President Donald Trump has warned that additional U.S. military casualties are expected as American and Israeli forces continue operations against Iran, following the deaths of three U.S. service members in Iranian retaliatory strikes. Trump indicated that Operation Epic Fury could last several weeks. The conflict has broadened, with Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Israeli strikes hitting Beirut's southern suburbs, while oil prices have surged after Iran warned tankers to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. The UK has also announced it will permit the U.S. to use British military bases, and reports indicate Mossad and the CIA are working toward the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Three U.S. service members have been killed and five seriously wounded on the second day of U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran, with President Trump warning more casualties are likely. In Israel, nine people were killed in a missile strike on Beit Shemesh, while Iranian officials report at least 153 people, including children, were killed in a strike on a school, which Iran has attributed to the U.S. and Israel — claims both parties have not confirmed. The conflict has also spread regionally, with three people killed in the UAE and one in Kuwait due to Iranian attacks. U.S. Central Command said it was looking into the reported school strike, while the Israeli military said it was unaware of any IDF operations in the area.
In closed-door briefings with congressional staff, Trump administration officials acknowledged there was no intelligence indicating Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Officials emphasized that Iran's ballistic missiles and regional proxy forces posed an imminent threat to U.S. interests, but stopped short of claiming evidence of a planned Iranian first strike against U.S. forces.
A dispute between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic over military use of its AI models has surfaced deeper tensions around how the U.S. governs frontier AI technology. Anthropic is reportedly being eased out of Department of Defense contracting amid the conflict, which involves Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The article argues that existing informal principles guiding AI development and safety between government and industry are under strain, with no clear framework to replace them.
"Saturday Night Live" aired a cold open mocking President Trump's decision to launch military strikes on Iran, less than 24 hours after the attack was announced. Actor James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump offering comedic justifications for the strikes, including being "bored of peace," while Colin Jost played Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The sketch also referenced the timing of the strikes occurring on a Saturday and made jokes about the Epstein files and stock market closures.
On the third day of US-Israeli military strikes against Iran, fighting has spread across the Gulf region, with explosions reported in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, and Bahrain as Iran continues launching retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military assets. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed killed in the strikes, and US President Trump stated the joint operation had killed 48 Iranian leaders, while three American service members have died — the first US casualties of the conflict. Iran also struck targets in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and a Shahed drone hit a UK Royal Air Force base in Cyprus after Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized the use of British military bases for defensive operations. Trump vowed to continue combat operations until "all objectives are achieved."
The Pentagon has terminated a Department of Defense Senior Service College Fellowship at George Washington University, effective next academic year, as part of a broader cancellation of 93 fellowships across 22 universities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited alleged "anti-American resentment and military disdain" at the affected institutions, which also include Ivy League universities. The move follows an earlier internal DOD memo that flagged GW as one of 34 universities at "moderate to high risk" of losing graduate military tuition assistance for 2026-27. GW currently has approximately 180 active-duty participants in the DOD tuition assistance program, though the Friday memo did not directly address the University's eligibility for that program.
Eight months after Congress approved approximately $191 billion for President Trump's immigration enforcement agenda, the Department of Homeland Security has spent relatively little, with an estimated $150 billion still remaining, according to an analysis by immigration policy group FWD.us. The largest single allocation is $45 billion designated for immigrant detention facilities, many of which have yet to be opened or even sited. The analysis also notes that $22 billion was appropriated for unspecified immigration enforcement with no line items or oversight requirements. White House advisor Stephen Miller reportedly expressed frustration in December over what he viewed as DHS's slow pace of spending on detention centers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will stop funding military personnel attendance at several elite universities — including Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, and Yale — for graduate-level education beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year. The move expands an earlier decision to cut ties with Harvard, which Hegseth described as incompatible with military values. Hegseth framed the policy as canceling Department of Defense sponsorship for graduate programs and fellowships rather than a punitive legal action against the schools. Key implementation details, including how the policy applies to students already enrolled and whether additional universities will be added, remain unclear pending formal written guidance from the Pentagon.
The article is a summary of a podcast episode from Crooked Media's *Strict Scrutiny*, hosted by Leah Litman. The episode features discussions with international law expert Rebecca Ingber on the US and Israel's conflict with Iran, journalist Chris Geidner on domestic legal issues including the Epstein files, Medicaid funding disputes, and independent media, and voting rights attorney Marc Elias on threats to voting rights from all three branches of government. The episode also covers recent Supreme Court oral arguments and opinions, along with promotional content for upcoming live shows and books by the hosts.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on February 20th that the Trump administration exceeded its presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in imposing sweeping emergency tariffs, requiring congressional authorization for such actions. However, the ruling has limited direct impact on Canada, as most U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods were enacted under separate legislation, and the bulk of Canadian exports continue to enter the U.S. tariff-free under CUSMA. Analysts suggest the ruling, combined with congressional and public opposition to Trump's tariffs, may strengthen Canada's position in the upcoming CUSMA review, though retaining the trade framework will likely require Canada to make difficult concessions in areas such as agricultural supply management, cultural protections, and financial regulation.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, prompting the administration to pivot to levies under the Trade Act of 1974, which caps tariffs at 15% and casts doubt on previously negotiated trade deals. The ruling reduces expected tariff revenue, potentially worsening U.S. fiscal deficits and pushing debt-to-GDP higher over the next decade. Financial markets have responded with a weaker U.S. dollar, lower Treasury prices, and a rally in gold, reflecting heightened uncertainty around trade and foreign policy. Analysts note that while volatility is likely to persist, the ruling also demonstrates judicial independence, which could ultimately help restore confidence in U.S. institutions.
