Embedded Files
War with Iran
War with Iran
March 5, 2026
The unprovoked February 28 air strikes against Iran violated both international law and the Constitution. The American and Israeli attacks and the war now in progress threaten to destabilize the Middle East, endanger American interests throughout the region, and risk another prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Iran sees this as an existential threat and they are responding accordingly.
Many factors were at play in this illegal and immoral gambit - the lawless regime of Donald Trump, the distorted exceptionalism and the long-standing hypocrisy of the United States toward international law, the outsized influence of accused war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, and the lack of will (or perhaps bad faith) to bring negotiations with Iran to a successful conclusion.
As of March 4, the death toll in Iran is between 800 and 1000. The most devastating reported incident occurred at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in southern Iran. Reports indicate approximately 150–165 children were killed when the school was struck during classes.*
As the efforts towards de-escalation begin, criticism of the strikes and calls for restraint come from religious and political leaders around the world. Among them:
Bombed girls' school in Minab, Iran [Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News/WANA via Reuters]
Pope Leo XIV: The American-born Pope has been one of the most vocal critics, warning of a "tragedy of enormous proportions." During his Angelus address on March 1, 2026, he called on all parties to "assume the nmoral responsibility of stopping the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss" and urged a return to "reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue".
Archbishop Daniel Colombo (Argentina): Alongside other Argentine bishops, he issued a statement emphasizing that "violence is never a way to resolve conflicts" and calling for the "silencing of weapons in favor of dialogue."
Spain & Ireland: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (Spain) and leaders in the Irish Dáil have been the most critical. Sánchez unequivocally rejected the "unilateral military action," calling it a breach of international law that destabilizes the global order.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres: He condemned the use of force by the U.S. and Israel, stating it undermines international peace and security and violates the UN Charter. He called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the negotiating table.
China: Expressed deep concern and requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting, citing the need to respect Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Oman: As a long-time mediator, Oman stated that the U.S. action "constitutes a violation of the rules of international law" and the principle of settling disputes through peaceful means.
Kaja Kallas (European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs): Has led the push for "maximum restraint." She emphasized the protection of civilians and "full respect for international law," including the UN Charter.
To its shame, the United States Congress has failed to enact a resolution to stop Trump's unconstitutional actions. To their even greater shame, the AIPAC Democrats cowardly limited their objections to the Trump's process but did not condemn this immoral, illegal, unconstitutional and unprovoked attack. John Fetterman (D-PA) even voted with Republicans to block the War Powers Resolution there.
Death Knell Of Liberal Internationalism
In choosing this war, Trump ignored the warning of Gen. Dan Caine, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. Caine had warned that a prolonged campaign could deplete American munitions stockpiles and affect deterrence efforts against China, as well as endanger regional partners, given that Iran would go all-out to defend itself if the U.S. goal is regime change. That Caine’s concerns were leaked to every major newspaper suggests he is not the only figure in the White House who feels this way. [1]
Legal and moral considerations aside, five days into what promises to be a long war, Trump has no defined objective, no exit strategy, and no honest explanation. Mike Nellis in a March 3 post sums it up perfectly:
"It’s so abundantly clear to me, after watching these press conferences and these attempts by Trump and Hegseth and Vance and the rest of his administration to explain this, that they have no idea what the hell they’re doing—no defined objective, no clear authorization from Congress, no exit strategy, and no honest explanation for the American people. They have no plan in Iran. They have no plan to explain it to the American people. They have no exit strategy. They are just being dog-walked by Bibi Netanyahu, and that’s not right."
Below left: Democracy Now!'s interview with Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara ("It’s like the American government [is] addicted to international violence, to wars, to assassinations, to launching those hegemonic wars that they [cannot] end.”)
Below right: The Intercept's post-attack analysis of Trump's rambling defense of the unprovoked assaults (offered no evidence as to why a preemptive or preventative attack was necessary...Unlike the U.S., Iran had made no moves that could be interpreted as aggressive or preparatory for initiating military action against either Israel or the U.S.")
*An investigation by Al Jazeera concluded that the Iran girls’ school targeting was likely ‘deliberate’, a claim denied by the US and Israel. The claim of deliberate intent can never be proved or disproved. Yet how can the intelligence efforts that led to the assassination of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, have failed to uncover that the school had been clearly separate from an adjacent military site for at least 10 years. Targeted by accident and/or ignorance is no consolation for the families of the slain school girls.
[1] link.slate.com/view/5388f271dd52b8ed11002e6cqfu24.jk6/964b9b90
The plot to subvert the midterms
The plot to subvert the midterms
March 6, 2026
After Trump's rambling State of the Union address, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La) expressed a concern: “If we lost the midterms—heaven forbid, if we lost the majority in the House, it would be the end of the Trump presidency in a real effect.”
A bit overblown? Perhaps. But if that were to happen, Trump would have a bit more difficulty enacting his agenda in the following two years. Given Trump's sinking poll numbers (he's -18 underwater) and the traditional midterm gains by the party of the sitting president, the Democrats could take back the House, just as they did in 2018.
Trump and the Republicans know this, and they are doing everything they can to prevent it both by legal means and by less savory tactics. It is an all out effort to undermine the midterms and cast doubts on their legitimacy.
In this post, we take a look at what the Donald Trump and the GOP have been plotting.
EXTREME GERRYMANDERING
Top of the list and already underway is the extreme partisan gerrymandering in states where Republicans control the state government. Up to 18 seats could swing from Democratic control to Republican [sidebar], more than enough to Republicans to keep control of the House in 2026 and perhaps for decades to come. Democrats are forging a response but it may be too little too late.
