'Imminent Threat' From Iran Was To Israel, Not U.S.: Top Democrat
The potential for an attack from Iran, which the Trump administration has presented as part of its justification for launching a war on the country, was not aimed at the U.S. but at Israel, according to the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) shared that view of the basis for the expanding war on Monday evening, after receiving a briefing on Iran from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"There was no imminent threat to the United States by the Iranians. There was a threat to Israel. If we equate a threat to Israel as the equivalent of an imminent threat to the United States, then we are in uncharted territory," Warner said.
The assessment is significant for the question of who sparked the conflict, especially when the toll is spiraling and extending to deaths among civilians and American soldiers.
Rubio told reporters that Israel was about to attack Iran, which would likely respond by hitting American forces, so the U.S. launched its offensive alongside the Israelis. There was no indication that Washington attempted to prevent an Israeli strike.
Criticism of President Donald Trump's judgment about the war and the role of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime proponent of attacking Iran, has already reached significant levels.
It is notable and rare for centrist figures like Warner to highlight Israel's responsibility and suggest its interests and security concerns diverged from those of the U.S.
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U.S. Conducts Another Lethal Strike On An Alleged Drug Boat
The U.S. military on Sunday conducted another lethal strike on an alleged drug boat, killing six people.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” U.S. Southern Command claimed in a post on X.
Such strikes have killed more than 140 people since the Trump administration began deploying them against alleged drug traffickers last fall.
Travelers Experience Long Security Lines At Multiple Airports Due To TSA Staff Shortages
Travelers in multiple cities faced long lines this weekend as a partial government shutdown led to staff shortages at some airports.
“Due to impacts from the federal government’s partial shutdown, there is a shortage of TSA workers at the security checkpoint … which is causing longer-than-average lines. Passengers are advised to arrive at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure to allow plenty of time to undergo security screening,” Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport wrote in a post on X.
Houston's William P. Hobby Airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport also warned travelers of lengthy waits.
Since mid-February, Democrats have opposed funding the Department of Homeland Security until more policies can be put in place to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. TSA is one of the agencies affected by the impasse, which has forced some employees to work without regular paychecks or call out sick.
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Photo Of The Day: Up In Smoke
A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike late Saturday in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
U.S. Flags Concerns About Israeli Strikes On Iranian Fuel Depots: Axios
A series of strikes on Iranian fuel depots has become a point of contention between the U.S. and Israel, according to Axios.
The publication -- citing a U.S. official, an Israeli official and a source with knowledge -- reported that the U.S. had raised concerns about the scope of the strikes Israel conducted on 30 fuel depots this past weekend. The U.S. was worried that such attacks on infrastructure could inspire backing for the regime and spur higher oil prices.
The Israeli military argued that these attacks help to undercut the Iranian military, which it said uses the depots to supply fuel to its armed forces.
Although the U.S. was notified about the strikes beforehand, American officials were reportedly taken aback by how extensive they were. On Sunday, the city of Tehran was blanketed in smoke and black rain after the Israeli attacks on multiple fuel facilities.
"We don't think it was a good idea," a senior U.S. official reportedly said about the breadth of the attacks.
Read more from Axios.
Suspect Arrested After Allegedly Firing At Least 10 Shots At Rihanna's Beverly Hills Home: Reports
Police have arrested a person suspected of firing at least 10 shots at Rihanna’s Beverly Hills home, according to The Los Angeles Times and CBS LA.
No injuries were reported from the attack.
According to a LAPD radio dispatch, the suspect fired at the home from her vehicle and then fled. One of those shots penetrated a wall of the house.
Rihanna was home at the time of the incident, per The Times, but it wasn’t immediately clear if anyone else was at the residence.
The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, was taken into custody by police.
Read more from The Los Angeles Times:
‘Out Of His Depth’: Senate Republican Says Stephen Miller Should Go
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a retiring Republican who was an outspoken critic of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, said one of Trump's top aides also needs to go.
“It’s Stephen Miller that’s been repeatedly responsible for embarrassments for the president of the United States, by acting too quickly, speaking first and thinking later,” Tillis said during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “...He’s a big problem in this administration; he has been from the beginning.”
Tillis also argued that Miller, who’s been central to pushing the administration’s draconian immigration policies, has had an outsized influence over the Cabinet and is "out of his depth."
Crude Oil Prices Soar Past $100 A Barrel Amid U.S., Israeli Strikes On Iran
Crude oil prices surpassed a whopping $100 per barrel on Sunday as U.S. and Israeli strikes continued in Iran.
As of Sunday evening, a barrel of Brent crude had broken $114, the highest it's been priced since 2022.
These spikes were driven by disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, which has seen traffic slow significantly due to U.S. attacks in the region and Iran’s threats against any ships taking the route.
Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply flows through the Strait, so any disruptions to it can lead to major dips in inventory.
The Trump administration has announced a reinsurance program for ships “operating in and around the Gulf," and floated the idea of possible Navy escorts for these vessels in order to assuage companies' security concerns.
Ongoing safety threats, however, could mean that corporations remain reluctant to deploy their boats in the region.
Over the weekend, Israel also attacked 30 fuel depots in Iran in an effort to undercut the military's access to energy resources.
Soaring oil prices have already translated to surges in U.S. gas costs, fueling longstanding concerns about inflation.
NYPD: Device Thrown During Protest Near Mamdani’s Residence Was An IED
A device thrown during a protest near New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence could have caused “serious injury or death,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday.
“The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb,” Tisch wrote in a post on X. “It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.”
Both the NYPD and FBI are investigating the IED, as well as a second device that was dropped during the demonstration outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. Right-wing influencer Jake Lang was leading an anti-Islam protest outside the mayor's home while a larger group held a counterprotest.
At one point, a member of Lang’s group deployed pepper spray against the counterprotesters, Tisch said. Roughly 15 minutes later, a counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area.”
Two people were taken into custody in connection with the device, she added.
In a statement on Sunday, Mamdani decried the Lang demonstration as “rooted in bigotry and racism,” and denounced the violence by the counterprotesters.
“What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” he said. “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
Seventh Service Member Has Died In Trump’s Iran War, U.S. Military Announces
A U.S. military service member has died after being “seriously wounded” following an attack on a Saudi military base, bringing the number of American service members killed in the conflict with Iran to seven.
“Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East,” the U.S. military said in a statement. “The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1.”
The service member’s identity is being withheld until their family has been notified, the military said.
Bernie Sanders Asks Why We've Got Money For War But Not A Social Safety Net
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wants to know why the U.S. government can't help its citizens but is ready to pony up for what he called an "illegal & unconstitutional war" with Iran.
In a searing Saturday post on X, the nation's most prominent progressive wrote, "We’re told there’s not enough money for health care, affordable housing or education. But somehow there are billions for an illegal & unconstitutional war with Iran."
Slamming special interests, Sanders added, "We need a government that works for all of us — not the military-industrial complex, not Israel, not super PACs."
Operation Epic Fury is costing an estimated $1 billion a day, according to a congressional official who spoke to The Atlantic's Nancy Youssef.
Earlier this month, Sanders was one of 47 senators who voted yes on a war powers resolution aiming to reign in military action in Iran. The measure was rejected almost entirely along party lines.