Source: SFGate
by Sam Metz

“As U.S. forces mass in the Middle East, Iran faces the threat of major strikes by the world’s most powerful military, potentially targeting its leaders, military, nuclear sites and critical infrastructure. Iran has nowhere near the same capabilities, and is even more vulnerable after last year’s war launched by Israel and recent anti-government protests. But it could still inflict pain on American forces and allies, and may feel it has to if the Islamic Republic’s survival is at stake. While Iran suffered major losses last June, it still has hundreds of missiles capable of hitting Israel, according to Israel’s estimates. Iran boasts a much larger arsenal of shorter-range missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases in Gulf countries and offshore American forces, soon to be joined by a second aircraft carrier.” (02/26/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/weakened-by-war-and-protests-iran-could-still-21942478.php

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“Two sets of peace negotiations are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva – direct talks between the United States and Ukraine, and indirect talks (mediated by Oman) between the U.S. and Iran. The parallel assemblies are likely to place strong demands on the multitasking skills of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – and to underscore the potential pros and cons of practicing diplomacy through special envoys chosen from outside the ranks of traditional career diplomats. ‘The ability to seize a historical moment’ in international events is a critical skill, according to Stuart Eizenstat, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union. At the same time, he cautioned in an interview with Tufts University’s Fletcher School, ‘Be wary of going for home runs. Don’t try to get too much. … Instead, go for singles and doubles.’ Patience, persistence, creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to listen are some of the qualities that undergird successful diplomacy.” (02/25/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0225/Testing-a-different-style-of-diplomacy

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jackie Calmes

“For this year’s State of the Union address, as usual, the president was the center of attention. That’s just where Donald Trump lives, so it’s no wonder that he broke his record for the length of the nationally televised speech. He was the star of his own unreality show, with an audience of tens of millions. In front of him, idolatrous Republican lawmakers popped up and down to applaud like clowns in wind-up music boxes of old. In fact, a president comes to the Capitol as a guest in Congress’[s] home, there only by invitation of the speaker of the House. It’s a historical nod to the separation of powers so essential to America’s system of government. But of course Trump acts as though he owns the place.” (02/25/26)

https://archive.is/rJDEG

Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander

“Anthropic signed a contract with the Pentagon last summer. It originally said the Pentagon had to follow Anthropic’s Usage Policy like everyone else. In January, the Pentagon attempted to renegotiate, asking to ditch the Usage Policy and instead have Anthropic’s AIs available for ‘all lawful purposes.’ Anthropic demurred, asking for a guarantee that their AIs would not be used for mass surveillance of American citizens or no-human-in-the-loop killbots. The Pentagon refused the guarantees, demanding that Anthropic accept the renegotiation unconditionally and threatening ‘consequences’ if they refused. … The idea of declaring a US company to be a foreign adversary, potentially destroying it, just because it’s not allowing the Pentagon to unilaterally renegotiate its contract is not normal practice. It’s insane Third World bullshit that nobody would have considered within the Overton Window a week ago.” (02/25/26)

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/the-pentagon-threatens-anthropic

Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider

“There are three things to remember if the U.S. goes to war with Iran: It was never about nuclear weapons, it was never about helping the Iranian people, and Iran was genuinely negotiating a diplomatic solution.” (02/26/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/three-things-to-remember-if-u-s-bombs-iran/

Source: In These Times
by Josh Bivens

“During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, he claimed to be working to improve affordability for U.S. families. But Trump didn’t talk about the root cause of these affordability problems: the long-running rise in inequality. And he didn’t call for the single most-effective way to reverse this inequality: raising taxes significantly on the ultra-rich families and corporations. In a new Economic Policy Institute report, I highlight how we got here and offer meaningful solutions to tackle growing inequality through wealth taxation. The link between inequality and affordability is clear: Affordability improves when incomes (mostly wages and public benefits for typical families) grow faster than prices. Rising inequality means that the economy’s average growth rate is buoyed by stratospheric growth at the top and hence no longer maps onto what is available to typical families to help them afford a secure and decent life.” (02/25/26)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/trump-state-of-the-union-income-inequality