News Roundup for March 4, 2026
Politico Playbook, Politico
“J Street held its ‘Building Tomorrow’ national convention over the past few days at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, where president Jeremy Ben-Ami recognized Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with the organization’s Tzedek v’Shalom Award last night. Also SPOTTED at the conference: Ehud Olmert, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.).”
Democrats Argue Eliminating Top Iranian Leaders Increases Dangers to Iranians, Israel, U.S., Jewish Insider
“Speaking at J Street’s national summit, Sen. Tim Kaine also said ‘virtually all’ Democratic senators now seek the group’s endorsement.”
Pentagon Identifies 4 of 6 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iran War by Drone Strike in Kuwait, PBS
“Those killed were Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.”
An Emboldened Israel Is Seizing Opportunities to Remake Region, New York Times
“Emboldened by its partnership with the United States, feeling its own military strength, and sensing the weaknesses of its two fiercest adversaries, Israel is seizing the new war as an opportunity to pursue its own geopolitical agenda.”
Gavin Newsom Says Israel ‘Sort of an Apartheid State,’ No Choice but to Reconsider U.S. Aid, Haaretz
“The California governor’s sharp criticism of Israel marks both a new level of discontent from the Democratic frontrunner for 2028 and offers a telling indication of where party voters may stand ahead of the presidential primary.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Son Emerges as Leading Choice to Be His Successor, New York Times
“The senior clerics responsible for selecting Iran’s next supreme leader met on Tuesday to deliberate, and the son of the slain former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emerged as the clear front-runner, according to three Iranian officials familiar with the deliberations.”
Iran Intel Operatives Signaled Openness to Talks With CIA to End War, Times of Israel
“Operatives from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence signalled openness to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to talks on ending the war, The New York Times reports, citing officials briefed on the matter.”
The Trump Administration’s Iran War Justifications Keep Changing, Foreign Policy
John Haltiwanger writes, “‘We were having negotiations with these lunatics,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to nuclear talks with Iran, ‘and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that.’ (This is despite the fact that Trump administration officials reportedly acknowledged to Congress on Sunday that there was no intelligence to suggest that Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first. Not to mention, and as the Pentagon stated in a briefing on Monday, the United States began building up its military presence in the region for possible action weeks ago. And Trump had been threatening military action against Iran since early January.)”
Firing Fewer Missiles at Israel, Iran Seeks to Ignite a Wider Middle East War, Haaretz
Amos Harel writes, “As Tehran’s missile fire drops sharply, Netanyahu and Trump press their advantage – but differences over the war’s duration, mounting economic costs and political blowback in Washington threaten to complicate the campaign’s next phase.”
