Trump's Iran War Has MAGA Turning On Itself & The Middle East Spiraling
PDS Published 03/02/2026
-
People are dying all across the Middle East and Donald Trump’s war on Iran— a war he started without Congressional or UN backing—may have only just begun.
And, yes, a brutal dictator is dead, but will someone better take his place?
And what does it mean for the rest of the world—what message does it send to other dictators—when the American president continues to claim the power to attack countries and remove their leaders at will?
Now, with all that, there is A LOT to talk about:
The dead include people in more than half a dozen countries, with four American troops among them, and Trump saying there will “likely” be more, although what may be the single biggest casualty event so far may have been U.S.-Israeli airstrikes alleged to have killed more than 150 Iranian schoolgirls.
There have also been major and ongoing impacts on global shipping, oil and gas prices, and travel.
And finally there’s the political fallout from all this internationally and the US.
But let’s start at the beginning, right, the last chance to avoid a war played out Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland — where you had talks taking place between US and Iranian officials.
The US delegation reportedly laid out its position that Iran give up completely on uranium enrichment for the next 10 years;
the Iranian foreign minister responded by claiming his country had an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium;
and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff fired back by claiming that his country had an “inalienable right” to stop Iran from doing so. []
A couple days later, the US, along with Israel, attacked—taking aim directly at Iran's leadership.
The CIA had reportedly been tracking the location of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei for months.
And then the agency learned that he and some of the country’s highest military and intelligence officials would be in the same place at the same time—in broad daylight and above ground a government compound in the heart of the capital.
And so even though the US and Israel had originally planned to attack at night, this was apparently too good of an opportunity to pass up.
And on Saturday, at around 9:40 am local time, long-range missiles struck the compound— killing the man who had ruled Iran with an iron fist since 1989.
With near-simultaneous strikes happening in two other locations, altogether killing some 40 senior figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and the country’s defense minister. []
US Central Command soon announced that it had begun what it called “Operation Epic Fury” at the direction of the president.
And about an hour later Trump posted an eight-minute video officially announcing that the “United States military began major combat operations in Iran”:
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.” (SOUNDBITE)
And with that, he claimed this was necessary because Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore” – telling the Iranian people this would be their chance to rise up:
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.” (SOUNDBITE)
A couple hours later Trump posted that Khamanei—who he called “one of the most evil people in History”—was dead, adding:
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
He also said that “heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”
And with that, a second wave of strikes had begun almost immediately following the attack on the country’s leadership, with these targeting Iran’s air defenses—especially surface-to-air missile batteries guarding the capital.
And, by the middle of the day on Sunday, the Israeli military said it had achieved air supremacy.
With a former commander of the Israeli Air Force saying:
“Iran right now is totally exposed to airstrikes.”"
“It’s only for U.S. forces and the Israeli Air Force to decide where, when and how. They almost cannot challenge. There’s almost total freedom of maneuver.” []
The next wave targeted ballistic missile systems—including munitions, launchers, crews, storehouses, and production sites— with Israel deploying 200 fighter jets in what it called its largest air operation in history.
And with that, you had Israel focusing on targets in western Iran, while the US dealt with the country’s eastern half.
The US also attacked Iran’s naval fleet —with Trump writing on Truth Social:
“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important” — saying:
“We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!”
Israel and the US also said they attacked dozens of military command centers, including the main one belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
WIth US Central Command writing on X:
“The [IRGC] killed more than 1,000 Americans over the past 47 years. Yesterday, a large-scale U.S. strike cut off the head of the snake. America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters.”
And with all that, as of recording, you had the Iranian Red Crescent Society reporting that attacks on 131 cities have killed at least 555 people so far.
Maybe the most horrific attack we know about so far took place on Saturday.
With Iranian state media reporting that US-Israeli strikes hit a girls’ school and killed 165 people, mostly children.
You also had videos and images verified by The New York Times showing that at least half of the school, which is next to a naval base belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, was destroyed.
Videos also show emergency workers and families desperately combing through rubble, which was littered with schoolbooks and book bags covered in blood and ashes.
And, of course, with that, Iran isn’t just taking this all laying down.
It’s doing its best to retaliate by targeting Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting U.S. forces.
Yesterday, for example, Iran struck a base housing American troops in Kuwait, killing three U.S. service members, reportedly Army soldiers deployed as part of a supplies and logistics unit.
