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9:45 AM ET, March 2, 2026

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 Top Items: 
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.
RELATED:
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.
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 …
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.
Nikki Schwab / Daily Mail:
Trump breaks silence on US troops killed in Iran war as president gives bleak warning to the Daily Mail: ‘It could happen again’  —  President Donald Trump broke his silence Sunday on the first US casualties of the Iran war in an exclusive phone interview with the Daily Mail.
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.
Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
Iran strikes spark accusations of bad-faith diplomatic negotiations  —  U.S. officials said they were negotiating with Iran in good faith, even if hours later they joined Israeli military strikes that targeted the Iranian government.  —  The talks were not going well, but there were signs that they would continue.
Violet Jira / NOTUS:
The U.S. Operation in Iran Is ‘Just Beginning,’ Trump Officials Say  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted the military attack is “not a regime-change war.”  — Copy  —  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth rejected concerns of another forever war during the Trump administration's …
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
Trump leaves room to claim victory — or avoid blame — in recorded Iran strike messages  —  Trump has taken an approach to selling U.S. citizens on military action in Iran that contrasts with his predecessors, seeking to avoid completely owning it.  —  President George W. Bush used …
Discussion: DNYUZ
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Trump Buries the 20th Century
Discussion: Raw Story
Associated Press:
Iran suggests it's open to US talks, White House official says, and Trump is ‘eventually’ willing
Politico:
The questions Trump must answer today
Discussion: The Hill
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Jet Fighters Mistakenly Shot Down as Iran Conflict Widens Across Mideast
Reuters:
Israel strikes Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks, widening Iran conflict
Tim Kaine / Wall Street Journal:
An Unwise and Unconstitutional Attack on Iran
Discussion: The Hill
Associated Press:
Live updates: Oil tankers and refineries under attack as US and Israel exchange strikes with Iran and war widens
Christian Paz / Vox:
Trump's Iran war is uniting a strange new anti-war alliance
Discussion: Vanity Fair
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Hunkered at Mar-a-Lago, Trump makes his club a makeshift Situation Room
Discussion: The Independent and Joe.My.God.
New York Times:
Here's the latest.  —  The U.S. and Israeli militaries pounded Iran and its allies for a third …
Vivian Salama / The Atlantic:
All Eyes on Cuba  —  Trump's campaign to take out long-standing U.S. irritants looks back to the Caribbean.
Discussion: Townhall and Semafor
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
GOP voters, not congressional leaders, are poised to take action on Tony Gonzales … What most don't want, however, is for Gonzales to resign from Congress in the 10 months before a successor would be sworn in, given that his departure would imperil the ultra-narrow House GOP majority.
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
Emerson Polling:
Texas 2026 Primary Poll: Talarico & Paxton with Narrow Edges in Senate Primaries
Discussion: Mother Jones, Newsweek and The Hill
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
GOP insiders fretting over Texas Senate primary
Bridget Bowman / NBC News:
A competitive Texas Senate race looms over Tuesday's primaries
Paul Krugman:
War, Oil and the World Economy  —  Are we less vulnerable to an oil price shock than we were in 1979?  —  Do you remember the 1979 energy crisis?  I hope not — or at least I hope many of you don't.  Because I'd like to believe that my readers aren't all old codgers like me.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Epstein's New Mexico Ranch Gets Scrutiny at Last.  It May Be Too Late.  —  Heinous allegations have prompted state officials to restart an inquiry, which went cold in 2019, into the convicted sex offender's lesser-known property.  —  One of Jeffrey Epstein's most secretive and least scrutinized former properties is not an island.
RELATED:
Olivier Uyttebrouck / Albuquerque Journal:
Feds asked New Mexico to halt its Epstein probe
Discussion: New York Times
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.
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Reuters:
US aircraft leave Spain after government says bases cannot be used for Iran attacks
Discussion: Washington Times
Vox:
The “Epstein class,” explained
Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:
Graham Platner picks up second U.S. senator endorsement in crucial Maine race
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Jewish Insider
Rozanna Latiff / Reuters:
Malaysia's parliament fails to pass bill limiting PM's tenure to two terms
Discussion: Bloomberg
Washington Examiner:
Three US fighter jets downed in Kuwait in ‘friendly fire’ accident
 Earlier Items: 
Punchbowl News:
The House Dems in trouble on Tuesday
Paul Kiernan / Wall Street Journal:
The Push for 875,000 People to Help Get California Billionaire Tax on the Ballot
Sadie Gurman / Wall Street Journal:
Kash Patel Is Testing FBI Norms
Discussion: DNYUZ
Bill Whitaker / CBS News:
Judges describe threats amid Trump's attacks on judiciary
Discussion: Mediaite
Axios:
It's AOC or bust for far-left Democrats in 2028
Discussion: CNBC and Breitbart