Trump News for Monday, March 2, 2026

Supreme Court wrestles with gun rights, marijuana, and the right to own a gun

Nina Totenberg, NPR

The argument took place in light of the court's 2022 Bruen decision, which held that for a gun law to be constitutional, it must be analogous to a similar law at the nation's founding in the late 1700s.

QuitGPT trend grows as users ditch ChatGPT for Claude

Sam Hill, MakeUseOf

Users concerned about military AI use and political donations are leaving OpenAI's ChatGPT en masse.

New Mexico Dems Pass An Affordable Broadband Law In 25 Days

Karl Bode, Techdirt

In late 2024, Trump Republicans killed a very popular program that provided low-income Americans $30 off of their monthly broadband bill. The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was, unsurprisingly, very popular, with more than 23 million Americans be…

World leaders are almost never killed in war. Why did it happen to Iran’s supreme leader?

Joshua Keating, Vox

The Israeli bombing that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday not only brought the demise of one of the central global political figures of the last half century, it also represented something almost unprecedented in modern warfar…

Satellite image shows Iran's largest naval vessel, a tanker-turned-warship, smoking in port

Jake Epstein, Business Insider

US officials said the Iranian navy was a top target at the start of combat operations over the weekend.

Iran war wreaking havoc on shipping and air cargo, could create global delays

O'Ryan Johnson, Theregister.com

Markets in the Middle East will be affected first and worst The war against Iran is causing an air and shipping jam, but it will likely have little effect on the global technology market unless the conflict widens significantly, according to analysts.…

The civilians dying in Trump’s new war

Cameron Peters, Vox

The US war in Iran, joined by Israel, is in its third day, with no sign of slowing. On Monday, President Donald Trump estimated that it could last about four weeks — “and we’re a little ahead of schedule,” he said. Already, the US has accomplished some of its…

Military Wife Calls Iran Strikes a Distraction, Fears for Her Husband's Life

TMZ Staff, TMZ

The wife of an active military member currently deployed in the Middle East is sounding the alarm ... saying the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran feel like a dangerous distraction Kendall Brown joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday,…

The Big Story: The Iran War

The Atlantic

In this virtual event, Atlantic reporters will discuss the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Trump administration’s response, the complicated history of regime changes, and what comes next.

Rubio suggests US strikes on Iran were influenced by Israeli plans

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Secretary of state says he hopes Iranian people would overthrow regime as US military says six service members killed.

Video of Clinton depositions in Epstein investigation released by House Republicans

Jason Breslow, NPR

Over hours of testimony, the Clintons both denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes prior to his pleading guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

Airlines are being squeezed into this sliver of sky as much of the Middle East joins Russia on the airspace no-fly list

Taylor Rains, Business Insider

Flightradar24 shows flights being funneled into narrow corridors north of Iran, or forced into longer detours over Saudi Arabia and other regions.

RFK Jr. Tells Joe Rogan He’s About to Unleash 14 Banned Peptides

Ed Cara, Gizmodo.com

RFK Jr. plans to reverse a sweeping compounding ban of certain peptides issued by the FDA in late 2023.

Doctor Sounds Alarm After Trump Rambles About Drapes During War Update

The Daily Beast, Daily Beast

A former White House physician is raising eyebrows over President Donald Trump’s rambling about gold curtains during what was supposed to be an update on the...

OpenAI Leadership Defends Deal With Pentagon as Employees Wait in Limbo

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

Critics are worried OpenAI's technology will be used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous military strikes.

WATCH: AI supported US targeting in Iran strikes, expert says

ABC News, Abcnews.com

Axios senior AI reporter Madison Mills breaks down how Anthropic’s Claude AI was used for intelligence analysis and targeting in Operation Epic Fury.

Trump contradicts US intelligence on Iran, doesn't address regime change as before

Mary Bruce, Abcnews.com

President Trump on Monday claimed the U.S. was "very nearly under threat" from Iran, contradicting U.S. intelligence assessments.

Anti-war candidates pose early test for US Democrats after attacks on Iran

Joseph Stepansky, Al Jazeera English

Nida Alla, Kat Abughazaleh among those seeking new aims for Dems in midterms, including abolishing ICE and ending wars.