With the DOD reporting that in addition to those killed “five were seriously wounded” and “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions.”
Also yesterday, a missile strike on an Israeli city killed at least nine people and injured twenty-seven—with the overall death toll in the country reporting reaching eleven as of recording.
And that’s Hezbollah has also started launching rockets and drones toward Israel overnight.
With Israel responding by striking dozens of targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon—killing at least 31 and injuring 149 more.
With an Israeli official saying the military has launched an offensive campaign in Lebanon that could include “many prolonged days of combat ahead.”
And a spokesperson adding that Israel is keeping “all options on the table” for a possible ground operation in Lebanon. []
Back on the US side, today, a fourth US service member was announced dead, with CENTCOM writing that this person had been “seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks” and “eventually succumbed to their injuries.”
You also had an Iraqi Shiite militia claiming a drone attack targeting U.S. troops at the airport in Baghdad, although there were no reported casualties.
And the DOD also revealed today that three US fighter jets “went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident” late last night.
But it said “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered” and are in stable condition”
And all of that? It still doesn't even begin to show the extent of the fallout we’re seeing across the entire region.
On Saturday, for example, an Iranian missile likely meant for Israel killed four people in Syria.
In Kuwait, in addition to the attack on the base housing US troops, you’ve had a drone hitting an airport, debris falling on one of the country’s oil refineries, and this morning, smoke was seen rising from the US Embassy.
With the country’s health ministry reporting that overall one person has been killed and 32 have been injured.
In the UAE, three people have reportedly been killed, with 58 wounded, and you’ve had drone debris lighting the airport and a five star hotel on fire.
Bahrain, which is an island kingdom that is also home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet? It says it has intercepted 61 missiles and 34 attack drones.
But shrapnel from one intercepted missile killed at least one person, with some strikes getting through air defenses completely—hitting buildings and even the naval base.
Qatari officials have said they’ve also intercepted Iranian attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure, including the international airport.
And as a rest of all of this, a Qatari state-owned energy company, one of the world’s top suppliers of liquefied natural gas, said it was stopping production – sending European gas prices surging as much as 54%.
And connected to that, you also had a drone hitting an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing one crew member, and targeting a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia—halting production even as the facility suffered only "limited damage according to reports.
The IRGC also took credit for three attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about a fifth of all traded oil in the world.
And all of that together has meant that oil prices rose nearly 10 percent today, and they could keep going up depending on how all this plays out.
On top of all that, shipping companies have also diverted their vessels to avoid going through the Suez Canal—instead sending them all the way around Africa–potentially
And hundreds of thousands of travelers have been stranded as we’ve seen mass cancellations affecting some of the busiest airports in the world.
And still, that’s not all of it.
Right, while most people are being killed by missiles in drones, in Pakistan, 22 people were killed trying to storm the US consulate in protest of the attacks on Iran.
And ultimately, as we see this absolute chaos, we gotta talk about the justifications the White House is giving for unleashing it.
On Sunday, Pentagon officials reportedly acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack American forces first.
With them instead arguing that Iran's ballistic missiles and proxy forces in the region posed an imminent threat to U.S. interests.
But while Trump has claimed Iran would “soon” secure the ability to strike the United States with a ballistic missile, he’s provided zero evidence, and sources have said his claims aren't backed by U.S. intelligence reports.
With experts and official reports both pushing back on that, saying they doubt that Iran’s missiles could reach the U.S.[]
We’ve also seen Trump telling reporters:
“They weren’t willing to stop their nuclear research. They weren’t willing to say they will not have a nuclear weapon. Very simple.”
But — key thing here — there is no credible evidence Iran was actively trying to build a nuclear weapon.
Now, as far as how long the U.S. involvement in Iran will last, you had Trump telling reporters:
“And we have — right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it.” 00:01 - 00:10
He has also acknowledged more than once that more American casualties are expected — saying:
“And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible so that won’t be the case.” (0:34-0:45)
Beyond that, in his video announcing the strikes, Trump said he’d like the Iranian people to rise up and topple the ruling regime, though there is no guarantee that the successors would govern any differently.
And with that, Trump reportedly offered several different competing ideas for how power might be transferred to a new government.
