The news. The narrative. The timeline.
Bureau: Washington
The Iran war's third week opens with the Pentagon weighing ground troop deployment. Joe Kent's resignation letter hit 9.7 million views. Tulsi Gabbard is getting ratio'd. No exit plan, no congressional authorization, 13 dead.
Gas crossed $3.80 nationally. Diesel hit $5. Patrick De Haan posted the numbers and X replied with gas station receipts. Stagflation talk is everywhere. The Hormuz closure is worse than anyone predicted.
IRGC released footage claiming to show an F-35 being struck over Iran. The aircraft made an emergency landing. The pilot survived. The debate over what this means for stealth doctrine and the most expensive weapons program in history is furious.
Joe Kent resigned as NCTC Director, became the first senior US official to quit over the Iran war. His letter blamed Israel and its 'powerful American lobby.' Anti-war conservatives claimed him as a truth-teller; critics called the framing antisemitic. The FBI is now investigating.
The Pentagon blacklisted Anthropic — first US company ever labeled a 'supply chain risk.' Palmer Luckey said Anthropic's constitutional AI red lines are 'untenable.' Anthropic is suing.
Tulsi Gabbard testified Iran is 'intact but largely degraded.' Senators pressed on whether the IC warned against striking. Gabbard confirmed the IC said decapitation wouldn't guarantee swift resolution. Hawks say the IC is risk-averse; critics say the war was built on ignored intel.
Anduril got a $20B Army contract — largest procurement vehicle in the service's history. Luckey's post about 'getting weapons into hands of people who need them' drew 28K likes and 12K quote tweets, sharply divided between defense hawks and autonomous-weapons critics.
Senator Blackburn released the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act discussion draft. It would preempt state AI laws from California to Colorado. Libertarians love it, progressives hate it, constitutional lawyers are terrified.
OpenAI signed with AWS to provide AI for Pentagon classified networks. The timing: hours after Anthropic was blacklisted and accused the Pentagon of punishing its defense AI limits. Critics frame it as the defense industry picking winners.
A US F-35 was struck by Iranian air defenses during a combat mission over Iran on March 19. The aircraft made an emergency landing; pilot stable. IRGC posted video of the hit. Stealth technology just met reality.