President Trump Reportedly Wanted Daughter Ivanka Trump to Date Tom Brady Instead of Jared Kushner

Yahoo Entertainment

John Oliver Blasts Paramount's Warner Bros. Takeover On HBO's Last Week Tonight

staff@slashfilm.com (Jeremy Smith), /FILM

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver didn't hold back on Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Is his beloved HBO series in trouble?

WATCH: American F-15 fighter jets downed in friendly-fire incident in Kuwait

ABC News, Abcnews.com

Three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were downed in a friendly-fire incident in Kuwait. All six crew members safely ejected and were in stable condition after being recovered, officials said.

The Supreme Court appears likely to let stoners own guns

Ian Millhiser, Vox

During oral argument on Monday, a majority of the justices appeared likely to strike down a federal law prohibiting an “unlawful user” of marijuana from possessing a firearm — or, at least, they appeared to believe it could not be applied to Ali Danial Hemani…

Trump’s Media Blitz Only Raises More Questions About War in Iran

Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone

Donald Trump has spoken to several media outlets since launching a war against Iran, but hasn't been able to offer much clarity about its status.

WATCH: Who is in charge of Iran now?

ABC News, Abcnews.com

Iran is now being run by an “interim leadership council” after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in drone strikes over the weekend. ABC News' James Longman reports.

Trump's Iran endgame unclear after mixed messaging on war aims

BBC News

The US president laid out some of his objectives on Monday, but made no mention of what Iran's future might look like after the war.

U.S.’s and Israel’s war with Iran leaves uranium stockpiles uncertain

Dan Vergano, Scientific American

The Trump administration’s war with Iran over its nuclear ambitions raises new questions about the country’s uranium stockpile

US and Israeli interests may soon diverge on Iran

Ori Goldberg, Al Jazeera English

Trump and Netanyahu are in this war for very different reasons. And that will soon show.

Trump says Iran war projected to last 4 to 5 weeks, could go ‘far longer’

Joseph Stepansky, Al Jazeera English

In latest statement, Trump says US was 'very nearly under threat' from Iran, drawing immediacy of attacks into question.

Trump’s Neck Looks Like It Needs A Green Herb

Zack Zwiezen, Kotaku

The President of the United States has a rash or is becoming a zombie, take your pick

Iran wasn't preparing to launch preemptive strike, WH told congressional staff

Rachel Scott, Shannon K. Kingston, Benjamin Siegel, Luke Barr, Abcnews.com

Trump admin officials told congressional staff in briefings that U.S. intel did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against U.S. interests.

What Is Trump’s Endgame For War In Iran?

BBC News

Trump says he took the “last best chance” to hit Iran.

After Khamenei, What Now?

Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic

Iranians want democracy. Trump wants a brief conflict. Neither seems likely.

Paramount won't say whether Middle East money is funding its WBD deal

Peter Kafka, Business Insider

Saudi Arabia and two other Gulf states were going to invest $24 billion to help the Ellisons buy WBD last year. Are those deals still in place?

Trump: this was the best chance to strike Iran’s ‘sick and sinister regime’

Al Jazeera English

US President Donald Trump outlined the objectives of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

France to increase nuclear warheads, lend nuclear aircraft to Europe allies

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Macron's 'advanced deterrence' will be a nuclear-security relationship with key allies distinct from NATO arrangements.

Stocks mixed after Iran attack

Max Zahn, Abcnews.com

Oil prices spiked more than 7% on Monday.

AI Bros Wanted Trump. Now They Learn What Happens When You Tell Him No.

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Last year, in Fascism For First Time Founders, I warned the tech industry what happens when you cozy up to authoritarians. As I wrote then: Innovation requires trust. Not just between individuals, but institutional trust. People need to believe that contracts…

Anthropic Improves Feature to Switch From Competitors as Users Call for ChatGPT Boycott

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

The updated feature makes importing preferences and context from other LLMs easier as Claude climbs the app charts.

Sources: Reflection AI, which is developing open foundation models, seeks to raise $2B+ at a $20B+ valuation, after raising $2B at an $8B valuation in October (Financial Times)

Techmeme.com

Financial Times: Sources: Reflection AI, which is developing open foundation models, seeks to raise $2B+ at a $20B+ valuation, after raising $2B at an $8B valuation in October  —  Reflection AI's new funding talks come as Trump administration seeks US rivals …

Anthropic is seizing the moment by promoting how easy it is to switch to Claude

Brent D. Griffiths, Business Insider

Anthropic has overhauled users' ability to import their histories from rival chatbots amid an explosion of interest in Claude.

