Sign the petition: House Minority Leader Rep Hakeem Jeffries D-NY won’t rule out funding Trump’s war on Iran 10MAR26

US House Minority Leader Rep Hakeem Jeffries D-NY is showing why he has never served in the US Military. He is a coward. He is considering supporting additional funding for NOT MY pres drumpf's / trump's and the gop / greed over people-republican party's illegal and immoral war on Iran because he is afraid of them using opposition to this war against him and the Democratic Party in the 2026 Midterms. Supporting and voting for additional funding for this war makes him and every representative and every senator who supports and votes for this cowards and complicit in violating the US Constitution as well as the war crimes being committed by the United States AND the deaths and wounding of American servicemen and servicewomen in this war. It also exposes their lack of intelligence and communication skills to explain the threat this illegal and immoral war is to our democratic Republic. Please sign the petition to congress from Demand Progress prevent any more funding for the war on Iran, and please e mail your representative and senators telling them to vote against all additional funding for this war. My e mails will be at the end of this post, I also called their D.C. offices.....

TELL CONGRESS: U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have hit 10,000 civilian structures in Iran, including homes, schools, and medical facilities. As Trump’s criminal war of destruction rages on, Democrats including Minority Leader Jeffries still won’t rule out passing $50 billion in funding for these horrors. Sign the petition: NO taxpayer funding for Trump’s war on Iran!

ADD YOUR NAME

The U.S.-Israeli war of destruction on Iran has killed more than 1,255 Iranians and damaged 10,000 civilian structures, including homes, schools, and three dozen medical facilities. New footage revealed that the U.S. launched a tomahawk missile that hit an Iranian girls’ school on the first day of the war, killing some 168 people, nearly all of them children at their morning school sessions.^1,2

Despite these escalating horrors, some Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries still won’t rule out voting for additional funding for Trump’s criminal war on Iran.³

Experts estimate the war costs taxpayers $900 million per day,⁴ meaning Trump’s unconstitutional war has now cost over $9 BILLION. The GOP is planning to ask for an additional $50 billion to continue relentlessly bombing Iran. Congress must unequivocally reject this proposal, which needs 60 votes to pass the Senate.

Sign the petition: End Trump’s horrific war and block ALL funding for airstrikes on Iran.

ADD YOUR NAME

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military will not abide by “stupid rules of engagement.”⁵ Hegseth, Trump, and Israeli forces have shown a complete disregard for the laws of war, civilian casualties, and international humanitarian protections.

A group of Senators are demanding a full probe into the appalling bombing of the Iranian girls’ school that killed so many children.⁶

Israeli strikes on fuel depots over the weekend left Tehran covered by a black cloud of toxic smoke, causing breathing problems, eye irritation, and a host of other serious health issues across the city.⁷

Congress can’t allow Trump, Hegseth, and a bloodthirsty GOP to continue this war. Our lawmakers must take a firm stand against pledging billions more to bomb Iran.

Sign the petition: Oppose funding for Trump’s war on Iran NOW!

Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the Demand Progress team

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Sources:

1. Democracy Now, "Video Shows U.S. Missile Struck Iranian Girls’ School, Killing 175, Contradicting Trump’s Denials,” March 9, 2026.
2. CBS News, "United States was "likely" responsible for bombing of girls' school in Iran, per early U.S. assessment,” March 9, 2026.
3. NBC News, "Hakeem Jeffries won't commit to blocking additional Iran war funding,” March 8, 2026.
4. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, "$3.7 Billion: Estimated Cost of Epic Fury’s First 100 Hours,” March 5, 2026.
5. Al Jazeera, "US senators demand probe into ‘appalling’ attack on girls’ school in Iran,” March 9, 2026.
6. The Guardian, "‘Dark, like our future’: Iranians describe scenes of catastrophe after Tehran’s oil depots bombed,” March 8, 2026.
7. Al Jazeera, "US senators demand probe into ‘appalling’ attack on girls’ school in Iran,” March 9, 2026.

