US intelligence says Iranian regime not at risk of collapse

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423793

US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran’s leadership remains largely intact and is not at risk of collapse following nearly two weeks of sustained US and Israeli bombardment, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing three sources familiar with the findings.

One of the sources said a “multitude" of intelligence reports provide “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger" of collapse and “retains control of the Iranian public." The sources spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss classified intelligence assessments.

The most recent report was completed within the last few days, the source said.

Trump administration lashes out at CNN over Iran war

 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260313-trump-administration-lashes-out-at-cnn-over-iran-war

Hegseth spent part of a news conference on US military operations against Tehran criticizing the media and CNN in particular, urging for what he called an "actual patriotic press."

The former Fox News host was particularly incensed by a story the channel ran suggesting Washington had underestimated Iran's ability to disrupt global oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Patently ridiculous," Hegseth told reporters, before adding: "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better."

The reviews are in. It's not looking good, America.

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/14/america-allies-divided-reviews-democracy-stability-00803863

The POLITICO Poll, conducted across five countries, reveals a stark disconnect between how Americans see their country and how several top allies do. As the Trump administration’s aggressive posture abroad disrupts the longstanding world order, the United States’ global reputation appears far worse than Americans realize.

It’s not just that allies no longer see the United States as a force for stability. Sizable shares, including a 43 percent plurality in Canada, say the country is mostly a threat to global stability.

The most common view among the close allies surveyed, in fact, was that the U.S. cannot be depended on in a crisis. That’s the opinion of a 57 percent majority in Canada, 51 percent majority in Germany, and pluralities in France (47 percent) and the U.K. (42 percent).

Their concerns come as the Trump administration has clashed with allies over defense spending, trade and the scope of collective security agreements. Trump has repeatedly cast doubt over America’s commitments in Europe, fueling questions about whether Washington can be relied upon.

FCC chief threatens broadcasters as Trump criticizes coverage of Iran war

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/14/trump-carr-fcc-media-iran-war/

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr issued a stern warning to broadcasters Saturday, threatening to revoke government-issued licenses if they run what the federal agency deems “fake news.”

The warning, alongside which Carr included a screenshot of a post by President Donald Trump inveighing against legacy media coverage of the Iran war, was just the latest salvo from an official who since becoming FCC chairman at the outset of Trump’s second term has relished the role of media enforcer.

 “If Trump doesn’t like your coverage of the war, his FCC will pull your broadcast license. That is flagrantly unconstitutional,” Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, responded on X.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Carr’s statement is a “clear directive to provide positive war coverage or else licenses may not be renewed.”

American Jews balance Democratic party loyalty with concerns over Iran

 American Jews balance Democratic party loyalty with concerns over Iran

Compared with the broader Democratic electorate, American Jews appear somewhat more receptive to the strategic argument for military action against Iran. Yet compared with Israelis – including Israelis on the political left – they remain far more cautious.

And so American Jews once again find themselves where they have often been before – somewhere between Israel and America, navigating the distance between the two.

In the end, many appear to have reached the same conclusion as Israelis across the political spectrum: whatever their reservations about the politics surrounding the war, Iran represents a threat too serious to ignore.

Many American Jews want a close US-Israel alliance. The Iran war shows how it can be a trap

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/many-american-jews-want-a-close-us-israel-alliance-the-iran-war-shows-how-it-can-be-a-trap/

For the past two weeks, this is the uneasy reality American Jews have been confronting: Most of them want a close US-Israel relationship, and are witnessing a case study in that alliance apparently growing closer than ever, at least militarily.

But at the same time, that strong bond has proven to be a trap. The close cooperation between Israel and the US has generated fierce backlash against Israel in the United States among the war’s many critics.

That backlash, in turn, seems to be turbocharging an already powerful wave of antisemitism.

When Debra Shushan, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization, was asked what the best-case scenario would be for American Jews at the end of the war, she responded, “The best-case scenario is that this ends as soon as possible.”

