“When you’re secretary of state, everything in the foreign policy space falls on your doorstep, whether it is a pleasant thing or not. The whole world is your responsibility.” My latest for @ms.now on Rubio ceding his role as America's top diplomat on the biggest issues: www.ms.now/news/rubio-s...

Where’s Marco? Rubio steps back from three top foreign policy crises.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads on U.S. policy in Latin America but leaves the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to Trump’s envoys.

ms.now

Today, President Trump meets with two key allies at a critical moment when once-distinct wars in Ukraine + Iran are now colliding — and U.S. military commitment to aid its friends is in question. Our @ms.now preview of Zelenskyy + Netanyahu's pivotal White House meetings: www.ms.now/news/trump-n...

What’s at stake as Trump meets Netanyahu and Zelenskyy over Iran, Ukraine

The Iran war will dominate President Trump’s meetings Tuesday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

ms.now

“Damning and dangerous”: Vaughn Hillyard TORCHES Trump’s attacks on journalism ahead of his appearance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Hello from the Senate Appropriations hearing re: Trump admin's $87.6 billion supplemental request, mostly for Iran war costs First time in months lawmakers (+ American public) hear from Hegseth + Caine amid recent heightened attacks + U.S. troop casualties Follow along: www.ms.now/liveblog/pet...

Pete Hegseth to testify on Iran war funding as U.S. launches new strikes: Live updates

Follow live updates as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate on Iran war funding, Pentagon spending and the latest U.S. strikes.

ms.now

“Bill Pulte is now at the center of this." — Ahead of the president’s primetime address on the 2020 election, @slotkin.senate.gov is targeting the acting DNI with her new "Minimum Experience Requirements for Intelligence Transition" (MERIT) Act More on @ms.now blog: www.ms.now/liveblog/tru...

Live Updates: President Trump’s primetime address on voting machines, election security set for 9 p.m.

Follow live updates as Trump delivers a primetime address expected to allege efforts by foreign nations to influence U.S. elections.

ms.now

“The leftist is fundamentally motivated by envy, by hatred, by jealousy,” Stephen Miller said in his remarks on the "mortal threat" of far-left violence, a "fatal cancer to civilization" My dispatch from Rubio's summit on political terrorism (w/ @davidrohde.bsky.social): www.ms.now/news/rubio-a...

Rubio launches global effort to target left-wing extremists

An international “Antifa summit” at the State Department is raising concerns that President Donald Trump is expanding a crackdown on left-wing groups.

ms.now

BREAKING: Here’s what the Trump administration says is in the memorandum of understanding with Iran

Here’s what the Trump administration says is in the memorandum of understanding with Iran

A senior U.S. official read the text of the agreement to reporters on Wednesday in a phone call.

bit.ly

The hard part starts now (soon?) Here's what needs to be resolved in next 58 days: 1 Strait of Hormuz 2 sanctions relief sked 3 "procedures" for unfreezing Iranian assets 4 $300B reconstruction plan 5 HOW to "resolve" enriched stockpile 6 future enrichment (+ nuclear program) 7 inspections

"The MOU, as laid out to reporters, reveals some significant wins for Iran that are likely to raise eyebrows in the U.S., especially among members of Congress, including U.S. support for a $300 billion reconstruction fund & no restrictions on Iran’s missile program,” @julesjester.bsky.social reports

Memorandum of understanding reveals some significant wins for Iran

Concessions likely to raise eyebrows, especially among members of Congress, include U.S. support for a $300 billion reconstruction fund and no restrictions on Iran’s missile program.

ms.now

"We burned our credibility" The Trump admin's retreat from the international community — eliminating USAID, slashing foreign assistance + withdrawing from the WHO — left the global health system vulnerable to this Ebola outbreak, current + former aid workers told @ms.now www.ms.now/news/ebola-o...

Trump’s USAID cuts leave health leaders vulnerable in latest Ebola outbreak

“We were the ones that everybody looked to,” one former USAID official told MS NOW. “There’s just nobody on the ground in that way anymore.”

ms.now

“Iran has the clear advantage when it comes to enduring economic pain, most experts on the global oil trade and Iran’s economy told MS NOW." By @julesjester.bsky.social + @davidrohde.bsky.social

Trump vowed to break Iran. His own economy may break first.

The U.S. and Iran are each trying to trigger economic damage to make the other side relent. The standoff risks worsening the damage across the global economy.

ms.now

Update: Pentagon revised the # of wounded in Operation Epic Fury on DCAS database to 400 (vs. 415 yesterday) • Army = 271 • Navy = 63 • Marines = 19 • Air Force = 47 Adjustment is to the # of *Air Force* wounded, down from 62 yesterday to 47 today. Other military branches remain unchanged.

Julia Jester@julesjester.bsky.social · 5mo ago

NEW: # of U.S. troops wounded in action during Operation Epic Fury is now *415* per latest update from Pentagon's database of U.S. military casualties • Army = 271 • Navy = 63 • Marines = 19 • Air Force = 62 Age group w/ the highest # wounded (130) is >35 dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/con...

NEW: # of U.S. troops wounded in action during Operation Epic Fury is now *415* per latest update from Pentagon's database of U.S. military casualties • Army = 271 • Navy = 63 • Marines = 19 • Air Force = 62 Age group w/ the highest # wounded (130) is >35 dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/con...

Per WH, the U.S. delegation led by VP Vance includes officials from the NSC, State Department, + Pentagon who will "play a supportive role" in the Islamabad talks. Witkoff + Kushner have faced criticism for choosing not to include nuclear experts in past Iran negotiations.

