Wednesday March 4th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
US using ‘twice the air power’ in Iran compared to 2003’s Shock and Awe invasion of Iraq: Hegseth
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared Wednesday that the US-Israeli
bombing campaign against Iran is deploying “twice the air power” of the
notorious “shock and awe” airstrikes that kicked off the American
invasion of Iraq in 2003 — and the two allies were close to locking
down “complete control of Iranian skies.”
“Starting last night and to be completed in a few days — in under a
week — the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete
control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace,” Hegseth told reporters
at the Pentagon.
“It means we will fly all day, all night, day and night, finding,
fixing and finishing the missiles and defense industrial base of the
Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and military
leaders,” he added. “ … Iran will be able to do nothing about it.”
“They are toast, and they know it,” continued Hegseth, who noted that
Iran has cut off internet access to prevent the outside world from
seeing the remarkable display of firepower. “Or at least, soon enough,
they will know it. We have only just begun to hunt, dismantle,
demoralize, destroy and defeat their capabilities.”
In the first 24 hours of the invasion to topple Iraq’s Saddam Hussein,
US forces launched 1,700 aerial sorties against Baghdad and other
regime targets, including more than 500 cruise missiles.
US Sinks 17 Ships, Hits 2K Targets; Trump Says Tehran Forces Largely Knocked Out
The U.S. military has destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including a
submarine, and struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran in the opening phase
of President Donald Trump’s campaign against Tehran.
The tally came from U.S. Central Command Cmdr. Brad Cooper, Reuters reported.
Cooper said in a video posted to X that Iranian naval operations have
effectively been halted across the region’s most critical waterways.
“Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian
Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman,” Cooper said in the video.
US sub sinks Iranian warship with torpedo in first such attack since 1945
An American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean
overnight — the first such US attack on a member of an enemy fleet
since World War II, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday.
The “quiet death” strike on Iran’s prized Soleimani vessel unfolded
late Tuesday off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Hegseth said, telling
reporters during a Pentagon briefing that the ship “thought it was safe
in international waters.”
“Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. The first sinking of an enemy ship
by a torpedo since World War II,” Hegseth added. “Like in that war,
back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win.”
The “quiet death” strike on Iran’s prized Soleimani vessel unfolded
late Tuesday off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Secretary of War Pete
Hegseth said.
“The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” the
secretary added. “Combat ineffective, decimated, destroyed, defeated.
Pick your adjective.”
Former Yankees World Series great Mark Teixeira wins GOP House primary race in Texas
Former New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is projected to win his Republican House primary race in Texas.
Teixeira, who helped the Bronx Bombers to a victory in the 2009 World
Series, was leading his closest opponent in the Texas 21st
Congressional District primary by a 61.4%-10.1% margin when the
Associated Press called the race.
“This is a huge victory, and I’m truly honored to have such strong
support from the people of TX-21. Thank you!” Teixeira wrote on X.
Incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw loses Texas GOP primary race
Cornyn, Paxton ready to go for the throat in 2nd act of brutal primary campaign
Neither candidate cleared 50% threshold in Tuesday's Texas primary, setting up expensive May 26 battle for Republican nomination
The race for the Republican Senate nomination in Texas is heading to a
high-stakes runoff, with both sides digging in for a costly, drawn-out
fight.
Longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Texas Attorney
General Ken Paxton are set to continue their bitter duel after neither
candidate cleared the 50% threshold in Tuesday’s primary election.
That means the race, which has become one of the most expensive primary contests in history, will drag on until May 26.
Complaining Rep. Jasmine Crockett leaves own Texas Senate primary watch party, accuses GOP of election meddling
US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told supporters she was going to
leave her own watch party after votes in Dallas County were delayed.
“We need to see the Dallas County votes to see where they are,” she
said, per NOTUS, accusing the GOP of having “specifically targeted”
Democratic voters.
“I want you to enjoy yourselves,” the opponent of James Talarico said.
“But I won’t be back tonight because I have no idea of when we’re going
to get results, and I fully anticipate it won’t be until tomorrow.”
NBC News’ Steve Kornacki said on his livestream earlier, “even if the
rest of the vote in Dallas County came in … she would still be well
short here of that margin that Talarico has built.”
The Texas Supreme Court ruled earlier Tuesday that ballots cast after 7
p.m. CT needed to be separated from previous votes — after a lower
court ordered polling locations for Democrats in Dallas County to stay
open two hours longer due to voter confusion.
Bessent: 15 Percent Global Tariff Starts This Week
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that an increase in
President Donald Trump's new temporary global import tariff to 15% from
10% was likely to be implemented sometime this week.
The new tariff rate was announced by Trump in late February after the
Supreme Court struck down his previous global tariffs under a national
emergencies law. He initially imposed the 150-day tariffs under Section
122 of the Trade Act of 1974 at a lower 10% rate.
"That's likely sometime this week," Bessent said on CNBC of the 15% rate order from Trump.
He said the effort to rebuild Trump's tariff program under these
authorities would bring U.S. duty rates back to their prior levels
within five months.
Hormuz Shutdown Worsens After US Hits Iranian Warship; Tankers Stranded for 5th Day
The U.S.–Iran war widened on Wednesday after a U.S. strike hit an
Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, deepening a crisis that has paralyzed
shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a fifth day and choked off
vital Middle East oil and gas flows.
The U.S. submarine strike on the Iranian vessel came as President
Donald Trump pledged to provide insurance and navy escorts to ships
exporting oil and gas from the Middle East in a bid to contain soaring
energy prices.
At least 200 ships, including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers as
well as cargo ships, remained at anchor in open waters off the coast of
major Gulf producers including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, according
to Reuters estimates based on ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic
platform.
The war on Iran was never a choice — Trump was left with no option but to defend America and all Western civilization
By Michael Goodwin
A major talking point among Democrats and their media handmaidens is
that President Trump launched a “war of choice” against Iran.
Given American casualties and the earth-rattling impact, the criticism
could be a powerful political argument in the midterm elections — if
it’s true.
But it’s not true.
In fact, we now can be certain that the war on Iran is not a war of choice.
It is instead a war of American self-defense and maybe even a war of survival for Western civilization and Israel.
Rabid Democrats toss truth aside to rescue Iran’s regime
By Betsy McCaughey
The US Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a resolution that aims to
handcuff President Trump, barring him from taking additional military
action against the Iranian regime.
That measure should be soundly rejected: It’s a violation of the
Constitution’s Article II, which makes the president commander-in-chief
of the nation’s armed forces.
Every president since 1950 has launched military operations against
foreign governments without seeking Congress’ permission or a
declaration of war.
Yet Trump’s strategic air attack on the Islamic Republic, which began Saturday, is evoking a torrent of vitriol from Democrats.
They’re calling him “an authoritarian ruler” and claiming the strikes
are a “gross violation of the Constitution,” because Trump didn’t first
get Congress to declare war.
