A House lawmaker and UN experts are calling for an “immediate” investigation into the strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, that massacred 175 people, mostly children, as a growing body of evidence suggests that U.S. forces were responsible for the strike. “There needs to be an immediate and transparent investigation into this strike. I’m demanding answers on what is being done to…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The Israeli military announced that it dropped as many bombs on Iran as Israel used during the entirety of the 12-day war last year over just a third of the time this week, signalling the severity of the Israeli military’s bombardment without even counting the bombardments carried out by U.S. forces. Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said in a press conference on Tuesday that the…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from her post and is seeking to replace her with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma). The change comes as Noem has led a tumultuous campaign of federal raids on U.S. cities that has seen thousands of people deported and detained, and record high deaths tied to the nation’s immigration…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
A Republican senator joined Capitol Police as they violently ejected an anti-war protester and U.S. Marine veteran from an Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, appearing to break his arm as the group tried to wrestle him out of the chamber. Video of the incident shows Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, rushing over to help police as they try to tug and push the protester…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea that the U.S. was responsible for a strike on Saturday that struck a school in Minab, Iran, describing reports that the U.S. would target civilians in combat as “propaganda.” When asked whether the U.S. carried out the strike, Leavitt said: “Not that we know of.” She echoed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s assertion on…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Top Republican leaders are spewing blatant Islamophobia to justify the U.S. and Israel’s horrific war on Iran, drawing condemnation from Muslim rights advocates. In one instance of patently hateful comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Wednesday that Iranians have a “misguided religion” that seeks the destruction of the U.S. “[Iranians] want to wipe Israel off the face…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Polymarket archived a market on whether a nuclear bomb would be detonated by the end of this year, just days after the betting company faced criticism for allowing users to gamble on the commencement of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Journalist David Sirota posted about the existence of the market on social media on Tuesday evening. The market allowed users to bet on whether a nuclear…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
One of the U.S.’s demands during negotiations with Iran in recent weeks was for the “elimination of [Iran’s] navy,” according to top negotiator Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has complained that Iran wouldn’t agree to a “deal” to prevent the U.S. from striking. In a Fox News interview posted by the White House’s rapid response X account, Witkoff suggested that he and senior adviser Jared…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
President Donald Trump ominously said on Monday that the U.S. has the weaponry to fight “forever,” as the administration’s refusal to state a definitive timeline or end goals for its war on Iran sparks worries of yet another prolonged, disastrous U.S. conflict in the Middle East. In a post on Truth Social just before midnight on Tuesday, Trump said that the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that the U.S. had to wage war against Iran now because Iran would act to defend itself if it came under attack — a circular explanation that appeared to pass the buck for the aggression to Israel, despite reports that Israeli leaders have been coordinating a joint attack with the U.S. for months. “It was abundantly clear that if Iran…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Spain has denied the use of its military bases to U.S. forces involved in the joint U.S.-Israel war on Iran, including for refueling, objecting to unprovoked attacks that Spanish officials say are a violation of international law. At least eleven U.S. aircraft left military bases in Rota and Morón in southern Spain after the announcement. Aircraft trackers showed that at least 7 of 15 U.S.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
In just two days, U.S. and Israeli attacks have killed over 500 people across Iran, with American and Israeli forces bombing numerous civilian sites, including medical centers and hospitals, human rights advocates have warned. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Monday that it has counted at least 555 deaths since the U.S. and Israel launched unprovoked strikes on Saturday.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The U.S. and Israel carried out a series of unprovoked and devastating strikes on Iran on Saturday, sparking retaliation from the country as U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to overthrow their government. Iranian media reported strikes across the country, including in the capital of Tehran and around the offices of Supreme Leader…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
For the first time in modern history, Gallup finds that the proportion of Americans who sympathize more with Palestinians has surpassed those who favor Israelis — a stark reflection of changing attitudes toward the top U.S. ally as it commits a live-streamed genocide in Gaza and wanton ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank. Polling released Friday finds that 41 percent of Americans now…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The U.S. embassy in Israel told its staff on Friday to leave the country if they wish to do so, and quickly. The instruction comes as the U.S. has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran — despite reports finding that the Trump administration’s accusations against the country are unsupported by U.S. intelligence. In a staff-wide email, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee instructed employees that…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Allies of the Trump administration are reportedly circulating a document that they say would grant the president sweeping powers over elections, including the ability to ban mail-in ballots, by declaring a national emergency over disproven allegations of interference by China in the 2020 election, a new Washington Post report finds. Right-wing activists who claim to be in contact with the…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
A Columbia University student was reportedly taken by federal immigration agents who lied in order to gain entry into her residence, the university’s president said in a statement on the Thursday morning arrest, which critics have described as an abduction. The detained student has been identified as Ellie Aghayeva, an undergrad majoring in neuroscience and political science.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Capitol Police brutalized Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minnesota) guest to the State of the Union address, Aliya Rahman, so badly that she needed to seek care at the hospital afterward — all because Rahman stood up in protest during President Donald Trump’s speech. As Trump made heinous remarks about Somalis on Tuesday night, Rahman silently stood up in protest, she told Democracy Now!