With him even suggesting that his preferred option might not actually be a revolution but keeping the existing power structure in place with people more subservient to US interests in charge.
Right, with that, you have him talking about doing something similar to what was done in Venezuela.
And that’s even as advisors have apparently told him that big differences in cultures and history make it almost impossible to apply the strategy used in Venezuela to Iran. []
Still, Trump said he had “three very good choices” about who could lead Iran, but he wouldn’t say who they are.
And, for now, what’s left of the Iranian regime is reportedly set to choose a new supreme leader any day now.
-
And then there’s our own leadership and their response to what looks like yet another war in the Middle East - brought to you by the “No More Wars” candidate.
Right, obviously, we’ve got many Trump officials and MAGA Republicans falling in line here to support the attack.
With Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth painting this was a necessary response to the regime in Iran targeting the US military and our interests around the world. []
With both him and Trump himself saying the intention was to destroy the threat of missiles and the navy in Iran. []
With Hegseth adding that while this isn’t a regime-change war, the regime will be changing and that’s a good thing.
[“It turns out the regime who chanted death to America and death to Israel was gifted death from America, death from Israel. 0:35-0:45]
And that was echoed by Senator Lindsey Graham in his appearance with NBC’s Meet the Press - who hailed the attack as a major victory against terrorism.
[“I don’t know if this is technically a war, but here’s what I can say the headline is: The mothership of terrorism is sinking. The captain is dead. The largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, is close to collapsing.”0:36-0:43]
But as he was pushed by the moderator, Graham repeatedly claimed the US will not be choosing the next leader of Iran and there isn’t a plan to do so.
[“It’s not his job or my job to do this. How many times do I have to tell you? Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the largest state sponsor of terrorism, to help the people reconstruct a new government. No boots on the ground.” 6:03-6:27]
Then of course, there is the other side of the aisle - where there’s been a very mixed bag of reactions.
You’ve got some Democrats defending the attack - like Representative Greg Landsman of Ohio.
And then there’s those like Senator Mark Kelly - who said in a Meet the Press interview that while he agrees the world is safer with Khamenei dead, quote,
“Hope is not a strategy. We've got to have a plan here. I mean, what is the strategic goal, and how do we achieve it?” []
And we saw that take repeated by several other big names like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Right, criticizing the Iranian regime while also slamming the Trump administration’s chosen course of action. []
But for many Democrats, the next move seems to be attempting to limit more violence.
Right, later this week, both the Senate and the House are expected to vote on resolutions to require Trump to get Congressional approval to use any additional military force on Iran.
And, to be clear, it’s already required under the Constitution that Congress approve any declaration of war.
They’re specifically looking to block further military action without authorization under the 1973 War Powers Resolution - which was passed by Congress in response to the Vietnam war and meant to be a check on the president. []
With Representative Ro Khanna calling for every lawmaker to go on record to say how exactly they will vote on those resolutions.
But many people have noted that this feels too little, too late - especially because Khanna himself told Meet the Press that this resolution is unlikely to pass. []
Though he argues that something has to be done to at least attempt to rein in the Trump administration.
Saying,
“We’re at war with Iran. We killed their leader. We have over 100 of our fighter jets bombing them. The point of this resolution is to say, ‘We do not want another war in the Middle East,’ or at least Congress should opine on that, should vote on that.” []
Though many big names aren’t waiting for an empty vote to make their opinions known.
Right, we’ve got Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez accusing Trump of lying to the American people and making, quote, “a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach.” []
And Senator Bernie Sanders added that this war is unconstitutional and violates international law.
Saying,
“We must not allow Trump to force us into another senseless war.” []
And that last comment is worth lingering on because, like I said, a big part of Donald Trump’s platform in the run up to the election was “no more wars.”
But it’s not like Trump is above hypocrisy and out-and-out lying - we saw people online making compilations of all the times Trump claimed Obama would attack Iran to save face or project toughness.
And one of the people who pointed that out was, strangely enough, Candace Owens.
She particularly honed in on Israel’s part in all of this - accusing Trump of turning his back on the promises he made to Americans on Netanyahu’s behalf.
