Today in Politics, Bulletin 325. 3/10/26

… Pete Hegseth gave a press conference this morning where he continued to call almost exclusively on luminaries from right-wing outlets like Gateway Pundit and OAN. Neither he nor Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine made any comments on their “investigation” of the bombing of the girls school. They took about a dozen questions, but not a single one was about the bombing. A reporter in the back of the room kept trying to yell out a question about it, but was ignored.

… Hegseth: “Overwhelming and unrelenting precision. No hesitation. No half measures. As President Trump declared yesterday, we’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force.”

… Trump was asked about it. Q - “A video appears to show a tomahawk missile likely destroyed that Iranian girls school. Will the US accept any responsibility? Trump: I will say that the tomahawk is sold and used by other countries. And whether it’s Iran who also has some tomahawks, they wish they had more, but whether it’s Iran or somebody else, a tomahawk is very generic. That’s being investigated.”

… Karoline Leavitt was asked about Trump’s claim: Q - “On the Iranian school, why did President Trump say that Iran may have tomahawk missiles when there are only 3 US allies, plus the US, that have those missiles? Leavitt: The president has a right to share his opinions with the American public.”

… “And frankly, we're not going to be harassed by the NYT, who's been putting out a lot of articles on this, making claims that have just not been verified by the Dept of War to quickly wrap up this investigation, because the NYT is calling on us to do so.”

… It was a lie, not an opinion. A blatant and obvious lie. Something he knew was a lie. And not just another one of the hundreds of lies he tells every day - a lie about the killing of at least 175 people, mostly girls who were attending school.

… NYT: “Mangled missile fragments purporting to be from the deadly strikes that hit a naval base and elementary school in southern Iran on Feb. 28 bear the markings of an American cruise missile, according to an analysis NYT. Photos of the fragments were posted to Telegram by Iran’s state broadcaster and were characterized as showing ‘the remains of the American missile that landed on the children of Minab school.’”

… “The debris is displayed on a table near the shell of the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, most of which was destroyed in a precision strike. At least 175 people, most of them children, were reportedly killed. While it is not clear where or how the fragments were recovered, they contain serial numbers and other details that are consistent with how DOD and its suppliers categorize and label munitions. The remnants appear to be from a Tomahawk cruise missile manufactured in 2014 or later.”

… CBS: “US intelligence assets have begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Iran is using smaller crafts that can carry 2 to 3 mines each. While Iran’s mine stock isn’t publicly known, estimates over the years have ranged from roughly 2,000 to 6,000 naval mines of Iranian, Chinese and Russian-made variants.”

… Gas market analyst Patrick De Haan: “Wow - this would be a major escalation and nightmare - and would push oil prices to a worst case scenario.”

… Trump: “If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

… Fox host John Roberts: “The battle for Okinawa, one island, took 86 days and 250,000 casualties. So, for gas prices to go up a little bit and raising so much concern - think of how much worse it was in World War II than what we’re facing now.”

… Axios: “Nearly 7 months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to sell the US their battle-proven technology for downing Iranian-made attack drones. They even made a PowerPoint presentation showing how it could protect American forces and their allies in a Middle East war. The Trump admin dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week because of more-than-expected drone strikes from Iran.”

… “Snubbing Ukraine’s offer ranks as one of the biggest tactical miscalculations by the admin since the bombing of Iran began Feb. 28, two US officials tell Axios. Iran’s inexpensive Shahed drones have been linked to the deaths of 7 US service members, and have cost the US and its friends in the region millions of dollars to intercept.

… “At a closed-door WH meeting on Aug. 18, Zelensky offered the interceptor drones to Trump as a way to strengthen ties and show his thanks for US support in the face of Russian aggression.”

… Ukrainian official: “At that meeting ... in August, Trump asked his team to work on it, but they have done nothing.”

… “A US official who saw the PowerPoint confirmed that Zelensky’s team showed the presentation to the admin and theorized the Ukrainian leader is seen by some in the Trump admin as too much of a self-promoter of a client state that doesn’t command enough respect: ‘We figured it was Zelensky being Zelensky. Somebody decided not to buy it’.”

… Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko: “1. Ukraine promptly answers a US call to help with drone interceptors and sends its top experts to the Middle East. 2. Russia helps the Iranian regime with intel to kill Americans. As a result: 1. Russia and Putin gets praised and cherished by Trump who’s relieving Russian oil sanctions and in fact helping save Russian war economy in war against Ukraine. 2. Ukraine gets a spadeful of shit into its face from Trump once again.”

… Reuters: “As many as 150 US troops have been wounded so far in the Iran War, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Before our report, the Pentagon had only disclosed 8 injuries - all of them serious.”

… Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) after getting an intel briefing on Iran: “We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives here. There’s also the specter of active Russian aid to Iran putting in danger American lives. China also may be assisting Iran”

… Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said on Fox she wouldn’t mind boots on the ground: “We shouldn’t be sending conventional forces into Iran. But certainly the use of our special operators is a tool that we will also keep in our tool belt. They can be strategically inserted - if the president chooses to use them, good on him.”

… Oil market economist Rory Johnston: “Energy Secretary Chris Wright tweeted that the US Navy escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, a headline that got blasted out across all the wire services. And then he promptly deleted the tweet.”

… Fox chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin: “This is not true, I am told from well placed military sources. No US military assets have escorted any oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as of yet, despite Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s claim to the contrary.”

… WaPo: “Higher prices have intensified some Republicans’ warnings about the political risks of a drawn-out conflict as the Trump admin has issued conflicting messages about its plans. On Monday, Trump said at one point the war was nearly finished, then hours later told Republican lawmakers that he would press ahead in Iran seeking ‘ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all.’”

… “Republicans already face a challenging political environment in this year’s elections. The president’s party historically loses seats in the midterms, and Trump’s approval has dropped in recent months, driven in part by concerns about rising costs, which the president’s advisers have urged him to focus on. The volatility of the situation has injected new uncertainty into GOP plans to tout their progress on the economy.”

… “One consultant for a Republican congressional candidate recounted having to recently rewrite a fundraising pitch that touted gas prices from before the war broke out in late February.”

… Republican pollster Mitchell Brown: “Gas was one thing that they have been touting as an economic win. A reversal on that obviously makes the message harder.”

… Trump’s feckless sycophantic special envoy Steve (Witless) Witkoff showed again on CNBC why he is the worst person on the planet to be negotiating with Russia and Iran on behalf of the US:

• Q - Do we think the Russians have shared intel about the location of US military assets, and if so, why would we be giving waivers on Russian oil sanctions? Witkoff: I’m not an intel officer, so I can’t tell you. I can tell you that on the call with Trump, the Russians said they have not been sharing. That’s what they said. We can take them at their word.”

… Financial Times Ukraine war correspondent Christopher Miller: “Stunning naïveté from Trump’s most trusted negotiator, who says Putin and Russia - who’ve brazenly lied about the war on Ukraine, murdering dissidents and so, so much more - can be taken ‘at their word’.”

• Witkoff: “In a year, if you had someone who didn’t have the courage to do this action, you’d have 30 or 40 nuclear bombs. And what would the world look like there? So thank God we have a president and leadership at the helm that makes these courageous decisions.”

• Q - “What do you say to Americans who are struggling with making ends meet and don’t want foreign wars? Witkoff: If they have children, think about what this world would look like if you didn’t have Donald Trump as the president.”

• Q - “How do you see this war ending? Witkoff: I don’t know.”

… Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Fox: “I think we’ve gotten overextended. This is our second war in a month, and these wars are very very expensive not only in the lives that are lost, but also in treasure. I’m very very concerned about the debt. Half a trillion dollars for the military budget is fiscally irresponsible.”

… Paul: “As far as the reasons for the war, there have been many different reasons floated, but none of them I think have been very convincing. We were told their nuclear weapons were obliterated, and now we’re told their nuclear weapons are just moments away from being a bomb. I don’t think the arguments are valid.”

