On Iran, Senate Republicans Stay With Trump

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(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

There are moments in Washington when the vote itself tells you everything. Wednesday was one of them. Senate Republicans closed ranks behind President Trump, defeating a Democratic resolution that would have curbed the administration’s military authority in Iran. The margin was not surprising. The meaning was not subtle. Senate Republicans, by and large, have decided this is their war too — or at least that it is not their place to say otherwise. The resolution, brought by Virginia’s Tim Kaine, would have required explicit congressional authorization before further hostilities against Tehran could continue. It failed largely along party lines, a

The Last Ballot of the Supreme Council: Israel Strikes Iranian Succession Meeting

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(Photo by Negar / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

They were counting votes. Israel was counting targets. On Tuesday, Israeli forces struck a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Council as officials gathered to select a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke to Fox News. “Israel struck while they were counting the votes for the appointment of the supreme leader,” the official said. But it wasn’t just a strike. It was a statement. The message was that no room in Tehran is beyond reach. Not the bunker. Not the council chamber. Not the backroom where power is handed from one cleric to

A Strike, A Statute, And The Old Argument: Rubio Confirms Admin Alerted Gang of Eight

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(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio strode into the Capitol and delivered a message as crisp as a gavel strike: President Trump did not need Congress’s permission to hit Iran. “No,” Rubio said, when asked if lawmakers had to weigh in first. The answer was not wrapped in legalese. It was wrapped in confidence. “We notified Congress. We notified the Gang of Eight. We notified the congressional leadership. There’s no law that requires us to do that,” he said. Rubio’s point was simple. The War Powers Resolution requires notice within 48 hours of hostilities. The administration says it gave that notice.

Seventeen Visits, Twenty-Seven Flights, One Firm Denial: Bill Clinton’s Epstein Testimony

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(Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

The past has a way of pulling up a chair. Former President Bill Clinton sat before the House Oversight Committee on Friday and denied knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. The setting was closed-door. Clinton, the first former president compelled to testify before Congress, read from a prepared statement. He defended his past interactions with Epstein and said he saw no sign of criminal behavior. “First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing. No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that, at the end of the day, matter more than your interpretation

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