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Good afternoon, and welcome back to Press Pass. I doubt you enjoyed the State of the Union, but I hope you at least enjoyed some of our coverage of it at The Bulwark. Livestreams, a Reddit AMA from inside the House chamber, and more speak to the way being an independent online media operation makes it possible for us to experiment with our coverage to give you the best value for your subscription. If you’d like to support us at this important time, consider upgrading to a Bulwark+ membership at the link below.
Today’s edition gives you a view of the growing Capitol Hill panic over Trump’s interest in striking Iran again. The U.S. military presence in the Middle East is at the highest level it’s reached in years, and some lawmakers are trying to take action preventatively—preferably before Trump takes action unilaterally, as he has done in Venezuela and elsewhere. I spoke with some senators who are searching for clarity about the president’s intentions.
In addition, if you feel as though you’ve noticed a lot more promotional campaigns for prediction markets lately, odds are you’re not imagining it. New companies want you to be able to gamble on every possible difference of opinion about the outcomes of future events. It certainly doesn’t sound healthy for society, which may be why the lobbying disclosures filed by several of these new companies suggest the trend will continue to accelerate this year. Read the receipts I compiled and judge for yourself. Lastly, a Catholic prayer app is partnering with Tucker Carlson during Lent, which has resulted in a broad ecumenical backlash. All that and more, below.
The No New Wars President Is Beating the War Drums
Will Congress do anything about the impending bombing of Iran?
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Weird War Tales
As President Donald Trump amasses the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East since the onset of the Iraq War, he’s done very little to convince Congress or the public why it’s necessary—or, for that matter, what it’s even for.
After ordering strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last July, Trump declared the country’s production capabilities to have been “completely and totally obliterated.” In an interview with Trump’s daughter-in-law on Fox News last Saturday, though, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Iran is “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.” Clearly, Trump’s assessment of last summer’s strike was his typical poppycock, or Witkoff’s is (or both), but does that mean we’re simply back to where the Iran hawks, Benjamin Netanyahu, and others have been saying we are for the last three decades? Needless to say, lawmakers aren’t convinced the administration is being forthcoming about the true state of play.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters Wednesday that he has not seen any evidence to back up Witkoff’s nuclear enrichment claims. Asked what his questions were for the White House regarding our expanded military presence in the region, Reed replied broadly, “What’s the purpose? What’s the objective?”
Other top lawmakers are similarly alarmed...
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