… “The 2026 elections, already we are behind the 8-ball. If you add in high gas prices, high oil prices, and if we’re still bombing Iran with kinetic action - people don’t want to call it war - I think you’re gonna see a disastrous election.”

… Sen. Lindsey Graham gave another insane interview on Sean Hannity’s Fox show, which was widely criticized by people in both parties has he has gotten increasingly out of control with his foreign policy rants:

• “Saudi Arabia, I am willing to make a mutual defense agreement with your country to give you protection in perpetuity. If you are attacked by Iran, we would go to war for you.”

• “Saudi Arabia, our embassy was hit, do you not have an obligation to join the fight with us? If you do not believe the American embassy being attacked would trigger mutual self defense, maybe we shouldn’t do a treaty with you.”

• “To our friends in Saudi Arabia, step forward and say this is my flight too, I joined America, I am involved in bringing this regime down. If you don’t, you are making a mistake and will cut off the ability to have a better relationship with the US.”

• Hannity: “Spain, Macron, and Great Britain need to wake up. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE—decide now! Graham: God bless Israel. We should move all our stuff to Israel.”

• “I will be with Israel until my dying day.”

• “Spain, you have lost your way. I don’t want to do business with you anymore. I want our airbases out of Spain.”

• “If Trump did not do this they would have a nuclear capability within months—weeks, if they had a weapon, they would use it. To all those that don’t believe that, you are stupid.”

… Megyn Kelly on Graham: “This guy is a homicidal maniac with a bloodlust that is insatiable. He should not be allowed 20 feet of the President’s orbit.”

… Kelly: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president? In the past 24 hours he’s threatened Lebanon, Cuba, the Saudis, the wider Arab region and now - checks notes - Spain. Let’s get real. The problem with Graham isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him, and Trump’s favorite channel is parading him around like a Hugh Hefner bunny in stockings on every show.”

… “Oil prices and stocks, swung wildly all day, as investors appeared preoccupied by the lack of a clear offramp for the fighting, which has disrupted a significant share of the world’s oil, gas and fertilizer exports. But markets, which had plummeted in the early hours of US trading, rebounded with Trump’s comment that the war was close to complete. The price of oil dropped.”

… “Then, after markets closed for the day, Trump made a series of comments that moved in another direction. He told a gathering of Republican lawmakers in FL that ‘we have won in many ways, but not enough.’”

… Trump claimed he had to strike first because his braintrust and closest advisors told him Iran was about to attack US bases in the region: “Based on what Steve (Witkoff) and Jared (Kushner) and Pete (Hegseth) and others were telling me, I thought they were going to attack us.”

… Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded: “The claim that Iran was planning on attacking the US or US Forces, whether preventively or preemptively, is a sheer and utter lie. The sole purpose of that lie is to justify Operation Epic Mistake, a misadventure engineered by Israel and paid for by ordinary Americans.”

… Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): “Here we are well into the second week, and it is still the case that the Trump admin cannot explain the reasons we entered this war, the goals we’re trying to accomplish, and the methods we’re doing that. The only part that seems clear is that while there is no money for 15 million Americans who lost their healthcare, there’s a billion dollars a day to spent on bombing Iran.”

… Warren to Punchbowl: “No, no more money. The one thing Congress has the power to do is to stop actions like this through the power of the purse. The military already has a trillion dollars.”

Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my podcast Uncovered, where I do a deeper dive into the top stories of the week. I promise this Bulletin does contain other news besides the war in Iran, but it continues to dominate the news cycle for obvious reasons. The House is also on another vacation, so there isn’t much happening in Congress right now.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Trump posted: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far. Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again - Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them.”

… Bloomberg: “The biggest oil refinery in UAE halted operations after a drone strike caused a fire in the industrial area in which it’s located. The Ruwais refinery can process 922,000 barrels of oil a day. Oil production cuts in the Middle East are deepening, shaving about 6% off global supply, as the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint remains at a near-standstill. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE and Kuwait have lowered their