext, Reuters, MS NOW, Small Wars Journal, New Republic, CBS News, The Hill, Mediaite, France 24, Raw Story, DNYUZ, WTOP News, BizPac Review and Roll Call
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Raging at Media, Pete Hegseth Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud
Raging at Media, Pete Hegseth Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Newsweek, The Independent, The Daily Wire and BizPac Review
Paul Waldman / The Cross Section:
Welcome to the Derp State
Reuters:
Exclusive: With Iran war exit elusive, Trump aides vie to affect outcome
Exclusive: With Iran war exit elusive, Trump aides vie to affect outcome
Discussion:
The Guardian, DNYUZ, Washington Times, Raw Story, Wisconsin Examiner and Axios
Aaron Parnas / The Parnas Perspective:
Trump Underestimated Iran's Willingness to Close Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon Lashes Out at Media, Trump Says it is an “Honor” to Kill Iranians
Trump Underestimated Iran's Willingness to Close Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon Lashes Out at Media, Trump Says it is an “Honor” to Kill Iranians
Discussion:
Politico
Will Saletan / The Bulwark:
The Trump War Glossary: What He *Really* Means About Iran
The Trump War Glossary: What He *Really* Means About Iran
Discussion:
The Free Press, Time and American Greatness
Politico:
Vance was ‘skeptical’ voice in White House on Iran strikes … A second senior Trump official said “his role is to provide the president and the administration, you know, all points of views of what could happen from many different angles and, you know, he does that. But once the decision has been made, he's fully on board.”
Patrick Smith / NBC News:
All 6 U.S. crew members killed after refueling plane crashes in Iraq — The crash brings the number of U.S. service personnel killed since the Iran war began Feb. 28 to 12. A 13th died of a medical issue. — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE — All six U.S. crew members have been confirmed dead …
Discussion:
Time, Associated Press, CBS News, Axios, The Hill, KHOU-TV, Forbes, Daily Mail, The Floridian, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and Task & Purpose
RELATED:
Paul McLeary / Politico:
Hegseth, attacking press, declares victory is near amid ongoing Iran conflict
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Africa Today News, New York and Defense One
New York Times:
6 Killed in Crash of U.S. Refueling Plane in Iraq, Military Says
6 Killed in Crash of U.S. Refueling Plane in Iraq, Military Says
Discussion:
Townhall, GZERO, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, Salon, France 24, Breaking Defense, WNYW-TV, One America News Network, TimesLive, The National Pulse, DNYUZ, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Military and Veteran …, Air & Space Forces Magazine, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Breitbart, WXIA-TV, Human Events, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, CBS News, News Talk 105.9, The Week, Middle East Monitor, The US Sun, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Mediaite, The War Zone, NewsMax.com, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Semafor, Forbes, Politico, WTOP News and Washington Examiner
NBC News:
Judge blocks subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, citing ‘essentially zero evidence’ — Powell said the subpoenas were related to his testimony before the Senate in June about the renovation of Federal Reserve office buildings. — A federal judge on Friday said he was blocking subpoenas …
Discussion:
CNBC, Democracy Docket, Reuters, New York Times, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Daily Caller, MS NOW, Scripps News, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, NewsMax.com and Fox News
RELATED:
Talmon Joseph Smith / New York Times:
Consumer Prices Rose in January, Before Iran War Added Price Pressures — The economy also grew more slowly at the end of 2025 than first thought, revised data showed. — Economic growth was slower at the end of 2025 than data first showed and inflationary pressures persisted at the start of this year …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Reuters, DNYUZ, Reason, Semafor and Buenos Aires Times
RELATED:
Justin Lahart / Wall Street Journal:
Economy Was Even Slower in Fourth Quarter, New Estimate Shows
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, U.S. Bureau …, Fox Business and Raw Story
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Fourth-quarter GDP revised down to just 0.7% growth; January core inflation was 3.1%
Fourth-quarter GDP revised down to just 0.7% growth; January core inflation was 3.1%
Discussion:
WKZO, Democrats, MS NOW, New Republic and Washington Examiner
Brandy Zadrozny / MS NOW:
Dark money group offers influencers $1,500 for posts attacking Chicago Democratic primary candidate — Progressive House candidate Kat Abughazaleh told MS NOW the secretive campaign is “filled with false and defamatory claims.” — A week out from a crowded and contentious Democratic primary …
Discussion:
New Republic and Election Law Blog
Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth: Strait of Hormuz Is Open — The Strait of Hormuz is open for transit, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “The only thing prohibiting transit in the straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping,” he said. “It is open for transit should Iran not do that.”