Starmer lets US use bases for Iran clash: UK’s military, legal quagmire

Nils Adler, Al Jazeera English

A drone strike at a British base in Cyprus has highlighted the UK’s precarious in US attacks on Iran.

A 'powerful' Iranian weapon broke through defenses and killed 4 US troops

Sinéad Baker, Business Insider

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the location was fortified, but powerful weapons can sometimes get past air defenses.

Splinter: Trump Has Bet the Economy on War With Iran

Jacob Weindling, Jezebel

One day does not make a trend, but it’s clear that Iran is willing to weaponize oil prices against us for now, and if we see a sustained rise in energy prices, Trump may get his ultimate wish to take America back to the early 1980s, Volcker shock and all.

Iran operation could last weeks, Trump tells ABC News

Jonathan Karl, Abcnews.com

"I got him before he got me," Trump Sunday night, not long after he announced Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s had been killed.

WATCH: 3 American fighter jets shot down by friendly fire

ABC News, Abcnews.com

New video shows American F-15s falling from the sky in Kuwait. The crew members ejecting safely, the U.S. said.

At Least Europe Cares About the Epstein Files

Danielle Han, Jezebel

At least eight countries in the EU have since launched nine investigations. Meanwhile, the U.S. launched a war on Iran.

Top US general lays out how the opening days of Operation Epic Fury against Iran went down

Chris Panella, Business Insider

Gen. Dan Caine laid out the lead-up to Operation Epic Fury and shared details of American major combat operations.

Three US fighter jets ‘mistakenly’ shot down over Kuwait

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

CENTCOM says three fighter jets 'mistakenly shot down'. Kuwait investigating cause of incident.

What is Iran’s military strategy? How has it changed since June 2025 war?

Priyanka Shankar, Al Jazeera English

Defence analysts tell Al Jazeera that Iran has revised its military strategy since 12-day war with Israel.

How OpenAI caved to the Pentagon on AI surveillance

Hayden Field, The Verge

On Friday evening, amidst fallout from a standoff between the Department of Defense and Anthropic, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that his own company had successfully negotiated new terms with the Pentagon. The US government had just moved to blacklist Anth…

Hegseth: US didn’t start war with Iran, but we are ‘finishing it’

Al Jazeera English

Blaming Iran for previous attacks on Americans in the region, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended recent strikes.

Why Attack Iran?

Jason Kottke, kottke.org

There are many possible and plausible answers to this simple question. Timothy Snyder offers a useful perspective in helping answer it: How do [we] understan

Oil prices surge as Strait of Hormuz tanker disruptions rattle global supply

DAVID MCHUGH AP business writer, Abcnews.com

Oil prices have jumped as tanker disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz raise fears about supply shortages from the Persian Gulf

Semafor Keeps Hosting Ridiculous “Restoring Trust In Media” Events That Only Further Undermine Trust In Media

Karl Bode, Techdirt

You might recall that when political news website Semafor entered the media industry on the back of $25 million in private money, they made all kinds of promises about how they were somehow going to revolutionize U.S. media. In reality most of their promises …

QatarEnergy, world’s largest LNG firm, halts production after Iran attacks

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

This comes after Saudi Arabia announced the temporary closure of one of its largest oil facilities following drone attacks.

Hegseth: 'We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it'

NPR Washington Desk, NPR

The remarks are the first to reporters since the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran began Saturday despite weeks of talks designed to stave off a conflict.

It Only Took One Day for Iran to Become a U.S.-Israeli Quagmire

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

Since 2007, Jezebel has been the Internet's most treasured source for everything celebrities, sex, and politics...with teeth.

Former Top Trump Official Is Going After Prediction Markets

Kate Knibbs, Wired

As the battle over prediction markets rages on, Mick Mulvaney is leading a new coalition that calls these platforms illegal gambling.

Hubris Without Idealism

George Packer, The Atlantic

Donald Trump has embraced a warped version of the neoconservatism he once derided.

Iran war widens, threatens to engulf Lebanon

Jane Arraf, NPR

The war over Iran engulfed more of the Middle East and beyond on Monday as Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah responded to the killing of Iran's spiritual leader with its first attack on Israel in more than a year.

Macron says France will allow temporary deployment of nuclear-armed jets to European allies

SYLVIE CORBET and SAMUEL PETREQUIN, Yahoo Entertainment

L’ILE LONGUE, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France will increase its nuclear arsenal and, for the first time, allow...

Nancy Mace Uses Iran Attacks to Go After Ilhan Omar, Who’s... Somalian

Danielle Han, Jezebel

“So tell me, what was it like being married to your brother?" Mace tweeted at Omar after she called her out.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination will likely backfire. Here is why

Daoud Kuttab, Al Jazeera English

Assassinations provide a short-term political boost but lead to long-term disaster.

Dubai landmark Burj Al Arab skyscraper damaged by Iranian strikes

Jennifer Hahn, Dezeen

Dubai's sail-shaped Burj Al Arab skyscraper and man-made Palm Jumeirah island were among several highly recognisable structures in the UAE that were damaged by Iranian strikes on Saturday. Videos captured on the ground show flames and smoke billowing out from…

Some Alleged Polymarket Insiders Made a Fortune on U.S. Strikes on Iran

Ece Yildirim, Gizmodo.com

One user made roughly half a million in one day.

'Several' US warplanes have crashed over Kuwait, local authorities say

Matthew Loh, Business Insider

Kuwaiti authorities said on Monday that several US military aircraft had crashed that morning and that all crew involved were safe.

Hezbollah strikes Israel as American and Israeli planes pound Iran

The Associated Press, NPR

Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran on Monday.

Oil prices rise sharply after US, Israeli attacks on Iran

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Brent crude is up by 9 percent amid supply concerns as Trump says ‌strikes on Iran could last weeks.

From Iran to Venezuela to New York, Trump wants to control the world's oil

Noah Shachtman, Business Insider

Forget Saudi Arabia. Trump is making America the world's most dominant petrostate.

What we know on day three of US-Israeli attacks on Iran

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

A day after Iranian supreme leader's killing was confirmed, attacks are reported in Dubai, Cyprus and across the region.

Iran’s Larijani refutes claims Tehran pushed to resume US talks

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The comments come after US media reported a diplomatic push following the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Global News Podcast: Trump warns of more US deaths in Iran war

BBC News

Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed three US service members

A CBS Reporter Was Told Not to Cover a Pro-Trump Iran Rally. He Did Anyway. Then 100,000+ Posts on X Rewrote What Happened

Olamide Oloro, Wealthofgeeks.com

A 30-second clip of a CBS Austin reporter has become one of the most-shared media moments of the weekend — and almost none of the ... Read More

UK govermnent's Vulnerability Monitoring System is working - fixes flow far faster

Brandon Vigliarolo, Theregister.com

PLUS: Firefox adds XSS protection; Leadership turnover at CISA; FTC exempts some data collection Infosec In Brief DNS vulnerabilities are being addressed 84 percent faster in the UK public sector thanks to an automated vulnerability scanning system establishe…

Prediction market trader 'Magamyman' made $553,000 on death of Iran's supreme leader

Bobby Allyn, NPR

It's the latest trade drawing scrutiny on the popular prediction market site for appearing to show an insider making profits on military secrets.

Watch: Iranian Americans celebrate on the streets of Los Angeles

BBC News

Iranian Americans in Los Angeles dance in the streets on day two of the conflict.

WATCH: Trump returns to White House following U.S. strikes on Iran

ABC News, Abcnews.com

President Trump returned to the White House on Sunday night following the U.S. strikes on Iran, but he did not answer questions from reporters.

WATCH: Can U.S. lawmakers end a war started by the president?

ABC News, Abcnews.com

Opponents of the Iran strikes are planning to try this week. ABC News' Steven Portnoy has more.

WATCH: Protests, celebrations over US strikes on Iran

ABC News, Abcnews.com

In the U.S., Iranians and Iranian-Americans are taking to the streets to celebrate and protest the U.S. military strikes and the death of the Iranian supreme leader. ABC News' Jaclyn Lee reports.

Poll suggests only a quarter of Americans support attacks on Iran

Joseph Stepansky, Al Jazeera English

US lawmakers heap pressure on Trump following the first US soldier deaths after Khamenei's killing.

Americans will pay for Trump’s war in Iran

Eric Levitz, Vox

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran Friday night, killing that nation’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with many other Iranian officials, and (reportedly) more than 150 people at an elementary school for girls.  In response…

Trump says likely more US casualties, attacks on Iran will continue

Al Jazeera English

President Donald Trump has ⁠warned combat ⁠operations against Iran will continue until ‘all objectives ‌are achieved’.