Trump Ranks War A “15” On A 10-Point Scale As Democrats Express Concerns
Texas Primary Winners & Losers + Why Everyone Wants To Have A "Kennedy Summer"
Good evening,
The midterm elections are officially underway, kicking off yesterday with primaries in some states, including Texas.
GOP SENATE RUNOFF: Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) will head into a May runoff against state AG Ken Paxton.
President Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday that he make an endorsement “soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!” He is expected to back Cornyn.
WILL TEXAS GO BLUE? State Rep. James Talarico beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) for the Democratic nomination in a race that was rocked by an eleventh-hour legal fight over Dallas County’s voting procedures.
On Wednesday night, Crockett said that people were “disenfranchised” in Dallas County. A pair of dueling court rulings on extending the voting period caused confusion. Crockett did not concede until Wednesday morning.
“Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” wrote Crockett via a statement on Wednesday.
GONZALES CONGRESSIONAL SEAT: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX)— who’s facing calls from members of his own party to resign— was forced into a runoff. He will be challenged by Brandon Herrera, a hard-line conservative, YouTuber and gun rights advocate known as the AK Guy.
Gonzales failed to get 50% or more of the total vote after accusations surfaced last month that he had coerced a staff member into a sexual relationship. The staff member later died by suicide.
A FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT: And then there’s Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX). He’s a former Navy SEAL who was the only Texas House Republican running for re-election to not receive Trump’s endorsement. He lost his race to Steve Toth, a hard-line conservative Texas state representative, who also did not receive the president’s backing.
Mo News Team
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Iran War, Day 5: Hegseth Says The Iranian Regime Is “Toast” As U.S. Dominates Skies And Seas
The war against Iran entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with the Trump administration touting early successes against the Iranian regime and the president ranking the war a 15 on a 10-point success scale.
The U.S. military has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including ballistic missile sites and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters. Military leaders say the U.S. and Israel have near total domination over the skies of Iran, and have almost destroyed the entire Iranian navy.
WAR ROOM UPDATESSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine held a joint press conference Wednesday morning, where they expressed optimism about America’s progress in the war.
HEGSETH: “AMERICA IS WINNING”: Hegseth said that progress during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has been “incredible” and that the Islamic regime in Iran is “toast.”
Hegseth says within a week, the U.S. and Israel will have complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace, allowing for 24/7 targeting of the Iranian defense industrial base.
Hegseth warned Americans that it’s “very early” in military operations against Tehran. “And as President Trump has said, we will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed,” he added.
Trump said Monday that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran is ahead of schedule and could last about four to five weeks. Asked about progress in the war on Wednesday, Trump added, “Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15.”
FEWER MISSILES FROM IRAN: In the briefing, Caine describes a significant decline in Iranian missile and drone launches since the start of the military operation.
“Iran’s theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease just in the last 24 hours… Their one-way attack drone shots are down 73%,” Caine says.
He mentioned how Iran has been firing 23% fewer missiles in the past 24 hours alone.
U.S. TO STRIKE DEEPER INTO IRAN: Caine also said Wednesday that the U.S. will start “striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory” as the war progresses to create “additional freedom of maneuver for U.S. forces.”
WARSHIP DOWN
Also on Wednesday, a U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank a prized Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean — the first time since World War II that an American sub has sunk an enemy vessel.
Hegseth said the U.S. Navy targeted the Soleimani, the Iranian flagship named for Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020.
The Sri Lankan Navy said Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people from the incident.
The U.S. has struck or sunk over 20 Iranian ships, according to the U.S. Central Command.
WIDENING WAR
Meanwhile, NATO defense systems shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran on Wednesday as it was heading towards Turkey. No casualties were reported, and it is unclear what the intended target of the missile was.
Turkey is a NATO member bordering Iran. The strike marks the first time Turkey has been directly affected by the fighting. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes in nearly a dozen countries since Saturday— striking both U.S. embassies and civilian infrastructure.
EVACUATION ORDERS
The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to evacuate 14 countries across the Middle East. But it’s easier said than done. The department is trying to organize military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who want to leave the region, but it’s an active war zone, so in some cases, air space has been closed and flights cancelled.
The State Department on Tuesday told Americans to call a hotline at 1-202-501-4444 to let them know their location and if they’re in need of help evacuating.
At one point, a State Department recording said it could not help anyone evacuating. As of Wednesday, the number is working again, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed.
