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politics + society

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Congress still has ways to throttle back Trump’s war with Iran – and to ask questions

Despite the scale of its military assault on Iran, the Trump administration’s reasons for entering into war have been inconsistent and vague, from regime change to the destruction of nuclear weapons, preempting military action by Israel, or the more chilling decree of following “God’s divine plan.” Politicians, pundits

Patriots and loyalists both rallied around St. Patrick’s Day during the Revolutionary War

Patriots and loyalists both rallied around St. Patrick’s Day during the Revolutionary War

The Continental Army’s winter encampment at Valley Forge, between December 1777 and June 1778, is the stuff of legend. Chased out of Philadelphia by the British Army, George Washington and over 12,000 American troops retreated to Valley Forge, where they spent six long months harried by hunger, disease

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

Trump’s war against Iran is uniquely unpopular among US military actions of the past century

It’s clear that regime change is among the biggest objectives of the U.S. war in Iran. “I have to be involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader, President Donald Trump said on March 5, 2026. Trump has also said he might put U.S. boots on

Iran war: 4 big questions that help clarify the future of the Middle East

Iran war: 4 big questions that help clarify the future of the Middle East

(AMHERST, MASS.) The war that the U.S. and Israeli governments launched against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, is unprecedented in its scope across the Middle East. With the Arab Gulf states under Iranian attack, and Israel targeting Iran’s militia ally Hezbollah, even experts on the Middle East like

47 years of deep mistrust and misperception paved the way to war between Iran and the US − and complicate any negotiations

47 years of deep mistrust and misperception paved the way to war between Iran and the US − and complicate any negotiations

It has been said that trust is like glass: Once it is shattered, nothing will ever be the same. In the case of the enduring hostility between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States over the past 47 years, even this metaphor may be an understatement. The tone

I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action-movie one-liners and gloating over dominance

I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action-movie one-liners and gloating over dominance

When Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed the intensification of U.S. combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the innocent.” Mattis’ professional tone was a stark

Operational secrecy kept the US from making evacuation plans – and that means Americans in the Mideast could wait days

Operational secrecy kept the US from making evacuation plans – and that means Americans in the Mideast could wait days

(MEDFORD, MA) As the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, American citizens living in or visiting the Middle East found themselves stranded in countries facing bombing attacks by Iran. The State Department on March 2, 2026, urged Americans in 14 Middle Eastern countries to leave via “available commercial