The Iranian regime is warning it will attack European cities in any country that joins Trump’s military operation and governments across the region are stepping up security in response. This is broadly as anticipated and shows Iran's intention to rely on terrorism as a central part of is strategy.

The U.S. has launched military operations in Ecuador. The joint military operation with Ecuador targeted what the U.S. called "designated terrorist organizations" in the country.

The administration is setting up the idea that anyone opposing Trump is engaging in "domestic terrorism," as Trump's EO set out. (This is a way to get around the specific definition of "domestic terrorist" in U.S. law.)

I did not share the original story because my gut was that the sourcing was dubious. Someone who knows more about the sole source confirms that skepticism. Don't fall for clickbait, read the piece linked below. (If the story is confirmed by other outlets, that's another thing. But ... it's not)

Balint to Noem: "You're the secretary of DHS -- for now. And you think you're immune from accountability. But I promise you this: one day he is not gonna be president anymore. And when that day comes, we will still be here. And in hearings like this, we are going to continue to prove your guilt."

Raskin: We are fighting for American citizens, madam secretary, because your eyes agents shot them in the face and killed them and each person you see here represents 800,000 American citizens and you should know that as a former member of congress.

Maersk is temporarily suspending all cargo booking acceptance in and out of several countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, this is due to the ongoing war in the region.

The U.S. campaign in Iran has already expended thousands of high-cost air defense missiles and other sophisticated munitions, just days into the conflict.

Trump's DOJ deleted 65,527 pages from the Epstein files, covering up the truth. Info on Epstein’s death, call logs, photos with Lutnick - all gone. And Trump thinks MAGA will stand by and cheer on another needless war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibZ76Td6pg

The Pentagon is rapidly burning through its stocks of precision weapons at a rate that puts the U.S. military potentially “days away” from having to prioritize which targets to intercept, according to three people familiar with the matter.-WSJ

US House Speaker Mike Johnson: “We're not at war right now. “We're four days in to a very specific, clear mission, an operation, Operation Epic Fury.” A Special Military Operation, say, just like your pals in the Kremlin.

Raskin tears Kristi Noem a new one: "Apparently when your blankie was left on one of the govt jets and not transported to the new one, your special govt employee, Corey Lewandowski, chivalrously stepped forward to fight the pilot -- mid air!"

Here's what I believe: no more business as usual in the Senate. We shouldn't be voting to proceed to normal legislation until Republicans schedule a debate and a vote and on a declaration of war against Iran. Let's see if Trump has the votes to authorize war. I bet he doesn't.

NANCY MACE: What is a woman? Have you learned that lesson? WALZ: I'm the governor of Minnesota. I'm not here to be a prop for your obsession.

This is the letter US senators sent requesting an official investigation into DOJ leadership blocking a civil-rights probe into the killing of Renee Good. The letter asks the Justice Department’s IG and Office of Professional Responsibility to determine who ordered the investigation stopped and why.

Author and journalist Davar Ardalan has seen Iran up close before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. On this week’s “More To The Story,” she examines how the US-Israeli military strikes are once again reshaping the country. The latest from our colleagues at @revealnews.org:

Democrats don’t have to agree on everything. We just have to agree on one thing: It’s time to win the general.

Iran can continue firing missiles at countries across the Middle East at its current rate for “several more days,” a Western official says. - NYT

R E S P E C T 👇🏽

A Turkish official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the missile had been "aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course".

Ecuador? Is anywhere or anyone off limits? This is reminiscent of traits of addiction. Addiction to power and war. Some world leader is eventually going to want to stop him. I just hope it’s not with a nuclear warhead. My head feels like it’s about to explode.

It might seem that the war with Iran is not at all connected to Russia's war in Ukraine and it would have happened even if our war hasn't. It's not like that. Russia's war against Ukraine is directly related to the rise of aggression and conflicts in the world. A balance has been broken.

Morning Bluesky.

In the hotly contested Texas Democratic Senate primary, Bible scholar James Talarico defeated Jasmine Crockett. The GOP side is heading for a run-off with regular MAGA John Cornyn just pulling ahead of openly-corrupt MAGA Ken Paxton.

Israel hit dozens of Iranian security targets overnight including the paramilitary Basij headquarters in Tehran. It’s currently resumed bombing Lebanon. Iran hit the US Al-Udaid airbase, the largest in the region. Qatar says no casualties.

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez on Iran: “Spain is against this disaster. Because we understand that governments are here to improve people's lives, to provide solutions to problems, not to make people's lives worse. 1/2

US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking after the Iran briefing: “We have no ability to get into nation building. We are not the world’s policeman. We have enough trouble of our own. “But I think this is a great development for the Iranians.”

Iranian Navy Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena sunk by submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. 101 missing, 78 wounded. Sri Lankan Coast Guard on scene.

Russia has confirmed that a Ukrainian naval drone hit a Russian oil tanker 100km off Malta in the Mediterranean. A long, long way from Ukraine. #explodey

March 3, 2026

How I arrived on Bluesky

BREAKING: "The Justice Department has withheld thousands of documents from the Epstein files, including FBI documents that detailed a woman’s unverified allegations of sexual misconduct against President Trump," per WSJ.

And there it is …

Despite the lies the President and his administration want to tell, you can see and hear what happened for yourself when ICE ran rogue in our state. No one is above the law — the Illinois Accountability Commission will hold them responsible.

Talarico leading with 37 percent of the votes counted.

Breaking: WASHINGTON (AP) — Roy Cooper wins Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in North Carolina primary election.

BREAKING: Roy Cooper is projected to win the Democratic Senate primary in North Carolina and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who was endorsed by Trump, is projected to win the North Carolina GOP Senate primary. Both projections were made by The Associated Press. www.ms.now/liveblog/202...

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testified that detainees receive medical attention within 12 hours. That’s just plain false. Listen to the U.S. Citizens who were wrongfully detained and denied critical care.

From the archives . Sadly relevant . open.substack.com/pub/gregolea...

How I arrived on Bluesky

Talarico leading with 37 percent of the votes counted.

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

Rubio Today: It’s false to say I said the U.S. had to attack because Israel was going to attack. That’s not what I said. Rubio Yesterday: We knew Israel was going to strike Iran, and that would trigger attacks on U.S. forces. If we didn’t act first, Americans would suffer higher casualties.

The United States said it started facilitating charter flights from a number of countries in the Middle East for US citizens stranded in the region as Washington's joint military strikes with Israel on Iran have severely disrupted global air travel reut.rs/4aWBOcN

Kristi Noem must go now. It's long past time she steps down, and it doesn't excuse her from justice or accountability. She believes she’s above the law while taking away fathers from children with cancer and mothers being shot in the face by her agents. We demand answers.

So for all you “leave NATO” dummies out there, wanna explain how we defend ourselves without them? Britain, France, Germany, the GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman) are currently knocking down Iranian missiles and drones. And this is just Iran. Not a peer.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER (2012) At the 37 min. mark, historians @herberthistory.bsky.social and @hcrichardson.bsky.social discuss how ALVH uses vampire mythology as a metaphor for oligarchy and White Nationalism. Sounds kinda current, huh? youtu.be/1_dygpLTlac?...

Trump: “We are going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain.”

So far, we’ve gotten into: 1. The oil-tanker escort business 2. The shipping-insurance business 3. The militia-arms and finance business And it’s only Tuesday.