[“Bibi Netanyahu called you up and said, ‘Yeah, we need a pretext for war. Like we always need a pretext for war. Like we always need a pretext for war. We’re constantly bombing and killing people all the time. We’re committing a Holocaust in Gaza. Could you just go out there and tell them they were building a nuclear bomb?’ They weren’t and there’s been no evidence of that outside Bibi Netanyahu’s ‘trust me, bro’ because I guess you have to come up with something to make people hysterical to believe we have this never-ending right to murder human beings in the Middle East. To use American soldiers to affect regime changes in the Middle East at the benefit of nobody but Israel.”0:27-1:02]
Even Marjorie Taylor Greene agreed with that point - calling war with Iran “America Last” and adding,
“Americans are once again coming home in flag draped coffins from another stupid pointless foreign war for foreign regime change on behalf of Israel.” []
And in that same post, she slams Laura Loomer for calling the Americans who were killed in action this weekend heroes and applauding their families.
Saying,
“This bitch is celebrating the death of American military members and thanking their families for their blood sacrifice. Loomer lost two Congressional races [because] nobody respected her or valued her enough to elect her. But this is who Trump takes late night calls from and laps up her praise and worship.” []
“Sign up for the military, Laura! Go to the front lines, Laura! Maybe then they’ll give you a gun. You don’t love Trump enough unless you go fight Iran yourself.” []
Which is an incredibly spicy take from someone who, for years, was grouped with Loomer as one of Trump’s most die-hard supporters.
But if we step out of the political sphere a bit, we’ve also got people turning an unconstitutional attack in the Middle East that resulted in the deaths of hundreds into profit numbering in the millions.
Right, Polymarket saw roughly $530 million in contracts tied specifically to these strikes and when they were going to happen.
And as you can probably guess, some of the activity has some red flags.
According to Bloomberg, there were six accounts that made around $1 million betting on the February 28 strike date, and all the accounts were freshly created that month and only ever placed bets on strikes.
And some of their shares were purchased just hours before the news of the strikes was reported.
With the outlet further saying that “These are the hallmarks that blockchain analysts associate with insider trading.”
Then, you also had a Polymarket trader called Magamyman making over half a million dollars specifically by betting on Khamenei’s ouster and death.
And that event caused issues over on Kalshi, too, because that site likewise had bets on whether or not he would be out of power.
But once his death was actually announced, people who bet that he would be out did not get their money.
With Kalshi’s CEO explaining that:
“We don’t list markets directly tied to death. When there are markets where potential outcomes involve death, we design the rules to prevent people from profiting from death. That is what we did here.”[]
And so now Kalshi is refunding fees collected on this market and paying out based on the last-traded price prior to his death, but this has still sparked a ton of outrage. []
But when it comes to the bigger picture, you have politicians thinking any bets related to these strikes are absurd, with Senator Chris Murphy writing that:
“It’s insane this is legal. People around Trump are profiting off war and death. I’m introducing legislation ASAP to ban this.”[]
And with that, I’m going to pass the question off to you - what are you thinking with this whole thing?
The strike itself, the Democrat response, the Israel angle, or even the Polymarket thing.
Let me know your thoughts in those comments down below.
Just go to Zocdoc and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!
-
Getting back into news here in the US, there were three mass violence events all within about 12 hours this weekend.
Early Sunday morning, shots rang out in Austin in a shooting authorities are now investigating for terroristic motivations.
“Oh my God.” (0:07-0:15)
That was the scene caused by a gunman who Austin police have identified as Ndiaga Diagne (In-dee-ah-ga Gee-ahn-ya). []
Here’s what we know: the shooting took place outside Austin’s Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in the Sixth Street area, a popular nightlife destination in the city. [] [] (BROLL 0:16-0:19)
Investigators say the shooter circled the block multiple times before he stopped in front of the bar, turned on his hazards and opened fire on patrons standing on the bar’s patio and front sidewalk area. [] []
Then, he drove further down the street and parked before approaching the bar on foot, opening fire again.. (BROLL 0:00-0:10)
There was already a heavy police presence in the area, so authorities were able to intercept him before he did further damage. [] []
“Jesus Christ. What the *bleep* is going on?” (0:15-0:26)
The shooting ultimately left three people dead – two bystanders and the shooter himself.
14 others were also injured in the shooting, and three of those were left in critical condition after the attack.
The bar is also close to the University of Texas at Austin, leaving some university students impacted.
