Questions are mounting at the U.S. Capitol over the Trump administration’s shifting rationale for going to war with Iran.
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crash‘Deeply troubling incident’: DCPS police investigating after unauthorized person boards school bus31 minutes ago Declining water levels, limited rainfall prompt Northeast Florida officials to issue Phase II Severe Water Shortage Read full article: Declining water levels, limited rainfall prompt Northeast Florida officials to issue Phase II Severe Water Shortage Mark Middlebrook, a driving force behind Jacksonville’s urban park system and a former executive director of the Timucuan Parks Foundation, died Sunday in Spring City, Tennessee, the foundation said.Timucuan Parks leader Mark Middlebrook, who dedicated life to preserving Northeast Florida’s natural landscapes, dies Read full article: Timucuan Parks leader Mark Middlebrook, who dedicated life to preserving Northeast Florida’s natural landscapes, dies School board also expected to vote on whether George Washington Carver, Hidden Oaks elementary schools are ‘unsuitable’ for educational purposesDCPS to consider 1-mill tax renewal that it says would generate $121 million annually at Tuesday meeting Read full article: DCPS to consider 1-mill tax renewal that it says would generate $121 million annually at Tuesday meetingFormer dance company CEO faces new sexual battery charge following allegations of inappropriate relationship with teenSecretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters as he arrives for an intelligence briefing with top lawmakers on Iran, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2026. President Donald Trump departs after a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Washington. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., arrives for a briefing for Senators on Iran at a secure room in the basement of the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a briefing for lawmakers on Iran at a secure room in the basement of the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., speaks to reporters following a House and Senate Intelligence Committees briefing about the war in Iran at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters as he arrives for an intelligence briefing with top lawmakers on Iran, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2026. as lawmakers demand answers over the strategy, exit plan and costs to Americans in lives and dollars in what is quickly becoming a Trump officials arrived at the Capitol for a second day of closed-door briefings, this time with all members of the House and Senate as the administration tries to stave off a looming"The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a testy exchange with reporters at the Capitol.a day earlier that Trump decided to strike Iran because Israel was ready to act first. Instead, he said Trump made the decision to attack this past weekend because it presented a unique opportunity with maximum chance for success. “There is no way in the world that this terroristic regime was going to get nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump’s watch," he said. The sudden pivot to a U.S. wartime footing has disrupted the political and policy agenda on Capitol Hill and raised uneasy questions about the risks ahead for a prolonged conflict and regime change after the— among the most consequential votes a lawmaker can take, with the war well underway — as administration officials are telling lawmakers it will need supplemental funds to pay for the conflict. It comes at the start of a highly competitiveSenate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer left the closed hearing said he was concerned of “mission creep” in a long war.Monday that the president, believing that Israel was ready to act, decided it was better for the U.S. to launch a preemptive strike to prevent Iran's potential retaliation on American military bases and interests abroad. Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine, said it’s “very disturbing” that Trump took the U.S. to war because Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to bomb Iran. Past U.S. presidents, he said, “have consistently said, ‘No.’” Defense official Elbridge Colby told senators the president directed the military campaign to destroy Iranian missiles and deny the country nuclear weapons. Trump himself disputed the idea that Israel had forced his hand. In his own Oval Office remarks, he said,"I might might have forced their hand.”“How about we say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President, for finally getting rid of this nuisance,’” he said. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., demanded to know how this fits into Trump’s “America First” campaign promise not to commit U.S. troops to protracted military campaigns abroad.“’America First’ and ‘peace through strength’ are served by rolling back — as the military campaign is designed to do — the threats posed,” Colby responded. “This is certainly not nation-building. This is not going to be endless.”Questions are growing over who will lead Iran after the death of Khamenei, who has ruled the country for decades, as are worries of a leadership vacuum that creates unrest. Democrats warned against sending U.S. military troops into Iran after more than two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “I am more fearful than ever we may be putting boots on the ground,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., after the closed briefing. “The reason why there’s so much consternation on our side is because President Trump has not given us a clear reason why he is in Iran,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “If he wants to declare war on Iran, that is the job and responsibility of Congress under the Constitution.”“That's going to be largely up to the Iranian people,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican. Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointed to the aftermath of the U.S. attacks on Venezuela in January that ousted President Nicholas Maduro and elevated his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, to power. Cotton said on CBS over the weekend that he imagines “some leaders inside of Iran who might be jockeying to audition for the role of Iran’s Delcy Rodriguez.” Trump, in calling for Iranians to use this opportunity to take back their country, has acknowledged the uncertainty. “Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said Tuesday. He also panned the idea of elevating Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran’s last shah, to take over in Iran. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump confidante, said over the weekend, “It’s about the threats, not about who’s in charge. If the next group in Iran continues to threaten America, they will meet the same fate.”Both the House and Senate are preparing to vote on war powers resolutions that would restrain Trump's ability to continue waging war on Iran without approval from Congress. Under the U.S. Constitution, it's up to Congress, not the president, to decide when the country goes to war. But lawmakers often shirk that duty, enabling the executive branch to amass more power to send the military into combat without congressional approval. “Why are we spending billions of dollars to bomb Iran?” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said there would be strong support from Democrats for the resolution.has said it would be “frightening” to tie the president's hands at this time, when the U.S. is already engaged in combat. Other lawmakers have suggested that if Congress does not vote to restrain Trump, it should next consider an Authorization of the Use of Military Force, which would require lawmakers to go on record with affirmative support for the Iran operation.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Gas prices spike overnight. Will they continue to rise?4 cars set on fire at Mandarin apartment complexStudent describes scary moments when unauthorized person boarded school bus & touched herNews4JAX walks through Jeffrery Epstein's old plane now sitting at a SE GA scrapyardTotal lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red overnight: What to look forMemorial at Patriot Oaks Academy for 12-year-old killed in crash outside schoolJax Beach residents hoping to steer clear from unpermitted events as police stay vigilantCause of mysterious odor in Glynn County still unknown after it sent some students to hospitalWhen will we see rain and how much will we get?
Kirsten Gillibrand Reza Pahlavi Lindsey Graham George W. Bush Marco Rubio Angus King John Thune Mike Johnson Delcy Rodriguez Elizabeth Warren Politics Markwayne Mullin Donald Trump Tom Cotton Nicholas Maduro Richard Blumenthal Washington News Benjamin Netanyahu World News
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