Aman Batheja

Tehran Shrouded in Toxic Cloud After Israel Strikes Fuel Depots The strikes appear to be the most significant attack on Iran's civilian infrastructure of the war to date.

"The rain is black, I can't believe it, I'm seeing black rain.”

Iran’s capital engulfed in a cloud of toxic smoke that unleashed black rainfall after overnight Israeli strikes on several fuel depots caused fires to burn for hours

Tehran Shrouded in Toxic Cloud After Israel Strikes Fuel Depots The strikes appear to be the most significant attack on Iran's civilian infrastructure of the war to date.

"The rain is black, I can't believe it, I'm seeing black rain.”

Iran’s capital engulfed in a cloud of toxic smoke that unleashed black rainfall after overnight Israeli strikes on several fuel depots caused fires to burn for hours

In War’s First Week, a Punishing Military Campaign With No Coherent Endgame

“The Israeli strike also killed another group of Iranian officials who had been meeting in a different part of the compound. Among them were people the White House had identified as more willing to negotiate…and who might help bring a swift end to the conflict, according to American officials.”

Opinion | There Is One Crucial Reason We’re Talking About Boots on the Ground

“If President Trump ends the war without getting control of the canisters, Iran will almost certainly speed toward going nuclear. Grabbing it, on the other hand, would entail huge risk and the inevitable deployment of American or Israeli ground forces.” (Gift link)

Long-delayed Jan. 6 plaque honoring police quietly erected overnight at Capitol The memorial honoring officers who defended the Capitol was required by law to be installed by March 2023.

“There was no announcement, no ceremony, no news cameras — just two employees on their routine overnight shift working while most of Washington slept.”

This press release is two days old and still reads like this

Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump

“Mr. Schwartz had not been shy about sharing the strategy behind his clemency campaign with other inmates…Nearly a million dollars went to right-wing operatives who claimed to have worked with Laura Loomer”

Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target U.S. forces, officials say The targeting information has included the locations of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East, the officials said.

Exclusive: Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major U.S. adversary is participating — even indirectly — in the war.

Kristi Noem's Removal Was About Optics, Not Policy Noem’s tenure is one of the biggest flameouts of Trump's second term

Don’t expect DHS policy to change significantly.

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

Trump's War If Trump campaigned as a President of peace, he has governed as the opposite

“No other modern American leader has directed assaults in as many countries in such a short span of time…In 2025 alone, he approved more individual airstrikes than his predecessor did over four years.”

time.com/7382697/trum...

Who Is Markwayne Mullin, the New Homeland Security Secretary? Trump has selected Sen. Markwayne Mullin to serve as the next Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem.

In all his years in Congress, Markwayne Mullin has never served on either the House Homeland Security Committee or the Senate Homeland Security Committee
time.com/7382769/mark...

Kristi Noem's Removal Was About Optics, Not Policy Noem’s tenure is one of the biggest flameouts of Trump's second term

Kristi Noem’s tenure has been one of the biggest flameouts of Trump's second term so far.

"At first a favorite of Trump, Noem’s decline came in short order as her personal life, living situation, cratering morale, and leadership feuds all made her a liability."
time.com/7382737/kris...

Trump's War If Trump campaigned as a President of peace, he has governed as the opposite

Trump on Iran: "They can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s number one, two, and three. Number four, no ballistic missiles." Another objective: installing “somebody that is rational and sane” as leader.

Trump's timeline: “I have no time limits on anything. I want to get it done.”

Trump's War If Trump campaigned as a President of peace, he has governed as the opposite

Trump, when asked by TIME’s Eric Cortellessa if Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks at home:

“I guess. But I think they’re worried about that all the time…We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die.“

time.com/7382697/trum...

TIME cover shows a series of red MAGA hats. The front one says “Make Iran Great Again” The others have different countries

TIME’s latest cover

time.com/7382697/trum...

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the Senate panel that was holding the hearing, yelled at Mullin to sit down after he challenged O'Brien to a fight. Mullin had stood up from his seat at the dais and appeared to start taking his ring off. "This is the time, this is the place," Mullin told O'Brien after reading a series of critical tweets O'Brien had sent about him in the past. "If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here."

Markwayne Mullin, the new Homeland Security secretary, is a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter who in 2023, during a committee hearing, almost came to blows with Teamsters President Sean O'Brien.

"If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here," he said

Just like he did with Mike Waltz after SignalGate, Trump isn't firing Kristi Noem but reassigning her. She's now going to be "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas," a new Western Hemisphere security initiative

Yikes, the D.C. Court of Appeals decision is pretty withering in its assessment of the Public Service Commission's decision not to have a trial-like evidentiary process on Pepco's multi-year rate increase.

Iran War Draining US Weapons Stockpiles, Raising Fears From Ukraine to Taiwan US Weapons Stockpiles, From Ukraine to Taiwan From Washington to Ukraine to Taiwan, there’s growing concern that Iran is draining U.S. supplies of weapons relied on by U.S. allies

New: From Washington, D.C. to Ukraine to Taiwan, there’s growing concern that the U.S. war in Iran is depleting stocks of sophisticated weapons systems that protect allies around the globe from missile attacks.
time.com/7382582/trum...

Iran War Draining US Weapons Stockpiles, Raising Fears From Ukraine to Taiwan US Weapons Stockpiles, From Ukraine to Taiwan From Washington to Ukraine to Taiwan, there’s growing concern that Iran is draining U.S. supplies of weapons relied on by U.S. allies

New: From Washington, D.C. to Ukraine to Taiwan, there’s growing concern that the U.S. war in Iran is depleting stocks of sophisticated weapons systems that protect allies around the globe from missile attacks.
time.com/7382582/trum...

We'll see but do note that Trump endorsed the incumbent TX Ag guy who lost yesterday, and also endorsed Tony Gonzales, who is in a runoff but finished second. His endorsement is useful, but it ain't magic.

Trump posts he's endorsing in Texas Senate race soon:

"Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough...I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!"

Congress Sets Up First Vote on Iran Strikes. What to Know The Senate will vote on Wednesday on a measure to block Trump from ordering further military strikes on Iran.

Later today, the Senate is poised to take up its first War Powers vote since Trump began military strikes on Iran.
"The measure has the backing of most Democrats in the Senate and at least one Republican...But it is all but certain to fail."
time.com/7382503/trum...

RFK Jr. wants Dunkin’ to prove drinking its iced coffee is safe - The Boston Globe The warning comes as Kennedy is leaning heavily into his agenda to improve American diets.

RFK: “We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it.’l
“The Health and Human Services Department did not respond to a request for further explanation.”

On Iran, Vance Balances Between Trump and the Anti-Intervention Right

"The vice president already has a reputation as a political chameleon, not least because he serves at the side of a president he once likened to Hitler."
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/u...

Oil prices surged upon Trump’s attack on Iran, and Americans are already seeing the effects at the gas pump.

My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart

James Talarico's Win Puts Texas in Play For November Strategists in both parties think Talarico's crossover appeal makes the Texas race one to watch

New: Why James Talarico’s Win Puts Texas in Play For November

Democrats’ statewide losing streak in Texas is longest in the U.S.

“Democrats cannot win in Texas without a few Republicans and independents…Talarico’s pragmatic facade creates what party strategists call a ‘permission structure’”

praying they don't fix the headline

www.kctv5.com/video/2026/0...

“[Talarico] showed up in GOP strongholds he was unlikely to win in a general election but where Democrats told me they had not seen a candidate show up in ages.”