 MY E MAIL TO REP SUBRAMANYAM D-VA 10

The drumpf / trump-vance administration's and the gop / greed over people-republican party's war on Iran is illegal and immoral. I expect you to vote against all additional funding of this war and to work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation and House Minority Leader Rep Hakeem Jeffries to vote against all additional funding of this war. All who vote for additional funding for this war are complicit in the violation of the US Constitution, are complicit in the war crimes committed in this war and are complicit in the deaths and wounding of American military personnel during this war. I also expect you to remind the American people while drumpf / trump is willing to send our troops to war he is a 5 time draft dodger and not qualified to be the  c-i-c let alone the president. 

Thank you, 

MY E MAIL TO SEN WARNER D-VA AND SEN TIM KAINE D-VA

The drumpf / trump-vance administration's and the gop / greed over people-republican party's war on Iran is illegal and immoral. I expect you to vote against all additional funding of this war and to work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation and Senate Minority Leader Sen Chuck Schumer to vote against all additional funding of this war. All who vote for additional funding for this war are complicit in the violation of the US Constitution, are complicit in the war crimes committed in this war and are complicit in the deaths and wounding of American military personnel during this war. I also expect you to remind the American people while drumpf / trump is willing to send our troops to war he is a 5 time draft dodger and not qualified to be the  c-i-c let alone the president. 

Thank you, 

MOTHER JONES DAILY: Trump to Mass Death: Shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, 10 Worst Crises You Won’t See in Headlines (But Should), Violent. Anti-abortion. Anti-trans. Posts from Trump’s new DHS pick preview more of the same., Google’s sneaky trick to sidestep an Iowa county’s data center zoning rules, “Downright disgraceful”: Gillibrand demands evacuation plan for Americans stranded in war zone, Inside the latest, and scariest, iteration of America’s endless abortion wars 6MAR26

 

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March 6, 2026 The Trump White House, like many White Houses before it, invites the possibility of death whenever it declares war. But has an administration ever been so naked in its lust for death?  I took some time to think through the ways this administration has talked about its war in Iran. I think the rhetoric boils down to this: Where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cheers on mass death, the president of the United States shrugs it off. Both approaches are horrifying; they are extensions of long-held American foreign policy, and neither is exactly surprising. But I have to wonder if we’ve ever encountered a president who answers “I guess” to the prospect of a future 9/11-style terrorist attack because of a war he unilaterally launched. You can read my thoughts on what such an answer reveals and why I’m stunned here. —Inae Oh

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Trump to Mass Death: Shrug The president's shruggy nihilism extends to Iranians, US soldiers, and you. BY INAE OH

SPONSORED POST 10 Worst Crises You Won’t See in Headlines (But Should) CARE’s annual Crisis Report notes countries the media isn’t covering. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY CARE.ORG.

Violent. Anti-abortion. Anti-trans. Posts from Trump’s new DHS pick preview more of the same. BY KATIE HERCHENROEDER Google’s sneaky trick to sidestep an Iowa county’s data center zoning rules BY ANIKA JANE BEAMER “Downright disgraceful”: Gillibrand demands evacuation plan for Americans stranded in war zone BY KATIE HERCHENROEDER

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Inside the latest, and scariest, iteration of America’s endless abortion wars After Trump’s mass pardons of anti-abortion activists, threats and harassment at clinics have surged. BY BECCA ANDREWS

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VIDEO explaining war on Iran & Pentagon Pete Flunks First Big Test With Misfiring War Rant & Convicted Jan. 6 Rioter Invited to Pentagon War Briefing 2&3MAR26

Brandon Straka during the Capitol riot (L) and at the Pentagon for Hegseth's Iran briefing (R).U.S. District Court of District of Columbia 

The drumpf / trump administration officials explaining the war on Iran

SEC OF DEFENSE fascist fotze trunt petie lola hegseth got her panties all bunched up during his press conference on the illegal and immoral war on Iran as he looked out over the no class official Pentagon press corp ( I.E. fascist fotze trunt brandon straka ) because she is no smarter than they, and probably because he still can't admit she is not qualified to be Sec of Defense as was exposed by Signalgate. This from Daily Beast....