“Nothing like this should ever happen. Thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was affected. I hope their families are okay. It’s never something that should happen when it’s just college kids trying to enjoy their weekend.” (1:05-1:16)
The president of the university released a statement about the tragedy, saying, “Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted, including members of our Longhorn family… As Longhorns, we feel this pain together.” []
To explain more about the shooter himself, reports say that he “first entered the U.S in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen.” He was then naturalized in 2006. []
The shooter reportedly wore a hoodie that read “Property of Allah,” as well as a t-shirt with the Iranian flag. [] []
According to reports, the shooter has also been posting about his support for the Iranian regime and his hatred for Israeli and American leadership since about 2017. []
Along with that, authorities reportedly found things in the shooter’s car that ultimately led to bigger concerns around terrorism.
“Obiviosuly, it’s way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation. But there were indicators on the subject and in his vehicles that indicate potential nexus to terrorism. Since we’re looking at it as a potential matter of terrorism, obviously, the Joint Terrorism Task Force is engaged. In terms of specifically what type of terrorism, we’re just prepared to say that it was potentially an act of terrorism.” (2:15-2:29, 2:37-2:43, 2:49-2:55)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott made a statement about the shooting, saying, “This act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans. To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.” []
There was also a mass shooting in Cincinnati, OH early Sunday morning around 1am.
It happened at a music venue called Riverfront Live. (BROLL 0:02-0:12)
“We received a phone call of multiple shots fired here at 4343 Kellogg Ave. at the Riverfront Live. Multiple shots inside the establishment.” (0:06-0:17)
Reports and social media posts show that the venue was hosting an event before nine people were injured in the attack, with one leaving the scene in critical condition. (BROLL 0:22-0:32)
UC Medical Center’s spokesperson claimed that five other victims were in stable condition and two were released after being treated there.
One other person also went to Good Samaritan Hospital and was released after treatment as well. (BROLL 0:15-0:20)
Witnesses at the scene have speculated about what may have caused the attack, but there have been no definitive reports.
“We do not have any further information on the victims or what started this or any information on the suspect or suspects at this time.” (0:26-0:34)
Witnesses spoke out about the scene as the shooting started.
One remembered a “quick pause” after hearing the first few shots, followed by “screaming and running.”
She also described wanting to “get out of harm's way,” but she didn’t know where the harm was coming from. []
And as people eventually made it out, security cameras caught the chaos in the parking lot. (BROLL 0:13-0:30)
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (first name pronounced phonetically, last name Pure-vol) posted about the “senseless mass shooting,” thanking officers and first responders for their “immediate action,” as well as the hospital staff who “worked to save lives” that morning. []
“This is a challenging day for our community, a challenging day for the region, but together, we will continue to fight for public safety and continue to hold these violent aggressors accountable.” (2:19-2:35)
But Mayor Pure-vol also talked about something that this administration and those before him have seemed to really struggle with.
“Our laws make it so easy to get a gun in our community that a lot of people have guns, coupled with the fact that they refuse to deal with disagreements peacefully, to the extent that they immediately run to mortal danger. As you can imagine, our law enforcement leaders, our city leaders, are very very focused on what we can do to prevent people from getting access to guns.” (14:14-14:56)
And for the last of this weekend’s tragedies, traffic came to a standstill as a man in DC reportedly stabbed four people and a dog with a knife, killing the dog and one 39-year-old woman dead. (BROLL 0:00-0:10)
The status of the other three victims is still unknown.
Witnesses claim that the attack stemmed from a road rage incident, of all things.
Allegedly, it all took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway on I-495 in D.C. []
In a particularly chilling report, a witness told CNN that he saw two cars that were, quote, “kind of banged up.”
Then, he saw “two people covered in blood while a woman appeared to be trying to stop the assailant, but the man kept swinging his knife.” []
When the State Trooper arrived on the scene, the man reportedly approached him with the knife and was shot in self defense.
According to reports, he was then transported to the hospital with serious injuries from being shot but has since been pronounced dead.
The DC Police Department took to socials to say that they had “received reports of a mass stabbing incident in DC,” but that it was incorrect and that MPD wasn’t investigating any such incident. []
I think it’s worth noting here that this post implies that even with four people stabbed, MPD didn’t consider this a mass stabbing.
Whether that’s because the attack spurred from something as common as road rage or because – and I hope this isn’t the case – there simply weren't enough people stabbed to meet their definition, this speaks to a pretty pervasive energy in the zeitgeist across the country right now.
