by @nancyayoussef.bsky.social @jonlemire.bsky.social "The convoluted and complicated war has swung almost weekly between peace overtures and fighting. Those misinterpretations appear set to continue, especially amid signs that others may be dragged into the fight"

This May Be Trump’s Biggest Error in the Iran War

Success requires knowing what motivates your enemy.

theatlantic.com

Marco Rubio set some Signal messages to auto-delete late last year, @michaelscherer.bsky.social, Missy Ryan, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, and @shaneharris.bsky.social report. The State Department previously told a court that he didn’t use disappearing messages, but later dropped that claim.

Marco Rubio’s Disappearing Signal Chat

The State Department told a court last year that the secretary didn’t use disappearing messages. By this spring, it had dropped that claim.

bit.ly

I’m joined by @radiofreetom.bsky.social and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social on Radio Atlantic this morning to talk about Iran, the “ceasefire” that wasn’t really, and if there’s a way out: youtu.be/53FDLmlMUY8

The War Trump Can’t Control

YouTube video by The Atlantic

youtu.be

Military leaders must strike a balance between obedience to civilian leaders and their duty to the Constitution—but some officers tell Missy Ryan and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social they fear that Trump’s military has become overly deferential to civilian politicians.

Why Are America’s Generals So Cautious?

Deference to civilian power is part of the job but can go too far.

bit.ly

President Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget could actually be the worst thing to happen to the Defense Department, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social reports:

The Pentagon Might Win the Lottery

But even $1.5 trillion won’t solve its problems.

bit.ly

Donald Trump is frustrated with his inability to get Iran to capitulate—and angry at commentators who say the stalemate makes him look weak, @jonlemire.bsky.social and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social report:

No Way to Make a Deal

The agreement that Trump wants to strike with Iran keeps eluding him.

bit.ly

The war’s outcome may now be decided by whether the U.S. or Iran blinks first from the economic pain, but regardless of who wins, there are already a couple of clear losers, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, Vivian Salama, and Missy Ryan report:

The U.S. Is Back to Squeezing Iran’s Economy

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz marks a shift in strategy—but not necessarily in outcome.

bit.ly

Trump said he went to war to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions—but Tehran showed that it has a non-nuclear way to deter future attacks, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social reports. theatln.tc/ZqHD6VQT 📸: Kaveh Kazemi / Getty

NEW: Donald Trump is considering announcing onetime bonus checks of $1,776 for many military members, @ashleyrparker.bsky.social and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social report.

$1,776 Checks for the Military

The president is considering bonuses for many service members.

theatlantic.com

It’s Monday with @waytooearly.bsky.social — I’m back and very thankful for our guest hosts and team here. Let’s start a busy week… ☀️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social ☕️ @lbarronlopez.bsky.social 🌅 Mychael Schnell Up with us? Email waytooearly@ms.now with WHY. #waytooearly

The U.S. hasn’t sent this many ships to the Caribbean since the Cuban missile crisis. W/ Ford's arrival, will be about as many as were used to defend Israel from Iran missile strikes. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec... by @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, Gisela Salim-Peyer, and @jonlemire.bsky.social

The U.S. Is Preparing for War in Venezuela

More U.S.-military firepower is headed to the Caribbean as Trump escalates his anti-Maduro rhetoric.

theatlantic.com

Jon and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social discuss the importance of journalist access to military leadership, especially as troops are deployed to US cities.

In this week’s new #TheWeeklyShow episode, Jon, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, Thomas Brennan & Dave Lapan discuss ⬇️: >> Press Restrictions >> Climate of Fear >> Just Trust the Pentagon! >> NEW Diarrhea Plane NEW YouTube video out now. youtube.com/watch?v=lwj5dAqrp_8&feature=youtu.be

The Pentagon’s Press Purge | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

youtube.com

Thomas Brennan and @nancyayoussef.bsky.social shed some light on how the restrictions placed on journalists by the Pentagon is part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s dismantling of the norms of military leadership.

On an all-new The Weekly Show @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, David Lapan and Thomas Brennan are here to make sense of the Pentagon’s push for tightening press restrictions and the backlash from journalists and media organizations.

The images, the foreign policy, the politics of what’s happening in Gaza w/ @mpolymer1.bsky.social youtu.be/lO36u1lqneM

'Images matter': Former CIA officer says global outrage forced Israel’s aid pause

YouTube video by MSNBC

youtu.be

It’s Wednesday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ Camila Bernal ☕️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social 🌞 Bridget Bowman 🫖 Rep. Jake Auchincloss 🌅 Carlos Curbelo If you’re up, tell us why! Reply here or email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

It’s Tuesday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ @adamcancryn.bsky.social ☕️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social 🌞 @errinhaines.bsky.social 🌅 @andrewdesiderio.bsky.social Slept in yesterday & getting back into the groove today? I get it. Email why you’re up early to WayTooEarly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

It’s Tuesday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social ☕️ @nicktimiraos.bsky.social 🌞 Rep. Joe Morelle 🌅 @ericlipton.nytimes.com If you’re up, tell us why! Email WayTooEarly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

It’s Tuesday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ @kthomasdc.bsky.social ☕️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social 🌞 Alice Miranda Ollstein 🌅 Danny Cevallos If you’re up, tell us why! Reply here or email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

Welcome to Tuesday - I’m back in the chair, too! - with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ Skylar Woodhouse ☕️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social 🌞 @repdean.bsky.social 🌅 @kthomasdc.bsky.social If you’re up, tell us why— here or email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

"The challenge is that in divvying it up, while the federal government will still have a role, once it's not under one umbrella ... you risk that those issues will not be addressed as sufficiently and adequately as they were under the Department of Education," said @nancyayoussef.bsky.social.

And we’re back to Monday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social ☕️ Kevin Frey 🌞 Ben Kamisar 🌅 @adamcancryn.bsky.social Starting your week up early? Tell us why, here or email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

Welcome to Tuesday — and happy Mardi Gras! — with @waytooearly.bsky.social: 💚 @kthomasdc.bsky.social 💜 @nancyayoussef.bsky.social 💛 Eugene Robinson ⚜️ Rep. Joe Courtney & Gabriel D’Alatri If you’re up, tell us why by emailing WayTooEarly@msnbc.com or reply here.

It’s Tuesday with @waytooearly.bsky.social: ☀️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social ☕️ @ryanjreilly.com 🌞 @gabeamo.bsky.social 🌅 Brendan Buck If you’re up, tell us why: email WayTooEarly@msnbc.com or reply here 👇🏽 #waytooearly

And we’re back! It’s Monday and @waytooearly.bsky.social is kicking your week off with: ☀️ @nancyayoussef.bsky.social ☕️ @emilydavies.bsky.social 🌞 @lmchervinsky.bsky.social 🌅 Brendan Buck You up? We want to know why. Email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #WayTooEarly

Hi friends, thanks for the follows. I am bringing Overheard to BlueSky, and I am also introducing something I am calling: #Readover, which will signal interesting stories I think are worth reading and why. I want to what I love abt journalism and storytelling, thru natsec stories and beyond

Todays headlines across WP, NYT, and WSJ with @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, Gordon and Brett leading WSJ