Pentagon Pete Flunks First Big Test With Misfiring War Rant

The defense secretary struggled to articulate any goals and attacked the press for basic questions.

Sarah Ewall-Wice 

Political Reporter

Updated Mar. 2 2026 12:59PM EST Published Mar. 2 2026 11:43AM EST 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took the podium for the first time after Donald Trump launched his war in Iran to serve up a speech full of scripted lines and petty outbursts.

If the goal were to provide clarity and understanding on the U.S. objectives for its full-scale assault and what Americans should expect, the former Fox News personality came up miserably short on all fronts.

He contradicted himself. He contradicted the president. He became defensive when pressed by his own hand-picked Pentagon Press Corps to provide basic information, spouted partisan politics, and lacked empathy for the dead.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked the press and became combative while also contradicting the president during a press conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The defense secretary declared right off the bat that it would not be an endless war and insisted it was the opposite of the invasion of Iraq, while also refusing to set a timeline or rule out boots on the ground.

“I heard the question about four weeks,” Hegseth complained. “It’s the typical, typical NBC sort of gotcha type question. President Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take, four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, it could move up. It could move back. We’re going to execute at his command the objectives we’ve set out to achieve.”

It was pointed out that the president himself said the war would likely last about four weeks on a call to the Daily Mail. He told the New York Times that it would take four to five weeks.

It was Hegseth’s first appearance in the Pentagon briefing room for a press conference since he kicked nearly all of the press corps out of the Pentagon in October and replaced them largely with pro-MAGA conservative influencers instead.

Despite the Pentagon’s effort to create a friendly pro-Trump “press corps” for Hegseth, it didn’t keep the defense secretary from getting worked up.

He even compared the U.S. media to enemy fire.

“President Trump and I have your back—always," he said in a message to the troops. “Through fire, through criticism, through fake news, through everything. We unleash you because you are the best, most powerful, most lethal fighting force the world has ever seen.”

His combative demeanor was a far cry from when former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld regularly briefed the press on the Iraq invasion, and despite the administration launching a full-scale war, they only took questions for 13 minutes.

When another reporter asked whether there was concern that the war was spiraling into a longer conflict, and Americans wanted to know what they were sending men and women to war for, Hegseth was glib.

“Did you not hear my remarks?” he shot back. “We’re ensuring the mission gets accomplished, but we’re very clear-eyed, as the president has been, unlike other presidents, about the foolish policies of that past that recklessly pulled us into things that were not tethered to actual, clear objectives.”

As he spoke, the defense secretary leaned in aggressively, scowling at the reporter and gesturing at them.

Hegseth’s “clear objectives” were a series of declarations at the top of the press conference, lacking in detailed explanation.

“The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused: destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their Navy, and other security infrastructure, and they will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

But moments before that, Hegseth claimed that the U.S. had already “obliterated their nuclear program to rubble” with Operation Midnight Hammer last June.

He also insisted it was “not a so-called regime change war” but argued the regime did change.

As University of Chicago professor Robert Pape quickly pointed out: “Sec Hegseth just injected massive confusion, saying bombing Iran is NOT about Regime Change. This directly contradicts Pres Trump. Shows we are losing control. Iran is gaining control, waging protracted war. Trump is now caught in the Smart Bomb Trap.”

It’s not yet clear who will emerge as the leader of Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, but Trump has repeatedly called on the Iranian people to overthrow their government since launching the attack. The president even said the strikes “knocked out” most of the candidates to lead.

While he insisted there were clear objectives and the war would not be endless, Hegseth still would not rule out boots on the ground.

“We’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,” Hegseth declared before going off on a rant. “I think it’s one of those fallacies for a long time that this department or presidents or others should tell the American people and our enemies by the way, ‘here’s exactly what we’ll do. Here’s exactly how long well go. Here’s exactly how far we’ll go. Here’s what we’re willing to do and not do.’ It’s foolishness.”