We’ve seen that there is so much violence flooding our news that the president hasn’t even felt the need to address the biggest mass shooting in Austin in 60 years. [][]
It seems like mass violence has become so ubiquitous that there’s a threshold it has to reach before we even acknowledge it.
I mean, to be fair, there seems to be no one, authoritative definition for things like mass shootings. []
Different groups define them differently, and our government clearly barely defines them at all.
But what we know is that, however you want to define it, mass violence is happening all the time in this country.
Just looking at gun violence alone, reports show close to 60 mass shootings already this year. People, it’s only March! []
Even with 2025 seeing a decrease in mass shootings from years prior, researchers logged 408 mass shootings with 358 deaths and 1843 others injured. []
And studies show that the majority of these shootings take place at the workplace and schools, putting everyday working Americans and our children at risk. []
Cincinnati City Planner Sheryl Long summed it up best.
“Like all of us, I am heartbroken to witness such a senseless act of violence. But, unfortunately, I am not shocked. So many of us in America are in a similar state of unease, not wondering if a shooting like this will occur, but when. The stress, the exhaustion, the confusion – they are constant. That moment when your heart drops because it’s happened again is something we’re all terrifyingly used to by now. (2:42-3:07)
So, as we enter into another war, for which we have no reliable source to tell us where the finish line is, how much more violence are we going to have to endure here and overseas?
And how normalized is this administration going to make it before people just start to accept it, as many already have?
-
French President Emmanuel Macron just announced that his country is increasing its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades.
And this move is incredibly significant for a few reasons.
First of all, it breaks a major nuclear taboo and marks a landmark shift in the country’s doctrine.
Right, France has long insisted on keeping its nuclear stockpile independent, but as part of the new build-up, Macron said that the country will expand cooperation with other European allies.
This including by allowing other nations to participate in certain nuclear activities, like wargame drills, and offering to temporarily deploy nuclear-capable fighter jets to allied countries.
Though Macron made it clear that the French president will have the sole power to make decisions on any deployments.
But, even then, this announcement has sweeping implications for the whole of Europe.
Right, France is the only EU member with nuclear weapons — in fact, it actually has the fourth largest arsenal in the world, though the U.S. and China dramatically outpace it.
But France is also one of just two countries in Europe that possess those capabilities — the other is the U.K., which needs the U.S. for technological support
So, as a result, most European countries rely primarily on the U.S. for nuclear deterrence.
Right, the U.S. has long protected European allies under its “nuclear umbrella” — a security guarantee that ensures American nuclear forces will be used to defend those allies if they are threatened by adversaries.
But many European leaders have raised serious concerns about Trump’s wavering commitments to a region — an unprecedented shift in U.S. foreign policy that has undermined decades of transatlantic security.
So, as a result, you had Macron arguing that France needs to step up to fill the security vacuum Trump has created as Europe continues to face both new and ongoing threats to its stability.
With him noting that a recent U.S. national security strategy had indicated a clear “reorganization of American priorities,” and adding that this new stance should push Europe “to take more direct responsibility for its own security.”
Now, as far as the specifics, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, France currently has an inventory of just under 300 nuclear warheads.
And while Macron didn’t say exactly how many weapons he will add, the move is super notable because it marks the first time that the country has increased its arsenal since 1992.[]
And experts say they could see a dramatic expansion based on the high-levels of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium that the country is believed to possess.
-
But then, in the final bit of news we should touch on for today, Democrats believe they have enough votes to get Commerce Secretary HowardLutnick to testify in their Epstein probe.
And if the midterms go their way in November, they think they could eventually get Trump to do the same, too.
With Rep. Ro Khanna saying on Meet the Press yesterday:
“We have the votes to subpoena Lutnick.” (1:26-1:28)
“I am working with a Republican actually to subpoena Howard Lutnick next week, and I believe he will come before the committee.” (0:59-1:05)
With this coming as Republican Nancy Mace said she would call him to testify.
And for quite a while now, Lutnick has been facing a ton of pressure to either face the Oversight committee or outright resign from his position because of his Epstein ties.
Right, the files suggest that Lutnick lied about the timeline of his relation to Epstein, and even show the two emailing after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes.
Then over the last couple of days, there was a ton of backlash after the DOJ briefly removed a photo of Lutnick from the files.
