Why did Trump change his approach to Iran? The politics of the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities: Here’s what to watch next

At the same time, Trump’s unilateral action also builds on Democrats’ message of Trump pushing the bounds of his authority in all aspects of the presidency.

Democrats are in a position of risk in making the legality of the strikes a central issue because Republicans would paint them as defending Iran regardless of the merits of their argument. If the strikes were to weaken Iran’s nuclear abilities, it would be to Trump’s advantage.

Republicans are largely supporting Trump, so it is highly unlikely that requirement will be passed through either chamber.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is pushing for clearer language that makes pre-authorization from Congress a requirement — and he’s done so during both Republican and Democratic presidencies. Bipartisan members of the House are doing the same.

There are members of Congress on both the left and right that would like to see the president authorize serious, non-defensive military action.

So why did Trump change his approach to Iran? Is this because he had decided talks about a new nuclear deal were going nowhere, or that Benjamin Netanyahu forced his hand after backing out of the agreement with the Obama administration?

The biggest deals, though, have eluded him — whether it’s trying to get a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, wanting to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and — until Saturday night — seeking a nuclear deal with Iran.

Beyond his promises to be less interventionist than past Republicans, Trump has pushed for peace deals overseas.

Source: The politics of the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities: Here’s what to watch next

Four lessons learned from the response of the U.S. to Iran’s recent attacks on nuclear facilities in the Middle East and in the early 1990s

A fatal attack on Americans anywhere in the world — from service members overseas to embassies or civilians — would have serious political ramifications in addition to the human cost.

The Trump administration will work to repel those possible attempts, but from the military on down to governors and local police departments, the country is — and will be — on a heightened level of security concern.

The Trump administration defended its actions against Iran over the weekend. U.S. officials say the strikes, which were carried out without congressional approval and without notifying top Democratic lawmakers, were intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The United States decided to intervene about a week after Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran. The US says the American strikes devastated Iran’s nuclear program, but independent experts say that is not true. There are four things we learned from the U.S. strikes on Iran.

Israel has long planned for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran has been severely hampered in the last couple of years. The time was ripe to attack because of the number of Iranian allies in the region which had dwindled.

The experts told NPR that Iran’s nuclear business may have survived the attack.

The Iraq War: What will the U.S. do after the Pentagon tell us about the United States and what will it tell us in the Middle East?

After the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq War, the country is rightfully more skeptical of what the government says. The public should expect evidence of a severe setback to Iran’s nuclear capabilities even though they are distrustful of Trump.

The focus is on whether the conflict will be contained. The politics of a single operation is one thing. The politics of something that lasts a long time is a different thing.

Before the strike, polls showed Americans saw Iran as a fairly serious potential threat. They were opposed to the U.S. joining the military campaign against Iran.

As expected, Republicans are rallying around Trump after the strike, but some influential figures in the MAGA base are not thrilled with the prospect of involvement in another conflict in the Middle East.

The 1504, a new exhibit about black history in Alabama, and the nation’s most reddest county: Inside the story of the Jimmy Awards

A new museum exhibit is dedicated to Black history in a small town in Alabama that is often referred to as the reddest county in the US. People were emancipated and granted their freedom but not much else. NPR’s Picture Show spoke with Tyler Jones, who is part of 1504, the narrative studio behind the project. The studio has collaborated with the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation in order to tell the stories of Black descendant communities in a different way. The significance of transforming a plantation from 1841 into a space dedicated to reparative history and healing was highlighted by Jones. Check out this inside look at the project through photos and videos.

Tonight is a big night for more than 100 high school theater stars gathered in New York City for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. Nominees on Broadway unite to put on a show in 10 days. The competition begins with around 150,000 students from various schools nationwide, who are ultimately narrowed down to a select group of finalists who will perform at the award ceremony held at the Minskoff Theatre. The best actor and actress are in a musical. Listen to the students who are vying for their chance to win a Jimmy.

Iran is now considering how it wants to respond to the U.S. attack on its nuclear program, and how it might do that. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a video overnight saying the U.S. will face consequences and ending with a message saying the U.S. “can start this war, but we’ll be the ones who end it.”

Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will not be dragged into a war of attrition, nor will it end the conflict until its objectives are achieved. Israel wants to degrade Iran’s missiles and nuclear program.

Source: Key takeaways from the U.S. airstrikes on Iran. And, how Iran could respond

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