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has threatened Antropic with blacklisting if the AI company refuses to allow its tools to be used for autonomous drone attacks or mass surveillance – a chilling show of the Pentagon’s priorities. In a meeting with the company on Tuesday, Hegseth said that the company must lift its demands for the safety restrictions by Friday at 5:01 pm. Otherwise…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
President Donald Trump continued to push for war with Iran during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, falsely asserting that Iranian officials have not disavowed nuclear weapons development. Trump repeated the claim that his administration “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, adding that Iranian officials are “terrible people” who are “starting it all over.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
Scores of Democrats are calling for Americans to receive refunds on expenses incurred from President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, which were struck down by the Supreme Court on Friday. “The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs, but this ruling won’t undo the damage to Americans paying higher prices on everything from groceries to housing,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The Trump administration is reportedly on the verge of attacking Iran in order to force Islamic Republic officials to agree to President Donald Trump’s demands for a nuclear deal, and to potentially push for regime change, which could spark a disastrous, protracted war. U.S. officials have provided no evidence for an imminent threat — the only legal justification for the use of military force…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
This story was originally published on Truthout on Feb. 19, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.
The U.S. is rapidly building up its military force in the Middle East, amassing an amount of air power reminiscent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as President Donald Trump mulls attacks on Iran without seeking congressional approval.
Top administration officials reported that the White House has been told that the U.S. is ready to strike Iran as soon as this weekend, CBS News reports, with other news outlets confirming.
On Thursday, at opening remarks for his “Board of Peace” event, Trump said that “you’re going to be finding out probably over the next 10 days” whether the U.S. will attack Iran. He once again threatened Iran to negotiate a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, or else “bad things will happen.”
Reports find that the military is, indeed, prepared for a significant operation. Air and sea trackers have shown an enormous amount of firepower being amassed in the region, with the Wall Street Journal comparing the amount of air power concentrated there to the build-up before the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Trump has not yet made the final decision on whether to strike, outlets have reported. Israel, which has long urged the U.S. to initiate war with Iran, may participate in potential attacks.
Trump does not have the statutory authority to unilaterally launch a war with Iran. Representatives Ro Khanna (D-California) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) have said that they are planning to force a vote on a War Powers Resolution next week in hopes of preventing strikes.
“Like the votes before the Iraq war, this could be one of the most consequential votes in the history of Congress. Are we going to stop another endless dumb foreign war? Or will the neoconservatives mislead us once again?” said Khanna on social media.
Polling has shown that a war or other military action against Iran is unpopular. In January, Quinnipiac found that only 18 percent of U.S. voters support taking military action against Iran if the government continued killing protesters. Shortly after last year’s strikes, 85 percent of people said in a YouGov poll that they opposed war with Iran.
Trump is demanding that Iran end all domestic uranium enrichment, seemingly making demands for a new nuclear deal despite having withdrawn from one during his first term in office.
It’s unclear what or whom the strikes would target. Though he has emphasized Iran’s uranium enrichment in recent remarks, just weeks ago he was threatening Iran over its violent repression of protesters. Further, the administration has maintained that the U.S. already “totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities,” as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, during the Israeli and U.S. strikes last June that killed over 1,000 people.
“The president has always been very clear, though, with respect to Iran or any country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration,” Leavitt said.
It is illegal under international law to use the threat of force for diplomatic ends.
On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News after a round of indirect talks in Geneva that “it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”
Iran has threatened to retaliate if the U.S. launched unprovoked strikes by targetingU.S. warships. In a post on X on Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “The U.S. President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again.”
This post was originally published on The Real News Network.
Betting company Polymarket and online writing platform Substack announced a partnership this week to further entrench gambling in the world of journalism and, in Polymarket’s words, make journalism “better” with “live markets.” Substack will now allow writers to embed prediction market data in their articles, with “native tools that make it easier to share, discuss…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will be giving $10 billion to his neocolonialist “Board of Peace” — over 12 times the U.S.’s contribution to the UN this year and more than double the amount that the U.S. currently owes the international organization. Trump made the announcement while addressing the Board of Peace at its meeting on Thursday, stating that the Board of Peace — which he…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The U.S. is rapidly building up its military force in the Middle East, amassing an amount of air power reminiscent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as President Donald Trump mulls attacks on Iran without seeking congressional approval. Top administration officials reported that the White House has been told that the U.S. is ready to strike Iran as soon as this weekend, CBS News reports…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he had “nothing to do with” Jeffrey Epstein. But his name reportedly appears in the unredacted files at least a million times, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) said on Tuesday after being granted access to the documents. Raskin told Axios that he searched Trump’s name in the files on Monday, and it came up “more than a million times.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
As the U.S.’s extremist blockade on Cuba pushes the country to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has said that the world has entered a “new era of depravity” in which such actions are ignored by world powers due to the heinous precedent set by the Gaza genocide. “This is what we’ve seen with Gaza — this is a new era of depravity opened up…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
The family of detained Palestinian Columbia University activist Leqaa Kordia said on Saturday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is withholding information on her whereabouts and health after she was rushed to the hospital on Friday. Kordia’s family and legal team have said that ICE officials are refusing to give any information about where she has been hospitalized…
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.
In an ad during the Super Bowl on Sunday night, Amazon’s Ring touted the establishment of an AI-powered surveillance network through their camera systems, which the company whitewashed under a feel-good narrative about finding lost dogs. The ad for Ring’s free “Search Party” program urges users to “be a hero” by using their surveillance cameras to help identify lost dogs in their neighborhood.
This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.