That image shows him with Epstein on his island, Little St. James, and an official claimed that the picture was part of a batch of documents flagged to be reviewed for nudity.[]
But there is no nudity in the photo, so you had politicians on both sides of the aisle demanding answers as to why the DOJ took that image down. [][]
And even though there is bipartisan support to get Lutnick in the hot seat, it seems the one person still very much on his side is Trump.
Because when he was asked about the possibility of the House deposing Lutnick, Trump insisted that the secretary is a “very innocent guy, doing a good job."
Which actually brings us to calls for Trump to testify himself, right.
For weeks, Democrats in the House Oversight Committee have argued that the president needs to answer questions about Epstein.
With Robert Garcia, the committee’s ranking democrat, saying that now that Bill Clinton has testified:
“Republicans have now set a new precedent, which is to bring in presidents and former presidents to testify.” (0:00-0:06)
“We are now asking and demanding that President Trump officially come in and testify in front of the Oversight Committee. He appears in the Epstein Files next to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell almost more than anybody else." (0:11-0:27)
And right now, the idea that Trump would actually be brought in is a long shot at best, right, most Republicans are still bending over backwards to defend him.
But, Democrats are really trying to make this a sticking point heading into the midterms.
With Garcia saying that if the House turns blue and he gets to lead House Oversight, the committee would “absolutely” pursue an interview with Trump.[]
And they have even floated getting Melania to talk, too.
With the Washington Post explaining that Democrats “are already charting an aggressive strategy of investigating the Trump administration next year” as they set their sites on November. []
With Democrats now really trying to argue that it is only fair to question Trump now that both Clintons have been questioned.
Right, we talked about how Hillary testified on Thursday.
Then Bill followed on Friday and was questioned for around 6 hours, meaning his hearing was shorter than Hillary’s despite the fact that Hillary apparently never even met Epstein and Bill is pictured in the files. []
Ahead of his hearing Bill insisted that he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes, but agreed to sit for this deposition because he believes that “no person is above the law, even Presidents.”[]
And because this deposition was not broadcast live, we are already seeing both parties spin what Bill allegedly said about Trump during the deposition.
Right, at one point, Republican Chairman James Comer stepped out to say that:
"Ranking Member Garcia asked President Clinton, 'Should President Trump be called to answer questions from this committee?' And President Clinton said, 'That's for you to decide...the president [Trump] has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved' and he meant with Epstein." (0:15-0:41)
With Comer later writing that:
“Clinton exonerated President Trump under questioning from the Democrats….It’s sick how Democrats have weaponized this investigation to put politics above survivors.”[]
But Democrats in the committee quickly pushed back, saying that is not how it went down at all, claiming:[]
“Today, President Clinton raised more questions about the relationship between President Trump and Epstein - specifically with regards to the reason their relationship ended. Claims that President Clinton fully exonerated Trump are wrong and a mischaracterization.”
“In fact, President Clinton confirmed that he knew Trump and Epstein had a close relationship and said Trump reported having "great times" with Epstein.”
With other Democrats noting that even if Bill Clinton said he personally had no firsthand information about Trump and Epstein, that would by no means exonerate Trump.[]
And we won’t know what was actually said until the footage is eventually released.
But this tug of war is only getting bigger, the politics around it only getting louder, even as the news cycle is bombarded with more chaos.
With some people actually blaming any rash decision Trump makes on the files, right, thinking anything, including Iran, is an intentional distraction made by the president.
So we will have to see how long this sticks, how long can we play the Epstein blame game? And will there ever be any real accountability?
![[]](https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/03/01/original/Ndiaga_Diagne_1772387471998_1772387472117.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/c_limit,h_1200,q_75,w_1200/v1/clients/austin/Sixth_Street_Nightlife_Courtesy_Austin_CVB_5816f624-ed92-4b56-9555-043c755c3cb3.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/63/43/15/30290811/3/1920x0.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://e00-mundoamerica.uecdn.es/assets/multimedia/imagenes/2026/03/02/17724473590326.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/63/43/13/30290659/3/ratio3x2_1920.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/8cf5/live/91d0c540-1602-11f1-801d-ed3cff6bf876.jpg){kind=link}
![[]](https://media.nbcwashington.com/2026/03/Catalina-override.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675){kind=link}
