Iran Is Turning America's Sanctions Playbook Against It
The U.S. Treasury is trying to fight the kind of trade embargo that it usually imposes on other countries.
Middle East
A 'More Decisive' Response
Plus: when the city government starts covering Ozempic, Jill Biden's lies, and more...
Does Anyone Know What's Happening in Iran?
Plus: Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign rattles Los Angeles, Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund" sparks backlash, and the editors revisit Project 2025
Why Has Trump Stopped Selling Weapons to Taiwan?
The administration is avoiding conflict with China to focus on war in the Middle East. Taiwan’s democracy hangs in the balance.
War Powers Vote Is the Latest Embarrassment for House Speaker Mike Johnson
Johnson is seemingly incapable of standing up to the Trump administration, even when one of Congress' core responsibilities is at stake.
A North Carolina Goodyear Plant Is the Latest Victim of Trump's Misguided Tariffs and Costly Iran War
Another example of the flawed logic behind the Trump administration's tariff policies: You can't make a tire without rubber, and the U.S. doesn't produce rubber.
New Attacks in Hormuz
Plus: a different type of pizzagate, Kevin Warsh as the new Jerome Powell, and more...
Even Dictatorships Don't Fight Wars This Way
The American public never got a satisfying explanation for why Trump attacked Iran in the first place.
How Much Has the Iran War Actually Cost? A Lot More Than $25 Billion.
Direct military costs have exceeded $70 billion by one estimate, and Americans have paid more than $37 billion in higher energy costs since the war began.
Just Don't Call It a War
Plus: AOC says you can't earn a billion dollars, Mythos, hantavirus, and more...
Trump's Bluff to Iran Didn't Work
After trying to open the Strait of Hormuz by force, the U.S. is ready to accept an Iranian proposal it had rejected.
What To Do About Saudi Arabia's Sports Takeover? Nothing, Apparently.
Plus: The NFL has no easy response to the Dianna Russini–Mike Vrabel affair, and how ketamine may have helped the Sixers upset the Celtics
Project Freedom
Plus: Rudy Giuliani hospitalized, rules relaxed for foreign physicians, cities without children, and more...
A Pointless War: How Iran Hawks Finally Got Their Way
President Donald Trump and his predecessors spent decades putting the U.S. on a path toward war against Iran.
Trump Had 60 Days To End the Iran War. Instead, He's Just Pretending It's Over.
Legally, Trump must either cease operations or ask Congress for approval. He did neither, and Congress just went on recess.
How High
Plus: FISA reauthorization passes the House, a very capitalist museum, escalation in the redistricting wars, and more...
'Shoot and Kill'
Plus: California fails to unmask ICE agents, the illogic of medical-only marijuana rescheduling, driverless cars in D.C., and more...
How the Media Failed American Foreign Policy
America is a global empire that needs information about itself in order to function.
Neither War nor Peace With Iran
The Trump administration is stuck in a standoff that is unstable and damaging to the entire world.
Trump's Iran Deal Looks a Lot Like the Previous Ones He Hated
What exactly was the point of killing thousands of people and destroying the world economy?
The U.S. Military Has Finally Left Syria
After considering a permanent U.S. presence, the Trump administration instead evacuated American troops once and for all.
Congress Declines Again To Rein in Trump's Iran War
Republicans can’t decide whether the war is too early to stop, too late to stop, or nonexistent in the first place.
Another Drug Boat Bombing
Plus: The U.S. blockade widens, Los Angeles teachers get a pay bump, the sunny side of a treeless national mall, and more...
See Ya, Swalwell
Plus: Iranian negotiations fail, the U.S. blockades Iranian ports, the president picks a fight with the pope, and more...
Trump Responds to Iranian Blockade of Strait of Hormuz By Blockading It
After walking out of peace talks in Pakistan, the U.S. and Iran are now playing a game of chicken.
A.I. NIMBYs
Plus: Bitcoin tolls at the Strait, Trump vs. MAGA, inflation rises, and more...
Strait Talk
Plus: Mamdani vs. self-driving cars, blue state wealth and exit taxes, Hillary Clinton's awful affordability agenda, and more...
Has the Iran War Ceasefire Already Ceased?
Both sides claim that they’ve agreed to stop fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, but the fighting is still happening and Hormuz is still closed.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
Trump's Answer to Iran's Hormuz Crisis: Sell Oil We Don't Have
The administration claims we're a "net oil exporter," but unfortunately that's not quite true.
War and/or Peace
Plus: back to the moon, one year since "Liberation Day," birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court, Jonathan lives, and more...
The Islanders Expelled To Build the West's Middle East Fortress
The British Empire evacuated the Chagos Islands to build a military base, which the U.S. is using in the Iran War. Now, a court ruling is giving the original owners hope of going home.
Inside the U.S. Military Buildup in Israel
Iran has reportedly made U.S. bases in Arab countries “uninhabitable.” Israel is pitching itself as an alternative.
Trump's War in Iran Risks Ruining His Entire Foreign Policy
The president’s attempt to manage the consequences of the war is adding wrinkles to his diplomatic goals in Ukraine, China, and other countries.
10 Boats, 10,000 Troops
Plus: a pause on power plant bombing, an executive order to fund the TSA, a tentative plan to end the DHS shutdown, and more…
America's Deeply Unserious Federal Government Is Becoming a Real Problem
From long TSA lines to air traffic control issues to the chaotic war in Iran, it's all the result of a government that won't take its powers or responsibilities seriously.
Trump Can't TACO His Way Out of Iran
The president is good at backing out of a losing bet—but this time, it's out of his hands.
The New Forever War in Iran Keeps the Dog Wagging
The domestic political uses of foreign wars.
Trump-Ayatollah Inc.
Plus: Ohio's THC seltzer ban, Bernie Sanders' silly chat with Claude, and more...
Same Lies, New War: Trump and the Iraq Playbook
Unfortunately, Trump's war in Iran is every bit as shortsighted—and illegal—as the one in Iraq that he once called "a big, fat mistake."
$200 Billion War?
Plus: boots on the ground, The Bachelorette cancels season, Meta reverses itself on virtual reality, and more...
Joe Kent Is the First Iran War Crack in the Trump Admin
The top intelligence official resigned because there was no “imminent threat” from Iran and blamed Israel for starting the war.
FCC Chair Threatens Media Outlets That Don't Report Good Iran War News
Brendan Carr, who relishes his role as Trump's "media pit bull," sent a threatening X post while visiting the president at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump Wants To Cover Up Bad News About the Iran War
And Middle Eastern dictatorships are helping him do it.
Iran War Leaves Helium Supply Chains Up in the Air
About 30 percent of the world's helium supply depends on the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure means higher prices for tech manufacturing and advanced medical care.
Strait Outta Commission
Plus: Tucker Carlson says the CIA is after him, and Reason mourns the loss of longtime staffer Brian Doherty.