RELATED:
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Pete Hegseth on Strait of Hormuz: 'Don't need to worry about it'
Pete Hegseth on Strait of Hormuz: 'Don't need to worry about it'
Discussion:
New York Times, The Atlantic, Council on Foreign Relations, Townhall, 19FortyFive, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Truthout, Human Events, Newsweek, TMZ.com, The Daily Signal, Raw Story, Reuters, CBS News, The Hill, HuffPost, Mediaite, Associated Press, Bloomberg, National Politics, IJR, New York Post, NewsMax.com and Little Green Footballs
Sergio Candido / CBS News:
Cuba's leader Miguel Diaz-Canel confirms talks with Trump administration but warns agreement still far off — Add CBS News on Google — Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed Friday that Cuban officials recently held conversations with the U.S. government aimed at addressing long-standing …
Discussion:
NBC News, Reuters, Washington Examiner, PJ Media, France 24, Bangor Daily News, RedState, DNYUZ, The Hill, Al Jazeera, MercoPress, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Floridian, NewsMax.com, Responsible Statecraft, Los Angeles Times and UPI
RELATED:
Will Sommer / The Bulwark:
How a Catch-a-Predator Sting Nabbed a Right-Wing Hatemonger — Was Jake Lang evaluating a teenage girl for a bikinis-and-burkas protest? Or was something more lecherous at play? — ∙ Paid — Welcome back to False Flag! … ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS HATEMONGERS on the far right appears …
Discussion:
Raw Story
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
I graphed every president's approval rating during “rally around the flag” events — Donald Trump launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. In the two weeks since, I've already written about how the public opposed the strikes from the start and how nearly every poll on the war so far confirms this trend.
Discussion:
Newsweek
David Zimmermann / Washington Examiner:
Sinema admits to affair with bodyguard in motion to dismiss lawsuit from his ex-wife — Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) admitted to having a sexual affair with her past bodyguard in a new motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the guard's ex-wife last year.
Discussion:
TMZ.com, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Daily Mail, Newsweek and The National Pulse
Maxine Joselow / New York Times:
E.P.A. Moves to Weaken Limits on a Cancer-Causing Gas — The gas, ethylene oxide, plays a crucial role in sterilizing medical devices. But long-term exposure is linked to several types of cancer and other ailments. — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed to weaken limits …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, WKZO and The Washington Free Beacon
Emmett Lindner / New York Times:
How This Oil Supply Shock Compares With the Embargo of 1973 — Governments have stockpiled oil, and cars are more efficient but the supply shock is global, and there's no sense of when it'll end. — In October 1973, oil-producing countries in the Middle East imposed an oil embargo …
Discussion:
WKZO, IEA, Politico and Washington Examiner
Eric Niiler / New York Times:
Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab — Proposals include transferring a supercomputer to the University of Wyoming and shifting a space weather lab to a private company. — The Trump administration is reviewing proposals to break up one of the world's leading climate …
CNN:
Exclusive: Trump is preparing to replace Ric Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center — President Donald Trump is expected to remove Richard Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center, according to three sources familiar with the matter. — The move comes as the arts and culture institution …
Discussion:
Associated Press and DNYUZ
Politico:
Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians … The high level of opposition to the cuts, which has not been previously reported, hints at the tension between top military officials and their civilian leader over the rules of engagement in combat, which the Pentagon chief has called “stupid.”
Discussion:
New York Times, JURISTnews, U.S. House Representative …, The Hill and Mediaite
Kate Riga / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Judge Says Trans Rights Case Is About ‘Swinging Dicks,’ Berates ‘Woke’ Colleagues — “This is a case about swinging dicks,” began 9th Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke in his dissent. — The case in question centered on the policy of two Korean spas in Washington state that allowed only …
Discussion:
HotAir, Slate, The Daily Signal, Not the Bee, Daily Caller News Foundation and The Gateway Pundit