DEMS PUSH BACK: BOOTS ON THE GROUND?
The White House is not currently considering sending ground troops to Iran, but still won’t rule it out, Leavitt said during a press briefing Wednesday.
CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING: Leavitt’s comments come after Senate Democrats said they left a closed-door briefing on Iran, from the Trump administration on Tuesday, increasingly worried that the U.S. may deploy boots on the ground.
Boots on the ground: “I just want to say that I am more fearful than ever after this briefing that we may be putting boots on the ground and that troops from the United States may be necessary to accomplish objectives that the administration seems to have,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to reporters on Tuesday.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) added Wednesday that U.S. boots on the ground in Iran may be unavoidable, although he hopes it would not happen.
“I think that's something the president knows, that members of Congress certainly hope doesn't happen, but sometimes that's unavoidable in a situation like this,” Comer told Newsweek.
A DIVIDED SENATE AND AMERICAN PUBLIC
Republicans are much more likely to support America’s war efforts to rid Iran of nuclear capabilities than Democrats.
A new Reuters/IPSOS poll of around 1,200 adults shows that only one in four Americans say they back the U.S. strikes on Iran. The vast majority of Democrats (87%) say Trump is too willing to use military force, whereas only around a quarter (23%) of Republicans say the same.
In a separate Fox News poll of more than 1,000 voting adults, more than 8 in 10 Republicans say they approve of the current U.S. military action against Iran, whereas only 1 in 5 Democrats say the same.
THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
Democrats — joined by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) — also forced a vote in the Senate on a war powers resolution on Wednesday that tests Trump’s decision to embark on a war against Iran without congressional approval. The Senate rejected the measure late Wednesday, though the House still plans to take up the resolution tomorrow.
WHAT IT IS: The 1973 resolution, first passed during the Vietnam War, prevents a president from sending troops overseas without first acquiring congressional approval. If passed, the act would require the withdrawal of US forces from the conflict unless Congress approves the operation.
WILL IT MATTER? Even if the vote on the War Powers Act were to pass the Senate, it still needs to get through a Republican-controlled House, and even then, it will be vetoed by Trump. Congress would need to muster a 2/3 majority to override the veto.
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⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
House Oversight panel votes to subpoena AG Pam Bondi in Epstein probe (CNN)
Top Democrat questions DHS Sec. Noem on calling Alex Pretti, Renee Good ‘domestic terrorists’ (MO NEWS)
Tim Walz accuses the Trump administration of singling out Minnesota amid fraud allegations, immigration crackdown (POLITICO)
Commerce Sec. Lutnick volunteers to testify on Epstein ties (AXIOS)
Defense tech companies are dropping Claude after Pentagon’s Anthropic blacklist (CNBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
US military launches operation in Ecuador to combat drug trafficking (GUARDIAN)
‘No to war’: Spain PM hits back at Trump threat to cut trade over air base dispute (CNBC)
Husband of British MP among 3 arrested on suspicion of spying for China (NBC)
Nepalis are set to vote in the first election after protests ousted the previous government (AP)
China is about to show the world its plan to win the future (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
Private sector added 63,000 jobs in February, above expectations, ADP says (FOX BUSINESS)
Coinbase leads crypto stocks higher after Trump signals support for digital asset market structure bill (CNBC)
Elon Musk takes stand in Twitter shareholder trial accusing him of deflating stock before purchase (AP)
Apple announces its cheapest-ever new MacBook (CNN)
A suite of government hacking tools targeting iPhones is now being used by cybercriminals (TECHCRUNCH)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Deckhand on ‘Deadliest Catch’ boat falls overboard and dies while fishing in Alaskan waters (NBC)
Christian Bale weighs in on “bold choice” to make a new ‘American Psycho’: “All the best to ‘em” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Atlanta Braves’ Jurickson Profar suspended for 2026 season following second positive drug test (AP)
The 2026 World Cup faces big challenges with only 100 days to go (NPR)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… People on TikTok are romanticizing the aesthetics of ‘90s icons John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, the subjects of Ryan Murphy’s new hit show Love Story.
Users have been posting scenes of New England yacht rides and preppy, East Coast outfits with the hashtag #KennedySummer.
Speaking of East Coast Kennedy-fever, John F. Kennedy, Jr. lookalike contests will be taking place on Sunday in New York City and D.C.
Time to whip out your wool caps!