Dan Lamothe

Today’s new show is up now. And it’s a really, really urgent and smart one. With the brilliant and important @danlamothe.bsky.social

And if you never have before, please try it on YouTube:

⚡️How Bad Intel, AI and Outdated Maps May Have Been Factors in a US Military Strike on an Iranian School Full of Kids. One That Trump Has Blamed on Iran.

🎙️New Wartime Wednesday Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff. With @danlamothe.bsky.social

🕸️Web: independentamericans.us/inquiry-us-a...

Iranian school was on U.S. target list, may have been mistaken as military site The strike on an Iranian elementary school killed at least 175, many of them children, raising questions as to whether the military’s use of AI-enabled targeting was a factor.

NEW FROM WAPO: The Iranian school building where scores of children were killed as the U.S. and Israel began their massive aerial campaign was on a U.S. target list and may have been mistaken for a military site, multiple people familiar with the strike told The Washington Post.

wapo.st/4llWy0R

This is Sgt. Benjamin Pennington. The Pentagon identified him this morning as the latest U.S. military fatality in the war against Iran.

Pennington, 26, died yesterday of injuries suffered March 1 in the initial wave of Iranian counterattacks. He was at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

This is Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Jaggers, an aviation survival technician based out of Astoria, Oregon.

He died Thursday after suffering critical injuries Feb. 27 during a rescue off the coast of Oregon, the Coast Guard says.

RIP.

Army unit’s moves trigger speculation as U.S. plots next steps in Iran war The abrupt cancelation of a training event has put a spotlight on the 82nd Airborne Division, which specializes in ground combat and other fraught missions.

Army unit’s moves trigger speculation as U.S. plots next steps in Iran war, @danlamothe.bsky.social reports www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Army unit’s moves trigger speculation as U.S. plots next steps in Iran war The abrupt cancelation of a training event has put a spotlight on the 82nd Airborne Division, which specializes in ground combat and other fraught missions.

SCOOP: The Army in recent days canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division, fueling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens.

wapo.st/4uiXxTO

@alexhorton.bsky.social and I verified that they were in a trailer-like building surrounded with concrete T-walls, but did not have much in the way of overhead protection. Certainly more vulnerable there than in a bunker.

These U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait over the weekend.

They are Capt. Cody Khork, 35
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39
Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42
Sgt. Declan Coady, 20

Two others were killed in the same attack; their names have not yet been released.

RIP.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military officer at CENTCOM, sent this message to the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops directly involved in operations against Iran, I'm told.

I think about that strike on Al Asad a LOT.

These U.S. troops survived one of the greatest crises of the Trump era. A year later, they’re still coping. Service members prepared for “total devastation” as the United States and Iran came close to a full-scale war.

As the U.S. moves into an uncertain period of time with Iran, important to remember: The possibility of U.S. combat fatalities is real.

Look no farther than the near-misses at Al Asad air base in 2020, following the U.S. killing of Qasem Soleimani in Iraq:

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

I'm not sure he actually does

Pretty amazing that comms person at FBI called my @ms.now colleague @kendilanian-nbc.bsky.social a liar and demand a correction only for Kash to post a photo from the locker room

The USNS Comfort is currently in the port of Mobile, Al

www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/deta...

In June, the Pentagon signed a $18.7 million deal with the same shipyard to place the Mercy in extended maintenance. Navy officials later said the work would take about a year.

The Navy did not immediately respond to questions.

In December, the Pentagon said it had signed a $16.7 million contract with the shipyard to place the Comfort in an extended period of maintenance beginning Jan. 15 with expected completion by April 26.

The Navy owns two hospital ships, the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. Neither appears ready to deploy any time soon, and both were at a maintenance facility run by Alabama Shipyard in Mobile as of today.

Trump aides struggle with how to spend $500 billion more on military Some senior officials resisted the decision to approve the major military spending increase, sources say.

Breaking news: Trump officials have struggled to figure out how to increase military spending by $500 billion.

The White House budget chief was among those who objected to the defense secretary’s plan to increase military spending by roughly 50 percent.

Trump aides struggle with how to spend $500 billion more on military Some senior officials resisted the decision to approve the major military spending increase, people familiar with the matter say.

NEW: Trump administration officials are struggling to determine how to increase defense spending $500 billion in their forthcoming budget, after Pete Hegseth secured the increase despite internal criticism from Russ Vought and other officials.

wapo.st/40sgBRz

Another week concludes w/ no routine news briefing at the Pentagon.

The last on-camera briefing was held for the "new" right-wing press corps nearly *three* months ago, on Dec. 2.

The press space has been mostly vacant since the traditional press corps departed in October.

#transparency

Hegseth directed Driscoll to fire Col. David Butler during a discussion at the Pentagon last week, officials said. Butler had been nominated for one-star general, and will instead submit retirement papers to allow a list of other officers selected for advancement to move forward, the officials said.

Hegseth forces ouster of senior Army spokesman in latest internal clash Col. David Butler, who had been selected by senior Army leaders for promotion to brigadier general, will instead retire, officials said.

NEW: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has forced the ouster of a senior military adviser to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, defense officials said, marking the Pentagon’s chief’s latest intervention into the service’s internal affairs.

wapo.st/4kIMTkM

Inside the Debacle That Led to the Closure of El Paso’s Airspace

Lots of questions remain about this incident in El Paso. Meanwhile, the administration has not engaged in a serious way with questions that get at how a laser system was temporarily transferred to DHS and used by CBP, all in a manner to which FAA objected.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...

Sure seems likely.

🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗

And so concludes another week w/ no news briefing at the Pentagon.

The last on-camera briefing was held for an alternative right-wing press corps more than two months ago, on Dec. 2.

The press space has been mostly vacant since the traditional press departed in October.

Breakdown between Pentagon, FAA led to flight stoppage, officials say An extraordinary 10-day restriction on flights around El Paso was issued late Tuesday and lifted hours later, over concerns about the Defense Department’s use of a laser counter-drone weapon.

FAA imposed extraordinary 10-day flight restrictions on airspace around El Paso late following a communications breakdown with the Pentagon and DHS, after a laser-based counterdrone weapon was used by DHS personnel without full integration, officials said.

www.washingtonpost.com/transportati...

Yes, Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. But there also are 1 million Puerto Ricans in Florida and 5 million more in the Northeast.

I grew up in a neighborhood w/ a population that's about a quarter Puerto Rican. Tonight's halftime show was American, friends. Just a different kind.

What a week.