As he spoke, Hegseth’s voice kicked up a notch, and he waved his arms about while declaring the U.S. will “go as far as we need to go.”

New Yorker staff writer Susan Glassner compared his combative tone with the media as Hegseth “imitating Colin Jost imitating Pete Hegseth,” referring to the cast member who plays the Pentagon chief on Saturday Night Live with a lot of aggressive yelling and name-calling.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked the press and became combative while also contradicting the president during a press conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Even when it came to those service members killed in the operation so far, Hegseth remained defensive. In his remarks off the top, he mentioned the four casualties but did not extend condolences to their families.

“War is hell, and always will be,” he declared. “A grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost thus far and those injured, the absolute best of America. May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honors them: no apologies, no hesitation, epic fury for them and the thousands of Americans before them by Iranian radicals.”

Asked for more information about those killed, Hegseth’s tone remained defensive as he rattled off that the U.S. has “incredible air defenders,” but every so often, one “unfortunately” makes it through.

He shared that in this case, a tactical operations center was hit, emphasizing that it was fortified: “But these are powerful weapons.”

“Moments like that, as we remember them and we take care of them and take care of their families, only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we do this properly,” he quickly added at the end.

Convicted Jan. 6 Rioter Invited to Pentagon War Briefing

Brandon Straka was among the handpicked influencers Pete Hegseth invited to attend.

Tom Latchem 

Lead Global Correspondent

Published Mar. 3 2026 8:55AM EST 

A convicted Jan. 6 rioter was one of the “journalists” picked by Pete Hegseth to attend the defense secretary’s bad-tempered Iran war briefing.

During the violent storming of the Capitol in January 2021, Brandon Straka had yelled “go, go, go” as rioters pushed toward the building, and urged a member of the crowd to seize a police officer’s shield, shouting “take it, take it.”

In a Stop the Steal group chat, Straka messaged fellow organizers as the Capitol was being overrun: “F--k no!! I’m at the Capitol and just joined the breach!!! I just got gassed! Never felt so f-----g alive in my life!!!”

Straka pleaded guilty in October 2021 to a federal misdemeanor charge of disorderly and disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds.

Donald Trump appointee Judge Dabney L. Friedrich sentenced him in January 2022 to three years of probation, three months of home detention, a $5,000 fine, and $500 in restitution. Trump then granted a full pardon on Jan. 21, 2025.

Straka, who has since touted Trump’s support to boost his career as a “media personality,” said he was given a “front row seat” to the Defense Department’s briefing on Monday.

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on Feb. 28, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.Getty Images

He posted a photograph to X of himself in the Pentagon briefing room wearing a bright red PRESS lanyard, announcing he was about to be briefed by the defense secretary on U.S. military strikes against Iran.

Straka was among a cohort of handpicked pro-Trump media figures now constituting the Pentagon’s replacement press pool, after much of the mainstream press corps walked out rather than sign a restrictive Pentagon gag order last October.

Outlets that signed the policy and retained access include One America News, The Federalist, and The Epoch Times. Those who joined the pool after major organizations such as Fox News, The New York Times, and Reuters refused to comply include The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial, Turning Point USA’s Frontlines, The Daily Signal, and The Daily Caller.

Lindell TV—the channel set up by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell—and conservative video host Tim Pool, who streams as Timcast, were also present.

Despite Monday’s briefing on Operation Epic Fury being mostly full of patsies, it still proved fractious.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked the press and became combative while also contradicting the president during a press conference at the Pentagon on March 2, 2026.Alex Wong/Getty Images

Hegseth dressed down his own chosen reporters on several occasions, at one point declaring: “Going forward, why would we tell you—you, the enemy, anybody—what we will or will not do?”

When NBC News’ Courtney Kube managed to slip in a question about the potential duration of the Iran campaign, Hegseth dismissed it as “a typical NBC sort of, gotcha type question.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Defense and Straka for comment.