“They’re scratching their heads, trying to figure out, why are we doing this? Why are Americans losing their lives?” she said. “A substantial part of the answer seems to be that [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu talked him into it. Look, it’s ultimately not good for Israel, either. It’s not just about American Jews.”

Trump's Iran Endgame: The War That's Both Won & Just Beginning | Vantage with Palki Sharma

Fact check: Trump lies that he was being ‘sarcastic’ when he talked about injecting disinfectant

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/24/politics/fact-check-trump-disinfectant-sarcastic

Facts First: Trump was not being “sarcastic” on Thursday when he raised the possibility of injecting disinfectant. There was simply no indication that he was being anything less than serious. He was also wrong Friday when he denied he had asked the medical experts to “check” the idea of disinfectant injections; he was looking at them at the time. And he did not mention hands during his Thursday remarks.

Here’s what Trump said Thursday while looking in the direction of coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and Department of Homeland Security science official Bill Bryan: “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, you’re going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds – it sounds interesting to me.”

Trump has a history of falsely claiming that serious but controversial remarks had been sarcasm. For example, he has insisted that his famous 2016 “Russia, if you’re listening” request for Russia’s help obtaining Hillary Clinton emails was him being “sarcastic” and making “a joke.”

Trump’s ‘throwing things at the wall’, moving goalposts in Iran war: Fmr. CIA Director

‘Warmonger’ Trump rocked by MAGA revolt & spiking gas prices as false claims about endgame unravel

Reality CALLS TRUMP'S BLUFF as reassurances on Iran effects fall flat

Trump wages war on Iran his own way: commander-in-chaos

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/trump-iran-war-chaos

“Mr President,” said a reporter. “You’ve said the war is ‘very complete’ but your defence secretary says, ‘This is just the beginning’. So which is it?” Donald Trump’s eyes darted left and right then down. “Well, I think you could say both,” he parried.

The confusing answer at a press conference in Doral, Florida this week did not befit a wartime leader armed with stirring rhetoric and a lucid plan. But it was entirely on brand for the 47th US president. The tumultuous style that Trump brings to election campaigns, dealing with Congress and global trade relations has now been imported to the theatre of war.

For as the conflict with Iran enters its third week, impacting nearly every corner of the Middle East and causing economic tremors around the world, Trump has emerged as America’s commander-in-chaos.

Jonathan Alter, a presidential historian who has written books about Franklin Roosevelt, Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, said: “He’s a chaos agent and that’s what he specialises in. He doesn’t think any further ahead than the next news cycle and so you get an on-again off-again zigzag foreign policy.”

Alter added: “He lies as easily as he breathes so to believe anything out of his mouth like, ‘we demand unconditional surrender’ – well, two days later, he won’t be demanding it anymore and he’ll pretend he never said it. His words are at some level meaningless except, because they’re backed by so much weaponry, they take on enormous importance.”

War aimed at preventing Iranian nukes may actually lead to them, ex-IDF expert warns

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/war-aimed-at-preventing-iranian-nukes-may-actually-lead-to-them-ex-idf-expert-warns/

Danny Citrinowicz, IDF’s former top Iran researcher, fears regime will try and break out toward a bomb in response to killing of its supreme leader, whose policy was to keep Tehran at threshold

So now, Iran is left with two choices: abandon its nuclear program entirely or rush to a bomb.

Danny Citrinowicz, who headed the Iran branch of the Israeli Military Intelligence’s Research and Analysis Division, maintains that a threatened Iran is more likely to choose option two, particularly given that it is now led by Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who is determined to avenge the deaths of his family members killed along with his father in the war’s opening strike.

“This is what I’m afraid of — that this war will not prevent Iran from getting a bomb, but actually accelerate its plans to do so,” he added.

Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He Still Went to War.

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/iran-oil-hormuz-blockade-trump-f96bdd53?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1

The president told his White House team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, the world’s most vital shipping lane

Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. 

Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.