(Iran does.)

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 6mo ago

Q: As of today, who controls the Strait of Hormuz? LEAVITT: We expect that the strait will be opened immediately Q: Who controls the strait right now? LEAVITT: *refuses to answer*

Apropos of nothing, re-upping my @ms.now piece from last week on the tension between diverging U.S.-Israeli goals in the war against Iran: www.ms.now/news/iran-wa...

The U.S. and Israel are fighting the same war — but not always toward the same goals

A month into the campaign against Iran, diverging goals on regime change, nuclear weapons and proxy forces are complicating both the military operation and any path to peace.

ms.now

If you work with / have a tip about the State Department, Pentagon, White House, intelligence community, federal government, or politics — reach out via Signal: signal.me#eu/N9fO9Jy6Z...

NEW: The Pentagon has finally added Operation Epic Fury to its online database of U.S. military casualties As of April 3, a total of 365 have been wounded in action: • Army = 247 • Navy = 63 • Marine = 19 • Air Force = 36 Death toll remains at 13 dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/con...

Latest from @julesjester.bsky.social: One crew member of the fighter jet downed over Iran has been rescued by U.S. forces, two U.S. officials tell MS NOW. The second crew member of the two-seat F-15E aircraft is still missing and has been declared “DUSTWUN,” or “Duty Status, Whereabouts Unknown.”

Julianne McShane@juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 6mo ago

U.S. searches for pilot of downed jet in Iran, official says Follow our live updates - @ms.now:

Reminder from @julesjester.bsky.social ahead of Trump’s speech tonight: “...political and military officials have yet to coalesce around a single, coherent account of what military success looks like, what achieving it would require or how the war ends.” 👀

The Iran war’s central mystery: What is the U.S. actually trying to accomplish?

Political and military officials have offered inconsistent explanations of Operation Epic Fury’s objectives. The nuclear question sits at the center of the divide.

ms.now

The United States and Israel are fighting the same war. They just don’t agree on what winning it looks like. Read more from @julesjester.bsky.social

The U.S. and Israel are fighting the same war — but not always toward the same goals

A month into the campaign against Iran, diverging goals on regime change, nuclear weapons and proxy forces are complicating both the military operation and any path to peace.

bit.ly

What are the U.S. military objectives in Iran? Depends on who you ask Trump + Hegseth say destroying Iran's nuclear program IS a goal of the *military* operation Military + intel officials (Caine Cooper Ratcliffe Gabbard) have avoided the word 'nuclear' entirely @ms.now www.ms.now/news/trump-i...

White House and Pentagon offer conflicting statements of the Iran war’s goals

Political and military officials have offered inconsistent explanations of Operation Epic Fury’s objectives. The nuclear question sits at the center of the divide.

ms.now

Big live blog day at @ms.now Follow our live updates on Tulsi Gabbard's testimony before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee — coverage coming w/ @julesjester.bsky.social + @davidrohde.bsky.social

Live updates: Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel testify before Senate as Iran war pushes on

The U.S. intelligence chief and FBI director face questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

ms.now

Hegseth: “No quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” from @julesjester.bsky.social: Orders or threats of “no quarter” — killing enemies who surrender or are rendered unable to fight — are considered violations of international law and listed as a war crime following WWII. www.ms.now/liveblog/ira...

Iran war live updates: 6 U.S. service members killed in plane crash in Iraq, Hegseth says new supreme leader wounded

Iran has denied that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was disfigured by strikes. As the U.S.-Israel war with Iran enters its 14th day, at least 2,000 people across the Middle East have been killed in the co...

ms.now

If you work with / have a tip about the State Department, Pentagon, White House, intelligence community, federal government, or politics — reach out via Signal: signal.me#eu/N9fO9Jy6Z...

I covered Tulsi Gabbard's 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, which centered on a singular message: No War With Iran. Six years later, the Director of National Intelligence has been conspicuously quiet as Trump's war with Iran engulfs the Middle East. @ms.now www.ms.now/news/tulsi-g...

Tulsi Gabbard, once opposed to war with Iran, is silent as one explodes

Formerly an outspoken opponent of war with Iran, the director of national intelligence has been conspicuously quiet as conflict engulfs the Middle East.

ms.now

What to know about today's talks between the U.S. & Iran, w/ Vaughn Hillyard + @julesjester.bsky.social for @ms.now:

U.S., Iran make “significant progress” in Geneva, but strikes loom

The latest talks follow President Donald Trump’s warnings that he would not hesitate to confront the country militarily over concerns about nuclear weapons.

ms.now

The Trump admin's attacks on Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency — a federal agency that is supposed to help states w/ election security — could threaten the midterms, @julesjester.bsky.social writes:

How Trump undermined election assistance agency ahead of the midterms

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is supposed to help. Now, some worry about its influence.

ms.now

w/ @julesjester.bsky.social for @ms.now

Julianne McShane@juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The return of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, 24, marks the first time since 2014 that there are no hostages being held in Gaza, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group.

Trump diplomacy 2.0: Foreign diplomats say the president’s embrace of Steve Witkoff & the emir of Qatar is frustrating nations that have backed the U.S. for decades. w/Vaughn Hillyard @julesjester.bsky.social @ianjsherwood.bsky.social www.ms.now/news/trump-w...

Trump diplomacy 2.0: A billionaire developer and a monarchy scramble longtime U.S. alliances

Foreign diplomats say the president’s embrace of Steve Witkoff and the emir of Qatar is frustrating nations that have backed the U.S. for decades.

ms.now