Good morning. After 48 hours of relative silence about “Operation Epic Fury,” White House officials are fanning out to try to explain everything.
They aren’t all singing from the same hymnbook, though.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had to strike because Israel was going to hit Iran and that would put American troops at risk. After President Trump said Tuesday that he was the one who forced Israel’s hand, Rubio reversed himself and said Trump had independently decided to attack Iran unrelated to Israel’s own plans to do so. Administration officials also have offered shifting descriptions of Iran’s weapons capabilities and ambitions.
Americans will likely tune a lot of this out, attributing it to Washington jibber jabber. If the operation is deemed a “success,” then people will fall into their respective camps (Democrats oppose, Republicans support) and the news cycle will move on.
Unless…
Here is where Trump and the White House might have problems:
Six U.S. troops have died so far in the operation. The number could rise, and force more questions about preparations and necessity of the mission.Trump’s base is showing signs of splintering. Some of the most prominent media figures in his orbit, such as Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson, haven’t fallen in line behind him on the operation. He is brushing them off for now, but how long can that last?If the stock market falls precipitously because of widespread uncertainty in the region and global trade, Americans will feel the pinch.If gas prices rise and continue to pick up well before the summer, Trump could be forced to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a time-honored White House tradition that doesn’t always work.If the problem of evacuating Americans from the Middle East isn’t resolved quickly, more Trump supporters could be stuck overseas expressing fury at the White House.
This is an edition of the Politics newsletter, bringing you an expert guide to what’s driving D.C. every day. If you’re not subscribed, sign up here.
People and Policies I’m Watching
Conflict in the Middle East: Follow live updates on the conflict, which includes Israel’s military targeting the Iranian police state with the hope of clearing the way for a popular revolt to overthrow the Islamic government.
Officials to testify: At 10 a.m., DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is to appear before the House Judiciary Committee a day after her appearance before a Senate committee, at which North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis demanded her resignation, and Frank Bisignano, who runs the IRS, is to testify at the House Ways and Means Committee.
War-powers resolution: The Senate is to vote at 4 p.m. on whether to take up Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine’s Iran war-powers resolution, requiring only a simple majority.
Trump’s Wednesday: After “executive time” at 8 a.m. Eastern time, the president is to take part in a phone interview at 1:30 p.m. and in a roundtable on his Ratepayer Protection Pledge on electricity at 3 p.m.
What I’m Following
Cornyn and Paxton head to a Texas GOP runoff as Democrat Talarico won over Latinos. In the heated Republican Senate primary, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn had 42% of the vote late Tuesday evening to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 41% as the two front-runners knocked out Rep. Wesley Hunt. In the Democratic Senate contest, state Rep. James Talarico defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett as his message of religious faith and economic populism resonated with Hispanic voters whom Democrats hope to pull back from Trump. GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw became the first House incumbent to lose in a 2026 primary.
It isn’t just Democrats who say Trump should seek Congress’s OK on Iran. Most Republicans on Capitol Hill have strongly backed the president on the operation and defended his decision to bypass Congress. But some say that Trump would need to seek authorization from Congress if hostilities drag on, or if he wants to send in ground troops.
DHS’s inspector general said the agency’s leaders “systematically obstructed” its work. In the letter to lawmakers dated Monday, Joseph Cuffari outlined 11 instances in which he said the agency had blocked his office from accessing records and information it needed to pursue its inquiries. He said DHS’s refusal to cooperate in a federal criminal investigation—which he said had national-security implications—was “particularly egregious.”
What Else Is Happening
After a Wall Street Journal analysis identified more than 40,000 Epstein files that appeared to be missing from documents posted to the DOJ’s website, a department spokeswoman said that “47,635 files were offline for further review and should be ready for re-production by the end of the week.”The Justice Department told a court it will press forward with the defense of Trump’s orders sanctioning law firms—less than 24 hours after it asked to drop the cases.A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to kill New York City’s congestion-pricing program.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defended his decision to allow the Pentagon to use its tools for classified work.
What I’m Reading
Whitmer’s Office Mum on How She Got Olympic Hockey Ticket. (Detroit News)The President Is Calling. Trump Uses Whirlwind of Interviews to Sell His Iran War. (Washington Times)JD Vance’s Iran Dilemma: Caught Between Trump and Carlson. (The Free Press)
About Me
I’m Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington coverage chief. I’ve covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I’ve covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.WSJ Politics brings you an expert guide to what’s driving D.C., every weekday morning. Send your feedback to politics@wsj.com (if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). This edition was curated and edited in collaboration with Joe Haberstroh and Michael Connolly. Got a tip for us? Here’s how to submit.