All eyes are now on the pending U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais. A conservative majority ruling could weaken or even eliminate Section 2, a key part of the Voting Rights Act. This section is critical to lawsuits that challenge racial discrimination in election maps. It would effectively put an end to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was the final piece in making a multi-racial democracy.
Partisan gerrymandering is upheld by the Supreme Court (2019)
THE SAVE ACT
The ironically named Save America Voter Eligibility Act, which recently passed the US House of Representatives, would require Americans to produce a passport or birth certificate to register and thus to vote. Brennan Center research shows that 21 million people lack ready access to these documents. Though Senate Minority Leader Schumer hopes to block this anti-democracy bill there by invoking a filibuster. If that fails, it will go to the conservative-majority John Roberts Supreme Court which has for two decades* demolished the guardrails for free and fair elections and weakened the right to vote.
Democracy under attack: the Roberts court strikes again (2020)
...AND FIFTEEN "UNPRECEDENTED" ACTIONS TO SUBVERT THE MIDTERMS
The SAVE Act and the partisan gerrymandering are within the law, albeit totally out of line with the concept of democracy. A more concerning development is the Trmp Administrations campaign of "unprecedented" actions to subvert the elections - some unconstitutional, others more suited to an established authoritarian state.
The January 28 FBI raid on the Fulton County (Georgia) election office is just the most recent example of the heavy-handed intimidation of election officials. It reveals the extent to which the Trump Administration will misrepresent the known facts to continue the lie behind the January 6 2021 attack on the Capitol, and more chillingly, to set the stage to undermine the midterms and all future elections.
The Brennan Center lays out more than a dozen tactics being employed by the Trump Administration to subvert the midterms. [link in sidebar]
The article describes a sweeping, multi‑front effort by the current administration to weaken the systems, norms, and legal protections that support free and fair elections. The report documents actions such as attempting to rewrite election rules through executive order, pressuring independent agencies, seeking access to voting machines, and demanding sensitive voter data. It also highlights the creation of federal task forces aimed at investigating voters, election officials, journalists, and perceived political adversaries, all premised on false claims of widespread voter fraud. These moves, the article states, exceed presidential authority and violate constitutional limits that reserve election administration to states and Congress.
The Brennan Center also details a pattern of retaliation and support that reshapes the incentives around election administration. This includes targeting law firms that litigate voting‑rights cases, threatening to prosecute election officials and nonprofit groups, pardoning January 6 rioters, and backing individuals who have undermined election systems. At the same time, the administration is withdrawing from its traditional role in protecting elections, weakening agencies like CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and signaling that it will not defend voting rights.
The Brennan Center has constructed a timeline (through February 9) of these unconstitutional actions and/or intimidation tactics, which you can find here.
The cumulative effect, the report concludes, is a coordinated campaign that pressures election officials, chills legal advocacy, emboldens election deniers, and increases the risk of election subversion as the 2026 midterms approach.
The right-to-vote is the heart of a democracy. A lawless, unconstrained president, a democracy-challenged Supreme Court, and a Republican Party willing to go to extremes to ensure their political control are powerful foes.
The 2026 midterms will give us an inkling of America's future. Will Americans be fed up enough to take the House back and slow down Trump's agenda? Or are we too far down the road to the authoritarian state depicted in Project 2025 to take our democracy back?
Sources: reuters.com, mississippitoday.org, brennancenter.org
Don't need to steal votes when you can steal districts
In Texas, the state that set off the frenzy, 5 seats are due to flip to Republican control after a Supreme Court 6-3 decision along party lines allowed the plan to proceed. The court's decision overturned a lower court ruling that had concluded the map likely discriminated against minority voters. -5
In Missouri, Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed a new map into law in September that dismantled a Democratic-held seat based in Kansas City, giving his party the advantage in seven of the state's eight congressional seats. -1
Ohio's redistricting commission drew up a compromise map that boosted Republican chances of flipping two Democratic-held seats. -2
In North Carolina, the state legislature's Republican majority approved a new map in October designed to flip a Democratic seat, which would give Republicans control of 11 of the state's 14 U.S. House seats despite its status as a divided swing state. -1
In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has called a special legislative session in late April to take up redistricting, an effort analysts say could take aim at three to five Democratic incumbents. -3 to -5
Effect of conservative majority SCOTUS decision overruling Louisiana's map in Louisiana v. Callais would be a loss of 2 to 4 seats across the South and elsewhere. -2 to -4
*Although Citizens United (2010) was the blockbuster decision that let unlimited money flow into political campaigns, Randall v. Sorrell (2006) decision was the first indicator of what was to come. The Court struck down Vermont’s strict limits on campaign contributions, holding that they were too low and therefore violated the First Amendment.
News and Opinion from the Web
News and Opinion from the Web
Ukraine: after four years of war, exhaustion on both sides is the main hope for peace (Feb 26)
Sounding the Alarm on Deaths in Immigration Detention Under Trump (Feb 27)
What Does War with Iran Have to Do with Elections? (Mar 3)
Cuba hit by widespread power blackout amid US oil chokehold (Mar 5)
Israel puts a target on the back of the rules-based order | Opinions | Al Jazeera (Mar 5)
We Don’t Need an Autopsy to Tell Us the Democrats Failed on Gaza (Mar 5)
Another Land Grab? Israel Intensifies Bombardment of Lebanon & Orders Mass Displacement in the South (March 6)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse